Evan began his investigation by inspecting the altar.
There were traces of rituals having been performed around the altar.
Strange, graffiti-like symbols were drawn all over, and he could still faintly sense lingering Mana and Magia.
Evan bent down and slowly reached out his hand.
‘Just what kind of people did this?’
Ordinary knights would never be able to destroy this facility.
No, unless they possessed holy power, they wouldn’t even be able to reach this place.
Of course, it would be different if they had special items or were knights of a high level.
‘But to think no one’s guarding something this important.’
He couldn’t understand it.
It wasn’t just any item—they were leaving the Twisted Chalice, an object with disaster-level power, completely unattended. It made no sense.
Evan pondered deeply, imagining what he would do if he were in their place.
‘What if this is all just a trap for something else?’
‘Maybe they left it unattended on purpose, waiting for someone to try to destroy it.’
‘Or perhaps they were hiding nearby, watching.’
‘Or maybe…’
At that moment, a clear, delicate voice rang out from behind him.
“Found you!”
When Evan turned his head, he saw Millia and the others following from a distance.
Millia smiled as she looked at Evan.
“Truly, you found it. Ever since you moved, it was like everything just vanished as if by magic.”
She looked at Evan with genuine delight.
Then, her gaze shifted to the altar behind Evan.
“Is that the root of this incident?”
“Yes, something like that.”
Without saying much, Evan nodded and straightened his clothes as he stood up.
“It’s the work of the cultists.”
Millia’s eyes narrowed.
Evan, surprised, asked, “You know about this?”
“Yes. This is a ritual of the Nervan Cult. The method is exactly the same. However, this time, it’s much more serious. If left as it was, who knows what could have happened.”
At the mention of the Nervan Cult, Evan’s eyes sharpened.
‘Wait, isn’t that the cult Heres and Hilton were dealing with?’
He recalled Darwen briefly explaining the Nervan Cult.
The Nervan Cult was a vicious, fanatical group spread across the continent, capable of wielding great influence.
He’d had no direct contact with them, but he couldn’t say he was completely unrelated either.
“I’ll report this place to the cult authorities. I think a priest will need to come to purify it.”
“Yes, I’d appreciate that. But, do you have any information about the Nervan Cult?”
Evan asked cautiously.
He needed information about these people.
‘Maybe not right now, but eventually, he’d have to confront them.’
“I’m sorry. I’m forbidden to reveal such information to outsiders. But I can tell you that they’re currently active within Kerthen County. And that they targeted this place.”
“I see.”
Evan turned away.
Since it seemed he wouldn’t be able to get any more information, he moved on without hesitation.
Millia, perhaps intent on inspecting the altar further, paid him no more mind.
“Young master! Why did you go ahead on your own!”
“My lord, you were truly reckless! What would you have done if something terrible happened!”
Alan, Reynold, and Celia rushed over, questioning him as if interrogating a suspect.
This time, his actions had been dangerous, so their reactions were understandable.
Evan waved his hand dismissively.
“If it weren’t for me, we’d all be done for. It’s fine as long as things turned out well.”
Alan couldn’t say anything more, and Celia frowned.
“Take care of the aftermath. I don’t have time to waste.”
Leaving the two behind, Evan walked away.
The entire Kavre Forest had been cleaned up as if nothing had happened.
The corpses were nowhere to be seen, and the twisted, grotesque beings had vanished as well.
Things seemed to have gone smoothly, but Evan couldn’t shake off a sense of unease.
“Young master, is something wrong?”
Alan approached Evan, who was lost in thought, and asked.
Evan shook his head.
“No. It’s nothing. So, what now?”
Alan pointed to the men loading goods onto the carriage.
“Those returning will head back, and those delivering the goods to the royal palace will depart soon.”
With the twisted power gone, they had been able to recover the lost items.
And thanks to this incident, Clyd would become more vigilant.
‘Once the report goes up, they’ll take action against the Nervan Cult.’
An investigation would proceed, based on the traces left by Heres and Hilton’s dealings with the cult.
And orders would be issued to the knights.
For now, it seemed best to wait patiently rather than act rashly.
“Let’s head out right away as well.”
Without lingering, Evan decided to head straight for Talyn.
Just then, Celia approached him.
“My lord.”
“Oh, what is it?”
“I’m deeply indebted to you, my lord. I’ll make sure to include every detail of your achievements in my report.”
“Do as you see fit. More importantly, if you learn anything new about what happened here, let me know by letter.”
“Yes, don’t worry about that.”
Evan gave a brief farewell.
With that, everyone left, leaving only those in charge of investigating and cleaning up the scene.
Celia walked toward where the altar had been.
There, Millia was still standing silently.
“Priestess, are you all right?”
Celia carefully watched her as she asked.
But Millia just kept smiling, saying nothing as she stood there.
“Priestess?”
***
About three days had passed since Evan set out.
Talyn was on the border, so it was quite a distance away.
They passed through several villages, resting along the way before moving on.
As they neared Talyn, rugged mountains came into view.
