A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

"We will definitely get you out of here!!!" The other voice was a man's, and after saying this, the man made a very obvious swallowing sound.

"I thought it was something else, but it turns out to be a saintess, and poor soldiers who are being bewitched by her." Betley stood up and laughed happily.

With a wave of his hand, the pocket watch strapped to his wrist swung and jingled.

"Who are you?" Shar, who had just escaped death, struggled to raise her head and look at Beatrix.

“The avenger who brought you death.” Betley grinned menacingly. At that moment, Shar felt as if she were facing not a human, but a ravenous wolf.

Betley's composed expression vanished, replaced by a sinister grin.

Every muscle in his facial expression seemed to be telling of his murderous desires.

Betley thought he had wiped them all out, but he didn't expect that he hadn't, and that he had missed a big fish.

However, it didn't matter; now the big fish came to him on its own.

"..." Shar's pupils suddenly contracted, and she pushed the soldier who was helping her toward Betley.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!" Beattie burst into laughter upon seeing this action.

"Great, run, run!" Betley walked right past the soldier and headed straight for Shar.

"Don't even think about pursuing her!"

"Get out of the way." Betley shoved the guy into the water without even turning his head.

"Pray, pray to your God, pray by all means!"

"Come on, and see what gifts your gods will bring you."

Betley's voice was manic, as if he had lost his mind.

But he was very clear-headed, more so than ever before, so clear-headed that he only needed to do one thing.

Slaughter all the cultists. The man known in the empire as the "Eternal Colonel" walked solemnly down the road.

Eric Aruvons.

Although I know this name will attract a lot of criticism, I'll just have to put up with it for now.

Eric was accompanied by his direct subordinate, Captain Alice.

She followed Eric expressionlessly, the distance between them remaining unchanged from beginning to end.

To be honest, these two men are already of very high rank; they're not the kind of people who would be mobilized so casually.

"We have completed the investigation into everything that has happened in the capital during this period," Alice said in a cool voice.

In addition to the cult incidents, many other unreasonable things have happened recently.

It took Alice quite a bit of time to investigate all of this.

The reason for going through all that trouble is ultimately to bring all the clues together.

All these seemingly unrelated things ultimately point to the same person.

“I knew about this two days ago,” Eric said irritably.

"We're going to find the 'same person' you mentioned now."

The biggest news in the capital recently is the massacre of cult members in the sewers.

Eric knew that too, and he also knew that those idiots had arrested the wrong person.

It's estimated that the scapegoat is still in jail, and it may be a long time before he gets a chance to be released.

That's just how it is... people who arrest the wrong person will always stubbornly insist that they didn't.

The only one who suffered was the one who got caught.

Of course, this big news was just a smokescreen to cover up the real inside story.

Are cult members the biggest masterminds behind this?

No, that's not right.

“I know, it’s just a routine report,” Alice said calmly.

She completely ignored Eric's helpless tone.

"Colonel, shall we drive there?"

“Of course we should drive there; it’s obviously much more imposing that way,” Eric said.

“I thought you’d say ‘why not’ in some weird tone,” Alice said casually.

"Is this considered a complaint?"

“No,” Alice said.

"I'll drive." After a pause of one second, she added this sentence.

---

Half an hour later, a magical vehicle stopped directly in front of a mansion.

The house is very large, but the decoration is surprisingly simple.

Eric had no interest in appreciating the decor and went straight to the doorbell.

"Ring ring ring ring!!!!" Eric pressed the doorbell impatiently.

The maid rushed out to open the door, clearly flustered by Eric's antics.

"Sorry, it will take about ten seconds for you to walk over..." The maid quickly bowed and apologized after opening the door.

“Colonel, it’s your fault,” Alice said quietly.

"Okay, okay, it's my fault." Eric was too lazy to argue with his subordinate about such a pointless issue.

"So, do you two have something to discuss with my master?"

The owner of this mansion is Carrascodi Veyron, the guy known as the "Sword Saint".

Incidentally, he was also the idol of Captain Alice, who was standing behind him.

Is this for real? Why do so many people like this guy?

Eric felt he was very talented, so why didn't he have any fans of his own?

Carrasco's character, ability, and reputation were almost unprecedented.

