The incident with the Whip User was troublesome, requiring a lot of aftercare.
First, it was difficult to convince the Holy Knight Order that Holy Knight Luna had been manipulated by the enemy.
However, by carefully accumulating circumstantial evidence, we somehow managed to get them to believe us in the end.
Consequently, Holy Knight Luna was imprisoned and confined for a period of time.
This was a temporary measure until the Whip User could be dealt with.
However, due to the prison break incident involving Spear User Marukt, I was a little worried that something similar might happen again.
After discussing this with the Holy Knights at the base, it was decided that Aurora and I, along with others, would be in charge of guarding the prison for the time being.
I may be overthinking things, but I couldn’t shake off my unease.
Regardless, I wouldn’t be able to rest assured until the Whip User was dealt with, and the situation wouldn’t move towards a resolution.
Being constantly on the defensive put us at a disadvantage.
In an attempt to break the stalemate, I headed to the residence that was said to be the Whip User’s true headquarters.
This information was extracted from Holy Knight Luna and Dagger User Hod.
However, it was a dead end.
The place was just one of the houses in the city, and by the time we arrived, it was already deserted. Even after observing it for several days, the situation remained the same.
When I interviewed the neighbors, they told me that a woman fitting the description had indeed moved in about a month ago and lived there, but she hadn’t been seen for the past few days.
She was someone with a keen intellect.
Seeing that Luna and Hod had fallen into our hands, she might have changed her base of operations.
However, this effectively ended our pursuit of the Whip User.
We had Miina, who was skilled at drawing likenesses, draw a wanted poster of the Whip User. The Holy Knight Order mobilized its forces, and Seraphina’s magic was also employed in the search, but no leads were found.
It was frustrating, but for now, we had no choice but to give up on searching for the Whip User.
We had circulated the wanted poster, so we could only hope that she would be caught if she made a conspicuous move.
Then, one day, something completely unexpected happened to us.
Or rather, it happened to Holy Swordswoman Holy Knight Aurora, to be precise.
“I… am the culprit in the murder of a Holy Knight…!?”
This happened while Aurora and I were guarding the prison where Holy Knight Luna was incarcerated.
A clergyman from the Militia Church, followed by a throng of soldiers, appeared before us.
The clergyman appeared to be an elderly man, adorned with a magnificent robe and a holy emblem signifying his high status within the church.
The clergyman, who introduced himself as Gildo, seemed to hold the rank of Bishop.
A Bishop is quite a high-ranking official among the clergy.
In this Holy Kingdom, clergy members are afforded a high social standing.
A Bishop would be comparable to a mid-to-high-ranking noble in other countries.
Bishop Gildo, a man of such standing, addressed Aurora with an arrogant tone.
“Ah, that is correct. Strictly speaking, that is the suspicion currently leveled against you. Holy Knight Aurora, you are suspected of murdering one Holy Knight and several soldiers. Therefore, you are to be apprehended and questioned in an appropriate location.”
“Wh-what…!? I didn’t do anything like that! There must be some mistake!”
“If that is the case, then do not resist and come quietly to be taken away. If you are truly pure of heart and in body, that fact will soon become apparent. —Arrest her.”
Upon Bishop Gildo’s command, several soldiers moved to apprehend Aurora.
Seized simultaneously by multiple soldiers, Aurora, bewildered, was bound with ropes and restrained.
Of course, if Aurora, the Holy Swordswoman, had truly resisted, she would not have been captured by such a small number of soldiers. Her passive compliance was due to her hesitation to resist.
“Doug… Douglas… What’s going on…?”
“Douglas, this is wrong! Aurora would never do something like that!”
“Lord Douglas… What should we do…?”
Miina, Elen, and Seraphina, who were on guard duty with me, looked at me pleadingly.
“Master, this situation smells fishy. There may be something more to this matter.”
Lombardia also conveyed this thought to me.
“You think so too, huh…?”
I didn’t understand how things had escalated to this point, but it certainly felt suspicious.
At least Bishop Gildo and the soldiers weren’t wearing the silver collars.
“Hey, Bishop-san,” I said.
The Bishop, Gildo, visibly scowled.
“Who are you? An adventurer? Please remain silent if you are an outsider.”
“Why is a Bishop from the Militia Church interfering in the Holy Knight Order’s affairs?”
