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Chapter 231

"... Yes," Nasser answered weakly.

He wouldn’t lie about something like that.

Ian’s expression turned curious.

If you serve the light and follow the doctrines and laws, wouldn\'t even Lu Solar be unable to act arbitrarily? Is there something more?

From what Ian had observed, the gods in this world fell into two categories: those who needed worshippers and those who didn’t. Gods like Karha or the ancient gods of the void were in the latter category, while Lu Solar was a prominent example of the former. Since she maintained her vast divinity through the faith of her followers, she was not entirely free from her doctrines and laws. The saying that light shines on everything was likely a constraint for her.

"How ironic. She blesses that shiny guy without issue, but not you. What’s her deal?" Thesaya mocked, and Nasser let out a quick sigh.

"Well, there are many possibilities now. It could be because I opposed Sir Ian. Perhaps it’s because I stood by out of curiosity, even though I had doubts about whether it was right. Maybe it’s a punishment for my arrogance. I always prided myself on being favored by the goddess."

Even he doesn’t know for sure.

A faint, wry smile crossed Ian’s lips. Dealing with gods often involved a lot of ambiguity, similar to the void. Much of what he knew was based on speculation, and new rules or exceptions could always emerge.

Just like how Lu Solar offered apostleship to Ian, who wasn’t even her follower, or how Karha, without being an apostle, inscribed a blessing tattoo on him.

One thing’s certain: Karha must be very carefree.

Of course, if he misbehaved, he could be banished to the void as a malevolent god, but Karha Ian knew wouldn’t care about that. If he did, he wouldn’t have blessed Ian during his fight with an Apostle Lu Solar.

"Whatever it is, it’s clear I accumulated sins without realizing it. So, when she directly intervened, she made me pay the price."

"Directly...?" Thesaya blinked at Nasser’s near-muttered comment.

"Didn’t you know? I believe Sir Ian must have felt it as well." Nasser asked back, and both Charlotte and Thesaya turned their gazes to Ian.

"Did you, Ian?"

"I did."

"And you didn’t tell us? What happened? Did you talk with a God or something?"

Ian shrugged. "Not exactly. I was almost made an apostle, but I declined."

"...!" Charlotte’s mouth fell open, and the small window connected to the coachman’s seat suddenly burst open.

"What? Did you refuse the Goddess’s revelation? Why?"

It was Philip.

This bastard was eavesdropping, after all.

Ian didn’t bother explaining that it wasn’t his first time declining or that he had no intention of serving any gods. Instead, he just gestured to Thesaya with his chin.

Thesaya, without turning her head, reached out and closed the window.

Ian looked back at Nasser and spoke. "So, you’re no longer a paladin or anything, just a forsaken soul?"

"... Yes, that’s right."

"Then we don’t have to worry about how we treat you."

"...!" Nasser’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting this interpretation.

Charlotte smiled, revealing her fangs slightly, while Nasser quickly regained his composure and spoke.

"I-it’s a fate worse than death for me. But that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped serving the Radiant Goddess. In fact, I now understand her will more clearly."

He met Ian’s gaze for a moment before continuing.

"The Goddess was sorrowful. She was pained by us turning our blades against each other. You must have felt it too, Sir Ian."

"Well, she didn’t seem pleased, that’s for sure," Ian replied nonchalantly, and Nasser nodded weakly.

"That means my seniors’ convictions were wrong. The Goddess doesn’t wish for Sir Ian’s death. The fact that she gave a revelation makes it even clearer. You are essential for bringing light back to the continent."

A spark flashed in Nasser’s eyes, one Ian had seen many times before, mostly in fanatics. Within this madman, a new conviction had taken root. He didn’t seem particularly saddened by Gotheir’s death either, probably viewing it as a rightful end. In any case, Ian had no reason to complain.

"Then prove it. Let’s get back to the point."

Since that might make things easier for me.

Nasser glanced at Charlotte, seemingly giving up on moving her hand and the blade, and spoke.

"... Yes. I understand."

"You mentioned there are those who share your cause. What do you call yourselves?"

"We... should now refer to them as they. They are an organization called the Dawn Brigade."

"Are they made up solely of Purifiers?"

"For the most part, yes. As far as I know." Nasser\'s answer was oddly vague.

Ian, narrowing his eyes slightly, added, "How large is it?"

"Do you know how the purification squads are structured and operate?"

"... Keep answering questions like that, and my friend here will be very happy."

As if on cue, Charlotte moved the dagger a little deeper into his skin. Though the bleeding didn’t increase much, it was clear the pain did.

Nasser, his eyebrows twitching in pain, responded. "You’re quite skilled at interrogation. I knew Sir Ian was a mercenary, but..."

