The Peculiarities of Rank and a Demonic Disturbance

“My name is just Jack, no family name. I’m twenty-five years old, a 2-star Silver Knight.”

“You’re quite a bit older than I thought. I always assumed you were younger, given how much you shout.”

“That’s because you’re always doing strange things!”

“Still, that’s impressive. It’s not easy to achieve 2-star.”

While every class hierarchy has its own ranking system, Hamman’s devotees find it significantly harder to advance. They don’t just pray and study; they must also possess considerable combat prowess. This means they need to achieve feats that prove their strength in battle. From my perspective, a 2-star ranking is barely worth a glance.

However, for an NPC, it’s quite a respectable position, especially considering Jack’s young age of twenty-five. Most NPCs aren’t even given a 1-star rank, let alone a proper name; they’re simply referred to by numbers, like ‘Priest 1’ or ‘Priest 2’.

“I haven’t thought about what I like, so I don’t know. As for what I dislike…”

Then, he subtly glanced at me. His wavering gaze settled on the hilt of the sword protruding from my chest.

“For starters, I think I’ve grown to dislike seeing people walk around naked.”

“Putting on clothes won’t suddenly make things better, will it? Please don’t use me as an excuse.”

“…I wasn’t trying to say I dislike you, no… not at all.”

“I haven’t even done anything, yet my favorability seems to be dropping. Is there nothing else? Like, do you enjoy ice cream, or perhaps hate bell peppers? You might like cats, or dislike birds.”

“I’ve lived my entire life within the Holy Temple. Do you truly believe I’d have such trivialities? A priest is meant to have nothing but his god. What concern do I have for birthdays or personal preferences?”

“Why are you doing things Hamman never even commanded?”

Hamman is the God of Justice, and also the God of Responsibility and Proof. Conversely, this means that as long as Hamman’s devotees can uphold responsibility and provide proof, and as long as they do not defy justice, they are permitted to do anything they wish. Hamman himself is not one to hold back, so why would his subordinates engage in such self-imposed restrictions?

‘This is all wrong. What I’m hearing directly contradicts the settings I know.’

‘Perhaps there’s a quest involved. If there were a quest to expose internal corruption, divergent from the public settings, it might make sense.’

‘But I finished Hamman’s quest a long time ago.’

“What in the world does that mean?”

“Ah, never mind. Let’s move past this. Hamman will take care of it.”

Hamman does whatever he pleases, yet his followers live incredibly strict lives, doing things they were never even commanded to do. I recognized the oddity but simply dismissed it. It wouldn’t be the first strange thing I’ve encountered.

“Take your time to discover what you like and dislike. Perhaps you enjoy meat, or find rainy days pleasant—there’s so much to consider, isn’t there?”

“So, if a priest of the Holy Temple has such personal desires…”

“There’s a reason Hamman struck that Pope with lightning. He’s completely ruined you kids.”

Hamman is fundamentally good-aligned, yet he’s the kind of deity who grants blessings even if someone commits murder, provided they can bear the responsibility. Moreover, he’s incredibly whimsical. He wouldn’t control something as trivial as likes and dislikes, let alone command massacres or other heinous acts.

“Let’s move on to Faust. It’s fine if you just say whatever you want.”

Jack, who was sitting next to me, chattered on, but I simply ignored him. Whatever he was babbling about was just meaningless noise. When I didn’t engage, he quickly tired himself out and fell silent.

“Sir Haut, does this… truly have meaning?”

“I like you all, and I want to do things you enjoy. However, it seems my past efforts haven’t been satisfactory, so this is my attempt to understand you better.”

In an RPG, anything goes. It’s that kind of game. Whether you want to farm or fight, you can do whatever you desire. Even if the world-setting is somewhat grim, if I want to play it like a dating sim, that should also be possible.

If you can run a butcher shop in a horror game, what can’t you do?

“Faust Lanche, was the Captain of the Silver Knights. He is 28 years old, 5-star.”

“You were 5-star? This is strange in its own way. Why are you only a Captain, despite being 5-star?”

‘Is the system bugged? A 5-star should be at least a Bishop-level high priest.’

‘While it would be natural for the Faust I met in the late game to be 5-star, wasn’t this supposed to be his early-game setting? I thought he’d be around 3-star.’

‘But he’s 5-star even now? And merely a Captain?’

“Haa… just when I think there’s nothing left to be surprised by, you say something even more astounding. How can you, not even a priest…”

“I’m not new to gaming, you know. A 5-star should at least be a Bishop, or perhaps even a Cardinal. If not, then at least an Archbishop of a branch temple in a major city. Hamman gave you 5-stars and just left you as a Captain?”

“A direct descendant of the Holy Temple, with just that…”

“In a Holy Temple that believes in Hamman, what could possibly be more important than Hamman’s own words?”

It’s not just Hamman. All positions within the game are determined by the favor of their respective gods. Ordinary believers who receive no divine favor are deacons, while those who do are ranked from 1-star to 5-star based on the level of their blessing. The Silver Knights are an important organization representing Hamman, making it a relatively high position, but it’s usually held by 3-star individuals.

‘When I received the subjugation quest, he was definitely sitting alone in a designated area. He didn’t seem to be doing much, but I just dismissed it as game progression at the time…’

‘No. Don’t think about it. That’s not the problem right now.’

