Chapter 82: Wavering

Balf was unable to find Grand Knight Commander Lox. When he stormed into the outpost to complain, he was informed that Commander Lox had already left, heading toward the rear lines where the teleportation portal was located, for reasons unknown.

“Gone?”

“Yes, Viscount Balf.”

Faced with Balf’s angry questioning, Liam wore a troubled expression. After realizing he could not stop Zane, Liam had no choice but to seek out Commander Lox for help. In truth, he had no idea what to do; the incident had grown so large that if word reached Archbishop Boson in the rear, it would surely cause further trouble. Yet, what could the Temple do about it?

What struck Liam as odd was that after hearing his report, Lord Lox was not angry. Instead, he seemed lost in thought for a moment, then gave Liam a most baffling reply.

“Wait and see.”

Wait? What kind of answer was that?

Liam could not fathom what Commander Lox was thinking. In his view, this was a matter that needed immediate resolution. If the nobles refused to back down and Zane would not compromise, the situation could erupt at any moment, leading to chaos that only the heavens could foresee. Yet, Commander Lox not only refused to resolve it swiftly, but acted as though he intended to sit back, sip tea, and watch the drama unfold. What was he playing at?

Before Liam could say more, Lox turned and departed, claiming he had business to report to Archbishop Boson, and left Liam in charge of the outpost. This left Liam utterly vexed. No sooner had Lox walked out than these nobles arrived to stir up trouble… Liam even wondered if Lord Lox had foreseen this and slipped away on purpose.

“Gone? If he’s gone, then who is in charge now?”

“According to Commander Lox’s orders, I am temporarily responsible for the outpost.”

“Excellent!”

At Liam’s reply, Viscount Balf nodded arrogantly, then pointed at Liam.

“I imagine you are aware—a wretched, ruined noble killed my attendant in the outpost, and furthermore assaulted my personal guards! All this took place within your own outpost. You must know about it. Now, in the name of the Viscount, I command you to send men at once to arrest that fellow and his entourage and bring them before me. Do you hear me?”

Liam’s expression darkened. He was a knight of the Temple, not a member of Valkyrie Principality. He was a paladin, after all. For a viscount to come into the Temple and issue orders, expecting to command paladins? Paladins were not his lapdogs—what did he take the Temple of the War God for?

“I am sorry, Viscount Balf. I am merely acting as Commander Lox’s temporary replacement and do not have the authority to deploy Temple forces. Our current garrison is insufficient for defense, and we have no extra personnel for such matters. I suggest you wait for Commander Lox’s return.”

Liam’s words were steely, reflecting his own indignation. He was a paladin of the Temple of the War God, not beholden to the Valkyrie Principality. Normally, he kept clear of the nobles only to avoid trouble, not because there was any real hierarchy between them. If you refuse to accept my courtesy, don’t blame me for striking back.

“A nobleman threatened in the outpost—is that a trivial matter?”

Balf’s eyes widened, glaring at Liam.

“You must understand what consequences will follow if I report this. My attendant, Viscount Balf’s own, was murdered in a Temple outpost, and the Temple did nothing! Have you considered what might result from that?”

Liam’s face grew grim. In the past, he might have had to consider the relationship between the Temple and Valkyrie Principality. But now, with the Principality turning to other gods and even suppressing the Temple in secret, there was no need to weigh such relations any longer.

“I am very sorry, but the fact remains—we simply lack the manpower. You know yourself that even clearing monsters from the outpost’s surroundings required us to hire mercenaries…”

Naturally, Liam would not be foolish enough to follow Balf’s orders. What was a viscount to him? Not even a count or a marquis would necessarily be granted respect! With that in mind, Liam steeled himself; no matter what Viscount Balf said, he repeated his stance: no men, no authority, only acting as agent. No matter how dire the issue, it must wait for Commander Lox’s return. Even if the world ended, he had no right to make any decisions.

Facing such a stubborn adversary, Balf was beside himself with rage. There were moments he even considered dealing with this insolent paladin himself. Fortunately, Balf was not quite so foolish; seeing Liam’s unwavering refusal, he could only throw out a few harsh words before storming out of the outpost.

“These idiot paladins!”

Outside, Balf was still fuming. If it were another Temple, perhaps he would have spoken more civilly. But what was the Temple of the War God? They were lucky not to be utterly ruined by now, yet they dared to show such attitude! Did they not realize, without the support of Valkyrie Principality, their Temple was finished?

“Utter fools! It’s absurd. The facts are plain, and these people feign blindness. Their followers are idiots, and I doubt the War God himself is any better—no wonder he was slain by demons. Hmph! A so-called true god, what a joke!”

“Sir, you mustn’t say such things,” Cotton blanched, glancing around nervously. Luckily, no one was nearby to overhear his complaints. Though the War God Marka had fallen, he was still one of the Nine Saints. Insulting a deity was a grave crime—if a paladin overheard, one could be condemned as a heretic and face certain death.

“I know!” Balf waved his hand irritably.

“But what should we do now?”

“Well…”

Cotton considered for a moment. Originally, he had intended to rally the Temple against Zane, believing that even Zane would not dare confront the Temple directly. But with Lox gone and only Liam remaining, the situation had grown far more complicated… Yet, an idea sparked in Cotton’s mind, and soon a warm smile returned to his face.

“Sir Balf, Liam’s words just now have given us a hint.”

“Oh?”

“Remember when the Temple recruited us and mercenaries to clear monsters around the Dark Region, due to a lack of manpower? We could do the same. What if, as you suggest, we put out a high bounty for Zane’s head? Anyone who kills him, or captures those two young ladies at his side, will receive a handsome reward. Mercenaries live for such prizes—they will surely seek him out. With so many hidden threats, let’s see how long he can hold out!”

It was indeed a good idea.

Balf’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he nodded approvingly.

“Then, I’ll leave this matter to you.”

As a fallen noble, Cotton still wielded some influence in the outpost. Through his efforts, news quickly spread among the mercenaries: Viscount Balf had posted a hefty bounty. Balf proved himself generous—anyone who killed Zane would receive a reward of one thousand gold coins. Capture him alive, and the reward would rise to three thousand. The two young ladies at Zane’s side were also highly prized: capturing Elise would earn five hundred gold coins, and even Bix was worth three hundred.

This news soon stirred the mercenaries’ interest. Most had come to the Dark Region for money, and the bounty was considerable. While three thousand gold was mere pocket change to nobles, for ordinary folk it meant a life of prosperity!

Where there are rich rewards, there are brave men. Zane’s reputation was great, and his achievements well known. But mercenaries gamble their lives for a living; fighting monsters in the Dark Region was dangerous, but Zane was human—and fighting humans was surely easier than battling beasts.

Even if they failed to kill Zane, kidnapping Bix or Elise would still yield a tidy sum. For mercenaries, even three hundred gold coins were incentive enough to risk all.

Yet these mercenaries were no fools; they had seen Zane ruthlessly decimate Viscount Balf’s elite guards. If they rushed in recklessly, their fate might be even worse. So they waited patiently in the shadows, biding their time.

But not everyone possessed such patience.