NOVEL NEXT Chapter 49
“…This feels familiar.”
I reflected the item I found while rummaging through the bodies of men who could no longer father children in the moonlight. A small crossbow designed to be hidden in long sleeves and a pendant radiating ominous energy. The pendant gave off a disturbing aura.
…And it seemed like something I had seen in a game.
Definitely a token from some cult… Hal… Hal..Cal… what was it?
What was it again?
“Anyway, this should be enough evidence.”
An ordinary person wouldn’t be carrying something that carries such a sinister vibe.
I made handcuffs from nearby trees to restrain the three captives, then sprinkled them with paralysis powder like seasoning.
Ah, I need to start conserving this too.
Since I got this from the deserted island, I can’t replenish it anymore. It’d be great if there were mushrooms with the same growth conditions around, but probably not. If they were mushrooms from the continent, there’s no way I wouldn’t have known since I used to collect them like crazy. But then again, I might have forgotten, so I can’t be too sure.
I should try trading with alchemists when I get to the academy. Establishing a connection with the Alchemy Department was also a goal. Given my abilities, I had good compatibility with alchemy.
But that’s not something I need to think about right now, so moving on…
“…How do I carry these guys?”
If it were just one person, I could have slung them over my shoulder, but with three, that’s not possible. Should I make a cart on the spot to carry them?
Cart, cart… I recalled the cart I’d seen on the street. Without horses, I’ll need to make it human-powered, right? I used the moonlight to roughly sketch an outline of the cart on the ground. The picture was so bad that anyone would think a child drew it, but since I could still recognize it, it wasn’t a big issue.
With a rough image in my head, I looked around the area for suitable trees. Fortunately, the trees growing in the forest seemed to be of good quality.
“…This isn’t illegal, right?”
I brought in the criminals, so they’d have to cut me some slack, right? It’s not confirmed yet, but…
“Crafting.”
Using my skill, I chopped the wood into four pieces, then crafted the parts separately. Since it was my first time making a cart, completing it right away was difficult. I made the wheels separately and the body separately, then combined them with my skill.
“Crafting.”
As my skill activated, a fairly convincing cart appeared before me. There were a few rough spots, but since it was a one-time use, it wasn’t a big deal.
For something I made for the first time, it looked pretty good.
It wasn’t designed with ride comfort in mind, so nausea and bruising would probably hit me at the same time, but since I wasn’t the one riding it, I had no reason to worry. Unlike Koreans, the people here don’t care at all about criminal rights. I placed the three on the cart one by one and grabbed the handle.
Then I realized one crucial fact too late.
“…Where do I go from here?”
I can’t go back through the sewage system.
…I could just follow the wall and go around, right?
With a determination to just move, I began moving my legs aimlessly.
———————
“Who goes there!”
“I captured the ones who tried to assassinate the Saint.”
“What? Who the hell are you…”
Before the guard could finish speaking, I pulled out the token of the Kalon Church from my cloak. The guards’ faces softened a bit as they saw the emblem.
“Did you really bring those scoundrels?”
“They seem to have quite the history.”
Seeing their doubtful eyes, it was clear they didn’t trust me. That was understandable. If some guy shows up pulling a cart with people in it and claims to be a guest, suspicion is the first response.
“…Hans. Inform the captain.”
“Yes, sir!”
The guard with a name that sounded likely to betray was off like a shot the moment he received the order. The guard who was checking me said in an impassive tone.
“Please wait a moment.”
If you ask me to wait, I shall. Not wanting to cause trouble, I obediently followed the guard’s words. Luckily, the guard named Hans soon returned with an older guard. The weariness was obvious on his face, probably due to being on edge about this situation.
The man who looked like the captain of the guards stared at me in surprise.
“You came with Lady Karina…”
“That’s right.”
If he knows my face, things might get easier. I stepped aside to reveal the incapacitated people on the cart and spoke.
“I believe these scoundrels are related to the assassination attempt on the Saint.”
