Salt-Stained Desert.
The most desolate territory in Iberia, a spectacle created after the Great Silence receded.
Salt and sand mixed together, covering the Daichi; vegetation withered, and living things fled.
In the white desert, a symbol of death, only special species like the salt scales can survive, besides the Iberia who struggle to survive.
Just now, an Earthshaking Saltscale is lying in a sand dune, basking in the sun.
Its massive size, compared to its own kind, makes it fearless of predators. Its thick hide and powerful escape ability leave even starving human inhabitants helpless.
Just then, a sand barge sailed towards them, blocking the road without any regard for the road conditions.
"Mind making way, everyone?"
The human voices made Saltscale turn over in dissatisfaction. He looked up and saw that the sand boat wasn't very big, and the people weren't very tall either.
Salt Scale lazily rolled over, clearly not intending to move.
"Alright, this is a good opportunity to test the new potion."
The glass bottle landed on Salt Scale's head, causing no pain or itch, but as it shattered, a strong stench began to permeate the air.
"Moo--!"
Screaming and rolling in the sand, Salt Scale raised its head, its bloodshot eyes glaring at the dark-skinned boy on the boat.
The latter shook another reagent in his hand.
"Do you want more? We still have quite a bit stored for experimental comparisons."
Salt Scale let out a mournful cry, realizing it was no match for this despicable human, and burrowed into the sand to flee in disarray.
The sand barge continued its journey. Thorns raised his hand to his forehead, gazing at the distant town and sighing:
"No wonder everyone who left didn't want to come back; the desert climate is just too dry."
Although he had given the order to have Thorns infiltrate the bandits, Vane wasn't so reckless as to let him do it alone.
The Inquisition staff within the Salt Desert will cooperate with Operation Thorns; for secrecy reasons, this information has only been disclosed to the Yalong Town members guarding the external passage.
For Thorns, who had left by crossing the border, this was his first time visiting this legendary place.
Yes, it's a legend.
In the resource-scarce salt desert, Yalong Town is one of the few Village Town people can live normally.
The cause and effect, in essence, lies in the Inquisition stationed here and the judge who has governed this place for decades.
With the sand barge moored outside, Thorns did not intend to swagger in to be greeted.
He's here to gather intelligence; he needs to at least see the true state of the town first.
Thorns mingled into the town, observing its surroundings.
The buildings, the same color as the white desert, are eerily white.
Even though the weather was nice today, you could count the number of people on the street on one hand.
"... Has the policy not been implemented here yet?"
Thorns found it strange; the Inquisition's subsidy policy had been fully implemented in each branch, so the residents here should also receive subsidies.
Walking along the shadows of the house, Thorns inside out of the corner of his eye.
He saw the residents; even though it was broad daylight, these people were praying in their homes, with offerings placed on their altars...
Pure Gold?
Thorns stopped in his tracks in surprise.
It was this action that made the residents inside the house notice the figure outside the window.
"Ah, Aegir?"
"... Feel sorry."
Seeing the fear in the residents' eyes, Thorns lowered its head and quickly left.
Feeling a sense of unease about his Aegir identity, Thorns began to ponder the anomaly.
The subsidies have clearly been issued, so why is there still this atmosphere?
Is it because they can't buy food? But food is clearly included in the subsidy program...
Bang--
A figure bumped past him, disrupting his Thorns thoughts and causing his expression to change abruptly.
"Hey! Put down what you're holding!"
After a brief pause, the figure sprinted away for its life.
"Hateful!"
Thorns chased after them with all their might, and the two energetic figures, completely out of place in the town's atmosphere, quickly attracted everyone's attention.
"Stop! Those two suspects over there, stop right now!"
A trainee priest in uniform with his head covered by a black cloth came chasing after them from the other side.
Thorns caught a glimpse of the official uniform, breathed a sigh of relief, and pleaded for help:
"Hello, my things were stolen by the guy in front of me, I'm... what are you doing!?"
The Thorns dodged in surprise, while the long staff that had just brushed past them slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"You're a suspect too! Didn't you hear me when I told you to stop?!"
Meanwhile, another novice priest also noticed something amiss.
"Is this guy not a local, but a bandit who infiltrated the area!?"
The atmosphere was tense. Facing the hostility between the two, Thorns's expression was solemn as he slowly raised his hand.
"Okay, I surrender, stop fighting."
"..." x2
The two novice priests had clearly never seen anyone like this before. After hesitating for a moment, they bound Thorns's hands with rope.
"Um, what should I do if the thief steals my things?"
It seemed that Thorns's good attitude had eased the tension, and a novice priest rebuked:
"Someone will arrest him. As for you, you'd better explain honestly where you came from and what you're going to do."
"Um, I came from the Inquisition headquarters. My identification is in my right leg pocket."
