I walked out of the mine and took off my hood, inhaling the fresh air I needed deeply.
"Fuu…"
From inside, I could feel enormous Mana surging out and erasing the bad feeling and that chill I felt from my instinct. The Goddess had purified the clearing and probably also closed the Hell's entrance at the same time.
It was a shame that I couldn't see it. But I also needed to move.
According to Tris, the little spy, also a member of the heretic cult, was hiding in a room in a certain ruin 30 KM from this area. Thankfully, that was still covered in my radar as I zoomed out and found the ruin's location.
"That direction, huh?" I muttered as I wore my hood again and disappeared into the darkness.
Moving inside the shadow was perfect at night like this. I wouldn't be detected, and there was no obstacle as I just needed to dive into the shadows one after another. My speed was also not really compensated, still as fast as I normally moved.
To reach 30 KM, I just needed a minute or two at my full speed. I went through a rocky mountain and jumped from one shadow to another. The ruin was located on another site. That was why the shadow squad couldn't find it.
When I arrived at the peak of the tallest ragged mountain, I jumped out of the shadow and looked around. My vision was clear; the only hindrance was a thin cloud covering the area slightly below us.
But that didn't stop me from being able to see the distance away. I narrowed my eyes slightly to focus on the area where the ruin was supposed to be. There was nothing but a barren land. But a second later, it distorted, and a large, ruined mansion stood there with a rusted gate.
"I see." I nodded in understanding. "So this spy can use <Illusion Magic> too or use a magic item to hide his hiding place. That's why Sandra and the others can't find it."
Seeing my destination, I ran down the mountain while changing [Earring of Communication] that was connected to Beatrice to the one that was connected to Lucy in Border City. I contacted her immediately, knowing that she was awake at this time.
And just as I expected, she received the call immediately.
(Arthur?)
"Lucy, I won't beat around the bush. Have the people from the Assassin's Den arrived in the Border City?"
They shouldn't have arrived yet, as they travel from the area around Tiga Port City to the Border City should take at least 10 days, unless they all used [Teleportation Gems]. And it had been around 9 days since then.
(Not yet, why?)
"Good, then… When they arrive, give them a room and ask them some questions regarding Hell's Cult. They might know something, and I suspect this Hell's Cult was connected to the people showing up near the barrier in the past."
(What kind of thing have you involved us with again?)
"Something that will help me. Well, the Border City won't be in danger if that's what you want to know. Just welcome them. They probably will arrive tomorrow or two more days."
They were a good source of information about this matter and important witnesses. The leader probably hadn't told me the details about what he knew as he didn't trust me yet at that time.
'I should've gotten his trust when Lucy welcomed him and the others in the Border City.'
I was already nearing the mansion, and I gave Lucy her last instruction.
"Don't let anyone else meet people from the Assassin's Den before I get there."
(Alright. Your wish is my command.)
"I know I can count on you, Lucy." I complimented her and could hear things fall from the [Earring of Communication].
It seemed like she got slightly fluttered by my praise, and her body jolted or anything.
"I will see you tomorrow or tonight. See you soon."
With that, I deactivated the [Earring of Communication] but kept wearing it. Communication with Beatrice wasn't important for now, and Border City and Queen Eve took priority.
Anyway, the ruined mansion was in front of me. I hid in the shadows and looked at my radar.
According to it, there were six red dots, including the man spying on me. With a simple <Appraisal>, I judged they weren't even a threat to me. Still, that one spy named Priero had an interesting title called [Hell's Cult Instigator].
From its name and explanation, it seemed like this title was given to someone who managed to recruit more than 10 people into the Hell's Cult.
And because this person also had a <Summoning> skill, I wouldn't be surprised if there would be monsters suddenly coming out to kill me.
The easier way to take care of him was to use <Dimensional Breaker>. But once again, I would need him for questioning, so I couldn't do that. And I had the best place to get information from him, and that place was already proven from the past plan—the Border City.
"I am not suited to something like this," I grumbled as I appeared at the corner of the ruined mansion, leaning my back against the wall as I took out a black rope created from the Level 50 monster's fur.
