A few days ago, in the morning after Patrick's group left the village, Oly attended to the bar at the Inn.
"Aw, shucks, must've been the whiskey talkin' last night," Oly muttered, his eyebrows knit in confusion.
As George sat down for breakfast, he overheard Oly and asked, "What's on your mind, Oly?"
Oly scratched the back of his head, "I swear on my favorite beer mug, I coulda had a chat with ol' Patrick last night, but I reckon it was just a wild dream, y'all."
George's expression turned thoughtful as he nodded, and he continued eating. But Oly's words began to bug the knight, until George pushed his chair back and said, "Oly, buddy, take me to this Patrick fella's place – the one you claim visited you in a dream, or whatever."
Oly shrugged, "Alrighty."
George, Travis and Melody found no one at Patrick's house, which used to be occupied by Patrick and Emily. They found footprints heading to the town hall, but none indicted their return.
Oly's expression turned somber as he pointed out, "Looks like they came to a bad end."
Families who survived would put up a "We're alive" sign on the door, so that no one would enter their houses for the "gifting" tradition. Having no sign up indicated that they passed away.
Oly tipped his hat, "That's my two cents, folks. Guess I'll mosey along."
"Sure, thank you." George replied Oly before the knights took a look inside the house.
After their search, George's eyes narrowed, inviting discussion, "What are your thoughts, Travis, Melody?"
"This house appears to have been occupied by a couple, but it seems they've packed up and left," Travis's face clouded with remorse as he spoke, "I'm sorry, sir; I was responsible for securing the perimeter."
Melody's brow furrowed in puzzlement as she reported, "There's no sign of tracks whatsoever. I've checked for any signs of removal, but it's as if they vanished into thin air. These must be expert demon operatives."
"No, Travis, this isn't on you." George placed a reassuring hand on Travis's shoulder, "Don't blame yourself. I assigned the task under the assumption all adult demons were eliminated. I didn't anticipate off-list expert demon spies."
After a hasty strategy session, the trio devised a battle plan. Considering the demon spies' midnight escape, they deduced the spies were probably still in the area. In the most likely scenario, the demons must have either escaped to the demon realm in the east, or continued their spying mission in the capital to the west. Consequently, they assigned Melody to secure the northern route, coordinating with a local bandit group, as it was deemed the safest option for the youngest knight. George would cover the western route, focusing on eliminating suspects and completing the initial objective of eliminating all children. Lastly, Travis was assigned to watch over the eastern path, collaborating with a separate local bandit group stationed in that area. The three knights agreed to regroup at the capital's East Gate outpost in seventy-two hours.
Travis then spent the next two days vigilantly monitoring the eastern road, but no one arousing suspicion crossed. On the third day, at noon, Travis returned to the capital, meeting George at the designated East Gate outpost on schedule. However, Melody didn't show up. After verifying that neither had crossed paths with the demon spies, George and Travis hastily proceeded to the northern gate bandit encampment, where they confirmed Melody's demise.
"She fought an old man and a woman." A bandit said politely to their sponsors, "Then, one of them deployed a smoke bomb; when the smoke cleared, she was found dead."
"What about the two she fought?" Travis asked, pressing for the truth.
"No clue, really. There were a bunch of bodies after the smoke cleared. Maybe they were among 'em. She was winning totally one sided. I can't imagine her losing to those two." the bandit answered, "Unfortunately, it was too dark at night, we couldn't see clearly."
Of course, he wouldn't tell the knights that they were too busy pillaging the merchants.
"What about the wagons they were driving?" Travis asked once more.
"I reckon they took off. Maybe the kids drove 'em outta there." The bandit answered.
With a heavy heart, George swiftly departed without a word, with Travis silently trailing behind.
"I've got a report due tonight; I should get moving." George said to Travis somberly, "See to Melody's arrangements, would you?"
Travis nodded in acknowledgment, "Understood, sir."
As dusk approached at approximately 5 pm, a knight clad in resplendent silver armor rode his majestic stallion into the grand entrance of the imposing Silver Castle. Upon entering, he swiftly made his way to the castle's tallest tower, then proceeded with haste to the scheduled meeting room.
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At attention, George saluted the guard outside the meeting room, declaring in a crisp, formal tone, "Knight Commander George, Royal Covert Division of the Inquisition Knights, reporting for post-mission debriefing and review."
The guard, with a courteous nod, instructed, "Please wait momentarily." He then entered the meeting room, returning shortly to say, "You are cleared to enter, Commander."
This was not George's first post-mission debriefing. Upon entering, George entered a short corridor, where a compact, three-step staircase led up to the monarch's elevated workspace. However, this time, the workspace was veiled by a white curtain, while the monarch, with his head humbly bowed, stood beneath the staircase, paying reverence to the obscured space.
Beside the curtain, the Holy Knight's low, solemn voice intoned, "Knight Commander George, you are now in the revered presence of Her Divine Eminence, Goddess Liliana, and His Holiness, the First Angel Michael."
This was the first time George saw his majesty lowering his head. With haste, George dropped to one knee, his head bowed, and declared, "Knight Commander George, reporting for duty, Your Divine Eminence, Your Holiness, and Your Majesty."
