The tea had gone cold. He had no desire to drink it. Nor did he touch the refreshments. Encrid was deep in thought.
Krais had said that Encrid was also excellent at thinking things through.
"Pardon?"
Deutsche, who was sitting on the opposite side of the worn but comfortable sofa and the plain table carved from wood, blinked vacantly and asked again, belatedly.
It was as if he didn’t quite understand what was being said.
Was he asking why someone would kidnap a saintess?
"Can a saintess make potions?"
Encrid asked.
Deutsche blinked before responding.
"...Me?"
"No."
Why was he asking this?
“No, they cannot.”
Despite his confusion, Deutsche answered earnestly.
"Could there possibly be someone who could do that?"
"...Is there such a person?"
Common sense dictated otherwise.
The method for creating potions from the church was unknown to anyone. The only certainty was that it wasn’t alchemy.
Not everyone who wielded Divine Power could become a saintess or a saint.
This line of thinking came from considering things from the kidnapper’s perspective, drawing upon what he had heard from Audin about the past.
Could the kidnapper be someone who dreamed of using the saintess to make potions?
Wouldn't it be better to study and research alchemy if that were the case?
Or perhaps they were suffering from a terminal illness and wanted a cure?
Even then, this still didn’t make sense.
'I would never do that.'
Let's say he had the ability to kidnap a saintess.
And let's say he had a terminal illness. What would be the right course of action?
It was difficult to kidnap a saintess by overcoming the countless layers of protection surrounding her in the temple. Too difficult.
It would be far easier to just rob a few great noble houses instead.
That would be much, much easier.
With that, he could pay a donation large enough to receive treatment without any questions asked.
It would be a faster, more convenient, and easier method than kidnapping a saintess.
"Then why did they do it?"
There was no gain. It wasn’t a murder, but a kidnapping. Kidnapping was a deliberate act, with a clear purpose.
In other words, the kidnapper intended to gain something from it, but at present, there seemed to be no gain.
Did another sect kidnap the saintess out of jealousy? And bring her back to their own sect?
If they got caught, a war on the scale of the Holy Sword War would break out.
The Holy Sword War was a conflict recorded in the early chapters of history books, a war that erupted when a sword imbued with Divine Power was discovered in a ruin, and every sect claimed it as their deity's relic.
Over ten thousand people were said to have died in that war.
The records weren’t exact, as it was so long ago, but it was a story that so many had died.
After that, the sects reconciled dramatically, vowing to never let such a tragedy occur again by uniting all the sects into one.
Though the Gods they worshipped might differ, the sects became brothers and sisters.
At first, this was just an outward show, but over time, the threads of time had sewn them together, and now they were truly united.
"So it’s not a kidnapping."
Audin knew more about the church than Encrid did.
Having seen both the inside and the outside, he arrived at a conclusion much faster.
"Probably."
Encrid agreed as he voiced the same conclusion.
"What are you talking about…"
Deutsche, unable to understand the situation, trailed off and looked at Encrid, who decided to skip the explanations and only ask for what was necessary.
"Did the people from the temple just leave?"
This was a question born from experience.
If you’re chasing something and the target is fleeing too well, what should you do?
If it were him, he would increase the number of eyes on the target.
What’s difficult for one person becomes manageable for two, and with ten people, it becomes much easier.
So all you need to do is increase the number of people who will follow your orders without question.
Where do you find people who won’t question your orders?
There are people in this world who will fight like ghouls for just a few gold coins.
Though it was rare for the Holy Nation to throw around money like water.
"Pardon? Oh, yes. They asked us to strengthen the city’s checkpoints."
"And?"
"Um, they also asked if the city had any information guilds."
It seemed like there was someone among the pursuers from the Holy Nation with a decent head on their shoulders, as they had reached the same conclusion as Encrid and decided to increase manpower.
Encrid raised his head.
"Who and where?"
Deutsche, who was quick-witted, began to sense something.
It felt like he had gotten involved in something unpleasant.
Encrid, reading Deutsche’s expression, spoke.
“There will be no harm.”
Deutsche looked a bit unnerved but quickly shook his head.
“Even if there is, I will bear it.”
He had no intention of backing down. His resolve was clear.
Deutsche had seen the man who had saved the city from the Knoll attack, and day by day, he had honed his skills and steeled his mind while watching that man.
Encrid believed Deutsche had become village chief because of his quick wits, but more so because the people who had pioneered the city with him had supported him.