“How can you be certain?”
“Look at this.”
I handed the necklace to the guard. The guard flinched and stared at the men upon seeing the pendant.
“This is…”
“Do you recognize it?”
“It’s the token of the Halphas Cult. You mean to say you had this on you?”
“Right.”
The gaze of the guards on the three unconscious men turned fierce. Seeing how full this city was with Kalon Church members, it was evident what their outlook on heretical religions would be. I felt like the guards might draw their swords at any moment and said to them.
“Can I enter?”
“Of course. Hans, Pierce. Take this gentleman and the cart to the temple.”
“Yes!”
Are they providing protection against potential ambushes?
Then I must gratefully accept it.
With the guards escorting me, I arrived at the temple. Once there, Archbishop Pierre burst out from somewhere, seemingly already aware of the developments, and rushed toward me.
“Johann! Is it true that you captured the culprit?”
“I can’t say for certain. But I found this.”
“Halphas…!”
Pierre’s face trembled.
As soon as I showed him the pendant, he glared at the heretics I brought back, looking like he might explode at any moment.
His years of experience didn’t go to waste, and Pierre quickly regained his composure, issuing orders to the guards.
“Take them to prison. I’ll interrogate them personally.”
From the look in Pierre’s eyes, I instinctively felt they wouldn’t be coming out in good shape.
—————
“Renny…”
“Lady Karina, are you okay?!”
She felt weak. The first thought that came to Karina’s mind when she opened her eyes was similar to the sensation she had when she was first stranded on the deserted island. Despite that, she could glance at the worried face of Renny looking down at her with her free-spirited eyes.
“What happened…?”
“An assassin sent by the Halphas cult disguised himself as a guard and shot Lady Karina with a crossbow. Johann caught them and is currently interrogating them in the cult.”
“Johann did… what?”
“Yes. He tracked them down immediately after they escaped. If we hadn’t escaped together from the deserted island, I would have suspected how he found them.”
The assassination attempt on the Saint had thrown the long-peaceful cult into shock and fear.
Spies infiltrating the cult were located, and the officials who had failed to notice the swapping of persons were severely punished, while a search operation began throughout the city to hunt down the remnants of the Halphas Church. Renny wanted to join that effort, but for now, she was on guard duty.
She buried the rising anger deep within her heart and focused solely on staying by Karina’s side.
With a spy found within the cult, she couldn’t leave Karina’s guarding to anyone else.
“Thank goodness…”
“They say the curse is beyond the resolution of the clergy from the Lorelei branch. It seems we’ll need to go see Professor Lennon from the Kalon Academy. He is the most reliable person for this.”
The curse embedded in the arrow meant to kill Karina was no ordinary one. Even a priest who tried to remove the arrow ended up cursed and instantly lost all vitality, becoming a mummy. Thankfully, the priests had poured Sacred Magic onto it just in time to seal it away.
“I never expected things would turn out like this…”
“Neither did I, Lady Karina.”
They had thought entering the academy would be peaceful, but the gravity of the situation struck Renny as she sensed this was far from over. Those who intended to kill the saint would certainly not stop with just this attempt.
‘…Why on earth is the Saint being targeted?’
It was common knowledge that a Saint would be a headache for a cult like Harpas that worshipped demons as gods.
But the reason they had not acted until now was likely because the Halphas Church lost its power during a war fought hundreds of years ago, losing the resources to plot against the world.
Yet they suddenly launch such an ambush? What could they possibly gain by provoking the Kalon Church?
Questions that couldn’t be resolved coiled in Renny’s mind, persistently nudging her thoughts. The snake lodged in her head would remain until Halphas Church was destroyed.
‘…For now, let’s focus on getting Lady Karina to the Academy. Archbishop Pierre said he’d mobilize a large escort…’
Renny made a silent vow, gently holding Karina’s trembling hand.
After all, the most important thing to her was Karina.
Even if the world fell apart.