The method of becoming the second pursuer by chasing the person who is pursuing the target instead of the target itself was more effective than Encrid had thought.
There were many differences from the past, when he used to gather information and chase alone based on rumors.
Krais had established an information network while breaking through the safe road and engaging in trade here and there.
It wasn't anything extraordinary, it was simply gathering surrounding stories through cafeterias set up in various cities.
The owners of the cafeterias, customers, traveling merchants, storytellers, etc., would receive a few copper coins in exchange for sharing new stories.
A few copper coins weren't a big reward, but neither was sharing stories a big task.
However, since the structure of how stories were transmitted, in other words, how information circulated, was so simple, the speed at which stories spread was fast.
To add one more thing, it wasn't hard to find those dispatched from the Holy Nation due to their distinctive appearance.
They didn’t even try to hide their identities.
‘Who would think someone would be chasing them?’
Probably no one would imagine it.
Of course not.
Whether it was a priest of abundance or a priest of scales, what was the reason they requested the Kingdom of Naurillia to search for the saintess?
Actually, it wasn't even a request. It was a notification.
We are coming to your kingdom and will be wandering around a bit, so cooperate on your own, okay? Don’t want to? Are you out of your mind?
Don't you want potions? You don’t need potions anymore? From now on, we won’t sell them to you?
Well, it was basically like this: Open the borders quietly and let our troops move around, and no one will get hurt, and everyone will be happy.
Although they might not have used such direct words.
Outwardly.
"We humbly ask for your assistance in carrying out the revelation bestowed by the Lord of the Fallen Fruit."
They likely even offered a set of twelve potions as a gift with a high probability.
Encrid's guess was spot on.
In reality, the person from the Holy Nation did give a neatly packaged set of ten potions, and Krang readily accepted them.
On top of that.
“I will surely lend my strength.”
He added such words as well.
What they received as a gift wasn’t important.
What mattered was that this was what the Holy Nation had aimed for.
They didn’t need the borders open or a grand welcome, and if requested, it would be nice if checkpoints were opened and cooperation was provided, but fundamentally, they were simply asking to be left to wander quietly.
Even if she was called a saintess, from the perspective of the Kingdom of Naurillia, she was just a young girl.
Would the kingdom really mobilize its forces just to search for one child?
At best, it would have been an order to be cautious of certain events in each city.
Would they really deploy military forces for this?
No, they wouldn’t.
Normally, that is.
But Krang requested it, and Encrid accepted.
Krang’s intention?
It was clear enough from the one letter he had sent.
-A child is crying, and I will help?
Now, the next thing.
From here on, there were things that Encrid found somewhat bothersome.
Chasing?
He could do that.
However, there were some things that raised questions.
Though rare, Encrid felt an intense curiosity, like a thick broth made by boiling pig bones for days.
‘How are they still running?’
Even if the kidnapper was one of the few Knights on the continent, does this make any sense?
The Holy Nation’s power wasn’t weak.
There was a saying that even the Empire, which rarely intervened in central affairs, bowed down to the Holy Nation.
To think someone could take a child from the Holy Nation? And not just any child, but a saintess?
Even if she was just a child, could someone really flee from the hands of the Holy Nation with an uncooperative companion in tow?
Were there more accomplices?
Encrid tried to put himself in their shoes, but he couldn’t feel confident.
It didn’t seem easy.
Just listening to Audin’s words would make it clear.
The saintess was an extremely, immensely, incredibly important resource.
There’s no way the priests of the Holy Nation would manage such a valuable person carelessly.
If you assign normal soldiers to work three shifts, they might complain of fatigue, but if you assign such tasks to devotees armed with faith, they would gladly do it.
Could someone really steal the saintess from such a place?
Moreover, were the ones protecting the saintess just ordinary believers?
If that were the case, kidnapping would be out of the question.
Then how did they manage to kidnap her? And how have they not been caught yet?
‘If anything, I’d want to catch them.’
There are so many questions.
But he had no intention of quietly sitting back and watching. There were too many things that bothered him.
