After leaving, Esper found Constantine in the corridor.
He leaned against a stone pillar, arms crossed, head bowed. The holy emblem on his armor reflected a faint golden halo in the morning light.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up, his eyes showing poorly concealed worry.
“...How was it?”
“She's lying to me.”
Esper's voice was flat, all emotion suppressed beneath her vocal cords.
“She said Ela betrayed us. She said she was worshipping and didn't notice. She said no one in the entire city noticed. It's all lies. But she doesn't care if I believe her or not.”
“...”
Constantine fell silent.
“You can't say such things in front of me. I cannot agree with your perspective.”
“Then don't.”
Esper's tone held a hint of impatience and irritation.
She didn't want to argue, nor did she have the energy, but Constantine's probing attitude annoyed her.
“Calm down. You didn't come to me just to badmouth the Pope, did you?”
Constantine sighed and shrugged.
“...How did Ela leave?”
Esper asked.
“According to eyewitness reports, she left through the main gate at night.
The gate guards said she walked slowly but without any hesitation.
They saw her at the time, but for some reason, no one felt the need to stop her. No one realized something was wrong until she walked out of the city gate and disappeared at the end of the main road.”
“Which direction?”
“North. After leaving the city gate, she followed the Northern Main Road. That path leads to the World's Spine, and along the way is a Black Tide contaminated zone, where a large number of abominations and demon beasts reside.
I'll continue to send people to investigate her exact whereabouts and will notify you immediately if there's any new information.”
North. The path to the World's Spine.
Esper unfurled the map in her mind.
From here to the Black Tide contaminated zone, if she pursued on the road, she might be able to intercept Eladia before she entered it.
“...Thanks. I'm going to the Guild first.”
“Looking for help?”
“Yes.”
“Then I'll contact Noelle for you.”
“...I appreciate it.”
Constantine pushed himself off the stone pillar, adjusted his armor, then placed his right hand over the holy emblem on his chest, performing an extremely formal knight's salute to her.
“May the holy light guide your path.”
Esper had already walked down several steps.
She merely raised a hand and waved casually, indicating she understood.
...
For some reason, the Adventurer's Guild hall was much emptier than yesterday.
Logically, there shouldn't have been too few adventurers coming here to take commissions early in the morning, but today, it was as if a group of them had vanished into thin air. Only a few scattered adventurers could be seen sitting inside.
Esper remembered how yesterday, when she pushed open the main doors, the hall had been full of people, long tables laden with tankards and bounty posters, and the air thick with the smell of ale and rust.
Now, only a few remained.
Yat sat at a corner table by the window, an half-eaten omelet spread before her.
Other than that, all the high-level combatants she had seen yesterday were gone.
“Where are the others?”
Esper walked to the table and placed her Holy Sword on its surface. The blade hitting the wood made a soft clink.
Yat looked up at her, chewing her omelet before speaking, her voice still carrying that lazy tone.
“Aure left early this morning, said he received an urgent commission and went south.
Dinoman and Jovian went out last night and haven't returned since.
The other high-ranking adventurers are in similar situations. It seems the Church issued a new campaign order, dispatching most of the high-level adventurers.”
“What kind of campaign order?”
“Not sure. Anyway, it was posted last night, and then everyone was called away.”
Esper's fingers tightened on the tabletop.
What a coincidence. All at the same time.
Beatrice had diverted these high-level combatants who could have helped her pursue Eladia.
“...Speaking of which, why didn't you go with them?”
“I'm lazy, and I'm not short on money. One job is enough to feed me for months. I really was quite broke back when I was doing research, but now I'm financially free, so why risk my life for money?”
Esper was silent for a moment.
“...Yat, I need your help.”
Yat put down her fork, picked up the cup beside her, took a sip of water, then leaned back in her chair, her lazy phoenix eyes scrutinizing Esper's face.
“It wouldn't happen to be about the Saintess's betrayal, would it?”
“...You know.”
“It's already spread throughout the city. The Church's version is that the Saintess was corrupted by the Black Tide, fell, and is now a traitor, a member of the death marchers. It doesn't sound very credible, but since the Church said so, that's probably how it is.”
“She's not a traitor.”
Esper's voice wasn't loud, but every word was heavy, as if forcibly pulled from the deepest part of her chest.
“The Pope is behind this. I don't know what method she used, but Ela would never betray us.
She's gone north now, and I'm going to bring her back.”
Yat tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then placed her cup back on the table.
“I can help you. However, considering that we don't have full details on the target, and we might encounter unexpected dangers along the way. Plus, the client is the Hero...”
She snapped her fingers.
“The fee is 100 gold coins. Work first, pay later. Give it to me if we succeed. If not, consider it making a friend. How about it?”
Esper silently glanced at her coin purse.
“...I don't have that many gold coins.”
“You're no fun.”
Yat stood up and pushed her chair under the table.
She picked up the silver cube necklace hanging around her neck, and with a gentle rub of one of the cubes between her fingertips, the patterns on its surface lit up with a faint blue glow, as if something had been activated.
“Then you owe me a hundred gold coins. Let's go.”
She said, already striding towards the door. The sound of her boots on the floor was steady and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
She seemed to have prepared for departure in advance, merely sitting there, waiting for someone to ask her the same question.
Esper paused, then followed her.
Outside the window, the morning light had completely flooded the square, washing out the golden trim of the Guild's main doors.
When Yat pushed open the main doors, light streamed in through the gap, casting a long beam across the floor.
“Can I call you Esper?”
“Yes, you can.”
Esper replied, then added.
“...Oh, and my Holy Sword is connected to the Authority of Blood, so I can use vampire abilities for auxiliary combat. Please don't be alarmed when you see it.”
“Alright, alright, I understand. So, Esper, how long do you think it'll take to catch her?”
“Based on her pace, if she left last night... we should catch up in about a day. If she rests along the way, it might take longer.
But she might not be moving on foot... so the time required could be even longer.”
“Hmm, that should be enough.”
Yat turned back and smiled at her.
The smile was still lazy, but underneath it, there was a hint of seriousness, or perhaps interest, an anticipation of seeing the outcome firsthand.
“Let's go, Hero. Let's go get your Saintess back.”
Rate on N.U.