"I am still a mercenary. And to add, I don’t serve Lu Solar. Plus, the sun has already set. So it’s in your best interest to answer properly without deflecting."

Taking a deep breath, Nasser continued. "The purification squads are not as structured as rumors suggest. They don’t congregate often, nor do they frequently communicate. They operate mostly as individuals or in small units for specific missions. Most purifiers work in..."

"Near the Black Wall. Your main tasks are to purify the demons that cross the wall, their nests, and the demonic realms created by madness."

"... You’re well-informed. Since these missions often result in death, purifiers don’t attach importance to hierarchy, names, fame, or relationships. Such things weaken the soul."

"You mean to say it’s a very isolated organization," Ian spoke casually, and Nasser nodded slightly.

"Essentially, aside from their immediate squad or the priest who assigns missions, purifiers have no contact with each other. They can complete joint missions without even knowing each other’s names. Naturally, we don’t know the total number of purifiers. The Dawn Brigade is no exception to this."

"So you don’t know the exact size?"

"No. We, no, they are a secret society, only admitting a selected few from within. Their first rule is never to disclose their existence."

"You sure take a long time to answer a simple question." Ian’s voice grew cold.

"I didn’t think you’d believe me if I just said I didn’t know—" Before Nasser could finish, Charlotte moved her left arm without warning.

The dagger\'s blade flashed beside his ear, and the next moment, a part of his ear was cut off.

"...!" Nasser gritted his teeth and breathed heavily through his nose as Ian looked at Charlotte.

She blinked and spoke. "Was that not a signal?"

... I was going to say it was still useful information.

Contrary to his thoughts, Ian responded dryly. "Try not to make too much of a mess in the carriage."

"... Oh, alright, I’ll be careful," Charlotte replied sheepishly.

"You’re always so eager to see blood," Thesaya muttered as she picked up the severed earpiece and tossed it out the window, pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to Charlotte.

Charlotte, who had embedded a dagger into the carriage wall, grabbed a handkerchief and firmly pressed it against Nasser\'s severed ear.

"Ugh

...!" Nasser trembled, but couldn’t escape Charlotte’s grip.

His chin was still held firmly by her hand. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he composed himself.

Ian, giving him time to recover, finally spoke again. "What is the purpose of the Dawn Brigade?"

"...To embrace the inevitable darkness and herald a new dawn." Nasser took a breath before continuing.

Clearly, he didn’t have the luxury of thinking too much.

"I should hear this in more detail."

"They believe the continent being enveloped in darkness is an inevitable outcome, no matter how hard we try to prevent it. Instead of striving for the impossible, they believe it’s wiser for an Apostle of Goddess to prepare and plan for what comes after."

"That’s quite a convincing argument. Who said this to you?"

"My senior who commanded me to join. His name is—"

"That can wait. So, you’re preparing to become the dawn that follows after the darkness?"

"We prepare to be that dawn. When the age of chaos begins, all dark creatures will reveal their true forms. We will be at the forefront, eradicating them as a beacon of light, restoring order, and ushering in a new age of light."

"Yes... Sounds plausible and quite enticing." Ian murmured.

For purifiers who spent their lives fighting the darkness without any recognition, it would have been an enticing promise.

With a much calmer expression, Nasser answered. "Curiosity was stronger. I wanted to see if such darkness would truly come and if a new era of light could be ushered in."

He\'s the type to kill out of curiosity.

Ian muttered inwardly, then chuckled. This world was filled with such people.

"So, who is your leader?"

"I don’t know."

"You don’t know who your leader is?" Ian frowned, and Charlotte tightened her grip on the handkerchief.

A reddish glow emanated from her hand.

Nasser, grimacing, groaned as he spoke. "As you know, there are corrupted ones within the church, despite our efforts to purge them. The remaining ones are particularly cunning and evil. The more each individual knows, the higher the risk for the entire group. A-all I know are rumors."

"Rumors?"

"Yes, they say one of the bishops is involved. That’s all I know. I’ve never even met the leader of the Dawn Brigade. The one who convenes and assigns missions to us is known as the Archbishop."

"... And you don’t know their identity, either?"

"Yes. That person doesn\'t even dine with us. The only thing I know for sure is that they\'re quite young. Probably around thirty at most."

Ian chuckled briefly. "You seemed to have a lot of curiosity. But in that aspect, you were needlessly selective."

"There were always more pressing matters. Like the Dragon Slayer in the North who took the dark relic or the vampire clan in Lu Sard."

"Did you find out about them recently, too?"

"Yes, thanks to you eliminating them."