For one, Audin’s words weighed on his mind.
He had spoken of the past, and Encrid had listened.
Was what he said merely about things that had happened before?
Was it just about regret and remorse?
Was it just about suffering from reflecting on past mistakes?
No.
What was contained in the words of that bear-like man were not just mistakes, reflections, and regret, but also determination and resolve.
And Encrid had seen this attitude in Audin before.
He saw it when Audin was dying during the process of realizing his Will, as his entire body radiated light, and blood poured out of every orifice on his face—his eyes, nose, and ears.
Encrid remembered Audin spewing blood along with the light.
The momentum and attitude from when he spoke of the past were the same as they had been back then.
The only difference was that this time he wasn’t dying while radiating light.
What his intentions or thoughts were, Encrid didn’t know.
Asking wouldn’t yield any answers. But one thing was certain: he wasn’t going to just sit back and watch.
The second thing that bothered him was this: If the child really had been kidnapped and if that was all there was to the situation, then Encrid intended to treat the kidnapper’s head like that of a ghoul.
As soon as he caught them, he would split it in two.
While walking, Encrid had gathered his thoughts, but they were still filled with questions as he reached his first destination.
The city of the wall, Encrid’s city.
As he entered and sought out the village chief, the village chief came rushing out barefoot.
In fact, he kicked the ground so hard that dirt flew up with a ‘pababak’ sound. That’s how quickly he ran out to greet Encrid.
“Welcome!”
The man who ran out barefoot on ground scattered with occasional stones shouted.
This happened as soon as Encrid inquired about the location of the village chief’s mansion and revealed his identity.
Encrid looked at the man, who was suspiciously eager to welcome him.
The first thing he noticed was a toughened, battle-hardened body with one eye missing. He was clearly someone who knew how to fight.
He also noticed that the man’s body was oddly tilted to one side, indicating that he was right-handed and wielded a very heavy weapon.
His hair was cut above the ears, with the top slightly longer.
His face was quite rough. A few scars were visible as well.
He wasn’t familiar, but it was a face he knew.
Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall the man’s name.
How many days had he repeated today since he last saw this man?
No matter how exceptional his memory was, he couldn’t remember everything.
Just recognizing a vaguely familiar face was impressive enough.
Since it was a face he had seen during one of the repeated days, it was probably the impression it left back then that made him remember it.
“It’s been a while. Uh…”
As Encrid trailed off, the other man spoke up.
“Deutsche Pullman.”
The man smiled as if it were only natural that his name hadn’t been remembered.
This was the city where a mad architect once lived, who had wanted to carve Encrid’s name onto the city walls.
The reason for wanting to carve the name onto the walls?
It was because Encrid had fought repeatedly to destroy the Knoll colony established by the cultists.
In fact, they had really carved his name into the walls, but not many people called it the ‘Wall of Encrid’.
People preferred to call it by a different name: the ‘Knoll’s Wail’.
Encrid agreed that the latter was a more appropriate name.
This pioneering city had now gained the name Pelheim. It had been named after the local geography.
In the past, during the mythical age that had been passed down through oral tradition, it was said that a divine beast that breathed fire had once lived here.
Pelheim meant the city of fire.
From what Encrid had heard, this was supposedly the birthplace of the divine beast that protected Naurillia, but since it was passed down orally, it was hard to say for sure.
But if people wanted to believe and act as if it were true, then so be it.
By now, the name Pelheim had become quite familiar to everyone.
Pelheim was located near the northern region of the Border Guard, and if you traveled far east from here, you would reach the Pen-Hanil Mountain Range, and further north, you could see the Gigante Mountains in the distance.
The Gigante Mountains formed the natural boundary between the Empire in the north and the central kingdom of the continent, making it a grand and massive range, essentially blocking off the northern region.
In front of the western gate of Pelheim, there was a small stretch of farmland, and to the east and north, forests from which animals, monsters, and magical beasts were hunted for their byproducts, supporting the city. Naturally, it was part of the royal domain.
