Da da da…
The carriage slowly arrived at the gates of Gillis City, stopping in front of two City Guards for the routine inspection.
“Hey? Loco… heading out of the city again?”
Looking at the merchant leading the carriage before him, the City Guard smiled as he asked.
“Yeah, business hasn’t been so good lately. The Kingdom’s border gets tougher every day~”
Loco, wearing a black, windproof sand cloak, smiled, though his eyes drifted toward the vast Gobi beyond the city and the endless yellow sands.
He pulled out two Silver Coins he’d prepared earlier from his pocket and placed them in the hands of the two City Guards in front of him.
“Heh, you two work hard standing here every day. Take a break and have some tea—my treat~”
Hmm~ This Loco kid is as savvy as ever.
The two guards grinned and nodded, then gave only a cursory inspection of the group’s carriages.
There were just some Kingdom-made textiles and preserved fruits on top, and in the other carriages lay some Mercenaries catching up on their sleep.
“Alright! Move along!”
Once the palms had been greased, the process was just a formality.
However… just then—
……
“Make way! Move aside for me!!”
A squad of a hundred riders, all armored and mounted, swept down the street at a gallop, shouting orders as they cleared the road!
Hiss…
Those are… City Defense Army?!
If the City Guard was like the police, then these armed, mounted knights were the true military.
They belonged to the Kingdom, taking orders directly from the City Lord!
What could have happened to mobilize the City Defense Army?!
The two City Guards stared in confusion, but Loco’s face had already gone pale.
No way…
Could it be… their secret has been exposed?
Are these people planning to take them all down while they’re stuck at the gate?!
Huff… At that moment, the Mercenaries “sleeping” in the carriages also rose, their cold eyes betraying no hint of drowsiness, hands drifting unconsciously to their weapons…
Only one Mercenary, head wrapped in bandages with tufts of golden hair showing, did not get up and seemed to remain asleep.
But…
Neither the City Guard nor the City Defense Army noticed the tension among these merchants, instead emptying the street and lining up solemnly on both sides after dismounting.
Da da da…
Amidst unhurried hoofbeats, two carriages slowly rounded the street corner.
“You lot!”
At that moment, a burly man with a knife-scarred face reined his steed before the city gate, staring sternly at the tense merchants surrounding Loco.
“Get off to the side! Don’t block the lord’s path!”
Huh…?
The crowd who looked like merchants but were actually heretical cultists exchanged glances.
But relief crept into their hearts, and not daring to speak further, they quickly nodded and led their carriages aside.
The two City Guards who had just spoken quickly straightened up as well!
They stood at the gate, rifles at the ready, rigid as pine trees.
Da da da…
The carriages continued their slow procession.
No inspection was needed for the lord’s carriage; it simply rumbled out the gate at a measured pace.
In fact, if not for fear that the Lady would suspect he was spying on her, thus incurring the Marquis’s suspicion…
The City Lord of Gillis had truly wanted to assign several hundred City Defense Army to escort the Lady.
Of course, during breakfast this morning, he’d mentioned it briefly to the Lady.
But… that old man with white hair and beard had interrupted.
Saying something about… the place they were headed being too dangerous for ordinary people.
Ordinary people?! The City Defense Army on his border were the elite of a hundred—each at least at sub-Bronze rank!
But before the City Lord could explain, the Lady waved her hand.
She said there was no need for so many; the people she brought would suffice.
It was not until the Lady’s carriage had rolled five hundred meters out the gate that the scar-faced City Defense Army officer looked at the City Guard Captain who had rushed over earlier.
“Remember that carriage. If you get in the way of that lord, you won’t even have time to buy a coffin.”
The words sent chills down the City Guard Captain’s back.
He usually scraped whatever he could from merchants, commoners, even minor nobles.
How could the head of the City Defense Army, training all day in the barracks, know that?
Obviously, it was a warning from the City Lord himself!
“Y-yes, I understand…”
“Go.”
With one last glance at the bowing City Guard Captain, the scar-faced officer mounted up and left with his men.
But the City Defense Army didn’t know that in a side alley, several people in white robes stood lurking in the shadows.
“Captain, who was that?” One of the white-robed figures on the side asked curiously.
“The House of Bartios’s crest. According to the intel… it should be the [Eastern District Jewel].” The leader’s tone was low.
It was a girl’s voice, sharp with a heroic edge, crisp as hoofbeats, swift as rain on a stream.
As she spoke, she tucked her loose black hair behind her ear.
If Holly were here, she’d surely recognize her as the “Church Executor” scorned by the little cat-girl yesterday and called “lunatic” by Amisa—the infamous Heretic Inquisition.
“The [Bloodblossom Demon] from the House of Bartios? No wonder there’s such fanfare.” Another white-robed figure behind her murmured in realization.
“So, Captain, our task…”
“Silence!” Another white-robed figure at her side cut him off sharply.
“Our only task is to obey the Captain! And the Captain represents the Church… the very hand of absolute justice!! All you need do is your own duty!”
“How did you even pass the written test during training??”
“S-sorry!!” The questioning white-robed one straightened up, no longer daring to speak.
The girl called Captain said nothing further, her dark gray eyes under the hood following the carriage into the distance.
She glanced aside.
There, a few commoners knelt on the ground, kowtowing in the direction of the city gate, muttering, “May the Lady have a safe journey.”
Though it sounded strange… the Captain recognized one of them as one of those performers in the West District these days.
So much gratitude—could it be the [Bloodblossom Demon] had helped them?
Maybe… this [Bloodblossom Demon] wasn’t as terrible as the rumors claimed?
But such thoughts only flickered through the Captain’s mind for an instant before she turned her gaze elsewhere.
There at the city gate, a merchant caravan was preparing to leave.
“…Let’s go.”
With only those words, the Captain gave the order.
“Yes.”
The group set off, but did not follow or try to blend in and leave by the main gate.
Instead, they headed for the city’s Church.
Although their operation wasn’t secret this time, caution was still needed.
Return to the city’s Church. From the secret passage beneath the Church, leave the city and follow the target.
Uncover their true purpose, and then—Purification for all these heretics.