The sandstorm hadn't ended in a few hours, as Arthur was originally told, but delayed them for a few more days, and the entire trip to hunt Gnolls stretched over two weeks. During that time and on their way back to Howthorns, Arthur questioned Val'narii and Captain Amos about everything they knew about the Gnoll's weapon. To his surprise, the locals weren't familiar with the weapon beyond recognising other variants of it and having general knowledge about its danger. They knew how it worked, but they couldn't reproduce the alchemic solution used by the Gnolls to fire them. That surprised him because, despite his low level as an Alchemist, he could identify most of the ingredients of the stinking black powder he had secured. Certainly, it shouldn't be a problem for any high-level Alchemist to not only identify all the ingredients but also estimate their exact ratios. He kept the recording in mind to be wary of the strange weapon, but there wasn't any need to be alarmed right now. Honestly, if he could, he would gladly use the excuse to call the First Fleet for help, but there was no way to send a message.

  Their road back was fortunately without any problems that couldn't be solved with a few arrows. Some Gnoll marauders tried to ambush them but, at this point, Silfa was fully wary of their tactics and killed them long before they could attack. The girl sat on the roof most of the time, but Arthur was surprised to find that she actually liked it. His random team wasn't that bad, to be honest. While Cate still didn't have a class, she could use magic, which came in very handy as support. With the Temple having a monopoly on healers, his healing abilities were an asset he had never considered useful. So far, he had always been accompanied by at least bishop-rank healers who were capable of healing anyone who wasn't instantly dead. In Saftia, he was one of the most capable healers within a few dozen kilometres radius, including the people in the Temple. He was also a tank, which helped him to control the fights. Ben was a decent frontline fighter, while Silfa was a very talented archer. Val'narii never admitted what class she had exactly, but Arthur was almost sure it was an Arcane Fencer variant. She was very careful about sharing information about herself, even if she had decided to pledge her allegiance to Arcadia.

  After everything he witnessed so far in Saftia, he wasn't surprised that she was wary of everyone. He was fine with it only because he was literally strong enough to fight anyone they encountered.

  Once they reached the city, he and his party stopped in front of the Alabaster Trading Company and told the soldiers to return to Sion. Amos was eager to report everything, and even seemed delighted that Arthur planned to take his time. No matter. He had to fix his stupidest mistake. As he pushed through the doors, he felt a slight resistance that shouldn't be there. Slightly puzzled, he entered the shop area and immediately drew his mace and shield. In a blur, he was standing behind an armed and masked bandit who was holding Benjamin's people hostage. With a slam of his shield, he sent the bandit flying into the wall, which cracked slightly under the impact. The hit was strong enough to break most of the man's bones. With a nearly lazy swing of his mace, he broke the right arm and several ribs of the second attacker. The man started shouting in pain, but a single kick to his head silenced him. Most probably forever. Upstairs someone was fighting.

  "Lord Ives!" Captain Amos' voice came from behind. "Silfa called us to return..."

  "Quiet!" Arthur hissed without looking at the soldier. He checked the still alive man, fingering the golden necklace he had noted earlier. "Templars... Amos, leave a few men with me and dash to Sion. He might be in trouble. I'll join you as soon as I clear this place."

  "Yes, Sir," Amos said and the quick footsteps indicated that he had run for the manor.

  "What's going on here?" Arthur asked Tom.

  "They stormed the shop a few minutes ago, Sir Ives! I don't even know what they want..." The old shop clerk explained with a shaking voice.

  "Ben, Silfa, Val'narii, Catherine, release everyone we know and kill or capture anyone you don't recognise. Soldiers, stay here and arrest anyone who survives." He ordered, dashing towards the stairs.

  A few minutes. That could mean the guards were still fighting somewhere upstairs. Arthur moved to the top floor, where Benjamin's office and the most heavily guarded part of the store were. The sound of combat became louder with each step. He turned the last corner and observed the familiar guards fighting off three attackers. Benjamin's people had the elevation advantage, but the attackers seemed to be more skilled. Now he was here, that mattered very little.

  "Surrender and you will live." He said coldly and instantly one of the Templars turned around and slashed with his sword.

