Chapter 20
The corridor leading to the confessionals held several small booths, and on the opposite wall stood a single angel statue.
Its face was half hidden by hands raised high to grip the hilt of a sword, leaving only its eyes visible.
The image of the angel standing solemnly with a great sword planted into the ground symbolized loyalty, while the hand covering its mouth represented silence.
Behind the sword-bearing angel statue hung a pure white banner engraved with the sigil of the Sun God Raspalara, trailing all the way down to the floor.
A wall concealed behind that banner.
That very spot connected to the hidden passage Aquila had discovered at the back of the temple.
There were two presences ahead.
Cahena slightly lifted the banner blocking the view and peered through the gap.
Bluish moonlight faintly illuminated the corridor, making it easy enough to locate them.
Two figures stood near a window beyond the angel statue’s left wing.
They wore pure white robes symbolizing priests of the Sun, and at a glance, they looked no different from ordinary clergy.
But to Cahena’s eyes, there were too many oddities to ignore.
Above all, a sharp, unmistakable presence radiated from them.
“…Two men in robes. They do not seem like ordinary priests.”
Cahena whispered so softly that it would have been impossible to hear without focus.
Aquila, straining to catch even that faint voice, frowned.
If Cahena said so, it had to be true.
Her instincts were never wrong.
Besides, there was no reason for priests to loiter near the confessionals when no one had come to confess.
Aquila fixed his gaze on the faint sliver of light seeping in.
Standing behind Cahena, he could not see outside clearly.
As he lifted his heel slightly and leaned forward to peek—
“I wonder how much longer we’re supposed to wait at this snail’s pace.”
“Give it up. You should only expect so much from that pig bastard.”
The sudden sound of unfamiliar voices made Aquila freeze.
One was sharp and irritated, clearly sick of waiting.
The other was deep and low.
Aquila pressed himself close against Cahena’s back and listened intently.
“How long are we supposed to put up with that idiot doing whatever he wants?”
“As long as you answer him properly, he hands everything over, does he not?”
“But lately that pig bastard’s been holding his head higher than ever. Look at the way he struts around. Like he’s the master and we’re the servants. All he does is dump annoying chores on us.”
The corridor was so quiet that not a single word of their conversation was lost.
Thinking no one was nearby, they seemed to speak even more freely.
“That pig can play king all he wants.”
“Just seeing his face these days makes my stomach turn. That wobbling chin of his—if I could stick a blade into it just once, I’d die happy.”
The man with the deeper voice let out a short snort.
“He won’t be sitting on that seat much longer anyway. The Saint is already figuring out how to drive him out.”
“Ah, that crazy Saint bastard…”
“I hate to admit it, but capability-wise, he really is impressive. He has not even been here long, and yet look how many of our people he has already dragged out.”
“Tch.”
The irritable man clicked his tongue.
‘The pig must be Martio… and judging by the way they talk, they are members of the Guild of Darkness.’
Aquila narrowed his eyes as he processed their exchange.
He was not as sensitive as Cahena, but even Aquila could sense something off about the presences beyond the banner.
Those who lived in the underworld carried a peculiar aura—precisely measured, unnaturally contained.
It was a presence Aquila had encountered countless times before.
He could not mistake it.
“Every time I run into that Saint bastard, my heart nearly stops. He looks like he knows everything.”
“Exactly. If not for the fact that this is our last job here once we get this information, I would not stand it.”
“And the timing could not be better. Thanks to that noble, the Saint bastard’s attention is completely elsewhere.”
That noble.
Shen, who had been standing silently behind them, pressed himself closer to Aquila’s back.
He must have realized that title referred to Aquila.
Cahena lowered her upper body slightly so Aquila could see better.
Aquila tapped her shoulder twice without making a sound, then brought his eye close to the banner.
The three of them focused intently on the scene outside.
“How the hell is he still alive… Al Siden has never made a mistake before.”
Aquila tilted his head slightly at the name that suddenly caught his attention.
Al Siden.
A fanatic who worshipped the Night God Helitica, holding the position of High Priest.
And in every cycle, whenever Aquila confronted the corrupted followers of the Night, that man appeared as an enemy.
‘As expected. He is involved behind Aquila Reschenhardt’s curse as well.’
Someone he absolutely could not afford to let slip away this time either.
Aquila waited for the next words.
“So the blood blessed by a dragon really is different?”
“You should be glad you said that in front of me. If you had said it before the boss…”
Before the sentence could finish, footsteps approached from the right.
The men immediately stopped talking.
Step. Step.
Despite the late hour, the footsteps were neither hushed nor concealed—heavy and distinct.
They drew closer without slowing, then stopped right in front of the angel statue where Aquila’s group was hiding.
“You are late.”
“There was some pointless chatter that dragged on.”
A voice tinged with metal—one Aquila had heard earlier that day.
There was no need to think long.
It was Bishop Martio.
