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Chapter 225

Mev noticed they were wearing armor under their robes and that their right hands were positioned inside, ready to draw their swords at any moment. Those robes weren\'t just designed to look like cloaks with attached sleeves; they actually were.

As she observed them, their hoods pulled down low, Mev added, "Have they come rushing here after hearing rumors from the West?"

Philip, looking back at her, smiled faintly. "That\'s fortunate. We might get some help. If we inform them we\'ve already stopped the ritual here—"

"But the atmosphere feels off," Charlotte interrupted, her orange eyes filled with caution.

Philip shrugged nonchalantly. "Anyone would find us suspicious standing in the middle of this city. It\'s just a misunderstanding that can be cleared up. Isn\'t that right, my lord? ... My lord?"

Receiving no response, Philip finally turned to look in the opposite direction. Ian was also staring at them with sunken eyes.

"...?" Just as Philip tilted his head in confusion, one of the riders urged their horse forward with a steady clopping of hooves.

The other remained by the gate. The rider advanced a few more steps before stopping, still maintaining a considerable distance from the group. A low, deep voice resonated from beneath the deeply hooded cloak.

"Are you the elder of the Aynas family?"

"...!"

"...?!"

Everyone except Ian turned their eyes toward Thesaya in surprise. It was an unexpected opening line. Fortunately, neither Thesaya nor the group showed any signs of their surprise. With the composed demeanor of Tensia Aynas, she leisurely stepped forward.

Philip, having barely managed to recover from his surprise, blinked and whispered, "It seems they came through Drenorov after all."

"Are they here to investigate us after all..." Mev added quietly.

Thesaya, nodding subtly as she passed by them, also sent a quick glance toward Ian.

"...." Ian remained unresponsive, focusing solely on the hooded paladin. His Intuition, like Charlotte\'s, whispered of danger.

At the very least, these paladins did not follow them with good intentions. Nevertheless, they were dealing with paladins of the church. Until their identities and reasons for following were clarified, there was no reason to antagonize them.

"Looks like you got the order wrong." Thesaya, who had stopped, spoke up.

"Blocking our path and calling out names without any introduction is something criminals do. But you stand before me wearing the cloak of the Great Church." Her tone was calm and cold, the way Tensia Aynas would speak.

Looking directly at the paladin, she added, "So if you have business with us, first state your name and rank and request a conversation properly."

A brief, chilling silence followed. Then a short, low chuckle emanated from beneath the hood. "Indeed... That is fitting for an elder of the Aynas family."

The middle-aged paladin dismounted. The other paladin, who had been waiting behind, also dismounted almost simultaneously but did not step forward. Only the middle-aged paladin advanced a few more steps, maintaining a significant distance from the group. The white horse he had ridden turned around and trotted back the way it had come, well-trained as it was.

"...." The middle-aged paladin raised his left arm, revealing a heavy steel gauntlet under the wide and long sleeve.

As he slowly pushed back his hood, he began to speak. "I am Gothier, an Apostle of the Radiant Goddess, and a member of the purification squad, a beacon of light in the darkness."

Gothier\'s face came into view. He had short, light brown hair, and a similarly colored beard. His face was lined with scars from cuts and stabs. One eye was a clear brown, while the other was clouded white, obviously blind but uncovered by any patch.

"Lu Solar, my god..." Philip\'s sigh wasn\'t because of Gothier\'s ghastly appearance.

"Purifier..."

They were known as the divine retribution, composed of the most devout paladins, crusaders, and priests. They ventured into the darkest places, sacrificing themselves to bring light, and were simultaneously the subjects of many sinister rumors.

Interrogating and executing those associated with the corruption was part of their role. According to rumors, they administered the severest penalties for even the slightest connection to darkness or corruption, for divine retribution had no mercy. Philip didn\'t believe all the rumors, but even if only half or less were true, it wouldn\'t make much difference.

"Understand that I cannot reveal any further details about my identity. Purifiers do not disclose their exact affiliations or origins as a rule." Gothier locked his one eye on Thesaya.

Thesaya, lifting her chin slightly, responded, "Alright, Sir Gothier. What business do you have with me?"

Gothier answered matter-of-factly, "My business with you ends here. You are merely a waypoint. We seek Sir Ian Hope."

The group collectively held their breath for a moment. It was another name none of them had expected, especially his real name. Ian didn\'t even raise an eyebrow, though his thoughts were anything but calm.

Why are Purifiers looking for me?

They were characters he only encountered in very dangerous dungeons in the game. They were solely interested in illuminating the darkness and eradicating its remnants. They weren\'t always reliable allies, either. They were dangerous themselves, sometimes turning into corrupted beings or becoming fanatics who attacked while spouting nonsense.

Moreover, they had already linked him to Tensia.

"You’re chasing the wrong waypoint." Thesaya didn’t show any signs of being flustered. She merely tilted her head nonchalantly.

"I don’t know who Ian Hope is. He’s not with us."

"Indeed, they said the same in Drenorov. That there was no such person as Ian Hope." Gothier murmured as if he had expected this.

It was then that Ian realized these people had not received any information from the Count of Westwood. It meant they had been tracking him for a long time, even before that.

Gothier continued, "Therefore, we’ll verify your identities directly. Not just you, but all of your subordinates as well."

"That’s quite rude. You don’t have such authority, do you? Are you planning to oppress us by leveraging the church’s authority?" Thesaya retorted.

