The Runesmith

Chapter 402: Golden Interrogation.

Chapter 402: Golden Interrogation.

Gideon leaned forward, his gaze fixed on Roland with a newfound intensity. The mention of a sacred beast made him somewhat uneasy. From Elodia's story, it seemed they were concerned for Agni. It aligned with the old legends about Sunlight Wolfs and their obvious connection to the goddess. However, Roland couldn't rule out the possibility that they would resort to forceful means to take possession of his tamed beast.

Typically, a monster attached to a person was considered a tamed beast, reinforced by this world's system. Both he and Agni were present on each other's status screens. If analyzed enough, it was possible to see Roland listed as Agni's current master, but it wasn't an unchangeable title. Instances existed where tamed monsters were passed down to others, sometimes by choice but other times by force.

There were items and skills that could take away the master titles. Usually, people with tamer classes possessed them but for a creature of Agni’s magnitude it wouldn’t be such an easy task. It was harder to control tamed monsters of higher levels and ones with long lasting relationships with their masters. Taming in a sense was a sort of charm effect that also brainwashed the monster. The higher the beast’s intelligence and willpower was, the harder it was for such skills to work on them.

“You mean Agni, what about him? Hope he hasn’t been troubling you too much?”

“Troubling? Nothing of the sort! It’s such a magnificent creature!”

Loreena was the one to interject after he answered while prodding for some answers. It wasn’t hard to assume that the two were interested in the Sunlight wolf.

“That’s good but I don’t see how my tamed beast has anything to do with this incident?”

“So, it is your tamed beast?”

“Of course? Who else would it belong to?”

The replies were somewhat odd, it was as if they had not examined Agni to any extent. His armor had been damaged during the battle so hiding status screens had become impossible. If they wanted they could easily discover the truth but for some reason they didn’t. It seemd as if they didn’t want to use their skills on him.

‘Could it be some rule within the church? Is it forbidden for them to analyze what they perceive as sacred beasts?’

"Belong to? How is that even possible? How could someone outside the Church be accepted by the holy beast? It doesn't make any sense."

This time, it was Gideon who spoke up, though he lacked a table to smack. Instead, he resorted to hitting his own knee. His eyes narrowed, seeking an answer that Roland was hesitant to provide. To do so, he would have to delve into his involvement with divine rune emulation and elaborate on how he had revived Agni from the brink of death. This, in all likelihood, was the catalyst for Agni's evolution into the Sunlight Wolf.

"That's true. It's said that only those of the sun can trigger a divine transformation. Are you, by any chance, a Paladin of the order yourself, Sir Roland?"

Loreena inquired, her eyes growing in anticipation of his answer. It didn't seem like he could lie his way out of this one, but before indulging the two paladins, he needed to make something clear. One aspect of this situation kept bothering him: how did these church members assemble such a large force? They had to know where the cultists were going to attack beforehand or had been trailing them from a safe distance.

"Before I answer your question, I have one for you instead. How did you get here so fast?"

"What do you mean?"

Responded Gideon while raising a brow, his face growing colder the longer Roland continued to ask his question.

"I've been thinking, but things just don't add up. Either your people did a terrible job at sanctifying the village where the incident took place, or you did it on purpose."

"What are you implying?"

“I’m sure that you know what I am implying. You’ve set a trap for these cultists and I was the sacrificial lamb.”

Gideon and Loreena exchanged glances, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense. Roland could see the gears turning in their minds, contemplating whether or not to confirm his suspicions. The silence lingered, broken only by the distant echoes of footsteps from the church above. Finally, Loreena sighed, relenting to the truth with Gideon frowning as she revealed it.

"You are correct, Sir Roland...”

“Dame Loreena, what are you...”

“Calm yourself Gideon, the Lady of the Light does not condone lying, don’t worry, I’ll take the responsibility for it.”

“... Do as you wish then.”

