I will be crowned king

The night is getting darker.

Looking at the carriage hurrying away outside the door, blending into the darkness in the sparse street lights, Anson, with a stiff face, clutched his chest and sat quietly in front of the bar, calming his heartbeat.

Things are starting to become clearer.

The black mage...that is, Mace Honnard, has been looking for some way to help him become an "apostle"; judging from the fact that he has been studying Saint Isaac, his first target is the "Great King" in the royal capital. Magic book".

But it is not easy to collect an entire volume of the "Great Magic Book", especially at least one volume is in Clovis Cathedral; as a professor at St. Isaac's College, he may know that volume is in the form of a "memory card" Existence - To obtain it requires not only the card, but also the opportunity to use the Cathedral's Difference Engine.

So the black mage began to target outside the royal capital, and under a certain opportunity, he learned the "historical truth" buried in Thunder Castle, and encountered the war and the conspiracy of the old god sect of the empire...

At this juncture that put him in a dilemma, Anson Toolman Bach appeared in front of him.

Not only did he solve the siege of Thunderburg, he also won the trust of Ludwig Franz and became the commander of the security army... gradually getting closer to the center of power of Clovis Cathedral, Ludwig Franz.

Then...the existence of the Guards and a certain novelist exposed Mace Honard's identity; on the one hand, the situation he was facing now was more precarious, and on the other hand, it also gave him an opportunity to take advantage of.

He is the tool that allows him to seize this opportunity.

Success is of course an unexpected surprise, and failure is not a pity - he has never had contact with the Black Mage's true inner circle until now, and for him it is just the loss of a useful tool.

Moreover, he unintentionally provided him with information about the "August" family, giving him a second choice besides the "Great Magic Book".

After thinking about all this, Anson calmed down and sat at the bar. His eyes glanced at the ceramic cup in front of him intentionally or unintentionally; the dark coffee surface reflected the figure of a long-haired girl.

Um? !

Anson looked back suddenly, deliberately showing a slightly panicked expression; the female inquisitor with scarlet eyes stood motionless behind him with her hands in her pockets.

"When...you came up?"

"Just now." Sera Vigil said softly.

"Just...when?"

The female judge thought for a moment, took out her pocket watch from her pocket, opened it, and looked at Anson without any emotion:

"Fifteen minutes ago."

So basically, just after Cole Dorian left, you came up... Anson gasped in his heart and twitched the corner of his mouth. Just when he wanted to ask about Karin Jacques' situation, the expressionless female inquisitor suddenly He opened his mouth and said:

"You seem nervous?"

After the words fell, the nervous Ansen looked stunned.

Did she see it, or was she facing me directly...

"Don't worry, I'm not reading your mind." The female judge explained softly:

"I am a spellcaster of the Inquisition. To use magic of the level of 'mind reading', I need to report in advance or have at least one inquisitor present."

Anson was a little embarrassed: "Sorry! I, I didn't mean to..."

"No need to apologize." Sierra responded expressionlessly: "I deeply understand the feeling of having to be monitored in every move."

"…Thanks."

"You're welcome."

In front of the quiet bar, the female judge's scarlet eyes slowly focused on the coffee cup on the table, and her indifferent expression moved slightly.

"If it's because of that idiot Cole Dorian, there's no need to worry." She glanced at Anson and comforted softly:

"His words were just a habitual threat - not because he found any evidence and wanted to use you as bait to lure the black mage to steal the "Big Magic Book" tonight."

"... Habitual threats?" Anson didn't understand what she meant.

"This fool actually has quite a bad character, just like his great-grandfather 'Executioner Dorian'." Serra's voice did not fluctuate at all, it was calm and gentle:

"Looks very sunny, but is actually timid and cold; cautious to the point of nervousness, never trusting anyone, not even himself - he writes a diary every night to prevent his consciousness from being manipulated by black magic without being discovered. "

Oh, that's a good habit... Anson reached for the coffee cup on the table.

"Although he is such a hysterical coward, he is not a bad person...at least he is much better than the legendary 'executioner'." In the same cold tone, Anson felt a hint of tenderness from the female judge's words:

"I work hard and don't have a good face. I like to complain but I still complete my tasks conscientiously. Others don't want to say more and won't ask questions. If I make a mistake, I will apologize immediately."

