The manager has another uncomfortable pause. Now, his body shakes even though he tries not to show such signs of fear.
Then, one priest joins into the conversation, "We need access to another warehouse, your holiness."
"Ah! Yes! You will know what to do, right?"
Vicar Fagan aims the question at the manager, who sweats profusely already from the previous topic.
"We are going to pay for it, manager. So, don't look like that!" Vicar Fagan sharpens his gaze.
The manager nervously heaves as he asks, "You holiness… May I ask where those slaves come from? They are very high quality and seem to be decently fed, at least the majority. I am curious as to where I could also get some of my own."
When Kyrie hears that, he frowns at the manager's words.
[What an idiot…]
Then, a scream rings from the animated shadow that transmitted the conversation.
"Take him away and bury him somewhere where people can't find the body after this meeting."
"Yes," a couple of voices respond to the Vicar.
"Seems like our manager got too sentimental over the products," one of the priests remarks.
"It can't be helped. You have no idea until those people are fully in the circle." Another priest comments as he kicks the body, "Some people are just cowards. Not everyone can be as devoted as us."
"Let's not say such things. We are the servants of the goddess, so we should not say negative things to the dead," Vicar Fagan says with a snicker.
"What are we going to do with the new products that came in an hour ago?"
"We could only store them in the warehouse and cram them together until we can find another place."
"Sigh. If this manager wasn't that sentimental, we could have prevented such a problem."
The door opens up, and someone with priestly ropes walks in. The whisper is too low for the shadow to pick up.
"Well, gentlemen… Let's end this meeting," the Vicar says as he stands up and walks away with the priest that came in.
The remaining priests that stay behind start their own conversation.
"Well... How many more members?"
"Five currently."
"That is low… What have you guys been doing?!?! Have you guys used the hypnotic potion yet?"
Kyrie and Ian look at each other alarmed.
"No… not yet. We might test it out tonight."
"What about the ceremony to draw the souls? I think there are way too many in the basement. Just deal with them and dump the bodies that couldn't make it together with this poor sucker," The priest indicates by lifting the body with his foot.
"Actually, I have already planned to do the ceremony."
"What? Like, right now?"
"Well… In a bit."
"Did the Vicar give you permission?"
"Yes… He mentioned that I could take charge, but he did mention after this week."
"Why are you doing it tonight?"
The priests draw closer to listen to the whispering that the shadow could not pick up. Even so, Kyrie and Ian are sure that they are planning to do things behind the Vicar's back to get their hands on some extra benefits.
"Make sure to give me some, huh!"
"Yes, of course!"
The priests laugh together, filled with anticipation.
"Alright! So… testing the potion and the ceremonies! We have to bring satisfactory results to the Vicar!"
When Kyrie hears the footsteps and the closing of the door, he turns to Ian.
[We have to free the people that have been kidnapped in one of those warehouses, but also make sure that father does not drink that hypnotic potion.]
"Let's split up," Kyrie suggests.
Ian nods, "I will go to the warehouses, and you go for dad."
"Ian…"
"I remember the priests' faces, so don't worry. I need you to be careful, though; you can't use mana right now!"
Kyrie nods, but Ian grabs his arms tightly, looking at Kyrie's eyes with seriousness.
"I get it, Ian. I will try."
Ian looks very unwilling to let Kyrie separate from him. He should have let Imogen come, but he never expected that people from the temple would gather here and store the people they kidnapped at the same place.
Ian has separated a piece of his shadow again, and the shadow slipped through the door.
"I have sent a message with a shadow to Imogen and Laurel. Imogen will go to where I will be going, and Laurel will be waiting for you in a carriage. If you cannot wait any longer, just leave."
"But… Ian."
"Imogen will be with me, so you don't have to worry."
Although Kyrie is unwilling, he needs to protect his father, so he nods as he walks out of the room with Ian. He only starts moving when Ian disappears to another hall to get his father.
When he arrives at the private room that they entered previously to discuss the gold trade, he notices no door attendant.
[Am I too late?]
He opens the door and sees that the room's cigar smoke has faded. The noblemen who gathered to discuss the gold trade are unconscious, and servants are picking them up.
The clicking of Kyrie's heels alarms the servants, but once they see Kyrie in women's clothing, they all calm down. A smile spreads across all those servants' faces, and their expressions twist while staring Kyrie up and down.
