Chapter 72: The Hero Who Cries “Stop Thief”
Ismael did not know the truth; he simply accepted Lance’s explanation completely.
“It seems we can only wait for the High Priest to arrive,” Ismael sighed. “Since the preliminary investigation failed, I hope the High Priest can come up with some solution.”
Lance followed Ismael’s words quite naturally and asked, “I heard Samuel and Misha mention that the High Priest… is a very powerful mage?”
Misha breathed a slight sigh of relief.
It was a good thing the Hero didn’t say the High Priest was a very powerful boxing champion.
Ismael seemed to revere the High Priest greatly. Hearing Lance mention the High Priest, he even straightened his expression slightly and said with great respect, “The High Priest is the Kingdom’s most powerful mage.”
Lance: “Samuel said he is proficient in the Art of Insight…”
He dragged out the tone slightly, waiting for Ismael’s reply.
After all, Misha had only given a vague description of this so-called Art of Insight. It sounded like Misha himself didn’t understand what the Art of Insight actually was. So, asking about it would be safer to avoid any unexpected accidents.
Ismael didn’t think much of it. He simply nodded in agreement with Lance and explained earnestly, “The Art of Insight can roughly sense the flow of magic and magical auras in the surroundings. If someone truly destroyed the Gate to Another World, they would inevitably be surrounded by a large amount of magic from the Otherworld. It would be very easy to detect and perceive.”
Lance actually asked with feigned seriousness, “What if that person has already left?”
Ismael was stunned and couldn’t help but reveal a distressed look as well. “If that person has left, then even if the High Priest comes, I’m afraid it won’t be of much use.”
Lance nodded and actively thought of ideas for Ismael. “But if the magical aura on that person is too strong, maybe we can still track their trail.”
Misha: “…”
Ismael nodded seriously: “You are right. I will relay this to the High Priest.”
Lance: “Don’t worry, I will assist you.”
Ismael looked extremely moved.
It seemed he hadn’t expected the Hero, who had acted quite coldly just a moment ago, to suddenly have a change of heart. He could only assume that this turning point was due to the private conversation between the Divine Envoy Misha and the Hero. So, in the next moment, Ismael cast a look of immense gratitude toward Misha, only to see Misha watching them in silence, his expression indescribably complex.
Ismael couldn’t help asking, “Divine Envoy Misha, do you have something else to say?”
Misha: “…No.”
He just couldn’t believe it.
So there really were people as shameless as the Hero in this world!
If an ordinary person had done such a bad deed, they would likely be so guilty they’d want to find a hole to hide in. But this Hero was not only unafraid, he even actively wanted to join the investigation team and offer advice to the people hunting him down. He didn’t look timid at all. Misha, who felt guilty just telling a small lie, admired this mentality… immensely.
Lance asked politely with a smile again, “When will the High Priest arrive?”
Ismael shook his head, indicating he didn’t know the specific arrival time either.
After the news of the Gate’s destruction came, they had received a message from the Goddess of Light, Ginises, almost immediately.
But even in the Royal Capital, messages from the Divine Realm were severely affected. Ginises’ words vanished in an instant, and subsequent contact with the Divine Realm had been intermittent and difficult to maintain. The High Priest had been trying to contact the gods because, without an oracle, they couldn’t enter the Holy Land, and naturally couldn’t launch an investigation into the Gate.
Misha couldn’t help thinking: if everything required the gods’ approval and they couldn’t handle sudden events on their own, didn’t that mean all living beings on earth had no ability to survive by themselves? Their calendar had to be set by the gods, national affairs had to be decided by the gods… all living beings were merely puppets of the gods. Whether they lived or died, or how they lived, depended entirely on a whim of the gods, without any power to choose for themselves.
He shivered, realizing for the first time just how terrifying humanity’s excessive piety was.
Perhaps Lance wasn’t wrong. Lance’s casual remarks had planted seeds of doubt in his heart. He finally discovered that not everyone in this world needed to revere the gods, and the gods were certainly not infallible.
He even couldn’t help thinking that the Divine Race he knew, compared to humans… didn’t seem much different.
At least among the lower-ranking gods, some had magic or combat power inferior to trained human soldiers. He didn’t know any Superior Deities, nor did he know if they were more “god-like.” Everything he was thinking now made him feel terrible. He desperately wanted to see Zebulun and ask him what exactly this business about the “removed soul” was.
Misha looked up, cleared his throat, and said, “Um, I think—”
Behind Ismael, the golden dragon Sylvia suddenly turned his head and looked toward the other direction of the Elf Town.
He had been silent, maintaining a cold distance from the unfamiliar group. But now, his eyes were full of fervor. Those golden pupils seemed to suddenly light up, as if he couldn’t suppress the excitement in his heart, and he blurted out, “It’s the High Priest!”
