[Vol. 8] Chapter 212: Saint Laos
"I don’t get it!"
On the western side of the Theo Province, just outside the Saint Laos City, a few young people stood among the long line waiting to enter the city, quietly whispering and complaining.
"Aren’t we the hero team that's supposed to save the world? Why do we have to sneak around just to get into a city? Shouldn’t we just announce who we are? If we do that, I bet the bishop at the temple would treat us like honored guests! And why are only the five of us standing in line like this?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down… Do you want the whole world to hear you? Don’t you know what 'traveling in disguise' means? The Hero represents the Goddess and the Church, a chosen champion. Even if we don’t have real authority, our influence is way stronger than you think. You could say we’re like the boss of all local temples. If we don’t hide who we are, how can we see what this city is really like?"
While the mage Chloe and the demon man Zachary were bickering quietly, the Heaven Hero, Elunie, who was already used to their constant arguing, shook her head and patiently added,
"That’s not the only reason. Don’t forget the mission Sister Violet gave us. There’s a secret cult in Theo Province called the [World Sustainers] causing trouble behind the scenes. Saint Laos is a major city near the ruins, so there’s a good chance those bad people have already infiltrated it. We have to stay hidden so we can investigate them in secret. Hang in there, Chloe, what’s coming next is the real challenge."
"I-I mean… If the Hero says so..."
It was clear that even though each person in the group had a different attitude on the surface, they all deeply respected Elunie, the chosen of the Goddess. And when the blind young girl spoke so calmly, even Chloe quickly quieted down, and the others followed in silence as the line slowly moved forward.
Even though the discovery of the mysterious ruins hadn’t caused a worldwide sensation, it had definitely brought a big impact to the nearby Saint Laos City. Looking around, more than 70% of the people in line, just like Elunie and her team, were dusty adventurers, merchants, or mercenaries. Their goals were obvious.
The tigerkin scholar Kunnir, tall and broad-shouldered, stood out even in the crowd. From his height, he could clearly see the many Holy Knights stationed at the city gates, carefully checking everyone coming in and out. As he watched, a strange sense of unease quietly crept into his heart.
"This is a little weird… With so many people entering Saint Laos, it makes sense for the Holy Knights to check those coming in. But why are they also searching those who are leaving the city? What’s the point of that?"
Kunnir was known for his odd way of thinking and his habit of fixating on small details. It wasn’t the first time. Chloe thought for a moment and casually replied,
"Maybe the bishop here knows that cult members are hiding among the people. Or maybe the higher-ups in the Church gave special orders, so they increased the guards and are being extra cautious?"
That explanation sounded reasonable. It matched what their mentor had told them earlier and didn’t have any obvious problems. Still, Kunnir frowned. He opened his mouth as if to say more but, after hesitating, he chose to stay quiet.
"Maybe I’m just overthinking it."
And so, the line continued moving forward slowly. It took nearly an hour before they finally reached the front and it was their turn to be checked.
A Holy Knight stepped forward and held out his hand to stop them. His eyes, hidden under the helmet, calmly scanned the five of them, clearly seeing they were traveling together. His gaze stayed on Elunie’s shimmering hair, which marked her as a member of the Lightborn Tribe, for a long time. But in the end, he said nothing and simply grunted.
"Identification."
One of the reasons why the Holy Empire leads the Five Great Nations in both economic growth and living standards is because only the Goddess Church has successfully registered every citizen in the country, recording both their identity and race. Other nations, including Austre Empire, have similar systems, but they are not as complete or reliable.
Foreigners entering the Holy Empire must go through registration. If they don’t, they’ll be treated as illegal immigrants. Once discovered, these people are not allowed to enter any city under church control, and they might even be deported right away.
However, as members of the Hero Party chosen by the Goddess, the Church had already taken care of all the necessary paperwork for them. Even for situations like this, their special identities had been prepared in advance. Kunnir stepped forward and handed over their documents. The Holy Knight quickly flipped through them, then looked up and gave the five of them another long glance.
"From the Holy Capital? That’s quite far from here. What brings you all the way to Saint Laos City?"
His face was completely hidden under his steel helmet, so it was impossible to read his expression. His tone was also flat, showing no emotion at all, making it hard to guess what he was thinking. Kunnir exchanged a quick look with his teammates, then kept his answer short and cautious.
"We’re members of the same adventurer party who met by chance. We used to work near Angel City, but lately we got tired of staying in the same place. We decided to travel together for a while. When we heard rumors about new ruins appearing here, we figured we’d come check it out for fun."
"Oh… that explains why your team is such a mix of races."
The Holy Knight muttered quietly, then asked curiously.
"I heard the Goddess herself appeared in the Holy Capital recently and chose six great heroes to save the world. Is that true?"
Kunnir looked at him calmly and replied without changing his expression.
"That’s what people say. I wasn’t there myself, but I did hear about it. When it happened, there was a huge pillar of light over the Grand Church Square. So… I’d say it’s probably true."
"I see… That’s kind of a shame."
He didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, the Holy Knight muttered something strange under his breath, then nodded and handed the documents back to Kunnir.
"Your Holy Empire speech is good. You may enter the city."
With a wave of his hand, the armed Holy Knights behind him stepped aside and opened the way. The five of them walked through the checkpoint and smoothly entered the city.
It wasn’t until they had left the city gate far behind that Zachary looked back with a strange expression. He stared at the Holy Knights now checking the next group in line, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes.
"Something about that felt kind of off… Kunnir, those people—"
"There are too many eyes and ears here. Let’s talk somewhere else."
For some reason, the tigerfolk scholar looked very serious. Even Elunie, the Heaven Hero, furrowed her brows slightly. Seeing their expressions, the others kept quiet and simply followed without asking more.
Soon, they found a medium-sized inn near the city gate. They rented two large rooms, one for the girls and one for the guys. After putting away their luggage, they all gathered in one room. Kunnir closed the windows tightly, locked the door, and then turned to his teammates, who were either confused or concerned.
"Those Holy Knights earlier, something was wrong with them."
"Uh… what?"