Morning—
“Why does my head feel so dizzy?”
Rising from the bed, Lin Ling felt as though she had been elbowed in the head; her mind was completely foggy.
She clutched her head and thought for a moment.
Didn't she just drink water last night? Why did she pass out?
Pushing herself up, her hand brushed against something cold.
“Isn't this my necklace?”
She looked at her protective necklace, which had somehow been placed on the spot where Ivelia usually slept.
“Ah, right, I really wasn't wearing it yesterday.”
On second thought, Ivelia must have been the one to take it off. After all, only Ivelia could remove the necklace she wore.
Ivelia had been nowhere to be found these past two days.
But right now, Lin Ling had more important things to do.
Familiar with the way, she walked to the door of Ichikawa's room and gave it a few light knocks.
“Hey, Ichikawa! Ichikawa!”
There was no response from inside the room.
“Didn't we agree to go see Baron Will? Where is he?”
But she couldn't very well just barge into someone else's room.
“Oooohhhhh!”
But as Lin Ling was thinking, a loud cheer suddenly erupted from the tavern downstairs.
“What is that noise?”
Heading downstairs, Lin Ling saw a scene from the stairwell that almost made this 1-HP Saintess tumble straight down the steps.
Downstairs, Ichikawa had shed his armor at some point.
The shirt he wore underneath, printed with some anime girl, was fully on display as he stood atop a tavern table.
At the same time, a crowd of what looked like local townspeople had gathered around him.
Judging by the looks on their faces, they were all smiling happily.
Why?
Was it because these guys all liked the anime shirt Ichikawa was wearing?
Lin Ling was puzzled. The tavern had been incredibly empty yesterday, and even the vicinity of that damn Holy See had been filled with a heavy silence.
Why were there so many townspeople in the tavern today?
They were even surrounding Ichikawa and cheering endlessly.
Seeing Lin Ling come down, Ichikawa, holding a wine bottle, pointed toward her on the stairs.
“That person over there is the big shot who dealt with the priest.”
Hearing Ichikawa's words, the townspeople below turned their gazes in unison toward Lin Ling standing on the stairs.
“Thank you both so much for getting rid of that wretched priest for us!”
Hearing this collective shout, Lin Ling almost lost her footing and fell down the stairs.
“Didn't we just take action yesterday? How does everyone know about it today?”
The speed at which this information had spread was honestly a bit terrifying.
And where did it even leak from? We clearly used teleportation to get back.
Seeing Lin Ling's utterly dazed expression, Ichikawa approached her, reeking of alcohol.
“These guys have been gathered at the tavern entrance since this morning.”
Recalling how he had almost passed out when he came downstairs this morning and saw a massive crowd gathered outside the quiet tavern.
“It seems the tavern keeper spread the word last night, adding plenty of color to the story.”
Turning her head to glance at Charis, who was busy pouring drinks for customers behind the bar, she saw a bizarre grin plastered across his face.
“I'm rolling in it! Rolling in it!”
“Well, now we know at least one of his motives for spreading the news.”
The bustling townspeople watched the two of them converse, nodding as they bowed to Lin Ling one after another.
“Thank you both for getting rid of that newly transferred priest for us.”
“You might not know this, but that guy arrived a month ago. Because his father is the lord here, he led those wretched soldiers to barge into our homes using the guise of 'God' as an excuse.”
The townspeople didn't go into detail, but as the one who cleaned up the mess, Lin Ling knew better than anyone what Zakum had spent the money on.
That damn, magnificent church—Charis's money alone certainly wouldn't have been enough.
Furthermore, his father was merely a border baron; how could he possibly produce that much money?
In that case, his father clearly didn't seem to be a good lord either.
Lin Ling exchanged a few glances with Ichikawa. At this moment, the courage he had gained from the alcohol finally wore off completely.
“Should we go?”
“I think it's time.”
Amidst the drunken crowd in the tavern, the two individuals at the center of the town's gossip had already departed using teleportation magic.
Baron Will's Mansion—
“My Lord, the two young masters have still not returned.”
The maid trembled all over as she looked at Baron Will, who was currently eating lunch.
Clang!
The moment the words left her mouth, a vessel filled with scalding liquid was hurled straight at her face.
She let out a muffled groan.
Even though her face was being burned by the scalding liquid, she didn't dare make too much noise.
She then fell to her knees before Baron Will.
“I-I'm sorry, Baron Will.”
But as her forehead touched the floor, she felt a violent impact strike the back of her head.
Thud—
The maid's head was pinned to the floor under Baron Will's foot.
“An apology should look like this!”
Baron Will's face bore a sinister grin, reflecting his displeasure at the news the maid had delivered.
He wasn't just angry because Zakum and the other hadn't returned.
In the eyes of the surrounding maids, this Baron was practically basking in the pleasure of abusing others.
Thud, thud, thud—
Kick after kick landed on the back of the maid's head. Shards of glass from the shattered vessel could even be seen scattered on the floor beneath her.
Only when the clenched fists of the maid beneath his foot completely relaxed, and even his heaviest stomps no longer produced any muffled groans, did Baron Will finally halt his assault.
He turned his gaze to the surrounding maids, who kept their heads bowed, pretending to be oblivious to the scene.
“Listen to me, all of you!”
“I work myself to the bone on the border protecting you from those wretched demons, and you can't even tell me a simple thing like where my son is!”
“The next time you bring me such useless news, this will be your end!”
Grabbing her by the hair, he lifted the maid's blood-stained face from the floor. The anger on Baron Will's face finally melted away, replaced by a look of sheer pleasure.
“Drag her away. Get her out of my sight.”
Stomping once more on the motionless maid, Baron Will sat back down at the dining table.
The other maids exchanged glances, none of them daring to step forward.
Only after Baron Will finished his meal and left his seat did some of the maids finally venture toward their unconscious companion.
They lifted her up and carried her back to the maids' quarters.
Though called quarters, it was merely a dilapidated shack. A woman, seemingly not very old, stepped out of the building. She wore a relatively clean maid outfit, indicating she hadn't been here for very long.
The woman looked at the child being carried back.
“Was another child beaten today?”
The maids carrying her remained silent; the state of the girl in their arms spoke for itself.
The woman said nothing more, her eyes fixed on the maid being carried in.
She was probably beyond saving, too.
Among the children who had arrived recently, ever since that Emperor took the throne a month ago, it seemed that children brought in through unknown means met this fate daily.
Looking at the blood-covered face of the girl, the woman gestured for them to bring her inside.
Rate on N.U.