The two trainee priests were taken aback, but immediately verified the information and found it to be true.
"I am so sorry! It was our carelessness that caused this tragedy!" x2
"Sin... it's not really a sin."
Thorns retracted his disguise as an ordinary priest, his curiosity about the town's eerie atmosphere growing stronger.
Everyone here seems very nervous. Is there a reason for that?
Following his curiosity, he asked the question, and the two priests exchanged a glance before giving him an answer.
"That's how Yalong Town is. As for the atmosphere you mentioned..."
"Because of the policies promulgated by the new king, many desert bandits want to return to the towns... Hmph! What right do those scoundrels have?"
Thorns scratched his head, realizing they had mistaken him for a bandit.
"Well, anyway, thank you for your hard work."
Just as Thorns was about to continue extracting information from the two, the thief who had previously escaped was captured by another group of priests.
As the priests exchanged information, Thorns also glanced at the thief.
The boy, who was quite young and very thin, was shivering.
Who is he?
"They're the bandits we told you about before; they want to disguise themselves as normal residents to collect subsidies."
"Ha, we know every single one of the townspeople here!"
Sand bandits, so small?
Thorns fell silent, and the novice priest beside him tugged at the rope binding the thief.
"Then, Thorns, we'll take him with us and leave."
"Etc."
Seeing the boy's fearful expression, Thorns called out to him.
"I won't pursue this further, can you let him go?"
"Let... you go?"
The novice priest stiffly repeated the instructions, exchanging bewildered glances with his colleagues.
"No, we haven't let that claim go."
Thorns was taken aback for a moment, then said he was willing to pay the ransom.
"No, no, no, that's not what we meant."
The trainee teachers quickly refused, then stated righteously and firmly.
"According to the rules, townspeople who steal here will be hanged, let alone this bandit."
"Hanging?" Thorns was bewildered.
He's just a petty thief; even with his own forgiveness, does he really deserve this kind of punishment?
"Of course! No sin, however small, is unforgivable!"
As if struck by a thought, the two novice priests who had attacked several times earlier stepped forward together.
"We attacked you before, so we are equally guilty, and you can take our lives."
Thorns's expression turned serious; he seemed to know what was wrong with the town.
"What if I don't take your lives and want to save this child?"
Please don't interfere with our work!
The novice priests immediately became alert, and although they did not aim their weapons at the Thorns, their positions subtly surrounded them.
"Absurd... Where did you get the rules you follow? I've never heard of such an option in the laws of the Inquisition!"
"Shut up! The judge made the right choice. Otherwise, how could this town be protected?"
"You..."
The argument between the group escalated, while the residents inside the house stood silently in the darkness of their windows, watching everything unfold.
Just as Thorns was getting into trouble and wondering whether he should reveal his identity...
"Thank you all for your hard work. I'll take over now. You may all step down."
"Your Majesty the Adjudicator!"
Thorns perked up and looked at the frail old man who was walking towards him.
"Silver, the administrator of Yalong Town, you are..."
"Priest, I recently became a priest."
The Thorns interrupted the opponent, Silver paused for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"Yes, Thorns Priest, please follow me."
Thorns nodded, turned around and grabbed the rope binding the thief; this time, no one stopped him.
They followed the thief to a building, where Silver escorted him to another room, leaving the two in the living room.
Before the Thorns could open, the old man lowered his head.
"I apologize, Your Excellency, for making this a laughing stock of you."
"... Don't use that name anymore, just call me Thorns."
Feeling uncomfortable with that respectful attitude, Thorns brought it up to divert the other person's attention.
"I'm here to deal with the situation of the sand bandits. I want to understand their composition and the residents' attitude towards them, so I can ultimately decide how to deal with them."
"Disposal?"
"Yes." Thorns's expression was serious.
"In the worst-case scenario, the Golden Armada will crush the sand and annihilate them all."
Silver opened his mouth, his pupils trembling.
"Your Majesty... have you already reached this level?"
Shouldn't you be shocked by his ruthlessness?
Thorns was somewhat confused and continued:
"The purpose of this trip is to infiltrate the bandits through Yalong Town. Of course, it would be even better if we could learn more directly from you."
"I'm sorry, I can't answer that for you." Silver shook his head.
"Everyone has a different perspective, and interpreting things from my point of view for those bandits is unfair to them."
Fair...
Thorns chewed on the word; this judge didn't seem to be the "corrupt official" he had imagined.
"Let's put aside the matter of the bandits for now. I took a stroll around the town earlier, and the people here seem to be very sensitive to [sin]. Do you know why?"
"Sin..."
Silver's gaze drifted into the distance as he began to reminisce.
"I came here decades ago. By then, all the young people had left, and only the elderly, the weak, and the disabled remained. They were all survivors of that chaotic era."
