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Chapter 110

The Swamp\'s Resentment silently swam across the water slithered up his body. It was a sight only visible when he bathed alone.

Drying himself off, Ian walked into the empty room. Originally the largest room in the inn, which had been previously used by Trude. Ian\'s eyes scanned the clothes and equipment neatly laid out on the bed.

"Just washed up, and now this..."

Clicking his tongue, he mechanically began dressing himself. The fact that most of the items were newly bought provided some consolation.

Today, he needed to meet Priest Ferma. Though he\'d visited the church the day after arriving in Travelga, he hadn\'t been able to see Ferma directly. Instead, a low-ranking priest relayed his business and returned with a letter the next day, requesting a meeting to authenticate the relic and discuss its handling.

What\'s there to discuss?

A smirk crossed Ian\'s lips. As expected, Ferma was no different from other priests. Perhaps, given Lucas\'s introduction, he assumed Ian was a devout and easily exploitable knight.

Well, it doesn\'t matter if I accept whatever they offer.

Ian shrugged lightly as he donned a newly purchased chainmail over a thick quilted jacket. That would be the most convenient outcome. Thanks to Lucas, he was able to skip all the tedious processes.

No matter how much they undercut the price, they\'d still give him dozens of gold coins. Adding that to his current wealth would last him until he stepped foot in the Empire. And after that, money wouldn\'t be a concern anyway. With the steel vault key he obtained from Javier, he had over seven hundred gold coins even after fees if Javier\'s word was true.

Moreover, dealing with priests the wrong way could have annoying consequences. Damaging relations with the church was one thing, but it could also result in bounties or divine wrath.

While Ian didn\'t care much about church relations, the other penalties were worth avoiding. In the game, dying once would clear it, but that wasn\'t an option now.

Priests were troublesome in many ways, constantly dragging the church into everything. Compared to them, the mage who sought the chance to open his skull was better in that they were at least straightforward.

Just the thought of arguing with them is already tiring.

Strapping the Sword of Judgment to his waist, Ian took out the sealed box from his pocket dimension. Confirming the crown inside, he finally stepped out of the room.

"Oh... um... greetings."

A few mercenaries lingering in the corridor hesitated and bowed awkwardly at his appearance. None seemed inclined to seek revenge. They all feared him, which was understandable. After all, Charlotte, who was like a demon to them, didn\'t even dare talk back to him.

"Hey, you." Ian\'s voice snapped out, and the mercenaries stopped in their tracks. His voice was calm as he continued, "One of you, come and carry this."

"...Yes, sir." After a brief scuffle of glances, one of them hurried over.

The young man still had one swollen cheek, but he was lucky compared to the others. Most who had fought Charlotte hadn\'t walked away with just a few missing teeth. Even now, the groans of those bedridden upstairs echoed faintly down the corridor. Ian felt no sympathy. They had been the ones to pick the fight and draw weapons in the first place.

"If you drop it or tip it over, your life will end the same way."

The lad who accepted the sealed box was no different. He had a rather boyish face, which only emphasized how little potential he had.

"Y... Yes, sir!"

Seeing how frightened the young man was, Ian snorted inwardly, thinking the boy would probably quit soon. He then leisurely set off.

***

Unlike at night, the tavern was quiet and serene during the hazy daylight hours.

"We\'ll have your meal out in a moment."

The waitress, eager to please, rushed off to the kitchen. Ever since Ian\'s group arrived and ended the commotion, the innkeeper and waitress had grown quite fond of them. With a faint smile, Ian noticed one more person sitting at the table with Charlotte and Thesaya.

"You came out sooner than I expected. I heard an hour was the minimum for you."

It was Trude, the burly Northern mercenary.

"Well, you did come out quickly, Ian."

Thesaya, wearing her eye patch, smiled bashfully at him. Thanks to Charlotte bringing her rats every day, her face was glowing even in the daytime.

Charlotte, who had been deep in thought, also looked up and exchanged a nod with Ian before glaring at the mercenary who had followed behind him.

Charlotte wasn\'t wearing any armor at the moment. Her old armor was practically ragged, so she had to order new gear. Since her physique differed slightly from humans, some of her equipment had to be custom-made.

