“What are you talking about?”
Liana emerged from the Count’s mansion.
As soon as she came out, she shouted at her subordinate first.
“How did the personnel disappear?”
“Well… those personnel have not yet returned.”
It was reported that three Paladins who were on a mission had not yet returned.
Liana closed her eyes at her subordinate’s report.
It was late afternoon now.
The sun was about to set, and early evening was approaching.
Others who went out for information gathering had already returned a long time ago.
But there were still personnel who had not returned.
“Isn’t it possible they are just simply delayed? That can happen during a mission.”
She wanted to cling to the slightest possibility.
Missions weren’t something that always finished at a fixed time.
A mission could be delayed if something went wrong.
But if such a situation existed, there would surely have been some indirect mention through some channel.
“Was there no separate mention from those personnel?”
Liana’s subordinate nodded slightly at her question.
“Sigh…”
His appearance brought at least some relief.
But the problem was that the relief didn’t last long.
“As it happens, we received mail a little while ago. It was sent from the Adventurer’s Guild…”
“Adventurer’s Guild?”
Liana quickly snatched the mail her subordinate took out from his pocket.
She then tore open the mail and immediately checked its contents.
“….”
The contents were simple.
It contained a brief explanation about the current state of the Sail Kingdom and stated that they would investigate the mountain range.
A simple map was also enclosed, indicating the location of the dungeon they would head to.
“The situation isn’t very good.”
Judging from the current situation, the three missing Paladins must have sent her a letter before heading to the mountain range.
And now, after receiving the letter, several hours had passed.
But still no news?
It was by no means a good sign.
“Let’s think while we move, for now.”
What was needed now was quick judgment and time.
Liana quickly got into the carriage.
Liana was currently disguised as a merchant, and the surrounding Paladins were disguised as adventurers escorting a merchant caravan.
Therefore, the state of the carriage was not very good.
“Move as fast as possible.”
The carriage began to move slowly.
Inside the moving carriage, Liana held her head with her hand.
‘Things have gone awry.’
Even if it was temporary, she was currently serving as the Vice Captain of the Paladin order.
Before that, she even served in the role of adjutant to the Captain.
Because of this, she had the trust of the Church, and they had given her a crucial mission.
But what would happen if she failed in managing her subordinates and failed the mission?
She would surely be dismissed.
But the problem was that it wouldn’t end with just dismissal.
‘If this happens, my position is finished.’
She had grown up watching the Church since she was young, and she had blindly followed the Church’s words with loyalty.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that her life was the Church itself.
But due to this incident, there was a high possibility that all her efforts would be in vain.
‘I absolutely cannot let that happen.’
Liana continued to think, trying to figure out how to resolve the current situation.
While Liana was contemplating, the carriage had already arrived at their base.
It was already filled with Paladins who had completed their missions and returned.
However, three were still missing and unaccounted for.
Now it was time to make a choice.
Whether to search for the missing personnel.
Or to proceed with the mission, leaving them behind.
Of course, the latter should not be chosen from the start.
That would lead to controversy about her qualifications as Vice Captain and be a disastrous move.
Ultimately, there was only one choice.
‘We must find the missing ones first.’
The only fortunate thing was that they had accurately recorded their whereabouts.
If they had just headed to the mountain range without a map, Liana might have given up from the beginning.
The mountain range was that vast.
Unless they revealed their Paladin identity and were fully armed, their current adventurer gear was woefully insufficient.
However, they couldn’t just go and search for the personnel immediately.
Every action must have a valid reason, and even in simple actions, the benefits to be gained should be prioritized.
Liana fell into thought again.
The three missing Paladins.
They headed to the mountain range.
In the letter they sent, the current situation of the Sail Kingdom was specified.
The most eye-catching fact from it was that the royal family strictly prohibited entry into the mountain range.
‘What could it be?’
Liana focused on the prohibition of entry into the mountain range.
Why would the royal family block the mountain range?
