Chapter 879

Chapter 879: Imperial Investigator

“Is that me?” Lolan Hill quickly responded.

The people around her instinctively moved aside at the gaze directed by the man’s finger, revealing the two young ladies behind her.

Seeing the lady knight clad in silver armor, the other guards were momentarily dazzled, but hesitated due to the obvious value of her armor. Someone who could wield such armor was no ordinary person; resisting might cost them their lives.

Most of these soldiers were ordinary men, equipped with complete armor and weapons to overpower civilians.

“Excuse me, is there something you need?” Lolan Hill stepped forward, standing in front of Lotte, and walked out from the crowd.

“Hmph, who are you? What brings you here?” He began thinking of an excuse to detain this girl.

This was Baron Moroz’s territory, and he had his uncle as a powerful backer. What couldn’t he do?

“I’m here on a mission to escort the Lenten merchant caravan,” she simply explained. Her attention was not on the greedy captain but rather on the few black-clothed soldiers behind him.

These soldiers, clad in cloaks, possessed strength between Sequence 3 and 4, making them rare elite troops. Their composed demeanor suggested they were not typical spoiled nobles’ children.

“Heh, you think just saying so will work? Come with me to the jail,” he said arrogantly, as if everything was under control.

He had used such tactics many times before. The adventurers wouldn’t dare offend Baron Moroz, and he always ended up benefiting.

To Lolan Hill, such orders seemed unreasonable and lacked fairness, but seeing the anxious looks around her, it seemed they had no better options.

“Sir, can we discuss this? Our leader, Miss Sharin, is a friend of Baron Moroz, and Miss Mesia here is the hero who escorted us here,” the temporary leader of the caravan stepped forward reluctantly, gesturing for someone to bring a small bag of gold.

The guard captain’s eyes gleamed with greed as he saw the gold, but he hesitated in front of the crowd.

“Do you think bribery and deceit will work on me? I am a loyal guard of Baron Moroz.”

He snatched the bag of gold and held it high, showing his disdain.

“Of course not, sir. We merely want to show our appreciation for your hard work by offering some money for dinner. It’s also a thank you for the care shown to the Lenten Trading Company,” the temporary leader quickly explained.

“Hmph.”

The guard captain seemed satisfied, but looking at Lolan Hill’s beautiful face, he hesitated. Fortunately, a black-clothed soldier approached and whispered something in his ear. Reluctantly, he nodded, handed the gold to his subordinate, and left with his men.

“Considering the Lenten Trading Company is a friend of Baron Moroz, we won’t pursue minor details this time,” the guard captain said before leading his team out of the courtyard and continuing their search down the street.

The Lenten Trading Company members finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After leaving and entering another house, the guard captain asked the soldier, “Why did you stop me just now? Even though you’re under the Investigator’s command, I want to know why.”

“The girl isn’t simple. She has at least Sequence 5 power. If things escalate, killing you and me would be easy,” the soldier replied succinctly.

“How is that possible? Didn’t you say she was only Sequence 4?” He wasn’t completely unaware; he had heard about Mesia before.

“Perhaps she recently advanced. You must have heard about geniuses achieving great feats after defeating strong enemies.”

“Indeed, she defeated a Sequence 5 black bear when she was Sequence 4, which is no small feat.”

The captain fell silent, pondering.

“Why is such a beautiful girl so powerful? It’s unfortunate,” he thought, then snapped back to reality at the sound of his subordinate’s report.

“Sir, this house has been checked. Nothing unusual found,” the soldiers reported after gathering some spoils.

“Alright, next house,” he took the bag of coins, shaking it slightly, pleased by the sound.

The soldiers continued their search, ostensibly for items and suspicious individuals, but also using it as an opportunity to extort money. Perhaps this was why they were so diligent.

“Sir, isn’t this behavior inappropriate?”

On the clock tower of the small town, two officers in black stood, one noticeably older and of higher rank.

“It’s fine. You’ve just graduated from the Royal Academy and aren’t familiar with these matters yet. You’ll get used to it,” the experienced officer answered calmly.

“Soldiers aren’t saints. To make them follow orders, you need to give them something, regardless of where it comes from.”

“But we are imperial investigators,” the younger officer faltered.

“Yes, we are the emperor’s eyes and sword, tasked with rooting out pests within the empire,” the elder officer smiled and waved his hand.

“You mean to say…”

“Yes, sir.”

“But have you considered what defines a pest? Or who are the true targets of our protection?” the elder officer continued.

“Not those paying bribes,” he pointed at the ordinary people being searched by soldiers.

“No, they are like crops, or wheat in the fields.”

“Do you know what wheat is? Yes, they are food, fuel, and important resources.”

“These soldiers are like harvesters, our allies, and our own people. Understand this difference.”