“I told you to be silent, outsider. If you interfere with law enforcement activities, we will consider you an enemy and eliminate you.”
“Tsk, you’re not budging at all, are you?”
“………”
After refusing to answer, he then fell silent.
However, what they were doing wasn’t entirely without reason… or was it?
And despite my gut feeling that something was amiss, I didn’t have any concrete evidence to suspect Bishop Gildo himself.
He might just be a good and righteous person who has gotten carried away by a misunderstanding.
That’s possible for a believer of the Militia Church.
If that were the case, Aurora could likely resolve this by calmly explaining herself during the interrogation… but.
The situation made it difficult to take decisive action.
I turned to Aurora and asked, “What do you want to do, Aurora? Will you go with them?”
“Wh-what do I want to do…? There’s nothing to want to do. If I’m suspected as a culprit, I have to explain myself and plead my innocence…”
“No, there’s another option. Aurora, you have the power to refuse and say ‘No’ right here. Whether you go with them or refuse—”
“Don’t make me warn you again, you filthy adventurer! You men, surround this man!”
As I was speaking with Aurora, Bishop Gildo shouted in anger.
Following the Bishop’s order, about ten soldiers surrounded me and my companions, drawing their weapons.
“Unc… Uncle…! —Bishop Gildo! Uncle… Douglas is not a bad person!”
“You be quiet, Holy Knight Aurora. —Adventurer, I won’t say it a fourth time. Stay silent, outsider.”
“…What if I refuse?”
“That’s why I said not to make me repeat myself. I said we will consider you an enemy and eliminate you.”
“Ah, I see.”
It seemed that Bishop Gildo really hated being interfered with by me.
Or rather, it was more likely that he disliked Aurora being made aware of options other than passive arrest.
I saw that Miina, Elen, and Seraphina were all looking at me with worried eyes.
I let out a deep sigh.
Well, it was probably time to “make a decision.”
Resolute, I met Bishop Gildo’s gaze.
And then, I declared,
“And—do you think you can do that?”
I pulled out my gold adventurer’s identification and showed it to him.
Upon seeing it, Bishop Gildo’s eyes widened considerably.
“Wh-what…!? An A-Rank adventurer…!?”
“Yes, as you can see. —Hey, soldiers, if you think I’m bluffing, don’t hesitate to attack. But only if you’re prepared to be considered enemies and eliminated.”
I readied the Holy Axe Lombardia that I carried on my shoulder, and at the same time, I flaunted my adventurer’s license.
The soldiers surrounding us clearly faltered.
Then, I asked Aurora, “So, Aurora, what will it be? I find these people very suspicious. But I have no proof. Will you go with them, or will you come with us—Aurora, you have to decide for yourself.”
Miina, Elen, and Seraphina gathered close to me.
All four of us, including myself, turned our gazes towards Aurora.
Meanwhile, Aurora, even as she was being grabbed by soldiers and about to be bound with ropes, looked at us.
“I… decide…?”
“That’s right.”
“If I go with Uncle, will I still be a Holy Knight…?”
“I can’t guarantee that. You might even become a fugitive along with us, let alone a Holy Knight.”
“………”
Aurora fell into thought.
During this time, Bishop Gildo was loudly exclaiming, “What are you doing, cut down this adventurer at once! Have you forgotten your devotion and righteous heart!” and “Hurry and drag away the Holy Swordswoman!”, but none of the soldiers approached us to attack, and even if the soldiers tried to drag her, Aurora herself would not move.
And then, Aurora finally made her decision.
“I—I will go with Uncle!”
She forcefully broke free from the ropes used to restrain her and blew away the soldiers who were holding her.
Aurora rushed over and took my hand.
Miina, Elen, and Seraphina then joined their hands with ours.
“Uncle. Am I a bad girl now?”
“Yes. Aurora is a splendid bad girl.”
I gently stroked Aurora’s head.
The young Holy Swordswoman blushed and hugged me.
“Alright, then let’s escape, everyone.”
“Yes!”
“Got it, nya!”
“Okay!”
“As Lord Douglas wishes.”
And so, we fled from the front of the prison.
From behind us, Bishop Gildo’s voice, shouting, “What are you doing, chase them! Don’t let them escape!”, echoed like background noise to our escape.