This was a magic item called [Binding Rope], enhanced with a <Bind> magic that would bind an opponent and make them unable to use any skills if their Level was below the material used to create the rope.
And none of the people inside were higher than Level 50.
"This should be enough," I muttered as I entered through the hole in the wall. "Still, to think that they use a ruined mansion… Is this mansion Priero's? That guy also had a [Former Noble] title."
I advanced calmly without trying to hide. Debris and pebbles were everywhere. The walls were cracked, and dust accumulated.
When I went deeper and upstairs, I realized this ruined mansion was truly a perfect place to be used as a hiding place. No one would expect that there would be anything here even when they stumbled upon it coincidentally.
Only when I reached the third floor was the floor clean, and the wall had no crack. It was fit for people to live in. And…
Shatter!
A barrier was trying to deny my entry, so I punched and destroyed it.
"How weak."
This would alarm them. In fact, loud footsteps rang from the room at the end, and six people appeared at once. They were wearing simple black robes with a red magic circle on them. Those weren't made from ink but blood.
Considering how pale their complexion was, that blood must have belonged to them. I didn't know why they would go that far for this 'cult,' but I knew that those people were crazy and couldn't be reasoned with.
Standing behind those five men was a skinny man whose body looked like the wind would blow him away. He was glaring at me with a pair of glowing red eyes. His long robe covered his whole body, and his hood hid his bald head.
But even so, he was a human and not Devilkin like Jonathan Steelwill.
'I still can't find the Devil that turned Jonathan. It's not here, huh?'
Probably, it returned to Hell or went into hiding in the Hell's Cult headquarters.
Anyway… I unsheathed [Caliburn] and threatened them with a little bit of bloodlust.
"Surrender, or you shall experience an unimaginable pain."
Facing my bloodlust, the five men in robes covered with magic circles took a few steps back. Sweats formed on their faces as their fears became apparent.
However, Priero was unexpectedly unaffected by this little bloodlust and clapped his hands.
Pa!
A loud sound echoed, and he shouted.
"Don't be afraid of the Church's slave! Our God is way scarier and mightier! We will bring him to the world and cure this wrong system!"
Following his words, red light covered the five men's bodies, and they all seemed to fall into a (Madness) state. Their eyes flashed a strange red glow, and their fear disappeared. That… Was that the extra skill from his title, <Mad Cheer>?
'It seems I need to cut their legs and hands. They won't need them.' I thought as I got into stance.
They raised their hands and activated magic skills. <Fireballs>, <Ice Spikes>, <Dirt Ball>, <Wind Blades>, almost everything they had were launched at me. Priero also sent a <Darkness Lance> toward my direction, mixing between these attacks.
However, I didn't make an attempt to dodge them. Instead, I raised my hand I used to hold the [Binding Rope] and muttered.
"<Barrier>."
A semi-transparent dome covered my body and shattered the attacks before it reached me. There was no crack at all in my normal barrier. They were too weak to even create a dent in it.
But I had long since learned that weak ants had painful bites when they were cornered.
"<Blink>."
I went between the five men. My sword created an arch of golden light, passing the five men's necks at once. They didn't realize that they had been beheaded, and their HP was depleted at once.
A fountain of blood sprayed up, and their bodies fell onto the ground. A pool of blood was created, and their robes were soaked in it.
I wouldn't be worried about it activating itself as [Caliburn] purified all the evil effects thanks to <Blessing of Angel>.
And because my hood was also covered in blood, I put it down and showed my face.
Priero's face turned grim as he realized who I was.
"T-The Palad– Arrghh!"
Thud!
Before he finished speaking, I cut down his legs, and he fell. I used <Heal> to stop his bleeding and closed the stump. Then, without saying anything, I activated [Binding Rope], and it turned to life, tying Priero down and closing his mouth.
This heretic tried to struggle, but he stopped when I grabbed his hair and exposed him to my full bloodlust. Cold sweat poured out of his body almost immediately.
"I will have you answer a lot of my questions. Nod if you understand."
Priero nodded like crazy at my words, and I retracted my bloodlust once he fainted.
"Good."
