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It was on the fourth day after Sophia entered Strasbourg that Paul Hiltmann came to visit. Sophia, who had heard about the visit of the head of the intelligence agency through a monk in charge of the church’s miscellaneous tasks, smiled with satisfaction.

“Indeed, he is competent.”

At least within a single city, he was better than most direct informants of the church orders. Sophia evaluated him as such. His competence was the main reason she couldn’t stop using intelligence agencies in each city.

When Sophia went to the reception room of the dormitory, Paul Hiltmann, the head of the intelligence agency, was sitting on the sofa waiting for her. On the table, there was a cup of herbal tea in a clay cup, steaming hot, likely poured by a nun. Beside it were piles of documents he had brought.

The head of the intelligence agency, unable to even think of sipping the tea, was nervously biting his thumbnail and shaking his right leg.

“You came quickly?”

“It’s an urgent matter, after all. Mostly concerning my own safety.”

“Hahaha, if being in danger makes one competent, then I am indeed a capable person. There are plenty of people in the world who aren’t.”

Sophia laughed heartily like an old man, praising the head of the intelligence agency. But the more she did, the more his face turned as rotten as a spoiled apple. He didn’t seem to want to show off his competence. Honestly, he didn’t like the situation where he had to demonstrate his competence at all.

Living a long and thin life was Paul Hiltmann’s motto. Until now, he had aimed for transparent fair dealings, built trust with his clients, and adhered to a business policy that prioritized safety and security without excessive greed.

Even if there was profit right in front of him, he never took it without consulting himself at least three times.

Is the rice cake in front of me small enough to swallow in one bite without others noticing?

If I swallow the rice cake in front of me, even if it gets found out, will there be no repercussions?

If the rice cake in front of me is too big to swallow in one bite, he wouldn’t even look at it. Such a big rice cake would undoubtedly be impossible to take alone, and in most cases, it would inevitably create unnecessary grudges with competitors.

If there was even the slightest repercussion, no matter how small, Paul wouldn’t even glance at it. Because beyond that small repercussion, there could be some big trouble he couldn’t foresee.

For Paul Hiltmann, who had lived such a life, the situation where the demon Erzebet had entered Strasbourg was akin to hell. No matter where he sat, it felt like sitting on a bed of nails. No matter what he ate, he couldn’t taste it, and it didn’t digest well. Even sitting on the toilet, he suffered from constipation. He couldn’t sleep properly, and his condition was deteriorating.

This made Paul keenly aware of the need to actively cooperate with the Paladin’s Nun Knight to quickly remove the demon from Strasbourg. If they didn’t hurry to get rid of the demon, Paul Hiltmann’s quality of life would never recover.

“Just as you said, Knight. It’s clear that a demon has entered Strasbourg.”

While collecting and organizing information about people suspected of being demons, Paul Hiltmann could definitely smell something fishy.

The suspects were all wandering prostitutes who had recently flowed into Strasbourg’s red-light district. This was a result he intuitively deduced the moment he heard from Sophia that Erzebet’s power was suggestion through sexual allure and fascination.

Paul Hiltmann analyzed various minor pieces of information he had gathered by investigating the activities and movements of clients who had contact with these wandering prostitutes, and he soon discerned a dangerous trend connecting them.

‘This is an emergency!’

Paul confirmed that among those who had relationships with the wandering prostitutes were individuals with significant military, economic, and political influence in Strasbourg. After identifying those who were behaving suspiciously compared to before, he had to suppress the urge to scream inside.

‘A dark current that could sweep through all of Strasbourg has formed. If we just stand by, something really big will happen!’

In a situation that made him seriously consider closing his business and fleeing to another neighborhood, Paul Hiltmann immediately came to Sophia with the piles of documents. If cooperation worked and the situation calmed down, that would be fortunate, but if not, he would run away. That was his mindset.

“Indeed. So, have you found out where she is hiding?”

“I’ve made a rough list. I also managed to get a map and a guide. They’re waiting at my office, so we can move anytime.”

“Your work is refreshingly efficient. I can distinguish the rest by seeing the person directly. Let’s go right away.”