Misha: “…”
Misha looked at him and felt that what he was seeing now didn’t look like the beautiful, aloof golden dragon from a moment ago.
He looked like a golden retriever.
He took a deep breath and turned his head to look at the more normal Ismael.
Ismael was even more unable to suppress his surprise, yet unlike Sylvia, he restrained his joy, lowering his head in near-infinite reverence and admiration. That expression was as if the person arriving wasn’t the High Priest of their Church, but the gods he had devoutly believed in since childhood.
Misha: “…”
Sorry, he was wrong.
By comparison, Sylvia seemed a bit more normal.
He took another deep breath and quickly swept his gaze over Samuel and Lance’s faces.
Samuel was simply excited about seeing the High Priest. Lance… Lance was looking at him.
The High Priest was about to arrive, yet Lance only cared about looking at him. Their eyes met, and Lance curved his lips slightly and winked at him. Misha was so scared he quickly retracted his gaze, thinking that their relationship was already prone to misunderstanding; he absolutely shouldn’t be exchanging ambiguous glances with Lance in front of so many people.
But when he looked toward the other end of the Elf Town, he didn’t see the High Priest Sylvia mentioned. He could only vaguely see a figure surrounded by the knights of the Royal Capital’s Knights Order. He couldn’t even see clearly what the person looked like. So, in this wait, Misha couldn’t help but wonder again… why was the Hero looking at him like that?
The High Priest was about to arrive—the person who might expose the evil deeds the Hero had committed. At such a critical juncture, the Hero kept winking at him. That look… maybe he wasn’t just teasing him. Maybe… the Hero was hinting at something?
Misha couldn’t help looking at Lance again.
Lance was still looking at him and winked at him once more.
Misha: “…”
This is a hint, right! This must be a hint!
He was already an accomplice; the Hero must want him to do something!
Misha looked left and right cautiously, finding that everyone’s attention was focused on the High Priest who had not yet arrived in the distance. No one was paying attention to him and the Hero. So he shuffled his feet carefully, leaned closer to the Hero, and then asked in a low, extremely nervous voice, “Do… you need something?”
The Hero looked a bit surprised.
He obviously hadn’t expected Misha to ask that. He paused for a good while before blinking gently at Misha again, whispering, “Just… wanted to tease you.”
Misha: “…”
Lance: “…”
Misha sucked in a breath. Without thinking, he raised his foot fiercely and stomped hard on the Hero’s foot.
But the Hero moved his foot away with lightning speed. Misha’s stomp landed heavily on the ground, making his own foot hurt. He was even angrier. He glared at the Hero viciously, but before he could speak, he suddenly realized that everyone who should have been paying attention to the High Priest was now looking at them.
Misha: “…”
Misha panicked.
Under the gaze of two people and a dragon, his mind went blank. He couldn’t think of any excuse for his unreasonable behavior. He looked like he was flirting with the Hero, and at such a strange time, too. He had no way to argue his way out of it.
“Ah…” Lance slowly dragged out his tone, speaking in a voice Misha was all too familiar with. “That was a huge bug just now.”
Misha: “…Yeah.”
Although the Hero’s excuse was a bit clumsy, it was an excuse nonetheless, which was better than coming up with nothing.
Ismael was slightly puzzled: “Bug?”
But after saying that, he almost immediately understood the intention behind Lance and Misha saying so. He coughed and even waved his hand, as if to tell the two: I understand, no need to say more.
But Samuel didn’t understand.
Samuel looked left and right, asking with a frown, “Where is the bug?”
Misha: “…”
Ismael: “Ahem.”
He coughed loudly as a reminder, hoping Samuel would realize that what he was asking about was something that shouldn’t be scrutinized.
Lance’s expression remained normal as he explained naturally: “It’s dead.”
Misha had no choice but to immediately follow up, nodding: “I already stepped on it!”
Samuel: “…Oh.”
He nodded a bit slowly, still not understanding what was going on. But seeing the reactions of Ismael and Misha, the matter seemed unimportant. And he could already hear the approaching footsteps—the High Priest was walking toward them surrounded by the knights. He was more curious about that, not to mention Sylvia had already turned and run over there.
So Samuel turned his head again to look at the approaching Knights Order.
Misha breathed a sigh of relief.
He was just about to pretend nothing had happened and take a look at what this legendary High Priest looked like, when he saw Ismael nod at him and Lance as if nothing had happened.
Misha: “…”
No, wait, what is this about?!
Don’t nod at him! Why is Ismael nodding at him with that ‘I get it’ expression?!
He… is he never going to clear his name?
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