The mercenaries posing as Baron Iris's hires were Abner and the two ladies, Greed and Sloth.
In truth, the baron had hired no mercenaries. His family could not afford experienced ones. Sloth had simply planted a false memory in his mind.
Still, the baron had hardly lost out. With Abner and the others, his chances of surviving were much better.
Before long, the three followed Baron Iris out of the inn and into an old villa outside town.
A sinister air filled the place. The scent of age and decay seemed thick enough to breathe in.
They had arrived fairly early. The villa's hall was still sparsely occupied, with only four organizers and two or three minor nobles much like Baron Iris waiting there with their attendants.
The organizers, of course, remained hidden. But they could not escape the notice of Abner and his companions.
When Iris Baron Francis entered in a black knight's uniform, his posture straight and proud, one of the hidden organizers, Duke Graycastle Wimbledon Einhorn, said with a smile:
"Baron Iris came in person? Looks like that descendant of yours has driven him into a corner."
Beside him stood an elderly gentleman with white hair and beard. He was a Sequence 4 Undying, once a Beyonder of the Church of Combat. His service in its conflict with the Church of Evernight had earned him the title Dim Star.
The title had been rather arrogant. A Saint of the Church of Evernight had once driven him to the brink, forcing him into his "death" state ahead of time.
Because of that accident, he had recovered his memories late. Without realizing it, he had left the church and become a noble of Feysac's Northern Region.
The Church of Combat had not pursued the matter.
Now, the Demigod who