Chương 47: The Silver Oath

The sky was a clear, cloudless blue. Although winter had set in, it was nowhere near as cold here as it was in Highcrown City. Elias removed his coat and handed it to the woman seated across from him. Fennin had long chestnut hair tied into a simple ponytail. Her features were gentle, and a faint smile always lingered at the corners of her lips. After accepting the coat, she reached out and straightened Elias's slightly disheveled collar. Seeing the gesture, a hint of apology flickered in Elias's eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to come all this way with me." Fennin tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. As she carefully folded his coat, she gave him a soft smile.

"It's still better than being left alone in the Royal Capital, isn't it? Who knows how long you'll be staying here this time?" Her voice was quiet and gentle.

"Besides, I want to thank Mr. Greer in person." Elias scratched his cheek with a wry smile.

"Knowing Master, he's probably forgotten all about it by now." Fennin covered her mouth and laughed softly as she studied his face with amusement.

"You really are a lot like Mr. Greer."

"Both your personality and the way you think—it's as though the two of you were carved from the same mold." Just then, the carriage gradually slowed to a stop, and the driver's voice came from outside.

"Vice Guildmaster Voss, madam, we've arrived in Blackstone Town." Elias rose and opened the carriage door himself. After stepping down, he did not leave right away. Instead, he remained beside the carriage. When Fennin reached the doorway, Elias extended a hand and carefully helped her down. Only after she had found her footing did he turn toward the Guild employee who had come to receive them.

"Is the Guildmaster at the branch office right now?" The Guild employee looked visibly nervous. Despite the winter weather, a fine layer of sweat had formed across his forehead.

"G-Guildmaster Greer and the others are currently at the temporary camp outside Blackstone Dungeon." He hurriedly added,"They said staying there makes it easier to manage the situation around the dungeon." Elias nodded lightly.

"Lead the way." The couple followed the Guild employee through the streets toward the edge of town. Fennin naturally linked her arm through Elias's, then leaned in and whispered into his ear.

"Exactly like you."

"Whenever anything happens, you insist on overseeing everything in person. You won't even go home." Elias's expression turned awkward.

"That… that must be a bad habit I learned from Master." Fennin covered her mouth, amusement glimmering faintly in her eyes.

"If Mr. Greer hears you say that, he'll certainly give you a proper scolding." Elias fell silent and gave up trying to defend himself. The temporary camp lay some distance outside Blackstone Town. However, as Blackstone Dungeon had grown increasingly well known, more and more people had begun traveling between the two places. Blackstone Town had therefore set aside funds to build a gravel road leading to the camp.

By the time Elias and Fennin arrived, the area near the camp entrance was packed with adventurers several rows deep. The man they had both been thinking about throughout the journey was standing at the entrance. Greer leaned on his cane, staring expressionlessly at the two of them as they approached. Elias's heartbeat began to quicken. Looking at the face that had aged considerably over the past ten years, he felt his eyes begin to sting. Just then, Fennin gently took his hand.

The warmth of her palm gradually calmed the turmoil inside him. It was only when they finally reached Greer that Elias realized— Master's expression looked even darker than he remembered. Elias's heart sank. He had only just arrived. Surely he had not done anything yet? How had he managed to offend Master this time?

"You brat. What are you doing here?" Greer frowned.

"Has headquarters become so idle that it can afford to let its Vice Guildmaster loaf around wherever he pleases?" He brought the tip of his cane down heavily against the ground. Thump! The sound seemed to strike Elias directly in the chest, causing his body to stiffen involuntarily. Several nearby Guild employees went pale. They appeared to want to intervene, yet none of them truly dared to speak at a moment like this. All they could do was stand nearby with tense expressions. Elias's own expression had gone rigid.

This was not quite how he had imagined their reunion going. Although Master had sent him away plenty of times during his previous visits, Greer had never greeted him this sharply before. Was Master genuinely angry because Elias had not returned to visit him in ten whole years? Or perhaps— Elias's thoughts instantly descended into chaos. Just then, Greer suddenly let out a quiet laugh. The tension vanished from his expression.