They all start to gather and walk to Kyrie slowly.
"Beauty… If you do what we say, we will not hurt you…"
Kyrie frowns in disgust. He looks at the large metal trophy cup and picks it up easily. Some of the servants become alarmed. The trophy weighs heavy enough for a servant to struggle to pick it up with two hands just to put it on display. However, they watch a lady pick the trophy like a teacup.
Kyrie swings the trophy at the closest man without warning, slamming his face against the metal cup. The man falls as blood comes out of his mouth. Some teeth drop out and bounce on the floor like hard candy.
All of the servants put their guards up, looking at one another to attack simultaneously.
One by one, Kyrie takes down the servants that are attempting to get him. When he hammers the metal trophy, the upper part detaches from the handle.
"Aiy… Low quality…" Kyrie frowns.
Many servants are on the floor around him, some fainted, others rolling from the hit they received.
The remaining two servants standing look at Kyrie, completely terrified. They particularly look over at one who has fainted with his pupils rolled up. Kyrie has ended that man's lineage just like that.
They have never seen someone so dazzling to be so deadly at the same time.
"That just breaks the rules of reality…" One of the servants whimpers.
They step backward as Kyrie walks towards them.
One of the servants stumbles and lands on the table. Kyrie pierces through the table with the trophy cup's sharp handle just inches from that servant's jewels. It is so close that the servant instantly looks like he has a seizure and falls unconscious.
Small blocks of gold, with the size of two fingers width, are scattered around the table and floor. Kyrie takes a couple of them for a closer look later to see what they are made of.
Before Kyrie handles the last one, he notices that people are walking closer to the room. He clicks his tongue and gives a threatening glare to the last remaining servant. That glare has become frightening enough to make that servant pass along his tale through generations.
Kyrie picks up his father, who has just lost consciousness, maybe by something released in the air. Then, he makes a run for it. The footsteps that he hears are unusual but familiar.
He walks out of the door and sees a bunch of demon puppets rushing towards them.
[Damn it! Why are there demon puppets here?]
Kyrie carries his father in his back, and the marquis wakes up after Kyrie has run for a while.
"Son…"
"Dad! Are you alright?"
"What happened?"
"You have lost consciousness, and now we are being chased!"
The marquis looks around, "Where is Ian?"
"He went to free some people that got kidnapped."
The marquis does not ask anymore. He does not want to distract Kyrie, who is running away from something.
Kyrie immediately stops.
[Damn it! Something is coming from the other side.]
Kyrie opens one of the rooms that he remembers is facing an internal garden. They passed through it when going to the private room that his father got an invitation for.
He opens the door and smiles when he sees that the room has windows. He immediately closes the door and looks around the room while letting the marquis back to his feet.
The room looks like an office, documents piled up in a desk near the window and shelves filled with scrolls.
Kyrie takes off one of the two swords that decorate the wall. He draws the sword. The blade is kept. He throws one to the marquis and gets the other one for himself.
The doorknob rattles, and the door starts to shake as the demon puppets slam their bodies against it.
"Dad, we need to get out from the window."
---
Cynthia silently waits as she tabs her finger on her arm. Noblemen are trying to converse with her, but they start to back out since Cynthia shows no interest in them. She sighs as she lazily picks up her glass.
"When we enter the gate, you won't be able to see that paladin. I wonder what Imogen will do since her right-hand man is head over heels for that man."
Cynthia smiles when Sil's attention becomes drawn to her small remark.
"I know."
"Unless they fix his soul somehow, that Kyrie cannot walk into the gate." Cynthia giggles, "Isn't that also great news for you? I mean… Ian has devoted so much to save the world, constantly going through the same hell hole. I don't think he will be able to let go of that for one man."
Sil watches Cynthia's widening smile as her eyes flood in contentment. She loves to see difficult situations and people's constant struggle to overcome them. She takes a liking to Sil because he is a hopeless case that continues to struggle.
Then, her connection to her puppets suddenly cuts. Cynthia jolts when some of her mana dissipate. She urgently stands up to walk away, but Sil catches her hand.
"Where are you going?" Sil questions.
Cynthia swings her hand off, trying to act normal.
"Can't you let a lady do her own business?"
Without much explanation, Cynthia leaves Sil as he watches her walk towards the hallways that Kyrie entered.