"It sounds like you have a good relationship with him?" Anson, who chuckled lightly, picked up the coffee cup and catered casually.

"The relationship is...good?"

Talking to herself, a smile appeared on the cold face of the female judge; she raised her head slightly and pushed back her long hair, revealing a ferocious-shaped metal collar on her fair neck, and the little finger of her right hand lightly touched her lower neck. A small bump at the edge of the ring:

"Did you see this? The material is a special metal that is difficult to destroy and cannot be removed. It only requires a small device to pop out a poison-extracting silver needle."

"Within twenty seconds, I would have died from shock caused by respiratory paralysis in a state of muscle spasm."

"This is not a technology of the Truth-seeking Order. Only certain senior inquisitor families can obtain it through application. Mr. Anson Bach, guess whose hands that 'little device'... is in?"

Looking at Sera's clear eyes, Anson's throat twitched.

"He... forced you to wear this?"

Anson reluctantly kept a smile, and some horrific scenes involuntarily appeared in his mind:

In the dark dungeon, the evil-smiling Kor Dorian held a branding iron and a neck ring, and walked step by step towards the scarred Sera Vigil on the restraint frame: "Give up, you evil spellcaster will never be able to escape from my palm." inside……"

"No, I volunteered." Sera said calmly.

Um?

The picture in Anson's mind instantly shattered.

"He... proposed a deal to me." Sierra put down her long hair, her cold eyes looking a little blurred:

"As long as I wear this thing, I don't have to live under the surveillance of the Church of Order all the time; I can even leave the royal capital and go on vacation to a city with a church without him."

"I couldn't say no."

Anson, who was slightly embarrassed, nodded to express his understanding.

The female judge with the same expression looked at the pocket watch in her hand again, turned around and left the bar as if nothing had happened, and took down a three-cornered hat from the hanger in front of the door:

"Karin Jacques is in the interrogation room downstairs. I suggest you talk to him; right now, he should be at his most vulnerable."

"Did you torture him?"

"Of course not - Captain Lawrence is not here, and neither I nor that idiot has the authority to use torture instruments."

The female judge shook her head and said seriously: "I just chatted with him and drank a cup of coffee. If you don't believe it, you can ask him yourself."

Just chatting?

Anson suddenly had a bad premonition and subconsciously picked up the coffee in his hand to take a sip.

"By the way, the coffee in your hand was brought by that idiot just now, right?" Sierra opened the door and suddenly said:

"If so, I advise you not to drink - unless you want to keep talking."

"..." Anson Bach.

……………………

In the dimly lit interrogation room, a listless black-robed priest lay on the cold table, holding a mug filled with water, drinking and weakly muttering to himself:

"I swear to the Ring of Order that starting from today, I will never drink anything other than water in my life!"

Anson, who was sitting opposite him, nodded in agreement.

Reluctantly raising his eyes, Karin Jacques' cheek twitched, and he forced a smile on his face:

"Your Excellency Anson Bach, just like you said...we meet again."

Anson smiled slightly and shrugged.

"Um...don't you have anything to say to me?"

Anson still smiled.

"Ah... I forgot." Swallowing his dry throat, Karin Jacques showed a somewhat flattering smile:

"I have to apologize to you. I'm not an honest person. I shouldn't have lied to you."

Anson still smiled.

"……twice."

The voice of Karin Jacques, who had a stiff expression, became smaller and smaller, and the depressive atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze the air.

"Apologise? No, no, you shouldn't apologize."

Looking at the frightened black-robed priest, Anson smiled and pursed his lips: "I am the one who should apologize. I lied to you. There was no Guards outside the door at that time, only the Inquisition that had been ambushed long ago. Place."

"No, no, no." Carlin, with a smile on his face, quickly interrupted: "I am the one who should apologize. I always want to run away and haven't told you the truth yet."

"it's me!"

"not me!"

"it's me!"

"It's me, it's me!" The black-robed priest's aggrieved eyes flashed with sincere tears:

"It's all my fault - I was too scared. I thought you were an inquisitor in disguise, but you were actually a henchman of the Black Mage!"

"It's okay, I understand." Anson sighed and patted his shoulder, looking into his eyes with clear eyes:

"Then do you understand your mistake now?"

