Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Public Security Activities (2)
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I was already familiar with the Hermel region.
I’d never been directly involved, but I’d heard about it plenty of times back when I was Archbishop Hausel.
That’s why, when Brigade Leader Bernhard ordered me to head to Hermel, I thought it was a stroke of luck.
‘This place is close to the Winter Mountains. Should be easy to get intel on the Dialogue Church, too.’
I’d just told them I got the info from Helena, but to be precise, it was thanks to Kain and Robel.
The two who used to treat me with such spite had become reasonably cordial now. They must have grown a fair bit after going through enlistment exams.
‘Those guys thought I’d fallen out of favor with Bernhard and gotten demoted to some backwater like Hermel.’
Kain and Robel had been assigned to the Heresy Inquisition where their mother worked, and when they heard I was heading to Hermel, they’d volunteered to dig up info for me.
They seemed genuinely sorry for me. But I didn’t feel the need to correct them, so I just kept my mouth shut.
‘Thanks to them, I confirmed there haven’t been many changes from the intel I already had.’
Hermel was the perfect place for me to operate.
Plenty of prey, and right on the edge of Dialogue Church territory.
‘So…’
This was where it really began.
Which meant…
I had to start with some cleaning.
“Gaaah!”
Administrative Officer Streng spat blood as he collapsed.
Edwin was already a 3-star knight who could wield sword aura with ease. Overpowering a corrupt, flabby bureaucrat like him was a single stroke’s work.
“What the hell?!”
“You bastards…!”
Streng’s subordinates, who’d been waiting nearby, glared and charged.
“Lieselotte, help Edwin.”
“Yes, got it.”
Lieselotte, who’d been leisurely sipping wine even in this mess, brushed off her clothes and stood.
She extended a hand toward the burly man rushing her way.
“Don’t get too rowdy.”
“Urk!”
She merely grabbed his forearm and twisted lightly, sending the man flipping through the air to crash onto a table.
Lieselotte had trained in the Holy Heaven Eight Emperors Method and acquired 3-star mana. With her body enhanced by three circles of mana, she could fling men twice her size around like nothing.
“Hup!”
Edwin, too, sliced down the thugs charging him one by one.
He didn’t deal lethal blows like he had with Streng, but he neutralized them perfectly.
In less than five minutes, the only ones left standing in the tavern were Edwin and Lieselotte.
Of course, I was the only one sitting.
“Looks like that’s sorted.”
I stood, listening to the groans echoing around.
As I reached for the Sorver Mountain wine to wet my throat, Lieselotte snatched the bottle from beside me.
“You’re still young, Sir Sion, so I’ll handle this.”
“You’re not of age either.”
“Am I not?”
“…”
Just how old was this woman really?
Her papers said seventeen, and she looked late teens…
“Sir Sion, take a look.”
Edwin called me over then.
He picked up an envelope that had fallen from the downed man’s pocket and showed it to me.
“Drugs?”
“Yeah, definitely.”
I rubbed the white powder inside the small pouch between my fingers. It had a sharp, bitter smell.
“It’s narcotics made from herbs grown by mountain folk in the Winter Mountains. Just like that wine earlier, it’s bribes from the Dialogue Church.”
“How do you know that?”
“Got it from my aunt.”
“As expected of the Aleyas family…!”
Of course, it wasn’t from Helena—it was knowledge from my Hausel Archbishop days.
‘Helena would never dream I’m trading on her name.’
My big aunt saw me as a thorn in her side and kept me in check, but she came in handy at times like this.
Since she ran the Heresy Inquisition, the Holy Knights’ intel organ, claiming I got it from her would convince most people.
“So, Sir Sion, what’s the plan from here?”
Lieselotte tilted her head, surveying the wrecked tavern.
“Doesn’t look like Streng was corrupt on his own. There’s gotta be an organization backing him, right?”
“Probably.”
“So, should we get out of here? They’ll come after us once they find out.”
“We’ll leave, sure. But we’re not running away.”
“Huh?”
Right then.
A sleazy-looking man sauntered in from outside, saw the carnage inside, and bolted in panic.
Edwin moved to chase, but I raised a hand to stop him.
“Let him go. That way, the organization behind Streng knows it was us.”
“Oh, right…!”
“No need to drag it out. Let’s wipe them out quick.”
With that, I stepped out of the tavern.
“It’ll take them time to round up their goons. Let’s head to the administrative office in the meantime.”
“Understood!”
“Busy from day one, huh.”
I led Edwin and Lieselotte to the administrative office in the city’s eastern district.
* * *
“Administrative Officer Streng isn’t in?”
