Darkness enveloped the walls of the kingdom.
Despite the late hour, the area around the castle gate shone brightly, and for good reason.
Long lines of people wanting to pass through the castle had formed. Guards, in accordance with their duty, lit fires everywhere and inspected them.
“Present your identification.”
The soldiers demanded identification or something that could serve as it from those wishing to pass through the castle gate.
“Hmm, you’re an adventurer. No particular issues… Pass!”
Those with confirmed identities were allowed to pass through the castle gate without any fuss.
Conversely, those whose identities were uncertain engaged in minor arguments.
“You say you don’t have identification? Then you cannot pass!”
Those with unclear identities had to turn back the way they came. The guards repeatedly went through these complicated procedures.
“Next!”
As a soldier let another person pass, he called for the next person. The next in line was not just one person.
“Hmph…”
It was a merchant caravan. While not particularly large, it had wagons and a considerable number of merchants and escorts around them. It looked to be about twenty people.
“I am Liana, leading this caravan. We don’t have a specific name yet as we are small.”
In short, they were traveling merchants. Moreover, the leader was not a man but a woman.
‘She’s young for a caravan leader.’
She was too young to be a traveling merchant. The soldier glanced at the identification Liana handed him.
“From the Adonil Kingdom… you’ve come quite a long way.”
The Adonil Kingdom was a nation bordering the White Church, located at the southernmost tip of the continent. Therefore, it was a distant location.
“Your name is Liana, is that correct?”
“I swear on the name of the Goddess.”
“Why go to such lengths…”
Since it was a country adjacent to the Church, many followed the Goddess. Perhaps the one in front of him was of the same persuasion. The soldier smiled briefly at her words and returned the identification. He then intended to inspect the merchants and goods behind her. Occasionally, undesirable elements were mixed into caravans.
Holding up a torch, he checked the faces and identification of the merchants one by one. As he did, he looked at a piece of paper in his hand. The paper depicted a wanted criminal, and he was checking to see if anyone matched the description.
“Hmm, looks good. Next, we’ll inspect the goods.”
He approached the wagons the merchants had brought to inspect them. However, Liana blocked the soldier’s path.
“What is this?”
Naturally, the soldier retorted to Liana in an indignant voice.
“I am truly sorry. We actually have a contracted delivery to make, so we are short on time.”
“Your personal circumstances are none of my concern! Everyone must be inspected under the same rules!”
The soldier reprimanded the young caravan leader who was blocking him. It was already late at night, and he was tired, yet the line continued to grow. In an already frustrating situation, a mere caravan leader was causing delays. The soldier’s face gradually turned red. Just as he was about to speak,
Liana discreetly handed him something.
“Aren’t you tired? When your shift is over, it would be good to have a drink with some refreshments.”
“Ahem.”
The soldier cleared his throat a few times and checked the pouch in his hand. It was quite heavy.
‘…!’
It was even gold coins. A brilliant golden light glimmered through the gaps in the pouch. The soldier glanced at the pouch, showing a moment of hesitation.
‘It seems they are truly in a hurry. The internal security force will be there anyway, so it should be fine.’
He was working late at night when everyone else was asleep. Therefore, it seemed acceptable to receive this much.
“Ahem. All checked. Pass!”
The soldier’s tone became more polite.
“This is a separate matter, but the current situation in the Sail Kingdom is not good.”
The soldier whispered to Liana, whom he had just been bribed by, and gave her a warning. It was a form of repayment.
“Why is that?”
Liana asked the soldier, feigning ignorance.
“In a few days, the Church will visit the kingdom. Personally, I recommend finishing your business and leaving here before then, caravan leader.”
“Thank you for the kind advice.”
The young caravan leader expressed her gratitude with a smiling eye. Liana then left, not forgetting her final farewell.
“May the Goddess’s grace be with you…”
Then, the people and their wagons passed through the castle gate. Now, they were in the Sail Kingdom.
* * *
The group that passed through the castle gate continued walking. As they walked, they eventually arrived in front of a building. However, the exterior of the building looked very dilapidated.
“Hoo…”
The building appeared to be so poorly maintained that sighs escaped their lips.
“Take everything out.”
Liana, who was at the front, ordered, pointing to the cargo. Everyone glanced around at her command and began to unload the goods from the wagons. It was late at night, so they didn’t need to worry about their surroundings. However, it was better to be cautious, so some people kept watch.
The rest quickly unloaded the goods onto the ground. First, with a metallic screech, swords were placed on the ground. These were unusually significant items to be traded by merchants. After all the swords were taken out, the next were the armors. They were not made of steel but were light types of armor with thick layers of leather.
As the people took out the armor from the wagons, they immediately put it on. Once they had adorned themselves with the leather armor, they strapped swords to their sides. After everyone was ready, they began to enter the building one by one.
Despite the dilapidated exterior of the old building, the interior was somewhat maintained. As they entered, an old butler was the first to welcome them.
“Greetings to the noble knights!”
