"Ever since that explosion in the east, the church in the city has gone mad. First, they killed the viscount..."
"Wait a minute, were there many people who saw the Viscount die?"
Rune thought for a moment and said:
"No, I only found out the next day. The church posted notices in the city saying that the Viscount was a cultist and had been purged on the spot..."
Lind and Leonis exchanged a glance, nodded, and said:
"You continue."
"Okay...where were we...oh right, then the city was locked down, and everyone was panicking. Fortunately, the Viscount's subordinates distributed a lot of food to appease the people, and everyone in the city was very happy."
"Food? Do you have any left?"
"Yes... there are some in the warehouse in the back. There aren't many left. I'll go get them for you."
As she spoke, Rune got up and went through the curtain behind her; that should be the warehouse she had mentioned.
"Do you think there's something wrong with the food the Viscount served?"
Leonis quietly asked Lind in a low voice.
"It's just a guess, we'll see in a bit."
Linde had some guesses, such as the cult viscount faking his death to go behind the scenes and then using poison or other means to sacrifice the entire city.
Although this plan is old-fashioned, it is also the simplest and easiest way to implement it.
Soon, Rune brought a box of dry rations from the back warehouse.
It contains all kinds of dry bread and cereal-like grains.
Linde first used the active vision to take a look, and then used the deconstruction halo to check it out.
Undoubtedly, this is just the most ordinary grain.
“Priest, are you checking these grains? Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with them. The people in the city have been eating them for many days and there are no problems.”
Rune stood with her hands on her hips, as if she wanted to curry favor with Lind.
"I thought about it when the food was distributed on the first day. I tried it with the holy water from the church, and there was nothing wrong with it."
Looking at the somewhat silly girl in front of him, Lin De felt a little helpless. If Lin De hadn't observed her with his animated vision on the way, he would have suspected that she was sent by a cult to bewitch them.
Seeing Lind nod, Leonis continued to ask:
"When was the last time you saw a priest from your church?"
The girl was silent for a moment, then tilted her head and thought carefully before answering:
"The last time I saw the priest was... two months... no, three months ago."
“I ran away from the church a month ago, and I don’t know if the priest has ever shown up since…”
After asking a few more simple questions, Linde became certain that the girl in front of him was just an outsider, someone who hadn't even attracted the attention of cult members after the cult incident, which showed just how invisible she was.
After confirming that the girl in front of them had no further information, Lind and his companion decided to leave and search elsewhere.
"You...you're leaving, can I...can I come with you?"
The girl looked longingly at Lind and Leonis, and the two said in unison:
"no!"
Seeing the dejected girl before him, Lind had an idea. He took out a Truk family crest from his pocket and handed it to Rune.
“Here, take this. Take this and go to the new territory southwest of Fortified City. Find a man named Aster. He knows what this means.”
"Some things are about to happen and I don't want any innocent people to get hurt. Please do me a small favor, okay?"
Rune looked at the badge Lind handed her. Although she didn't know where the badge came from, she had only seen the intricate patterns on noblemen.
She nodded nervously and accepted the badge Lind handed her.
"Oh, and there's more."
Lind pulled a bag containing some odds and ends of currency from the mage's sleeve and tossed it to Rune.
"Take this money, go to the tavern and find a few honest guards. Tell them you are a servant of a noble family and have them escort you there."
Rune hurriedly caught the bag Lind threw to her, but its heavy weight made her hesitate.
Have I offended some important person...?
In the blink of an eye, Lind and Leonis had already left and disappeared into the street.
Only Rune's words of gratitude echoed in the air.
…………
"Lord Linde, where are we going now?"
Lind and Leonis moved quickly through the backstreets, trying to avoid the cultists wandering the streets.
"Of course, we should go find the newly appointed viscount."
Leonis looked at the lord's castle receding into the distance and asked:
"But, sir... isn't the castle facing the wrong direction?"
Linde continued walking and said:
"Who said we were going to the castle? To find the Viscount, we have to go this way."
"?"
Seeing Leonis's somewhat puzzled expression, Lind patiently explained:
“Unless the new viscount is an idiot, he will not move directly into the old castle.”
"Not to mention that the viscount who just died was a cultist, who knows if there are any strange things in the castle."
"Besides, we have to wait until our men have finished scouting the area before we go in."
Seeing Leonis's sudden realization, Lind felt a little embarrassed.
The actual situation is similar to what Lind said, but it's not analyzed in this way.
After entering the city, Linde deliberately passed by the noble mansion where he had once stayed.
The activated vision gave a very interesting response: a large group of bronze warriors, at least 30 people, lived in the mansion.
They, along with two Silver Warriors, were protecting an ordinary person with no power.
Therefore, Linde deduced that the new viscount lived here.
As for why he lived here, Linde only figured it out after his field of vision encompassed the castle.
The dense roots within the castle surged and spread underground, reaching places beyond the reach of the Forest Devil's active vision.
This is truly a complex and intricate situation.
Upon arriving at this noble residence used for entertaining guests, the guards at the entrance were somewhat on high alert because of the appearance of Lind and Leonis.
"Halt! Who are you?"
It's not surprising, as Lind and Leonis were dressed in standard holy preacher attire, with wide robes that concealed their figures and faces, making them look mysterious no matter how you looked at them.
This air of mystery is the most dangerous signal for the guards.
“We are missionaries of the Holy Church. We heard that there is a distinguished person here, so we have come to bother you.”
"How rude! The master is not receiving anyone at this time! Only nobles are allowed to enter this mansion. Please hurry..."
Before he could finish speaking, the guard's words caught in his throat.
Linde and his companion each pulled out an insignia, and the two guards stared intently at the insignia in Linde's hand, as if bewitched.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com