The Paladin Owns the Relic

247 – Omens

The capital of the Empire is always green.

The reason was simple. It was because the great magic that enveloped the entire capital of the empire distorted even the spirit.

This is why houses are expensive. Even in winter, the sunny weather always continues.

Imperial Knight Arwen put a cigarette in his mouth. He opened the imperial newspaper.

From noble mtl dot com

“Hmm…”

The kingdom beyond the empire will not know. How big is the real size of the empire.

Hundreds of thousands of human armies can be thrown away with a ridiculous swish.

Arwen turned over the newspaper. Among all the various phrases he decorated, there was one that stood out.

“The 5,000 frontier troops guarding the contaminated area have disappeared…”

Imperial Newspapers used to quickly bring articles and spread them throughout the empire like an awake intellectual.

But they were always the talk of the night, and rarely really mattered.

With the empire growing in size, minor problems were quickly forgotten. The only thing that decorates the front page of the Imperial Newspaper is always, ironically, only the voices of Imperial celebrities.

What if 5,000…

It’s not even a number to make a fuss about. That’s because it’s overflowing.

This is an era when human life has become very cheap. There is not enough food to keep up with the overflowing population.

Arwen flipped through the newspaper. On the sparkling front page, there was an article about the famous new wizard of the empire, ‘Newton Martyr’.

The current person who has an outstanding face and openly pushes the Red Magic Tower. It was quite a famous anecdote that he was called as a guest lecturer outside the academy.

But it wasn’t much of a concern, at least to Arwen.

“Let’s see you tonight…”

“Arwen.”

Someone sat on the bench next to me. Hearing his familiar voice, Arwen lightly chewed the end of his cigarette.

“I am on vacation.”

“Don’t you know that there is no holiday for the Ten Swords?”

“I’m fed up with that title. He also said that he had officially filed the paperwork. I got approval too.”

“Permission was granted for this as well. The captain allowed it.”

“It’s arbitrary. Really. Shall I quit everything?”

“You and I, everyone knows that it can’t be.”

“…A beggarly world.”

Damn the weather. It was nice to see it because it was bright, but it became disgusting in an instant.

Arwen put out a cigarette in the ashtray next to him.

“Tell me. What is it?”

“It’s related to the Mage Tower.”

“…The magic tower?”

“Suspicious things are happening within the Empire related to the Contaminated Zone. Did you read today’s newspaper?”

“A Case of Missing 5,000 Imperial Soldiers?”

“Yes. Imperial reporters converged and tried to ascertain the truth, but the incident was intentionally covered up. Everything that was exposed above the water was shut down as a matter within the military. And that’s not all. A myriad of things are being done quietly within the Empire.”

“It’s not like the empire hides the truth for a day or two.”

“It will not simply end with such a story.”

A man with a hat pulled down threw something. Arwen, who received it, shone the item in the sunlight.

“This?”

“It is a location tracking device.”

“…Can you make something like this?”

“The coordinates will be displayed on the device. Go there immediately.”

“What’s there?”

“The body of the newly discovered contaminated water is being escorted. The target is the academy. It is your duty to protect it.”

I unfolded the imperial newspaper the man had brought with me.

“Recently, the number of stolen bodies of contaminated water has increased. The number required for research is insufficient. Theft occurred not only in the Mage Tower, but also inside the academy where research was entrusted.”

“Who is the culprit?”

“I don’t know. Everything was done in secret. Even the imperial knights, whose main job is criminal investigations, could not be traced.”

The man paused for a moment.

“We judged it to be intentional stealing. It must be that someone within the Empire is using their hands. It is also a very high status. If it is a new contaminated water corpse, it will definitely be a target. Your job is to make sure it makes it all the way to the academy. And stay there for a while, and see if the research works. If anyone tries to interfere or steal the corpse, arrest them and dig into the background.”

“What is my identity?”

“Move in the name of the Ten Swords. Arwen. There is no need to hide your identity. Rather, move like a show. Getting attention is your real job. Our knights will take care of the rest. We have contacted the academy separately, so you just need to go.”

“It means to be a bait.”

Arwen was fiddling with things.

“I would do it if it was the request of the knights… What the hell is the captain aiming for?”

“The truth of every case.”

“Even if the person behind it is the highest person in the empire?”

“The bloodline of the emperor is important. But more important than that is the survival of the empire.”