"You're still as easy to scare as ever, brat." Elias breathed a sigh of relief. When he looked up at Greer again, he found the old man watching him with open amusement.

"Master, one day you really are going to frighten me to death." Greer burst into hearty laughter. Leaning on his cane, he stepped forward and looked Elias up and down, his eyes gradually filling with approval.

"Good. Very good." He nodded firmly.

"You're much stronger than I ever was back then." Greer then turned his attention toward Fennin.

"Ah, so this must be Fennin?" Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Grinning broadly, he lifted his cane and lightly tapped Elias on the lower leg.

"Every time this boy came to visit me, he could hardly keep your name out of his mouth. So you finally decided to bring her along and let this old man have a look?" Compared with Elias's discomfort, Fennin remained perfectly composed. She gave Greer a slight bow and offered him a gentle smile.

"Mr. Greer, Eli speaks of you often." After a brief pause, she added softly,"And… it's been a long time." The smile on Greer's face froze. He stared blankly at Fennin for several moments before asking with some hesitation,"Have we met before?" Fennin covered her mouth and laughed softly.

"Yes. I'm afraid you probably didn't notice me back then." Greer rubbed his chin, seemingly attempting to dredge something up from the depths of his memory. A moment later, however, he simply gave up. The group did not remain at the camp entrance exchanging pleasantries for long. Greer soon let his smile fade, his expression becoming serious once more.

"So, what did headquarters ultimately decide?"

"What measures are you preparing to take regarding Blackstone Dungeon?" At the mention of official business, Elias's expression became solemn as well.

"The Guildmaster-General has placed the matter entirely in my hands." He glanced at the surrounding crowd before continuing,"Before I make any decisions, however, I would like to review every record concerning Blackstone Dungeon so far. I would also like to hear Master's account of the current situation firsthand."

"Would that be all right?" Greer nodded without the slightest hesitation.

"Of course. Follow me." He turned and walked toward the temporary cabin with the aid of his cane.

"All the records are stored inside." ◆ ◆ ◆ While Elias and the others reviewed the records inside the cabin, Serin had finished treating Tyren's injured leg. With the Healing Bandage and the Pure White Star's healing power, the wound had almost completely closed. Not only could Tyren walk normally again, he had grown restless enough to begin wandering around. However, he clearly had not forgotten the bite he had received earlier. Looking down at the hound's corpse, Tyren continued muttering curses under his breath.

"That damned thing's bite hurt like hell."

"Tyren." Serin suddenly called to him from behind. The moment Tyren turned around, she pushed a small spoonful of the blue antidote directly into his mouth.

"Mmph…" Caught entirely off guard, he swallowed it before grimacing at her.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Of course it was." Serin withdrew the spoon and gave him an irritated look.

"These hounds spend all day around goblins that use poisoned weapons. Who knows whether there might be poison on their fangs? Better to be cautious than wait for symptoms to appear." Hearing that, Tyren smacked his lips. A moment later, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"This antidote actually tastes pretty good. It's sweet." Serin rolled her eyes and returned the bottle to the reinforced pouch secured beside Barton's pack.

"Just because it tastes good doesn't mean you're getting another spoonful." Nearby, Rayne and Asar were collecting the spoils from the battle. In addition to magic crystals, the goblins occasionally carried small quantities of herbs and coins. Judging from their appearance, the coins were probably the old Freyland coins Ashford had mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, there were not many of them. Even combined, they amounted to fewer than twenty in total. As for where the goblins had scavenged them from, no one knew.

Rayne's party did not bother taking the weapons the goblins had used. Carrying that worthless scrap metal would only waste space in their packs. Once they had finished gathering the spoils, the group continued along the forest path and encountered two more goblin attacks along the way. The first went relatively smoothly. Only ordinary goblins attacked them, with no Goblin Riders among their number.

