Priests dispatched from the Holy Nation of Bretus arrived in Leathervelk.

They had sent only a portion of their total followers as the vanguard, but that number was by no means small.

A group consisting of 300 holy knights and priests.

But what disturbed the Empire's peace of mind even more was the man who led these 300 people.

"This is truly sad. To think that the entire city is steeped in sin." Follow current novels on NoveI-Fire.ɴet

A kind-looking middle-aged man in his mid-40s spoke while narrowing his slender eyes.

With his tall, striking figure well-suited to his pure white garments and sharp facial features.

He must have been an extraordinarily handsome man in his youth, as traces of that handsomeness remained even now in his older age.

"Welcome. Cardinal Patricio Romello."

The district bishop Freden stepped forward and courteously welcomed him.

Cardinal Patricio Romello was the second most powerful figure in the Holy Nation of Bretus after the Pope and one of only five Cardinals in existence.

Considering that Cardinals were typically at least 60 years old, one could hardly grasp how exceptional his abilities must be, as he appeared to have just entered his 40s.

"Hoho. District Bishop Freden. Have you been well?"

"I have always been living well in Lumensis' grace."

Freden was extremely careful not to upset the other party.

Despite being of similar age, the other was a Cardinal.

Although the position of District Bishop that he held was by no means insignificant, such titles paled in comparison before Patricio.

Above all, what made Freden tense was the unique atmosphere that Patricio carried.

"I heard the entire city has been swept up by evil."

Though his words were gentle, they carried a chilling sensation like a snake crawling across one's skin.

Freden tried to maintain his composure and responded.

"Yes. It's all due to my negligence."

"Hoho. District Bishop Freden. How can you say such things? This isn't something that happened because of the District Bishop's mistake."

Patricio shook his head with a smile.

His constant smiling in this situation made it seem as if he were wearing a mask.

"It's simply because the people of this city have sinned. Evil has accumulated, causing this to happen. Only by purifying that sin will we prevent something like this from happening again."

Purification.

Patricio used such a word.

Freden bowed his head as if acknowledging there was no room for argument, but inwardly, he thought differently.

'Purification? Is he saying the Empire will commit such acts now?'

The word purification meant exactly what it implied.

It meant sweeping away all heretics with impure thoughts and ideas, and forcibly propagating their own doctrines.

It was truly madness.

In the past, the Holy Nation's influence was so strong that it could bring down even a flying bird with a mere gesture, but things are different now.

The Holy Nation of Bretus no longer possessed its former majesty.

The number of believers had decreased, and the nation closing its doors for nearly 20 years recently had the greatest impact.

To Freden, Patricio's words seemed like nothing more than the bluster of a frog in a well who hadn't emerged into the world for 20 years.

'But he's not someone who would carelessly say such things.'

He didn't rise to the position of Cardinal at that age merely out of ambition.

It was because he had the ability and intelligence.

Particularly, Cardinal Patricio was famous for being as cunning as a snake.

Even Freden, who was in charge of the Leathervelk district rather than the home country, knew this, so one could imagine what his actual personality was like.

Freden bowed his head, trying his best not to appear offensive.

"Yes. Your Eminence's words are correct."

"No, District Bishop Freden. That's incorrect behavior."

"Pardon?"

"Purification? In the past, such things might have been done, but as you know, hasn't the world changed? In this changed world, we cannot stubbornly adhere to old-fashioned methods. Naturally, we too must adapt our actions and movements to those changes."

Freden found Patricio's words difficult to understand.

Until just a moment ago, he had advocated for purification, and now he easily changed his stance as if flipping his palm?

Freden realized the hidden meaning behind his behavior.

'He was never sincere from the start. He's trying to discern my true intentions.'

No matter how high Patricio's position was, the authority in this Leathervelk branch belonged to Freden himself.

Patricio was trying to seize control from the beginning.

But was there any need to cause such unnecessary trouble?

He could easily use his rank to ensure Freden wouldn't resist anyway.

"Hmm. But District Bishop Freden, it seems there's one person who should be here but isn't."

At Patricio's words, Freden noticed what he was aiming for.

'Priestess Lamia.'

From the beginning, Patricio wasn't interested in Freden.

The one he was wary of wasn't him, but Priestess Lamia.

'Though a Cardinal's position is high, a Priestess's rank is by no means low either.'

The authority of the Priestess sisters gathered directly under the Saint was below that of a Cardinal.

But while the five Cardinals found it difficult to work together, the Priestesses could move as if with one heart and mind.

This was why they were called "sisters."

Obviously, confronting just one Lamia could, broadly speaking, lead to a power struggle with the other Priestesses.

That's why Patricio was being cautious about this aspect.

"The Priestess said she had someone to meet separately, so she left."

"Alone?"

Patricio's eyebrow twitched slightly.

"Hmm. District Bishop Freden. I'm a bit disappointed to hear that. To send such a valuable person as the Priestess alone in this dangerous city?"

"Well, the Priestess adamantly refused an escort..."

The Priestess also held a higher position than Freden.

It was difficult for Freden to refuse Lamia’s words.

"Even so, shouldn't you have secretly sent people or arranged a hidden escort?"

"...I apologize. It's all my fault."

Freden honestly admitted his mistake.

No, even if it wasn't his fault, if Patricio pointed it out, it became a mistake.

"My thinking was shallow."

"Hoho. Don't be so hard on yourself. How could I mistreat an excellent person like District Bishop Freden?"

Patricio smiled brightly as if he had never intended to criticize in the first place.

Freden found this sudden change in behavior chilling.

Just then, Lamia returned to the Leathervelk branch.

"Oh my."

Lamia noticed the larger gathering of people than before, and especially Cardinal Patricio standing at their head, and gently covered her mouth with her hand.

