In Another World, All Milfs Will Be Mine-Chapter 123: [ - - ] - The High Priest’s Panic

Leo walked through the massive double doors of the Temple of Light, his footsteps echoing on the polished marble floor. The scent of incense was heavy, designed to mask the underlying smell of old stone and anxiety that seemed to permeate the holy place these days.

He didn’t have to wait long.

"LEO!"

A voice shrieked from the far end of the nave.

High Priest Remus came running toward him. It was a sight that defied the laws of physics and dignity. The old man, usually so composed in his heavy, gold-embroidered robes, was sprinting. His round belly jiggled with every step, and sweat poured down his face, soaking his collar.

In his right hand, bizarrely, he clutched a massive, roasted turkey leg, dripping with grease.

"Leo! My boy! You’re alive!"

Remus skidded to a halt in front of Leo, panting like a dying horse. His face was a mask of sheer, unadulterated panic. Spittle flew from his lips as he gasped for air.

"Where were you?!" Remus wailed, waving the turkey leg around like a baton. "Two days! It’s been more than two days! I haven’t slept! I haven’t eaten properly!"

He took a savage bite of the meat, chewing frantically.

"I tried to contact the Temple Guardians," Remus continued, swallowing without chewing. "Nothing! Silence! The communication crystals were no use! Even the Guardian Captain, my best man, didn’t respond!"

Remus grabbed Leo’s shoulders with his greasy hands. "Do you know what that does to a man’s heart? I thought you were dead! I thought the Black Sky was gone!"

Leo grimaced, peeling the old man’s hands off his new coat. "Easy, Remus. Watch the merchandise. This silk wasn’t cheap."

"Screw the silk!" Remus shouted, his voice cracking. "I sent a message to the Zarth envoy! I used a scroll of far-sending! And Elder Baez replied! He told me they handed the package to you days ago! Days!"

Tears welled in the High Priest’s eyes. He looked pathetic.

"I was so worried," he sniffled, clutching the turkey leg like a holy scepter. "When you didn’t return by the second dawn, I went straight to Lord Caelum."

"I demanded. I told him my ’nephew’—a servant of the Light—was missing in the forest. I told him if anything happened to you, the Temple would hold the City Watch personally responsible."

"And?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow. He expected the Bastard Lord to laugh in the old man’s face.

"He moved heaven and earth!" Remus cried, his eyes wide. "Caelum knows where his legitimacy comes from. He knows he cannot rule this city without the Temple’s blessing."

"He mobilized the City Watch instantly. Fifty men, Leo! He stripped the northern walls bare. He sent his personal guard captains. He had them marching into the woods within the hour, chanting prayers for your safety!"

Remus took a savage bite of the turkey leg, chewing frantically before swallowing.

"I didn’t stop there," Remus continued, grease shining on his chin. "I sent official missives to the Merchant Guilds. To Gamon at the Golden Scales and Drax at the Iron Caravan. I told them the High Priest required their immediate assistance."

He shook his head in disbelief.

"They scrambled like rats seeing a hawk. Gamon, that greedy pig, was terrified of losing the Temple’s favor. He sent thirty of his most expensive mercenaries—men he usually charges gold just to look at. He sent a letter with them, apologizing profusely for not going himself."

"And Drax?" Leo asked.

"Drax emptied his barracks," Remus whispered. "Forty Iron Caravan guards. Heavily armed. Veterans. They joined Caelum’s men at the South Gate."

"Over a hundred and twenty soldiers, Leo! A small army, marching under the banner of the Light, scouring every inch of the forest edge for you."

Remus’s face fell, the panic returning to his eyes.

"But they found nothing," he wailed. "For two days, they searched. They combed the woods. They found tracks. They found dead boars. They found trees snapped like twigs. But no cart. No Guardians. No you. It was as if the forest had simply opened its mouth and swallowed you whole."

Leo sighed. "Remus, you’re making a scene."

"I don’t care!"

The old man threw his arms around Leo, hugging him tight. The turkey leg pressed against Leo’s back.

"You’re here," Remus sobbed into Leo’s chest. "You’re safe. My hero."

Leo stood there, stiff as a board. The smell of the old man—sweat, old wine, and roasted meat—was overpowering. He felt like he was being hugged by a damp pillow.

"Okay, okay," Leo patted Remus’s back awkwardly. "I’m alive. Let go before I pass out from the fumes."

Remus pulled back, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. He sniffed loudly.

"You weren’t the only one," Remus said, regaining a shred of his composure. "She came too."

"Who?"

"Ryana," Remus whispered, his voice still trembling. "The Red Queen of the Silver Route."

Leo’s interest piqued instantly. "Ryana came here? To the Temple?"

"She didn’t just come here," Remus said, his eyes going wide at the memory. "She invaded."

The memory took over, pulling Remus back to the morning after Leo’s scheduled return.

The heavy oak doors of the High Priest’s study slammed open without a knock.