  Arthur grabbed the blade and crushed the brittle metal in his armoured glove as if it were a piece of ice. The man looked with dread at the broken blade, an anemic piece of the steel still protruding from the handle in his hand, before he raised a gaze full of disbelief at Arthur. However, the Inquisitor wasn't playing anymore. His fist, full of crushed blade, was sailing deceivingly slowly towards the man's face. The impact was short, brutal, and hard. The man's jaw and nose broke into a mushed pulp, causing him to cry out in an agonised scream. Only then did the remaining two attackers turn around, but by then it was far too late. Arthur's armoured fists smashed into their stomachs, lifting them both into the air. The breath left their mouths in dual whooshing groans, followed by wet crunches as both of them landed limply on the stairs.

  "How many of them were here?!" He asked one of the guards.

  "Only those three, but I have no idea how many more of them were on the lower floors!" The man he met during his earlier visit answered between deep breaths. "I thought we were goners, Sir!"

  "Where's Benjamin?" Arthur asked, as his radar skill swept the store and found no more hostile intentions.

  "At a meeting with Lord Howthorns, Sir!" The man answered.

  "Good. I sent Amos there so I don't believe it will be long before they return. Check your people, and if anyone needs healing, let me know." The Inquisitor nodded at the second man and returned with his gaze to the first one. "Help me drag this one to the ground floor."

  "Yes, Sir!" The man sheathed his sword and lifted one of the attackers.

  Arthur simply grabbed their collars and dragged them down the stairs, being none too gentle. Ben was standing over the two captured Templars with his sword ready to kill, while Val'narii and the soldiers were holding the doors just in case the Templars had some friends nearby. He looked at them, but the sergeant shook his head in denial.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  "All right, you fuckers." Arthur threw the two soldiers to the floor and raised his hand. The entire room was illuminated by the massive Arcane circles and the three conscious Templars looked at him in disbelief. "Purify."

  They immediately tensed in panic, feeling that the spell did something to them but they weren't aware what it was. What they didn't know was that they should have, in fact, panicked. Because Arthur had just broken the curses that were supposed to kill them the moment they spoke too much.

  "What were your orders?" Arthur demanded, his menacing tone laced with mana as he activated one of his interrogation skills.

  "Kill the real Benjamin Alabaster before he allied himself with the enemies of the Temple..." The man answered with a blank voice forced to speak by Arthur's skill.

  "You know what to do with them, Ben." Arthur summoned five slave collars from his storage and passed them to the young man.

  "Yes, Sir!" Ben snapped to attention and started diligently closing them on the attackers' necks.

  "You have no idea how fucked you are..." One of the Templars hissed. "You just became the enemy of the Temple!"

  "Yeah? Is your deity aware what the fuck you are doing?" He asked with barely restrained fury.

  "How dare you..."

  "I asked a valid question, slave." Arthur loomed over the former Templars, who paled.

  "We are following the orders of the Supreme Bishop! We believe that he speaks on behalf of the Gods!"

  "Mhm. In that case, I will have very bad news for your Deities. They are going to face the wrath of the Pantheon of Arcadia, sooner or later. I sincerely wish them good luck. However, before I start offending them to get their attention, I'll give them a chance to manifest."

  "Blasphemy..." The Templar huffed, but paled slightly.

  "If you say so. Anyway, how many of you are in the city and what orders did you have?" Arthur crossed his arms in front of himself.

  "Our team consists of ten Templars, all of us over level fifty. I don't know how you managed to overpower us-"

  "What were your orders?!" Arthur interrupted him. "Where are the remaining five?"

  "They are dead, Arthur." Sion entered the shop with a furious expression that softened as he took in a deeper breath and looked around. "Thanks to the Heavens you returned in time. Those five fuckers I caught at my home died as soon as we started questioning them."

  "Those five will be very talkative. I removed the fail-safe curses they had on them. Is everything good on your end?" Arthur looked at Sion with a raised eyebrow.

  "Fortunately. They tried to kill me, but ran out of luck. Cardinal Felix Xanah arrived at Howthorns with his entourage and nearly one hundred Paladins right after you departed to kill Gnolls." Sion's smile spread. "His Paladins captured the Templars the moment they crossed the fence."

