Chapter 44 : “The Price of Loyalty”

“……”

Lema glared silently at the man.

“Now you understand what I mean?”

The man, emboldened by Lema’s compliance, lifted his chin arrogantly. His yellowed teeth stood out.

So, this was the information guild after all.

But… how did they know?

The heretic’s mark on Lema’s body had long since disappeared. Other than that, there was no way to identify him. And it had been quite a while since he was branded as a heretic—long enough that his face shouldn’t have been circulating anymore.

“By ‘hush money,’ you mean you guarantee not to sell my information to others?”

“Of course. Trust is everything in this line of work.”

“…Fine.”

Without haggling, Lema tossed the entire pouch of gold coins to him.

The guild’s information network was woven tightly like a net. It wasn’t worth making enemies and complicating matters later.

Besides, the foundation of information brokers was credibility.

They could easily have sold his secret to the highest bidder without telling him, but the fact that they offered to keep it quiet meant he was lucky.

If it were just him, he wouldn’t care. But the thought of his lord being troubled because of this sent chills down his spine.

It was best to keep things quiet until his master found the summoner and the weapon.

“As expected of a former Luxilon Holy Knight. Easy to talk to.”

Hoo…

Lema let out a shallow breath and glanced back at Bel to make sure he wasn’t offended. When he saw Bel calm as usual, he returned his gaze to the broker.

“Then let’s move to the information I want. First, about the fanatics the Holy Empire is currently tracking—”

“Before that, how about I tell you something else? It won’t do you any harm.”

The man, grinning as he weighed the pouch of gold, threw out another topic.

He looked sincere enough, so Lema decided to hear him out.

“…Go on.”

“I know exactly what you did after escaping that auction house. They said you were at apostle-level strength—and it turns out it was true. The higher-ups may be furious, but plenty of people are very interested in you. That’s why your information is worth so much.”

Lema didn’t respond. Instead, he turned to Bel, who stood silently a step behind him.

“…Did any escape back then?”

“Mm. Maybe.”

They had slaughtered them all, but just as some rats escape a burning nest, a few could have slipped away. To Bel, they were rats. To others, they might have been influential figures.

At that auction, there were many attendees. Some were definitely nobles. Lema had confirmed there were private rooms reserved for them.

Maybe some nobles escaped. Maybe one of the women he hadn’t bothered to kill was a spy.

Either way, the information guild was bound to know by now.

“So?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to avoid being hunted by apostles? If you plan to live outside the Empire’s order anyway, there’s a simpler way. I can connect you to a noble house. With your skills, you could live far better than you ever did under Lucilonia’s service. There are countless knights who want that chance but never get it.”

“……”

Lema understood perfectly well.

A fallen holy knight was worthless to Lucilonia—but for nobles outside the Empire, who weren’t bound by religion, such a man was highly desirable.

Back then, he might have considered it. A noble beyond the Empire could purchase his services, overlook the stigma, and employ him as a bodyguard. Perhaps then he could have lived quietly, alone, forgetting the shame of being branded a heretic.

His brother’s last words were, after all, “Live.”

But after losing his fingers, his tendons, and bearing the cursed marks on his arms, even that hope had died.

Until he met Bel.

“Upfront, I can negotiate as much as 200 gold.”

“Hah…”

He couldn’t help but laugh. The concrete figure snapped him back to clarity.

“Master, someone just tried to buy me for 200 gold.”

Seeing Lema laugh, the broker mistook it for hesitation and pushed further.

“You catch on quick. I can make it 300. But of course, I need my cut.”

There was nothing more to hear.

Once, he might have considered it a good deal. But now, he had sworn loyalty to Belmias. And hearing that price only made him realize how much pride he took in serving his master.

He even understood that the man was, in his way, offering kindness. But for Lema, it felt like an insult.

He opened his mouth to refuse—

“Ah, and about that woman.”

Lema didn’t even ask who he meant.

The broker pointed at Bel with a smirk.

“How dare…”

How dare he call his Lord that woman?
How dare he point a finger at Him?

Whatever faint emotion lingered on Lema’s face vanished. His pale skin, golden hair, and emerald eyes now looked eerily doll-like.

Had the broker been sharper, he would have stopped speaking right there.

“I heard you smuggled her out of the auction. They had some top-class female slaves there. Must’ve been fun, huh? Why keep all the fun to yourself? Hand her over to me, and I’ll call it an even 300.”

“……”

“What? Speak up!”

The man shouted, thinking Lema hadn’t heard.

But Lema wasn’t talking to him.

“Master, would you mind if our schedule is… delayed?”

“I don’t care.”

“Then—”

Lema drew the greatsword from his back.

Crackle!

From the hilt, holy flames erupted, racing along the steel until the entire blade burned brilliantly.

He swung once in the air, leaving trails of fire behind. The heat shimmered visibly, the air warping around the weapon.

The broker instinctively stepped back, fear prickling down his spine.

“W–Wait! Don’t do anything you’ll regret!”

Lema didn’t blink. His three-colored eyes fixed on the target with the same blind fury he once reserved for heretics.

“…That filthy mouth of yours will burn.”

With a step that cracked the ground, Lema lunged.

“Shit!”

The broker scrambled, drawing his sword.

Clang!

But his blade shattered like glass the instant it met Lema’s burning steel.

“You—you’re insane!”

“Was that a compliment?”

“Hell no, you bastard!”

To a zealot, insane sounded like nothing but praise.