Neither Xenon nor Samuel could deny her words. Anelli pulled her hood over her head and turned away.
"I don't want to stay in this place any longer."
"Then what do you plan to do?"
"Demand they hand over the medium. And considering Ganik's efforts, release that poor baby lizardman too."
Anelli took the lamp herself and walked ahead.
"But they won't cooperate."
"If they don't want to incur God's wrath, they'll have to cooperate."
"What?"
Just as Xenon, with a bewildered face, was about to ask something more, Samuel quickly stopped Anelli.
"Are you planning to reveal your identity? As a Resurrected One?"
The question that popped out reflexively was cold. Rather, Anelli showed puzzlement at Samuel's stiffly hardened expression.
"It's the easiest and fastest method. We even have a plausible oracle on our backs, so how reassuring is that?"
"You are being pursued."
"Ah, if by any chance I'm caught by the imperial family or the Roams, tell them I decided to entrust myself to the temple."
"That's not what I'm worried about."
"Then?"
Samuel couldn't answer. Anelli, who had been staring at him for a while, laughed coldly.
"You don't have to tremble with fear about losing my divine artifact. If a situation comes where I must choose, I'll count your sincerity as the most valuable."
Having replied cynically, Anelli shook off Samuel's hand and started walking again.
"……."
Samuel couldn't take his eyes off Anelli. His chest felt tight.
It wasn't simply the imperial family or the Roam family. Samuel felt strangely displeased even about Anelli officially entrusting herself to the temple and standing before everyone as a Resurrected One.
The words that he hoped her identity wouldn't be revealed rose to his throat, but he couldn't spit them out. That was because even he himself didn't understand his own wish.
"I understand you're angry, but couldn't we move secretly first and then reveal your identity if we're caught?"
At Xenon's words, Anelli hesitated. Xenon, receiving her gaze, grinned.
"You don't have to step forward. I think I can find and break the medium myself. Since this holy knight can sense holy water, he can probably find it quietly just the same."
Xenon, pointing at Samuel with a nod of his head, asked him casually.
"You seem to want to handle this quietly too, you'll cooperate, right?"
The moment Anelli's violet eyes turned toward him, Samuel answered without thinking deeply.
"Let's move at midnight."
* * *
After agreeing to resolve things quietly, we returned to our lodgings.
And we pretended as if we had eaten the food. When we feigned fatigue and turned off the lights, a woman secretly entered before midnight.
She must have put sleeping pills in Xenon's and my food. Seeing how she entered Samuel's room without hesitation or caution.
「W-why are you awake……!」
After subduing her and tying her up, we went outside and encountered other residents who were probably waiting for the woman.
Samuel subdued the residents without difficulty. We tied them up securely and locked them in the lodgings, so they wouldn't be discovered until tomorrow morning.
Furthermore, Samuel fully demonstrated the skills he had used to interrogate sinners and accurately found out where the baby lizardman was imprisoned.
In the process, we also learned why they had captured the baby lizardman alive.
As Xenon had guessed, they were using the baby lizardman's blood for fishing.
「T-this concerns the village's livelihood!」
「Monsters are going to be subjugated anyway, so why is it a problem for us to use them usefully?」
Even though Samuel must have killed many monsters in his usual duties, he showed discomfort at the expression "using" the baby lizardman.
Of course, for me who trusts monsters more than humans, it was needlessly irritating.
「How can you do this to a fellow human because of monsters?」
「That's right! Are monsters more precious than people?」
On the contrary, they started criticizing our request to hand over the monster. They even threatened to report to the guard post if we released the monster.
Saying that a holy knight who should protect residents was instead threatening the residents' livelihood.
「You brought in monsters you couldn't even handle in the first place, so take responsibility for it.」
They somehow heard my cynical muttering.
「Just because of a few measly monsters…….」
「Whether they're measly monsters or whatever, you shouldn't have touched what has an owner.」
I don't particularly have a righteous personality.
It was the same when dealing with Lilia. If I hadn't felt that she had violated what was mine, I wouldn't have cared much about what she did. Rather, I might have admired her a bit as quite a capable woman.
In this case, I wasn't trying to discuss the preciousness of life or anything like that. Honestly, the baby lizardman's situation was pitiable, but that was all.
I didn't care whether they made their livelihood from its blood or not. If they had handed over the Durahans including Ganik obediently, I would have turned a blind eye even if I learned of deeper circumstances.
In short, how should I put it. I just don't like having what's mine violated.
