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Knights in white armor lined up before them. In front of them, a middle-aged woman with her ash-gray hair neatly tied up bowed politely as soon as she faced Arpel and Rohan.
“Thank you for resolving the situation on our behalf.”
It was an appropriate greeting, neither excessive nor insufficient. The woman slowly raised her gaze to take in Casia, who Rohan was supporting.
“If it’s alright with you, may we take care of her treatment?”
Rohan readily agreed. As soon as he carefully laid Casia’s body on the ground, several priests who had rushed out from behind began to treat her. Glancing at the holy power bursting forth with a sparkle, he silently pulled Arpel behind him.
The flowing blood stopped, and her labored breathing gradually calmed. Although her clothes were still soaked with blood, it was easy to see that Casia was recovering quickly.
If he had tried to deal with those wounds alone, it would have taken quite a long time. Thanks to this, he could at least tell that the priests before him didn’t have any ulterior motives.
Several minutes passed like this.
The scene of the incident surrounding the abandoned house was gloomy and bustling. Occasionally, people could be seen vomiting in corners. From the streams of blood soaking the forest to the multiple corpses with cleanly severed necks strewn about. How many could remain unfazed in the face of such a tragedy?
“I apologize. I was too late.”
The middle-aged priest approached Rohan and Arpel, who had been standing silently. It was the same priest who had offered thanks earlier.
“It’s late, but let me introduce myself. I’m Nephia.”
She added that she was the head priest of the temple established in this village. Various other words followed. She apologized for not being able to help, said she didn’t know such things were happening in the village… Most of it was an apology for her lack of ability.
“It’s alright. More importantly, I’d like to know about the current situation…”
Rohan hurriedly waved his hand at the seemingly endless stream of apologies. Nephia paused, cleared her throat as if embarrassed, and then a complex emotion settled on her face.
“We investigated the surroundings but found nothing. They cleaned up their traces thoroughly and fled.”
“…”
“The Holy Maiden…”
Her words cut off abruptly. Nephia bit her lip as if feeling shameless and couldn’t continue speaking. Arpel, who had been watching her, quietly closed his eyes. Casia found injured and alone, and Leriana missing. The situation they had been so worried about had finally come to pass.
Rohan said nothing. Self-blame, worry, and clear questions could be felt from him. Interpreting Rohan’s appearance in some way, Nephia just muttered with her fists clenched and teeth gritted.
“We plan to formally protest to the mercenary guild about this incident.”
“…The mercenary guild? Why suddenly-“
Rohan’s face contorted as if he couldn’t understand. He couldn’t help but feel quite perplexed by Nephia’s action of bringing up the mercenary guild’s name.
“Rohan, wait.”
It was Arpel who stopped Rohan. He quickly explained the things Rohan had missed due to the urgent situation earlier.
But even though Rohan learned that the identities of the lined-up corpses were mercenaries, he couldn’t hide his skeptical reaction. He still couldn’t empathize with Nephia’s attitude.
“Nephia. These people are not related to the current mercenary guild.”
“…What do you mean by ‘current’?”
“Have you heard about the recently missing mercenaries?”
“I think… I might have heard something about that.”
Eventually, Rohan explained the whole story to Nephia. The suddenly missing mercenaries, the investigation that started within the guild, and their ambush in the forest on the opposite side. Although the explanation became simpler as he omitted the story about the imperial palace since he couldn’t fully trust her, it was enough to prove that the mercenary guild was not behind this incident.
However, Nephia’s expression after hearing the whole story was somewhat unsatisfactory. Arpel, who had been observing her with narrowed eyes, intervened in their conversation for the first time.
“You don’t believe them.”
Nephia flinched at the words tinged with a strange certainty. After momentarily floundering at having her true feelings exposed, she nodded, frankly admitting to Arpel’s words.
“Shamefully… yes, that’s right.”
I don’t trust former mercenaries.
It was an unusually firm statement. Although it was better than denying and backing out, it didn’t mean they could understand the intense hostility emanating from her.