Since the Knoll raid, Deutsche had lived for the city more than anyone else.
That had come from admiration for the heroic deeds he had witnessed.
Deutsche had not forgotten that.
Having lived a long time as a mercenary, a mercenary with quick wits could survive a long time, but a mercenary with loyalty could survive even longer.
“If there is anything you need, I will provide it.”
Encrid did not bother to refuse Deutsche’s offer.
“Information, the movements of people. Does the information guild only deal with information?”
There was an answer in the question. Deutsche responded.
“They're called a brotherhood. A bunch of criminals gathered together.”
“I want to know everything they heard from the people from the temple and everything they are doing.”
“Everything?”
“Just give me their location, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
“No.”
Deutsche shook his head, and Encrid couldn’t bring himself to override the will of the man standing before him.
How could he reject the sincere offer of someone willing to help?
Even for the sake of efficiency, a native of this city, especially its village chief, would do the job better.
“Give me half a day. If you haven’t eaten, please have a meal, my lord.”
Deutsche bowed his head toward the Knight of the Iron Wall and left.
As he watched Deutsche leave, Encrid decided to take him up on his offer and requested a meal.
“Yes, yes.”
The maid, nervous, answered twice and quickly brought out various dishes.
During this time, Encrid drank the cold tea all at once to quench his thirst and looked over at Audin.
Audin wasn’t glowing with excitement nor did he seem deep in thought, but Encrid wasn’t fooled.
Audin was masking his feelings.
That didn’t mean his emotions were wildly stirred, but he was certainly on edge.
“We will find her.”
Audin spoke.
Encrid nodded.
“That’s only natural.”
Sinar chimed in.
If it were a kidnapping, the child’s will would not have been involved.
But if it were an escape?
That would be different. What should one do when seeing a child being oppressed and abused?
What if that child’s sacrifice and the abuse they endured were for the sake of peace on the continent?
Who cares?
It’s none of their concern. To be honest, the idea that peace on the continent rested on the shoulders of one child was nonsense.
So they would rescue her, no matter what.
If all this was just a misunderstanding, and the child had indeed been kidnapped, that would be fine too.
By rescuing the child, they would earn a favor from the Holy Nation.
But if it were truly an escape, if that were the case…
It wouldn’t matter who the opponent was, even if it was the Holy Nation.
* * *
Roge was the leader of the largest brotherhood in Pelheim.
He had grown up with a brother by his side from a young age, and after settling in this pioneering city, they had built their organization.
Bang!
The doors of the brotherhood’s headquarters, located in a warehouse on the outskirts of the city, were smashed open with a loud crash.
“What the hell?!”
Roge grabbed the handle of his dagger and pulled his chin back. A figure, with the sun behind them, stood in the doorway, their face shadowed in darkness.
The midday sun shone brightly behind them.
Roge squinted. The figure’s physique seemed oddly familiar.
In the figure’s right hand was a long weapon.
It was a glaive, with a blade attached to the end.
‘A glaive?’
The owner of the shadow spoke.
“Subdue them. If they resist, kill them all.”
At those words, soldiers surged in.
They were clearly Pelheim’s guard, the city’s defense force and its core strength. A mere criminal brotherhood couldn’t hope to stand against them.
“Wha-what?”
The members of the brotherhood were stunned. Should they resist? They all held their daggers but hesitated to draw them.
“Jake?”
Some members knew the soldiers. One of them called out to a familiar face, but the soldier ignored him.
“Stay still. Drop your weapons.”
The soldier named Jake spoke. The blade of his glaive looked like it wasn’t going to tolerate any jokes.
The blade slid smoothly toward the stomach of the familiar brotherhood member, stopping just short of his belly.
Jake’s eyes were cold, and his tone was icy.
“Drop your weapon.”
Roge had always considered his group the crocodile birds that scratched the itches of the city.
Though he had never met Deutsche Pullman personally, he often bragged about how they were responsible for the city’s daytime and nighttime affairs.
Deutsche had never bothered to correct that. Until now.
Hadn’t they had a mutual respect for each other? So what was going on now?
“I won’t ask again. Recite every job you’ve received recently. Was there anyone being hunted? Have any manhunters entered the city?”
Roge blinked.
Was this all because of that?
About an hour ago, there had been a request to gather all the information they had on recent jobs.
It had been a direct message from none other than Village Chief Deutsche Pullman himself.
