Santana’s property, which she believed would undoubtedly be hers, had all been sold off to the Beden Merchant Guild within just a week.
Archbishop Maxim could not wrap her head around the fact.
“Even if it’s the Beden Merchant Guild, there’s no way they could have gathered that much money in just a week. From what I know, they probably have only about 10% in cash, so how could this happen…?”
Despite conducting an investigation at the church and even filing a petition to the lord, the response she received was just that there were no legal issues involved.
No matter how hard Maxim struggled, there was not a single penny of Santana’s property left for her.
As a result… after several days of relentless investigation, Archbishop Maxim finally had to accept the reality.
She still had no idea what method had been used, but it was clear that Santana’s property had all fallen into the hands of the Beden Merchant Guild.
“That bastard… How dare he… How dare he mess with me like this before leaving? Just you wait, how dare you bring such humiliation to me, the Archbishop Maxim, a disciple of the Lord! I will get my revenge!”
Thinking back on all her efforts, it was utterly frustrating and infuriating.
However, at this point, even as an archbishop, figuring out where Santana had gone after she left the city was nearly impossible.
With the excommunication confirmed and a few days having already passed since her disappearance, it was highly likely that Santana and Cazerose had already fled to a place beyond her reach.
Even if she attempted to track them down, it was already too late, and even if by some miracle she found out where those guys were, she had no authority over individuals in other regions.
At least in areas under the church’s influence, she could pull some strings, but if they crossed into the territory of the heretics or rebels in the east and north, she would truly have no way to act.
And, critically… there was no way Santana, being no fool, would remain in a place strongly influenced by the church after committing such acts post-excommunication.
In the end, even if she wanted to seek revenge, she found herself utterly without means.
As she burned with a meaningless thirst for revenge, rooted in an empty futility, that was when it happened.
“Arch… Archbishop! We’re in big trouble!”
“Hah… What is it? What’s causing such a ruckus?”
“What on earth is all this commotion about?”
A priest hurriedly opened the door and rushed inside.
The Archbishop let out a sigh filled with irritation due to the frustrating situation and replied.
But just after that…
The Archbishop’s face, once marked by annoyance, began to harden at the words that came out of the priest’s mouth.
*
Residence of the Paladins
Originally purchased by Santana, this place was for the Paladins to use freely, but it was now caught in an unexpected situation.
“What… what do you mean by that?”
“You want us to leave? Where exactly do you expect us to go! This is a sacred place where the Paladins reside! How dare merchants come here and say such things to us!”
Paladin Nune and Tine spoke with faces full of rage.
And behind them stood many Paladins, showing worried expressions.
However, the young manager of the Beden Merchant Guild, flanked by guards, showed a sense of arrogance as he pulled out a document in front of them.
“Listen here, Paladin. While that may have been true in the past, as you can see, the situation has completely changed now. The owner of this building is legally our Beden Merchant Guild. There’s no point in stalling; just pack your things and get out.”
Unlike ordinary homes, this place had been remodeled from a storage facility for the Paladins.
It was basically like living temporarily in a barn on agricultural land in modern times.
It didn’t seem like Santana intended for this to happen, and when he was the owner, it didn’t matter at all. But now that the ownership had changed to the Beden Merchant Guild, the story was different.
The Beden Merchant Guild had the right to issue immediate eviction orders to the Paladins, unlike those living in regular rentals, and they were executing it without delay.
And naturally, the Paladins were vehemently opposing this sudden eviction order.
“No way! I don’t know what kind of schemes that Santana guy has been up to, but you expect us to leave for such a flimsy reason?”
“If it were an ordinary place, it might be different, but this is the sacred sanctuary of the Paladins! You scoundrels can’t just trample all over it!”
Nune and Tine drew their swords and responded roughly.
At the same time, seeing some Paladins showing support for them, the manager let out a laugh, incredulous at the situation.
He burst into laughter.
“Haha.. I really can’t believe it. No matter how much of a Paladin you are, to be this clueless about the world! This land and building are now ours, right? With documents in hand, you shouldn’t be so brazen to come out like this!”
“What do I care about that? Anyway, this is our Paladins’ territory, so if you take one step closer, you better be ready for trouble!”
As the Paladin showed no signs of backing down, the commander instinctively furrowed his brow.
“What should we do, Commander?”
Seeing the Paladins not budging an inch, the captain of the guards, with his hand on his sword, asked in a voice filled with determination.
The commander paused, deep in thought before making a decision.
While some resistance was expected, the Paladins were holding their ground even stronger than imagined.
If they recklessly provoked them now, it could lead to a worst-case scenario of a bloody incident.
Of course, even if things went that far, they had the law and justification on their side, so the chances of future issues were slim. But the problem was that the Paladins before them were a force to be reckoned with.
Even if they had numbers on their side, the individual combat power of the Paladins was a level above.
Their swordsmanship was excellent, and more importantly, they were proficient in handling the Sacred Power aura, making them a troublesome foe to engage in battle.
At that moment, while the commander hesitated just before making a decision, a voice suddenly echoed.
“Oh dear.. it seems like the situation is quite troublesome.”
“! A.. lady.”
In the next moment, the unexpected voice of Amalia rang out. Simultaneously, the commander bowed his head and stepped aside slightly, as Amalia confidently moved forward and looked at the Paladins.
“Kugh..”
“Ugh..”
Simultaneously, the Paladins began to show signs of severe agitation compared to before.
Nune and Tine shrank back even more than earlier, but it wasn’t just because of the woman in front of them.
The reason they felt a growing sense of unease compared to moments ago was because of…
The army that had arrived with that lady, completely surrounding the area.
It was because of a group of soldiers that had completely surrounded this area.
Judging by their appearance, they didn’t look like mere merchant guards; they seemed to be soldiers brought from the Lord’s Castle.
Amalia, while casually looking at the Paladins in front of her, spoke up.
“I heard that a crime of illegally occupying buildings is happening here. So, with special cooperation from the Lord, I mobilized the army… But it seems these guys are the very criminals we’re looking for?”
“Cr…criminals?”
“W…what are you talking about? We’re just trying to protect the Sanctuary!”
“Are you implying that you would insult the Lord’s warriors? Who do you think you are to say such absurd things…”
The Paladins responded with bewilderment to Amalia’s words.
However, Amaryna said nothing in response and just lightly flicked her fingers.
-Click!-
At that moment, the soldiers were loading their weapons with a sharp sound.
Seeing that, the bodies of the Paladins went rigid as Amalia spoke in a firm tone.
“If you resist or cause a ruckus any further, I have the Lord’s order to arrest you on the spot. I would appreciate your cooperation.”
“Ugh…”
Amalia’s voice was ruthlessly resolute.
Upon hearing this, Nune and Tine, who were just moments ago ready to risk their lives to defend this place, instinctively sensed the futility of the situation and quickly withdrew their weapons faster than anyone else.
The loudest among them was the first to give up.
Following suit, the other Paladins quickly lost their will, and ultimately, they had no choice but to lower their weapons, gather their belongings, and leave.
“Damn it… how did we end up like this…”
“What do we do now? We don’t have a place to stay tonight…”
“…It can’t be helped… For now, we have to take shelter in the Cathedral for a while.”
Literally, Nune, Tine, and the rest of the Paladins found themselves on the streets overnight.
As they trudged along with their bags, they felt the void left by Santana’s departure more than ever…
Archbishop Maxim, who unexpectedly took on the burden, began to feel the same way.
Although… it was already too late for everything.
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