Chapter 121
He could feel their gazes focusing on him.
Two White Owls. He would subdue the remaining one before they could grasp the situation and charge.
There was enough ti. Leaving the dagger embedded as it was, he struck his opponent’s neck.
“Guk!”
With a short groan, he saw the strength drain from his opponent’s body.
Watching as they crumpled to their knees and collapsed, he turned his head. The remaining White Owl stood awkwardly, almost having drawn their sword.
They had frozen upon witnessing their comrade being subdued in an instant.
Ian nodded as he looked at them.
“You made the right choice. If you’d tried to help, you wouldn’t have fared well either.”
These weren’t real White Owls. They were far too different from what he rembered.
The mana spilling out during their body enhancent was rough and unstable, a phenonon that occurred when a mana user’s skill level was low.
Dressed in white martial uniforms and masks, rely borrowing the na of the White Owls, they were no better than ruffian rcenaries.
‘A picture starts to form.’
The reason the White Owl rcenary Corps was escorting the Silver Wave Trading Company was likely to advertise their activities to the public.
The white masks might be intended to foster a sense of belonging among their rcenaries, but it could also be a asure to maintain secrecy about who ca and went within their ranks.
‘It would also conveniently hide their blackened eye sockets.’
Drawing a sword against a Level 6, soone of Sovereign rank, might even be an act for show.
If they earned the reputation of being lunatics who drew their swords against anyone, it would help conceal the belligerent nature inherent to the Battle Wraiths.
“What do you want?”
His voice was low, but he already looked as though he was terrified.
“I don’t want anything. I just need to confirm one thing.”
Ian looked down indifferently at the unconscious White Owl, as if he had no interest in the other.
In their outstretched hand, revealed as they passed out, he noticed a ring. He crouched down and removed it.
“I don’t know why you’d covet that, but it’s not so kind of artifact.”
“I know. It’s proof of your affiliation, isn’t it?”
The ring held no mana, but it was identical to the one he had taken from the Battle Wraith.
From its design to the pattern engraved on it, it was the sa. The only difference was the lack of a background behind the bird with spread wings.
If the rings had been identical, he might have dismissed it as a coincidence that the Battle Wraith had been carrying the ring. But with this, suspicion was unavoidable.
“If the ring was your objective, why didn’t you ask to see it from the start?”
“You think guys who draw their swords just because soone glances at them would’ve shown ?”
“…Is that all you’re after?”
Ian gazed at the ring in his hand and replied.
“I want to know where your rcenary group’s base is. Where should I go?”
“If it’s a request you’re after, why not go to the guild?”
“You don’t take requests through the guild.”
Ian reached into his pocket.
“!”
The sudden action startled the remaining White Owl. Worried he might draw another dagger, they flinched and eventually drew their sword.
However, what Ian pulled out wasn’t a sharp blade but a single gleaming gold coin.
It was too extravagant for re paynt, but for ordinary rcenaries, such a significant amount could easily cloud their judgnt.
Just one coin, but gold had that kind of power.
Ting!
The White Owl couldn’t resist the allure of the mysterious power and caught the gold coin with a crisp, ringing sound as it flew toward them.
“What does this an? Paynt for treatnt?”
“Use it as you see fit.”
“…Do you think giving this will make tell soone as suspicious as you anything?”
“If you think it’s insufficient, return it. Regardless, there are plenty who would reveal the location or size of your rcenary group for just one gold coin.”
The rcenary guild staff in Lus was an anomaly. Who else would consider the location of a rcenary base sothing to be kept secret?
The White Owl also knew this was a profitable trade and not sothing to be criticized. They sheathed the sword they had drawn.
“Head to the forest outside the southern gate. Follow the path, and you’ll find it—it’s not hard to locate. We’re practically the only ones using it as a base.”
“Lying wouldn’t end well for you.”
“What do you an?”
“I’ve also heard rumors that the base was recently moved near Animi Fortress.”
The White Owl shot him an incredulous look.
“If you know that much, why are you even asking ? Yes, it’s true the base has moved, but those who aren’t at Level 5 remain here and continue operations. Otherwise, why would we be guarding this place?”
Ian smirked.
“I’m sure you have your reasons.”
He had no further business with them.
***
He visited the temple.
He grabbed Eor, who had been leisurely chatting with the bishop over tea, and headed toward the southern gate.
Ian glanced at the Arbiter. Inside the building, his face had been bright, but as soon as they stepped outside, he began to look haggard.
Watching him visibly weaken as though suffering from so addiction was fascinating.
Dragging his feet like a defeated soldier, he pushed through the bustling crowd and finally straightened his slumped shoulders once they passed through the city gate.
“Whew, much better now.”
Ian chuckled.
“Are you worn out from the crowd or from being outside?”
“Both, if I must say.”
It was unexpected. Ian’s mory of him was as a hero who summoned towering flas with imnse mana.
The man who had dominated the battlefield, inspiring awe, now looked like nothing more than a patient.
Without the priestly robes embroidered with golden thread, no one would have guessed he was the Arbiter.
On closer inspection, he didn’t seem suited for the Upheaval at all.
While he seed well-aligned with a life of faith, perhaps he should have followed a more static Sovereign rather than the Upheaval.
Swallowing back words that rose to his throat, Ian watched as the Arbiter turned to ask him a question.