The Holy Knight's voice, low and measured, requested, "Knight Commander George, please provide a detailed account of your mission to Urie."
"My team, comprising Knight Bachelor Travis, Knight Initiates Rudy and Melody, and myself, was tasked with the mission to neutralize a designated list of demon targets within Urie Village."
"In adherence to established protocol, we coordinated efforts with the local bandit group, led by Count Jerry."
"During the orchestrated bandit raid, spanning from last Monday night to Tuesday morning, we successfully neutralized all designated targets. Regrettably, Knight Initiate Rudy made the ultimate sacrifice during the operation."
"During the engagement, we uncovered evidence suggesting that one of the demons may have had a living descendant. Our subsequent investigation of the village revealed the presence of an expert demon spy, not included on our initial list, who managed to escape the village."
The Holy Knight nodded, his expression encouraging, and invited, "Please, continue."
"In order to guarantee the eradication of any potential demon descendants, I orchestrated an ambush targeting the relocating villagers, with the intention of eliminating all children."
The Holy Knight's countenance transformed into one of astonishment, his eyebrows furrowed in concern, as he inquired, "Am I to understand that every child was slated for elimination?"
"Affirmative. It is our duty to prevent demons from leaving behind any lineage." George answered without remorse, "This objective was integral to our primary directives."
The Holy Knight nodded in understanding, his expression tinged with a hint of unease, as he asked, "Understood. I suppose the operation would have resulted in the elimination of roughly half of Urie Village's population."
"Negative. Regrettably, the villagers exhibited unyielding resistance to protect the children. Left with no alternative, I was forced to take the lives of all remaining villagers this morning." George replied.
An uncomfortable silence ensued, punctuated only by the weight of the revelation. Underneath George's shiny silver armor, his clothes were soaked with dried blood, suggesting that the knight did not have time to change before the debriefing session.
"All? You mean everyone from Urie was killed? Thousands of them?" The Holy Knight's voice, laced with a mix of shock and trepidation, pressed for confirmation. The other guards in the room could be seen trading uneasy glances with each other.
"Affirmative," George replied, he could hear His Majesty taking a deep breath nervously. George looked at his majesty in confusion, a fleeting thought crossed George's mind, "Isn't this standard procedure?"
A muted, yet urgent, murmur of conversation emanated from behind the curtain, prompting the Holy Knight to glance inward, awaiting further instructions.
After a brief pause, the Holy Knight nodded, turned to face George, and stated, "Regarding the demon spy who escaped, what is the current status?"
"To apprehend the spy, Travis, Melody, and I divided to cover the northern, western, and eastern routes from Urie Village. The spies were an old man and a young woman. Melody encountered the spies at the northern route but was killed in action. Unfortunately, the whereabouts and appearances of the spies are currently unknown. It's possible Melody eliminated them, but confirmation is unfeasible."
The Holy Knight then looked inside the curtain again as the upper brass within whispered to each other.
"Your Majesty, please come inside." Holy Knight summoned the King inside the curtain.
George knelt outside, his anxiety palpable as he awaited further instructions.
After what felt like an interminable wait to George, the King emerged from behind the curtain and repositioned himself beneath the staircase. With formal gravity, the Holy Knight declared, "Knight Commander George, we extend our collective, heartfelt congratulations on behalf of Her Divine Eminence, His Holiness, and His Majesty, in recognition of your unwavering dedication to successfully neutralizing all designated demon targets."
George bowed his head in gratitude, "Thank you, Your Divine Eminence, Your Holiness, Your Majesty, for your gracious acknowledgment."
The Holy Knight's expression turned sympathetic as he continued, "Unfortunately, the loss of two Knight Initiates and the demon spy's escape marred an otherwise exemplary performance. We acknowledge that your recent assignments have been numerous and consecutive, spanning an extended period, which may have potentially influenced these unforeseen outcomes."
Upon listening to the announcement of his own shortcomings, George anxiously took a breath and prepared for his judgement.
The Holy Knight's voice, now infused with a compassionate tone, announced, "Considering these circumstances, the Kingdom and the Church have jointly decided to grant you, Knight Commander George, a temporary leave of absence, retaining your title and compensation, effective immediately."
George's gaze locked intensely onto the Holy Knight, his voice laced with desperation and a hint of pleading, "I humbly request your pardon for my shortcomings. Despite recent challenges, I confidently assert my continued mental acuity and physical robustness, and affirm my full competence. I respectfully request a reevaluation of this decision, allowing me a chance to redeem myself."
The Holy Knight glanced behind the curtain, then turned back to George, his expression serene, and explained, "I must assure you, Knight Commander, that our decision stems not from reprimand, but from benevolence. This temporary reprieve is intended as a gracious boon, allowing you respite from your unrelenting duties."
"But…" George wanted to say something, but the Holy Knight immediately interrupted him.
"We understand your strong will to serve, but if we worked our knights to death without respite or reward, it would hardly exemplify Her Divinity's mercy, would it?"
With the Holy Knight putting it this way, it was hard for George to argue against the decision. Having no other choice, George receded and said, "Thank you, Your Divine Eminence, Your Holiness, and Your Majesty, for this benevolent offer. I accept it with humility, albeit with a hint of melancholy."