Glenn grunted, turning in his bed with displeasure. After fighting his mattress and his blanket, the young man gave up and rose, sighing deeply.

"...Why did I even try to sleep?" Glenn grumbled, rubbing the corner of his eyes tiredly. He'll Meditate his fatigue away at some point in the day if he has the time to do so. He wanted to wrap everything up in the Eastern Town, so he could get the hell out of this damned town. Getting rid of the Skinners shouldn't take much, he just had to find their headquarters and burn them to the ground. He also had to visit Norstan Vendor, the Paladin squad leader of the Church of Onnea, so he could understand the position of the Church in front of the Occult Wanderers.

"You can also use that time to ask if getting rid of the Mayor would cause any problems, even though I doubt they'd be displeased with your decision. You should have worn a mask, though," Diamanes said as he followed his host's line of thought. Glenn shook his head, disagreeing.

"I wanted them to know it was me so that the piece of noble shit behind this is aware I'm coming after him."

"That's not smart," Diamanes remarked. Glenn sneered.

"So what? I want to kick some noble ass."

To that, Diamanes had nothing to say. The young man summoned his classy, now reddish-suit, and walked to his kitchen. He prepared himself a bowl of cereal alongside some bread he grilled using a very weak Sun's Touch. Glenn ate his breakfast silently, cleaned entirely with a full-body Mundare aka Cleaning Touch, and left his suite. Today, he was going to be alone to do all those things, even though he had planned to visit Liara and Milena for lunch.

After he came back to the Dormitory the previous night, he met Sahro, who told him Milena was still suffering from the psychological shock of killing so many people back in that summoning room. Glenn had to address that situation, whether that meant helping her or kicking her out of the team. He preferred the first option, but he couldn't force her back into similar situations if she couldn't stomach them. Nonetheless, whatever happened, he still had to get that bargain of trade they agreed to, for him to see if he could understand her illusion magic. Mainly to try and steal it with Diamanes.

'I wonder if said illusion's magic isn't mind magic, seeing how she managed to make so many people kill each other,' Glenn pondered as he left the Cleaner's Workshop. There was no sun today, for the sky was blocked with thick, gray clouds. He pulled out his Exan Egg from his dimensional pouch.

"...8 AM...This day's going to be so long..." Glenn pressed his lips together, before tightening his tie and heading for the Hanged Inn, the only location he knew was a den of Skinners. There was that pleasure/butchering house he burned down, but he doubted anything remained of it aside from ashes.

"Wouldn't it be wiser to first meet with the Church of Onnea, informing them of your intentions of uprooting the gang, and then going?" Nelg suggested. Glenn stopped for a few seconds, before changing direction.

To the Church of Onnea, then.

He crossed the Red District, as well as the Military District, and everywhere, news of the Mayor's death was spreading. Many people seemed happy with this information, probably hopeful for a new, steel-fisted ruler who would get rid of the criminals crippling their city. Glenn could only hope they'd get exactly that.

He was halfway through one of the poorest places in the Eastern Town, the Damp Alley when he felt something was wrong. Perhaps it was the strange look people had in their eyes, or the strange fixation they had on him, but it was uncomfortable.

"...I don't have the patience for this, today..." Glenn hissed through his teeth, tensing up. He dodged an old, stumbling, and skinny woman when he caught the glint of a kitchen knife from the corner of his eyes. He tried to jump back, but the surprise attack touched him...and slipped right on his suit. Glenn almost laughed it out, but first needed to deal with whoever attacked him. He turned and froze, watching the same old granny he just dodged hurriedly trying to charge him again, her kitchen knife tightly clenched in her skinny hands.

'A grandma? The hell? I guess I have Onnea to thank for my stab-resistant suit. I had entirely forgotten it was supposed to resist slashing attacks, due to it failing so many times in front of Aura and magical attacks,' he thought as he simply grabbed the knife's blade and took it away from the old woman's hands. She gasped and cowered back, looking through her used clothes for another weapon. Glenn looked at the knife and ditched it to the side.

"Why did you attack me?" He asked coldly, not a hint of respect in his voice. Usually, he tried to respect seniors the best he could, but the ones who tried to kill him didn't deserve such respect.

'I guess Redan doesn't either?' Diamanes remarked with a sarcastic tone. Glenn frowned.

'What do you mean? I've never respected anyone as much as that old man.'

Diamanes laughed.

'See? You're calling him an old man. That's not very respectful, is it?'

Glenn shook his head, disagreeing.

'No, that's another kind of respect we're talking about here. It's "old man", but in a friendly way, you know? The old man, the one you shouldn't bother or you're going to get your ass kicked to oblivion kind of respect?'

