Mercenaries and Adventurers

After rescuing the hostages, Keir walked out of the house and finally asked about what happened in the waterwheel village before, as well as the situation of the so-called 'Saturn Priests' who set fire to the place.

He had a hunch that those people might not be that simple, not just some priests from the Church of Saturn who were passing by.

Because for more than a year, Kiel has not seen any Saturn priests who act like this. They are more accustomed to relying on a large number of farmers and women to expand the faith and influence of the bottom, because these people who make up the majority of the population Farmers, and even noble lords everywhere have to deal with it carefully.

So he set fire to the entire uninhabited village, which seemed strange.

Rolling his eyes, Kil felt that he still had to communicate with Priest Batal about this matter. However, the priest sits in the people's team and cannot leave the team when Keir leaves the team. Bloodfangster alone cannot suppress any problems that may arise.

After all, this team of hundreds of people was initially controlled by Kiir and Priest Batal in terms of capabilities.

"In this case, there is nothing to treat here. Bring the two unconscious guys on the ground, as well as these old and young people, back to the team. Just in time, I have something to ask these old people in front of Priest Batal."

Keir made some arrangements and asked the people under his command to carry the five old men out of the village and back regardless of whether they wanted to or not. The two unconscious guys were held by their hands and feet and carried staggeringly out of the village.

Afraid that the unconscious bald man would suddenly wake up and attack his men, Keir didn't let anyone carry him on his back, even if the man's hands and feet were tied.

After being called by Kil, the Maomaos also ran back from the ruins of the surrounding houses. They were all covered in wood ash, but a blind person could see it. They didn't know what benefit they had gained, and their eyes were all narrowed. got up.

From the metal reflections revealed in the Maomao's hiding movements, Keir estimated that these guys picked up a lot of metal materials in the ruins.

By the way, with the shovel on the ground in the yard, Courage Maomao dragged it away by himself with the consent of Keir.

That thing is probably not half as heavy as it is. Thanks to the metal, this guy has gained a lot of strength.

I don’t know if I am holding on.

-

The young man who used the shovel before surrendering and being captured tried to bribe Kiel with the valuable things they dug out in the village when they were escorted out of the village, but Kiel just rolled his eyes and let the people watching next to him The two young men made a 'simple' move and immediately asked the young man to honestly explain where they had hidden the excavated property.

"I'll teach you a lesson. When you can't control the situation, it's best not to try to use your own things to negotiate or anything else, because you are a captive prisoner and there are too many ways to make people speak honestly."

Keir waved his finger at him: "Don't try to overestimate your endurance. People are always much weaker than they think."

The young man's face was swollen, and he hummed a few times in dejection, not daring to say anything more.

So, Kiir sent several armed people back to the village to find this so-called 'wealth' and bring it back.

The team on the other side of the bridge was still gathering together on the trade road, alert and careful around them. But as Kiel led the team back, news that everything was safe spread through the team faster than the wind.

Just the moment the news was delivered, the entire team relaxed.

Originally, you were next to me, but the team that squeezed you quickly dispersed, each going back to his own home, each looking for his own mother. There were shouts and quarrels one after another. Many people forgot where they had left the materials they were responsible for, and now they had no choice but to search anxiously.

The three groups of armed people who were on guard around the people's team shouted and recalled the hunters who were sent out with bows and arrows. The weapons of the big guys were also put behind their waists and they were talking in low voices about what happened in the village on the other side of the river. , to be so burned.

Some people speculated that it was set on fire by passing bandits, and some people even swore that the village must be filled with corpses that had been burned to the bone.

But this speculation soon went bankrupt. The armed people who followed Kiel immediately stated that no bodies were found in the village. In fact, the village was an empty village with almost no one.

The villagers fled for their lives as soon as spring began, leaving only a few elderly people in the village who refused to leave.

So some people immediately speculated whether the old man lived in an empty village and accidentally set fire to the houses in the village while cooking. Because all the strong laborers who put out the fire in the village fled, the fire could not be extinguished, and the entire village was burned down?

In this regard, the armed people of the first group of armed groups who had just returned from Waterwheel Village had nothing to say. They just turned their heads and looked in the direction of the Kiel Knights.

There, Kiel was taking the five rescued old people from Waterwheel Village and joined Priest Batal to talk about the group of people who really set the village on fire.

-

"Impossible! Totally impossible! We from the Church of Saturn will not set fire to the village!"

Priest Lothar Batal was shocked at this time, but after listening to the old man's simple statement, he retorted loudly.

"The God of Agriculture teaches us to stand together with those who work in the fields. It is impossible for us to do such evil things! Let me say it again, no! It can! It can!"

The priest reacted violently, glaring angrily at the old men who he considered to be slanderous.

But a few old people swore and spoke plausibly. They were the parties involved and had really experienced this before. How could their eyes deceive others? Right?