  "That traitor..." One of the captured Templars snarled scornfully.

  "Interesting. So I'm a traitor now?" A tall and extremely thin man entered Benjamin's shop a few steps behind Sion. "I must have betrayed Tehmir? Or Sumnar? Because I never betrayed the faith and the Gods. No, mercenary, they have betrayed the Gods and Saftia."

  Arthur took a better look at the man and decided that he was likeable. A stern no-bullshit demeanour made the man look a decade older than he was, but his eyes were soft and calm. He was maybe in his early thirties and, according to Arthur's Appraisal skill, the man was at a respectable level eighty. That was quite an achievement outside of Arcadia. The Cardinal was wearing a fairly simple blue tunic with a wide black leather belt. In his hand, he had a long stave he used almost like a walking stick.

  "So..." Arthur took a deep breath and, after storing his weapon and shield in his spatial storage, smiled flatly at Sion and Cardinal Felix. "If one of you would be so kind as to tell me what the fuck is going on, I would be ever so grateful. Oh, and go fetch Benjamin, Silfa. It's safe now."

  "We weren't introduced, Lord Ives, but I’ve heard about you from Lord Howthorns." The Cardinal bowed deeply to Arthur, surprising him completely. "Thanks to your presence and the mysterious, but very welcome, death of Hiijam, my loyal Priests and a few remaining Paladins finally have a place to stay. Truth be told, I was heading for one of the fringe cities. I wasn't expecting to find a safe place in Howthorns, but thanks to you, the barony is safe. Thank you, Sir Ives. We will fortify the city and make it a new bastion to save the Temple."

  Arthur waited a few moments more, but once it was clear that the Cardinal thought that everything was explained, he faced Sion. The Noble hesitated only for a second.

  "There is internal strife within the Temple, and Cardinal Felix Xanah is leading the traditionalist faction. The traditionalists oppose the reforms introduced by the new king, such as slavery, restrictions on women's rights, and control over the unmarried lonely women. There are a lot of other issues that traditionalists don't agree with the faction of change, but I don't believe you should give them a single thought, Arthur." Sion answered, which shocked the Cardinal. "It looks like things got complicated inside the Temple and the highest-ranking clergy started an internal war. I have no clue what the nobles will do, but as they are nobles, they try to stay neutral in fear of supporting the losing side and being called heretics afterwards."

  "But..." Felix started in a stunned voice.

  "That's something obvious for Saftians?" Arthur sighed as the Cardinal nodded uncomfortably. "I'm not from here."

  "Oh..."

  Suddenly, Arthur tensed and covertly glanced at his communication device, which sat in a special pocket inside his cloak. His face expressed nothing, but his heart started beating much faster. Meanwhile, Benjamin joined them. However, before he even managed to open his mouth, Arthur looked at him.

  "Are my carriages ready?" Arthur asked in a very serious tone.

  "Ummm... Yes, Sir Ives..." The Merchant looked at Arthur in surprise.

  "Excellent. I will take them immediately. I will also need armour for Catherine, Benjamin. Ben, Silfa, Catherine, Val'narii, we are embarking immediately."

  "But, Arthur..." Sion looked at him in shock, but the Inquisitor raised his hand.

  "It looks like you can manage for a few more days without me. With the arrival of the Cardinal, there might be a storm brewing on the horizon, and if I want to enjoy the safety of Howthorns, it would be only prudent for me to help. However, I need to investigate the ruins we talked about earlier and this will probably be my only chance. I wanted to go there before the Gnoll's extermination, but I couldn't, so I must do so now."

  "Oh... Yes, of course... I'm sorry, Arthur, I shouldn't be imposing on you so much while you have your own business to deal with." Sion nodded and blushed slightly.

  "Don't worry. You won't be bored in my absence. You have these five prisoners to interrogate." Arthur grinned as he pointed at the collared templars. "But don't be shy. Go ahead and use them as meat shields if you need disposable bodies. Since they embraced the changes their Temple preaches now, they should be happy to die as combat slaves."

  Thank you all for reading.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to and who edited the chapter!