According to Plan (6)

Aside from running businesses with goods produced in the village, criminals remained an excellent source of funding. They were essentially walking coin purses that spat out money when beaten. Furthermore, according to the doctrines of the Church of the Unnamed Goddess, punishing these scoundrels was not only permitted but actively encouraged, so there was absolutely no reason to hesitate.

"Eeeek! It's the Knights!"

"Bwahaha! Hand over everything you've got, you bastards!"

"You heartless monsters!"

In truth, beating up the bad guys around the village and Balifield was something they had always done, but a few things had changed.

First, Yohan and the other members of the Knights now personally escorted wanted criminals all the way to Balifield. Naturally, they collected the bounties on the wanted posters, which immediately went toward funding the village's operations.

Second, for those who weren't officially wanted—meaning there was no bounty to collect—instead of mindlessly killing or arresting them, they spared their lives but left them with a message.

"Urgh... Just kill me!"

"Nah. I have no intention of killing you."

The bandit, bound tightly with rope, bellowed at the top of his lungs. Watching him, Falco replied in her usual flat tone, stepped closer, and thrust a piece of paper in front of his face.

"Here. Take it."

"W-what is this? 'The Church of the... Unnamed Goddess... Join... immediately'?"

The bandit, who had been raging just a moment ago, blinked blankly as if his brain had temporarily short-circuited.

"Stop doing bad things and live a good life from now on. If you reform, the Church of the Unnamed Goddess will always welcome you as a new believer."

Having finished her piece, Falco dusted herself off and stood up. She joined Yohan, who had already finished confiscating all the valuables, and they made their way out of the bandit hideout.

"This haul is pretty disappointing. For a gang with so many heads, they barely had anything of value."

"It might be because we started operating again," Falco replied to Yohan's grumbling.

"True."

Falco's point made sense. Indeed, as they diligently raided criminals throughout southwestern Westania, their earnings per raid had steadily declined. It meant that the bandits and highwaymen operating in the region were growing poorer by the day. The reason their pockets were getting emptier was glaringly obvious.

"By the way, you're really persistent."

"About what?"

"Handing out those flyers to bandits. No matter how many times you do it, I highly doubt those scumbags are actually going to reform and join the Church."

Yohan pulled out one of the flyers Falco had tucked away in her pocket.

Reading the contents, Yohan clicked his tongue in disbelief.

"Seriously, if you're going to write a flyer, at least make it sound a bit more sophisticated. What even is this?"

"But keeping it simple like this makes the promotional effect much more reliable."

Falco was right. Shady as the phrasing sounded, there wasn't a single lie in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the flyer's contents.

While apostasy might be a different story, joining was indeed entirely voluntary. Yohan only ever recommended joining; he had never forced anyone. Furthermore, if they joined the Church, they would receive high-quality food produced in the Nameless Village, as well as various medicinal benefits. On top of that, if they became members of the village, they could meet the Goddess herself, who frequently materialized and wandered around simply because she was bored. If they were lucky, they might even witness a miracle performed firsthand by an actual deity.

"Sure, sure."

Yohan clicked his tongue and handed the flyer back to Falco, who carefully tucked it away. Surprisingly, this bizarre flyer was a product manufactured right inside the Nameless Village.

Among the new residents who had fled the Holy Kingdom, there happened to be two skilled printing press technicians. Annie, who had taken notice of them, collaborated with the pair to set up a printing facility in the village. Their goal was to produce various printed materials promoting the Church of the Unnamed Goddess and distribute them far and wide.

Naturally, when Yohan first heard the plan to distribute these flyers to criminals, he dismissed it as utter madness. However, the decision went through a democratic process involving all members of the Knights, excluding Charles, who was in Balifield. The final vote was four in favor and one against—including the Goddess's vote. (As a side note, the Goddess had argued that as the master of the Knights, she had the right to cast two votes, but her claim was promptly rejected.)

Even so... Yohan didn't think Falco's actions were entirely pointless. Though he had initially opposed it with all his might before waving the white flag under pressure from the other members, as time passed, he had to admit it had its uses.

While handing out missionary flyers after beating someone to a pulp might look like a ridiculous farce, it actually had a genuine deterrent effect on crime. The rumors of the "self-proclaimed Knights," which had previously only spread through word of mouth, had now crystallized into the concrete names of the "Church of the Unnamed Goddess" and the "Goddess Knights," spreading all across Westania.

To the innocent, they were heroes who thrashed the wicked. To the wicked, they were lunatics who would swoop in out of nowhere and smash everything to pieces.

Naturally, reports of the exploits of the Church and the Goddess Knights were bound to reach the ears of the Lord of Balifield. This was precisely Yohan's intention. Before going to negotiate, he wanted to make sure the Lord of Balifield fully recognized the utility of both the Church and the Knights.

"Heave-ho."

Stepping out of the bandit hideout, Yohan tossed the sack of loot he was carrying onto the back of the wagon.

"Hey, dummy. No Sacred Relics this time?"

He looked up at the sky and asked the Goddess.

—Hmm. I feel absolutely nothing. They are all just ordinary valuables.

Honestly, now that they had secured thousands of believers, there was no pressing need to obsess over finding Sacred Relics. Still, since they were already looting the bandits' vault, they might as well check.

Just a short while ago, they had found a Sacred Relic, and the Goddess had put on a veritable mukbang show, devouring the relic right in front of Billy, Yohan, and Falco.

