Chapter 8: The Girl and the Crow

“Down below, at the foot of that mountain over there, there seems to be something,” I said, pointing to a small mountain.

Elvira also looked in the direction I pointed, her dragon eyes glancing faintly.

“It’s just a group of humans transporting something, nothing special. You can actually see them?”

“No… I can’t see them… It’s just a faint feeling, as if the thing that group is transporting is related to me? …I’m not sure. Can you take me over for a look?”

“Alright.”

Our altitude gradually decreased.
Looking down from Elvira’s back, I could only see a thin line on the plain, like a line of ants.
That must be the group Elvira was talking about.

But how did she see them?

We were high up in the sky, at least a thousand meters from the ground.

Elvira didn’t use any strange abilities either… In that case… the eyesight of dragons is too exaggerated…

We descended quickly but smoothly.
It was clear Elvira was being considerate of me.
As the altitude continued to drop, the dragon transformed back into a girl, and I was once again held by her as we landed on the ground.

Another princess carry… so embarrassing…

“Um… Elvira, I know you turned back into human form to avoid being discovered, but… next time, can you not hold me like this… It’s very awkward…”

“This is based on my own will, so…”

“Stop!” I crossed my hands in front of my chest to form an ‘X’.
“Don’t always use my own words against me!”

Elvira just shrugged nonchalantly, her grip on me tightening slightly, as if declaring her sovereignty.

This wicked dragon is so damn cunning.

We landed in a depression, separated from the group of humans by a small hill, not too far and not too close.

After breaking free from Elvira’s warm embrace, I thought for a moment and decided not to let Elvira follow me.

“Your non-human features are too obvious. I’ll go by myself.
If they’re just ordinary humans, they probably won’t be able to tell my race.”

She didn’t agree immediately.
Instead, she swiped her hand over the golden bracelet on her right wrist.
A golden light flashed, and something I was quite familiar with appeared in her hand.

It was the firelock used by the white-robed woman.

“When I rescued you before, you had this gun on you.
Take it just in case. If you encounter danger, fire it, and I’ll come immediately.”

Elvira’s suggestion was sound.
Taking the gun from her, I examined it carefully.

It was called a firelock, but its design was more like a flintlock pistol.
There was even a cross engraved on it.
But the flintlock pistols of this world didn’t need to be loaded one shot at a time.

There were exposed gear structures on the gun’s body, and an external magazine was attached.
The magazine was small, and the capacity probably wasn’t large, but it was usable.

“Hmm, I didn’t expect a dragon like you to be so thoughtful.”

It seems Elvira also knew that the consequences of her appearing rashly as a non-human were unpredictable.
It might even lead the Church of Mancius to our trail, which would not be worth the risk.

Tucking the firelock into my belt and giving Elvira a reassuring look, I climbed over the hill and walked towards the group of people.

At this time, the transport team was stopped outside a cave.
The members were gathered together, seemingly discussing something.
They hadn’t noticed me, and I wasn’t in a hurry either.
I pretended to be nonchalant and slowly closed the distance.

The ambiguous feeling in my heart grew stronger.

It wasn’t fear, nor was it restlessness…

It was like something related to me was resonating…

I quickened my pace slightly, and soon I was near the group.
And that group of people finally noticed me.

“Oh! Miss, are you also here to participate in the offering ceremony?” a middle-aged man took two steps forward and asked me.

I didn’t answer him immediately.
I quickly scanned the group.
There were about twenty people, all dressed in coarse linen clothes.
Only the man who had just spoken to me was dressed decently.
So he must be the leader.

I’ll test the waters a bit first.

“Participate in the offering? Yes, and no,” I said with a blank expression, while my right hand nonchalantly touched the firelock at my waist.
“Then let me ask you—do you know which deity you are making an offering to? And are your offerings qualified?”

Combining what I saw in Norn City and the information revealed in Elvira’s words, I thought that using their religious beliefs to get information was a good choice.

As expected, the effect was excellent.
The other party quickly took the bait.

When the middle-aged man saw the firelock at my waist, he immediately clasped his hands in front of his chest in a prayer gesture, bowing his head and speaking respectfully.

“May the gods bless you, you are an Inquisitor! Forgive my disrespect.
Thank you and your colleagues for everything you have done for the Holy Nation.
The heretics will eventually find their eternal rest under your sword and gun.”

