Chapter 243
My Villains Episode 243
49. visitors(6)
The three horsemen sent by Lionel III began to take control of Modos as soon as the soldiers unpacked their quarters..
Administrative actions within the lord's authority were carried out without hesitation, such as organizing a garrison by absorbing vigilantes, distributing empty fields by identifying the number and composition of households, and opening a market in the square. In the process, most of the work we were doing was relieved, allowing the party and the mercenaries to spend their days at leisure..
Ellen continued her alchemy experiments and magical training as before, Utequai climbed the watchtower and painted, and Hayla disposed of the loot and materials she had collected while purchasing supplies needed for the trip..
The mercenaries lounged around the guild hall and drank alcohol at the tavern ‘The Singing Black Bunting.’ Some even went to the main indemnifiers with heavy money bags and enjoyed all the ‘services’ they provided..
Meanwhile, I had been tormented by the priests for three days already..
Right after finishing breakfast.
I headed to the church where restoration was in progress..
Following the cathedral's guidance, I entered the cathedral next to the chapel, where two monks were waiting for me as they had been for the past two days..
“May the blessings of light be with you. Welcome, Lord Phoenix.” A simple greeting was followed by a series of boring questions..
“Please explain in detail the circumstances when you met Count Mattianver..”
How many times has this question been asked? Six times? no, seven times?
“……You mean from the beginning??”
“yes. Please, sir..”
The two monks sitting across the table were members of the Norric Order..
The Norik Order is mainly responsible for serving the frontier lords, censoring books, and interrogating heretics. Contrary to their neat and gentle appearance, the two monks in front of me were unreasonable people, as was the Heretic Questioner..
“••••••Phew.”
okay. I was now being interrogated on behalf of the group..
I looked at the monks one by one and then opened my mouth..
“Well, during my travels, I stopped at a place called Oressa Tavern. There I met Count Mattianber.,”
“for a moment. What was the destination of your trip??”
Originally, our primary goal was to catch Saitz, the spell thief hiding here, but we couldn't tell him that. It was a situation where Seitz had to be protected until Ellen's name was cleared..
“……‘We planned to pass through the Antrum region and go to Seteni Ora Monastery. Our final destination was Prince Ulkar in the Western Highlands..”
“But why did you stop by Raven's Cliff??”
“I got curious because I heard a lot of strange rumors..”
“Why did you stop by the Oressa tavern??”
“I missed a place to sleep where I could avoid the cold wind and morning dew. As a bonus, I filled my stomach with beer and roll pie.……
Next, there followed the scene where the old knight Sir Nitervelam appeared with his wives in tow. This story has been repeated several times already, so it flows out smoothly..
The two monks glanced at the parchment filled with writing and listened to my voice. I often asked questions about this and that, but they were all repetitions of questions I had asked before..
It's really quite persistent. Is it because the high lord, the earl, died?.
The interrogation, which continued without lunch, ended as the early winter sun was setting. The two monks disappeared for a moment, leaving me in the room, and then reappeared with vague faces..
“This concludes the interrogation, Lord Phoenix. I will never forget my reverential service to the Lord..”
“……yes? So, does that mean you don't have to come out here anymore??”
“yes.”
I felt so uncomfortable that I couldn't get up from my seat..
“Has my innocence been proven??”
“……How can you say that? We have never suspected you of guilt..”
“You know that's not what I meant..”
The two monks of the Norik Order exchanged glances with each other. Then the slightly older person spoke up..
“In fact, it is true that there are some areas where we are lacking.” “What if it’s an insufficient part?” “This is just a guess on my part, but... … . Sir, um, so to speak, I guess there are some parts that I don't remember..”
As I listened to the nuances, I felt like I realized there was a hidden part of my story..
How did they notice? In preparation for the interrogation, I prepared my story in advance to avoid any awkward parts.…….
As expected from a monk of the Norik Order, does he have a special talent??
Just as a soul shaman has 'hyesun', a skill to detect transformations and traps and distinguish between truth and lies, a paladin also had a similar skill..
