The First Mission (2)
I watched the doors of the grand cathedral swing open in the distance and frowned.
Through the gaping entrance, ordinary worshippers and priests poured out in a chaotic swarm.
With this much of a crowd, there’s no way I’ll be able to pick out the priests who have access to the imperial palace.
The thought lasted only a moment. I pulled the hood of my priestly robes down low over my face.
Still, I might as well take a closer look.
I approached the grand cathedral as cautiously as possible, careful not to draw attention. Fortunately, most of the crowd had already dispersed.
A waste of time?
I hadn’t expected it to be easy, but I hadn’t thought I’d squander such a golden opportunity either.
In that case, it might be faster to search the priests’ quarters…
Just as I was considering my next move, someone standing a few steps away caught my eye instantly.
That man.
He was definitely one of the priests Catherine had described.
A priest with a scar on his face isn’t exactly common.
I stared at the man who was speaking to the worshippers with the gentlest smile in the world. His cold eyes didn’t match the curve of his smiling lips. His face was rigid, and his hands looked like they’d spent years doing brutal labor. No matter how I looked at him, he didn’t seem like a priest at all.
And though it’s still only a guess… that man…
My instincts, honed over decades in the underworld, were screaming at me.
He was radiating an aura far too sinister to belong to a priest.
And most damning of all, I could smell the scent of my own kind on him—the thick, unmistakable stench of death that ordinary people could never detect.
Kaiden. I think I finally understand why he asked me to look into the temple’s people.
I narrowed my eyes and slowly erased my presence.
The target had appeared. It was time to begin the hunt.
If I follow him, the rest of the targets should show themselves eventually.
Inside the grand temple located in the imperial capital of the Ventrum Empire.
Deep within the grand cathedral was a secret room known only to those granted permission to enter.
“Looks like the next emperor’s seat is about to be decided.”
“Isn’t it still too early to say that for sure?”
A man who had completely loosened his priestly robes picked up a wine glass. The temple was supposed to be a dry zone, but his attitude made it clear he couldn’t care less about such rules.
He took a deep swig of the wine, then scowled.
“The emperor seems to be paying special attention to the third prince lately. Some nobles are even saying he might replace the first prince.”
“Nonsense. The only reason the emperor cherishes the first prince is because he carries the blood of the Crowners ducal family.”
The man sitting across from him pointed this out in a sharp voice.
“So he’s going to put forward the third prince—who has a mother from a ruined kingdom—as the first prince’s replacement? The noble faction would tear him apart.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Still, it’s a fact that more factions are starting to watch the third prince closely.”
Another man dressed as a priest clicked his tongue.
“I’m telling you, it’s all just a fleeting whim. You can’t change the board with one win at a hunting competition.”
“His sword dance during the founding festival was quite impressive too. From the way he moved, it looked like he’d properly trained in swordsmanship.”
“Even if he learned swordsmanship now, how could he compare to the second prince?”
The man holding the wine glass snorted in response.
“And even if, by some miracle, the third prince catches the emperor’s eye, it doesn’t matter.”
His eyes, half-reddened from the alcohol, gleamed with malice.
He wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth and muttered darkly.
“All we have to do is make sure the second prince ascends the throne. That’s it.”
These men were all mercenaries hired by the Redcliffe family.
They weren’t professional assassins, but their motto was that they would do anything as long as the pay was right.
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“Ugh, but how long do we have to stay hidden in a place like this? I’m going crazy from boredom.”
“That’s because you never believed in the gods to begin with.”
“Do you believe in them, then?”
“Of course. I’d rather not go to hell when I die.”
The man burst out laughing at his colleague’s half-joking remark.
“Puhaha! To hear something like that come out of the mouth of a man who kills people for money! You really don’t have a shred of conscience!”
“Shut up, all of you.”
At that moment, another voice came from the corner of the secret room.
The speaker was a man with a striking scar across his face.
“Don’t get it twisted. Our client isn’t just the Redcliffe family. We can’t leave this place until we complete the mission assigned by the Holy State.”