Not only the middle-aged man, but all the men and women around me bowed their heads and prayed silently.

The Church of Mancius has “tamed” this group of people quite well.
Their faith is carved into their bones.

Looking at the sea of bowed heads in front of me, I felt that I could be even more forceful.

“Answer my question,” I said to the man, word by word.
He was clearly flustered and quickly answered.

“Lord Inquisitor, we are making an offering to the great Mountain God.
The offering is in the box. Shall I open it for you to inspect?”

The man lowered his eyes, a formulaic smile on his face, and walked towards the wooden box a few meters from the cave entrance.
That was exactly what I—

“No need,” I said, interrupting the man’s movement towards the wooden box.
“You may all leave. I will complete the rest of the offering ceremony.”

“This… Lord Inquisitor, I’m afraid this is not appropriate. What if the Mountain God gets angry, we…”

“Do you think I would be disrespectful to the Mountain God?
Leave this place. Don’t make me say it a third time,” I narrowed my eyes and frowned, putting on a look of displeasure as I looked at the man and the people behind him.

These people were terrified.
Some of them almost knelt on the ground.
The leading man hurriedly nodded and bowed, his servile appearance somewhat annoying to look at.

“We’ll leave right away, right away! The people of the Holy Nation trust you unconditionally.”

After saying this, the man gestured to the people behind him, and they left in a hurry, afraid that I would get angry.

I didn’t rush to touch the wooden box either.
If I opened it right after they left, the risk of my act being exposed would be too high.
There was no need to start a conflict with civilians.

And judging from the man’s attitude towards me earlier, the social status of an Inquisitor was not low.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been so respectful, and even a little afraid of me.

So… what is the structure of the Church of Mancius?

And what does the identity of an Inquisitor represent?

Thinking of this, I lowered my gaze to the firelock at my waist.
The cross symbol on the gun was particularly glaring in the sunlight.
I figured this should be some kind of status symbol for church personnel.

Emm… speaking of which, that group of people should be far away by now, right?
I’ve been waiting for a while.

I looked around and saw no one.
The surroundings were quiet and deserted.
After confirming that no one was around, I walked over to the wooden box and pushed open the lid.

What appeared before me was the source of my strange feeling.
It was a… small, thin figure.

A little girl?!
That group of people used a little girl as an offering?!
This child is only about ten years old…

In the box, the thin girl was curled up.
Her eyes and mouth were covered with a black cloth, and her hands and feet were tightly bound with coarse ropes.
The delicate skin was chafed and bleeding…

I shouldn’t have let those people go… a bunch of animals!

Without thinking, I lifted the little girl out.
When my fingers touched her, her body trembled like a leaf in the wind, and she made “mmm, mmm” sounds.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you,” I comforted the little girl as I untied the blindfold on her head.

Perhaps because she had been in a dark environment for a long time, tears constantly streamed from the corners of her eyes under the sunlight, and her red, swollen eyes were tightly shut.

I quickly untied all the restraints on the girl.
The next moment, her thin form shuffled backward, leaning directly against the wooden box, her hands and feet still trembling uncontrollably.

But her eyes finally opened.
Her large, pale pink eyes were filled with fear, the corners stained with tears.
Her light blue hair was a mess, and while her dress was mostly intact, it had a few tears.

Looking at the pitiable girl before me, a sense of heartache welled up from the bottom of my heart, along with a hatred for that damnable religious faith.

“I’m not one of the people who hurt you. Don’t be afraid, I’ve chased the bad guys away. You’re safe now,” I said softly, slowly reaching out my hand to the girl, hoping she would trust me.

The little girl was very scared.
Her swollen eyes looked me up and down, like a frightened little animal.
After a long hesitation, the girl finally lifted her small hand and placed it in my palm.

Immediately, she froze for a moment, as if she had understood something.
Tears welled up again, and she threw herself into my arms, rubbing her small head against me again and again.

Hugging her small body, I rhythmically patted and stroked her back.
I was surprisingly skilled at such a maternal action.
Is this what they call instinct?

Hmm? Someone is in the cave!

I suddenly looked up at the cave entrance.
From within the dark cave, the sound of thick-soled shoes hitting rock echoed out.
I placed one hand on the firelock at my waist, ready to draw it at any moment.

But when I saw the person… I was stunned for a moment.

That’s… a crow?