The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-146

Chapter 146: Volunteering During the Golden Holidays (3)

Quilt was a middle-aged man who looked quite distinguished. His appearance, resembling a famous retired actor who disappeared a few years ago, shone brightly even from a distance.

Vikir muttered to himself, ”Demon.”

Although their faces were that of a human, their wicked essence was the same. The foul odor that pierced the nose was undoubtedly a sign of the demon, albeit in a weaker state than before his regression. What added to Vikir’s conviction was the presence of four shadows surrounding Quilt as he walked.

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

Walking right behind Quilt was a burly man dressed in a suit, with a black Sack over his face. He wore a golden nameplate on his chest, reading ‘Ephebo.’

Furthermore, there were two thin men flanking Quilt on either side, also wearing suits with black sacks over their faces. Their nameplates read ‘Pedo’ and ‘Hebe,’.

The last shadow, walking in front of Quilt, was a woman with a commanding figure. She also had her face concealed by a black sack-like cloth. Her nameplate on her chest read ‘Geronto.’

Three men and one woman. Vikir focused his attention on the man who was walking behind Quilt.

“…Ephebo. It’s that guy from before.”

Vikir had crossed paths with him previously. They had met during an assassination mission. Back then, he had almost captured him, but an unexpected explosion disrupted their plans, allowing him to escape. Ephebo had been a high-level undead/demon at the time, making it challenging to deal with him as he wielded Quovadis’s mace techniques.

Vikir held his breath and waited for Quilt to pass by.

Finally, Quilt, along with the four shadows, walked past Vikir’s hiding spot between the cabinets.

At that moment…

[….]

Ephebo tilted his head slightly as if he were sniffing something. Vikir remained hidden between the walls and cabinets, concealed in the shadowy gap.

[….]

Ephebo tilted his head a little more, focusing on Vikir’s direction.

Right then, Quilt’s voice came from the front, “Oh, nice to see you.”

Quilt, with a friendly smile, shook hands with a chubby man who had just appeared.

The chubby man also smiled warmly in response. “I’ve been so busy; it’s hard to find time to meet you.”

“Well, there are so many nobles these days who want to confess their sins and request interviews.”

“I’m no different, hahaha. But, speaking of which…”

The chubby man leaned in and spoke in a hushed tone, “I’d like to buy some ‘indulgences.'”

“Indulgences? How much are you looking for?”

“About 10 billion gold worth.”

Quilt responded with a smile, “10 billion gold? That should be enough for most sins. Have you recently killed someone?”

“Hahaha, no, nothing significant. Just a little incident. You remember the concubine I acquired not too long ago, right? She’s from a barbaric background and has some unruly habits. I tried being a bit affectionate, but she couldn’t handle it and ran away.”

“Ah, it’s because the slave girl had no manners.”

“That’s right. These days, with the crackdown on illegal slaves, they’re being traded without any certificates. So, while we were on the way to catch her with the bodyguards, we disciplined her a bit… but she couldn’t endure it, and she died suddenly.”

“Hmm? And you’re buying indulgences worth 10 billion gold just because you killed a slave girl?”

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“Oh, it’s not just that. On the way back after killing the slave girl, I was so angry that I burned down an entire village I happened to come across. Dozens of children were probably burned to death. That’s why.”

“Hahaha, that should be more than enough for 5 billion gold, don’t you think?”

“Haha, well, the remaining 5 billion gold is like a ‘tip’ to the gracious deity who forgives my sins.”

The two men then shared a hearty laugh.

Quilt nodded and said, “You’ve thought well. In our Rune Order, we are lenient about human mistakes. As humans, we can make mistakes and commit sins. Isn’t that the case? Paying an appropriate penance is the solution.”

“That’s right. Regardless of the sin, as long as you pay the penance, it’s all you need to do.”

“Exactly. Honestly, even if you forcibly lay with a holy woman, you can repent by paying penance. When the worldly coins hit the donation box, your soul goes from hell to heaven with a ‘ding’ sound. This is a doctrine even recognized by one of our founding prophets of our Rune Order, Johannes L. Quovadis.”

Quilt and the chubby nobleman continued their conversation as they walked down the corridor. Ephebo, Pedo, Hebe, and Geronto also followed Quilt and disappeared.

Meanwhile, Vikir had heard the entire conversation. The stench of the disgusting corpses Quilt left in the corridor moments ago made his senses almost numb.

“It’s suffocating.”