“Come on, Captain. We all know that. Why are you getting so worked up…”
The man drunk on wine grumbled to himself.
The other man who claimed to believe in the gods shot him a glare before turning to the one they called Captain.
“By the way, Captain. About that mission the Holy State gave us… Are you sure it’s really okay to do it?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I mean… no matter how I think about it, it seems way too dangerous.”
The man spoke with a displeased expression.
“Releasing monsters on purpose… It doesn’t seem like something people who believe in God should be doing…”
“For crying out loud! Are you still going on about the gods? We just do the job we’re paid for! Whether the Holy State creates monsters or orders them released on other countries, it has nothing to do with us!”
For a brief moment, the Captain’s expression darkened.
He was a man who believed in carrying out requests without complaint as long as the payment was fair.
Even so, he harbored a faint sense of doubt about the mission the Holy State had entrusted them with.
It wasn’t just any monster.
The first request the Holy State had given them was to find monsters and implant them with special magic stones they had provided in advance. The monsters that received those stones grew larger and more ferocious, repeatedly attacking human settlements in search of prey.
The empire was no exception.
“Still, I’m a little worried too. Last time we almost got completely wiped out after that terrifying young bastard caught us.”
“Hah, you mean the King of Adamant. I’ve never seen a human that ridiculously strong in my entire life.”
Before the founding festival began, the Holy State had sent orders to release monsters along every route leading into the empire.
They had successfully prepared in secret and released the monsters onto the roads.
The problem was that the first people they encountered were the King of Adamant and his knight order.
“Damn it. Just thinking about it again makes my legs go weak.”
The drunken man shuddered as if the mere memory filled him with disgust.
“He wiped out all those monsters in one go. I seriously wondered if he was even human.”
“Exactly. We nearly got swept away along with them.”
It seemed the title of the continent’s strongest knight wasn’t an empty boast.
The young king of Adamant had slain dozens of monsters with a single strike.
The mercenary band that had been watching from hiding had no choice but to flee without even considering another plan.
“But Captain, you don’t think the Adamant side is still looking for us, do you?”
“It’s not impossible. They chased us all the way to the temple.”
It was the first time they had ever faced such a persistent pursuit.
The King of Adamant, who had been cutting down countless monsters, had spotted them and chased after them like a madman.
The momentum had been so terrifying that if the entire mercenary group had tried to run together, they would have been caught a hundred times over.
In the end, they had chosen to scatter, and with the Holy State’s help, they had barely managed to hide inside the temple.
“Even now, just thinking about that day makes me wake up in a cold sweat.”
“Same here.”
Even after the King of Adamant stopped his direct pursuit, the hunt for them continued.
The memory of barely shaking off the relentless, stealthy pursuit of Adamant’s knights still sent shivers down their spines.
They say dogs take after their owners. Those knights were practically extensions of the Adamant king himself.
“Don’t worry.”
The Captain, who had been silent until then, finally spoke.
“No power on this land can dare invade holy ground.”
No matter how impressive the King of Adamant was, he wouldn’t be able to touch the Holy State.
Not unless he wanted to make enemies of every nation on the continent that believed in God.
“Besides, I hear the Holy State plans to impose sanctions on the Adamant Kingdom soon. So there’s no need to concern yourselves.”
“Now that’s good news. Honestly, what kind of lunatic would do something so insane? Unless they had nothing left to lose, I suppose.”
The drunken man muttered to himself before changing the subject.
“Oh, right. When does the Redcliffe family say they’ll send the payment? They already extended the contract period.”
“They said they’d send someone within a week at the earliest, or up to two weeks at the latest.”
“Even though they’re a rich family, they always get so vague when it’s time to pay up.”
The man clicked his tongue and took another swig of wine.
“Captain, by the way, is that guy coming again this time?”
“Who are you talking about?”
“You know, that arrogant young punk who isn’t even from the Redcliffe family. The viscount guy—Million or Millen or whatever his name is.”
The man scratched his head roughly and frowned deeply.
“Was his name Ian?”