“You brought it properly, did you?”
“What do you take me for? Of course I have it.”
There was a rustling sound, as if Martio were pulling something from inside his robes.
Aquila tried to look through the gap, but Martio was completely hidden by the angel statue.
“Hand it over.”
“Hoh. Before that, I would like to hear how the thing I asked for turned out.”
Though he used honorific speech, Martio’s tone was utterly insolent.
The Guild member suppressed his irritation and replied quietly.
“…We caught the woman and put her inside the inner confessional. This time, we had no choice but to comply. But do not ask for this kind of thing again.”
At those words, Aquila’s head snapped up.
Was he talking about Yujelia?
Shen seemed to think the same and lightly tapped Aquila’s back.
‘There is no sound from that side. Is Yujelia unconscious?’
If one turned right at the end of this corridor, there was a spacious confessional large enough to hold two people.
All who walked into the Temple of the Sun were devoted to Raspalara, but the inner confessionals were reserved exclusively for nobles.
And if the Guild member’s words were true, Yujelia was there.
“Oh. Of course. I merely entrusted you with such a trivial and easy task, believing you would handle it well.”
Martio spoke politely, but his tone dripped with mockery.
“Stop wasting time and give it here. Say another word, and I will tear your limbs apart.”
“Tch. You are impatient. Here, go on, take it.”
Martio clicked his tongue, failing to hide his displeasure.
He extended something—it looked like a thick envelope of papers.
The Guild member snatched it up at once and pulled out the contents, holding them up to the moonlight to check.
“…Confirmed. What about the goods being sent to Belmaburn?”
“That matter has been taken care of as well, so there is no need to worry.”
“You said the same thing last time, yet you failed to keep your promise.”
“Haha. As I mentioned before, the condition of baptized orphans under twelve was more difficult than expected—”
“Skip the useless words. Just give me the conclusion.”
“…There were three among the recently admitted orphans. We have prepared them. They will depart tomorrow.”
Martio looked offended by the man’s tone but finished his explanation regardless.
Aquila clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘…They have been selling the children who come to the orphanage.’
The fact that both Martio and the Guild members spoke of this so casually meant this was not their first or second transaction.
Cahena, who had not moved at all until now, twitched her shoulder at the conversation.
But it was only for a moment.
Her presence remained shallow and faint, and she did not rush out in anger.
She was waiting for the right moment.
“When the carriage arrives safely in Belmaburn, I will double this payment. Check the usual drop point for your reward.”
“Kh—hm! We will proceed without error.”
Martio let out a satisfied chuckle at the mention of payment, then cleared his throat.
As the Guild member tucked the envelope into his robe and prepared to leave, Martio stopped them.
“Before you go, as a bonus, I would like you to move the woman in the confessional to my room.”
“…I thought our involvement ended with bringing her here. I just told you not to ask for such things again.”
“When did I ever say to leave her locked in the confessional?”
The Guild members glanced at Martio irritably.
But unwilling to prolong such an annoying argument, they exchanged looks among themselves.
“…I will handle it. Follow me.”
“Very well. Then we will go ahead and wait.”
The Guild member with the envelope nodded.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
The irritable-voiced Guild member turned down the corridor, and Martio followed behind.
As their footsteps faded, Cahena immediately turned back.
But before she could speak, Aquila spoke first.
Since the enemies had not gone far, his voice was low and quiet.
“It would be better if Vice-Captain Cahena captures the one who took the envelope. It will not take long.”
Her blue eyes, dulled by the darkness of the passage, widened.
She clearly had not expected Aquila to say that first.
“While you retrieve the priest, we will quietly watch this side with Shen.”
“But even if the bishop does not seem like much of a threat… is it not dangerous? There is also someone whose identity we do not know.”
“We only need to observe quietly. Even if we are discovered… well. You are here, and…”
Aquila glanced briefly at Shen, then returned his gaze to Cahena.
“Honestly, it should be enough just to stall for time.”
Aquila had no concrete information about Shen’s combat ability, but Cahena was here.
With her skill, she could subdue the Guild member and return without difficulty.
That confidence was not blind trust in Cahena herself, but trust in one who had surpassed intermediate Sword Expert.
The system never lied.
And Aquila had no intention of standing around waiting.
“But—”
“There is no time for this, Shen. We move now.”
As Shen hesitated again, Aquila cut him off.
There was no time to delay.
The man with the envelope was getting farther away, and the sound of a door opening came from the inner confessional.
Cahena’s expression hardened, and she finally nodded.
When she pulled the banner aside, moonlight that had been seeping in through a narrow gap flooded the passage.
“Do you want them alive?”
“One is enough. Dead or alive does not matter.”
Aquila answered without hesitation, and Cahena broke into a grin.
“As ordered.”
With those words, she vanished from sight, leaving only the banner fluttering violently, as if struck by a sudden gust of wind.