Priest Shekuri

It had once been a small, nameless village that could only wait for destruction.

But now that village had surely begun to change, thanks to the power of those who had arrived.

The place that had once been without a name and merely called the southernmost village now had a different one.

Borrowing from the name and power of the lord who had achieved this, the village was now called—

—Tree Village.

The House Tree, taller than its surroundings, stood shaped like a spire.

This special House Tree, created by Woody through crossbreeding, had rows of chairs lined up inside.

Made with the expectation of hosting many people, this house even had openings to let in light.

The purpose of this House Tree was… a church.

A place of prayer and rest for those who believed in the divine.

“Greetings, everyone.”

The one stepping up to the pulpit inside the church was Shekuri.

No longer in rags as before, but clad in proper garments, he awkwardly addressed those gathered.

And the ones listening to him were all rough-looking men.

Once the representative of the village, Shekuri’s current role was village chief and priest.

He had been ordered to use his aptitude of ‘Priest’ to reform these bandits.

“Che, who needs a church.”

“Damn it, if only he wasn’t here…”

“Tch, what a pain.”

Locked in magical cages, unable to move freely, the first place they had been brought when finally allowed out was a church.

Having no connection to things like faith, they sat with openly bored expressions.

The reason they still grudgingly obeyed, even while muttering complaints and ready to bare their fangs at any moment, was because Nadja stood behind Shekuri.

They knew that one wrong move would get them killed by her, so escape was not an option.

But to listen to a priest’s boring sermon… the bandits’ attitudes were less than favorable.

‘Can I really manage this… Well, I have no choice but to try. For this to be my first job as a priest… Woody-dono truly is a harsh taskmaster.’

Shekuri turned and walked toward the back.

There stood a mysterious object covered in cloth.

With a flick, he pulled the cloth away—revealing a wooden statue strikingly like Simurg, and a life-sized figure of Woody.

“Everyone, let us have faith. As long as you believe, your path will surely open before you.”

Though hesitant at first, Shekuri’s preaching grew more fluent each time he spoke.

So this was the power of aptitude… he thought as he began to explain the principles of right and wrong.

Though he did not believe in the Holy Faith worshipped in the kingdom, he did believe in Woody and Simurg, who had saved them.

By weaving in scraps of Holy Faith knowledge with his own experiences, Shekuri created his own unique religion.

And its objects of faith were, of course, Woody and Simurg.

Taking from Simurg, the Divine Beast of wind, and Woody, who planted miraculous trees, he called it the “Faith of Wind and Tree.”

Born from Shekuri’s inspiration, the Faith of Wind and Tree thus began to develop.

As the bandits witnessed its abundance with their own eyes, their belief deepened, and the Sanctuary’s purifying effect erased their malice.

Before long, they were reborn as proper villagers, joining Nadja as members of a desert hunting force.