I Have a Task Log

Chapter 301: Chapter 300: Hasty Return Journey

"Yeah, that’s right."

"That was Tier Three Magic, wasn’t it? Has your Casting Ability improved?" Colin asked.

"That’s just how it is for Warlocks," Ale explained. "Our Magic Power comes from our bloodline. The more dire the situation, the faster our blood pumps, making it easier to tap into our potential."

"I see." Colin nodded.

’From the sound of it, being a Warlock seems pretty convenient.’

"Speaking of which, what did those guys do to you?" Colin asked. "It’s a surprise they didn’t make sure you were... you know, finished."

"Mhm." Ale lowered her head. "Maybe they weren’t very professional."

"Then we really lucked out. If you hadn’t shown up at the end, who knows what kind of Magic that Cambion would’ve used."

Colin said with a smile, "Getting a boost to your Casting Ability right in the middle of a fight, surviving an enemy ambush, then making an appearance at the most critical moment... When you put it all together, it makes you sound like the protagonist of some novel."

"Mhm," Ale murmured in response.

"Has Pointy-Tail woken up yet?"

Just then, Kase’s voice called from the window.

He was leaning against the windowsill, a Wooden Sword in his hand.

A crowd of children from the orphanage was with him, all leaning on the windowsill to peer into the room.

Brilliant sunlight streamed into the room from behind them.

The pristine white curtains swayed like lilies in the gentle breeze.

Colin chided, "Not yet. Could you keep it down?"

"Alright, she’s not awake, so stop making a racket! Come on, I’ll tell you a story. Who wants to hear the legend of the Legendary Bear Hunter challenging the savage bear in the snowfields?" Kase hollered, leading away the younger children who didn’t have class.

Thanks to his excellent storytelling skills, the Half-Orc fit in quite well with these half-blood children, who were outcasts in the wider world. He had befriended them within a few hours.

Colin looked at Orelia on the bed.

The Tiefling had been unconscious the entire time. The Abbot had examined her feet, which had turned into hooves, but he was powerless to help. Even a Tier Three Divine Skill like Remove Curse was unable to restore Orelia to normal.

At first, Colin had suggested they get a higher-level Priest to take a look.

However, the old Abbot adamantly refused and urged them to keep the matter as secret as possible, telling outsiders only that Orelia was severely injured.

’This wasn’t something that could be resolved anytime soon.’

Over the past few days, the group had started by cleaning up the Bone Repository Hall.

After being banished to Hell, the Demons’ corpses had dissolved into foul, sticky piles of sludge.

Afterward, the Abbot and a few Priests from the Monastery searched the area but found no other Demons.

’After a search that thorough, it was unlikely any had been missed.’

’Looks like the idiots’ plan was a complete failure.’

’According to the rules of the Nine Jails, their fates wouldn’t be pleasant. That Chain Demon invested so much into this plan; there’s no way he’d be able to maintain his position after returning.’

Unfortunately, there were no surviving refugees in the Monastery’s cellar.

’The Chain Demon was already short on souls, and summoning a High-Tier Demon would require a heavy price. They left no one alive, and those souls, used as fuel for the ritual, would ultimately fall into the Nine Jails to become playthings for the Demons...’

While he felt sorrow for them, Colin wasn’t overwhelmed by grief.

’With such limited support, their small group had already done the best they could. And they had paid a heavy price for it.’

Then there was the matter of how the Demons had infiltrated the Monastery.

According to the Abbot and several of the Priests, Lil Moss must have first poisoned them with some kind of toxin to weaken their spirits. Then, she used an Array in the Bone Repository Hall to gain complete control over their minds.

Under her influence, several monks within the Monastery had essentially become her puppets. That was how the Monastery and the Bone Repository Hall had ended up in that state.

Unfortunately, the goods stored in the Monastery had already been sold off by the Demons.

However, the Gold they received hadn’t yet been transported to the Nine Jails.

’The reason was likely that the Demons’ Soul Power was limited, and they needed to channel all of it into the Summoning Array.’

Since the goods were all sold off cheaply, the profits were certainly not as high as the villagers had hoped. The Abbot still planned to ask the Church for aid to fulfill his financial agreements with the villagers as best he could.

This meant that Colin and his group would have to collect their reward in Thousand Masts City.

’And that was the end of this whole mess.’

’The losses were considerable, but at least they’d managed to avoid the worst-case scenario.’

’The map they found at the end had also been sent to the Holy City. Maybe the cipher on it would be decrypted soon, but that was no longer their concern.’

When Ale finished feeding Orelia some porridge, Colin stepped forward to help adjust her position to prevent bedsores.

Just as the two of them were busy, the Abbot walked in.

"Hello. Is something the matter...?"

"It’s time for you to leave." The Abbot cut in before Colin could finish. "I’ve prepared a carriage and some food for you. It should be enough to get you to Thousand Masts City."

Colin was taken aback by his words.

He asked, "What is it? Is there trouble?"

"Priests from the Church will be here in a few days to help us investigate the demonic threat within the Monastery."

Colin understood immediately, but Ale, frowning, asked, "Is this because of Orelia?"

"Don’t worry. They won’t say much even if they see Orelia’s condition. However, it will cause complications later in the process of her ordination. The Church isn’t fond of a Tiefling Priest, especially not one whose demonic blood is so strong she can barely be called a Tiefling anymore."

Colin heard several deep breaths from beside him.

He glanced over and saw that Ale was still expressionless, though her face had flushed slightly.

"So please, return to Thousand Masts City and find Helder," the Abbot continued. "He should be able to handle the issue with Orelia’s bloodline."

"We’ll leave at once," Colin said with a nod.

The group left the room and walked out into the Monastery’s small courtyard.

Sure enough, a four-wheeled, covered carriage was parked there. The bed of the carriage was already lined with hay and clean sheets. It wasn’t luxurious, but for a long journey, these were excellent provisions.

Colin called the others over to move their luggage, planning to stow it in the empty spaces on the carriage and on their two ponies.

In addition to what they had originally brought with them, the Demons had also provided some loot.