‘If we just hand that over, how will an information guild make a living?’
Did they think they could order him around like a fool?
So he had ignored it. If they wanted it, they could come get it themselves.
That was the right way to maintain mutual respect.
“You told me to come personally.”
Deutsche Pullman spoke. The scar on his face looked more menacing than ever.
A pioneering city was a place where people lived while constantly taking risks. Thus, rough individuals were bound to gather.
Even after Encrid had dealt with the Knoll colony, countless incidents had occurred in the city.
The fact that Deutsche had started as commander of the guard and eventually became the village chief meant that he had handled all those incidents well.
One of the things he had done was ignore the clumsy provocations directed at him, and another was to leave alone those who didn’t cause major problems.
Such an attitude caused the other party to let their guard down, and when Deutsche acted swiftly, the targets he focused on were left blinking in confusion.
It was a common tactic, but those who didn’t know it always fell for it.
And so had Roge.
“Hey, what was your name again? Ge? Roge? Should I cut off an ear before we talk?”
Deutsche Pullman set out to resolve things as beautifully as he always had.
Most of his ‘beautiful’ resolutions were accompanied by considerable violence.
If he didn’t use force, he would just give a warning. But if he used force, he did so decisively.
If he didn’t, the city would be overrun with people who stabbed others and left them in alleys.
Deutsche didn’t tolerate such behavior.
It was widely acknowledged that Deutsche’s glaive was one of the reasons Pelheim maintained such good public order.
“Speak up quietly. Nothing good will come from bloodshed.”
Roge felt humiliated by Deutsche’s words and immediately drew his dagger.
Schling.
The blade gleamed in the light. Roge gritted his teeth.
Then, obediently, he laid the dagger on the ground.
The tip of the blade was pointed toward himself, as docilely as possible.
“Yes, my lord.”
What did it matter if he felt a bit of humiliation?
Survival was more important.
He began to speak. In truth, there wasn’t much of a secret to tell.
An inquisitor from the Holy City had placed a request, and the job was to search for a girl traveling ‘alone’ among the foreigners entering the city.
It wasn’t a difficult task, and the reward had been generous. They had even hired a few manhunters for the job.
“Alone?”
Deutsche Pullman interrupted.
“No. Continue.”
Then he urged him to speak further.
Roge answered, and one by one, he relayed everything.
Deutsche was sharp enough to think for himself.
As he pieced together the flow of the story, he realized why Encrid had come here. After all, he had also received a message from the kingdom.
But why would an inquisitor or a Holy Knight from the Holy State assign a job that he himself could handle, to a group like the brotherhood, even spending money to do so?
That church? The one rumored to be so miserly they were secretly selling rock salt?
‘Something smells off.’
The detail about ‘alone’ also stuck in his mind.
Deutsche Pullman gathered his soldiers while preparing to report the information he had learned from Encrid.
His plan was to track where the Holy Knights and the group of priests had gone.
“They’ve already left the city.”
A subordinate approached and reported the situation immediately. Deutsche asked as he walked.
“Which direction?”
“East.”
Returning to Encrid, having gathered everything he needed to hear, Deutsche conveyed his suspicions and what he had learned.
Encrid asked the same question he had asked earlier.
“Alone?”
“Yes, alone.”
Encrid straightened up as he thought.
It wasn’t a kidnapping but an escape. His prediction seemed correct. Audin, who had been listening, also heard this.
“Did you say alone, Village Chief? Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
There was no concrete evidence, but with the witness testimony, the suspicion was becoming clearer. Encrid decided to change the terms of his mission.
Instead of helping the priestly pursuit team to rescue the saintess, he would prioritize rescuing the girl who was on the run.
However, one question still remained.
‘But how has she not been caught yet?’
Back when he was a bounty hunter, he had memorized the faces of the most skilled hunters, and there were three that stood out.
Now, two of them were dead, and the other had retired.
Curiously, all three had come from the church.
He had asked why, and the bounty hunter who had taught him had given this answer.
“The church is the best at hunting people. That’s for sure.”
When he asked why, the bounty hunter who had taught him had laughed.
“Why? Because they’ve done it so many times.”
Hunting was a job that required experience, not talent.
Since there were many heretics who fled, chasing them down naturally honed one’s skills.
And the child, who had become a saintess specialized in escaping after being the victim of a kidnapping, was now on the run from the church’s trackers.
It was a more miraculous event than any magic spell could create.
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.. 🤔