"But people were still burning, killing, looting and smashing every day. In order to restore order, I allowed my colleagues at the time to use violent law enforcement."
"You... are very honest."
Thorns didn't know what to say. Wasn't he afraid that Thorn would report this information to the Inquisition?
"Frankly... no, if it weren't for the new king changing the status quo, I would never have said these things."
When Vane was mentioned, Silver's eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again.
"But the king of that era is dead, and no one can save us. Compared to the pressure of survival, the mental breakdown is the biggest obstacle to rebuilding order."
"Lord Carmen's adaptation of the doctrines from Laterano has indeed saved many people from the brink of mental collapse, but... some have also developed other ideas."
Silver sighed.
"Many people think this way..."
[Is it because we carry sin within us that God has not saved us?]
Thorns's brow furrowed deeply.
"So you let this go unchecked, or even fueled it?"
"Yes."
Silver admitted it, and admitted it cleanly and readily.
"The Daichi cannot grow food, there is no clean water, many people are sick, and people die every day."
"In such desperate situations, people don't need many reasons to get their hands stained with blood, and law enforcement officers don't need much thought to believe they are upholding justice."
"To prevent such tragedies from happening, we must restrain malice with faith, suppress evil with violence, and regulate everything with strict laws."
Thorns fell silent; he understood the other's thoughts.
In that chaotic era, they could not make the world a better place, but they could do their best to prevent it from getting worse, even if the price was abhorrent violence.
No wonder the Inquisition's work always seems to be stalled...
Clearly, not everyone could accept such oppressive rule, and those who left became bandits.
Just as Thorns knew, many people became bandits simply to survive, and as the new policy became more widespread, some people would naturally change their stance.
But the sins committed for survival will not disappear, and the residents of Yalong Town clearly have no intention of accepting the other side.
I have only one request for the people, and it's very simple... You are not allowed to betray them.
Thorns's head throbbed with pain as he recalled what Vane had said.
Betray...
Is it considered betrayal for the bandits to leave in search of a way to survive?
Does Silver's act of altering the law to restore order and then concealing it constitute betrayal?
He just had the idea of covering for the other person; does that count as betrayal?
I don't understand, why should I be the one to decide?
The Thorns lowered their heads, their gaze drawn to the flowering tree in the vase.
"... There are flowers even in the salt desert?"
"You mean this?" Silver, somewhat surprised.
"This is the only flower that can bloom on saline-alkali land. Dr. Anoah Ayr spearheaded the planting of it and has been growing it for decades to make ointments."
Silver smiled as he reached out and touched the petals.
"In the past, townspeople often gave us flowers, probably to express their gratitude."
"Now, thanks to His Majesty, people can treat their illnesses without using that ointment, so very few people are specifically cultivating it anymore. It probably won't be long... before we can see it anymore."
Looking at the cluster of white flowers that were exactly like those in the salt desert, Thorns suddenly said:
Why didn't you hide it?
He stared into Silver's eyes, trying to see the lie within.
"Everyone trusts you, right? They can hide the past as long as you give the order, so why tell me directly?"
"As a special envoy, I must report everything I know; both the Inquisition and the new king will be aware of it."
The Thorns lowered the volume of the sound.
"Aren't you afraid of dying?"
Silver was stunned for a long time, then raised his hand and patted the badge on his chest heavily.
"I am an Inquisitor, responsible for judging all crimes and punishments that I see, including my own."
The two stared at each other in silence, Silver clearly prepared to be punished.
I hate betrayal.
Finally, Thorns trembled as he took out the Telephone Snail, and as it transformed into its familiar form—
[Hey, Thorn Tyrant, do you have some new information?]
"... It's Thorns. If you really can't, you can call me by my real name."
[Okay, Thorn Tyrant.]
With a deep sigh, knowing that he couldn't change that willful king, Thorns simply explained the situation.
[Hmm... why blame him? Isn't he a rare talent?]
"Ah?"
[What? As the King of Iberia, I pardon his sins. Let him return to receive a blessing when you have time; such a valuable asset shouldn't be wasted.]
"Received! May I request assistance? The defenses here are rather weak; it would be dangerous if the sand bandits besiege us. My request isn't much, just one Holy Blood Angels..."
[Don't even think about it. The Holy Blood Angels can't be transferred. They need to go to the border to prepare for the next phase of the war and defend the country's defenses. Besides, didn't I give you the Buster Call?]
Can you just use that thing casually!?
Thorns thought to himself, then suddenly realized something.
"Opening the country's doors?"
[Huh? Didn't I tell you?]
A surprised voice came from the other end of the phone, followed by panting and the sound of clothes rubbing together.
"Absolutely not. By the way, what are you doing right now?"
Thorns's expression turned strange; he seemed to hear a woman's voice.
