The gates of Raphael Church were rarely opened late at night.
But tonight was an exception, for the richest family in the territory had arrived.
Lord Romayada donated five to six times more money to the church annually than any other noble, which meant he was a devout believer.
The church's doors were always open to such devout believers. Even a priest who had already gone to bed embracing a nun would have to crawl out with a pleasant smile to receive the family.
"Father Simo, my apologies for the trouble."
Romayada looked at Father Simo, a handsome, slender man with brown hair, brown eyes, and gaunt cheeks, who always seemed to have dark circles under his eyes.
He didn't want Father Simo to speak of tonight's events, as it would cause a huge uproar.
Father Simo smiled and nodded. "Of course. God commands us to keep silent."
"These are all donations for the church. Praise be to the God of Tiger. May his divine light shine upon the Green Shade Territory."
Romayada said humbly.
His butler, Lu'an Schroeder, brought a carriage full of jewels into the church.
Father Simo had the white-robed believers sprinkle Holy Water on every member of the Romayada family, including their servants.
He then personally performed the Purification for Romayada, his wife, and his mistresses.
Two hours later, Raphael Church saw the Romayada family off.
Exhausted, Father Simo walked into his room. Nun Sally, a woman with Blond Hair and Blue Eyes, hugged him from behind, but the Priest had no energy left. He pushed her hands away.
"That's enough for today. I need to rest. The Purification Technique drained too much of my Physical Strength."
"How could someone in the inner city get Infected with the Plague?"
Sally asked curiously, pushing Father Simo onto the bed. "I can do all the work."
Father Simo looked helpless, feeling like he was about to be drained dry by this Succubus.
'She's my Succubus, after all. Guess I'll just have to lie back and take it.'
"I'll have someone investigate this matter."
"Nothing can happen in the Green Shade Territory before the Lord Bishop returns from the Imperial Capital."
"Yes, Sally."
Whispers soon filled the room. Five minutes later, the dark circles under Father Simo's eyes were even more pronounced.
"Why hasn't the new Lord come to the church yet? I heard he's a young gentleman. I can't wait to meet him."
Sally licked her lips.
"Sally, stay away from him. He's dangerous."
Father Simo warned.
"Why? Is it because he subdued the Ice Witch? I've heard people outside say that the new Lord is very close with the Ice Witch."
Sally asked.
"Yes. He's hiding the Ice Witch in his bedroom. That's why he's dangerous."
"That is... very dangerous indeed."
…
"This is, indeed, very dangerous."
Lian warned Riel, telling her she didn't need to follow him any further.
If she got infected again, he'd have to go through the time and effort of clearing her tag again.
Of course, clearing a red tag of this level wasn't that difficult. The only problem was that she was still a minor and wasn't mentally mature. What if she mistook this for love?
Lian didn't want the little one to misunderstand him.
"Lord Lian, I want to be your Knight. How can I be afraid of danger?"
Riel said stubbornly.
"Er... alright."
Lian couldn't win against Riel's persistence, so he agreed.
'Her combat ability is probably in the negatives right now, so she wouldn't be much help. But leaving her alone in the carriage doesn't seem right either.'
So, Lian led Annie, Anna, and Riel into the Blackberry Tavern in the outer city.
The tavern was dimly lit. Scantily clad women sat frolicking on men's laps, spilling wine on their chests and thighs to lure in men who had a little money but were destined to be poor for life.
The sight made Riel's cheeks burn. She covered her eyes with her hands and bumped right into Lian.
"S-Sorry, Lord Lian."
"Mm. Watch where you're going."
Lian reminded her. He observed the tavern patrons, noticing that many of them already had a [Mildly Infected] tag displayed above their heads.
They were completely oblivious. The Red Itch Plague had an incubation period of one week, so these people should still be within the range where Holy Water could cure them.
Because their tags hadn't turned red—they weren't red tags—Lian couldn't do anything about them.
But one thing was certain: there was a source of infection in the tavern.
Two men reeking of alcohol spotted Lian's group. They staggered to their feet and unsteadily walked over, lecherous smiles on their faces.
"Well now, where'd you fine ladies and gentlemen come from? Care to have some fun with us?"
Lian assumed the two were after his beautiful twin Maids.
Surprisingly, both men lunged at him.
'They're either drunk on cheap swill, or they've got some seriously messed-up kinks.'
A chill ran down Lian's spine. He drew his longsword and carved an "X" on the front of each of them.
The two men's clothes were slashed open, their belts cut, and their pants fell to the ground.
Embarrassed, they bent over to pull up their pants, gritting their teeth and preparing to attack Lian again, only to be knocked unconscious by the pommel of his sword.
For a One-star Assassin Knight, dealing with ordinary people like this was almost too easy.
The tavern erupted in laughter. Many patrons applauded Lian, especially the women, who all gave him looks of keen interest.
Lian ignored their enthusiasm. He sheathed his longsword, walked up to the tavern bar, knocked on the wooden surface, and glanced back at Riel.
Riel said, "I need to see Ansel."
"Oh, lovely young lady, Ansel has already left."
The bartender, who was fat as a barrel, replied to Riel while wiping a mug.
"He's infected with the Red Itch Plague," Lian said. "If you don't want this entire tavern burned to the ground with everyone here dragged off to be buried alive, you'd better tell me where he is right now."
The bartender's expression changed instantly. He stopped wiping the mug. "Are you telling the truth?"
The boisterous crowd immediately fell silent, then erupted into an even louder clamor of curses and arguments.
"Damn that Ansel, he actually caught the Plague!"
"Oh, I knew he seemed strange lately, always wearing that Cloak!"
"How can we be sure you're telling the truth? Who are you, all dressed up extravagantly like a Lord? How would a noble like you even know Ansel?"
"Yeah, everyone calm down. He might be lying."
The tavern patrons all turned to look at Lian, their gazes unfriendly.
Lian's news had ruined their good mood for drinking.
"I can prove that the Lord isn't lying. Ansel really is infected with the Red Itch Plague. He's the one who gave it to me," Riel said earnestly.
The crowd's expressions toward her changed in an instant. Everyone scrambled to put distance between themselves and Lian's group.
"You have the Red Itch Plague?"
"Oh, damn it! Let's go, let's go! This is terrible luck."
People started rushing for the tavern exit, but Anna blocked the main Gate.
"The Lord has not given you leave. None of you may exit this place."
"That's right," Lian said. "I can't be sure which of you have come into contact with Ansel, so all of you will line up and go to the church to receive some Holy Water, just in case you've been infected. Hmm, wait for my guards to arrive. They will personally escort you there. For now, please remain calm and continue drinking."
Lian was afraid some might take their chances and try to flee, spreading the disease to others. He was also worried the church might be unwilling to receive so many commoners.
The tavern patrons asked timidly,
"A-Are you really the Lord?"