However, she didn\'t throw away or sell her old gear. Instead, she had carefully stored it in her room, saying that she was planning to carry it in her bag—a sentence that knowing her personality, she would definitely keep.

In any case, whether Charlotte was armored or not didn\'t seem to matter to the mercenary who had taken a beating from her.

"Have a good time... sir," he said, placing the sealed box gently on the remaining chair before dashing back upstairs without looking back.

Now, the tavern was empty except for them.

"So, that\'s why you came out early. Heading to the church, aren\'t you?" muttered Trude as he glanced at Ian, who had just sat down.

"What\'s in that box you\'re taking to the church?"

"You\'d be better off not knowing," Thesaya replied.

Charlotte nodded in agreement. "The pointy ear is right. Curiosity beyond your position tends to shorten lives."

Trude paled.

"If you need more, just let us know," said the waitress, serving the meal just then: eggs, grilled meat, warm stew, and a strong drink.

"This is enough. You can go rest," Ian said.

Drinking during the day, huh? Nice.

Ian picked up the glass and turned to Trude.

"So, tell me why you were waiting. Do you have news about Lu Sard?"

"Indeed, I do. I gave these two ladies a piece of information earlier," Trude eagerly replied.

"I heard that Lu Sard declared war too. Now, every kingdom on the border is at war."

While he spoke, Thesaya climbed onto another table and lay down, while Charlotte resumed chewing her food, lost in her own thoughts.

Trude scratched his chin and added, "It\'s incomprehensible. The other nations didn\'t mess with Lu Sard for a reason. There\'s no apparent benefit to them getting involved in the war now. It\'s hard to understand what the higher-ups are thinking."

Of course. Since their goal is to throw the nation into chaos.

Ian silently nodded while chewing his food.

The vampire families would be offering the people of Lu Sard as sacrifices for dark magic or turning them into minions. There weren\'t many ways to achieve that without being noticed, aside from causing war.

Something similar had happened in the game too, though that was probably due to Thesaya. In any case, Lu Sard seemed destined for turmoil. The Empress of Trueblood would be diligently preparing for Ian\'s visit amidst all this.

"Anyway, that\'s the news that came in last night. I got it from a merchant who passed through that area recently. He said it happened just a few days ago. I had to buy several drinks to get this information out of him."

Ian glanced at Trude while chewing his meat. Trude quickly flashed a smile.

"I\'m not asking for payment. Thanks to you, I got valuable information in advance. Sure, everyone will know eventually, but those who prepare early always earn a little extra."

"Seems like the expanding war is good news for you."

"Of course. The greater the chaos, the higher our value. If we play our cards right, we might receive a chest of gold."

Yeah, right.

With a cold sneer, Ian lifted his drink and added, "If you\'ve said all you needed to, then go."

"Just a few questions before I go."

"What?"

"Are you heading to Lu Sard?"

"Who knows? Probably."

"And will you be joining the war?"

So, this is what you\'re really after.

Ian took a sip and looked at Trude with dry eyes.

"What do you think?"

"Well... yeah. I can\'t imagine you catering to nobles and stabbing peasants."

Trude shivered slightly before muttering to himself as if reaching an understanding.

"Well, then, good luck. I\'m going to head upstairs and get some sleep. Drinking till morning has left me exhausted."

Feigning nonchalance, he got up and briskly walked away.

Watching Trude\'s retreating figure, Ian thought, ...So people like him gathered, killed each other, and ended up causing such a mess?

If the ending unfolded as he had seen in the game, they were all dead men walking. However, Ian had no intention of stopping them. It was their choice, and he had no reason or desire to intervene.

That\'s how they all end up dying.

Ian\'s gaze eventually settled on Charlotte.

"What are you worrying about?" he asked.

Charlotte flinched and blinked at his words. "...It\'s nothing much. Today, I\'ll accompany you to the church as your squire."

She averted her gaze awkwardly, adding, "I\'ve been thinking about the phrases to introduce you with. It\'s difficult ...to embellish words. Your previous squires were quite skilled with words."

"...."

