The Ruined Village
The distance to Urutun Village was not especially far.
Is this the place?
By moving quickly and staying out of people's sight, Juhan had managed to arrive before the sun went down. Strictly speaking, he had only reached a hill overlooking Urutun Village—but from up there, the state of the village was worse than anything he had imagined.
Saaa—
For a moment he said nothing, simply looking down. Most of the buildings in his view had collapsed so thoroughly that their original shapes were hard to make out. Houses with their roofs torn clean off. A chapel whose walls had been shattered to pieces. The entire village looked as if some enormous force had swept through it and left nothing intact.
Naturally, not a single resident—or anyone resembling one—was moving about the ruins. The only living things in sight were the countless Holy Knights who seemed to materialize from nowhere, and the soldiers quietly standing watch along the village's outer edge.
They're crawling with Holy Knights here, too.
Temporary tents were going up in real time around the perimeter, as if the force meant to stay nearby for a while. Just as he had expected—these people had not come out for a simple investigation.
Thinking that, Juhan closed his hand around a certain token he carried against his chest.
Clench…
I might actually have to use this.
It was the token representing a Guardian's disciple, the one he had received earlier from the Stigma Knight Velkras. He had already planned to resolve the matter of the bells and then slip into the Holy Kingdom, so there was no longer any reason to hesitate about using it.
About twenty Holy Knights, give or take. Soldiers—well over a hundred, easy.
He kept surveying the village's surroundings, then shifted his gaze farther inward. The ones he truly wanted to confirm were not the knights and soldiers.
No one who looks like an Executor yet…
His eyes roamed for a long while before finally stopping on a single point.
What's that?
In the center of the village, near the ruined plaza, stood a solitary black tent. Holy Knights were posted around it, yet for some reason none of them approached closer than a fixed distance—as if they were guarding someone, or else deliberately keeping clear so as not to interfere.
Suup—
"Hmm…"
At the sight of it, Juhan rubbed his chin and sank into thought for a moment.
…Do I just wait and see for now?
Of course, staring alone told him nothing. In the end, the only option was to wait until something changed.
"……."
Even so, time simply continued to pass without result. The sun sank lower and lower, and a red dusk gradually settled over Urutun Village.
Seuuu—
This isn't getting me anywhere.
Tsk.
Juhan clicked his tongue softly. Blind waiting was clearly not a solution. Looking down from the hill gave him too little information—and he might be missing something important.
He made up his mind.
I should at least go down near the village.
That did not mean he intended to sneak in under suspicion. After all, he had the single most effective item he could use on these people.
Step, step.
He descended the hill at a measured pace and approached the outskirts of Urutun Village. One of the soldiers on perimeter duty spotted him and shouted.
"Halt!"
"Stop right there!"
Spears leveled toward him at once.
"This area is off-limits. Turn back, or if you mean to enter, state your identity and purpose."
It was a sharp reception—but not enough to rattle him. Without any show of resistance, Juhan slowly lowered one hand and answered.
"Please call a Holy Knight for me. Any of them will do."
"A Holy Knight?"
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
Sseuk.
As he spoke, Juhan simply drew something out and held it up for them to see.
"This is…?"
In his hand was the token he had received from Velkras. One of the soldiers narrowed his eyes; he clearly did not recognize exactly what it was.
"Looks like something from the Holy Kingdom."
"…I don't know. The higher-ups would probably recognize it."
Juhan spoke again.
"If you bring a Holy Knight, he will understand."
"……."
Perhaps it was the way he spoke—calm and completely uncowed. The soldiers exchanged a look, then nodded slightly as if conceding the point.
"You go fetch one."
"…Right."
Tadadak.
One of them sprinted into the village, clearly meaning to bring a Holy Knight as requested.
"Th-this way."
"He said he wants to speak with a Holy Knight… what on earth."
It did not take long for the soldier to return—escorting a Holy Knight in white armor.
"This young man?"
"Yes, sir."
At first the knight's expression was one of mild disinterest, the look of a man wondering why he had been summoned for something so trivial.
"What business do you have with m—"
But the moment his eyes fell on the token in Juhan's hand, his pupils widened slightly.
"That token…?"
"Sir?"
"You two, fall back for now."