"Understood!" Karin Jacques nodded quickly.

"Do you really understand?"

"I completely understand!"

"It would be great!"

Anson breathed a long sigh of relief and told the other party how touched he was with a rich expression: "Because the people from the Inquisition told me that they can let you go at any time, as long as you are willing to agree to one condition."

"I promise!"

The black-robed priest said decisively.

Anson paused: "I haven't said what it is yet?"

"This is not the point!" He waved his hand feebly, and his scorching gaze made Anson feel a little scared: "As long as you are willing to let me go, I can agree to any conditions!"

"You want to know the whereabouts of Draco Vertes, right? No problem, although I don't know where he is yet, but I have many clients - the Old God organization, gangsters, nobles, high-level military officials, foreign countries It’s only a matter of time before the forces…find him!”

"...Isn't he a relative of your best friend?"

"No matter how good a friend is, nothing can compare with saving a life!" Karin Jacques said extremely seriously:

"What's more, I just deceived you, and my conscience is full of deep uneasiness; and I believe that even if Miller Wirts was still alive, he would never object to me doing this."

"Priest Karin Jacques, what you said is so reasonable. I simply don't know how to refute you."

"No need to refute, this is what I should do." The black-robed priest pursed his lips and shook his head vigorously:

"What's more, you just want to find him, not kill him; you are my friend, and he is also my friend. As a mutual friend, I feel from the bottom of my heart that I have this responsibility and obligation. Help you meet again.”

Anson had to admit that this devout believer in the Ring of Order was far stronger than him when it came to lowering his limits and abandoning certain important things, and not even a little bit stronger.

"Let's not talk about Draco Wirts. I need you to tell me another thing." After clearing his throat, Anson looked at Karin Jacques seriously and said in a deep voice:

"What do you know about Andier Bogner and Wade's Pawnshop in the Seventy-Fifth Year of the Saint's Calendar?"

Before he finished speaking, the black-robed priest's eyes widened slightly, he looked around cautiously, lowered his voice and whispered in front of Anson:

"Have you been to that orphanage?"

Anson nodded imperceptibly.

"Then..." Karin swallowed: "Where are the things?"

"Gone." Anson sighed with pretense of regret: "Only the relics of 'Oliver' are left."

The black-robed priest nodded thoughtfully: "It seems that the robber is indeed the 'client'. They have determined that the thing is in my hands from the beginning."

"What on earth is that, worth a hundred gold coins?" Anson pretended to be curious and continued to ask.

The nervous Karin Jacques took another sip of water, lowered his voice and said:

“In the seventy-fifth year of the Saint’s Calendar, the impoverished Andier Bogner—the father of the current Viscount Bogner—sold it at Wade’s Pawnshop for twenty gold coins. Don’t even know what it is.”

"But by chance, I learned some interesting news from the drunkard priest of the Westgate Street Church: In the seventy-fifth year of the Apostolic Calendar, a secret theft occurred in Clovis Cathedral."

"Not a single copper plate was stolen, not a single document was lost...only three memory cards from St. Isaac's neat difference machine were missing!"

Karin Jacques took a deep breath, put down the water glass with his trembling right hand, and looked at Anson with pleading eyes: "You must not tell the Inquisition that I sold those three cards!"

"no problem."

Anson, who was thinking quickly in his mind, chuckled: "As long as you promise to help me find Draco Wirts, no third person will know about this."

"No problem - actually I've got a good idea!"

The black-robed priest with raised corners of his mouth quickly took out a copy of the "Clovis Truth" from his arms and spread it out in front of Anson. He pressed his right hand on the lower right corner of the front page with a "pop!":

"Look!"

Anson, who was holding the water glass, took a sip and looked in the direction he pointed:

[Missing Person Notice: Draco Vertes. 】

[Gender: Male, age: 30~40 years old, characteristics: red hair, immodest dress, self-proclaimed novelist and detective; whoever provides any clues will be rewarded with 2 gold coins, whoever provides a clear location will be rewarded with 50 gold coins, and whoever confirms and discovers it, Bring it back safely and you will be rewarded with 1,000 gold coins. 】

[Contact: Sophia Franz]

"puff--!!!!"