“I’ve been waiting for that. Please get rid of the demon near my business as soon as possible. I’ve been so anxious these past few days, I thought I’d go crazy. I might not live to see my natural end at this rate.”

Sophia responded heartily to the sincere words of the head of the intelligence agency.

“After tonight, you’ll be able to sleep comfortably in your own bed.”

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The red-light district’s business started at dusk. Paul Hiltmann and Sophia de Chazel hired a street kid from Strasbourg to guide them and set out to find the people listed.

As the time grew darker, shops selling alcohol, smiles, and somewhat obscene products began to hang red lanterns and start their business. The combination of a street kid, a middle-aged man with a rough appearance, and a fully armed young female knight passing through this street filled with the smells of alcohol, sweat, and tobacco was definitely a strange combination that felt out of place.

Paul Hiltmann marveled at the sight of the Nun Knight navigating the streets of the red-light district without a change in expression.

Is that the church’s ultimate weapon, the despair of demons, a Paladin agent? How can a woman walk around such a place without a hint of agitation? At first, she looked around with some interest, but now she seems bored, as if she’s seen it all.

It was such a strange sight that the kid guiding them, who initially kept glancing at the Nun Knight, later walked ahead with a tired expression.

They had already visited five prostitutes to check their identities. Since you can’t meet a prostitute for free, they had to pay a fee… the problem was that Sophia was paying it.

Paul couldn’t help but think that after the case was resolved, rumors of a ‘Nun Knight paying fees in the red-light district’ might become a legend in Strasbourg’s back alleys, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

“So far, they’ve all been human. I don’t know if they’re innocent. How many are left?”

“Seven more.”

“I hope she’s among them.”

“Same here. It’s too dangerous to spend more time gathering information.”

Paul and Sophia exchanged words and hurried towards the next target.

The street kid guiding them was curious about what kind of person their client, who was talking to the head of the intelligence agency who was relatively kind to street kids, was. But he didn’t dare ask. It was a rare opportunity to earn big money as a guide. He was afraid of saying the wrong thing and ruining the job.

Soon, they arrived at a slightly remote part of the red-light district. The scenery here was different from before. Unlike the somewhat maintained buildings of the previous brothels, the brothels here were all made of shabby tents.

“This is strange. No matter how I think about it, the city’s influential people wouldn’t come to such a shabby place.”

“But the records clearly show they’ve been here.”

“Exactly. My intuition tells me something is about to happen. Look at this. I suddenly got goosebumps on my arm.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Suddenly, Sophia stopped in her tracks, and Paul and the kid stopped as well.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“It seems your intuition was right.”

Sophia erased her previous relaxed expression and drew the long sword from her waist, holding it with both hands. At that moment, a wave seemed to ripple through the space, and the surroundings changed.

The shabby tents with a foul smell disappeared, replaced by colorful tents illuminated by bright lights. The weak laughter of the poor prostitutes was gone, replaced by seductive music and alluring laughter.

“…What kind of trick is this?”

Paul Hiltmann, dumbfounded, asked without thinking, and Sophia replied.

“It’s the demon’s space. Look at the sky.”

At Sophia’s words, Paul and the kid looked up at the sky and were instantly startled.

“The stars…?”

“Gone. There’s only the moon.”

“…That’s not the moon. It’s the bloodstone maintaining this space. I’ve never seen such a large bloodstone before. How many followers did she make to create that?”

“What’s that?”

“No time to explain! Damn, the demon noticed. You two, get out of here! If you run back now, you can escape!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Sophia raised her sword in a defensive stance. Then, seductive laughter echoed from the colorful tents ahead. Paul, momentarily bewildered, suddenly stiffened his expression, grabbed the still confused kid, and started running back.

“Whoa, what are you doing!?”

“Shut up and keep your mouth closed! I’ll bite your tongue off!”

Paul ran with all his might, genuinely frightened. As he pushed the colorful tents out of his sight, he thought the laughter in his ears was fading. And shortly after.

Just as Paul and the kid left the tent village, as the laughter subsided, a burst of sound came from the colorful tents lined up in front of Sophia, and a flock of night sparrows poured out.

 

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