“Are you saying that this contaminated zone incident is so big that it shakes the entire empire?”

“It is a guess. The Independent Investigation Knights you belong to, the White Owl, is a group for the survival of the Empire. Since that meaning was established by the first emperor of the empire, it can sometimes take precedence over the emperor’s lineage. As it is an important task, the captain decided that your strength would be needed. Although their rank is low, they rank second in terms of pure force among our knights.”

“It’s good to float. It’s nice… I’m just a bit surprised. That the contaminated area is big enough to threaten the old lion called the Empire.”

Arwen stood up.

“I can’t help it when it comes to work. The good times are gone. I only rested for two days… Ha. However, if strange behavior is detected inside the academy…”

“We will take responsibility for the later work.”

The man glanced at the plaza.

“I will trust the judgment on the spot. To treat it as you like. And if you happen to run into a priest of the Church of Dusk inside the academy, be sure to capture him alive.”

“Cult of Twilight? Why does that name appear here?”

“The leader is suspicious of them. I thought it had something to do with the contamination incident. He said that if you accompany the corpse of the contaminated water, you will meet in any form.”

“Evidence?”

“No. Again, it is a simple touch.”

“…But there are thousands of criminals who would be caught on that one tip…”

Arwen rummaged through his cigarette pack. He snapped the mast into his mouth.

“It will fit roughly this time too.”

. . .

“…Amazing.”

The man raised his head.

I looked down at the city where the Church of Lu, the god of the moon, had its headquarters.

“With this much progress… It may be that the era of religion has come again.”

“I’m just grateful that you appreciate it.”

The paladin sitting behind him tilted his glass.

“So…What was the reason that the Crown Prince’s aide sought me?”

The man looked back.

”The Apostle of Lou, Henry.”

“Yes?”

Henry, a paladin and disciple, lifted up his scarred face.

“I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Why me…”

“We have already received permission from the Church of Lu.”

The man smiled slightly.

“The Academy is currently conducting close research. In accordance with Your Highness’ wishes, it is being carried out in secret.”

“……”

“Your Highness wants to become closer to the Church of Lu. Unlike the Church of Ra, which is the most powerful among the current churches and was once the center of state religion, it does not boast strong pride.”

“…hahahaha. Well, the doctrine we advocate is not ‘arrogance’, but ‘humility’.”

Henry leaned over. The voice became hushed.

“What exactly do I need…?”

“Simple. The power of a god…To be precise, the power of an apostate is required. This is a study that can only be conducted by those who have overflowing holy power and profound knowledge about the Holy Law.”

“What research is that exactly?”

“I can’t tell you here. You’ll know it all when you see it anyway.”

“……”

“I can promise you one thing. Henry.”

The man also leaned over.

“His Highness will never turn a blind eye to those who helped him. To be honest…Isn’t the religious life very ascetic?”

“…….”

“You deserve to rest your body in a slightly better environment. You deserve to have expensive mansions and expensive drinks, hugging the waists of beautiful women.”

Henry smacked his lips.

“Are you saying it will happen as soon as you arrive in the capital?”

“Inside the academy, there is a separate mansion for outsiders. A city of pleasure will welcome you just outside the gates of the capital. We will spare no support. Henry.”

“This is an interesting proposal. I like it. Are you sure the church and the story are all over?”

“This is the permission of the Holy Father.”

“Then there is no reason to refuse.”

Henry shook hands lightly.

“I also wanted to have a close relationship with His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Good. However, I have something else to ask…”

“What is it?”

“What is the current status of the chasing party chasing the Twilight Church? I heard that the Church of Lu has the authority to command it.”

Henry’s forehead twitched.

“…Still chasing. We captured a few believers, but we couldn’t find out the location of the church’s headquarters.”

“How did you deal with the followers?”

“I was frozen to death. I froze it step by step, starting with my fingertips, so that I could feel the bitter cold.”

“Excellent. Henry. Your attitude towards heretics deserves to be an example to others.”

“That’s what…”

Henry fingered the scar on his face.

“Because I have a special relationship with the Church of Twilight. I intend to kill the leader if I meet him.”

“Are you bad luck?”

“It’s a bad relationship. But when we meet again, things will be the opposite.”

Henry laughed coldly.

“The neck must be in my hand. But why is the Church of Twilight…?”

“His Highness is like you.”

The man tipped his wine.

“I don’t have good feelings for them.”