The people who entered the building were supposed to be merchants, but the butler used a different title. Liana, who had been called a caravan leader until a moment ago, opened her mouth in response to the butler’s welcome.
“Brother, have you been well? I thought something had happened because the building looked like it was about to collapse.”
However, there was a chill in Liana’s voice.
“Th-that is because in this Sail Kingdom, the Church’s power…”
The butler sensed her chill and tried to say something, but
*Swish-*
Liana’s sword pierced the butler’s neck first.
“Gk! Grrr—”
The butler, clutching his gushing neck, looked at Liana with a bewildered expression. He tried to say something, but blood was gurgling from his throat.
“How dare you manage this sacred building bestowed by the Church in such a manner? You deserve to die a hundred times over.”
Her actions were excessive. At least, it was not something a caravan leader would do. Leaving the butler, who had died with his neck pierced, behind, she looked at the people she had brought.
“We are proud knights of the Church. We must fulfill our duties as holy knights.”
They were not actually merchants leading a caravan. Their true identity was that of holy knights of the White Church.
“A delegation will arrive in a few days. Until then, gather as much information as possible.”
The Church’s delegation was scheduled to arrive in the Sail Kingdom in a few days. And they were merely an advance party to gather information before the delegation arrived. This fact was unknown to anyone except some nobles of the Sail Kingdom. If it were discovered, it would cause significant diplomatic problems. Therefore, they had no proof of their identity as holy knights, even though they were. They did not possess anything related to the Church. The equipment and weapons they had smuggled in their wagons were all ordinary. The armor they wore now also looked like ordinary adventurer attire. No one would suspect they had any connection to the Church. In other words, this mission was a special mission where they belonged to the Church but could not reveal their affiliation.
“Our target is the Sail Kingdom. Find as many weaknesses as possible. If there are none, create them.”
She did not hide her true intentions. This was the purpose of this advance party from the beginning.
‘Pressure the Sail Kingdom.’
It was a quietly issued directive.
“I declare this in the name of Liana, Vice Captain of the Knights of the Church.”
At the words of Liana, the Vice Captain of the Knights of the Church, the personnel bowed their heads. In fact, Liana was the subordinate officer of the Captain leading the Knights of the Church. However, with the disappearance of the original Vice Captain, Berter Leobain, that position became vacant. Thanks to this, Liana took on the role of Vice Captain in his stead. Although she was not the official Vice Captain, but an interim one, it didn’t matter. She was not attached to the position. The growth of the Church was sufficient. The happiness of the Church was her joy.
“I repeat, never tarnish the name of the Church.”
Anyone who defiled the Church in this process would be purged.
“As soon as dawn breaks, let’s first search for information about the missing Yuel.”
The disappearance of Priest Yuel. This was the incident that led the Church to dispatch holy knights and inquisitors to the Sail Kingdom.
* * *
Dawn broke.
“As expected, the rats have entered.”
Despite working through the night, there was no trace of fatigue on her face. Instead, she smiled. It was the smile of a child with a toy. Celia closed her eyes for a moment to organize her thoughts.
– The Church’s holy knights have infiltrated the kingdom.
This was information she had discovered while working through the night.
“Hmm, what should I do?”
This information was obtained thanks to the testimony of the elf, Nariel. After Celia recruited Nariel, she naturally interrogated her for various pieces of information, including stories about the nobles who had commissioned her. Of course, the one who asked Yuel for the commission was not the noble himself but merely an underling. Fortunately, elves were a species with keen eyes. Nariel wracked her memory and thought about the appearance of the person who commissioned her. Then she conveyed the features of the person she saw to Celia.
– An old man with white hair and a beard, with a large scar on his left eye and hand.
Based on this information, Celia delivered it to Princess Irena through Shadow.
“Princess Irena is indeed competent.”
It happened to be a person Princess Irena remembered. And she was able to ascertain which noble that person belonged to as well.
“As expected, recruiting Princess Irena was a good choice.”
Celia nodded with a satisfied expression. In fact, she had simply instilled one thought into Princess Irena.
‘Serve the Great One.’
She had only instilled this simple thought, and all subsequent actions flowed according to Princess Irena’s will. Now, she was perfectly fulfilling her role. Thanks to her, they learned that Count Beerton was the one who sent adventurers to the mountain range, and they immediately sent Shadow to monitor him.
“I never thought they would have such amusing ideas…”
It would take at least a few days for the White Church’s delegation to arrive at the Sail Kingdom. Yet, they had secretly sent some holy knights first.
“Shadow, deliver the gift I gave to the nobles.”
Shadow, who was behind Celia, bowed his head.
“Tell them to give the gifts I gave to the nobles.”
Celia intended to use this opportunity to deal with the nobles she found bothersome and seize the kingdom. This was an act of loyalty and service to the Great One she served.
* * *
– A special mission has occurred!
– Dispatch Maru (★★★★) to the dungeon ‘Evil God’s Nest’.
– Reward: Maru (★★★★) 5-star transcendence ticket