Gothier’s lips curled into a smile, though his eyes remained completely unamused, making his smile feel stark and cold. "Under normal circumstances, that would be true. But unfortunately, we do have that authority now. Darkness has descended upon the West, where you’ve set foot."

Gothier shifted his gaze to the ruined city and continued, "What is the reason for the elder of the Aynas family to step into the West? Why did the corrupted ones of Drenorov start to act up just as you arrived? How did peaceful Tessen end up in such a state, and is it really a coincidence that you’re in the midst of it all?"

His gaze returned to Thesaya. "We have the right to interrogate under the name of the church to uncover the truth. You are obligated to comply with our investigation. That is, if you and your family are still faithful devotees of the Radiant Goddess."

"...." Thesaya’s eyes twitched, and veins pulsed around them.

At least this reaction wasn’t an act. It was clear she couldn’t think of an immediate way out.

"... Ian." Charlotte, turning to Ian, whispered.

It was evident she felt it was time for her to step in. Ian gave a brief nod. There was no point in continuing to hide his identity when the paladins already knew everything and were just playing along.

"Stand back." Charlotte stepped forward.

Thesaya whirled around, her nose wrinkling in displeasure as she strode over to the group.

Meeting Ian’s eyes, she whispered, "Sorry, Ian. I wasn’t much help."

"No. You did well enough." As Ian replied, Charlotte, who had been glaring at Gothier, came to a halt. Her broad shoulders seemed to have gotten bigger momentarily.

"Show proper respect immediately! This person here is Sir Ian Hope, the transcendent of the North and the sole official Agent of the Great Platinum Dragon! He has concealed his identity to fulfill his mission, but if you continue this rudeness knowing that, it will be considered blasphemy!"

Her voice was clear and unwavering, without a hint of breathlessness.

However, neither Gothier nor the other purifier behind him kneeled.

"As expected. We found the right person." His only response was a cold, calm murmur.

Charlotte’s eyes narrowed. "Are you refusing to show respect to the Agent of the Platinum Dragon? Even while claiming to be purifiers of the church?"

"Not everyone in the church venerates the Platinum Dragon as a saint. We serve only the Radiant Goddess. Step aside. We must speak directly with him." Gothier spoke coldly, causing Charlotte\'s mane to ripple momentarily.

"You scoundrel—"

"... Enough. It\'s fine." Ian stepped forward at that moment.

Charlotte, gritting her teeth, growled low as she stepped back. Ian could feel Mev and Philip\'s gazes on the back of his head as he faced Gothier.

"So, what business do you have with me?"

Gothier\'s eyes twitched with an inexplicable hostility as he stared at Ian.

This guy came here looking for a fight, Ian thought.

Even so, Ian didn\'t draw his weapon. He needed to know why they were doing this before deciding to fight. He also needed to find out if their actions reflected the church\'s intentions. After all, the opponent was a holy knight of the order. Even a Purifier, at that.

"We know you obtained the idol of the corrupted from Lu Sard."

Gothier\'s growl was low and menacing.

"And that you acquired a cursed demonic sword from an unknown black knight."

So they\'ve been following me since Glumir, Ian thought, then asked, "And?"

"Hand over all the items and submit to an investigation. You must explain why an agent of the Platinum Dragon possesses such nefarious items and reveal your exact mission."

"... Interesting," Ian replied with a smirk, mirroring Gothier\'s cold, unamused smile.

Keeping his eyes fixed on Gothier, he continued, "Knowing I have those dark relics means you already knew they were in Glumir. You must also know whose hands they were in."

"...!"

"That implies your purification squad was aware of the vampire clan operating in Lu Sard and did nothing about it. Does the Great Church know about this, Sir Gothier?"

"What...?" Gothier\'s furrowed brow deepened with surprise. He had been losing his composure ever since facing Ian.

Philip\'s audible intake of breath from behind indicated that this line of thinking had not occurred to him.

Gothier finally responded, "I neither know nor care about the higher-ups\' intentions. All that matters is that those cursed items are in your possession."

"The dark relics will be delivered to the Platinum Dragon and destroyed following proper procedures. The demonic sword will meet the same fate. I obtained them for that purpose."

Ian spoke calmly, though it was a lie he didn\'t mind telling.

"And I can\'t disclose the mission entrusted to me by the Platinum Dragon to those who might have ignored the presence of demons. Unless you bring an order bearing the seal of the Pope or the Emperor. But it seems..."

"...."

"You don\'t have anything like that." Ian\'s smile deepened as Gothier\'s face contorted further.

This confirmed that Gothier was acting independently of the church and the Empire. The highest ranks of the church and the Empire would already know Ian was the Agent of Platinum Dragon. If they had sent someone, they would have included an official order to avoid insulting the Platinum Dragon.

"Go back, Sir Gothier. Thanks to you, I have more to report to the Platinum Dragon. In return, I won\'t hold your rudeness against you. Investigate your purification squad first, not me." Even though Ian doubted they would comply, he finished speaking.

Since Gothier was a direct paladin of the church, he had to maintain proper protocol.

Gothier\'s face, previously twisted in anger, turned expressionless immediately after. He spoke in a flat voice, "So, you refuse to cooperate with the investigation?"

"In summary, yes."

"In that case..." A golden light began to shine in Gothier\'s eyes. His robe fluttered silently, and his left arm had already disappeared into it.

Staring at Ian with his glowing yellow eyes, Gothier spat out, "... We will proceed according to protocol."