It had also been a city bordering Count Molsen’s territory in the past, making it a neighbor to Encrid’s own land.
“I remember you were the commander of the guard. It seems you’ve become the village chief?”
Encrid recalled, and the other man smiled and answered.
No matter how rough someone’s appearance may be, a genuine smile could still be pleasant.
Deutsche Pullman’s face was no exception.
“Yes, that’s how it turned out.”
This man had now become the highest authority in Pelheim, a position recognized by the kingdom.
Despite that, his attitude remained polite.
Was it because of Encrid’s reputation?
That was part of it, but more than that, it was because the impression Encrid had left when he had destroyed the Knoll colony still lingered in the city.
Especially for Deutsche Pullman.
“Please, have some!”
Deutsche led the group to the reception room.
As the maid served tea and snacks, stealing glances at Encrid, he asked his question.
“I want to ask you something. Have any people from the Holy Nation passed through here?”
Deutsche thought for a moment before answering.
“They did stop by, but they left right away.”
“Is that so? I suppose you don’t know where they went?”
Deutsche, being asked by the hero and benefactor, answered immediately.
“No, I don’t. But something was strange.”
“Strange?”
“There were three people more skilled than me.”
Was that supposed to be impressive?
He thought so but refrained from saying it aloud. However, another voice spoke up instead.
“Is that supposed to be impressive?”
Encrid had kept his thoughts to himself, but Sinar hadn’t.
It could have been taken as an insult, as if to say that someone of Deutsche’s level was common, but Deutsche did not dare challenge the Fairy.
After all, wasn’t she traveling with Encrid?
“Brother, the world is a wide place.”
Audin added his own comment.
Only after hearing from both of them did Encrid manage to adjust his perspective.
‘That was a mistake.’
While someone like Audin or Sinar, who had innate talents, might not understand, Encrid, who had crawled up from the bottom, recognized that at Deutsche Pullman’s level, such skill was not common.
Surrounded by monsters all the time, he had momentarily forgotten this.
Although Deutsche Pullman might not be skilled enough to even be a Squire in a Knight’s order, he could still be considered a competent fighter.
“Five of them?”
Encrid gave the appropriate response.
Deutsche, who had been in an awkward position of not being able to get angry but also not able to complain, quickly nodded when he heard Encrid’s words.
“Yes. One of them seemed very angry but didn’t say a word. Anyway, the atmosphere was... how should I put it…”
“How should you put it?”
Even as a Knight, Encrid was still an excellent listener. He encouraged Deutsche to continue by nodding in approval.
That nod was a sign that whatever he said, no matter how ridiculous, was fine, encouraging him to speak freely.
Deutsche, emboldened by Encrid’s attitude, opened his mouth.
“It was as if they were going to scold a child who had done something wrong? It felt like that. Anyway, it seemed strange to me.”
Deutsche Pullman had worked as a mercenary for quite some time.
In other words, having survived as a blade-for-hire for so long, it suggested that his instincts were sharper than his martial skills.
Otherwise, he would have had to be exceptionally skilled.
Deutsche was the former.
Now, he held the position of village chief.
Someone without sharp instincts wouldn’t have climbed from city guard to village chief.
In other words, Deutsche Pullman was a mercenary with keen instincts.
So the strange atmosphere he had sensed was likely more accurate than not.
He also had no reason to feed false information to someone he liked and respected.
Encrid’s intuition agreed.
Deutsche Pullman’s eyes were clear.
Once again, Encrid found himself puzzled.
Even if the kidnapper were an expert in abduction or kidnapping.
‘This is truly strange.’
Somehow, this person, whether he or she, had kidnapped the saintess, miraculously gained her cooperation, and was now making an easy escape.
Even so, it was strange nonetheless.
“Why would they kidnap her?”
That was the next question that arose.
There seemed to be no reason to kidnap the saintess.
Thanks for the Chapter Bro!!! :DD
Thanks for the Chapter.
Is it updated regularly? Also what is release schedule
Creo que he leído el manhwa, talvez lo esté confundiendo.. 🤔