"Isn't it Cardinal? It's been a long time."

"Haha. It has been a long time, Priestess. Are you enjoying your life outside? I haven't seen your face for so long that I thought you might never return."

It was a pointed remark asking why she hadn't returned to the home country after completing her work.

Usually, someone skilled in social graces would respond in kind, but Lamia did not.

"I was enjoying life outside."

Despite her direct words, Patricio's face remained unchanged.

He continued to ask with a smiling face.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. So, have you accomplished the purpose of your departure to some extent?"

"Of course. But why has Your Eminence come here?"

"I was about to discuss that with you. I've been dispatched from the home country after hearing about the appearance of a demon."

"Ah, the demon?"

"The entire city was engulfed in golden sand, and over ten thousand people died. What could this be if not the work of a demon? So I first toured the city with 300 believers as the vanguard..."

"You don't need to do that."

Lamia cut off Patricio's words with a resolute tone.

"...Hmm. I suddenly don't understand what you mean."

"It's exactly as I said. We've decided not to interfere with matters concerning the city. I met with the Imperial Princess and reached an agreement."

"Priestess, I'm sorry to say this, but that's your agreement. Not something I did."

"But I promised that people entering the city afterward wouldn't wander around freely?"

Lamia's behavior, asking in a manner that seemed almost brazen with her 'Is that not allowed?' attitude, was quite audacious.

However, Patricio, who faced such a Lamia, was equally formidable.

"Hoho. You're interesting. But Priestess, if we do that, it negates the reason for my personal visit to this city. I too have my dignity to consider."

"I can preserve that dignity for you."

At Lamia's words, Patricio's narrow eyes opened slightly.

Between his thin pupils, a sharp gaze swirled like a snake's fangs.

"That's quite tempting. However, something mediocre won't be enough to satisfy these 300 believers including myself, as well as the believers waiting outside the city."

"Don't worry. It's a matter that the entire Holy Nation could get involved in."

"I hope your words aren't empty. So what exactly is it?"

Lamia smiled gently and said not to worry.

"The immortal monster we've been chasing. I've made contact with her."

Rudger entered the inner part of the casino.

Despite the poor security in the surrounding area, the casino building was tall and emitted a brilliant light.

Naturally, the area was bustling with wealthy people dressed in luxurious clothes.

Thanks to his attire, Rudger was able to enter easily without being stopped by the guards.

Flashing lights everywhere.

People shouting with joy after winning money, and conversely, those sitting in despair after losing money.

People causing trouble while drunk and being dragged away by guards, and women in revealing outfits carrying chips on silver trays.

A space full of pleasure, delight, and greed.

An ordinary person might be overwhelmed just by encountering this atmosphere, but Rudger looked around the interior as if unfazed.

"Aether Nocturnus take care of Rene."

Rudger handed Rene over to his magic beast.

The raven in the form of a black shadow embraced Rene and followed Rudger, trailing behind him.

People around looked at Rudger's appearance somewhat curiously, but they weren't greatly surprised.

Isla Machina, the headquarters of the New Magic Tower, is a place frequented by many magicians.

And large casinos like this were often visited not only by wealthy businessmen but also by many magicians.

In other words, it was a common sight everywhere.

However, Rudger's appearance was beyond the level of commonplace, so people's gazes lingered strangely long.

The same went for the sleeping Rene, cradled in the shadow behind him.

The handsome man and beautiful woman with their unique charisma and strange atmosphere stood out even within the casino.

But Rudger paid no attention to the surrounding gazes and concentrated on finding one person as he looked around.

And then Rudger's gaze settled on one spot.

'Found him.'

Massive cheers erupting blatantly from one side.

"Wow! Crazy! How many times is this already?!"

"No way, someone's winning this much at craps? How lucky can they be?"

"Is there some trick to it?"

"The guards have checked him several times. It's not a trick."

After picking up pieces of conversation, Rudger twisted his lips into a cold smile.

‘Yes. As they say, old habits die hard, I knew he'd be playing here.’

Rudger advanced, pushing through the crowd gathered to watch.

People who saw Rudger made way for him, overwhelmed by his aura.

Originally, with him leading a massive shadow on his back, there was no way people wouldn't move aside.

Thus, Rudger arrived at the table where someone was rolling two dice.

And he found him.

A man in his late 30s with ivory-colored messy hair and somewhat shabby attire.

His beard, which hadn't been properly groomed, grew sparsely.

He would have been quite handsome if well-maintained, but his appearance ruined everything.

However, today he was nothing short of the protagonist of this place.

"Hahaha! Well, well! It seems I'm on a roll today! Who would have thought it would turn out like this!"

The man who won money again burst into laughter.

The dealer at the table stared blankly at the dice on the table with wide eyes.

The man was about to gleefully gather the chips in front of him.

That is, if Rudger hadn't spoken to him.

"Are you still running these gambling scams?"

"Huh? Who the hell are you?"

The ivory-haired man turned toward Rudger with a distorted face.

And when he recognized Rudger, his face twisted strangely.

"You, you...!"

The man's expression upon seeing Rudger was a complex mix of confusion, anxiety, anger, and surprise.

"[Faust]. I told you repeatedly to quit gambling."

"Don't call me by that pathetic title."

While muttering so, [Faust] noticed the shadow over Rudger's shoulder, or more precisely, Rene who was cradled in its arms, and his eyes bulged.

"Rene...?"

An incredulous gaze was directed at Rudger.

"Why is Rene here?"

"That's actually why I came looking for you."

Rudger met the man's gaze and spoke his name.

"Gabriel Cosmo. As Rene's teacher, you should understand the current situation without me having to explain."