"Hmm... The wanted criminals around here are starting to dry up. I guess it's about time we go and settle things?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

At Yohan's muttering, Falco's long ears twitched. She immediately turned her head to lock eyes with him.

"Sounds good. No, let's do it right now."

"Hey, hey. Calm down."

She went so far as to grab Yohan's hand and squeeze it tightly. It seemed she had been eagerly anticipating this moment.

Rumors of a group called the "Goddess Knights" began to circulate throughout Balifield and the rest of southwestern Westania. In truth, the existence of a bounty hunter group calling themselves knights had been known much earlier, but their activity had spiked dramatically of late.

Reviewing various documents in his office, the Lord of Balifield let out a soft sigh.

The Knights... were dangerous.

If they continued to expand their influence like this, there was a strong possibility they would grow into an armed force on an entirely different level from the Undercity Family that once ruled Balifield's underworld. No, in terms of sheer combat power, it was more accurate to say they had already far surpassed the Undercity Family.

According to verified intelligence, the leader of the Knights, Yohan, could wield various supernatural powers by borrowing the strength of the deity he served, much like a Holy Knight of the Central Church.

And that wasn't all. The other members of his order were equally extraordinary. A human rumored to be a former Heresy Inquisitor. An elven woman who had traveled with Yohan for a long time, decapitating countless criminals. And... an Orc so well-trained that he could live among human society.

Normally, when an armed group of this caliber formed, the iron fist of state authority would crush them. Even if there was no justification to wipe them out, one could easily be fabricated.

But this time, the situation was different. It went beyond having no justification—it was impossible to create one. Astonishingly, the Goddess Knights were a religious group officially sanctioned by the Central Church of the Holy Kingdom.

Because they were openly proselytizing, the Lord had sent an inquiry to the Holy Kingdom, suggesting these people might be heretics. To his shock, the reply stated that their religion was officially permitted by the recently awakened Primary God herself.

If they were a mere cult, they could have been crushed under the Central Church's policy of heresy eradication. In fact, he wouldn't even have to lift a finger; simply notifying the Central Church would prompt them to dispatch Inquisitors or Holy Knights to resolve the issue. The Central Church was notoriously harsh when it came to religion, but they were equally thorough in taking responsibility.

But the Goddess Knights were no ordinary cult. If anything, they were a group under the direct protection of the Central Church's Primary God, Justia.

As he was agonizing over what to do, unable to find a solution, the leader of the Goddess Knights himself requested an audience. The Lord of Balifield granted it without a moment's hesitation.

Fine. Since it's come to this, let's meet him face-to-face and see what kind of man he is.

With that mindset, he awaited the Knights' arrival.

*Knock, knock.*

Soon, a knock echoed from beyond the office door.

"Enter," the Lord said in a low voice. At his command, the firmly shut door swung open, and a draft of fresh air swept into the room.

A young, black-haired human male who looked like he had been rolling around on the streets.

A middle-aged man who exuded a dignified charm and robust strength.

An elven woman whose thoughts were completely unreadable.

A relatively neat-looking human woman, and...

"So the rumors of you traveling with a well-trained Orc as a porter were true," the Lord of Balifield muttered, looking at the group.

"What did you say? You son of a—"

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down!"

The "Orc" glared fiercely, thrashing as if he were about to pounce, but fortunately, his companions managed to hold him back.

"L-let us sit first."

Though thoroughly startled, the Lord of Balifield barely maintained his composure and gestured for his guests to take a seat.

*Thud!*

The green-skinned fellow sat down on the sofa with a heavy, angry thud. It felt as though any further provocation would result in him smashing the table in front of them to splinters.

"Right. I am the lord who rules Balifield and its surrounding territories, Baron Berriman."

*Stay calm. There's nothing to gain by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠letting them look down on me.*

Baron ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Berriman deliberately mentioned his title as he introduced himself.

"Yeah. I'm Yohan, Apostle of the Church of the Unnamed Goddess, and..."

"And leader of the Goddess Knights."

Yohan, the leader of the Knights, confidently stated his name and affiliation without backing down. However, before he could even finish his sentence, the pointy-ears beside him cut in to add her piece.

"I am aware. So, what is the reason the Knights requested to see me in person?"

Yohan, having his words cut short, shot a glare at his pointy-eared companion, but quickly smoothed over his expression and wore a meaningful smile.

"As you well know, Lord Baron, there are a lot of bad guys in southwestern Westania."

"Go on."

"And in accordance with the teachings of the Goddess I serve, I've been going around punishing those bad guys."

This was also a known fact. Although this was his first time seeing Yohan up close, Yohan had already visited the Lord's castle several times to collect bounties.

"Because of that, some believers who worship our Goddess just like I do have gathered. Eventually, we even established a small village in a mountain valley a bit to the southwest of here."

It wasn't uncommon for vagrants in the wastelands to form settlements to find a way to survive. After all, the fearsome-looking man standing right next to Yohan was a self-proclaimed sheriff who had single-handedly guarded a town called Junk Town.

"What are you trying to say?"

There was definitely an ulterior motive. Baron Berriman asked demandingly, looking between the two men.

"You want to skip the small talk and get straight to the point? Sure, fine. No need to waste our breath."

Yohan pointed a thumb at his own chest.

"Knight me. Make me an official knight."

He declared in a loud, clear voice.