IPMPBB 39

Chapter 39

“Ack!”

The shaman let out a death rattle and collapsed.

I froze involuntarily at the brutal sight.

Even though Elia’s memories were filled with countless battle experiences, witnessing someone die firsthand was on a whole different level.

Thud.

The old man fell to the ground with a loud crash.

At the same time, the magic circles he had drawn vanished, and the slimes turned to dust and disappeared.

Carlos turned to look at me.

“Arrest the remaining heretics!”

Reading the message in his eyes, I gave orders to Cesare and the knights.

Cesare and the others faithfully carried out my command and left the shaman’s room.

Carlos and I joined the six knights who had been standing by at the entrance, and before long, we successfully swept up all the heretics inside the cave.

“We’ve gathered some rough information on the Masunt Mountains. The detailed interrogation will take place at the Order’s headquarters.”

Cesare reported.

I listened to Cesare’s report, picked out the key points, and gave the necessary orders.

“Um…”

Just as we were leaving the clean-up crew to handle the scene and returning to the camp, a young knight who had scouted with Cesare approached me hesitantly.

“Ilson is injured.”

“Ilson?”

He was one of the scouts who had gone with Cesare.

“How did that happen?”

“He was caught in a toxic mist and got sluggish… then got hit by a slime. He’s had emergency treatment, but it’s impossible for him to move right now.”

The young knight glanced at me nervously, as if feeling guilty.

Considering Elia’s usual temperament, they probably thought she wouldn’t tolerate any delay.

And it was true—delays in the march were a huge setback. I folded my arms, hesitating.

But the decision came quickly.

“If he’s hurt, we can’t help it. Let’s carry him on a stretcher. A small delay is fine—people come first.”

At my words, the young knight’s eyes widened in surprise.

The other knights listening nearby also looked shocked.

“Really? Truly…?”

“Would I lie about something like that?” I shrugged.

The young knight’s face noticeably brightened.

“Yes, I’ll go prepare a stretcher right away!”

Ilson’s situation was quickly handled.

We split the march into two groups—one for Ilson’s protection and the other for escorting the heretics. I took the lead on Ilson’s protection while Carlos oversaw the escort.

Naturally, the protective group arrived at the camp a bit earlier.

After reassuring the now-safe Ilson, I waited a bit, and soon, the escort group appeared in the distance.

“I’ve notified headquarters. Reinforcements will arrive at dawn to transfer the heretics. Until then, we’re to guard them and monitor the area to prevent further incidents.”

Carlos, arriving with the escort group, summarized the situation neatly.

“Is there anything more to learn about the Masunt Mountains?”

“We’ve extracted everything we can for now. The rest should be left to the headquarters’ interrogators.”

Fair enough. There are always professionals for these things.

I nodded to show I understood.

But Carlos stood motionless, like a statue.

“Do you have something else to report?”

I asked, but he didn’t respond.

“Or is it something personal?”

At that, his expression changed slightly.

It seemed he was staying for personal reasons.

“You can ask me anything.”

Since Carlos looked hesitant, I responded warmly.

“You seemed startled by the death of the shaman Matata.”

He asked bluntly.

“Ah…”

I couldn’t find the right words and gave a vague sound.

Carlos waited silently for my reply.

“Maybe because it’s been a while since I was on the field… it surprised me a little.”

In truth, as someone who used to be a lifelong civil exam student, I’d never seen someone die before. But I couldn’t say that.

Carlos’s brown eyes darkened.

“You didn’t participate in the raid as actively as before, either.”

He added another suspicion.

Why’s he interrogating me like this?

Does he suspect something?

“Same reason. I’m just rusty at commanding after so long.”

Though cold sweat trickled down my back, I forced a casual smile.

Carlos still didn’t look convinced.

It was understandable, given Elia’s originally aggressive, reckless nature.

But if he suspects me any further, that’s dangerous.

As I tried to think of a way to convince him—

“Have you… perhaps lost your passion for the Order?”

Carlos asked, and I blinked in surprise.

‘Huh?’

Why was the topic heading in that direction?

I looked at him in confusion, and he hesitantly explained.

“There are rumors that the Elvington Marquisate and the Melason County have grown quite close lately.”

“What does that have to do with—ah.”

I was about to brush it off but realized what he meant.

“You think I’m planning to quit and get married.”

Carlos’s expression stiffened further.

So the noble families were already trading marriage rumors behind my back. That was probably Lady Doris’s doing.

I suddenly felt conflicted.

And also more determined than ever.

I definitely didn’t want to end up abused and executed as a heretic after marrying the villainous Melason family’s second son.

“Were you unaware of the unofficial marriage talks between Elvington and Melason?”

Carlos asked carefully.

I nodded emphatically.

“I had no idea. It’s not something I agreed to.”

I spoke with firm emotion, worried about possible misunderstandings.

“I’ll never quit the Order. I’m not giving up the captain’s seat.”

That answer finally relaxed Carlos’s stiff expression.

Wait a minute—this is odd.

Shouldn’t someone like Carlos, who wants to rise in rank and serve the Emperor, be glad if I step down?

But there was no chance to ask.

“Then it’s settled.”

Carlos nodded and walked away immediately.

“Uh, wait… Sir Ivach?”

I called out, but he didn’t look back.

In the end, I spent the night in the camp and welcomed the reinforcements from headquarters the next dawn.

“The heretics will be imprisoned in a facility just outside the capital.”

Carlos, back to his usual self as if nothing had happened the night before, reported dryly.

“It’s not finalized yet, but a second purge will probably take place in about a month.”

He even outlined the next plan based on the information extracted from the Latham Valley heretics.

That was helpful… but was it really okay for me to be this uninvolved?

“What’s troubling you?”

Carlos asked, folding up his report and setting it aside, noticing my expression.

“Well, it’s just…”

I hesitated before admitting:

“I feel like I should be doing more.”

Carlos gave me a baffled look, as if he’d never heard such a thing before.

“You’re already doing infinitely more than you used to.”

Right, that’s true.

‘I am doing more compared to my delinquent days.’

Still, I couldn’t shake the guilt.

Was it really okay for me to be slacking off like this?

“And you don’t need to worry about the work.”

Carlos added, reading my mind.

“Once preparations for the second purge begin in earnest, you won’t have the luxury to slack off.”

And as it turned out—he was right.

It didn’t take many days for his words to come true.