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[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Demon God]

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“Persuading the humans is more or less done. It’s surprisingly easy. People from the lower class are often more lenient when it comes to rationalizing their actions.”

“Oh, really?”

“The Captain and that man, those two never let go of their suspicions until the end, which is annoying. But everyone else has come around. They might initiate a conversation with us soon. Those suspicious ones tend to make the first move originally.”

“Um, yeah.”

It took Patrick less than an hour to convince the humans.

Unable to express gratitude for their efforts, Devourer scratched the back of his neck. While thankful for their cooperation, the scale of the situation seemed to overshadow the effort, making Devourer somewhat indifferent.

Rolling his eyes, Devourer glanced at Patrick and saw a burst of enthusiasm.

Oh, he doesn’t plan to finish this casually.

“So, the enemy is among us, that’s what it means.”

“What? What are you suddenly talking about?”

“Nothing.”

Patrick confirmed the absence of any approaching threat before taking off his helmet. Talking in a refreshed voice about something as mundane as breathing, he occasionally seemed to forget that he belonged to a different species.

As Devourer attempted to lie back on the floor, Patrick cleared his throat and added a remark.

“Anyway, from now on, it’s the main act.”

While until yesterday, their activities mainly revolved around secretly collecting surface-level information, they had now gained dozens of residents of Hastin as both potential sources and informants. This allowed them to delve more deeply into their investigation.

Observing Devourer sprawled on the ground like a corpse, Patrick spoke.

“Now, Boss, let’s see… What should we do now?”

“…Do I have to work too?”

“Is that what you call work?”

Devourer’s pupils shook intensely at Patrick’s words. Seeing this, Patrick sighed softly and continued.

“Boss, you should stay here with the humans. I’m not saying just to idle around. I’m asking you to keep an eye on things. Monitor the activities of the alleyway residents, build camaraderie with the humans, and observe if anything unusual is happening.”

“Huh? You want me to be friends with humans?”

“I’m afraid so, Boss. Whether the ‘fully armored knight’ or the ‘boss who looks like a beggar’ appears more approachable to humans, isn’t it clear without much thought?”

“I had a feeling you’d say something like that. But didn’t you just call me a boss who looks like a beggar?”

“Anyway, Boss, you need to find a way to befriend the humans here, even if it means using some methods. Hm, for example, behaving as similarly as possible to the people in the alley and increasing the sense of camaraderie could be one way.”

Ignoring Devourer’s question, Patrick spoke.

In response to the suggestion of behaving like humans, Devourer, for the first time in a while, shook his head.

I’ll probably spend most of the day sleeping. Even those who are awake are likely to be groggy, and any physical activity would likely be sluggish.

This is totally…

“So, just live as usual?”

“…I’m not sure if you’re saying that as some kind of trick, but it won’t be that easy. Don’t forget that we need to investigate the religion that distributed the rosaries. You need to approach as a devotee, and that too, after building enough familiarity.”

If you approach a devout person on the verge of death and say, “Let’s investigate the religion you pray to,” it’s obvious that the other party will harbor hostility.

They might even provide false information, potentially ruining the entire mission.

It was better to invest more time and effort to approach as a believer in a more natural way.

Patrick stood up from his seat. As he rose, it seemed like he was getting ready to conclude the ‘conversation with the captain’ he mentioned earlier.

“I’ll conduct my own investigation. Boss, don’t just complain; put in a bit more effort. We need to finish quickly so we can go back and rest sooner, don’t we?”

Ignoring Devourer, who nodded a couple of times, Patrick took a step forward. Before leaving, Patrick opened his mouth one last time.

“Oh, and just in case, you should be aware that even if humans seem wary, you should endure it. No matter how well you manipulate them with words, the current humans are more sensitive to physical injuries than mental trust. It might be quite challenging to get close to them.”—

[It might be quite challenging to get close to them.]

‘What’s so challenging about it…’

Trusting Patrick was a mistake.

Contrary to someone’s words suggesting that getting close to humans would be difficult, Devourer didn’t take even minutes to start conversations with the alley humans. Moreover, it was the humans who initiated the conversation, not Devourer.

“Sir, you’re a shadow knight of ‘Roano’s Mist,’ the imperial family’s knight, right? Sir Knight, did you come from Raize? They say there’s plenty of milk and honey in Raize, is that true?”

“That’s right! They say food is so abundant that it rolls on the ground, and the residents of Raize can live without working for a lifetime!”

“Sir Knight, Sir Knight! Your comrade was wearing armor; why are you dressed like this?”

“Fools, this is a disguise! I don’t usually go around dressed like this!”

So many words were exchanged in front of Devourer that he couldn’t even react to all of them. Already, more than ten humans were showing curious glances.

‘Whether it’s positive or they lack learning ability.’

He wanted to devour them all up, but if he did, there would be a festival of Patrick’s nagging.

Alright, let’s get along. Let’s get along. Devourer forced a smile, brainwashing himself.

“Contrary to appearances, Sir Knight seems to be incredibly strong. I was surprised because I also don’t get pushed around by force when I go somewhere.”

“Ah… Yeah, well.”

