From that day, Urza and Levienna started to investigate the temple.
They asked the town's residents, visited the temple and talked to the priests, gathered gossip in the taverns, and forced the guard about the information... they gathered information from every possible source while waiting for the arrival of their master, Zenon.
Thanks to their efforts, they were convinced that the temple was as black as it could be after a few days.
In the first place...it was an open secret that the royal palace and the temple were behind the human trafficking and kidnappings that were taking place in the capital.
Although no one spoke of it openly due to the harsh repression... many people said that the king had gone mad since a man named Rudanaga had been appointed as a Guru.
Although King Maafern is a proud king who is strict about his status.
However... because he respected his status, he was strict about the duties that went with it and had a strong sense of justice, hating injustice and crime.
Therefore, although he looked down on the ordinary people, he never oppressed them, and the townspeople looked up to him as a reliable king.
However...after Rudanaga became the guru, the king significantly increased the temple's power.
During this period, the king began to impose heavy taxes on the people, and high tolls were required to enter the capital.
Some righteous nobles advised the king to dismiss Rudanaga... but those nobles never left the palace again. It is rumored that they were executed for incurring the king's wrath or that they were sacrificed by Rudanaga in some mysterious ritual.
So, it must be the guru Rudanaga who is wreaking havoc in the Maafern kingdom.
The enemy's identity has been discovered, and all that remains is to await Zenon's arrival.
"But... it's not going to be that easy, is it?"
"Really, it's quite a puzzle, desu~no"
Levienna and Urza looked at each other and sighed.
They were surrounded by armed men, and an intense air came from all directions.
They are in an open space on the outskirts of the town. This situation, surrounded by enemies, is similar to when they were attacked by outlaws on their first day in the capital.
The difference is the people who are attacking them. They are not outlaws. Instead, they were people of the opposite status.
"Shut up!"
"You are under arrest! Tie them up!"
"Really... we're in trouble. I'm afraid we've been spotted sooner than we thought."
The men surrounding Levienna and Urza are the officials of this kingdom. They are soldiers of the Maafern Kingdom.
The men, armed with armor, surrounded them and pointed their swords at them.
Urza and Levienna don't remember doing anything to get caught.
After all, all they had done was beat up the outlaws who attacked them, and they had asked questions about the temple and the priests.
And yet... today, for some reason, the soldiers came after them and cornered them in an open space while they were running around.
"I'd like to spare the trouble, but... what should we do?"
"Levienna-san, we will kill them, desu~no! Don't worry, as long as we keep quiet, no one will know!"
Before they are found out or not, there are more than 10 soldiers around them. There's no way they can hide it.
If they fight, they will be criminals. Even if they escaped without fighting, they would be wanted persons.
"I had hoped to keep things quiet until Bocchama's arrival, but... it's a blunder. I made a mistake."
Levienna mumbles regretfully, pondering what to do next.
The open space is surrounded on all sides by building walls and fences, and the only entrance is blocked by soldiers. If they want to escape, a battle is inevitable.
If they submit quietly... It is not clear what will happen. The soldiers are not likely to kill them immediately, but if they fall into the hands of the enemy, Zenon will be in trouble. They could be taken hostage or tortured, or drugged to extract information.
And time seems to be running out. After all, the soldiers surround the two and close the distance between them.
"We have no choice. We can't drag Zenon-bocchama down with us... go, Urza-san!"
"I've been waiting for it! We're going to kill them, desu~no!"
With Levienna's permission, Urza jumps with joy.
She swings her kanabō and hits the soldier in front of her with its spiked head.
"Ggagh!?"
"Naa...!"
"Kuh... They're putting up a fight!"
"We have no choice but to force them down!"
Seeing their comrades killed, the soldiers jumped at them in a frenzy.
There were only two. And they were women. Naturally, the soldiers swung their swords, hoping to win, but their expectations soon overturned.
"Fuu~! Haa~! Yaaah~!"
"Ei, ei, yaaah, desu~no!"
Levienna used her sword and shield to intercept the soldiers, while Urza swung her kanabō with all her might, knocking them down.
Levienna's defenses are ironclad. She skillfully uses her shield to block the soldiers' swords and counterattacks with slashes.
Urza's attacks are powerful. With a single swing of her kanabō, she quickly blows away a big soldier, and another nearby soldier is caught in the middle and knocked down.
Now, more than ten soldiers were being reduced in number until only one man left.
"A-Are you kidding me...!? How can my soldiers be defeated so easily!?"
An elderly man who had been in command of the soldiers exclaimed hysterically.
His men had been destroyed in just a few minutes. No wonder he could not accept the reality.
"Are you... the resistance!? Don't think you can get away with this!?"
"I don't understand, desu~no. What's the Resistance? Is it food, desu~no? It sounds delicious."
"Huh!? Don't tell me you have nothing to do with the resistance!?"
The man looked at Urza with a puzzled look on his face.
Apparently... some strange circumstance was behind the attack. Levienna points her sword at the man's neck.
"I think I need to ask you some questions. About Rudanaga, and about the resistance..."
"Gghh... no way!"
"Eh...?"
As Levienna was about to interrogate the man, he gritted his back teeth hard.
The next moment, the man's eyes turn bright red... and he collapses.
"Poison... did he commit suicide for fear of leaking information?"
Levienna approached to examine the man's body, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
"Levienna-san! It's dangerous, desu~no!"
"What!?"
'Ggahhh!'
The next moment... the fallen man swung his left arm powerfully.
Urza pulls Levienna's hand to save her, but... the ground where the man's arm hit the ground is gouged out with a sound like an explosion.
'U...gagagagagagagagagaga!'
"Wh-what happened!? To this man!?"
Levienna exclaims in surprise as she sees the man's transformation.
The man who got up from the ground looks like an evil demon.