I vigorously shook my head, trying to clear away the stray thoughts.

“My apologies. This isn’t really your concern. My words keep straying because it’s different from what I knew. Let’s move past this. What do you like?”

“May I… truly speak of it?”

“He’s stammering again. Does my favorability drop if I merely breathe?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just… I’ve never had to say it before.”

I couldn’t fathom why he was so restless, fidgeting his hands like a guilty person, over something so trivial. I munched on the crackers in front of me, awaiting Faust’s reply.

“I haven’t thought about it much, but… I enjoyed those ‘Cloud Sheep’ from before. The food we ate on the ship was also delicious, and dancing… I liked that too.”

“You don’t have to pick things we did together just because you’re worried about my reaction. I asked what you like.”

“Such things… they were new to me. To genuinely enjoy something…”

‘Ah, how did he know I’m a sucker for this? As expected of a 5-star.’

‘He seems so unassuming, yet he’s incredibly clever.’

Even knowing it was likely flattery, I couldn’t help but feel good. I deliberately pulled down the corners of my mouth, which threatened to curl into a smile, and finally looked at Nocturne.

“Nocturne, what about you?”

“Well, for me… everything’s fine, but I’d have no complaints if Sir Haut would just wear some clothes.”

“My attire bothered you that much?”

“Honestly, until now, I’ve been scared and wondered what you were up to. But how many chances will I get in my life to ride along with such an opportunity? Good is good. I won’t think too deeply about it anymore. It’s just exhausting for me.”

“I’ve never made any of you suffer.”

“Sir Haut, every time you open your mouth, you make people shrivel up.”

‘What? Is my very existence a complaint?’

My improving mood instantly plummeted. This guy, always so cooperative, yet capable of being so annoying. The nickname ‘hamster’ truly suits him.

He’s greedy, easily frightened, and yet he stuffs his cheeks full, nibbling away. He’s also just like a hamster frantically spinning its wheel in the middle of the night, noisily breaking the peace.

“Even so, I wish Sir Haut would conduct himself more… normally. Like not walking around with a sword stuck in his body, or getting beaten up by a bear and laughing it off as nothing. You say you’re fine, so I have nothing to say, but it’s distressing for those of us watching.”

“That’s a little cute. Is there anything you want?”

“Money.”

“Right, you should always look out for yourself.”

He’s truly an odd fellow. He just tried to drag me into the mud, then quickly picked me up and set me afloat again. Jack and Faust are too difficult. No matter what I say, they just vaguely muddle through it. If they could just speak their minds clearly like Nocturne, things would be easier for me too.

I opened my inventory and pulled out whatever I grabbed. I didn’t know the exact value, but judging by the size of the lump, it looked like about 500 gold. When I placed it on the table, Nocturne diligently tucked it into his pocket.

“By the way, what’s that?”

I hadn’t paid attention while chatting, but outside, a commotion was brewing. More and more people were running around, fleeing in various directions. The number of people rushing into the shop, crying and screaming, also increased.

“I wonder. Is something happening?”

“Did a fire break out somewhere?”

Thump— I felt something brush past my ear. It wasn’t physical; it was a familiar sensation. I sipped my half-finished black tea and peered outside.

“It’s nothing much, really.”

“What is it, then?”

“Looks like a demon has descended somewhere.”

I crunched on my crackers, too. Given the weak alert level, it must be one of the lowest-grade, nameless demons. The guards should be able to handle something like this.

“Why are you two acting like that?”

‘Why are their expressions like that? Their eyes are wide open, like a bear doused with water while sleeping.’

“S-Sir Haut… a demon, you say?”

“But I gave you permission to call me by my name, so why do you keep calling me Sir Haut?”

“That’s not the issue! Is it true that a demon has appeared here right now?”

“Yes. The weak alarm suggests a single nameless demon has slipped in.”

“But that’s a huge problem!”

“It’s just one. Why? The guards can handle something like that.”

It was a rare sight to see Faust shouting so uncharacteristically, but I couldn’t quite grasp the reason.

Nameless demons had a crude appearance. They were humanoid with limbs, but their bodies were black and distorted, like melted wax. It was as if they were a grotesque mix of unknown animals—perhaps with a crocodile’s tail or a dog’s head attached. There were many types, but all were too weak to earn a name; these were the lowest-grade demons.

“It’s not even a flying, named-grade demon. What’s there to worry about?”

“B-But… the people…”

“Although the NPC movements are a bit strange.”

There is a motion for NPCs to flee when a demon appears. But it seems the number of people fleeing is greater than I expected. More and more people are spilling into the streets.

“Didn’t you say that if one demon is defeated, they won’t appear again for a certain period? What happened?”

“This time, I only caught weak ones to show you. Even if there were powerful, influential ones in the area, one or two might still slip through. It’s not like I’m catching a dozen at once like before. Since I’ve only caught about four in the past couple of months, it was about time for them to start appearing again.”

“Y-You mean we have to catch that many for them not to appear? And every day? For nearly a thousand years?”

“I don’t understand why you keep asking the same things. I’ve told you how dangerous it is multiple times.”

“I just didn’t realize it would be that extreme!”

Even when I explain, it becomes a problem. I truly don’t know what they want from me. Is their AI solely focused on emotional expression? They all seem to have turned into blockheads.