CH. 9 FATHER DANNY FAITH SHAKEN
“Arlen,” Lucian said, his smile fading, “Tell me the truth.”
“I am telling the truth.”
Arlen’s smile was still bright and sunny.
“I only left the gold coins with you for safekeeping. Did you misunderstand something?”
This kid!
He is a master of pretending to be confused, better than himself!
The old priest suddenly remembered what Arlen had said when he had entered the door.
“I’ll leave this money with you for safekeeping, okay?” That was what Arlen had said. He hadn’t mentioned a word about bribery.
No wonder he had made the money so conspicuous.
“But don’t you think it’s strange,”
The old priest stared into Arlen’s eyes. “Why did you ask me to keep it for you? You were only inside for a little while. There was no need to entrust me with your money.”
“Isn’t that what you wanted?” Arlen asked in surprise.
“When did I want that?” Danny’s mouth twitched slightly.
Danny vaguely realized that he had fallen into the boy’s trap.
“No,” Arlen smiled at him. His smile was still sunny, but in the priest’s eyes, it carried a hint of coldness. “You said it yourself.”
“I don’t want the money’s stench to offend the goddess’s hall.”
Arlen repeated Danny’s words verbatim. “So I couldn’t take the gold coins in. I gave them to you for safekeeping, afraid of offending the goddess.”
That was a metaphor!
He meant it as a metaphor!
He meant to drive him away!
Not to let him keep the money and then give it back to him when he was done!
The old priest cursed in his heart, but then he reacted. The boy was still deliberately playing dumb!
At that time, he had deliberately guided the atmosphere, followed the twisted meaning, seized the loophole in his words, and fabricated the illusion that he had intended to bribe the priest.
“Could it be that you misunderstood my meaning? Then what did you think at that time?”
Miss Loka also looked at Danny with a suspicious expression.
He was sweating profusely.
Danny felt sweat dripping down his back.
This kid had successfully removed himself from the bribery accusation, and if he continued to argue, he would make himself look guilty, greedy, and dishonest. He would appear to have misunderstood the future saint Arlen’s intention and wanted to accept bribes!
“Danny, is what Arlen said true?” Lucian asked him, frowning.
“I swear by the Holy Light goddess, every word I said above is true, without fabrication.” Before Danny could answer, Arlen swore first.
Oaths in the religious world were the most sacred and inviolable.
Breaking an oath was to suffer divine punishment. So when Arlen swore, Lucian knew it was true.
Because everything Arlen had said above was indeed true.
Danny was ready to admit defeat. If he continued to talk, no one could save him.
He pretended to be enlightened. “I remember now. Arlen did give me a bag. I haven’t had time to check it, so I don’t know.”
Who would have thought that Arlen’s next sentence would make him shiver.
“Then, please return my one hundred and twenty gold coins to me.”
‘You little bastard, are you robbing me?’
‘Where are there one hundred and twenty? Clearly only sixty!’
‘You swore. How can you lie again?’ Danny’s eyes widened, suddenly remembering something.
‘I swear by the Holy Light goddess, every word I said above is true, without fabrication.’ He finally understood the meaning of this oath.
This was a fucking dividing line!
He guaranteed that everything he said above was true, but everything he said after that was nonsense, all fabricated!
‘What should I do now?’
Arlen had already sworn once. Lucian and Loka had been convinced. How could he make him swear again?
Insulting a preparatory-saint of the goddess would only make him look ignorant, and the consequences would be even more serious.
Or should he admit that there were only sixty gold coins in the money bag?
Go to hell, he was only responsible for keeping the money bag, he never said hr had time to check, how could he possibly know the exact number?
Danny had been doing this for so many years, and he still had some eyesight.
Arlen’s words were clearly hitting and threatening him, but at the same time, they were also giving him a way out.
‘Give me sixty gold coins, and I’ll pretend nothing happened. You didn’t take any bribes, you just kept my money.’
‘Should I swear and fight him? Say there were only sixty in it and I hadn’t touched it? Then Arlen would tear my face completely and expose my bribery – this was a threat.’
“Oh, oh. I remember,” Danny’s mouth curved into a kind smile, his teeth clenched, “I’ll go get it for you, I’ll get it for you.”
He returned to his room, opened the lock on the drawer, counted sixty gold coins – this was what he had saved in half a year of work, of course, there were also a lot of bribes.
He bit his lip, put sixty gold coins into the money bag, weighed it, and smiled again, walked out, and handed the money bag to Arlen.
Who would have thought, Arlen didn’t even look at it, and handed the heavy money bag to Lucian.
“What is this?” Lucian looked puzzled.
“This is my personal contribution to the church.” Arlen explained modestly, “This is not for individuals, it is a tithe. I will feel more at ease if I give it to you personally.”
The church did have a tithe.
Believers donated to the whole church, and the church was responsible for distributing the money to the poor.
Simply put, it was charity.
“One hundred and twenty gold coins is too much, kid.”
Lucian looked more and more pleased with the young man, humble, polite, and knowledgeable, not like those prodigal sons.
“It exceeds the maximum amount of individual contributions.”
One hundred and twenty gold coins was indeed a very large amount.
It was the total income of an ordinary family for more than ten years.
“Then atleast sixty gold coins.” Arlen’s words made Danny’s face more bad and more painful. “This is my heartfelt wish.”
‘You didn’t spend a penny!’
‘Why was the money mine, and the reputation yours?’
‘That was my money!’
‘Those sixty were the dirty money you threatened me with!’
‘You donated the dirty money to the goddess, and said it was your heartfelt wish, you heart is dirty too!’
‘At a young age, thirteen or fourteen, your heart was more corrupt than mine.’
‘Everyone was corrupt, why could this guy be favored by the glorious goddess?’
‘And be given a title!’
‘Just because he was young and handsome and a rich second generation?’
Like the high priest before who had faith in the Mother of Life for thirty years, Danny, the old priest who had faith in the Holy Light Goddess for sixty years, also doubted his faith for the first time.
He couldn’t show his pain, he had to smile and clap along.
“By the way, this gold coin is for you.” Arlen took out another gold coin from the money bag and put it in front of the priest with a pure smile. “Consider it a tip for helping me keep the money bag.”
The final blow, the top-level mockery to his face.
The old priest felt his heart was about to burst with anger, but he could only force a smile.
“I’m sorry, we. We are clergy, we can’t accept any personal gifts, nor tips.”
Danny’s mouth twitched. “Even. Even one gold coin is not acceptable.”
He would never take bribes again.
Danny used his detection magic to look at the title above the boy’s head, the dazzling [Newborn] was so brilliant.
Newborn!
Hilarious