Episode 702

The priests hurriedly dashed up the stairs.

This place was isolated from the outside world. It was rare for any commotion to occur here—except when an unexpected visitor showed up.

Tap tap tap!

Bang!

“A serious problem has arisen.”

“What is it? There’s quite a disturbance.”

“It seems an outsider has entered.”

Laju, the deputy priest, was sitting on a large sofa, arranging flowers. Carefully trimming each leaf, he asked with a faint smile, “An outsider?”

“Yes. We found suspicious traces near the riverbank—stones piled up. It looks like someone tried to block the waterway. Since it’s an attempt to disrupt the flow of the sewage, it’s definitely the work of an outsider.”

“How foolish. How could anyone think to block the water with mere stones?”

“We’re about to begin a search immediately.”

“Could it be someone from a nearby village?”

“No. Those villages have long been cleared out, and no one from there can enter the temple’s barrier. We suspect it’s someone with abilities from either Burgos or Bariel.”

“I see. Well, it’s about time—Kalamath must have sent people already. How’s the sewage flow?”

“No problem. Lord Banusa continues to control the river’s current.”

“Excellent.”

With a soft rustle, Laju finished arranging the flowers and stood up. How could a deputy priest remain idle when someone had trespassed into the sacred temple? His robe’s collar fell gently as he moved.

“I will pray. All priests, pursue the intruder. Capture them alive. We must first find out what wicked intent brought them here and how they breached the barrier.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Oh, and please inform Lord Banusa as well.”

Laju’s eyes darkened. Though his lips curved in a smile, his gaze was cold.

“Tell him to come down to the underground.”

“Eh? To the underground?”

Laju nodded kindly.

“I intend to pray together.”

The priest hesitated. He had never been shown what lay beneath the temple by Banusa himself. He couldn’t guess the deputy’s true intentions.

But what could a mere priest say? He quickly nodded and rushed outside.

“Everyone, gather! There’s an intruder!”

“Search along the river! The goal is to capture alive, but if that’s impossible, just keep them alive.”

“This way! Hurry! They can’t have gone far!”

“Here are traces! They must have gotten wet moving the stones. If we follow the flattened grass, we’ll find them soon.”

A little later, Banusa entered the main hall, watching the priests rush toward the thicket. Hearing that Laju wanted to see him, a subtle unease crept in.

He had avoided the king’s gaze linked by the sacred thread, but not the deputy priest’s. Surely, Laju knew or at least suspected that Banusa had contact with the intruder.

“If that weren’t the case, he would have asked me to assist with the search.”

Yet, Banusa was excluded from the order to search downstream. That was no coincidence.

Frowning slightly, Banusa stepped deeper into the dark temple interior.

“Well, what can I do? The Bariel main force will arrive soon, and whether by design or not, I am someone sent by the king.”

The deeper he went underground, the more the foul stench assaulted his nose—the sticky, filthy source of the sewage.

At that moment, priests emerged from the darkness and led him to Laju’s chamber. As the door opened, Banusa’s eyes widened.

“…!”

“Welcome, Lord Banusa. It’s the first time we’ve met here.”

Behind Laju, a shimmering dark blue wave rippled like an aquarium. Banusa knew there was no lake nearby, and certainly no sea as he’d only read about in books.

Then what was that…?

“What are you thinking, showing me all these cracks?”

“I thought you might be curious. Curiosity often stirs wild imagination. I’m worried about that. Our Lord Banusa is indispensable to Torolun, so if—”

A shadow fell behind him. Something massive in the water approached the glass.

Banusa instinctively stepped back, feeling fear for the first time in a long while. Laju stepped forward, as if knowing everything.

“I fear you might entertain the wrong thoughts.”

---

“Hah, haah, ha—!”

Eirin’s senses were on high alert. Though no one had chased her when she fled, an inexplicable anxiety grew stronger. Was it because she was running? She kept glancing back, listening for any sign of pursuit.

“If possible, I want to cross east or west to lose them…”

But this was Torolun. Even the villagers would be hostile to a Bariel soldier like her, and more than that, the risk of getting lost was too great. Clark had the compass, and she didn’t know the terrain.

She knew moving along the river would easily reveal her location, but she had no choice. It was the safest path she could take. All she could do was pick up the pace.

“Just need to cross into Burgos.”

By memory, it was about half a day’s journey. If she kept going without rest, she’d reach near the border before sunset.

Though the thick bushes kept tearing at her cheeks, Eirin ran faster.

“This way! The footprints continue here!”

“Ugh!”

A faint shout from the pursuers made Eirin’s heart drop.

Clutching Banusa’s letter close to her chest, she veered left. If they were right behind her, she couldn’t keep running along the river.

“Damn it.”

Now, she had to entrust her fate to the gods. Please, let me reach a safe place without trouble. If not, at least let this letter be delivered to the palace!

Eirin threw herself into the bushes and tumbled.

“Ugh!”

After rolling for a while, she finally got up, wincing from pain in her side. But such pain was nothing to worry about.

Where was she? She looked around quickly, unsure if this was luck or misfortune.

A village. A very small one.

“One, two, three…”

There were only a handful of houses—barely enough to count on one hand.

Eirin kept glancing back nervously, scanning the empty village. Not a soul in sight. It looked abandoned.

