Inside the investigation room of the Sacred Star City, headquarters of the Knights Templar.
“So, this was all a misunderstanding?”
A handso man in a standard pure white knight’s armor, with his helt removed and placed on the table, set down his pen. His ticulously grood golden short hair glead faintly under the light of a magic lamp.
The four-winged holy emblem hanging from his chest and the holy insignia wrapped around his other wrist confird his identity as a genuine knight.
Facing him, a seemingly young black-haired man with fox ears imdiately grinned awkwardly and rubbed his hands.
“Uh, y-yeah, it was just that we suddenly saw soone familiar and got a bit too excited... We just wanted to clarify the situation, so we followed without saying hello. There really wasn’t any malicious intent, Big Brother Clatius!”
It was evident that the knight nad Clatius knew the other person, but he didn’t show any closeness. Instead, he sternly banged the table with the hilt of his sword.
“Don’t try to butter up like that. By the na of the Goddess, if you’ve really done sothing foolish, even as the Vice President of the Spirit Veil rchant Guild, don’t think you can easily escape punishnt.”
Speaking of which, Clatius turned his gaze towards several girls sitting on the other side of the sofa, quietly scanning everyone before putting on a gentle smile.
“Ladies, could you please tell us about the actual situation you encountered? There’s no need to fear or worry about retaliation. I swear in the na of the Goddess that under the protection of our Knights Templar, no harm can co to you.”
The girls exchanged glances, and naturally, their gazes eventually focused on the white-haired shrine maiden girl with a white fox mask and a pair of fluffy fox ears.
“Ah...”
She sighed softly. Though hesitant, Violet reluctantly stood up, eting Clatius’s gentle yet authoritative gaze, gesturing towards the cute fox ears on her head.
“It’s more or less like this. Do you see any resemblance with them? Although I’m still not entirely sure about the situation, this guy nad Minglan probably, should not have any malicious intent.”
“Is that so...”
The young knight pondered, his gaze shifting between the white fox girl and the man called Minglan, likely comparing their appearances to judge if there was any deceit involved.
“Miss Dawn, right? If I may ask boldly, would you mind temporarily removing your mask so that I can see your true face? After all, according to the records...”
“No, no! You can’t do that! Absolutely not! This is no joke, Brother Clatius!!!”
“?”
Before Violet could respond, Minglan, the fox-eared man, was taken aback by this request and vigorously protested, dancing around. Although Miss White Fox herself was perplexed by his reaction, the disguise of the 【Dominion of the Fox Mask】 certainly could not be removed here, and she shook her head in agreent.
Seeing this, Clatius naturally didn’t insist any further. Eventually, he nodded, seeming to believe both sides’ explanations, and his expression relaxed considerably.
“Very well, let’s leave it at that... Minglan, even if you know soone next ti, please be a bit more cautious. You might think it’s no big deal, but it can be seen differently by others.”
“Ah... Haha... Yes, yes, Brother Clatius, you’re right...”
It was sowhat ironic. Despite hiding considerable strength, the fox-eared man nad Minglan behaved more like a common rchant, repeatedly apologizing and smiling towards the young knight. Clatius didn’t press further and instead turned his curious gaze once again to the white fox girl.
“Miss Dawn, according to the registration on your identity papers, you seem to be from the Human United Kingdom. Although I shouldn’t pry into your relationship from the standpoint of the Commander of the Knights Templar in Sacred Star City...”
“But as you can all see, I do have so acquaintance with this guy privately, and I know what kind of person he is. That’s why... I’m a bit concerned about the kind of person who could prompt Minglan to behave so rashly. So, Miss Dawn, do you actually know this guy?”
Upon hearing this, Minglan also turned back, showing a different look than when dealing with Clatius, now with eyes filled with hope and anticipation, seemingly eager to hear a certain response.
However, Violet remained silent and shook her head once again.
“I’ll say it again—I don’t know anyone nad Minglan, and I’ve never heard of any Spirit Veil tribe. Today’s events are baffling to as well, but to understand what happened exactly, we’ll need further information before making any judgnts.”
“Miss...”
Unable to contain his disappointnt, the fox-eared man hung his head slightly, his two fox ears drooping noticeably.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Clatius nodded thoughtfully.
“Well, alright then, since it’s like this... If you don’t mind, would you all like to discuss matters directly at my Knights’ headquarters? It’s safe and private here. I’ll step out to handle so matters and bring back so refreshnts for you, so please don’t rush.”
...The Knights Templar?
Although she didn’t quite understand Clatius’s motives for this offer, considering his previous ntion of a private acquaintance with Minglan, Violet was already planning to find a place to talk with the man claiming to be Minglan as soon as possible. Doing so here... seed acceptable.
“Okay, I have no objections.”
With Violet nodding, the others naturally didn’t express any further opposition. After smoothing things over, Clatius quickly got up and left, giving the space to both parties present, showing no intention to eavesdrop on their conversation.
The priestess secretly scanned the room with magic, confirming there was no eavesdropping or surveillance present.
She then sat back on the sofa, her gem-like clear silver-blue eyes beneath the mask eting the sowhat uneasy Minglan’s gaze. She let out a slow exhale, clearing her chest.
“Alright, let’s talk now. What exactly is going on?”
..................................
Outside the investigation room, in another waiting hall.
*Click.*
The door handle turned, and Clatius, a tall figure clad in white armor, strode into the room. The businessman who had been anxiously waiting on the sofa quickly stood up and approached.
“Commander, how is the situation?”
The young knight placed his helt, tucked under his arm, back on the table. He poured himself a glass of water and drank it down before smiling reassuringly at the man.
“Mr. Xavier, don’t worry. Those ladies are all safe and sound. It seems to have been a misunderstanding... Speaking of which, you’ve probably heard of the tracker’s na, Vice President Minglan of the Spirit Veil rchant Guild. Considering his status, he wouldn’t stoop to petty actions like spying. The individuals who were tracked also confird that there was no malicious intent. Thank you for coming to report.”
“Spirit Veil rchant Guild?”
Xavier furrowed his brow, and Sasha sitting beside him perked up as if she had heard sothing intriguing.
“Wow, is it that Spirit Veil rchant Guild, rumored to specialize in selling all sorts of incredible treasures and artifacts, with transactions starting at least in the millions of gold coins each ti? That’s a super colossal guild rivaling even Cecilia’s! Hehe, Commander, looks like you’ve stumbled onto sothing interesting this ti.”
The president gave the girl a disgruntled look.
“What do you an by stumbling onto sothing interesting? I wasn’t engaging in business rivalry with them, and besides, their sneaky behavior at the ti, who knows what they were up to? I simply did what I had to do.”
Upon hearing this, Clatius smiled affirmatively.
“Mr. Xavier, your integrity is comndable. You don’t need to worry. I have so dealings with the Spirit Veil rchant Guild as well. They are an organization known for conducting legitimate business only. The Knights Templar have our own regulations, we won’t disclose the identity of the reporter to the parties involved.”
“Good to hear... Since Commander Clatius assures us, I can rest easy. It’s getting late, we won’t disturb you any longer. We’ll take our leave now.”
“Aren’t you going to et those girls? It seems you know one of them?”
Without hesitation, Xavier smiled and shook his head.
“I’ll pass. While I do owe one of the young ladies a debt of gratitude, it’s probably just wishful thinking on my part. They shouldn’t rember either. There’s no need to force a eting.”
“If it’s ant to be, we’ll surely et again at a more appropriate ti in the future. I... will look forward to that day.”
Reviews
All reviews (0)