"Yes, that matter definitely needs to be investigated and dealt with. That kind of simple financial fraud is a common tactic of Demons, but... we have no one to spare."
White Eagle rubbed his forehead and said, "You must have seen the tragic state of the East Gate on your way here. We’re busy helping the wounded and organizing a counterattack. All our healers are tending to the injured.
"Some of our combat-proficient Priests have joined the mercenaries’ ranks, preparing to march into the Endless Wilderness to completely break the Hobgoblins’ spine. Right now, we have Holy Servants who can tend to horses and handle chores, but as for specialists who can deal with Demons... we don’t have a single one."
"Can we still hire any mercenaries, then?"
"The most reliable ones have already marched out. The ’City Defense Protocols’ here stipulate that in the event of war, all mercenaries are to fall under the command of the major Mercenary Corps to form an army, and all hiring activities are suspended."
To be honest, Colin had expected this answer the moment he walked in.
’Of all the times for those Hobgoblins to attack Rommon...’
Colin said hesitantly, "So far, it’s just a suspicion. It’s possible the White Dove Monastery simply adopted a more aggressive approach to disaster relief."
"I know Old White’s style. He was once the most hardline Priest in the Church, and also one of the more conservative and inflexible ones. He would never resort to such methods. But just in case, I’ll help you confirm things," White Eagle said, standing up. "Follow me."
The group walked out of the office.
They followed a stone spiral staircase all the way down to the Church’s basement.
The basement could almost be described as airtight, with only a single, small, high-set window with iron bars.
The room was filled with tables of various sizes and racks for holding Scrolls, Potions, and armor. A lot of weapons and equipment were visible, but many of the shelves were empty—most of it had likely been taken for other purposes.
In a corner of the room were some bookshelves lined with thick tomes, which appeared to be well-kept records.
As soon as White Eagle entered, he began rummaging through the bookshelves in the corner.
He pulled out something that looked like a ledger, flipped rapidly through the pages, and finally stopped at one.
"Are you sure the White Dove Monastery confiscated most of the villagers’ grain, honey, and wool?"
Colin nodded grimly.
"The support they sent us was slightly more than before, but nowhere near the amount you’re describing. And we never ordered them to increase tithes or collect any supplies!"
Hearing White Eagle’s forceful words, Colin heard a sigh of relief from behind him—it must have been Orelia.
White Eagle continued, concluding the matter, "Something is definitely not right inside the White Dove Monastery. We need to find out what’s going on in there."
"How long until reinforcements from Thousand Masts City arrive?" Colin asked.
"We don’t know. Our enemies have appeared in the Underworld near the Holy City, and they’ve summoned many Low-Tier Demons. Mister Helder is leading a team to handle it. Judging by how long it’s taking, the situation might not be good."
’Demons that require a Legendary Paladin to lead the charge? I can’t even imagine what Edwin must be facing.’
"So right now, we can only count on you, Mister Colin."
White Eagle looked at Colin, his eyes almost pleading.
He continued, "I need you to investigate where the White Dove Monastery has stored these supplies. If there really are Demons or something else influencing the Cultivators there, I’ll have to ask you to take care of the problem."
’Can we go later?’
Colin swallowed the question.
Those Demons have probably been operating in the White Dove Monastery for months. Every day they delayed, the Demons’ secret scheme would be one step closer to success.
At that moment, Colin recalled the secret Demon letter he had seen back in Three Bays City.
’Gather Gold, summon Demons, expand their following...’
None of those three things sounded good, and they would inevitably bring harm to the local populace.
"I... we..." Orelia stammered.
"We’ll go take a look," Colin cut in quickly. "Besides, there might not be anything wrong inside the White Dove Monastery. We just need to check it out to be sure."
Then, he turned to White Eagle and said seriously, "We’ll need adequate support—Potions, Scrolls, and anything else that can help. And when reinforcements do arrive, you must prioritize sending people to back us up."
White Eagle breathed a sigh of relief.
He gave a wry smile. "It would be for the best if you’re willing to go. Honestly, we can’t even spare a single squad right now. We can provide the support you asked for. Although we’ve used up many of our anti-Demon Potions, what’s left should be enough for you."
Colin also let out a sigh of relief.
’This is perfect.’ Those few Potions Yuri had given him earlier had been quite useful. If he could get a few more, facing Demons would definitely be much easier.
"As for personnel... we can give you two people."
White Eagle continued, "But they aren’t exactly elite. They can’t cast Divine Arts, and they’re no good at things like reconnaissance or negotiation. All I can say is that they’re both very capable fighters."
"Based on what I’ve told you, how strong do you think these Demons potentially hiding in the monastery are?" Colin asked.
"Since Orelia was able to perceive that something was wrong, they can’t be too powerful. However, judging from their methods, they seem to have a decent understanding of the rules of the Mortal World.
"I think they’re likely some relatively Low-Tier Demons, like Desire Demons or Reaper Demons. They aren’t actually that strong in a direct confrontation, but they excel at infiltration and political maneuvering. If you hadn’t been so thorough, they might have actually gotten away with it."
White Eagle praised them awkwardly. "Alright, you can start picking out your supplies. Pretty much all the combat provisions we can spare are here."
"By the way, how did you manage to repel that horde of Hobgoblins?" Colin asked as he started grabbing items from the shelves.
He wasn’t about to be polite; he went straight for the most useful-looking things.
Unfortunately, there really weren’t many supplies left, so there wasn’t much to choose from.
"That wasn’t our call. A few of the Mercenary Corps sent out their core members in advance to scout out the Hobgoblins’ march route and locate their food stores. The Mercenary Corps leaders then intentionally let the Hobgoblins come and besiege the city, only to have their elite troops burn the enemy’s grain at the critical moment."
At this, White Eagle sighed. "The cornered Hobgoblins didn’t give up. Instead, they began a desperate assault on the city until they were completely crushed... That day was a nightmare. To be honest, a tactic like that shows a complete disregard for human life."
’Well, looking at it from another perspective, it was a pretty efficient tactic.’
The Hobgoblins suffered a devastating blow. They shouldn’t be able to muster their forces to threaten the city again for some time.
Colin gave a self-deprecating smile.
’Of course, if you were one of the victims, you definitely wouldn’t see it so lightly.’