“What’s going on?”

Limping, she crossed the village. Bloodstains marked walls and doors, but she had no time to care. Being caught meant death.

She pressed deeper inside, searching for a place to hide. If the village was truly abandoned, that was a blessing. After losing her pursuers, she could—

Neigh!

“…!”

But then the sound of a carriage approached. Eirin instinctively hid and listened.

The carriage was elegant, out of place in this small, deserted village. Were these the pursuers from the temple? Gripping her sword, she sharpened her hearing.

“No! What’s wrong with this village? Are we in the right place?”

“Y-yes. We definitely came to the right spot.”

“Hey! Is anyone here? Nyle, Taoma!”

A burly man stepped down from the carriage, bewildered. The driver looked around nervously, but not even an ant’s shadow was visible.

“What’s going on? Is this really the place?”

“Y-yeah, it is. But still…”

“Enough. Then find the painting. Who cares if there’s no one here? We just need to cross into the southern lands.”

“There’s someone who manages the paintings, you know!”

“Huh? Why didn’t you say that earlier? Hello? Anyone here?!”

Suddenly, the suffocating fear lifted, and Eirin breathed easier. She recognized the loud, brash voice.

It was the voice of the swordmaster who had saved her during the great water beast attack in Bariel’s northern region. He was definitely a member of the imperial palace guard serving the Bariel emperor.

“Actually, I think I was holding the map wrong earlier.”

“No, you weren’t, senior.”

Beside him stood a strange boy. Eirin didn’t know what was going on, but this had to be a blessing from the gods. She raised her hand and stood up.

“Hey—!”

“Ah! You scared me.”

“I’m Eirin, a soldier of the Bariel main force!”

Eirin smiled brightly and waved, just as priests emerged from the bushes where she had just fled.

“There she is!”

“That’s the woman!”

What on earth was happening?

Unlike Beric, Cedric calmly assessed the situation as Eirin ran toward them.

“Senior, since she’s a Bariel soldier, shouldn’t we help her?”

“Of course. That woman was part of the sewage investigation team we met before. But where’s Merelrof’s boyfriend? She’s alone.”

“Merelrof’s boyfriend? Who’s that?”

“Clark.”

“Oh. Then who’s this woman?”

“Eirin? The emperor’s favorite.”

Upon hearing that, Cedric unleashed his magic and charged toward Eirin. The emperor’s favorite? She had to be protected at all costs. Success was practically rolling right into his lap.

Beric watched and clicked his tongue, clearly unimpressed.

“Man, that little guy’s got ambition. You’re not going to die peacefully, that’s for sure.”

“Hyaaaah—!”

Clang! Clang!

Swish!

“What the hell is this?!”

As Cedric swung his magic sword, the priests easily parried his strikes. The raw magical power was strong, but the wielder was still a novice. He wasn’t yet capable of overwhelming the priests. Still, magic was magic, and the fight maintained a tense balance despite the numbers.

In that moment, Eirin approached the carriage, and Beric pinched his nose.

“Ugh, the smell.”

“This… this is from someone named Banusa at the Masantar Temple, addressed to His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Banusa? That name sounds familiar.”

“He introduced himself as a water spirit mage.”

“Ah, right. The one we met at the Tolrun Palace.”

Beric took the letter from Eirin. It was written in Tolrun language, so he couldn’t understand it, but it looked important enough to accept. He motioned for everyone to stay back.

Just then, Taoma cut in.

“Can someone give me a quick rundown of what’s going on?”

“Yes. The Masantar Temple is the source of the poisoned water. They were releasing it there. The people fleeing were being chased.”

Taoma’s eyes widened in alarm as he scanned the area again. It made sense that the villagers had abandoned the place—the river nearby was poisoned, making it unlivable. But if that were the case, surely they would have left some message or sign for him. Just then, Taoma spotted bloodstains hidden beneath the dust.

“Damn it…!”

A temple leaking poison water. A nearby village wiped out. The pieces were starting to fit together.

Taoma pulled out a long stick attached to a rope from inside the carriage and began swinging it.

“What the hell is that?”

“Ha-byo-oh!”

A pair of nunchaku!

There really were all sorts of strange weapons in the world. Beric ignored Taoma’s antics and fixed his gaze on Cedric. These priests were perfect opponents to give the reckless kid some real combat experience—both in numbers and skill.

Swish!

“That’s it, kid. You landed a hit just now. When you lower your stance like that, use your hips to drive the strike upward!”

“Senpai, aren’t you going to fight?”

“Usually, the grunts handle the grunts.”

At the word “grunts,” Cedric shot a sharp glare at him. Seizing the moment, a priest’s sword came flying toward the back of the boy’s head.

Beric hesitated, about to jump in, but Taoma swung his hefty body and struck the priest’s blade with his nunchaku.

Ting! Bang!

Then, clasping his hands together, he lowered his voice and muttered,

“…grunt reinforcements.”

“Yes, grunt reinforcements.”

“Are you priests from the nearby Masantar Temple?”

The priests faltered at the stern question. The strange weapon alone was unsettling, but Taoma’s bizarre movements were even more so.

As the priests hesitated and began to back away, Taoma let out a booming shout.

“You bastards! What the hell did you do to my painting?!”