Rayne and the others were gradually becoming familiar with their fighting style and eliminated them without much effort. The second encounter was not nearly as easy. At first, only a single pair of Goblin Riders charged them head-on. With their previous experience, the party handled the fight with far greater caution and did not allow the enemy to disrupt their formation so easily again.

Just as Tyren successfully shot down one of the riders and killed its hound as well, an agitated chorus of barking came from the distant forest. The sound was rapidly closing in. Asar rushed toward Tyren and shouted,"Tyren! Give me your bow and quiver!" Tyren did not hesitate. He pulled off the quiver and handed it to Asar along with the shortbow. Asar accepted the bow, pulled an arrow from the quiver, and nocked it in one fluid motion. He gave the remaining Goblin Rider no opportunity to recover.

The bowstring thrummed three times in quick succession. Three arrows streaked through the trees in a tight line. The first forced the hound to change direction. The second pierced its neck with perfect accuracy, causing it to lose its balance and crash heavily to the ground. The final arrow buried itself in the Goblin Rider's chest and pinned it to the earth.

"The rest is up to you." Asar returned the shortbow and quiver to Tyren. He then drew his longsword again and turned to face the newcomers rapidly closing in.

"Do your best." Tyren accepted the shortbow and stared at Asar's back, his eyes practically sparkling.

"Asar! Once we get back, you absolutely have to teach me archery!" Asar did not look back. He merely laughed softly.

"Of course." He tightened his grip on the longsword and turned toward the sound of barking drawing rapidly closer.

"But first, let's deal with the goblins in front of us." At that moment, two Goblin Riders burst from the forest in the same direction. Rayne and Barton were occupied dealing with the other purple-skinned goblins closing in, leaving neither of them able to break away and provide assistance.

"Relax, Tyren." Tyren spoke quietly to himself." You can do this." He drew a deep breath and slowly drew the bowstring all the way back. This time, he did not aim directly at the speeding Goblin Rider. Instead, he shifted the arrowhead toward a point roughly two body lengths ahead of one of the hounds. The arrow whistled through the air. Sensing danger, the hound veered sharply to the side, straight into the path of the other hound. The two hounds slammed into each other at full speed.

Amid a chaotic burst of barking, both hounds tumbled to the ground. The Goblin Riders were flung from their mounts by the impact and rolled across the ground several times. Asar, poised nearby, rushed forward and dispatched both riders before they could get back to their feet. The two dazed hounds were still struggling to recover when Tyren raised his bow again. He was breathing hard, but his eyes were filled with barely contained excitement. The bowstring thrummed twice.

Two arrows pierced the hounds' vital points in succession, killing them on the spot. The remaining goblins no longer posed much of a threat and were soon eliminated by Rayne and Barton together. Asar flicked the blood from his blade, wiped it briefly with a cloth, then sheathed the sword and walked toward Tyren.

"Looks like you don't need me to teach you after all."Smiling, he patted Tyren on the shoulder, "Nice shooting." Rayne called out from nearby as well.

"Not bad, Tyren! You're improving fast!" He waved at Tyren.

"You're starting to look like a real sharpshooter." Serin poked her head out from behind Barton's shield and silently gave Tyren a thumbs-up. Barton glanced at her, then raised his own hand and gave Tyren the same gesture. That was more than enough to send Tyren over the moon. He tried desperately to keep the corners of his mouth from lifting, but he could not stop himself from grinning. Watching Tyren stand there smiling like a fool, Serin pressed her fingers against her temple in exasperation.

"Stop grinning and pick up the arrows first." Tyren hurriedly agreed, slung the shortbow over his back, and ran off to recover the arrows scattered around them. To Serin's surprise, even while gathering them, Tyren continued letting out the occasional goofy little chuckle. As she watched how completely incapable he was of concealing his happiness, Serin fell silent for a moment. Her gaze unconsciously softened. So this idiot could become this happy from nothing more than a few words of praise from everyone.