The technology was a 'revelation' that detects evildoers and the undead. According to the flavor text, it is a skill that allows you to feel the truth based on your developed sixth sense..
I'm not sure, but I didn't know that the monks in front of me also had supernatural powers such as revelation..
“but……
The middle-aged monk paused for a moment and then continued speaking..
“The overall context seemed to be true..”
“overall context?”
“That Count Martianver and his group were vampires. That's the most important information, everything else is trivial..”
He looked into my eyes and lowered his voice..
“Even if there are some inadequacies in the Lord's statement, they must be due to worldly affairs. It is wrong for a knight, the guardian of faith, to walk down a shady path, but realistically, it would be unreasonable to blame him for this..”
Because he spoke in circles, it took some time to understand the monk’s intentions..
From the looks of it, the two monks seemed to have guessed that the part I left out had nothing to do with the work of the church, so they seemed to just ignore it. In order to reveal even the smallest suspicions, they do not interrogate me until the end..
In short, the monks were doing me a favor..
But why? Why are you doing me a favor??
I've always thought about it, but it was strange that they didn't interrogate the mercenaries. If there's anything suspicious about you, you can just catch everyone in my group and rob them..
Perhaps reading my suspicious expression, Master Su smiled slightly..
“I have heard rumors about the scriptures..”
“It's a rumor?”
He started telling completely unexpected stories..
“I heard that in South Harbor and Longville, they always drew their swords for the weak. Like Prince Ulkar, your lord
I mean.”
“……yes‘?”
who? I?
You're talking about me right now?
When I opened my eyes wide, the monk let out a little laugh and continued speaking..
“I believe you acted the same way here. Good deeds and justice must be respected..”
Saying that, the middle-aged monk narrowed one eye..
Indeed. After torturing me so much for three days, you are now condescending. Would you rather watch it from the beginning?.
By the way, how on earth did the rumor spread that we're talking like that??
“……thank you for your consideration.”
Of course, I didn't do anything stupid like reveal my true feelings or express doubts. Instead, I made the sign of the cross and quickly left the room..
Looking at the unexpected consideration of the Norik monks, it seems unlikely that they will ever be falsely accused of murdering an innocent count..
As I was about to leave the church, feeling relieved after regaining my freedom, a priest spoke to me..
“Sir Phoenics!”
“……Father Alford?”
The young priest, Alford, approached with brisk steps and smiled..
“You look good. Looks like the story turned out well..”
“yes. Thanks to the two monks for believing in my innocence..”
“It was not the monks who revealed the Lord's innocence. “The incomparable truth that the truth will always be revealed in the arms of the Lord has been realized.” Father Alford was told that he had received two assignments from the Vicar of Trosher..
The first mission was to investigate what happened here, and the second was to restore the collapsed church and community..
However, because Lionel III sent a high-ranking priest from the cathedral, Alford became a duck egg on the Nakdong River. This is because the authority to investigate was taken over by Noric monks, and the restoration of the church was led by a disciple of a high-ranking priest..
However, as if such circumstances did not matter, Alford continued speaking with a gentle smile..
“The drivers asked me to say thank you to the Lord..”
“Knights? What articles are you talking about??”
“Oh, not a secular knight, but a cathedral knight..”
“ aha.”
I had an idea and quietly scratched my eyebrows..
“……Is it because of Lord Archibald??”
“you're right.”
3About a week ago, I encountered and battled a dragon named ‘Star Maker Soleva’. At that time, all his slaves were put to death, and 'Archibald, the Pure White Knight' also had his head cut off by me..
As soon as I met Father Alford, I remembered this and informed him that Archibald was buried nearby. And Alford announced this news to the priests who arrived with the three horsemen..
“With the help of the police, the body was able to be recovered. Thank you on behalf of the denomination..”
“no. Well, I didn't do anything great.……
When I waved my hand in confusion, Alford smiled slightly and took something out of his arms..
“receive.”
“What is this??”
“This is a small gift prepared together with the drivers..”
What he held out was a ring cross the size of his palm. Although it had a simple appearance without any decoration, it was a high-quality product made of carved ivory, and it had a subtle, mysterious glow..
