The Moment Dekan Put on the Mask, He Had No Intention of Keeping Up the Act

As for why Dekan only arrived in the town five days after the High Priest disappeared, it has to do with the town's terrain.

The town is situated in a treacherous location; the road to the city is blocked by a large cliff hundreds of meters high.

If you cross the bridge, it will only take a few hours to get from the town to the city.

If you take the long detour, you will travel along rugged mountain paths and it will take about two days to reach the city.

Upon discovering that High Priest Kevin was missing and the bridge had been destroyed, the townspeople's knights quickly rushed to the city-state.

But it took two whole days to successfully convey the message.

It took Dekan, sent by the church, two more days to arrive in the town.

After listening to the mayor's account, Dekan couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

He didn't know how the Holy Rite Church judged the seriousness of the "disappearance of the High Priest" and the "damage to the bridge."

Is sending only one priest, Dekan, to investigate this matter underestimating its importance?

Of course, since Dekan knew the background story of the Shadow World, he was certain that something would happen later.

The Holy Rite Church was unaware of this crucial spoiler.

"Could you please take me to see the damaged bridge?"

"Come with me."

At Dekan's request, the mayor took Dekan to a cliff not far from the town to take a look.

Even before reaching the edge of the cliff, Dekan could sense the powerful visual impact of looking down at the hundred-meter drop.

He carefully examined the damaged bridge.

Although the broken bridge looks exactly like it was destroyed from the middle.

However, upon closer analysis, it becomes clear that the fracture did not appear to have been caused by physical attack.

Instead, someone standing on one side of the bridge used powerful magic to destroy the central part of the bridge, causing it to gradually collapse.

It's as if someone wants to stop the townspeople from quickly establishing connections with the city-state.

Dekan seemed unsatisfied with observing from a distance, and took a few more steps toward the edge of the cliff until he stepped onto the very edge.

Be careful!

The mayor wasn't worried about Dekan; he simply didn't want anything to happen to the priest in town.

However, Dekan simply wanted to confirm his favorite high-altitude terrain.

He looked down the cliff and saw only steep natural rock walls and sparse vegetation. On both sides of the cliff were narrow paths, and the center was occupied by a rushing torrent.

If you accidentally fall in, you might not die, but you don't know where the river will take you.

Dekan stepped back from the edge of the cliff, looking thoughtful.

He felt the rapid current was a hindrance and banned terrain-based kills.

If the area below the cliff is rock, or even spikes, that would be even better.

Will this bridge be able to be repaired?

Dekan looked at the mayor and asked.

"The knights we sent to the city-state also notified the bridge repair contractors, but after looking at the bridge from the other side, they indicated that they would like to come back to assess the situation. They should arrive in town by today at the latest."

Just as the mayor was speaking, there seemed to be some movement coming from the forest on the opposite bank.

Then, Dekan and the mayor looked up and saw a large caravan of carriages appear on the other side of the cliff.

Apart from a few guards, the rest were engineers and workers, and they looked like a professional engineering team.

They brought their manpower and various materials, seemingly ready to start work at any time.

Next, the two leaders rode a small Wyvern across the cliff to the town.

"Why don't I get this kind of treatment?"

"Ha, would the church really provide you with a Wyvern just because of this special circumstance?"

The mayor made no attempt to hide his disdain for Dekan.

The Wyvern that the Chamber of Commerce is possessing is clearly of considerable value.

Unless there is a special purpose, it probably wouldn't be used lightly.

The two people who landed from the Wyvern were a middle-aged man and an ordinary-looking guard.

The middle-aged man is probably the engineer who came to this side of the bridge to observe it closely.

Furthermore, he would provide a quote based on the situation, sign a contract with the town mayor, and collect a deposit.

When the town mayor saw the engineer, a rare smile appeared on his face.

He then looked at Dekan and asked:

"Priest, would it be convenient for you to leave for a moment?"

Dekan frowned beneath the mask; he had already yielded time and again.

If Cornelia were here, he would really like to tie up this mayor and take him to church to make him repent.

"The bridge is relevant to my investigation, and the engineer's analysis of it may help me deduce the truth, so please allow me to continue accompanying you."

Dekan answered.

"Let's do it together then."

The mayor gave a barely audible hum, then replied dismissively.

"Priest, please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything I can do to help you."

The engineers, however, were very friendly and respectful towards Dekan.

Even though this priest's appearance is a bit... bizarre, since the mayor didn't question anything, it's clear that he's a legitimate priest.

After all, no one would dare to easily impersonate a priest of the Holy Rite Church.

Dekan noticed a fleeting hint of surprise in the eyes of the guards surrounding the engineer when they saw him.

It seems they've realized that this [Red Center Mask] is a Magic Card product that doesn't belong to this world.

Even the slightest hint of emotion was noticed by Dekan.

Dekan was quite certain that the Guardian was a challenger.

The guards could have concealed the emotions in their eyes.

But perhaps because Dekan's current appearance was too outrageous, the guards couldn't maintain their composure for a moment.

The engineer quickly completed the assessment of the bridge's condition and offered the mayor a price of 300 Holy Gold Coin.

The mayor decisively took out 100 Holy Gold Coin as a deposit.

Just as the engineer was preparing to return to the other side of the bridge with his guards...

"I've noticed that the old church also needs repair. Could you please come and take a look at it as well?"

Dekan suddenly asked the engineer a question.

"No problem, Priest."

The engineer responded in a friendly manner.

So, led by Dekan, the four of them went to the church together.

Beneath the mask, Dekan's smile gradually became harder to conceal.

We've gathered most of the key intelligence; it's time to make our move.

One hundred Holy Gold Coin is a decent amount of activity funds, enough for him to comfortably advance his missions in the city-state.

Incidentally, you can also "borrow" that Wyvern and quickly head to the city-state to find Cornelia.

The moment everyone entered the church.

Dekan immediately closed the door and used the [Hypnosis Gas], then held his breath and put his hand under the mask to cover his mouth and nose.

He wanted to take down the other three without them even realizing it.

However.

To Dekan's surprise, the guard also skillfully covered his mouth and nose!

Even...

He also used a [Hypnosis Gas]!

The two people moved in remarkably unison.

It seems even their modus operandi is the same!

Without a doubt, the [Hypnosis Gas] in the guard's hand was also produced by Dekan.

He only ever sold this card in his hometown!

Despite the guard's disguise, Dekan already knew who he was!