So that\'s what she was worried about. Ian was about to tell her to stop wasting her time, but instead, he scratched his chin. Although he wasn\'t fond of grand introductions, he thought it might come in handy this time. Just not in the usual way.

"If you\'re going to do it anyway, why not put a little more effort into your forte?" Ian said, putting down his fork and meeting Charlotte\'s gaze.

He then gestured toward the stairs.

"Go upstairs and put on your armor first."

"...?"

***

"...The swamp dragon hunter."

Ian\'s prediction was spot on. At the church, Priest Ferma\'s ingratiating smile stiffened the moment he saw the heavily armored beastfolk follow Ian into his office. When she set the sealed box on the desk, his shoulders even twitched.

"The Purifier of the Tomb Forest’s demonic realm. The executioner of Agel Ran\'s beasts."

Charlotte looked directly at the priest\'s face, her low, growling voice slow and deliberate.

"Savior of Agel Ran and butcher of Bel Ronde. Bearer of the ember, Disciplined crusader of the Stern Goddess...."

In just over a minute, Ferma\'s smile had vanished completely.

"...The judicator who put an end to the Giant Kingdom, and the great Northern warrior who slew the White Demon, Sir Ian Hope."

The long-winded introduction that seemed like it would never end finally came to a close.

As Charlotte opened the sealed box with a click, her sharp claws glistened in the light. She then took a step back, smiling faintly at Ferma while revealing her fangs. The priest, staring at her fangs, snapped back to reality and released the breath he had been holding.

"...."

Ian, standing with his arms crossed, finally caught Ferma\'s attention. He said nothing, just stared coldly with his dark, sunken eyes. Ferma realized then that it wasn\'t just the beast folk\'s voice that was intimidating. Lucas\'s letter hadn\'t contained half of what he had just heard.

"You\'ve achieved some... remarkable feats, Sir Ian." Ferma managed to speak with difficulty.

Ian smiled softly. "Most of them were achieved through blood, so it\'s nothing to be proud of. And I\'m not a knight, so there\'s no need to call me ‘Sir’"

His tone, however, was far from gentle.

Ferma\'s shoulders stiffened once more.

Ian added calmly, "So, when will the appraisal begin, Priest Ferma?"

"...!"

Ferma finally turned his gaze to the sealed box. It was almost a relief; staring at the crown was better than facing those two. At least, that\'s what he thought.

"Sir Lucas said that you\'d give a fair appraisal."

With those words, Ian fell silent. Neither he nor Charlotte, who was standing directly behind him, took their eyes off Ferma\'s face for even a moment, until the priest broke out in a cold sweat, hastily scribbling numbers onto the appraisal form before handing it over.

***

Surprised this worked.

Walking away from the church, Ian chuckled to himself once more. He had received 150 gold coins from the church. Excluding the steel vault key, it was the largest sum he\'d obtained since arriving in this world.

"...Talking to the priest like that didn\'t feel great."

Despite achieving their highest gains since joining the group, Charlotte still looked uneasy. She had claimed to be a follower of Lu Solar, and even to her, priests were worthy of respect.

"You did your best to introduce me. You didn\'t threaten or coerce anyone."

Ian\'s tone was nonchalant.

"If the priest got scared on his own, there\'s nothing we can do. Consider it Lu Solar\'s help."

"Well... yeah, you\'re not wrong."

Ian glanced back at Charlotte, who was flicking her tongue, then happily opened the tavern door. A few sips of the finest liquor would make her more appreciative of Lu Solar\'s grace.

"...?" He sensed a strange atmosphere a few steps into the tavern. The mercenaries looked uneasy, and Ian\'s expression grew puzzled as well.

"Ian! Kitty! Look over here!"

Next to Thesaya, who was waving and calling out to him, stood several Northern warriors, including Askel and the now quiet Valeri, from the Black Forest Hill Village.

"Great wa... I mean, Sir Ian...!"

The warriors who met Ian\'s gaze nodded politely one after another. Ian eventually stopped in front of Askel, who looked as stoic as usual but slightly tense.

Alright. They didn\'t come just to say hi.

Despite thinking this, Ian remained composed and smiled.

"How long have you been waiting?"