“When the emperor issues orders, who carries them out? When war drums sound, who leads the charge? When royal dignity is challenged, who punishes the disrespectful?”

“It’s the loyal nobles, the ancient families sworn to protect the realm. They are the backbone of the empire.”

“People are ignorant, greedy, and ruthless. They might seem cooperative now, but without swords and armor, they’d give you nothing.”

“Without guards, they’d steal from you. Without punishment, they’d defy any order.”

“Think they’d remember and thank you for treating them well? No, they’d complain more, wanting more. Everyone else gets more, why not me?”

“They’d betray for petty gains, break oaths and agreements, hiding because they once borrowed money.”

“If they repay, they’ll be ridiculed. Isn’t that foolish?”

“So, people are like crops. You must tend them, prune them, or they’ll grow wild.”

“And the pests? They abandon their duties, incite others to do the same. Left unchecked, they’d spread like locusts, ruining everything,” the experienced investigator commented about revolutionaries.

“Though Baron Moroz lost something important, this search is a chance to root out hidden pests.”

“Now, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

The young officer’s confusion dissipated, replaced by determination and coldness.

They are loyal to the emperor, bound to maintain the empire’s unity and greatness.

—

Nighttime searches, after initial commotion and surprise, calmed down. Despite murmurs and complaints, people remained rational and compliant in the face of sharp blades and guns.

“Search!”

A few soldiers pushed open the door of a small household.

“Your face is unfamiliar. Where are you from?” These local soldiers knew the area well.

In the small courtyard, apart from the couple, there were two young men who didn’t look like farmers.

“We are adventurers from Ironhill City. We heard there are many demonic beasts here, so we came,” they explained reasonably.

“Is that so.” The soldiers briefly examined them and asked to see their adventurer badges.

“Here,” they obediently showed their badges, shrugging innocently.

Holding torches, they inspected the copper badges with slight stains reflecting faint light.

“Real ones,” the soldier confirmed and returned them.

Soon, the searching soldiers emerged and reported to the squad leader.

“Boss, everything normal,” he said, holding some sausages, one of which he bit into, leaving oil on his lips.

“Quite normal,” the squad leader looked at the sausages and nodded.

“Let’s go.”

They moved on to the next house, while a black-clothed soldier lingeringly glanced at the courtyard before catching up.

The search continued. As night deepened, fatigue set in.

Two investigators descended from the town’s clock tower, where several black-clothed soldiers reported.

“Most notable are these four houses,” the soldier said, pinning a yellowed map to the wall and lighting it with a torch.

The map roughly outlined the town and streets, with four red circles marking key locations.

“North Street near the city walls. An elderly knight, supposedly a distant relative visiting.”

“Middle Street near the market, a guest from the Eastern Region with documents, but our soldiers can’t verify authenticity.”

“Middle Street, a courtyard with merchants, including a Sequence 5 knight escorting the Lenten Trading Company. Their presence here is unusual.”

“Eastern outskirts, two adventurers staying in a civilian home. Though claiming to handle demonic beasts, they practice the demonic sequence, with outdated badges and few task records.”

Adventurers earn marks on their badges after each mission, a symbol of strength and honor.

“Other outsiders are weaker, some injured, showing no abnormalities,” the soldier analyzed.

“Stealing Baron Moroz’s treasure requires at least Sequence 4 to evade guards and disable defenses,” the soldier concluded.

“Good, this operation is much tighter than usual.”

“Then let’s act now,” the experienced investigator pulled his hat low and stepped forward, pointing at a spot on the map.

“First, these two.”

The hilt of the military saber, polished to a shine, pointed eastward in the city.

“Others have unique traits, making this pair of seemingly normal adventurers more suspicious.”

“Even if they’re not thieves, we’ll gain something,”

“Yes, sir!”

The central soldiers immediately stood at attention and, led by one, rushed towards the eastern part of the small town.

Agile and swift, their cloaks fluttered in the night like bats, approaching their target. Near the destination, they slowed down, becoming silent and stealthy.

Bam!

The old wooden door was kicked open, splinters flying. The sudden noise woke everyone. Black-clothed soldiers wielding sabers stormed the courtyard.

“You—” The homeowner, surprised, was cut off mid-sentence by a sharp blade through his chest.

“Ahh…” His eyes widened, mouth agape, feeling warmth leave his body, everything turning cold.

The homeowner slowly knelt and collapsed, vision blurring, only seeing black military boots enlarging in his eyes.

Clashes of weapons echoed from the backyard, then silence.

“Cursed, they escaped one.”

“Not worried, as long as we identify them, they can’t escape,” the voice from in front echoed.

The homeowner’s consciousness faded into darkness.

End of Chapter