The Former Holy Knight. Having Lost My Job and Childhood Friend, I Decided to Start a Dark Guild - Chapter 65

Upon stepping outside through the inn’s back door, a massive explosion sounded.

Screams echoed through the streets as people in confusion came into view. From the small gambling dens and dazzling casinos frequented by nobles in the District of Divine Will, people burst out all at once.

Adventurers and civilians fled on foot while the nobles jumped into carriages to escape the scene. Explosions occurred not just once but two or three times in succession.

As I surveyed the city, I was engulfed by an odd sense of astonishment. In the past, if I were in this situation, I would have been doing everything I could to find and capture the perpetrator of the explosions.

Or perhaps I would have been helping people who fell while fleeing, carrying them on my back. Internally angry at the strife between Dark Guilds in the city streets, I would have been facing the capital’s citizens, helping as many as possible.

Yet, here I stand, the one instigating this turmoil… Yes, the current explosions were orchestrated by Kirke under my orders.

Kano, who was running beside me, said, “Don, the heretics who had assembled at the inn have now shifted to the explosion’s site. It appears there’s no significant activity from Capone himself.”

Kano’s scouting skills have improved significantly after handling many requests, now capable of detecting heretics, proving incredibly useful.

“Ah, Capone must have been focused on attacking the LeBlanc family. They couldn’t have imagined that this city would be targeted.”

Moreover, an exceptionally rare event occurred when Saintess Cecil Wave, the commander of the Cecil Knights, suddenly abandoned the LeBlanc family’s site to barge into this city, Capone’s territory. Capone’s men must be unable to grasp what’s happening. I, too, am unable to comprehend Cecil’s actions.

Well, thanks to a series of coincidences, we, the Michino Family, got the chance to offer a modest reciprocity against Capone.

In the past two months, our domain, the Loser’s District, has faced numerous assaults from Capone. We managed to suppress these attacks before they could harm the residents, but with each conflict, our family suffered injuries.

It wouldn’t do for my family to keep getting hurt without offering a suitable return. I’ve always thought that proper reciprocity was necessary.

Our target was Capone’s offices and warehouses in the District of Divine Will this time. I instructed to avoid injuring the general citizens of the capital.

After the fifth explosion, I ordered Kirke to leave the city. As we were about to depart, Kano tugged at my arm.

“That man is behind us.”

Drawing my sword and turning around, a chill ran through me. In front of me stood a man in the armor of a Holy Knight. Undoubtedly, he was the heretic behind Prince Raymond at the LeBlanc house, who had been persistently following Kano.

The man didn’t seem intent on fighting, not drawing his sword, simply watching us silently.

The more I observed him, the more an unpleasant sweat broke out. Previously, when a man named Grittz disguised himself as Nadale, the Deputy Captain of the Holy Knights, and appeared before me, I immediately sensed something was off. His face was Nadale’s, but his demeanor was not that of a Holy Knight.

The figure before me stood apart. Clad in the armor of a Holy Knight, his tall stature radiated the very essence of chivalry, yet a heretic’s mist hovered above him.

Without moving, the man spoke, “I must admit, it’s impressive that you managed to drag Saintess Cecil Wave into protecting Elena LeBlanc. Are you saying you realized that Elena LeBlanc was the target of this scheme?”

I remained silent, and the man continued, “Everyone acknowledges your physical prowess, but I hadn’t rated your intellect that highly.”

“Who are you?”

The man turned his back on us. “That’s exactly what I want to know. The you I know wouldn’t bomb a city street, even if there were reasons for it. Who are you?”

With that, he vanished. After watching the direction in which the man disappeared for a while, Kano urged, “Let’s go,” pulling at my hand, and I began to run again.

Returning to the Loser’s District, the image of a Holy Knight lingered. It was of a person who had been an instructor to Cecil and me during our knight training school days, a stern Holy Knight who couldn’t possibly be involved with the Dark Guilds. The figure of Nadale, the Deputy Captain of the Holy Knights, whom Grittz claimed to have eliminated.