And these headless Durahans were a kind of 'mine.' As long as these guys call me boss and follow me blindly.
As a result, those residents didn't know where the medium was.
Judging there was nothing more to learn, we knocked them unconscious and locked them in the room with the woman, then decided to divide the work and handle it all at once.
Samuel would take care of the baby lizardman, and Xenon would find the medium and destroy it on the spot.
My role was to immediately take the Durahans and escape once the barrier disappeared.
Zigor and Falides spoke to me worriedly as I stood with my arms crossed, pacing about.
[Boss, sit down and rest.]
[Aren't your legs hurting?]
"I'm fine. Standing is better if we need to move quickly."
Actually, I wanted to put the Durahans into my subspace immediately once the barrier lifted, but the magical tool's function hadn't returned.
Thanks to that, I couldn't even summon Nadab. The Durahans might not be able to transform for a while even after getting out of the barrier.
"If transformation doesn't work, we'll have to leave this village immediately and hide somewhere, in the forest or wherever. So try it as soon as the barrier disappears."
[Yes, understood.]
Hearing the determined answers of the Durahans, I slipped outside the barrier. The cave was still quiet.
I fiddled with the subspace bracelet whose function hadn't recovered, then glanced up. The pitch-black cave interior was silent.
I was armed with other offensive magical tools, having temporarily set aside the non-functional one. It would be best if I didn't need to use them, but human affairs are unpredictable.
"Oh my, I came just in case."
And it seems my thoughts were right on the mark.
"I served you a nice dinner so you'd sleep soundly, so what are you doing here?"
What appeared with a faint light was the village chief.
"Ah, the holy knight's servant, I see."
Seeing I was alone, he laughed heartily and spoke kindly.
"No matter that monsters are trapped in the barrier, it's still dangerous. Come back with me."
"……Then why did you come alone to this dangerous place?"
"Naturally, to repair the barrier."
"Weren't you supposed to open it tomorrow anyway?"
"My, I thought my intention was conveyed properly, but it seems your master didn't understand. When the most beautiful maiden in the village offered to serve him, was she not to his liking?"
"What kind of garbage talk is that?"
"Oh, perhaps someone else already served him? ……But for a holy knight to keep a female servant, this is truly suspicious circumstances."
"Your head really only turns in useless directions."
A genuine sigh escaped me.
What exactly is so suspicious about a holy knight's servant being female? With such impure usual thinking, it seems all he can think of is things like that.
Being that kind of human, he would use monsters and even try to drug a holy knight.
"Seeing you here, it seems the attempt to resolve things quietly has failed……."
"I don't think you can call that 'an attempt to resolve things quietly,' can you?"
"Well, it doesn't matter if things don't happen. Multiple testimonies alone can push it to a divine trial. Do you know what a great shame it is for a clergyman to stand in such a place? If you cooperate obediently, I won't make false reports."
Whatever else, one thing was certain—this wasn't something an ordinary fishing village chief would say. The way he naturally threatened me didn't seem like a skill practiced once or twice.
Even so, there was something I couldn't understand. Honestly, isn't threatening something you do when you're in a superior position?
This village chief seems to think he's in a position to threaten, but I couldn't guess where that confidence came from at all.
"No matter how many people you have, dealing with a trained holy knight isn't easy, so what makes you so arrogant?"
At my question, the village chief laughed heartily.
"Haha, what can just three people do?"
"…Well, do you need many people to destroy a medium?"
"If you can find the medium."
The village chief's attitude was thoroughly triumphant. He must have had something to rely on.
"No matter how excellent a holy knight is, he won't be able to find that. And even if he finds it, he won't be able to destroy it. I heard it was made by a very renowned mage."
Seeing the village chief's confident attitude, I grew a bit anxious. They don't know that Xenon is a mage, so they're declaring he won't find it, but what if it's enchanted with magic so powerful it can't be destroyed even if found?
"Now, if you understand, please step away from that barrier. Don't waste your energy if you want to leave quietly tomorrow morning."
"What if I refuse?"
"Ha!"
Even if we find and destroy the medium, if a new barrier appears, it's all for nothing. At least until Xenon finds and destroys the medium, I had to block this village chief.
Seeing me not moving a single step, the village chief clicked his tongue and spoke.
"I have connections with a noble person from the imperial palace. I can report you to that person!"
"I didn't know a noble from the imperial palace would associate with a village chief from such a remote corner."
"That person has always lent an ear to the voices of the empire's people!"
I thought it was obviously bluff, but the village chief's confident attitude was so unhesitating that it felt strange.