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Maria did not return until late at night. If it was just about paying the tribute, she should have been back by now.

As time passed, Conra’s anxiety grew. Unable to stand still, he paced back and forth in front of the hut. Sophia, seeing this, clicked her tongue and said, “You’re really on edge. Are you that worried?”

“Master, don’t you think something might have happened? It’s strange that there’s no sign of her returning by now.”

Conra was so anxious that his legs were trembling. Sophia couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

“Well, there’s no other choice. It seems we’ll have to go look for her ourselves.”

“I think we have to, Master.”

Conra responded immediately with a serious expression. Sophia then asked him the most important question if they were to search for Maria themselves.

“Do you have the skill to find out where she is?”

At Sophia’s question, Conra hesitated for a moment, then after some thought, cautiously replied, “What if we use the Druid’s skill to summon the spirits of animals and plants?”

{Unfortunately, your level is still too low to communicate smoothly with the spirits of unfamiliar lands. Summoning them would be useless.}

Esras-Hermes intervened, explaining why Conra’s suggestion to summon animal and plant spirits to ask about Maria’s whereabouts wouldn’t work. With that idea shot down, Conra, now deflated, quickly thought of another method and spoke up.

“Then what if we use alchemy to create a drug that enhances the sense of tracking connections…”

“Do you have the time for that? Do you even have enough ingredients?”

Sophia gave Conra a pitiful look, and he shrunk under her gaze. Unable to bear it any longer, Sophia finally spoke up.

“I was hoping to see how you’d figure it out, but it seems you’re still far from it, Conra.”

With a look as if she were dealing with a hopeless child, she shook her head and said, “I have a way. Listen.”

And so, Sophia began to explain her plan to Conra.

In short, it was almost certain that Maria had gone to pay the tribute in the evening. Therefore, whatever happened to her must have occurred either before or after she paid the tribute.

“So, if we raid their hideout, we’ll find something.”

Sophia declared confidently. But Conra, still uneasy, rolled his eyes and asked, “What if we raid it and find nothing?”

“That’s impossible. Whether they’re directly or indirectly involved in the girl’s disappearance, or at least pretending not to know, they must know something.”

Sophia then pointed to the men Conra had seen in front of Maria’s house as evidence.

“Those guys probably weren’t there officially, but they must have been acting on some higher-up’s orders. Otherwise, why would they specifically target a slum orphan’s house?”

“That’s true.”

“Even if they’re not involved, it doesn’t matter. If they’re so incompetent that they can’t even keep track of what’s happening in their own territory, they deserve to pay the price. If necessary, we can just intimidate them into helping us find her.”

“Indeed.”

Conra nodded in agreement, impressed by his master’s wisdom. If there’s a connection, raid it; if not, intimidate them into helping. There couldn’t be a more reasonable plan. Conra thought so and nodded repeatedly.

“Then where should we raid?”

“Conra, you’ve probably looked down on this street from the bell tower before. Do you remember a building in the slums that’s relatively decent and close to the citizens’ area?”

Being skilled at navigation, Conra immediately recalled the location of the building Sophia described.

“Wait a moment… Ah, I remember! There was such a place. I know the way.”

“Good, then let’s go.”

With that, the priestess and the boy set off to raid the most prominent building in the slums, Niue de Corb.

+++++

In the darkness, the sudden appearance of a mysterious nun knight and a spear-wielding boy was truly suspicious. Their eyes emitted a menacing aura as they stared at a building, and their unwavering approach made it even more so.

“What brings you here?”

A member of the organization guarding the entrance to Niue de Corb blocked their path, wary of the strange duo.

“Ah, we’re here to find someone. Could you help us?”

At Sophia’s casual remark, the member frowned and replied, “If you’re looking for someone, shouldn’t you go to a detective agency instead of coming here?”

“No, I think we’ve come to the right place. Step aside.”

The price for that answer was a sudden blackout of vision and a loud explosion as the entrance was blown open.

After slapping the member’s cheek with the back of her hand and blowing open the entrance, Sophia stepped inside, using the sound of the door crashing into the first-floor lobby as background music.

“Intruders!”

“Attack!”

“Who is it? City guards? Or another organization?”

Perhaps due to the commotion, members who hadn’t yet grasped the situation began pouring out from all over the building and surrounding structures.

“Hmm, it’s been a while since I’ve beaten people up.”

Sophia stepped forward, and in the next moment, her figure was already in front of the members. Of course, those members were already being slapped or backhanded, sent flying through the air.

The members froze at the sight of their comrades being sent flying in such an unreal manner, but Sophia didn’t let them off. She rampaged like a lion among sheep, knocking down every member she encountered.

Following her, Conra showcased the pinnacle of martial arts techniques. Unlike Sophia, who had achieved a transcendent physique through completing the 4th level of Reverse Muscle Technique, Conra was still at the 2nd level.

While Sophia could knock out her opponents with shocking visuals without causing fatal damage, thanks to her perfect control of strength, Conra couldn’t mimic that yet.

However, Conra had his own strengths—his highly developed senses allowed him to perform various martial arts techniques at a high level. Just by grappling and twisting his opponents, he could create bizarre phenomena, like human centipedes or human chains.

“Ahhh, my arm! My leg!”

“It’s twisted and won’t come loose!”

In no time, human centipedes began to multiply around him, looking even more grotesque than the people Sophia was slapping away.

As Conra continued to knock people down and twist them into knots, he noticed that the surrounding members began to avoid him, reluctant to approach. If he took a step forward, they would take a step—or more—back.

Well, if their bodies were being manipulated like marionettes, with limbs twisted and tangled, forming human centipedes or chains, it was only natural to be scared. Anyone in their right mind would be terrified.

But this situation was a bit problematic for Conra. While Sophia could catch and knock down anyone, no matter how many or where they fled, thanks to her mastery of Mind-In-Action, it was still too much for a boy like him.

‘What to do…’

As Conra pondered, he suddenly noticed a figure sneaking out through a side door at the back of the building. Instinctively realizing that this man was the top priority, Conra’s body moved before his mind could decide, and he began to chase.

Having learned the secret running technique of Erin warriors, “Salmon Leap,” and the basics of levitation from Sophia, Conra caught up to the fleeing man in just a few breaths.

In an instant, Conra leaped over the man’s head and landed lightly in front of him. The man, Adrian Guillermo, looked at Conra with a bewildered smile.

“Can humans really move like that? Are you a bird or a cat or something?”

Hiding his confusion, Adrian smirked and asked, “Are you the master here?”

“That’s right. But what are you doing, making such a ruckus in my house?”

“We’re here to find someone.”

“Looking for someone? If that’s the case, you should have come during the day, properly and politely. What’s with this midnight raid?”

At Adrian’s reproachful tone, Conra made a sheepish expression and replied, “We were in a hurry. So, sorry, but you’ll have to cooperate with us.”

Despite his sheepish expression, Conra’s words were shamelessly bold, making Adrian doubt his own hearing.

“Ha, you’re really something. Fine, I get that you have urgent business. But I have my pride too. If you want my cooperation, you’ll have to overpower me.”

“If you say so, then I’ll have to.”

Though he had been behaving well recently, Conra had been quite the brat until the beginning of the year, creating a dark history. His innate nature hadn’t changed, so he didn’t flinch at Adrian’s aggressive response.

Seeing Conra’s demeanor, Adrian forced a smile and drew the slightly curved espada from his waist. The metallic sound of the blade being unsheathed calmed his uneasy heart slightly.

With the espada in his right hand, Adrian pointed the tip forward, his left hand behind his back, and lowered his stance.

Seeing his opponent ready, Conra also drew the spear from his back.

 

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