Suspicions and Stares (3)

Veridin left with a satisfied smile. The last two weeks were the most fun he's had in years. He had poked and prodded the demon king in various ways, gaining information in the process. Every exasperated or irritated expression Anaroth showed made Veridin even more intrigued. It was a fascination that he couldn't find the reason for. It was an addictive game. The more he played, the harder it was to stop.

His pleased expression faded the moment he approached Rowan. Having to deal with this felt boring. If he could have things his way, the high priest's agent would already be tied to the back of a horse. For the sake of being the one in the right, he needed solid evidence.

"Rowan, what did you talk about with that priest?"

He turned; The sharp, apathetic voice startled him. "We talked about my leg. Is there something wrong? Did you not receive permission to settle the treaty?"

"Of course his majesty approved. Did he mention anything about the church?"

"He mentioned that the church was supporting you."

"I see… I apologize for bothering you then."

Veridin walked away before Rowan had a chance to speak again. It left Rowan dumbfounded. Veridin's attitude towards everything had taken a drastic turn in the last two weeks. Rowan hadn't seen him away from the demon king for more than a moment since he had returned. He had grown cold. The subtle look in his eyes had become more prominent: a sharp, chilling gaze. The way he holds himself now was confident and fierce, as though he has the strength to fight anyone. Now that he thought about it, Rowan questioned how Veridin obtained permission before the priests had returned.

Rowan's skeptical gaze bore into Veridin's oblivious back. Rowan's suspicions were close. Veridin's awareness, or rather interests, had changed. Soon enough, there would be no reasons left to hide his strength. That was not the only reason Veridin had begun to loosen his grip on acting. The main reason, he could not stop sneaking glances at.

A few hours passed, the night sky cloudless and cold. Veridin tore his eyes away from the silver figure sitting beneath a tree when priest Julas started to move. He closed the book in his lap and stood up. The sooner he was done with this the better, he thought.

He followed Julas deeper into the forest, his footsteps silent. As the sounds of the camp faded into the distance, Julas glanced around in the darkness. He saw no figures following him. There was no way he would be able to tell Veridin was there with him. Veridin had completely erased all traces of his existence. He was standing a few steps behind Julas when they stopped. They stood in silence as Julas impatiently tapped his foot.

A moment later, a person clothed in all black emerged from the forest. Veridin watched silently. This person had been following the priests ever since they left the church. He was aware that priest Julas had been sending messages by bird. It seems that the bird belonged to this person and not the priest. Had he truly cared, he would have already known that.

"No one followed you?"

"Who do you think I am? Of course not."

"If you insist. Then what message do you have to send?" The cloaked figure procured a small bird cage, lifting the bird inside of it in front of the priest.

Veridin's eyes widened for a moment. On the bird's neck was a small crystal. The small amount of mana swirling around it as priest Julas spoke betrayed its purpose. No wonder he could never find concrete reports in the high priest's chambers. They were all voice recordings that were overwritten with the next report. Veridin seethed, for what reason was the high priest playing with mana crystals?

"Ahem. I'm getting ahead of myself." Veridin forced himself to focus back on Julas's report. "Holy Knight Veridin proceeded to contact the demon king before receiving the report from his majesty. He also refused to show the paper to anyone, leaving it unclear if his majesty approved of this. He's blatantly taken control over the troops and is refusing to listen to the church. If this continues, I fear that this dog will bite its owner."

Veridin's eyes twitched. He had heard enough. He clenched his fists. If this was how the high priest's agents saw him, it would make their downfall even more satisfying. Although, that didn't mean Veridin could tolerate being so openly insulted in front of his face.

"I would like to know just who's the dog here, priest Julas." Veridin stepped forward, the magic around him dissipating.

Priest Julas spun around. His indignant and startled look almost made Veridin forgive his transgressions. He turned around to the cloaked figure. "Send the bird!"

"You shouldn't do that." Veridin held his sword up to the figure's neck, causing Julas to do a double take. "Put the bird back into the cage, slowly."

"Don't listen to him! Even if you die, let go of that bird!"

Veridin's eyes narrowed. Priest Julas was the same type of person as Viscount Brandy; Only a show of force would get them to shut up. However, now wasn't the time to show all of his cards. Veridin looked at the cloaked figure with a feigned expression of pity. "Is this truly something to risk your life over?"

The cloaked figure stuttered, "No."

"Then put the bird back in the cage."

Julas lunged at the bird. Veridin tossed his sword into the air. He scooped the bird and cage out of the figure's hands and kicked Julas away in the same moment. Julas stumbled backwards and fell. An untrained priest would be no match for Veridin, even without magic. As Veridin placed the bird into the cage, his sword planted itself between Julas's legs. The cloaked figure was just as frightened as Julas.

"That wasn't very effective, was it?"

"You! What are you doing?" Julas shouted at the cowering figure.

Veridin sighed as he dragged the figure over to Julas. "It seems you haven't noticed the fact that you're outclassed."

"Tch! You won't get away with this!"

Veridin froze. Then he smiled. Cold, cynical laughter erupted from his lips. The two agents were rooted to the spot as he laughed. Even Anaroth shivered when he heard it in the distance. A sly smile was painted across his face when he finally stopped. "Is that all you could think of to say? How are you such a cliche? I almost thought you were useless cannon fodder from my book."

Julas shuddered. The chilling violet eyes staring into him were a far cry from the hero's usually docile demeanor. "Who… Who are you?"

"Me?" Veridin leaned down with a grin. "I'm the Hero."

"D-Demon! Devil! There must be some mistake! How could a person like you ever be a hero?" Julas scrambled backwards while shouting.

"Now you're just being hysterical." Veridin kicked him in the head, knocking him out with a satisfying thud. He turned to the cloaked figure. "Now then. Who do you work for?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me. You didn't risk your life for the high priest, so you aren't one of his men."

"Ha… You're right. I'm just from an information guild. It was only supposed to be an escort mission for a month."

"You're awfully cooperative." Veridin paused. "Are you smart or are you playing dumb?"

"I know you could off me right now, but don't you need an informant?"

Veridin glanced to the side before sheathing his sword. "I don't mind people like you. How much were you paid?"

The cloaked figure grinned. "Six gold coins."

Veridin stayed silent for a moment. If it was the high priest, he could certainly spend that much to hire an escort for one of his priests. The problem was that he would never do that. He views everyone beneath him as disposable pawns. So someone else hired this person. Veridin glanced at him. It wasn't a bad price for the sake of the future.

"Ten gold coins. I'll pay you that if you work with me and introduce me to this guild of yours when we get to the capital."

"Deal."

"Then, here's the story…"