Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Advisor Savl (3)
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Jamie emerged outside and soared into the sky where no people were around.
Even in summer, a cool breeze wrapped around his body.
After staying cooped up in the mansion, arriving at this wide-open space felt utterly refreshing.
"Phew—this is nice?"
The marquis's estate was vast, but wandering its confines was worlds apart from freely flying through the skies.
Jamie happily began flying toward the Pyro Church.
But the flight didn't last long.
Hovering in midair, Jamie frowned and muttered to himself.
"But where exactly is the Pyro Church?"
Aptton was the largest city in the northwest of the Seldam Kingdom.
Finding the Pyro Church in this sprawling place was no easy task.
Jamie circled around a bit more before landing roughly near the city outskirts. If he didn't know, he could just ask the locals.
"Black. Change my hair color."
Kkiik!
Black, emerging after a long while, dyed Jamie's hair black. His emerald eyes dulled over as well.
"These clothes are too fancy too?"
Anyone would peg him as some noble kid.
No sooner had he spoken than his luxurious attire shifted into something plainly ordinary.
Black had grasped the intent without explicit orders and made the change.
"Good job."
Kihehe-!
Jamie wondered if Black had picked up a new laugh as he stepped out onto the main street.
But the city streets were nearly deserted. The few people around wore grim expressions, warily scanning their surroundings as they moved with caution.
'What is this eerie vibe?'
Jamie frowned at the unsettling atmosphere.
He had no idea what was bothering them, but his own goal took priority.
He approached an elderly woman passing by.
"Excuse me. Could you tell me which way to the Pyro Church?"
"Uh? J-just keep going straight down that road there, dear. Take care now."
The woman barely glanced at him, fidgeting nervously as she replied.
Jamie couldn't make sense of her reaction.
He grabbed the arm of the woman who was hurrying off like she was fleeing.
"Excuse me."
"What now?"
She whipped around with an irritated scowl.
Jamie noticed her pupils trembling unstably. Cold sweat beaded on her brow, as if she'd committed some grave sin.
"Never mind."
It didn't seem like the moment for more questions, so he let go. The woman vanished in a flash.
And she wasn't the only one.
Everyone on the streets moved in the same skittish way, like they were dodging some unseen threat.
It was then, as Jamie cocked his head in confusion.
"M-murder!"
A shout rang out, and the pedestrians froze in place like statues.
A murder in broad daylight?
Jamie scowled and bolted toward the source of the cry.
A crowd had already gathered by the time he arrived. He couldn't fathom where all these people had popped up from—they hadn't been visible on the streets moments ago.
Jamie wormed his way through the throng.
And there lay the corpse.
'The heart…'
A man in his fifties, presumed murdered, had a perfect round hole punched clean through his chest.
The heart that should have been inside was gone.
"Everyone, make way!"
"I said make way!"
Two guards shoved through from the rear, forcing their way in.
Jamie slipped back discreetly.
The guards knelt by the body, murmuring to each other as they examined it.
A normal person wouldn't have caught it, but the repulsion force bolstered by the Orb of Life missed nothing—not even whispers.
"Already the third one."
"We'd better report to the marquis. You head out first."
"Got it. I'll wrap things up once the cleanup crew arrives."
The third?
Were there two more killings just like this?
Terrified voices rose from the crowd behind him.
"I-it's really the Demon's doing, isn't it?"
"What do we do… Am I next?"
"Cut the crazy talk. Just cut it out, please…"
'Demon?!'
The sudden mention of Demon made Jamie's face harden.
He glanced back at the corpse.
A hollowed-out chest cavity.
His mind flashed to the Portsmouth Garden Incident from fifty years ago.
The event where former Bell Marquis Isfil Bell had executed the head of Demon. But it hadn't ended with a simple execution.
A web of tangled interests lay beneath.
Hearts harvested for the Demon King Summoning Ritual, for one.
'So that's why the mood was off this morning.'
With Demon involved, the tension was inevitable.
Jamie's eyes narrowed.
'If the real deal has revived, is their goal resurrecting the demon race?'
Jamie doubted it.
If demon revival was truly the aim, they'd target some remote fiefdom—far easier prey.
Aptton was ruled by the Bell family, among the kingdom's elite high nobles. Unless Demon had fully regenerated, these petty operators couldn't handle it.
Which left only one possibility, no matter how he sliced it.
'Revenge against the Bell family.'
Fifty years prior, foes who hadn't just thwarted them but shattered their organization to pieces.
'Of all the rotten luck, this blows up the moment I arrive.'
Jamie felt irritation bubbling up.
If Demon was truly behind it, the Pyro Church would be on high alert too.
He extricated himself from the crowd and took to the skies again in a secluded spot.
"First things first—let's check it out."
He'd gotten the directions earlier.
Face set in grim lines, Jamie flew toward the church.
Jamie eyed the towering rocky crag.