‘Monsters?’
Liana shook her head.
If monsters had appeared, they should have issued a subjugation order, not a prohibition of entry.
This also applied to a Monster Wave.
But with this incident, even adventurers were prohibited from entering.
If it were related to monsters, they would have wanted to utilize adventurers more than anyone else.
But the royal family did not do so.
It was as if they were trying to hide something that shouldn’t be discovered.
‘…Hide?’
Suddenly, her mind flashed.
It was as if scattered puzzle pieces were coming together.
It was strange from the beginning.
For the Sail Kingdom, the mountain range was an important geographical feature.
And yet, they were blocking it?
‘If they are hiding something, what are they trying to hide?’
Resources?
No.
This would be for similar reasons as the monsters earlier.
While contemplating, a piece of the puzzle came to Liana’s mind.
What if the Paladins and Priests who had gone missing so far were truly related to the Sail Kingdom?
“……”
It was a chilling assumption.
Until now, it was merely the Church’s assertion to pressure the Sail Kingdom.
But what if it were true?
It might be something the Sail Kingdom did to conceal it somehow.
It was chilling.
But at the same time, she smiled slightly.
‘This might actually be an opportunity.’
Perhaps the subordinates who went to the mountain range would have thought up to this point as well.
Then, things would become simpler.
What if something happened to the subordinates who went on this mission?
The Church’s voice would become louder.
Furthermore, if this incident were handled well, the Sail Kingdom itself could be neutralized.
Messing with the Church is like that.
It didn’t matter what the truth was.
She was now holding the key to the mystery.
No matter how the royal family argued, if they attacked first, it would be over.
They just needed to question why the entry into the mountain range was prohibited.
Regardless of the process, they would find the answer to all these mysteries.
As she reached this point, her next action was swift.
“Everyone assemble!”
It was time to go find the missing personnel.
* * *
“The next most important thing in serving Master is power.”
Celia said, holding up one finger.
“If Mr. Maru has no power to protect Master, he is useless.”
“Clack!”
Maru also nodded.
Indeed, Maru was learning a lot since coming here.
As expected, Celia wasn’t the Chief Administrator for nothing.
“Shall we try a real-life test? As it happens, a party will come to find their missing comrades.”
Celia had dealt with three adventurers using Charm.
In fact, they were Paladins who had infiltrated the Sail Kingdom.
Celia, knowing this fact, also anticipated that they would soon come to find their missing comrades.
“But Mr. Maru is too vulnerable to Holy Power. You are not suited to fighting Paladins.”
Maru, being an Undead monster, had extremely poor compatibility with Paladins.
If Maru’s rank were even 5-star, it might be different, but he was currently 4-star.
Even with the Demonic Sword, it would be difficult if several Paladins attacked him.
“Don’t worry, I have something good.”
Celia, as if she had an idea, called the Skeleton Knight beside her.
“Bring Death Knight.”
* * *
Darkness arrives quickly in the mountains.
The early evening sunlight barely permeated the trees, casting long shadows as the forest gradually became engulfed in darkness.
And facing that darkness, there were those wandering the forest.
They were the Paladins of the Church.
The sunlight filtering through the trees added a sparkle to the swords they held.
Seen from afar, they looked like stars shining in the darkness.
“……”
However, this forest was strangely quiet.
In this place, which should have been full of natural sounds, there was no chirping of birds, no whispering of the wind, no cries of insects.
This silence brought them great anxiety.
The trees seemed to have silently hidden their voices, and the Paladins turned their gaze, feeling an unknown gaze from somewhere.
“Vice Captain, why don’t we come back when it’s dawn?”
In a place full of darkness like now, movement is restricted.
Even if they generated light through Holy Power, it would only push back the surrounding darkness.
Therefore, the previous suggestion was valid.
Let’s retreat now and come back when it’s dawn.
Of course, Liana knew this fact.
That it was not a suitable time to carry out a mission.