"Master Priest, you just need to believe the beautiful words you said. Not everyone in this world is the same. We have met all kinds of different people in our lives. Some people say beautiful words but never do anything with their hands. It's a good thing. There are also some people who say bad things, but they are really good people. And some people are just wearing human skin, and there is something weird underneath the skin."

Faced with such sharp irony from an old man, Priest Batal wanted to refute, but before he could speak, another old man continued.

"Yes, yes, the tax collector sent by the lord to collect rent always acts like I am doing it for your own good, I have a favor for you, don't be ignorant, but the real appearance of that person, the people nearby Who doesn’t know? Not to mention the officials under the nobles, aren’t you priests the same? They are full of hypocrisy.” The old man became more and more excited as he spoke, and he felt like he was pointing at Priest Batal and scolding him.

These old men had lived all their lives, and the village they had worked so hard to build throughout their lives was burned down. They were not afraid of death at all. At this time, they opened fire on the priests, which made Kiel stunned.

"You priests of the God of Agriculture, you talk nicely about 'being with the farmers', but in the end, you stand together, and end up riding on everyone's head? How many times has the village asked the parish church? Let us send a priest to the village. Even if the village provides all the expenses, you will not send even half a priest. Every year during the Harvest Festival, they come to us with licking their faces to ask for a harvest of food as a tribute. Uh-huh. ~It is also said that the great harvest is the result of the great God of Agriculture, and these grains must be sacrificed to the gods, bullshit!! The food in the harvest is all grown by us with hard work. Did the God of Agriculture wave a hoe for us? Do you have any? Can you help sow any seeds in the fields? Did the God of Agriculture give us an extra rain here? Oh, rain is the Lord of the Sky's business, and the 'great' God of Agriculture has nothing to do with it."

Priest Batal couldn't hold himself any longer. He clenched his fists and breathed rapidly. He argued: "But farmers and women who believe in the God of Agriculture can get treatment at the church whenever they get sick. You can't say that it's not possible." Bar?"

But these words only made several old people look at each other speechlessly, and finally looked at Batal, the young priest, with pity in their eyes.

"But we paid the money." Several old people said in unison.

"What?"

Priest Batal seemed not to hear clearly, or in other words, he heard the words clearly, but did not understand the meaning.

"What? We go to the church for treatment when we are sick, but every time we give money to the God of Saturn. In this regard, what is the difference between the Church of God of Saturn and other churches? We go to several other churches in the town of Dorne When God’s church goes to treat illnesses, people can still give them an extra smile.”

Priest Batal was stunned, and Kil saw that the priest's lips were moving slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't.

There was a look of shock and confusion on his face, as well as a lot of accumulated resentment.

He couldn't understand why believers who shared the same faith also wanted to collect money.

Keir came out at this time and stopped the two parties from wanting to say anything else: "How about I say a few words? How many old people are there?"

The old people bowed slightly to Kil: "Please, Sir Knight."

They still understood who had just rescued them from a few young people with bad character.

"Batar?"

Kiel asked the young priest.

Priest Batal put his hand on his chest and waved his hand weakly, indicating to Kil that you can do whatever you want. He didn't want to say anything at this time. Or maybe he himself had so much to say, scold and complain about at this time that he didn't know how to speak for a while.

Kil coughed twice, then said: "I heard what you just said. In fact, you have all deviated from the original topic. The key is not whether the Saturn priests in this region are qualified or not, but whether they are doing well enough. They are the priests who set fire to Shuichuan Village before, who are they?"

"Who is it? Who else could it be? It must be those priests from the Church of Saturn."

The old people were a little dissatisfied with this, feeling that Knight Kiel was talking about some obvious superficial things.

But Priest Batal glanced at Kiel unexpectedly, seeming to be touched by this issue.

Kil nodded: "Old men, why do you say those people are priests of the Church of Saturn?"

"What else could it be? There are only a few of us old guys left in the village. Those priests are passing by Waterwheel Village. We must entertain them, provide them with accommodation, and provide them with food. We will ask them during the meal, and they will answer it themselves."

Kiel understood: "Oh, they answered it themselves. Then the question is, what if, I mean what if, what if those people are not priests of the Church of Saturn?"

"How is it possible! How is it possible? The clothes and robes they are wearing are the same as what this young priest is wearing!"

After an old man finished speaking, he pointed at the slightly red armed priest robe on Priest Batal. The redness was due to the sight of blood. Without deep cleaning of the clothes, the originally white robe became this reddish look. .

But as soon as the words came out, another old man pulled the sleeve of his companion and whispered: "Wait a minute, it seems a little different to me."

Kil heard everyone's words clearly, and he asked: "It's different? What's the difference?"

The old man wanted to speak, but was secretly pulled back by his companion, so he couldn't speak.

Keir stretched out his hand and said, "You can say whatever you want without worrying about anything."

Later, the companion wanted to pull the old man's clothes again, but the old man still shook off his companion's hand, stepped forward and walked out, rubbed his eyes to remove the gum that hindered his vision, and took a closer look at the shape of Priest Batal's robe. System and pattern.

