Chapter 80: Courting Death

There were no laws binding the outpost, but every place maintained its own unique set of rules. Though paladins watched over the area, conflict—even death—within the outpost was not an uncommon occurrence. The doctrine of the Temple of the God of War was one of war and strife, meaning their paladins would never concern themselves with the nature of every incident as meticulously as those of the Sun God Amon Ra or the True God Tom. Thus, they mostly turned a blind eye to disputes among mercenaries. Unless a situation threatened the normal operation of the outpost, the paladins of the War God’s temple were reluctant to meddle in mercenary affairs.

This time, however, things were different. The person Janen had killed was not one of those mercenaries who risked their lives in the Underdark, but a retainer belonging to a certain prominent figure. The nature of the matter changed accordingly; after Janen and his companions departed, the entire outpost was stirred like a pond hit by a stone, and Janen’s name once more became the subject of heated conversation.

Janen, however, was uninterested. This was the Underdark, not the surface. No matter how many came, it would change nothing; they could cling to their ideals, their boundaries, their principles, yet the rules and limits of the Underdark could neither be ignored nor resisted, not even by the temples themselves. Everything here pressed down upon the people like hundreds of meters of earth and stone overhead; the only thing left to do was unconditionally accept it.

Of course, part of Janen’s indifference was that he had found something far more interesting.

"Have you figured out what it is yet, Iris?"

Sitting on a stone chair, Janen eyed with interest the vivid red, peculiar substance placed before him. After returning to his own cave within the outpost, Janen had devoted himself to studying this odd object. At first, he thought it was an egg, but using the Evil Eye to investigate, he was surprised to discover it was solid inside. That meant it was not an egg, but more akin to a gemstone.

Had that been all, it would have ended there, but when Janen adjusted Evil Eye to soul mode, he was astonished to find a strange soul fire gestating within. It was clear the soul fire had only recently formed, the white flames burning slowly yet steadfastly, proclaiming its existence.

How fascinating—a stone with a soul. Would a monkey leap out of it?

Janen had read many books, yet never encountered such an oddity. So he handed the red gem to Iris for research; after all, as a mage, this was her field.

"I'm sorry, master, I haven’t figured it out yet."

Upon hearing Janen’s question, Iris smiled helplessly, then focused once more on the ruby egg before her.

"I can sense the elemental fluctuation inside… It must be something condensed into existence, but what, I cannot say..."

"Take your time. We have all the time we need."

Accepting the black tea handed to him by Bix, Janen leaned leisurely against the stone wall. During this period, he had kept in contact with Enoya; at least things were stable in the dungeon. Janen had decided to temporarily seal the entrance and recall all aberrations and banshees. The previous raid on the patrol had merely been an attempt to fish in troubled waters, but now, with his goal achieved, it was best to pull back at the right moment.

So, next...

"Knock knock knock!"

At that moment, a hurried knocking sounded outside. Janen lifted his eyelids and glanced toward the entrance. Soon, the curtain was swept aside and Paladin Liam entered in a rush, his young face tense with anxiety. Seeing Janen there, Liam sighed in resignation and strode up to him.

"Mr. Janen, you’re still in the mood for tea? Do you know the outpost is in chaos right now!"

"What does that have to do with me? The outpost is managed by your Sanctuary Church—shouldn’t you be the ones handling it?"

Janen sipped his tea and glanced at Liam. He felt neither affection nor dislike for the paladin. Liam was rather “straight-laced,” but such men were easily used, and thus held some value for Janen. He said nothing more, but made a gesture; seeing it, Bix promptly set out a silver teacup and poured a cup for Liam.

"Thank you."

After so much hurried walking, Liam’s throat was dry. He quickly thanked Bix and took the cup. After a sip, he managed to catch his breath. Hearing Janen’s words, Liam glared at him, but recalling Janen’s temper, his previously assertive expression softened considerably.

"Indeed, to be honest, I questioned the mercenaries who witnessed the incident. It’s true those retainers were in the wrong first, and I know you have a fierce temper, but… the ones you killed this time are different!"