Then, a cold voice came from under Vikir’s chin. “Isn’t someone else suffocating?”

Only then did Vikir realize that Dolores was there. She was looking at him with a stern expression.

Finally, Dolores, who had emerged from the gap between the walls, was visibly displeased and questioned Vikir. “What were you just doing?”

Vikir remained silent because he couldn’t reveal the truth about the demon’s presence.

However, it seemed that Dolores had misunderstood something when she saw Vikir keeping silent. She looked annoyed. “Do you think I’ll be grateful for this kind of useless concern?”

“…?”

What was she talking about now? Vikir raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Dolores, on the other hand, appeared to have misinterpreted something and spoke assertively, “Do you think facing Quilt will be uncomfortable for me? No! I’m not scared to meet him! Don’t treat me like a slacker!”

Vikir finally realized Dolores’ misunderstanding. She had misinterpreted why he had pulled her close and hidden between the walls.

She thought Vikir wanted to prevent her from meeting Quilt.

So why was Dolores so uncomfortable about running into Quilt?

Because of the new-articles that were just published.

[The Villain ‘Night Hunter’ Who Terrified Venetior, Who Is He!?]

On [Month] [Day], in the early hours of last night, an unknown villain appeared, causing an incident that reduced the [00 Orphanage] to rubble…

[Is the Quovadis clan Okay as It Is!?]

Meanwhile, within the Quovadis family, a fierce rivalry between the Old Faction and New Faction factions was brewing…

There is also criticism that the delay in responding to the terror incidents is due to the internal strife within the family…

[Old Faction vs. New Faction, Is the Feud between Quovadis Factions Benefiting Only the Villains!?]

The conflict between the Old Faction and New Faction factions is indeed long-standing, and the main difference between the two is whether they accept “indulgences” and “absolutions”…

Indulgences are certificates that absolve one of their sins, like amulets. The main idea is to offset the weight of sins with wealth.

The Old Faction faction’s Rune followers raised significant offerings by selling indulgences, establishing a powerful presence. This faction included the majority of the elderly high priests.

On the other hand, the New Faction faction criticized the Old Faction faction’s practices and sought religious reform. The younger and lower-ranked priests were predominantly members of the New Faction faction.

Notably, Saint Dolores represented the New Faction faction as a young and enlightened figure. She walked a completely different path from her father, the Old Faction faction’s high priest, Humbert. Their relationship was somewhat awkward due to their differing beliefs.

On the other hand, Quilt, who just walked through the corridor, was a prominent figure in the Old Faction faction. The family he primarily leads, the [Indulgentia], is also one of the strong pillars of the Old Faction faction. Therefore, it was easy to infer that the relationship between Saint Dolores and the daycare director, Quilt, was not that great.

In fact, just a moment ago, Quilt openly said unpleasant things to Dolores. “Indeed, even if you forcibly lay with a holy woman, you can repent by paying penance.”

Now that Vikir thought about it, Quilt might have known that Dolores was hiding between the walls when he made that comment. Or, at the very least, he must have strongly suspected it.

So was that the reason?

Dolores was so furious that tears welled up in her eyes. Even her usually mild and calm voice was now trembling with emotion.

“This kind of consideration only makes things more uncomfortable! And family matters are something I will handle on my own! What do you even know…?”

Moreover, due to various incidents within the school, Dolores didn’t particularly like Vikir in the first place. For her, Vikir was a lazy and careless student who didn’t take school life seriously. Furthermore, he was an impolite fellow who spoke ill of the “Night Hunter” without knowing much about it.

Dolores felt a mix of emotions that exploded all at once, including shame for exposing family secrets to an outsider, a momentary desire to hide in fear when she saw Quilt, subtle feelings of hostility towards the Night Hunter, and all the other stress and anxieties she was carrying.

“You’re the worst!” she exclaimed.

She had been holding back, but she was still a young and immature individual. Eventually, Dolores disappeared down the opposite end of the corridor, leaving Vikir behind.

Vikir, now alone after seeing her off, thought, “I don’t really care tho.”

The fact that the Saint was angry right now wasn’t important at all. If anything, thanks to Dolores drawing all the attention, Quilt and Ephebo had passed by Vikir without noticing him.

In many ways, Vikir was lucky.

Vikir immediately began tailing Quilt. Even though it was daytime and he wasn’t wearing a mask, his eyes were already exuding a sinister reddish glow.

The Night Hunter bared his fangs.

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