"It's indeed different. The robes on those people are not as detailed as the robes on this young priest. They are like using linen to imitate cotton. The material is different and much inferior. And the pattern is much simpler, with only a big one on the chest. The emblem of the god of agriculture, as if for fear that others would not be able to see it. It does not have the various patterns and decorations on the robes of this young priest."

As soon as he said this, other old people came together and made a careful analysis this time. Sure enough, they made a new discovery.

"And the appearance of the emblem of the God of Agriculture is also a little different, well, a little different."

"I have a good memory. I remember that the robes worn by those people were somewhat different. When I asked them, they said they were priests at different levels within the church and wore different clothes. I don't know, is that true?"

Priest Batal unexpectedly glanced at Kil, his eyes widened, and then explained to the old people: "There is such a saying, but the styles of the shepherds' clothes are not much different, only the priests' clothes. There is a big difference between a priest and a pastor. But the problem is that priests are all big figures in various places, and there are not many in a parish. A team of more than ten priests should not be led by a priest..."

Everyone couldn't understand what Priest Batal said, but everyone understood the general meaning.

Generally speaking, for a team of more than a dozen people, the style of the robes cannot be different. If the level is not that high, they are all church standard robes, so it cannot be different.

"Moreover, the emblem of the God of Agriculture is different? This is even more impossible. The emblem of the God of Agriculture represents the great God of Agriculture and cannot be changed at all!"

Having said this, Priest Batal became serious, as if clearing away the fog, and his eyes were different from before, now they were shining brightly.

"Those people are definitely not from the Church of Saturn! I'm sure! It's easy to say other things, but the emblem of Saturn is different. They are definitely not priests of the Church of Saturn! I know it, I know it! No one will set fire to it No one in the village does this!"

The priest spoke louder and louder, almost jumping up and shouting.

Several old people looked at each other in confusion at this time. Could it be that they really made a mistake? Wasn't it the priests of the Church of Saturn who did it? But people from other churches are imitating the Church of Saturn?

If you think about it this way, it is not impossible to take advantage of the chaotic situation to imitate the priest of Saturn, and then commit evil everywhere, set fires, and kill several people who had communicated with them after doing the evil. Looking at it this way, it is clear that he is going to These few of them are regarded as living witnesses to identify the Church of Saturn in the future.

Thinking about this, the several old people shuddered. What an insidious thing, they almost became accomplices.

It became the tongue that assassinated the Church of Saturn.

But then a few old people thought about it, the Church of the God of Agriculture was not very good at ordinary times, so if they scolded them, just scold them.

Priest Batal breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and his hands that he had clenched before slowly relaxed. His fingers were turning white from clenching for so long.

Keir snorted softly on the side, with a thoughtful look on his face. After thinking for a while, he asked another question: "So, where did those people go after that?"

This question brought back the thoughts of several people present.

A few old people discussed in low voices for a while, and then they said: "They finally crossed the bridge at the entrance of the village and walked southeast. Before, they came to the village along the river bank here. It seemed that besides burning us In the village, more people want to cross the river through the village's wooden bridge. In fact, the river is not very deep, and the young men in the village go into the water every day to catch some food in the river."

Kil and Priest Batal looked at each other and said in unison: "Blisfa City!"

"They probably went there. Let me see, what's the time? Time! By the way, when did those fake priests arrive in the village? And when did they set fire to the village and leave?"

Keir asked the old people.

Several old people replied: "It must have been shortly after the people in the village fled in early spring. When the village was still there, we old guys could barely get by, but now we can only live under the trees outside the village. The children The little food left for us was burned, and the food buried in the village was too deep for us old guys to dig out. We can only eat wild vegetables and river animals these days."

When time was available, Kiel said to Priest Batal: "The time is just right. If those people leave here, first head southeast and then south along the trade route, it will coincide with the time of the incident in the city of Belis. .Batar, tell me, are they those people?"

Priest Batal took a deep breath: "I know, it is very possible, very possible. Impersonating the priests of the Church of Saturn and misleading the villages around the city of Burisfa against the city of Burisfa. If the parish in the city is After breaking through, no matter how we defend ourselves, others will not believe that we did not do it.”

"What are they doing this for? And who are they?"

Kil rolled his eyes: "No need to ask, they can be anyone, any organization, for what? That would be too many. But Batal, this is not something you and I can get involved in. Remember, in Mongolia Regarding the matter of Toka City, you and I accepted the mission, and why. After all, the people of Changmai Village don’t know where they are, and how can they suffer.”

But Priest Batal's eyes dodge. The young priest turned his head and left here without looking back: "I have to be quiet and communicate with the gods about this matter."

Kil frowned. He didn't remember Priest Batal being such an awkward and unfrank person. It seems that the incident in the city of Belisfa as his hometown still had a great impact on the priest himself.

I hope he can think carefully about what is most important to the two of them at this time.