The instant he confirmed the token, he waved the soldiers away.
"Sir?"
"At once."
At that firm tone the soldiers quickly lowered their weapons and withdrew from Juhan and the Holy Knight.
Step, step.
The knight approached Juhan, his manner now markedly more courteous.
"If it is not too forward of me, may I ask where you obtained that token?"
"I received it directly from Sir Velkras."
"…From the Stigma Knight Velkras himself?"
The name Stigma Knight Velkras made the Holy Knight's demeanor grow even more careful.
"Forgive my discourtesy."
"…It's fine. I was the one who showed up unannounced."
Juhan found himself a little taken aback. He had been told it was a token marking a Guardian's disciple, yet the effect was far beyond anything he had expected.
Even as a Guardian's disciple, is the rank that much higher than an ordinary Holy Knight's?
He still did not know. He would find out once he reached the Holy Kingdom.
"This way, if you please."
Just like that, Juhan crossed the perimeter and entered the village. Conversation continued as they walked side by side.
"So you heard the rumors and came in person?"
"Yes."
"That's remarkable of you."
When the Holy Knight asked why he had come, Juhan answered that he had come to offer help. The knight seemed genuinely surprised—and impressed.
"If you've heard the rumors, you already know this whole region has been in an uproar over the recent incident."
"A lot of people seemed uneasy."
"Of course they are. Still, the fact that you came all this way to help is a stroke of luck for us."
The conversation flowed easily. Whether it was the Guardian's disciple token or the name Velkras that made the difference, the atmosphere was better than Juhan had expected—friendly, even.
"I only hope I can be of some use."
"I'm certain you will. So—"
But at that exact moment—
"Don't make me laugh."
"……."
A voice cut in without warning, and the area around them fell quiet. Juhan turned his head toward the source.
"I believe the order was clear—no one is to be admitted except authorized personnel. Radro, are you joking with me right now?"
A Holy Knight stood there with his arms crossed, scowling, eyes full of open displeasure. If coldness could be given human form, it would have looked exactly like him; the air around the man was frigid.
The Holy Knight who had been escorting Juhan—the one called Radro—wore a troubled expression.
"Hadley, there's no need to react so sharply."
"Why not?"
"Because this gentleman has every reason to be here."
"Ha."
At Radro's words, the Holy Knight named Hadley let out a scornful laugh, as if the whole thing were beneath contempt.
"Do you have any idea how many suspicious people we've already dragged in—just between yesterday and today?"
"He's different from them. This man is—"
Radro gestured toward Juhan. Sseuk. Juhan quickly held out the token for Hadley to see as well.
"He has a connection to the Stigma Knight Velkras."
Hadley looked back and forth between Juhan and the token, as if weighing something. Then he addressed Radro again.
"And I'm supposed to take that on faith? No—even if it's true, we were ordered not to let anyone in. No one."
The retort was absolute. Hadley's suspicious gaze settled on Juhan.
"A token can be stolen. Or picked up somewhere."
"Hadley! Watch your tongue!"
"What's the problem? You're the one who was careless enough not to verify properly."
"What's going on?"
"Hadley and Radro again? Are they fighting?"
As the tension rose, the gazes of other Holy Knights nearby began to gather on them.
"Hadley, just calm down for a second."
"Calm down? It's not me—it's Radro who keeps—"
A few of the knights had already closed in on Hadley, trying to soothe him. After watching for a moment, Radro turned back to Juhan.
"I apologize. He's always been like that."
"…It's fine. Everything he said was understandable enough."
"His faith is second to none, so I hope you won't hold it against him."
Radro said it with a wry smile. Juhan simply nodded. In a way, the only reason he had been allowed into the village at all was Radro's discretion.
And yet—
…What is this feeling?
Juhan's gaze slid past Radro and lingered briefly on the Holy Knight called Hadley.
Have I seen him somewhere before?
On the surface he was an excessively rigid, by-the-book Holy Knight—and the reactions of those around him confirmed as much.
Probably just my imagination.
There was nothing he could know for certain right now. Most of the Holy Kingdom people he had met so far had seemed to be missing a piece or two of something essential.
More importantly, there was work that needed doing at once. Finding an Executor and obtaining a metal plate—that, Juhan decided, was what mattered most.