Diamanes only laughed, not bothering to reply. The young man didn't have the time to sigh when the grandmother came at him with a nail clenched in her fingers. He sighed and slapped away her hand, the nail flying away.

"What's up with you, old fart?" Glenn spat, annoyed. Why would someone just attack him out of nowhere anyway? The old woman suddenly sputtered something as she held her hand.

"T—The Prophecy..." She looked to the sides with a panicked look, before shouting, "...The Chosen One!"

Glenn blinked, before chuckling.

"O~kay, I'll just call the nearest asylum, then, if they even have that in this shitty place—" The young man closed his mouth as he dodged another attack to the side, a scared middle-aged man with a rusty trowel. First time in his entire life someone attacked him with a trowel. A surprising experience, that was for sure.

"What, you too?" Glenn blurted out, before feeling something hit him in the back, not hurting him or anything as he bounced back. Glenn kept an eye on the grandma and the other man and looked back with the other, finding a one-armed kid throwing rocks at him. The young man's frown creased deeper, and he stepped toward the kid, only to be forced to stop and block another trowel attack. These attacks didn't threaten him, but he couldn't just kill these guys...

Well, he technically could, but he didn't feel like doing so. They weren't even dangerous, just...annoying.

"What the fuck are you all attacking me for, anyway? Money? Guys, go work or something?" Glenn shouted, startling them. The trowel-man advanced with a strange glint in his eyes and opened his mouth.

"F—For the Prophecy! To—to bring our Savior to our Lord!"

Glenn moistened his lips and slapped the trowel away. The kid continued to throw rocks at him, without much effect. That man also spoke of a Savior, and a Lord too... Glenn's face darkened as he realized what was going on. At the same time, more people showed up on the street, armed with various weapons. The butcher, the cloth merchant, the old man selling apples, they all came for him, armed with bricks, knives, or even rakes.

The young man sighed and winced, using Gravity Manipulation to pull himself out of the growing crowd. He landed on a nearby roof, looking down at the situation. Six, twelve, twenty...As more time passed, the more poor-looking people were looking up at him, armed and ready to tear him to pieces.

"This is fucked up..." he muttered, bewildered. He shook his head and used Gravity Manipulation to help himself navigate the roofs of the town, quickly evading his weak pursuers. The Thorn's Cult had probably managed to brainwash them into attacking him. They were the only fucktards that could do that...Oh, no, the Occult Wanderers were also suspect for such a thing. He didn't know their organization that much, but they also influenced people in a bad way, with Lark's Avenue example in mind, right?

But why would they use useless people to attack him? It simply wasn't efficient, since they couldn't even scratch him.

Using the roofs as his road, Glenn didn't take long to arrive at the Church of Onnea. He jumped right in front of the two thick oak doors, pushing them open quickly, fearing for another crowd of brainwashed poor people to attack him. A clerk looked up from a desk and smiled as he recognized Glenn.

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"Sir Glenn, what can I help you for? Do you wish to visit Redan?"

Glenn smiled and shook his head.

"Later, maybe. I'd like to see Paladin Vendor."

The clerk nodded and stood up from his chair, leaving the room. Glenn looked around. This Church was slightly different from the Northern Town's one, in that it had a main Hall to welcome people in, before directing them to the various services. For the believers, the Chapel was on the western side, a massive piece of architecture with beautiful archways and stained glass art, depicting the various stories around Onnea. On the eastern side was the Hospital, where all the patients were treated. Finally, to the northern side were the barracks of the paladins and fighting priests, alongside the training areas for the newer ones. From what he understood, this was a larger outpost for the faith, the biggest in the Fringe, but the main headquarters of the Church was situated in the Court, King's Rise Second Circle.

The clerk finally came back, smiling.

"Justicar Vendor can welcome you right now. Please follow me," He showed Glenn the northern aisle, inviting him in. The young man happily obliged, following the clerk in the hallways, while thinking back to what he just heard. "Justicar"? What kind of rank was that? Was Paladin Vendor more important than he presented himself to be? All the best, then. He was pretty sure he held a debt over the man for saving him and what remained of his comrades.

Maybe he could leverage the paladin to do his dirty work? That could work.

"Heartless bastard, it's barely been a day since he just lost all of his comrades, and you already want to scam him?" Nelg exclaimed with disgust. Glenn looked at the longsword hanging off his waist, sneering.

'Listen, I have training to do and souls to farm. Human souls work, but so do monsters apparently. And I honestly want to get the fuck out of this disgusting city, alright?'