"Ah… you little fool." She muttered the words quietly. Barton, standing beside her, appeared to hear. He turned toward Serin and, after a brief silence, solemnly gave her a thumbs-up. Serin was speechless. Once everything had been gathered, Rayne's party set out along the forest path toward Graywood Town once more. Fortunately, the rest of the journey was considerably more peaceful. They did not encounter any further goblins along the way.

"Ugh. If we run into any more goblins, I'm going to throw up." Tyren could not resist complaining. Serin glanced at him.

"Don't worry. The moment they turn into shiny silver coins, you'll be smiling again."

"That's true." As they spoke, the hazy outline of Graywood Town appeared in the distance. To their surprise, quite a few people had gathered outside the town alongside the Graywood Town guards who had remained after their previous visit. When Rayne and the others drew closer, they discovered that some were refugees who had been rescued from inside the town, while the rest were guards they had never seen before. A female knight in silver-gray armor stood at the center of the crowd.

She had long gray hair and was calmly directing the guards as they helped settle the wounded, distributed drinking water, and tended to the newly rescued refugees. At that moment, one of the Graywood Town guards who had met Rayne's party before noticed them and hurried over with a wave.

"Well, that didn't take long. Back to help again so soon?" Rayne and the others nodded to him, then turned their attention toward the gray-haired knight nearby.

"You managed to rescue people?" Rayne gestured toward the female knight with his chin.

"Is she Basque?" The guard froze for a moment before his entire face crinkled with laughter.

"How could she be?" He hurriedly waved both hands.

"Lord Basque is a complete brute. Since when has he ever been that good-looking?" He turned toward the female knight directing the others.

"That is Lady Adeline Roser. Like Lord Basque, she is a member of the Church of the Silver Oath." Serin paused.

"The Church of the Silver Oath…" She quietly repeated the name, her brow furrowing involuntarily. As a priestess of the Church of the Pure White Star, she would not claim to know every religious group on the continent, but she had at least heard of every major faith that had ever existed within the Kingdom of Laris. Yet no matter how deeply she searched her memory, she had never heard of anything called the Church of the Silver Oath. Was it an ancient faith that had long since disappeared?

Or was it something that existed only within Blackstone Dungeon? While Serin was still lost in thought, the gray-haired knight nearby appeared to notice them. She entrusted her current duties to one of the guards, then turned and walked toward Rayne's party. ◆ ◆ ◆ Inside the Core Chamber, Owen watched the light screen with great interest. When he saw Serin frowning as she struggled to remember what she knew about the Church of the Silver Oath, his core gave two mischievous little sways.

"Didn't see that coming, did you?" His laughter echoed softly through the Core Chamber. The Church of the Silver Oath. An ancient faith devoted to protection and sacred vows—one that had ultimately vanished into history alongside the Kingdom of Freyland. At least, that was true now. As for whether the Church had existed before today— Owen could only say that Blackstone Dungeon had the final say in all matters of interpretation.

As long as he made the background detailed enough, chose a convincing name, and added a few members of the clergy along with a suitably tragic history, everyone would naturally accept it as real. After all, there was no one left who could step forward and prove otherwise. Watching Serin grow increasingly confused, Owen could not help laughing a few more times.

"Don't worry. There's plenty more where that came from." By then, the gray-haired knight on the light screen had reached Rayne and the others. Her gaze first swept over the bloodstains on their clothes and armor. Then she placed her right hand over her chest and bowed her head slightly.

"Thank you all for coming to Graywood Town's aid once again." The knight raised her head and regarded Rayne solemnly.

"I am Adeline Roser, a priestess of the Church of the Silver Oath." She paused briefly.

"Lord Basque entered the town with two paladins, but none of them have returned." Owen's core lit up with excitement.

"All right."

"The new side quest is officially underway."