Rohan felt this too. Although he couldn’t vaguely sense the other person’s negative emotions like Arpel could, he could read the undisguised remnants of contempt remaining on Nephia’s face.
At this point, it would be strange not to know. The temple and the mercenary guild in this village were not on good terms. Rohan, who easily noticed this fact, furrowed his brow and let out a faint sigh.
“I’d prefer if you didn’t bring personal feelings into official matters.”
“…Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Nephia didn’t raise any more objections. Although she wore a bitter smile, that was as far as it went.
“Let’s continue the detailed discussion after we return. It’s too late at night now.”
We’ll take care of the remaining cleanup. We can’t trouble those who have faced so many enemies again.
She added, gesturing towards the darkened sky. The sky, which had been dyed red when they first started tracking the traces, had long since been engulfed in pitch-black darkness. Even if they stayed here, there was nothing more to gain. It was an awkward time to conduct a search, and there weren’t even any clues to track down the missing Leriana.
In other words, it was a suggestion to postpone the search for Leriana for now. Normally, such a statement should have left some lingering attachment, but Rohan couldn’t focus on that fact. Nephia’s subsequent words disturbed his nerves.
“We merely witnessed the situation belatedly, we didn’t do anything.”
Arpel answered on behalf of Rohan. When they originally arrived here, everything had already ended. They thought that the fallen Casia had defeated the enemy and collapsed from exhaustion, but the woman before them didn’t seem to think so.
Nephia, who had widened her eyes for a moment, chuckled softly. Her expression, which had been subdued due to the previous conversation, brightened slightly as if a burden had been lifted. She looked as if she had heard an amusing joke.
“If you insist on hiding it, there’s nothing we can do… but excessive modesty can also be poison. The traces of both of you are overflowing from the sword marks left behind.”
“…Those sword marks you checked, Priest.”
Can we take a look at them?
Nephia, who had been speaking with a hint of playfulness, tilted her head. Although she seemed not to understand Rohan’s intention, she thought there was no problem with checking the sword marks, so she soon readily agreed.
From there, Rohan moved to check the ‘sword marks’ Nephia had mentioned, with Arpel in tow.
And when he saw them with his own eyes, Rohan quietly gritted his teeth.
The corpses of the missing mercenaries, sword marks they hadn’t left, Casia left alone, the traces of the enemy that had abruptly stopped as soon as they found her.
Everything flowed naturally, without any oddities to an eerie degree. From being ambushed by the initially missing mercenaries to facing the suddenly appearing executive, and then coming here after hearing a loud noise to follow the remaining traces.
At this point, it wasn’t difficult to draw a conclusion.
“We’ve been had.”
We were lured. Just like when we were ambushed.
Arpel carefully examined the sword marks remaining before them. There was a reason why Nephia had pointedly said they were “traces left by the two of you.”
“…This shouldn’t be possible.”
Rohan’s voice, which came out a beat late, trembled subtly. And for good reason.
The magic power that hadn’t yet dissipated could be clearly felt in the sword marks clearly engraved on the trees. Although all priests borrow the power of the gods, each individual had a unique magical wavelength. Nephia’s belief that these traces belonged to the two of them was based on a similar logic.
The traces, which seemed to exude a particularly black energy mixed with magic power and the authority of shadows, were similar to Arpel’s. How could this be imitated?
While Rohan seemed to be floundering, unable to find an answer, Arpel was not. He had one suspicion.
The first thing to note was that the magic power remaining in the sword marks was his own, not ‘Rohan’s’. Usually, when using magic power and divine authority together, Rohan would directly manipulate the magic power, so it was certain that this was merely an imitation by someone else.
“I have… one suspicion.”
These people didn’t intentionally imitate his magic power. They couldn’t imitate ‘Rohan’s’, so they substituted it with ‘Arpel’s’ magic power. Therefore, the person who left these sword marks must be someone who knows his magic power and authority very well.
There was only one possibility.
Isn’t there one place that has researched and analyzed his magic power and authority to the point of tedium over a period of nearly several years?
“The imperial palace.”
Rohan, who had been quietly listening to his words, turned deathly pale.
It seemed he would have another nightmare.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
