"Exposed what?" Mark poured the recovery potion into Kyle's mouth and said, "That's the sacred curse magic of Lord Kyle's cross necklace. Isn't that right, Lord Kyle?"

"Ugh~cough cough!! You...slow down!" Kyle, lying on the ground, weakly pushed Mark's hand that was forcing medicine into his mouth.

He woke up when Mark was cleaning his wounds with clean water, but he was weak all over and his magic power was exhausted. He was unable to get up, so he let Mark handle his private affairs in his name.

"Come on, Dalang, drink your medicine." Mark ignored Kyle's protests and continued to ask, "Master Kyle, do you think Stan's death was related to you? Was the wound on the guard just now caused by your cross necklace?"

"Hmm...it seems so." Kyle, who was still a little drowsy, thought what Mark said was correct.

"Well, that's right. Am I just a kind-hearted person who happened to be passing by and rescued you from the mine?"

“…”

"Lord Kyle, the Holy Light teaches the world to be kind. As someone who rescued you from the depths of the earth and is also a devout patron of the Holy Light, are you unwilling to agree to such a small request from me?"

"...Yes, you rescued me from the mines. Stan's death had nothing to do with you."

Kyle is kind, but he is not stupid. After understanding what Mark meant, he finally agreed to Mark's request and made a promise that went against his usual practice.

Monica, who was standing by, felt that her worldview was being reshaped when she saw a fourth-level priest being teased by a priest who had just entered the second level.

"...This cleric is truly...useful."

"Alas, I can only say that it's a good thing that there are no words in the Holy Light Church's scriptures admonishing people to be honest." Mark also whispered in Monica's ear.

Mark didn't feel guilty at all about using Kyle to cover up this matter.

Although he essentially took advantage of Kyle's kindness and honesty, he also gave Kyle a small credit.

He single-handedly killed a fifth-level heretic who was persecuting the followers of the Church of Holy Light. However, this achievement was enough for Kyle to receive the "Guardian of Holy Light" medal awarded by the legendary Pope after returning to the Papal States. He might even be able to obtain the position of diocesan bishop of an important town.

Although Mark also wanted to be a sincere friend with a kind person like Kyle, his status did not allow it.

I just hope that after Kyle knows his true identity, we won’t become enemies.

“Woooooooooooooo!!!”

Shortly after Kyle drank the recovery potion and lay on the ground to recover, a desolate and distant horn sound suddenly came from the plain in the direction of the mine.

Following the long horn sound, all the heavily armored guards and caravan members in the camp stood up and looked towards the mine.

Just at the moment when the morning light pierced the darkness of dawn, a silver line meandered from the horizon.

It was not the sunlight that illuminated the earth, but the flowing mithril of the holy armor that was breathing. The Holy Knights, riding steadily on their war horses, crushed the last piece of deep night at the dawn.

The blood crystal fragments piled up outside the blood crystal mine were shaken by the horses' hooves. Three hundred pure white one-horned war horses raised their heads and neighed loudly. The holy light stones embedded in their necks illuminated the entire mine in every detail.

The knight commander with long silver hair in the lead pulled the reins. The morning light behind him stretched his shadow into the sword of judgment that pierced the temporary camp.

The Knight Commander's visor slowly rose in the morning light, revealing a face as cold as an ice sculpture.

The pupils of his eyes were a holy silver color, unlike ordinary people, and there were three dark golden scars shaped like thunder under his right eye.

With such distinctive appearance, even Mark, who lived in Champagne, recognized his identity at first sight.

The youngest leader of the Holy Knights, Alfonso Lin, the leader of the 13th Holy Knights!

"The Knights of Stonehammer Town's garrison pledge their loyalty to the Holy Light!"

The leader of the knights who surrounded the mine, whom Mark had never seen before, was kneeling on the gravel, with beads of sweat oozing from the surface of the ore with his forehead pressed against it.

When facing the leader of the Holy Knights, he didn't even have the courage to introduce his name.

Alfonso just glanced at him coldly, but still sat upright on his unicorn.

There was complete silence all around, and the only sound was the sound of people breathing under their breath.

After a long time, nobles in gorgeous clothes riding three maroon war horses staggered over from the side of the Holy Knights' formation.

The fat man in the lead wiped the sweat off his face with his gold-embroidered sleeves and said, "Your Excellency Alfonso, I am Baron O'Kane Parry, the fiefdom of Stone Hammer. Due to the suddenness of the incident, we have already arrested all those involved..."

He was suddenly stuck in the middle of his words because a silver spear was pressed against his intricately embroidered scarf.

"The Holy Light doesn't care about the actions of false believers." Alfonso lifted the blood crystal necklace from O'Kane's neck with the tip of his spear and examined it. "I only have three questions: Where is Stan Canberra? How many Holy Light believers have been persecuted? Who are the stakeholders in this incident?"

The last question made the fat man's body tremble involuntarily.

However, since they dared to come out to greet Alfonso, these nobles of Shichui Town were obviously well prepared.

Fatty Okan wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied in a trembling voice, "According to the clergy who came out of the mine, Stan Campbell has been killed. His body is now at the bottom of the mine, and our people are still digging. A total of 1,236 believers were sacrificed and persecuted by Stan Campbell, including..."

"Next." Alfonso interrupted Okan with a cold voice.

Okan's fat body shuddered as he decisively jumped to the next question: "The person who planned this with Stan Campbell was his younger brother, the former Lord of Stonehammer, the Great Knight Spin Canberra..."

"No?"

"And his mine owners and guards, a total of 54 people." After answering, Okan lowered his head and waited for Alfonso's next words.

Alfonso rode his horse slowly into the temporary camp. After a quick look around, he saw Kyle lying beside the campfire with scars all over his back.

He jumped off his horse and came to Kyle. He frowned at first, then stretched out his hand and waved, and a ray of healing holy light fell on Kyle.

"You're great! Say hello to the teacher for me when you get back to the Holy City." Alfonso patted Kyle on the back, then with a mischievous smile, he took off his armor cloak and put it on Kyle's naked body.

But as soon as he stood up and turned around, the smile on his face suddenly disappeared. He mounted his horse and turned back to the knights and said, "The number of people is reduced, 200. Also, this group has been released."