Even if he raised his arms and shouted that he wanted to open up a territory, there would still be people who would follow him.

Unfortunately, the person Eric was looking for today was him.

“Imperial Colonel and Captain, I have important business with your master.” Eric casually showed them his rank insignia.

"Please wait a moment... I'll go inform them right now." The maid was taken aback for a moment, but then quickly ran inside.

Eric didn't have to wait long before he returned with the message.

"Please come in, gentlemen. The master is waiting for you inside," the servant said respectfully, and then began to lead the way.

The path to the Sword Saint's house is not complicated at all; you can reach the meeting place in just a few steps.

Just as the servant had said, Carrasco was already waiting for the two Imperial soldiers in the drawing room.

He calmly sat on the sofa and gestured for Eric and Alice to sit down as well.

Eric, quite unceremoniously, crossed his legs and sat down.

Alice raised her eyelids slightly, but instead of sitting down, she stood upright behind him.

Alice clearly has a more military bearing than Eric.

Eric is more like a thug, a disciplined thug.

"Would you like something to drink?" Carrasco asked politely, with a slight smile.

“No need,” Eric shook his head, declining Carrasco’s offer.

"In that case, I'll have the servants leave." Carrasco waved his hand, and the servants left the drawing room on their own, closing the door behind them.

"I wonder what business the two Imperial soldiers have with me?" His expression was very friendly, showing no malice whatsoever.

But even the gentlest gaze could not conceal the sharp edge he concealed.

Just like the title of Sword Saint, his aura is as sharp as a sword.

"..." Eric didn't speak immediately, but instead glanced around at his surroundings.

He kicked the table in a seemingly thuggish manner, pushing the sofa back a short distance.

“Since they’ve come knocking, it must be something very important,” Eric said.

"You should already know, so I don't need to say more, right?"

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Carrasco shook his head, looking completely innocent.

"Are you trying to trick me into revealing anything, Mr. 'The Perpetual Colonel' Eric?" He sighed.

"So you do recognize me."

“No one doesn’t know you, Mr. Eric,” Carrasco said.

Anyone who truly understands the Empire will know of a freak like Eric.

Yes, everyone considers Eric a freak.

“Okay, I admit I was trying to get information out of you.” Eric shrugged.

“I was originally planning to have you say it yourself, so that others would be more convinced,” he said.

"I still don't know what you're talking about."

"Alright, I'll just say whatever comes to mind." Eric shrugged, knowing he couldn't let Carrasco speak on his own.

"First, you've hired a large number of assassins to assassinate members of the royal family. What are you trying to do?"

"Secondly, what do you want to do by secretly providing assistance to cult members?"

"Finally, regarding organizing a large-scale mercenary force, I still want to ask you, what do you want to achieve?"

“You should actually have a fourth and a fifth one, right?” Carrasco seemed quite composed in the face of Eric’s aggressive questioning, and even seemed interested in teasing him.

“Yes, I’m just too lazy to say it.” With that, Eric threw a pile of documents onto the table.

"Now that things have come to this, what do you have to say, you traitor?"

Upon hearing this, Alice's expression became somewhat complicated.

She had known the truth for several days.

She trusted the colonel's judgment, but ultimately found it hard to accept that the person she admired would become a traitor.

How many people will die if Carrasco succeeds? Worst of all, a significant number of members of the royal family will perish.

The empire will be thrown into chaos in an instant.

Why would someone who seems perfect choose to become a traitor?

Are you dissatisfied? Do you feel it's a waste that your talents aren't being used to become emperor?

This shouldn't be the case...

Alice couldn't understand the man she once idolized.

“A traitor?” Carrasco chuckled.

"As expected of the 'Eternal Colonel,' I've been completely figured out." He glanced at the documents on the table.

He didn't bother to verify the authenticity of the information, because there was no need to.

The fact that Eric is here proves that the truth has already been discovered.

He thought he had done a flawless job, but to his surprise, Eric found it full of mistakes.

“Come with me,” Eric said calmly, looking at Carrasco.

"And then face the death penalty?" Carrasco asked.

The colonel fell silent.

Once the emperor learns the truth, he will surely be furious, and it will be almost certain that Carrasco will be sentenced to death.

Eric never believed that his emperor could control his anger.