“This is an object that took three days to build. It has the effect of chasing away evil spirits, so it will be useful someday..”
The identity of the mysterious light was divine power. Considering that the light was weak, it would lose its power after being used a couple of times, but it was still a useful enough item..
“What a great thing I have done to receive this precious gift.……
“Consider it a reward for virtue..”
“It's virtue?”
Priest Alford nodded with a smile..
“When we looked at Sir Archibald's body, we saw that it was a miserable sight as he had no head, but the rest of his body was relatively intact. Armor, weapons, accessories and accessories remained intact..”
“......eww ”
That •
“Moderation even when looking at precious things is a respectable virtue..”
He gently took my hand and placed the ring cross in my hand..
“This cross is a reward and an expression of respect for that virtue. Thank you, Lord Poynix..”
I'm a little embarrassed. Not stealing Archibald's plate armor was out of restraint..
They were just concerned that it would become a nuisance because of the traces of divine power left there and the fanatic Gidon. If I didn't have both divine power and Gidon, I would have painted my armor black and worn it..
As I quietly looked down at the cross handed to me with a feeling of shame, Father Alford cleared his throat..
“Huh, sorry for being such a trivial item..”
“……I can't believe it. Thank you, I really like it.”
“If so, that's a relief... … . Still, it is embarrassing to replace the reward with just that, so if you have a colleague who needs prayer, please bring them. I will give you divine power without any compensation..”
“No, it's okay. Thank you just for your words……
As something suddenly occurred to me and I trailed off, Alford looked puzzled..
“Why are you doing this, sir??”
“……Could I please ask for a prayer of purification??”
“Prayer of purification... … What do you mean??”
I smiled and nodded..
It's December in a few days.
The Gistol region is in the central part of the Kingdom of Milan, but it is said to be as cold as most northern regions. Is it because the cold wind blowing from the north is blocked by the mountains in the south?.
In addition to the gathering of residents and the army sent by the king, the population of Modos exceeded 800, but the suddenly cold wind made the village still feel shabby..
The fact that the surrounding area was full of stone buildings probably played a role in this impression. The white pastel-toned buildings that gave a neat impression when I first came here now look bleak..
It was around the time when I was adjusting my half-cloak and thinking, ‘I guess I’ll have to take a fur cloak with me.’.
“trunnion!”
A black figure appeared somewhere in the alley, climbed over the wall and landed on the ground. The one who showed off her cat-like movements was a mysterious woman with an exotic appearance..
“It's a bunch?”
“ Hehe-”
Mungchi smiled brightly and suddenly came into my arms. I burst out laughing at that innocent look, opened my arms wide and hugged him..
“what? why are you here?”
Instead of answering, the bundle hanging on my upper body like a koala hugged me tightly and buried its face in its embrace..
I was dumbfounded so I patted the guy on the head and asked the question again..
“Hey, where did it come from??”
“Hehe, over there..”
Her cheeks were stained red as she rubbed her face in her arms. In that state, he rested his chin on my chest and pointed to one side..
A complex where commercial buildings are gathered together. Among them, the one the bundle pointed to was a woolen fabric store..
“Why is it there??”
“Two wizards, there they are..”
“wizard? ah.”
Over the past three days, Mungchi has been as busy as me. This is because I asked you to gather as much information as possible about the Three Horsemen's army..
They spent the last two days watching the three horsemen and the priests, and today they seem to have been investigating the wizards..
“the other two?”
“The union office and the candle shop..”
“Candle shop? I'm talking about the rancher's house.‘?”
“yes yes. that's right.”
“There must be riders staying in the union office and craft guild.?”
“that's right. The fur shop is Honkel, the union office is Colmaros, and the weaver's house is Newberg..”
“……aha. Each wizard has a different affiliation.?”
“yes yes.”
Mungchi tried to explain what he found out in his still poor Milanese language..
In just one day, he not only figured out all the wizards' dormitories, but also made plausible guesses about their levels and specialties. That ability is amazing
But....... “Everyone stayed at home, and only one person came out. I'm a wizard from Newburgh, and I went back after looking at the guild hall..”