[I had someone help me get dressed~]
The atmosphere on one end of the phone fell silent, while the voice on the other end continued.
[Hiss--It's a bit tight.]
"Couldn't you... restrain yourself a little?"
[Huh? What nonsense are you talking about?]
The Telephone Snail's expression clearly conveyed Vane's confusion, but it seemed something was amiss on the other end, so Vane didn't press the matter.
[Never mind, you'll see it eventually anyway, so I'll hang up now.]
In the Grand Cathedral of Gran Faro, Vane grinned and gestured to the waiter to take the Telephone Snail away.
"Hiss-- Skadi, are you done yet? I can't hold it in any longer!"
"You have to endure it, even if you can't help it!"
Irene stared intently at the scene unfolding before her.
"Your papal robes were passed down from the Pope of the State Church, please be careful... Miss Skadi, please be gentle!"
She'd witnessed Skadi's monstrous power firsthand, so why would she need Skadi's help?
"I... I'll be careful..."
Skadi, who was dressing Vane, was startled and tightened her grip, causing Vane to immediately activate his Immortal Body.
"It's broken! It's broken! My back is going to break!"
Irene's breathing grew heavier; she could almost see the threads on her clothes coming undone.
"So I'm already receiving wholesale funding, why do I still have to wear this old-fashioned robe to ascend the throne?"
Vane glanced to the side, displeased. Carmen explained:
"After all, what you are to do is not only become the new king, but also replace God's position in the Inquisition, and the papal attire helps to enhance that impression."
"Thank you so much!"
In a flurry of activity, the outfit was finally changed.
Everyone stared in disbelief at Vane's drastically changed appearance.
"What's wrong? Why do you all have that look on your faces?"
The blood-red hunter's outfit was replaced, and a Platinum- and-white holy armor wrapped around her perfect body. Her smooth, long hair fell with gravity, and the fusion of black and white did not appear jarring, but rather more harmonious.
"Your Majesty Vane, why don't you try being a little more serious?"
"Oh oh."
Vane tried to put on a stern face, and everyone gasped.
No! Who are you? Get off the king!
The leap in temperament was so outrageous that even the usually silent Ulpianus offered his opinion.
Surprisingly, this outfit suits you quite well if you don't speak.
Vane's face fell; he showed absolutely no appreciation.
"With all those identical clothes in your closet, it sounds completely unreliable."
(Fun fact: all the clothes in Ulpianus's wardrobe are exactly the same, except for the size.)
Ulpianus fell silent. "How do you know how many outfits I have in my closet?"
The Saints standing nearby were filled with delight as they looked at Vane's new appearance.
"Great! That's perfect! With the prepared speech, the ceremony is sure to be a complete success!"
"Hmm, what speech?"
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, everything is prepared for you. Please confirm your makeup for the stage with us."
"What! There are still more!?"
Vane was reluctantly pushed away, and the others followed. Skadi, who was about to leave with them, was stopped by Ulpianus.
"What's wrong, Captain?"
Seeing Skadi's eager expression, Ulpianus suddenly recalled her past sullen demeanor.
Without much hesitation, he remained the efficiency-driven team leader.
"I'm leaving."
"... leave?"
Skadi slowly withdrew her foot.
"That's right. After he completes his coronation, I will return to Aegir with the token of the King of Iberia to resolve Aegir's internal problems."
"I'm with the captain..."
No, you must stay here.
As if given a direct order without explanation, Ulpianus turned and walked into the shadows.
Without much reason, Skadi's stay was merely to act as a liaison with Aegir, and besides, bringing the enemy along in the upcoming battle would be of no use.
Leading those extraordinary Bloodline Heir to suppress the traitors within Aegir?
Although Vane's proposal gave Ulpianus a subtle sense of betrayal of his homeland, it was indeed the most efficient solution.
"Team leader."
The hunter called out to her captain.
"You said that Abyssal Hunters are connected by blood."
"..."
Ulpianus turned around, but Skadi was still standing in the same spot.
Just like when I first saw her at the receiving center, she stood there blankly, motionless...
"The newcomer... no, Skadi."
Ulpianus swallowed the reprimand that was about to come down his throat, along with a hint of tenderness in his eyes.
"This is not escaping; it is a mission unique to you."
No one will force you anymore.
"Task?"
"Ah, perhaps Seaborn's problem has been solved, and the Hunter will eventually retire from the stage."
You no longer need to fight.
"Therefore, the future path of hunters may become a new research topic."
[You... can live on now.]
Looking at Skadi's puzzled expression, Ulpianus's mind flashed with images of departing figures.
Skadi couldn't understand the captain's gaze, only sensing that he was inexplicably...
Sad.
"Skadi!"
"Yes!"
Without giving any further instructions, Ulpianus only asked one question before leaving.
"If you weren't a hunter, what kind of life would you want to live?"