The moment Dekan put on his mask, he had no intention of acting.
As for why it took Dekan five days after the disappearance of the High Priest Kevin to arrive at the town, this has to do with the town’s geographical situation.
The terrain of the town is very perilous, and the road leading to the city-state is cut off by a hundred-meter-high large cliff.
If one crosses the bridge, it only takes a few hours to get from the town to the city-state.
If one takes a detour, it will involve winding mountain roads, requiring about two days to reach the city-state.
Thus, after the townsfolk discovered the disappearance of High Priest Kevin and the destruction of the bridge, the town’s knights quickly headed to the city-state.
But it took them two full days to successfully relay the situation.
And it took another two days for Dekan, dispatched by the Church, to arrive at the town.
After hearing the mayor’s account, Dekan couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy.
He didn’t know how the Holy Ritual Church evaluated the seriousness of the two incidents: the “High Priest’s disappearance” and the “bridge destruction.”
Was it too lenient to only send one priest, Dekan, to investigate?
Of course, since Dekan knew the background of the Shadow World story, he was certain that something would happen later.
However, the Holy Ritual Church did not have this key spoiler information.
“Could you trouble you to take me to see the damaged bridge?”
“Follow me.”
At Dekan’s request, the mayor led him to a cliff not far from the town for a look.
Even before reaching the edge of the cliff, Dekan could feel the powerful visual impact of gazing down a hundred-meter-high cliff.
He carefully inspected the damaged bridge.
Although the broken bridge looked like it had been destroyed from the middle,
on closer scrutiny, it became clear that the break wasn’t due to physical attack.
It was more likely caused by someone standing on one side of the bridge using powerful magic to destroy the center of the bridge, causing it to collapse gradually.
It was as if someone was trying to prevent quick communication between the town and the city-state.
Dekan seemed unsatisfied with just observing from a distance and took a few more steps toward the edge until he was standing on the brink of the cliff.
“Be careful!”
The mayor wasn’t worried about Dekan, rather, he simply didn’t want an official from the Church to have an accident in the town.
However, Dekan just wanted to confirm his favorite high-altitude terrain.
He looked down the cliff and saw only steep natural cliffs and sparse vegetation below. On either side of the base were narrow trails, while the center was dominated by a fast-flowing river.
If someone accidentally fell down, they might not die, but they wouldn’t know where the river would carry them.
Dekan stepped back from the edge of the cliff, looking deep in thought.
He felt the existence of this fast-flowing river was very inconvenient, making the geography hostile.
If the cliff below was rocks or even thorns, things would be better.
“Can this bridge be repaired?”
Dekan looked at the mayor and asked.
“Our knight sent to the city-state has informed the bridge repair contractor, but they indicated that they still need to examine the situation on this side. They should arrive in town latest by today.”
Just as the mayor was speaking, there seemed to be some movement in the forest on the opposite shore.
Subsequently, Dekan and the mayor looked and saw a large team of carriages appear on the opposite cliff.
In addition to a few guards, the others were engineers and workers, looking like a professional engineering team.
They were fully equipped with personnel and various materials, ready to start work at any moment.
Next, the two leaders mounted a small flying dragon to cross the cliff and arrived at the town.
“Why didn’t I have this treatment?”
“Hmph, is the Church supposed to provide you with a flying dragon specifically for such a special occasion?”
The mayor didn’t hide his disdain for Dekan.
This business flying dragon was clearly very expensive.
It wouldn’t be used lightly unless it had a special purpose.
The two who landed from the flying dragon were a middle-aged man and a rather plain-looking guard.
The middle-aged man should be the engineer coming to examine this side of the bridge closely.
He would also provide a quote based on the situation, sign a contract with the mayor, and collect a deposit.
Seeing the engineer, a rare smile appeared on the mayor’s face.
Subsequently, he looked at Dekan and asked,
“Mr. Priest, I wonder if you could step aside for a moment?”
Dekan, under his mask, frowned; he had already been very tolerant.
If Cornelia were here, he’d really like to tie the mayor up and make him confess in the church.
“The bridge is relevant to my investigation. The engineer’s analysis of the bridge could potentially help me deduce the truth, so please allow me to continue on with him.”
Dekan said.
“Then come along.”
The mayor let out an imperceptible snort, then perfunctorily said,
“Mr. Priest, if there is anything I can assist you with, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
On the other hand, the engineer was very friendly and respectful towards Dekan.
Even if this priest’s attire was… peculiar, since the mayor didn’t question anything, it was clearly a genuine priest from the Holy Ritual Church.
After all, no one would dare to impersonate a priest of the Holy Ritual Church lightly.
Dekan noticed that the guard beside the engineer seemed startled at the sight of him.
Apparently, the guard recognized that this [Red Middle Mask] belonged to a card magic product that was not from this world.
Even if it was a fleeting moment of surprise, it hadn’t escaped Dekan’s notice.
Dekan was certain; the guard was a Challenger.
The guard could have hidden the surprise in his eyes.
But perhaps because of Dekan’s bizarre appearance, the guard briefly lost his composure.
The engineer quickly completed the evaluation of the bridge’s condition and offered a quote of 300 Holy-Gold coins to the mayor.
The mayor decisively handed over 100 Holy-Gold coins as a deposit.
Just as the engineer was about to head back with the guard to the other side of the bridge,
“I noticed the old church also needs repairs. Could you look at it as well?”
Dekan suddenly asked the engineer.
“Of course, Mr. Priest.”
The engineer naturally responded amicably.
Thus, led by Dekan, the four of them went to the church.
Underneath the mask, Dekan’s lips began to betray an increasingly uncontrollable smile.
He had collected all the key information, and it was time to act.
This hundred Holy-Gold coins was a good operating budget, enough for him to fully advance his mission in the city-state and even “borrow” the flying dragon to quickly reach the city-state and find Cornelia.
As soon as everyone stepped into the church,
Dekan immediately closed the door and used [Sleep Gas], holding his breath while covering his mouth and nose under the mask.
He intended to quietly knock out the other three without them realizing.
However.
Dekan was astonished to find that the guard also swiftly covered his mouth and nose!
Even more so…
He also used a [Sleep Gas] card!
Their movements were remarkably synchronized.
It seemed as if their crime-solving approaches were the same!
Without a doubt, this [Sleep Gas] card that the guard held was produced by Dekan.
He had only sold this card in his hometown town!
Though the guard had disguised his appearance, Dekan already knew who he was!