Nelg smacked his lips, before sighing, "...Got it, got it..."

Glenn followed the clerk and entered an office, the clerk leaving him at the threshold. Glenn thanked him and headed inside, finding Paladin—no, Justicar Vendor sitting behind a large, plain wooden desk, writing with his eyes squinted. The office was clean and empty of any decoration, aside from a few chairs and drawers probably filled with documents. Plain and serious, like the one sitting behind the desk. Glenn found himself a chair and sat, patiently waiting for the Justicar to be done.

Norstan Vendor's feather scratched the paper one last time as he signed whatever document he had just drafted. Finally, the older man sighed, rubbing at his graying temples. He looked up at Glenn, his eyes filling with sadness and grief as he did so.

"Thank you for your patience, sir Glenn. As you can see..." He gestured at the document in front of him, "...A lot of paperwork caught up to me, but that's nothing compared to the reports the higher-ups asked of me for the Lark Avenue's situation."

Glenn dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

"Don't worry, I get it. I mainly came to do my report and hear also your reasons to chase after the Occult Wanderers and this...Laurence," Glenn paused until his face brightened slightly as he smiled at the older man, "...also, congratulations are in order, I believe, Justicar Vendor."

Norstan Vendor chuckled weakly, leaning back in his chair with a grunt.

"The higher-ups want to give me all the credit, and so they "rewarded" me with this empty title, Justicar. Heh, a pompous one it is, for sure..." The older man shook his head, before nodding toward Glenn.

"So, what's your reasons for coming after the Occult Wanderers?"

Glenn rubbed both of his hands together and leaned forward, drawing a deep breath.

"So it's like this..."

Half an hour later.

Norstan Vendor rubbed his chin, frowning when he felt the stubble under his fingers.

"So, all in all, you did this to save the Ice Wolf, is that right?" He asked, waiting for Glenn's confirmation. The young man nodded as he leaned back in his seat. The Justicar sighed and massaged the back of his neck.

"Your loyalty is admirable, as are your friends. It's my time to tell my story, then, I suppose?"

Glenn laughed, "I'd be honored."

Justicar Vendor smiled and looked at a document for the side.

"You've already been cleared for this information, and I feel like it's useless if I tell you that, but don't go sharing this on the street, please. Those are secrets the Church would rather keep safe, if possible."

Glenn nodded with understanding, "Of course. My lips are sealed, Justicar."

Vendor moistened his lips and cleared his throat, to finally begin.

"It started a month or two ago. Our campaign to clean up the Eastern Town and make it the main outpost for spreading Onnea's faith was advancing fairly well, when a young man of incredible talent, around your age, joined us."

The Justicar's sight lost focus and his expression darkened, "...Laurence."

Glenn's eyelids trembled but he kept silent, listening attentively.

"Laurence was a promising priest, one that seemed to have an incredible connection with the Goddess. His Blessings were perfect, and his Holy Light was the strongest recorded in a hundred years. He gave great hope to both me and all of the higher-ranked priests in the Church. Finding such a talent is rare, and many resources were invested in growing him. But..."

Vendor inhaled deeply, "...Belatedly, we realized a precious, holy relic had disappeared. The Crusade Flag was a powerful divine item that allowed the Church of Onnea to move a regiment of our forces anywhere in the world with a Divine Gate. We never suspected Laurence, of course, since he kept on performing admirably. At the same time, the opinion of the Church visibly worsened, and the locals began rejecting us. The criminals grew in power, and multiplied like pests."

The Justicar rubbed his forehead, his eyebrows creased.

"The criminals organized themselves, the Mayor—" He stopped and gave Glenn a look of respect, "—whom you killed. He was a big thorn in our foot this whole time, but we couldn't touch him because of Count Mortelli. Are you prepared for the consequences, though?"

Glenn nodded silently, dismissing the older man's worries with a wave of his hand. Norstan Vendor laughed widely, before calming down and continuing his story.

"Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes, so the Skinners appeared—well, they became an actual crime syndicate instead of some sicko group, thanks to an anonymous supporter funding them in exchange for the skins and organs of their victims. We still have no idea as to where those shipments went, but we managed to stop a few of them. Laurence's cover dropped down when he was caught stealing the bags of skins for unknown reasons."

"He disappeared just like that, pushing off ten Knight Paladins as if they were a bunch of rowdy kids. That's when we realized he had hidden his strength ever since we welcomed him in our midst. Laurence is an archmagi, or a True Magi, depending on who you ask. No one that strong is supposed to stay within the Fringe, for the Royal Inquisition would come for them."