Roland wasn’t sure what Loreena was talking about but perhaps when called out on a matter, it was frowned upon to lie about an issue. His involvement with the church was very limited and he saw them more as divine item peddlers than anything else. This didn’t mean that their Golden Order didn’t take things a bit more seriously and soon he was given the information about their scheme.

“First, the Church guarantees the protection of my estate and those close to me, ensuring they won't be targeted by the cult or any other malicious force. Second, any information I provide regarding the divine runes I used and the sacred beast Agni will be shared only within the Church and not disclosed to external parties without my explicit consent...

He could see them reacting to the terms and before he could continue, Gideon raised a question.

“You wish us to protect your estate? Do you see the Golden Order as a group of mercenaries you can employ?”

“No, it’s simple... Make the city of Albrook a holy land.”

“You want us to do what?”

“Why not? It is the site where a great evil had been vanquished, with the help of a divine beast, isn’t that something of a miracle?”

Roland replied in a calm and collective manner at the question posed by Gideon. The proposal seemed to catch Gideon off guard, and he exchanged glances with Loreena. It was clear to them what he wanted, if they made this land holy then it would mean that a larger portion of their forces would be stationed in Albrook.

He had analyzed how the church operated over the years, and there was one particular strategy they employed. At times, they would claim territories as holy lands to build better temples and house their Paladins. An area agreed upon by the clergy would be well protected from any cultists.

While, at first, this seemed like a risky move, providing enemies with a concentrated area to mobilize, it wasn't that simple. In an all-out confrontation, the cultists would likely lose. They had limited resources and had already lost multiple tier 3 class holders and a powerful Warlock. Even if this area looked suspicious, if the church placed a large enough force here, it would be enough to keep everyone safe, at least for a while.

There was a reason they had to move within the shadows. Their group was much weaker than the Solarian Church, which aimed to confront not only the Abyssal Cult but many others as well. The church had already forced many similarly sized factions to be destroyed; they were a true powerhouse on the entire continent, feared even by entire kingdoms and empires.

“I don’t think that I’m asking for much, if you work with me you’ll be getting what you always wanted, a means to counter the effects of that relic. You’ve experienced it first hand, haven’t you Dame Loreena? Even someone like you was unable to resist it but I can and I can show you how!”

“Is that true?”

“Certainly, don’t you think this is a sign?”

“A sign?”

“The Sunlight Wolf, the Lady of Light works in mysterious ways, she probably wanted us to meet.”

“Could it be true...”

Gideon was flabbergasted by the proclamation, and Roland was trying to keep a straight face to not give himself away. He knew that the people from the church were zealots. Perhaps if he could imply that Agni's appearance was a sign from their Goddess, then they would see him as some sort of guide. A guide that brought them to the Runesmith who could give them the answer to combat the dreaded cultist.

“It couldn’t be... but yet... the wolf of legend has appeared... but...”

“Is there a problem?”

It seemed that his Golden Order friend was weighing his options but he was hesitating for some reason.

“This is not something we can decide on, someone of higher status is needed...”

“Is that so...”

Roland inwardly sighed. The situation was delicate, and the two here didn’t seem to have any administrative power. They were just soldiers inside of a private army that was the Solarian Church, probably someone from the clergy had to be asked for permission. Introducing another variant wasn’t good but what could he do?

“Oh, I know, why don’t I ask Grandfather about it?”

“T-the High-Inquisitor?”

‘Oh right, she was the granddaughter of that guy...’

Gideon was somewhat taken aback by the proposal and somewhat sheepish. The man in question was High-Inquisitor Bartholomew, a man he had met after leaving that cursed village. The old man was someone who recognized his noble name and also was related to his father. There was a possibility of the Arden estate connecting some dots if this became known, but to protect his new family, he would even be willing to rekindle those long-dead relations.

“So, do we have a deal? I don’t think that I wish to speak with you before that contract is signed and my demands are met.”

Gideon and Loreena exchanged one last glance before nodding. They would inform the higher-ups of the situation while Roland waited for the decision. With the magical technology provided to them, this wouldn’t take long and within some hours, or maybe a day, the decision would be made...