Thesaya let out a short laugh. "Maybe you needed me more than you realized—"

"Excuse me...?"

Before Thesaya could say more, Ian cut in. "The Dawn Brigade was controlling demons, and you had no suspicions at all?"

"Because an inevitable outcome awaits. I\'ve heard they\'re making various attempts to control that outcome, even if only slightly. Of course, it\'s not that I wasn\'t surprised...."

Nasser added bitterly, "At the time, it wasn\'t the right atmosphere to question things. I hadn\'t been with the group for long, and I wasn\'t in a position to speak up first."

Ian\'s expression became peculiar.

"... Surely, you don\'t mean that following me was your first mission or something like that, right?"

"No, it was my third. The second was an investigation in Glumir. The Dawn Brigade didn’t convene often, as we had our duties as purifiers to fulfill."

That explains why you know so little.

Ian nodded slightly. "So you had your reason for just watching from behind...."

"... That’s unrelated to my experience. From the start, our mission was not to fight you. The Archbishop specifically instructed us not to antagonize you, though my seniors seemed to think otherwise."

Pouring oil on the fire, huh?

Ian let out a short, scoffing laugh.

Seeing Nasser\'s slightly bewildered expression, he continued. "It’s hard to believe the Archbishop didn’t know what would happen if you and I crossed paths."

"... You mean he sent us knowing there would be a conflict?"

"Unless he\'s too blind to see what even you could."

Nasser’s mouth fell open slightly, and then he spoke. "But why...? There’s no benefit to that."

"That’s from your perspective. From his perspective, any outcome was beneficial."

"What do you mean...?"

Book smart but not street smart.

Ian smirked at Nasser’s na?ve confusion. "If you died by my hand, it would confirm to the brigade that the Agent of Platinum Dragon has other plans. If you killed me, they’d eliminate a troublesome figure."

"...." Nasser’s lips moved several times before he finally spoke. "You mean we were used as sacrificial lambs?"

"In your terms, I believe you call that martyrdom."

Nasser\'s eyes wavered, reflecting a shock similar to being abandoned by the Goddess.

Ian simply snorted through his nose, unconcerned. Of course, that Archbishop probably hadn’t anticipated that one of the purifiers would be captured.

Capturing an Apostle of the Goddess wasn’t something easily conceived. And that this prisoner would spill everything he knew wasn’t likely in their calculations, either.

Although he doesn’t know much, the information he does have is still useful.

While Ian gathered his thoughts, Thesaya interjected. "So why do you all hate Ian so much? And what about the Platinum Dragon? Isn’t he a saint of the church?"

Ian looked at Thesaya, who shrugged. "I’ve been curious about that."

"... As for disliking Sir Ian," Nasser replied in a somewhat weary voice, looking at Ian. "It’s probably because we were envious. Most purifiers die fighting the darkness, their names never known."

"A very human reason indeed," Charlotte muttered disdainfully.

Ian, who had already suspected this, wasn’t particularly surprised.

Thesaya snorted. "And what about the Platinum Dragon? Is it just as simple?"

"No, it’s not that simple. Many in the church doubt the Platinum Dragon’s intentions. They call such people—"

"Pure believers." Ian cut in.

Nasser looked at him, surprised. "How did you know?"

"Just well."

"... I see. Anyway, it’s not entirely baseless. The Platinum Dragon spends most of his time in his lair, unseen by anyone, even the eyes of the gods."

That\'s quite a stretch.

Ian chuckled softly.

Those who possessed immense power, and who were seemingly immortal, inevitably made others uncomfortable. If they were frequently seen, it was troublesome because they were always around. If they weren\'t seen, it was troublesome because of their absence.

"And yet, you’re all happy to use items crafted by him." Ian’s remark made Nasser pause, and then smile.

"I don\'t particularly have any ill feelings toward him... but to survive against the darkness, you have to use whatever you can. If that includes a cloak enchanted by the Platinum Dragon or a sword forged with dragon\'s breath, then so be it."

"Even the mad mages’ creations, right?"

"... Yes. Though my seniors might have had other reasons too."

"What else?"

"They might have been preparing for a situation where they’d have to fight the Platinum Dragon. They believed that if darkness descended upon the continent, he would reveal his true nature."

"I see..." Ian laughed softly. "I can assure you, even if all of you attacked him, you wouldn’t be able to kill him."

"The seniors didn\'t think it was completely hopeless. Even I didn\'t."

Nasser, catching Ian’s gaze, seemed confused by his reaction. "It\'s known that incantation magic can be countered by incantation magic, and weapons infused with dragon\'s power can be fatal for dragons as well. Haven\'t you heard the old saying, kill a dragon with another dragon?"