While Korgan Bloodaxe and Philip rested and recuperated, the pursuers chasing them—the armed forces of the Church of the Dead Three, or more precisely, the Church of Bane—encountered much the same thing Korgan Bloodaxe and the others had.
"Nothing but scraps left behind by vampires." After examining a corpse, a knight of the Church of Bane reported this to a priest of Bane.
That priest appeared to be the leader of the group.
Most priests of the Church of Bane were stern and gloomy, and this one was no exception. He wore a pitch-black silk robe, with Bane's holy symbol—carved from gold and gemstones—pinned to his chest. After receiving the knight's report, his already gloomy expression darkened further.
"Have the vampires become this brazen?"
In recent years, the Church of Bane had also been one of the main forces hunting vampires. After all, Bane was the God of Strife. Wherever there was conflict, there was the Church of Bane. They delighted in opposition and blood feuds.
"What should we do? Report this to the church and have them send reinforcements?" a knight asked.
Hearing the knight's question, the priest did not answer immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes and quietly sensed something.
"Mmm..." The priest let out a sound of pleasure, then opened his eyes with a cruel smile curling across his lips. "Report it, but we need do nothing ourselves. The vampires' actions have nothing to do with us. On the contrary, I smell strife and hatred. Isn't that precisely what we wish to see? We're going to Athkatla!"
"Athkatla? I recall... Solam seems to be there." That knight clearly held no low position within the Church of Bane; otherwise, he could not have learned so quickly that Solam was in Athkatla.
The priest glanced at the knight, his