Glenn's eyebrows rose.

"The Royal Inquisition?"

The Justicar nodded deeply.

"Yes, the Royal Inquisition. You're not aware of them, but once you reach a certain level of power, such as Magi or Grand Chevalier, someone will come to meet you and invite you officially to a higher Circle of King's Rise. If you don't do so, the Royal Inquisition will come for you."

The young man moistened his lips. Why would the mysterious King chase the strongest people out of the lower strafes? Norstan Vendor laughed, seeing Glenn's confusion.

"The official explanation is that the Fringe is the place where the young mages and knights are supposed to grow their power, with monsters and tasks of relatively lower level. The Mana concentration in the Fringer is much lower than in the higher Circles, meaning the Rifts appearing are much weaker. The Scarecrows of the Fields, and recently the Blessed Grove's Heart of Darkness are exceptions to that rule. Even I am only a Grand Chevalier, and am here thanks to a special agreement with the government."

Glenn's eyes widened.

"You're Rank Four? I'd never have guessed it!"

Norstan Vendor laughed and shrugged.

"Well, age is unkind to everyone, and I'm in my later years. My two hundredth birthday is coming, and yet the Church still wants me to work..." He complained, making Glenn's heart freeze for a second. T-Two hundredth birthday? The man looked like he was in his fifties, maybe sixty if he exaggerated! What the hell? Was that the lifespan increase Diamanes spoke about?

'Yep, exactly. And yeah, he's indeed a Rank Four, even though he's part of the weaker ones. He's right, old age didn't do him well, contrary to Redan. That bastard is still kicking and in the high rank of the Fourth Circle!' Diamanes exclaimed in Glenn's mind. The young man shook his head, shocked. That was one thing to hear of it, and another to see it. But then, how old was Redan?

...That was a question for later. The Justicar coughed and resumed his story.

"We sent an official report to the Inquisition, but the interference of nobles opposed to Onnea's faith made it so that the message never reached its destination. The Church of Onnea also sent a regiment at Laurence, but we all knew it was a lost cause. What can a single Grand Chevalier and two dozens of Knights and priests do, in the face of an archmagi? But we didn't have a choice."

Norstan Vendor shook his head dejectedly, still regretting his decision to accept the mission.

"We tracked Laurence down to Lark's Avenue and forced our way through a heavily guarded warehouse. That's when we first encountered the Occult Wanderers, and their leader, Walker Blight."

Glenn's ears perked up when he heard that last name. Blight? That's the identity he stole to scam Mayor Lazarre, right? The Justicar continued, oblivious to the young man's reaction.

"Right as we began to win our fights, he appeared and used Mind magic to control us. I had to watch helplessly as I slaughtered my comrades with my own hands...Some of us survived when Laurence arrived, and stopped Blight. We were then brought to the Summoning Room, where Laurence used the blood of my comrades alongside a dozen kids to corrupt the Crusade Flag. When he used it, instead of a Divine Gate to somewhere in the world, he opened a passage to the Beyond, the world of demons. It destroyed the Crusade Flag too, ironically,"

The Justicar grabbed the edge of his seat tightly, his teeth clenched. He breathed in and out, wincing as he remembered these painful memories. Glenn remained silently, giving him the time he needed. Finally, Norstan Vendor sighed and rubbed the corner of his eyes.

"...Laurence then dove in the opened Gate with the unconscious Ice Wolf, while the specialists of the Occult Wanderers kept it stabilized by throwing one gutted kid after another in. Then, you and your team arrived and almost succeeded in ruining their plans. That's...That's all there is for me..." said the Justicar as he leaned back in his seat, looking in the distance. Glenn pressed his lips together, sorry for the very old man. He wished what happened to Norstan Vendor to no one but his enemies.

"...Thank you for letting me go through it all. I have one last thing I wanted your opinion on..." Glenn asked, hoping to successfully change the Justicar's mind. The latter gestured at him to continue.

"Ask away, Sir Glenn."

Glenn moistened his lips and leaned forward.

"I was thinking about destroying the Skinners, exterminating them."

Vendor looked at Glenn and pondered for a few seconds, before chuckling.

"You're certainly capable of it if I remember what I saw of your power correctly. But don't bother."

Glenn frowned.

"Why?"

The Justicar crossed his arms and stared at Glenn.

"My paladins need something to let their rage on. We also received our reinforcements today," he paused, before smiling coldly.

"It's time to clean the Eastern Town up."

Glenn laughed.

Well, if that wasn't convenient! All he had to do was move Redan to the Northern Town, and he was out of there!