At its peak, an incongruous clump of green light shimmered—the massive trees blanketing the summit.
Tucked among them hid a single building, painted pure white.
"No wonder it's invisible from the air."
The Pyro Church was shrouded by those giant trees atop the rocky mountain.
Jamie clicked his tongue and drew nearer.
He tsked again at the sentries encircling the entire compound.
'Expected as much, but the security's insane.'
Suppressing his presence to the max, he alighted on a tree branch and peered through the windows into the interior.
Not a few patrols inside either.
Once bitten by Demon in the past, they'd fortified accordingly.
'Wasn't even hit here.'
The holy relic theft had targeted the main cathedral headquarters—not this branch.
Still, Demon's infamy lingered even after fifty years, so manning the perimeter this heavily made sense.
Infiltrating looked exceedingly tough.
That was when.
"Hm?"
The main gate swung open as a procession emerged.
Jamie's eyes widened at the elderly man leading them.
'Insane levels of divinity. That's the archbishop…'
Word was one of Pyro Church's three archbishops was posted here.
Sephira, was it?
The aura fit the title perfectly.
Chills ran down his spine just from looking.
'And that's Ras, right?'
Beside the presumed archbishop stood a very familiar face.
He'd nearly missed it.
Blond hair slicked back neatly, resplendent in gleaming armor.
Usually the friendly neighborhood type, but suited up like this, it hit home—he was one of Pyro Church's sole seven holy executors.
They exchanged brief words, then Ras bowed and fell back a step.
Jamie itched to know what they'd said, but even his enhanced hearing fell short at this range.
The archbishop-led group departed the church grounds.
Heading out somewhere?
The moment Jamie edged forward for a better look.
Swish—
The archbishop's head snapped toward his position.
"Hm?"
"Something wrong?"
"No, nothing. Must've been a squirrel."
"We should hurry. The marquis awaits."
"Indeed."
Archbishop Sephira tilted her head at the presence she'd sensed from the tree before pressing onward.
Jamie ducked behind a massive bough in a flash, clutching his hammering heart.
'What kind of freakish instincts?'
That had been way too close.
No wonder she held one of the 12 churches' rare archbishop seats.
Jamie gulped down dry saliva and peeked out cautiously.
The archbishop and priests were mounting their prepared white steeds.
'Bell marquis's place?'
Close enough now to faintly catch their exchange.
Which meant the church would empty out.
'Not entirely.'
The holy knight order providing escort arrayed on either flank. They began their descent with utmost caution.
'This could work.'
Jamie tracked the procession shrinking to dots before carefully descending the tree. He slipped into the church, presence fully cloaked.
The maneuver was seamless—no one noticed a thing.
Milbuck was a soldier tasked with guarding the Pyro Church.
With Demon rumors lately spiking, internal security had ratcheted up.
Thus, even on his day off, he was posted along the church corridors. "Guarding" in name only—truth was, there was zilch to do.
"Yaaawn."
Standing sentry in pairs might've been bearable, but solo duty just brought on the drowsiness.
Compounding it, today the archbishop and a handful of priests were off to the Bell marquis's estate.
The holy knight order tagged along as escort, leaving scant soldiers behind.
Which meant he needed to stay extra sharp.
'Even the goddess couldn't fend off this sleepiness.'
Milbuck slumped against the windowsill, scrubbing at his heavy-lidded eyes.
Oblivious to the blasphemy in his thoughts, he yawned relentlessly.
Honestly, why would any sane Demon target this place?
And even if they did, he wasn't sweating it.
'Bring it. I'll drill a hole right through their skull myself.'
Fifty years on, Demon's terror had faded to myth.
Besides, Milbuck was a spry twenty-something.
A fervent youth who'd volunteered as a soldier out of devotion to the church. Currently nodding off despite himself, sure.
'God, I'm so wiped…'
Sleep was winning.
Sunny afternoon or not, this was ridiculous…
Thud!
Milbuck toppled to the floor.
And began snoring thunderously.
A figure landed soundlessly before him.
"Out cold."
Jamie grinned, glancing both ways.
From his recon, this sector was this guy's beat.
No other sentries ought to swing by anytime soon.
He laid a hand on Milbuck's sleeping head. The man's memories flooded into Jamie's mind.
The church's layout etched itself crystal clear.
'Goddess statue's in there.'
Deepest chamber housed the goddess statue.
Milbuck had never entered, knew only the entrance—not the layout beyond.
No matter. Location alone sufficed.
Jamie proceeded along Milbuck's memorized path.
And there existed one who had sensed Jamie's presence.
"Haha."
A boy chuckled in delight.
The girl beside him asked.
"Bro, something good happen?"
"You know it. Something fun came up. Hang tight—bro'll be right back."
"Okay."
The boy called "bro" left his sister behind and headed out.
"This is my front yard. Nowhere to hide."
The boy strode forward, smile never fading.