“What about your errand in the market? Was it resolved?”
“Hmm. It wasn’t unfruitful.”
Ian handed him two rings.
One was the ring taken from the Battle Wraith. The other was the one taken from the White Owl.
Examining both in turn, Eor nodded. It was hard to dismiss the similarity as re coincidence.
“They’re clearly related. What do you plan to do now? Visiting their base directly and questioning them might not be the best choice. It’ll raise suspicions unless this ring rely signifies elite status.”
“That would be even better. It’d save the trouble of prying.”
To be honest, dealing with people was exhausting in many ways.
Without clear and definitive evidence, one cannot justify searching every corner just because sothing seems suspicious.
If the opponent were a monster, there would be no need for such complications—you could simply fight them.
“We must refrain from spilling human blood. Always rember, our enemy is the Outer World, not humanity,” Eor said.
“And if that opponent is a Battle Wraith, Arbiter?”
“You ask the obvious. In that case, it must be burned. Evil can be purified with fire. Only when reduced to ash can it be considered truly clean.”
The chilling words were spoken with utter nonchalance. But they were not re rhetoric.
The title of Arbiter isn’t given lightly—it is granted only to those who have achieved great feats and dedicated themselves to the All-God.
He must have burned countless things in the past and would continue to do so in the future.
Ian smirked faintly.
“Indeed, it was an obvious question.”
Having him as an ally was imnsely reassuring.
Regardless of his haggard face and lethargic deanor, traveling with a hero carried its own sense of security.
As they exchanged idle conversation, they reached the encampnt of the White Owl rcenary Corps.
Smoke rose into the evening sky—perhaps preparations for dinner—and a cacophony of sounds echoed from within.
“Do you have a plan?” Eor asked.
“No.”
“…Pardon?”
Eor rarely showed surprise, but his expression faltered.
“Even if I walk in and ask, ‘Are you connected to the Battle Wraith?’ do you think they’d tell ? They’d either feign ignorance or outright deny it. So I plan to sneak in and find out myself.”
“You’re planning a covert operation but boldly strolling down the main road? Dozens of people must have already seen you.”
“It’s not an iss—”
Ian paused, reconsidering. Earlier, at the Silver Wave Trading Company, he’d caused a scene.
He had fought the White Owl rcenaries head-on, and so people must have witnessed it.
Not to ntion, he had even paid them gold to confirm the location of their base.
Although these factors could be troubleso, he dismissed them. Traveling with the Arbiter ant he could likely navigate any setbacks.
“It’s fine. If anyone asks, I’ll just deny everything.”
Ian began removing anything that could identify him.
First, he took off the golden insignia pinned to his collar. It provided a small enhancent to physical abilities, so he usually kept it on, but it wasn’t necessary now.
He stored it securely in his pocket and pulled out a wooden mask from his ring.
It was a gift from Bellen. While Aviya had seen through it imdiately, there shouldn’t be any issues in a place like this.
He put away the holy sword and took out the black blade.
“…”
Eor’s gaze lingered on the black sword at Ian’s waist.
Even sheathed, it exuded faint traces of dark mana.
Noticing Eor’s furrowed brow, Ian quickly spoke.
“I plan to return it soon.”
“…That would be wise. Unlike the ‘Holy Sword,’ that weapon corrupts its user.”
Ian flinched. As expected, Eor had noticed.
It wasn’t surprising—he had recognized the sword as a cursed weapon despite its unassuming appearance.
That he hadn’t asked about the source of the holy sword suggested he assud Ian had co by it through so happenstance, given his golden insignia and connection to heroes.
“Are you planning to keep your current attire?” Eor asked.
“…Yes.”
Eor clicked his tongue in mild exasperation.
The ring obtained from the Green Tower limited the number of items that could be stored in Gratius’s subspace to six, so Ian couldn’t bring additional clothing.
While he could use a box or bag to store items as a workaround, such thods were neither convenient nor practical due to weight limitations.
Eor was visibly displeased with Ian’s half-baked preparedness.
“At least wear this,” he said, handing over his robe.
It appeared to be a simple coat that one might find in any ordinary clothing store, but it carried a faint magical aura.
“This robe is enchanted to lower perception of the wearer—it should be useful. But just to confirm, have you ever attempted an infiltration before?”
In response, Ian deftly suppressed his presence, reducing his footsteps and aura to near invisibility.
While not sothing to boast about, this was a skill he had honed out of necessity—crossing the territories of monsters with extrely keen detection abilities demanded it.
“What would you have do?” Eor asked.
“You can rest here.”
“…If this is all I’m supposed to do, was there really any need to bring out of the temple where I was resting peacefully?”
“Who knows? I might end up in danger.”
Considering how Ian frequently found himself embroiled in peril during his outings, his decision to bring Eor along could be seen as precautionary.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen soone so boldly exploit an Arbiter.”
“I’ll take that as an honor. But if you feel indignant, please step in if things take a turn for the worse.”
Ian left the sighing Eor by the roadside and made his way alone toward the encampnt.
Tall wooden palisades, crafted from thick logs, stood in his path, preventing any outside view of the interior.
Adjusting the wooden mask securely on his face and pulling the hood of the robe low over his head, Ian leaped silently onto the top of the barricade.
Although his eyes couldn’t see beyond the wall, he knew no one was on the other side, so he moved without hesitation.
———
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