Remus jumped, nearly spilling his tea. "Who dares—"

His protest died in his throat. Standing in the doorway, framed by the panicked faces of his acolytes, was Ryana. She wasn’t wearing her usual grey travel robes. She was dressed for war—tight black leather armor that hugged every dangerous curve, a rapier at her hip, and a look on her face that could freeze a volcano. Her red hair was tied back severely, emphasizing the sharp angles of her fury.

She strode into the room, her boots clicking loudly on the stone floor. She stopped directly in front of his desk, planting both hands on the wood and leaning forward until she was looming over him.

"Where is he?" she demanded. Her voice was ice-cold.

Remus swallowed hard. "I... I assume you mean—"

"Leo," Ryana snapped. "The man you sent into the forest. The man who hasn’t returned."

Remus tried to summon his dignity. He was the High Priest, after all. "My Lady Ryana, temple business is confidential. I cannot simply divulge the movements of our—"

SLAM.

Ryana brought her fist down on the desk, cracking the polished wood.

"Do not play games with me, old man," she hissed. "I know you sent him. I know he went to the border. And I know he is two days late. Where. Is. He?"

Remus shrank back into his chair. "He... he went to retrieve a package. A sensitive item."

"What package?"

"I cannot say. It is a holy secret."

Ryana’s eyes narrowed. "Is he alone?"

Remus hesitated. "He... he has an escort. Four of my best Temple Guardians."

"Four?" Ryana scoffed, straightening up. "Four zealots in robes against the Endless Forest? You sent him to die."

"They are Level 30 Elites!" Remus protested weakly. "And I have sent more! I have mobilized the paladins! A relief force is gathering in the courtyard as we speak!"

Ryana looked at him with utter contempt. She walked to the window, looking down at the disorganized group of Temple soldiers milling about in the courtyard below.

"Your paladins are slow, old man," Ryana said, turning back to him. Her hand drifted to the hilt of her sword. "They move like cattle. By the time they finish their prayers, the wolves will have picked his bones clean."

"We are doing everything we can!" Remus cried.

"It’s not enough," Ryana stated flatly.

She turned and walked toward the door, her cape swirling around her.

"Where are you going?" Remus called after her.

Ryana paused at the threshold. She looked back over her shoulder, her green eyes burning with a fierce, possessive fire.

"To send my own," she said. "If your god won’t protect him... my shadows will."

She stormed out, leaving Remus alone in the silence of his study, terrified and confused.

Leo smirked as the flashback faded. "That sounds like her."

"She was terrifying," Remus whispered, wiping sweat from his brow. "She looked ready to burn the Temple down if I didn’t give her answers."

"She sent Shadow," Leo noted. "And Shadow was... useful. In her own way."

"So," Remus said, looking at Leo with big, pitiful puppy eyes. "Why? Why did it take so long? It’s a fifty-mile trip. You should have been back yesterday morning."

Leo’s expression hardened. The playfulness vanished.

"We were ambushed," Leo stated flatly.

Remus froze. The turkey leg stopped halfway to his mouth. "Ambushed? By who? Bandits?"

"Monster Raid," Leo said. "A massive one. Something drew every beast and undead in a ten-mile radius to our location."

"Monsters?" Remus breathed. "But the Guardians... they are elites! They can handle monsters!"

"Not sixteen hundred of them," Leo said.

Remus dropped the turkey leg. It hit the marble floor with a wet slap.

"Six... sixteen hundred?"

"They swarmed us," Leo lied smoothly, mixing truth with fiction. "Wave after wave. Dire-Boars. Grave Stalkers. Undead Centurions. It was a slaughterhouse."

"And the Guardians?" Remus whispered, dread filling his voice.

"Dead," Leo said. "All of them. The Captain fought like a demon, I’ll give him that. He took down a Level 26 Warlord before they dragged him down. But they’re gone, Remus. Every single one of them."

Remus swayed on his feet. He looked like he might faint. "My elite guard... my best men... gone..."

He looked at Leo, his eyes scanning him frantically.

"But you... are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I’m fine," Leo shrugged. "I got a few scratches. Nothing a potion couldn’t fix."

Remus let out a breath of relief. "Thank the gods. Thank the Light. You are safe. That is what matters."

He paused.

A thought occurred to him. A terrible, horrifying thought.

His eyes snapped to Leo’s empty hands. He looked at Leo’s belt. He looked behind him at the open door.

There was no cart. There was no palanquin. There was no massive black box.

Remus’s face went from pale to ghostly white. His hands started to shake uncontrollably.

"Leo..." Remus whispered, his voice trembling. "The... the Black Sky...?"

Leo looked at him. He didn’t blink. He didn’t look guilty. He just looked tired.

"Where is it?" Remus asked, his voice rising to a shriek. "Where is the box?!"

Leo sighed. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away for a second before meeting the High Priest’s terrified gaze.

"About that..." Leo said.