Ch. 27 - Making A Show

There were some hard knocks on the dilapidated door. Several anxious-looking soldiers dressed in leather and cotton armor were standing in front of the church, constantly knocking the wooden door. Knock knock knock. Listening to this series of sounds, Paladin, looking as if he just woke up, opened the door dressed in a priest's black robe. When Paladin noticed a few guards who appeared terrified and anxious, he frowned suspiciously.

"How many have come to pray or repent?”

The leader of the soldiers was anxious. He wordlessly stepped forward and pulled Paladin with one hand. He opened his mouth to explain while moving, "Father, please forgive our rudeness! It's extremely important!"

It was uncomfortable. He was dragged away by about three or five thick and large men. He frowned and pretended to be angry. Then, he flung his hand away from the guards

"Whatever the matter is, it will not prevent me from worshiping the Almighty God! Do you know how blasphemous it is to skip your morning prayers?”

The guard, with an I'll-kill-you look on his face, didn’t dare to pull Paladin anymore. Instead, he began to beg bitterly.

"Father, something happened at that clothing store. The captain of the guards requested that we inform you of the location, saying that only you will understand!"

He couldn’t say it more bluntly. The things a priest knew of except healing were about heresy. Paladin, who knew the truth, pretended to have a moment of realization. He pulled the guard back solemnly, walked quickly to the place of the shop, and said angrily, "If you talk to me in that way, I will not help you.”

The guard squeaked and couldn’t say anything. In fact, he didn’t dare to say anything. If the pedestrians on the road heard, it could cause quite a stir. So, Paladin and a few guards rushed to the scene of the crime.

After passing through the crowds gathered near the store, Paladin and a few guards were about to enter when they noticed a yellow-bearded man with a bulky body like a tiger. He was dressed in chain armor and equipped with a hammer pinned to his waist. He was observing everything seriously. Examining the two skeletons on the ground. Paladin's footsteps alerted the captain, who was startled at first. When he saw the person who was approaching, obvious relief showed on his face. He then waved his hand.

"You guys go out, I want to talk to the priest for a while."

The soldiers nodded and left one after another. Paladin looked at the two skeletons on the ground and jumped in fright. With a contorted face, he said, "Captain, what's going on here?!"

The captain of the guard looked at Paladin who looked frightened and unconsciously felt a little bit of contempt. If he wasn’t mistaken, the priest was the son of a nobleman. Seeing such horrifying corpses must have been a first for him. The captain of the guard, who thought so, smiled.

"Father, you are a local priest. Logically speaking, murders in Nurba should be the responsibility of mercenaries and private soldiers. However, as you can see, the couple who owned this clothing store went out yesterday as they received a business deal. Today, they were already dead on the ground and turned into bones. Even their two-month-old baby was brutally murdered. It's obviously not the doing of an ordinary person. It is clearly not the work of an ordinary person. As a result, we'd like to ask you whether this incident could be linked to a dark sorcerer." The captain of the guard cautiously asked. Deep inside, he was very worried. Although the person in front of him was only a priest, the other party was a nobleman, and The Holy See was behind him. Not to mention, things involving dark sorcerers were too sensitive. If one articulated it badly, they could get implicated.

The captain of the guard was wary. Paladin's face stiffened, but he muttered inwardly, ‘So it’s just private soldiers and mercenaries who check on these trash people. If this is the case, then I don't have to worry too much."

The corners of Paladin's mouth slightly curled upwards. In fact, Nurba was part of a territory ruled by the Count of Torch. The territory included not only Nurba, but also ten nearby villages, two towns, and a city called Edelweiss. In the past, the count could send his own private soldiers to guard it. However, the Duchy of Kasmi imposed serious restrictions regarding the nobility’s private soldiers. As a result, the Count of Torch was only able to recruit a thousand private soldiers. One more and the count could be charged with treason.

Fortunately, there were mercenaries in this world who were willing to wield knives for money. While preventing his power from being dispersed, the count could still station some soldiers in his territory. Therefore, Paladin wasn’t worried at all. Mercenaries only knew of gold coins and women. Too easy to fool.

Paladin's alarmed expression softened slightly. Directly ignoring the captain of the guard who stood next to him, he wore a gloomy face as he stepped forward. Then, he squatted down.

"Father, do you notice anything?" The captain of the guards inquired hastily. He came to be a captain of the guard just to settle down and avoid having more blood splattered on the edge of his knife. Who would’ve thought that he would run into such bad luck?

The captain of the guard was lamenting in his heart when he noticed Paladin's expression. He jumped away immediately.

Paladin quickly crossed his hand on his chest, and said with a reverent expression, "The Great, All-knowing and All-powerful Lord! My Father and My Mother. Your humble servant asks thee to send down light to expel the evil that crawls in the darkness. Shouting thy holy name, Enos! Bless me!"

Paladin took out holy water from his sleeve and sprinkled it around. Clutching the cross on his chest, he began to pray.

"Father, what the hell is going on?!" It wasn't until Paladin stopped praying that the captain of the guard eagerly asked.

Paladin solemnly put down the cross, turned his head, and said the last thing the captain of the guard wanted to hear.

"Captain, it is true. This was done by the dark wizard. There are dark wizards nearby, and I must report it to the Holy See so they dispatch an executive of the Inquisition to deal with it."

"What?!" The captain of the guard yelled in surprise. When he realized that his voice was too loud, he looked outside to confirm that no one was paying attention. He then pulled Paladin to a corner with one hand, pleading anxiously and flatteringly.

"Father, you are the priest of this town and the godfather of all the children here in the future. Obviously you don't want to see this beautiful place destroyed by people from the Inquisition, right.”

The captain of the guard understood that the Count of Torch didn’t care how many civilians died, but it would change once the executive officer of the Inquisition came. In a fit of rage, the count wouldn't mind making a mercenary his scapegoat. So, the captain of the guard really didn't want Paladin to report it. This didn’t only concern his own future, but also his life and family!

Paladin naturally understood what was on the captain's mind. When he saw that, he pretended to be angry and reproached, "Captain! Watch your words and deeds! You are openly denigrating the Inquisition in front of a priest!”

"Father, you misunderstood. Although the Inquisition is God’s weapon to bring justice and eradicate evil heretics, it is not good as it indirectly destroys the lives of the people."

The captain, who knew that he had said the wrong thing, immediately tried to make up for it. A sincere smile appeared on his face when he uttered those words to Paladin.

Paladin smiled secretly in his heart. Let alone being begged to not report it, even if the captain threatened him with a knife, he wouldn’t do it. On second thought, even if nothing was reported, he could reap some benefits out of this situation.

Paladin, who thought so, racked his brain. His expression looked indignant as he walked to the depths of the dark corner. Angrily, he said, "Although Your Excellency is correct, it is not good to destroy people's lives. Indeed, that is not the Holy See’s intention. You cannot, however, allow the dark wizard to keep on refining evil magic! This is absolutely not allowed!”

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