"How so?"

Janen snorted coldly.

"My maid was bullied in the outpost, and you paladins pretended not to see. Were those men paladins, then?"

"No, no, they weren’t paladins!"

Liam, still young, was startled by Janen’s words, quickly rising and waving his hands in denial.

"None of our paladins are such scum, but Mr. Janen, to be honest, this matter is difficult to handle..."

With Liam’s explanation, Janen finally understood the situation.

The Sanctuary Church was indeed an international organization, but no matter how mighty the temple, it was still just a temple. Over the years, most nations had changed their systems. Aside from the church’s base, the Holy Nation of Seth, being a theocracy, most countries operated under a separation of church and state. The church’s influence was vast, yet could not touch every aspect of a nation. Thus, any church operation required the support of local rulers.

This expedition into the Underdark was no exception. Janen’s current location, the Northlands, lay beneath the Doomsday Mountains, partly within the realm of the Valkyrie Duchy. The Temple of the War God needed to recruit personnel, supply logistics, and so forth, all requiring the duchy’s cooperation.

The Valkyrie Duchy and the Temple of the War God were historically linked. In the beginning, the area was merely a human settlement. With the invasion of the demons, it was plunged into war and chaos. The War God Maka sent Valkyries to the material plane to help the locals defeat the demonic forces. Among them, a human hero fell in love with a Valkyrie and together they bore a child. That child eventually founded a nation here, naming it Valkyrie. Thus the duchy’s name.

When the Temple of the War God thrived, relations with the duchy were good. But after the fall of the War God, ties deteriorated; bereft of divine protection, the temple was now treated as a burden, and the duchy sought to distance itself. The old friendship was rarely mentioned. It was understandable: while the War God lived, his blessing was welcome, but after his death, the duchy, stripped of protection, faced unrest.

To stabilize the people, the Valkyrie Duchy had to abandon the now-useless temple and support other temples. In such circumstances, the already weakened Temple of the War God suffered further. Though some semblance of cordial relations remained, it was mere pretense.

Thus, the duchy was reluctant to accede to the temple’s request. Had the temple not pleaded, the duchy would not have agreed to anything. Even so, their assistance was limited to logistics; they refused to venture into the Underdark, since the army’s duty was to protect the nation, not squander itself underground.

Previously, local nobles of the duchy had overseen the portals with Archbishop Boson of the church. But after the outpost was raided (Liam could never have guessed the culprit sat before him), the rear guard grew uneasy, fearing further trouble from the Underdark. Only after Janen dealt with the fire lizards did things finally settle.

Yet new problems arose.

The supply outpost reported the area cleared and sent fire lizard corpses as proof. These strange, evil subterranean creatures surprised the rear guard. Learning the outpost was now safe, the nobles became eager to see the Underdark themselves. Some noble heirs banded together, bringing their retainers to the supply outpost, intending to examine the “local customs.”

The retainers who had surrounded Bix belonged to these noble heirs. Thus, the mercenaries and paladins were reluctant to intervene; the nobles were distinguished partners of the temple, and neither mercenaries nor paladins wished to provoke trouble.

Janen, however, was more ruthless—he killed them without hesitation, as casually as slaughtering chickens. This was a blatant affront, and those spoiled heirs would never let it go. Liam was upright, not a fool; hearing that Janen had killed someone, he knew trouble was brewing and hurried to warn him.

"I see," Janen nodded after Liam finished.

"No matter. If they want trouble with me, let them come. Don’t worry, for your sake, I’ll spare their lives."

"That’s not the issue…"

Liam smiled ruefully. He hadn’t come to plead for those men, but hoped Janen wouldn’t stir up more trouble. But judging by Janen’s attitude, he didn’t even consider it trouble!

Unfortunately, what one fears most always comes.

Suddenly, a series of rapid footsteps sounded outside, along with the distant clash of steel. Liam’s expression changed, but before he could speak, several fully armed soldiers burst into the cave, surrounding Janen and his companions.