Evan was left speechless at the sight of the distant Talyn village.
“This is Talyn?”
It felt more like a fortress than a village.
Though Talyn was larger than he’d expected, most of the space was taken up by defensive structures.
The outer walls and wooden barricades bore clear traces of many battles.
There wasn’t a single intact section of wall.
There were deep dents, bloodstains, and broken weapons scattered about.
Occasionally, he could see monster remains as well.
It was clear just how frequent battles were here.
“No wonder there were so many watchtowers along the way.”
On the main road leading to Talyn, watchtowers and knights kept strict guard.
They were thorough in their defense, protecting merchants and adventurers alike.
Clatter!
Soon, the carriage arrived at the entrance and came to a stop.
Up ahead, knights were inspecting each carriage in turn.
Of course, when it was Evan’s turn, Alan exchanged a few words and they were let through immediately.
The family carriage wasn’t subject to strict checks.
The knights were merely curious about the arrival of such an esteemed guest.
As soon as the carriage entered the village, the scenery unfolded before Evan’s eyes.
The buildings were simple and practical in design.
Inside the village, there was no decoration—everything was neat and tidy.
However, most of the buildings seemed old, and many appeared empty.
Before he knew it, the carriage stopped.
Evan looked ahead to see a large building entrance.
Seeing the Kerthen Family Crest on the building, it was clear this was their final destination.
Talyn Central Command.
Compared to other cities or villages, it was a humble structure, but it was the largest in Talyn.
As soon as Evan arrived, he was immediately led to the reception room to wait.
As he waited—
Clatter!
The door to the reception room opened, and a man with dark brown hair entered.
“My lord. Welcome. I am Andre, commander of the knights here.”
Introducing himself, Andre sat across from Evan.
Seeing his face, Evan noticed a scar, but his drooping eyes and brown irises gave him a friendly appearance.
‘He looks to be in his mid-thirties or so?’
While Evan was thinking this, Andre spoke.
“I heard you’re Evan. I never expected such an esteemed guest in this humble place. I’d like to make your stay as comfortable as possible, but both the facilities and the environment here are rather rough…”
He spoke with a wry smile, looking concerned.
Evan Kerthen, eldest son of the Kerthen Family.
Andre knew him well.
His infamous reputation for wild behavior was well known even here.
But the person before him was nothing like the rumors.
‘I heard he was a pig.’
Instead, he was of a normal build, and his looks were striking.
But he still gave off the impression of a hothouse flower.
Andre worried whether such a pampered young master could adapt to a place like this.
‘No, surely the knights here will ignore and look down on him.’
The knights here were rough, shaped by a harsh environment.
It wouldn’t be easy to earn their respect.
Each had their own pride and strong sense of self-worth.
Andre could already picture Evan’s difficult days ahead.
‘What was the Count thinking, sending him here?’
He thought it might be best to make Evan give up and go back before causing any trouble.
Evan slowly spoke.
“That doesn’t matter. I’m here to learn about the knights.”
Andre tilted his head, surprised by Evan’s unexpectedly calm demeanor.
He’d expected complaints, but seeing that composed attitude made Andre feel a bit guilty for having underestimated him.
“Haha, is that so? Then you’re prepared, my lord.”
Andre forced a smile and played along.
‘To learn about the knights? He’ll only understand once he experiences it himself.’
Andre wasn’t pleased with Evan’s attitude.
All he saw was a spoiled young master claiming confidence.
In that case, the only way was to throw him into real action right away.
“I’ll assign you directly to the Talyn Knights. Of course, you’ll be joining as an apprentice commander. You’ll be leading the knights from now on, after all.”
He placed a document on the desk and continued his explanation.
“I’ll assign about ten knights to you at first. Depending on your performance, the number will increase. And I hear you recently passed the Knight Examination. At least as a fellow knight, that’s something.”
Of course, even as a fellow knight, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t be ignored.
In fact, it might make things worse.
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll assign a capable subordinate to assist you.”
When Evan remained silent, Andre assumed he was already scared and laughed.
Evan, however, showed little reaction to Andre’s attitude.
“That’s fine. Do as you please.”
“Alright, then let me introduce your adjutant. Excuse me for a moment.”
With that, Andre stood and left the room.
Soon after, he returned with another person in tow.
“This is Yurdan. He’s a third-class knight, not only skilled but also insightful and knowledgeable.”
Andre introduced him and sat down together.
Yurdan smiled and introduced himself to Evan.
“I’m Yurdan. I’ve heard a lot about you, my lord.”
Evan looked at him and returned the greeting.
“Yes. Yurdan, pleased to meet you.”
He had curly brown hair and a friendly face.
He seemed like a genuinely good person, much like Andre.
“Please speak comfortably. I’ll be serving you from now on, and I’ll do my best to ensure you’re not inconvenienced in any way.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Evan began to activate his spiritual eye.
Since these were people he’d be working with, it was best to check their information thoroughly.
The moment Yurdan’s image appeared before Evan’s eyes—
‘What’s this, this guy…’
Evan noticed something interesting.