Chapter 443

Carefully climbing down the city wall, we were met by three guards stationed below.

Their gaze was fixed forward, not upward, so they didn’t spot us. But once our feet touched the ground, we couldn’t enter the city without passing them.

“…This is troublesome.”

“It’s not *that* troublesome.”

Judging by how they were casually chatting while burning mana herbs, they didn’t seem like professional guards. Dealing with such amateurs would be easy—just distract them for a moment.

Like this.

– *Thud!*

I picked up a pebble and tossed it into the bushes, out of their line of sight. The sudden noise cut their chatter short.

“Huh? What was that? Sounded like footsteps or something…”

“Probably just a stray cat.”

“Maybe, but we should check. Rookie, go take a look.”

“Got it!”

The guards, proving their incompetence, focused their attention on the bushes. Seriously, no training at all. With three of them, at least one should’ve been keeping watch.

We slipped past while their attention was diverted. We encountered a few more guards afterward, but by sensing their presence early, we avoided detection.

—

After escaping the surveillance net, we headed straight for the hideout Meyer had told us about.

It was late, so the streets were mostly empty. Only a few drunkards and priests were around. Avoiding their gaze was as easy as snapping a child’s neck.

“Here, right?”

“Yes. It matches the address Meyer gave us.”

The hideout of the Sacred Order was disguised as a small brick clothing store.

A clothing store, huh? Not a bad idea. Members could blend in as customers, and even if their outfits changed, it’d be natural for a clothing store.

We knocked on the locked door in a prearranged pattern. Someone peeked through the crack, then opened the door wide.

“…Come in.”

A middle-aged man in casual clothes. Judging by his lack of muscle, he was probably a priest, not a paladin. He radiated a gloomy aura.

Lacey glanced at his face, tapped my shoulder, and nodded. Must be one of their members.

We followed him inside.

—

The store wasn’t large, but it was well-equipped. More serious than I expected for a front.

One wall was lined with leather and fabric everyday clothes, while shelves on the other side held various fabrics sorted by type.

Opposite the entrance was a counter with a small door, likely used for measuring or changing clothes.

“Joachim greets you. It’s an honor to see you again, Elmain.”

“Long time no see, Joachim.”

After a brief exchange with Lacey, Joachim led us to the basement. It was a hideout disguised as a warehouse, with a large table on one side and makeshift beds on the other.

On the table were stacks of documents and what looked like a floor plan. A woman with a quill was scribbling strange symbols and doodles on it.

“Greta, Elmain is here.”

“Ah, Elmain! You’ve finally arrived! I’ve been counting the days!”

“Good to see you again, Greta. You seem brighter than before.”

While Lacey exchanged greetings with Greta, we unpacked our gear under Joachim’s guidance. Not that we had much—just taking off our coats and placing them on the beds.

“To infiltrate the city center with believers and set up a hideout like this… I don’t know whether to call it resourceful or suspicious. This seems more like something spies would do, not clergy.”

Agnes, uneasy about the Special Operations Unit, whispered to me with a slight frown.

Well, she wasn’t a foreigner like us, nor was she part of the Elpinel Church. As a candidate saint of the Menes Church, it made sense she’d find Lacey’s use of such covert forces unsettling.

Secret organizations are usually involved in assassinations or inciting rebellions, after all.

“No need to be so negative. Any large organization ends up needing an intelligence department. You just don’t know about it, but the Menes Church probably has something similar.”

“Really…?”

The churches of the Holy Kingdom are like the Empire’s great lords in terms of power. It’d be stranger if they *didn’t* have intelligence organizations.

…Though probably not as militarized as Lacey’s.

Then again, who knows? Cardinals could easily create private militias in secret.

—

Anyway, after greetings and unpacking, we got straight to planning.

“First, we need to figure out what the Grimnir Church is doing by gathering the poor. There’s a slim chance they’re genuinely helping them.”

As Lacey said, the possibility they’d suddenly grown compassionate wasn’t zero.

I doubted it, though… Ordinary people like me can’t predict the minds of fanatics. Most religious figures in this world are insane, and mages are practically all mad. Grimnir’s followers are a mix of both, so how crazy must they be?

They’re definitely the craziest of the crazy. Nothing they do would surprise me.

“Then, we either disguise ourselves as the poor and blend in… or sneak into a Grimnir branch to investigate. Which is better?”

“The latter. If they’re using some magical means to control the poor, we’d be in danger too.”

True. If we disguised ourselves as the poor, we couldn’t resist if they used some trick.

What if they activated a brainwashing or paralysis spell, and my anti-magic couldn’t stop it? My life would be over.

At best, I’d be killed. At worst, I’d become their tool or a breeding stock for superior bloodlines.

My anti-magic might hold, but who knows if it can fully block divine magic? A few months ago, I got caught by Isabella’s power despite my anti-magic and had a rough time.

And the others don’t even have anti-magic.

“Good point. So we’ll have to sneak into a Grimnir branch…”

I glanced at the group.

“…Agnes is the only one who seems suited for this.”

Damien, Milia, Agnes, Rana, and Lacey… All of them are specialized for frontal combat.

If I sent them on an infiltration mission, they’d be caught within five minutes.

Milia would charge in yelling about kobolds, Damien has rarely inspired my confidence, and Lacey isn’t suited for this either.

“Um… I’m here too…?”

Hersh timidly raised her hand. Why is she talking nonsense?

“You’re not human.”

Half-dark elf, half-demon. I’m a mixed-blood but still human, while Hersh can’t even produce a second generation. She’s not human.

“That’s harsh…”

She wants to claim she’s human, but… then show some demonic power or something. You can’t? Then you’re not human.

“Infiltration missions… Honestly, I’m not confident either.”

Agnes expressed her unease.

True, if something went wrong, I’m not sure she could handle it.

As a candidate saint, her divine miracles are powerful, but her combat experience is limited to sparring with a few paladins. She’s never learned infiltration techniques, and the first person she killed was Cardinal Paulus.

Impressive for a first kill, but still, she’s not reliable for dangerous missions. Can we rely on her invisibility alone?

If she died, it’d be a disaster. Bringing back a candidate saint as a cold corpse after promising her a pilgrimage? The Holy Kingdom would go berserk.

“…It’s better if just me and Hersh move.”

I pointed at Hersh and sighed. This was the best option.

“You all stay here and support us if things go south. If we’re discovered, there might be a clash.”

If we’re wrong and the Grimnir Church is innocent, they probably won’t try to kill me. They’d just use my infiltration as a diplomatic bargaining chip.

They wouldn’t want to make an enemy of a high-ranking noble and key figure of the Elpinel Church.

But if they’re up to no good with the poor, they’ll definitely try to kill me to silence me.

In that case, the whole city would turn against us. You’d notice such a commotion even if you’re hiding here.

“Wait, I’m going too…?”

Hersh tilted her head, sweating nervously.

What, did you think you weren’t? You said infiltration was your specialty, didn’t you?

“Of course. What, you don’t want to go? You’re not about to say you don’t want to go in front of me, are you? I’d hate to think that.”

She has no rights, and those without rights have no right to refuse. Hersh, looking like a wet dog, shook her head.