Raising Paladins

Episode 63. Golden Apple Tracking (2)

“Can I come in for a minute?”

“… … !”

Hanson, who was doing push-ups in his room, got up quickly and took a bow.

“Then excuse me.”

At Hanson’s recommendation, a knife was placed on a chair in one corner of the room.

Hanson, who was looking at him, said.

“You came to hear about the golden apple.”

nod

Hanson sat across from Carl.

“When I was young, I was an orphan who wandered around the city and lived as a pickpocket. At first, I lived in a big city, but more and more security guards knew my face.”

“After all, you were kicked out to the borders of the Empire. Even the easternmost part, Meirium.”

“It’s embarrassing, but it’s true. At that time, I was really trash.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s the fault of your parents who gave birth to you and abandoned you on the street. Now that you have come to your senses, you should serve people as a payment for your sins.”

“yes… … .”

“Go on.”

“Coming to Mayrium, I met some younger siblings and became close with them. They were pickpocketing here before me.”

“Daryl and Peter.”

“yes. One day, while pickpocketing, he was caught by security guards and beaten in a corner of the market. I pushed the security guard down from behind and we all ran away. After that, the three of us started hanging out together, and more and more orphans followed us. Some of them were born in Meirium, and others, like me, came from other cities.”

“Did a gang form?”

“you’re right. With the number of people increasing, the police couldn’t even touch us carelessly. But if I continued pickpocketing, it seemed like something big was about to happen. For example… … .”

“The security forces asked the central army for help.”

“… … That’s right. If that happened, it would be really difficult for us, who had been driven to this place, the easternmost city of the empire. If they were caught, it was certain that they would be sent as slaves to the northern snowfields or mines. Then someone came. He was a dark-skinned, big man.”

“The butler Malone.”

“yes. As he holds out a pouch full of crones, he says someone needs our help. Then I followed him and met the Baron for the first time.”

“What kind of person is Baron Astell?”

“He is a strange fellow. He has long purple hair, long fingernails, and a voice that makes it hard to tell whether he’s a man or a woman. The same goes for the terrifying gaze that seems to dig into every detail when our eyes meet.”

“Did you have any special patterns on your body? For example, the Baphomet pattern you saw on Gnoll’s back last time.”

“I didn’t see anything like that. In fact, the body is wrapped so tightly in something like a robe that only the backs of the hands and the nape of the neck are exposed.”

“Right. Go on.”

“The baron told me to help his minions take control of the Meirium Fruit Market. He said he would make me a second-in-command in this city if I donate the proceeds from it. At the same time, I introduced Devaldo, a minion.”

“I guess I know a lot. He must have handed you a golden apple little by little. You may have become addicted to that power and you must have been proud of yourself growing stronger.”

“It’s embarrassing, but it is. I knew it would run out of control at some point, but that power really… … It was so sweet that it was hard to cut it off.”

“Divine power that is not permitted is originally a sweeter law. But the ending is nasty.”

“yes… … .”

“Do you know what route he brings the golden apples to?”

“I have no idea about that. I also thought about intercepting it in the middle, wondering if it was imported from another city, but no matter how many times I solved the kids, I couldn’t even get a clue. I can only guess that it might be in the courtyard of City Hall. These are the words of the golden apple tree.”

“Well, it sounds suspicious.”

When he stopped by City Hall, Carl was puzzled.

Originally, buildings such as City Hall and Police Headquarters, where citizens often come and go, are usually built openly on the first floor or garden, even if other facilities are decorated in the basement.

However, the Mayrium City Hall was covered with high walls and shielding materials.

It’s also very dense.

“What else is suspicious?”

“He lives with the curtains in his office even in broad daylight. Cover all the windows in the office with thick black curtains. Other than that, there was nothing really bad about it.”

“As expected, the only way to find out the truth is to search the city hall thoroughly.”

“It would be nice, but it would be difficult because the boundaries are tight. The reason why the baron entrusted our gang with transporting the fruit without mobilizing the security guards is to put the security guards in charge of city hall security. There must be dozens of security guards patrolling inside and outside City Hall. If you go inside, it will be more crowded.”

“do not worry. Because there are ways.”

“Are you going to knock them all out and go in? that… … .”

“no. No matter how much I am, I can’t commit such an ignorant thing. Until he catches the real weakness, he’s the mayor. If you do it wrong, it will backfire.”

“you’re right. He’s very meticulous in that respect, so be careful. If there was something like the invisibility cloak from the old story, reconnaissance would be easy… … . There can be no such thing as a nobleman.”

Hanson scratched his head as if it was funny even after he said it.

A transparent cloak.

If there was such a mysterious item, there would have been rumors about it.

“Thank you for your cooperation. Then let’s finish the night training.”

“Yes, priest.”

Carl stood up and examined Hanson’s body.

Weak divine power flowed along the bloodline of his whole body.

