Cameraman Never Dies-Chapter 248: A Priest, a Scarred Man, and a Hyena Walk into a Room...

"The wretched followers of Umbra are finally caught in their own web of problems."

The mysterious priest was the one to start. His happiness was palpable, and it was no big secret that the Church of Night hated the Church of Umbra.

The public, of course, thought of it as a friendly rivalry, a kind of celestial marketing war, with pamphlets instead of knives. The reality was more gutter alley than temple courtyard.

Percival gave a sharp smile, one of those polite ones that always looked like it wanted to stab you in the throat. "Careful, priest. Webs are tricky things. You tug at the wrong strand, and you wake something much bigger than you."

The scarred man, Alexis, chuckled low in his chest, his voice like gravel being stirred. "That’s the point, isn’t it? Let it wake. Let it come. I’d rather fight something real than choke on all this theater." He patted the table, as though punctuation required a bit of tapping.

Aldric didn’t join in. His night-like eyes lingered on Percival, not the priest, not the scarred man. It was the kind of silence that didn’t belong to the conversation but devoured it anyway. He tapped a finger against his sword hilt, once, twice, a rhythm too casual to be unintentional.

The priest kept talking, his words syrupy, pious, but edged. "The night is always patient. Umbra hides in its shadows, but shadows are nothing without the light to reveal them."

"So?" Aldric finally spoke, "Why have you called us?"

He didn’t raise his voice, but it came out with the weight of someone who’d long since decided he didn’t need to explain himself to anyone, ever. The silence that followed was the heavy kind — awkward, but dignified, like everyone had suddenly forgotten their lines in a very serious play. Even the air seemed to pause... metaphorically, of course.

Fortunately, the silence didn’t last. It was torn apart by laughter so unhinged it felt like someone had let a hyena loose in a funeral.

Every face present turned to face the source of sudden disturbance, including Satan’s as he peered from the shadows, it was the figure of Alexis.

The man was practically folded in half, clutching his stomach, gasping like a drowning fish, and pounding the stone floor with one fist. If the room had been any less grim, he might have gotten applause just for the sheer commitment.

Aldric’s glistening dark eyes narrowed, clearly fighting the urge to draw his blade then and there. Alexis, on the other hand, seemed to be having the best day of his life.

"I guess... I guess you are still young," he managed between cackles. He straightened up with theatrical flair and almost patted Aldric on the back, before thinking better of it. His hand hovered awkwardly in the air for a second, then retreated like it had touched something hot. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Can’t you take a guess?" he said, grinning as if he’d just delivered the punchline to a joke only he understood.

The scarred man rolled his eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn’t fall out. He kept grinning, basking in the mix of irritation and unease he’d stirred up in the ever stoic Aldric, although barely visible.

Aldric ignored the question and turned to face the priest, "I would like for you to elucidate this disturbance."

He was referring to Alexis, but the person in question did not seem to have noticed it.

Instead, the grin on his face still lingered like a bad smell, but the priest ignored it with the stiff patience of a man who’d already survived too many lunatics in one lifetime. He folded his hands into his sleeves and began again, his voice steady, measured, dripping with unwanted sermon polish.

"The Church of Umbra," he said, "finds itself in a... delicate position. Certain officials, by that I meant the government officials, have begun to circle, sniffing about with accusations, petitions, and inquiries.

Investigations due to reports of a suspected assassination organization and attack on nobility— that is what they are being charged with. The king has yet to pass judgment, but the matter is already on his desk."

That got a reaction. Percival’s polite smile became more stern; it seemed rather he was alarmed at something else than the news. His gaze turned to where Satan was, but he quickly turned away, seemingly finding nothing.

Aldric’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Considering his personality, that was an expected reaction of surprise.

Even the scar-faced Alexis leaned forward, as though the word king carried an itch he couldn’t scratch.

The priest let the silence breathe before continuing, like he was savoring the weight of his own words. "This is not entirely the fault of the officials, of course. Certain... choices accelerated their interest."

His gaze slid toward Alexis, who was still grinning like a child caught with his hand in the candy jar.

"The brilliant plan," the priest said dryly, "to employ one of Umbra’s own assassins against the young miss of House Drakonis. A move that has earned the Guild the unfiltered wrath of her family."

The scarred man snorted. "Genius, huh?"

Alexis merely wiggled his fingers in mock applause.

The priest ignored the interruption. "The Guild is counting its last days. The Drakonis are not a house that forgives... nor forgets. Already, they have unleashed preemptive strikes. Their reach stretches farther than you imagine, and when they move, the officials will find themselves with little left to investigate but rubble and ash."

A hush followed. The tension was thick enough to strangle, though Alexis seemed to enjoy the choking.

"And this," the priest finally said, his tone hardening, "is why we have gathered. Not merely to gossip about Umbra’s fall, but because the Apostle’s enemies are gathering as well. Their blades are sharp, but some of their forces will be focused on eradicating the church of goddess Umbra. The time has come to decide whether we stand divided — ripe for slaughter — or whether we face them together."

He leaned forward, candlelight catching on the thin line of his smile. "Choose carefully. The Apostles’ enemies are no longer just threats. They are here."

"Before that..." Percival interrupted, turning to look at a seemingly unassuming wall. "It seems that we have a rat here as well."

Satan’s heart tightened as Percival’s chilling gaze landed on him.