Controlling my strength to the extent of just fainting them was incredibly challenging.

“Sir Knight! The Imperial ‘Lance of Roa’ wears armor made of gold, so is your armor also made of gold?”

“Well… it’s not, probably.”

I vaguely remember a knight challenging the Primordial Core in the past wearing golden armor. It was intriguing, but it wasn’t gold. Making armor out of gold is as foolish as it gets.

“They say all the food in Raize is delicious, is that true?”

“No, not at all.”

The lingering taste of the dry fruit Devourer ate at the inn with Melje still lingered in his mouth. He frowned slightly, thinking it was still in his mouth.

“During your time as a knight in the Imperial service, have you ever met Vern or Wooin?”

“Do you really think I’d know those guys?”

This time, the humans showed a slightly puzzled reaction. Thinking about it, the names sounded somewhat familiar.

Numerous questions followed. Most of them were cheap questions full of curiosity, like, “Is there really a dragon in that dungeon?!” likened to lower-tier monsters’ inquiries.

Whether it was Vern or Wooin, Devourer couldn’t recall much about their actions. The questions about their deeds were quite numerous. While Wooin’s name sounded somewhat familiar, it was probably a trivial matter, given that he couldn’t remember after a day.

“I’ve only been to Raize once recently; there’s no way I’d encounter those guys.”

Numerous questions and answers continued. Devourer, answering for over ten minutes, displayed a visibly tired expression, prompting the humans to start discreetly leaving.

It was precisely when Devourer was about to heave a sigh in relief that Rosalina timidly approached.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

Could it be an inherent habit of the human race to keep coming one after another when it seems to be finally over?

“Um, excuse me… Sir Knight.”

As the hesitant voice approached, Devourer lifted his head. Behind the girl, who looked somewhat more composed than when they first met, a man with a stern expression was also approaching.

Devourer narrowed his eyes.

The girl had a rosary hanging around her neck, which she used to carry in her pocket.

‘She does look a bit eerie.’

However, she wasn’t emitting any mana. It seemed Patrick was right; she probably released mana only in specific situations.

Rosalina, approaching Devourer cautiously, lowered her head deeply.

“Uh, Sir Knight, I’m really sorry for stealing the item.”

“Well, it’s not a big deal.”

It was merely the loot from the Primordial Core boss.Devourer replied casually and scratched the back of his head.

An awkward atmosphere settled in. This time, the man who was behind Rosalina stepped forward, pushing her aside.

“I’m… Tott. I’m currently overseeing the back alleys in place of the absent captain.”

The man still seemed full of caution. He must be the other person Patrick mentioned, the one besides the captain, who wouldn’t let go of suspicion.

Devourer also nodded lightly in response.

After a brief intake of breath, Tott immediately asked, “The captain asked me to assist wholeheartedly until he can reach you.”

Devourer raised an eyebrow. The cautious treatment towards him was likely because of this reason. It seemed that Patrick, who had gone to meet the captain, had handled the conversation well.

“You seem quite tired. I’ll get straight to the point. The captain mentioned that you came here to save Hastin.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“If you want to know the current situation of the village, it would be quicker to see for yourself rather than hearing about it.”

“Huh?”

“If you’re okay with it, I’ll guide you right now.”

—Wait, why would you want to do that right now?

Someone is quite eager, thinking this, Devourer reconsidered his thoughts after a moment of contemplation.

Staying idle here would undoubtedly result in another merciless barrage of questions. Given Patrick’s intricate setup earlier, there were quite a few tricky questions that would be challenging to answer.

Just staying here would be another form of torture.

“Let’s go now.”

As Devourer stood up, Tott spoke.

“First, let’s take a look around the residential area.”

—

The first place they entered was a plain, empty house in the deserted street.

No signs of anyone inside. It seemed like Tott was aware that no one was inside, as he confidently opened the door.

The door was already open. More precisely, the bent latch was rendered useless. It was a sign that someone had already been here.

As the door opened, the first thing to react was their sense of smell. A thick and heavy odor permeated the entire building. A smell that might be repulsive to some and familiar, albeit unpleasant, to others.

Silently, Devourer and Tott explored different corners of the room.

The origin of the smell was on the second floor.

It wafted uncomfortably from a room used as a storage space.

They opened the slightly ajar door.

There were two corpses.

“It’s been three weeks since the ‘Black Disaster’ struck Hastin.”

Tott, who had been silently observing the emaciated bodies, suddenly spoke.

“Why is the village so quiet? Why aren’t the villagers rising with pitchforks and scythes—”

These questions had been there from the beginning. When famine struck a village, the arrows of anger were usually aimed at the lord, and enraged peasants would rise with their weapons.

The ‘Black Disaster’ was certainly formidable enough to withstand famine.

Yet, why did the residents of Hastin starve to death without taking any action? Why did they not even unite?

“…Aren’t you curious?”

Tott’s question received no reaction from Devourer. He maintained his expressionless demeanor.

A static silence settled between them.

Considering the silence as affirmation, Tott spoke again.

“It all started with the ‘Black Disaster.'”

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[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Demon God]

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