“No, he went out to entertain some newly arrived holy knight.”
Lishuri, the Grade 2 administrator, sighed at her secretary’s words.
“This is bad. I’ve got documents that need approval ASAP…”
“Hand them over. I’ll sign.”
“No can do. Where’s the officer? I’ll go get his signature.”
“Quit being so rigid and just give them here. I handle most of it as proxy anyway.”
“But—”
She was about to say that wouldn’t work when.
A commotion erupted from reception.
“What’s going on?”
“No idea…”
Rushing out, Lishuri startled at the sight of three youths—two boys and a girl—all wearing swords.
Even in lawless Hermel, folks didn’t stroll into the administrative office armed in broad daylight.
Unless they were…
“Oh, holy knights!”
All three had knight badges pinned to their chests.
The youngest-looking boy even bore a Grade 1 knight’s badge.
“What can I do for you?”
“Is there a Holy Knight Order liaison here?”
“Well, I am one, technically…”
“I see.”
The boy extended a hand toward Lishuri.
“Sion Aleyas, Grade 1 Knight. Leader of the 13th Unit, Independent Holy Knight Brigade.”
“Ah, yes. I’m Lishuri, Grade 2 Administrator…”
“We’ve confirmed Administrative Officer Streng was taking bribes from the Dialogue Church. Seems he was involved in child trafficking and drug deals. We’ve executed summary judgment, so please handle any resulting vacancies.”
“…”
Lishuri was speechless for a while.
She couldn’t process what she’d just heard.
“Su-summary… judgment…?”
“We exercised authority delegated by the Holy Church. He profited from dealings with a special-grade heretical group and engaged in antisocial activities, so a Grade 1 knight or higher can execute summary judgment.”
“W-wait, hold on!”
Lishuri wasn’t the only one thrown.
The other officials nearby were panicking too.
“S-so, the administrative officer… is dead?”
“By that kid’s hand…?”
“My god…!”
Some bolted out the back door.
Probably to tip off the organization pulling strings.
“H-holy knight, sir, how could you…”
“We did some prior investigation, but Hermel seems riddled with issues.”
Sion glanced around as he spoke.
“It’s a city with developed commerce, sure, but the underground economy is massive. Crime syndicates everywhere, constant Dialogue Church dealings. But the biggest problem? Top brass like Administrative Officer Streng were enabling it all.”
“…!”
“I intend to fix this from the root.”
Lishuri swallowed hard at Sion’s words.
He looked like a mid-teen boy.
But his true nature… was a real ‘holy knight’ like none she’d ever seen.
“H-holy knight, sir… this was a mistake.”
“Why do you think that?”
“N-not that your actions were wrong, sir. You acted like a true holy knight.”
Lishuri had long lamented Hermel’s corruption.
But as a lowly Grade 2 administrator, there was little she could do.
So she wanted to applaud Sion’s summary judgment on Streng… but it was too rash.
“Administrative Officer Streng is the younger brother of Garen, one of the big shots running Hermel’s pleasure district. Once he hears… Garen’ll send his men to kill you, sir.”
“Trying to kill a holy knight? Lawless scum.”
“This isn’t the time to stay calm! They’ll swarm this place any second!”
With people fleeing out the back just now, word that a holy knight was at the office had surely spread.
“Holy knight, sir, please escape while you can!”
“Escape?”
“Yes, leave Hermel for now! It’s too dangerous for you here!”
“Run with my tail between my legs on day one? That’d be disgraceful.”
“This isn’t about honor right now!”
Lishuri shouted with all her heart.
She didn’t want this resolute, action-oriented ‘true holy knight’ dying at the hands of thugs.
“Holy knight, sir! No one will help you! The Holy Church has no power here, and the vigilantes are in bed with the gangs! There’s no one in Hermel who’ll be your ally!”
“Ally?”
“Yes! If you really want to reform Hermel, contact Holy Knight Order HQ for reinforcements…”
“My allies are right here.”
“Huh?”
Sion turned to look at the two behind him.
A delicately handsome boy and a calm-faced girl.
“These two are all the allies I need.”
“What…!”
Lishuri didn’t know what to say.
Was this knight all resolve and action, but lacking judgment?
“Is it true a holy knight’s really here…!”
Right then.
A dozen thugs kicked in the administrative office’s front door and stormed in.
Garen’s crew had arrived already.
“This region’s got real problems. Even storming the administrative office to cause a ruckus.”
“Holy knight, sir, hurry…!”
“No need to worry, Lishuri, Grade 2 Administrator.”
Sion spoke calmly.
“As holy knights, we’ll conduct public security activities against these thugs disrupting the administrative office.”