“Hmm.”
Mungchi guy, he doesn't talk much lately..
For a while, I mastered Milano so quickly that I thought I was a genius, but at some point, I was stuck at the level of a five- or six-year-old child..
Is there a limit to what you naturally learn in life? Should I set aside time to teach them how to speak??
While I was listening to the report and thinking about other things, I entered the main street. Were they conscious of the soldiers walking up and down the road? He closed his mouth and buried his face in my arms..
Naturally, people's eyes were drawn to the sight of a man with a head taller than anyone else walking around with a woman hanging on him..
“……Uh, Poynix Narine..”
“What are you doing on the street??”
“I don't know.”
As people were whispering, I tried to pull my cloak to cover the bundle. I walked quickly like that..
And it was only when I entered the guildhall courtyard that I remembered the gift I had prepared..
“Oh, that's right. It's a bunch. Look down for a moment.”
“E-yes?”
“Don't pretend not to understand, quickly.”
Mungchi, who had been indulging in my arms in a trance, got down on the ground with his lips pursed, wondering what he was dissatisfied with..
I smiled at his face and took out the hidden object..
“Ta-da.”
“……to?”
“ruler. What you said you wanted last time.”
The object presented to Moongchi was a leash..
It was made of black leather, of unknown animal origin, and had an elaborately finished ring-shaped iron buckle. It was equipment worn by 'Silverfang', a werewolf who was one of Soleva's slaves..
“Uh, eh.”
Moongchi, who was examining the leash with hazy eyes, carefully stretched out his hand. I burst out laughing when I saw those trembling fingertips..
“Why did you fall like that? Should I fill you up??”
“……yes.”
The guy nodded with a blank expression and closed his eyes tightly..
With a small smile, I swept up the flowing black hair near my shoulder and held it. When my hand touched the back of his neck, he flinched and shrugged his shoulders, but did not move away..
Fortunately, the leash fit the bundle's thin neck perfectly..
“Okay, that's it..”
“Whoop
The guy took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. And I looked down at my hands and blinked..
“••••••Eh?”
“what's the matter? What's strange??”
“I, uh, this-”
“Oh, I guess I want to try something magical.?”
In response to my question, the crowd said, 'Yes, yes!' He nodded enthusiastically..
“I knew that would happen, so I gave Ellen a warning in advance. concentrate your mind
‘Just say 'Brailly figurra'.”
“Braley-?”
“braily figurra.”
I taught the pronunciation over and over again, and Monggi, who had been practicing silently, closed his eyes again and took a deep breath..
And, starter.
“Braily, figurra!”
yes/
The spell was activated with a short sound. Munch's eyes widened as if he felt a strange sensation of magic flowing into the leash..
“ O uh OO --- 9--
“Oh, that's it..”
At my admiration, he quickly looked down at his hands..
“Eh?”
‘Because the 'blur' spell was activated, Munchi's body became translucent..
Right now, the faint twilight shines through and the silhouette is visible, but if it continues to hide in the shadows, it will disappear as if an invisibility spell has been used..
“How are you feeling? are you okay? It's amazing?”
“Huh? this.”
The guy who was looking confused suddenly started stamping his feet..
“Not this, what about variation, variation??”
“Ah - curse?”
I patted the bundle on the head to reassure it. The hair became translucent due to the power of the magic tool, but it was still soft..
“As Ellen said, the leash was cursed with mutation. If I had just kicked him, he would have turned into an animal like you did before.?”
“uh……
“The priest said that it was difficult because the curse was so secret and powerful. It's a shame because he has strong divine power. He would go through a lot of trouble and not even be able to purify himself.-”
As I continued speaking, I looked at Mungchi's face and was startled..
“What, why are you crying? Where does it hurt??”
“No, *sniff* no..”
“Then why? I do it because I like it.‘?”
“••••♦•yes.”
After giving his answer, Mungchi lowered his head and shed tears of sorrow. I had to comfort him for a long time without even knowing what was going on..
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