“Let’s just go to the place marked on the map.”
However, obsession and urgency numbed her reason.
Even if it was temporary, she was the one leading the Paladins as the Vice Captain.
In other words, in the current situation, her words and actions were law.
Eventually, she continued forward according to her will.
And soon, they reached near the place marked on the map.
Now, the dungeon should be visible.
They searched the surroundings and moved forward more slowly.
A moment later, beings that broke the serene silence broke through the forest.
Clatter- Clatter-
The sound of bones colliding from the other side of the darkness grew closer.
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
Liana shouted in a loud voice.
While everyone was on guard, their figures were revealed by a faint light that descended through the trees.
“Skeleton…?”
Skeletons with only bare bones were running with rusty swords in one hand.
They were not high-ranking monsters, but the lowest of the skeleton types, Skeleton Soldiers.
There were five.
The tense atmosphere that had been present moments ago instantly dissipated.
Someone laughed upon seeing the Skeleton Soldiers, and someone else let out a sigh of relief.
“What? Only pathetic guys like that are here?”
The relief from the fact that only 1-star monsters appeared in a place they thought was eerie.
At the same time, the fact that only 1-star Skeleton Soldiers came out to face them was absurd and pathetic to them.
However, Liana clicked her tongue softly at the sight.
“It’s not even a dungeon yet…”
Monsters appeared even though it wasn’t a dungeon.
Of course, monsters live outside dungeons as well.
Especially Undead monsters like them could spontaneously generate in places brimming with a deathly aura, so it wasn’t entirely strange.
But this was a forest in the mountain range.
‘Is it just a coincidence?’
Liana glanced around.
No matter how she looked, there was no reason for Skeletons to appear here.
“Die!”
“How dare Undead block our path, eliminate them!”
Her subordinates rushed towards the Skeleton Soldiers that appeared.
Normally, they should have observed carefully, but since they were weak monsters, they all excitedly swung their swords.
They were all Paladins.
As they swung their swords imbued with Holy Power, the Skeletons began to break apart with a faint light.
But that was only for a moment.
“Huh? Why are so many coming out!”
There were just too many monsters.
At first, there were five.
Then, ten Skeletons appeared.
But after dealing with them, fifteen new ones appeared.
“Tsk.”
Liana frowned.
As expected.
These Undead were by no means naturally occurring beings.
There must be a monster controlling them from somewhere.
“We’re being toyed with.”
They were surely observing how they responded while watching the current situation.
She drew her sword.
And with the annoyance she felt, she shouted loudly.
“Goddess, grant your devoted servant the power to purify these unholy beings. [Holy Purification]!”
A blinding white light erupted from the sword Liana held.
And that white light headed towards the Skeleton Soldiers.
A massive light covered the forest.
A moment later, as the light slowly faded, there were no Skeletons remaining.
“Maintain formation and proceed!”
Their location had already been discovered.
Retreating at this point would only lead to more damage.
In such cases, it was better to eliminate the threatening cause.
Furthermore, the opponents were Undead.
Even with poor equipment, they, as Paladins, should be able to handle them sufficiently.
Liana and the Paladins slowly advanced with their swords drawn.
Fortunately, no additional monsters came during that time.
‘Is this it?’
It would be fortunate if it ended like this.
The atmosphere of the mountain range was undeniably strange, and if handled well, it was possible to implicate the Sail Kingdom.
“Vice Captain! There’s something over there!”
One of the leading Paladins shouted.
At his cry, Liana also turned her head in that direction.
“!”
At the same time, she was astonished.
A being different from the Skeletons they had seen moments ago stood there.
It was a Skeleton Dark Knight, its entire body stained black.
But that wasn’t the problem.
“What… what is that…!”
A sinister aura emanated from the sword the creature held.
Furthermore, what it was wearing was also a problem.
“…A Maid Outfit?”
It was a Skeleton Dark Knight wearing a Maid Outfit, holding a Demonic Sword in one hand.