It wasn’t the unauthorized divine power that he ate and embraced the golden apple at will, but the pure divine power that the knife breathed into it.

“But where are you going? It is late at night.”

When Carl came to visit Hanson, he was wearing a thin robe over his priestly uniform.

The fact that Carl, who prefers light clothes, is wearing a cloak means that he has to go outside the temple somewhere.

Carl chuckled at Hanson’s question.

“To find the Invisibility Cloak.”

***

thump thump.

“Ah! who is this! In the middle of the night?!”

The ill-tempered dwarven descendant slammed open the door.

Her face was full of anger, as if a very important task had been interrupted.

But when he checked the customer outside the door, Dave’s expression changed dramatically.

“Oh oh! It was you! I was just about to contact you! Come on in!”

Dave, the Master of the Meirium Artisan Guild Leather Workshop.

Carl, who was drawn inside by her, pointed to one side.

“Is that it?”

“okay! Only one final task remains!”

A large robe draped over a wooden working mannequin.

It is large enough for a tall man to cover his entire body, and it has a hood that can cover his head.

What was unusual was that the Grove had only two components.

“They say that magic tanning technology is no longer passed on and there is no priest who can exert divine power, but it is still a cave troll shaman leather that is hard to find! So I paid a lot of money and finished it with only the thread I bought from the capital’s Holy Magic Research Association. How do you like it?”

“I like it.”

“hahahahaha!”

Dave brought a beer and offered Carl a drink.

When Carl accepted it, she said.

“Could you say If later the blessing of divine power falls upon the empire again, then this cloak will truly become a treasure that cannot be obtained even with billions of dollars! So keep it well until then. okay?”

“Have you not heard the news?”

“News?”

Carl tilted his head.

It was already known not only in Meirium but also in neighboring Tournoble that a priest who received the blessing of the sun god and used divine power appeared at the Temple of Dawn in Meirium.

It was Tyra.

By now, the news should have spread from Tournoble to all parts of the empire.

In a few days, news will come from the main shrine of the Sun Temple in the capital.

Or did you come to investigate?

However, Dave, who lives in the same city, did not know the sensational news.

‘but… … .’

Carl smiled bitterly as he looked around the studio.

Maybe he was obsessed with making cloaks out of cave troll skin, but the surroundings were literally five minutes before sh*t, no, sh*t itself.

It seemed that he slept here and did not pay attention to anything other than tanning and mantle sewing.

‘Thanks to that, the cloak was pulled out very nicely.’

Hard to believe the smoothness of the skin of a rough cave troll shaman.

Even though it was a cloak, attention was paid here and there so that the user’s body shape was well exposed.

In particular, the use of the Divine Power Induction Sewing Thread, which can only be made by the Holy Magic Research Society, was very good.

The Holy Magic Research Society was one of the few organizations that were still working hard to recover lost divine power, and they were preserving the sewing thread production method that had been around since before.

“Why are you talking? News, what do you mean?”

“it’s nothing. Then can I take a look at the cloak?”

“Wait a minute.”

Dave came with something.

It was a small bottle and feather pen, and inside the bottle was a shimmering blue ink.

“It’s luminescent ink for signatures. I’m going to do my last work with this.”

“… … .”

“But just in case, is it okay to leave my name on the lining of your cloak?”

The skin of a rare cave troll shaman.

How can I give up on leaving the name of the craftsman when I have made a work with all my heart with it?

It was a fact that Carl knew very well that artisans were more obsessed with fame than money.

Besides, even if you infuse divine power to achieve invisibility, it shouldn’t matter if it’s the lining of your cloak.

Carl nodded happily.

“of course.”

“hahahaha! I knew it!”

Dave approached the cloak with a feather pen and ink.

After a while.

flutter!

“it’s over! Take a look!”

“yes.”

Dave’s face full of pride.

Carl took the cloak and wrapped it around his body.

There was no smell from the cloak, as if the washing and tanning had been done perfectly.

Rather, it had a faint floral scent.

“Does it smell good? I extracted the scent of the blue-purple hydrangea that bloomed on the outskirts of Meirium last year, and I used that.”

“Excellent. It is indeed the work of a master.”

“hahahaha!”

Dave smiled contentedly.

Her face was full of satisfaction that she had created a wonderful piece of art with precious materials.

But at that moment.

“uh? uhh… … ?”

Dave’s face lit up in shock.

It was because the sword’s body, wrapped in a cape, began to disappear.

As if nothing had been there in the first place.

“The hood should be enough.”

flutter!

A hand suddenly reached out from the empty air and touched the hood over his head.

Then it went back into space and disappeared.

“The transparency is sufficient, and the transfer of holy power is working properly. Thank you for giving me a cloak to use after a long time. Then I have something to do.”

profit.

The studio door opened by itself, followed by a thump! and closed

Dave’s face looks like he’s seen a ghost.

she said, holding up the beer glass that Carl had left behind.

“Have you had too much beer… … I see nothing but futility… … .”