Ch. 62 - Drugging

After separating from the slave traders and summoning two carriages, Paladin embarked on a journey back to the church together with five fallen soldiers and a monster. This minor occurrence, as he had predicted, became a topic of private discussion among the nobles. Somehow, the story spread. It even made its way to the ears of some higher-ups. The first thing that came to their mind was that Edley seemed to have one more idiot who believed in Enos.

However, just when the carriage was leaving Edley, Paladin, who was sitting in the carriage, distributed bread and blankets to the starving soldiers. He watched the soldiers who were eager to swallow a big piece of bread in one gulp. Pretending to be indifferent, he asked, "I heard from the slave trader that you all were captured from the battlefield? Were you fighting in a war?"

"Mhm." The one that was apparently older than the other four swallowed a mouthful of bread and hastily chugged a bottle of water before answering their savior's question. "Yes, we are all from Aixinzhe. We were originally members of the 12th Army's 50th Scouting Regiment, Reconnaissance Team No. 7. We were the vanguard, but then we encountered the slave traders on a plain at Aixinzhe’s border. Thus, a skirmish took place. They were backed up by passing scouts. We surrendered because we were outnumbered. After, our clothes were stripped and our weapons were confiscated. It took numerous days of travel in the wagon to get here." The man smiled gratefully and added, "It's a good thing we met the priest on the second day we're here. Who knows what those beasts would have done to us if it hadn't been for the priest."

Outside, Paladin clearly smiled. Inside his mind, however, he was busy conjuring up connections between Aixinzhe and Kasmi. These two sides crossed paths on occasion. Usually, even if there were only a dozen or so people in both groups, they both drew their swords and fought, which was bound to end in a tragic fight. Moreover, it seemed that the rebels were plotting a coup in Aixinzhe. Paladin thought so because about a month or so ago, there was a fight on the border. The moment this news reached the Grand Duke of Kasmi, obviously he wouldn't miss this good opportunity. He wanted to take advantage of Aixinzhe's weakness to bring them down.

Naturally, the rebels plotting the coup realized they were being taken advantage of by others. The situation could be said wasn't good. On the day of the rebellion, a large number of troops had gathered at the border. They were simply waiting for an order to move from the other rebels who had successfully taken control of Aixinzhe. As soon as they received it, they immediately waged war against the Duchy of Kasmi. They did, however, wage war not only on the Duchy of Kasmi, but also on the Kingdom of Nubia–Aixinzhe's other neighboring kingdom on the other side.

Somehow, Paladin came to a sudden realization. The three kingdoms, which had been at peace for three years, were about to go to an all-out war! And what did war entail? Death, armor, destruction, and gold! When would a kingdom be the most generous? The answer was during a time when there was a war to be fought. They would spend a large sum of money regardless of the cost to buy expensive armor, arrows, weapons, horses, and an astronomical amount of food plus daily necessities! Instead of a battle between the armies, it was a battle between economies and wealth! Each side involved in this war had an incomparable amount of wealth.

With that in mind, Paladin took the six people back to Nurba. They arrived in the middle of the night. Perhaps, because it was late at night and the buildings hadn't been repaired for many years, the originally small-populated town now resembled ruins rather than a town. Paladin happily opened the door of the church and led these people inside.

With a bang, the door of the church was slammed shut behind the five soldiers who were carrying the cage in which the sleeping monster was trapped. Paladin looked at these people's exhausted faces before taking out a bottle of red wine. With a smile, he said, "Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Please sit down and let's have a drink."

"Ah, thank you, priest."

The five soldiers obviously loved to drink. When they heard Paladin's offer, they were overjoyed. They quickly sat around the dining table while looking around the humble church with interest.

Paladin cast a sidelong glance at the five people who were not looking at him. He turned his back quietly and took a small bottle of blue potion from his sleeve. This potion was kind of like an ecstasy drug that Paladin had spent a long time refining. Even though the miraculous effect lasted only for a brief moment, it was very effective. The only downside was that it had too many side effects, such as waking up feeling worse than a hangover. However, none of this mattered to Paladin. He gently poured a small amount of potion into the wine bottle. The blue potion then mixed into the red liquor, leaving no visible trace behind.

"Ah, I didn’t expect that the priest's church would be so simple."

The soldiers observed the dilapidated church and genuinely admired it. However, to Paladin, this wasn't exactly a happy thing to hear. Since he had seen the grandeur and luxury of the Edley church, Paladin realized that this damn place was simply a beggar's doghouse. How could he, Paladin, live at a place like this?! Such a magnificent church, similar to the Edley church, was where he belonged!

Thinking so, Paladin turned away. He pretended to shake the wine bottle enthusiastically in order to mix the potion thoroughly. While smiling, he said, "I despise spending money when it is not absolutely necessary. The believers' donation be used entirely for the benefit of the people. Spending this money on myself would go against my conscience."

After saying that, Paladin leisurely walked over and poured the ruby-colored wine into the prepared glasses. When he watched the five people sitting around the table having a gluttonous expression on their faces, he laughed even more happily.

The soldiers did not care about what Paladin had said when the wine was ready to be drunk. When they saw Paladin finish pouring the wine, they bristled to pick up the glass and chug it all down.

"Wow, this flavor is so nostalgic, ah. In the army, we were not allowed to drink. So, we haven't had a drink for quite a long time," the man with a scar on his face who was sitting on the left happily said. On the other side, a young man who was obviously a poor drinker considering his face was already red, licked his lips and handed over the glass of wine he had emptied. While looking at Paladin expectantly, he said, "Father, please pour me another glass. I drank too fast that I was unable to taste anything."

"This kid! The priest is our savior! Be polite! Do you not want to live?!" a bearded man nearing middle age that sat next to the young man immediately yelled.

Paladin's response was a mere indifferent smile. Then, he poured the fine wine into the wine glass and kindly said, "Just drink it. It was given to me by the residents of Nurba. I don't usually drink, so I still have a lot left."

"Really? Then, we’ll take your offer, thank you!" The soldiers exchanged glances before hurriedly placing their wine glasses on the table. Their desire for wine seemed to have been suppressed for a long time.

Paladin granted their request and poured the wine while casually asking them, "Do you have any plans after this? Will you be going back to Aixinzhe?"

"I'm not going back! I'm going to run to the countryside to farm, marry another woman and start a family! It's far more pleasant than fighting a war," the young man with a beard on his face immediately made a statement.

However, the one with a scar on his face immediately cursed. He was undoubtedly the leader of the five.

"I don't have any other ambition. I still want to advance in my career and kill enemies. Maybe I'll get lucky and become a knight! Then, I'll be a nobleman!"

As soon as he said that, the other four immediately mocked him with disdain. The youngest, a big boy who was already a little tipsy, hiccupped and stated, "I am no longer a soldier, but I want to go back to Aixinzhe. That is my motherland after all. My parents and two-year-old sister are all waiting for me at home. The girl I met previously, I wonder if she's married?"

These words immediately extinguished the previously lively atmosphere. All of these soldiers had family members, some even had wives and sons. Thinking of their family members who lived far away on the other side of the plain, their eyes were filled with nostalgia and longing.

Paladin reckoned that their time was almost up. Suddenly, he snorted frivolously. His kind expression vanished like a lie. He raised his head and looked at the five stunned soldiers with contempt blatantly shown on his face before filling the wine glass in his hand.

"Father, are you going to drink?"

A few soldiers were still perplexed by the situation. Paladin gulped down the entire contents of his glass and abruptly placed said glass on the table. With a mocking smile on his face, he said. "Unfortunately, you will never see your family again, trash."

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