Evan returned and immediately sought out Andre.
Right now, he was discussing the disposition of Andre and Yurdan.
“They are traitors. They threatened me with a knife. But I subdued them quickly and ended it and I uncovered their secret.”
At first, it was hard to believe those words.
Yurdan, who had been so loyal, would never do such a thing.
What reason could he possibly have, and how could he dare commit such acts against the eldest son of the Kerthen Family?
But Evan’s explanation fit perfectly, leaving no room for contradiction.
“Yurdan had been strengthening his power through dark magic. Now, that lie has finally been exposed.”
Looking at Yurdan’s captured condition, it was clear he was completely different from before.
The exceptional skill he once displayed as a knight had vanished.
Now, he was reduced to the level of an ordinary person.
“And this… is something he had…”
Evan cautiously placed a magically sealed scroll on the table.
“If you break the seal and read it, you’ll be certain. The Order of Tallin is in a dangerous state right now.”
Andre glanced between the scroll and Evan, then slowly spoke.
“Do you really think so?”
Evan nodded.
“Let’s keep this matter confidential for now. It seems there’s more than just one person involved in this incident. That gang is probably still hiding and active. They’ll come to rescue the one locked in prison. If we catch them and interrogate further, everything will come to light.”
‘…Understood for now.’
Andre looked at Evan with an expression still full of doubt.
Evan smiled lightly and replied, “Believe it or not, that’s up to you. But I’m moving forward with it. If you change your mind, let me know immediately.”
“Then, I’ll take my leave first. For now, leave this matter to me, and just watch quietly.”
Evan rose from his seat, turned his back on Andre, and left the office.
‘The type that becomes stronger by absorbing other souls into the body…’
This was definitely dangerous.
If those souls took complete control of the body, no one could predict what would happen.
‘What kind of person could commit such an absurd act?’
‘For now, the only option is to complete the Quest.’
He would capture them and proceed with the quest simultaneously.
Evan had thought of a plan as he held Yurdan captive.
***
The Order of Tallin’s Detention Center.
Here were knights who had committed heinous crimes, spies from enemy nations, bandits who raided caravans, and many others.
Among them was Yurdan, imprisoned for treason.
‘How did this happen? Why?’
Even now, recalling it was too absurd to explain.
He had planned everything meticulously to use the news of Evan’s arrival to his advantage.
He had prepared and executed everything perfectly, without mistake.
‘So how did Evan find out?’
While moving naturally, Evan suddenly ambushed him.
Yurdan lost consciousness, and when he woke up, important reports had been taken, and he was dragged to prison.
No matter how much he thought it over, he could not understand.
Yurdan held his head in pain for a moment, then remembered.
‘…They must be looking for me by now.’
He was supposed to hand over the reports today.
If he didn’t, they would take action on their own.
And they would find out he was imprisoned.
They would come to rescue him, but there was a problem.
‘Damn it. What to do?’ His powers had been drained.
He didn’t know what method they used, but that reckless bastard had pierced through his powers.
It seemed he could even remove that power.
‘This is dangerous. I need to find a way.’
He had to make a move first without being detected.
But in captivity, there was no way to move at all.
Moreover, this was not a solitary cell.
Although he was alone now, more prisoners could come anytime.
Sure enough.
“Here. Go in.”
Clank!
As if on cue, a new prisoner was brought into the cell.
A suspicious figure draped in a full-body robe.
Yurdan watched quietly and whispered to himself, just in case.
“Velled…”
No reaction.
The man sat silently.
‘No? He’s late than I thought.’
Yurdan sighed and quietly crouched in a corner as well.
He had to plan the next move until the rescue team arrived.
They must know he had vital information.
They would definitely act to retrieve it.
‘I’ll hide the fact that the reports were taken as much as possible, then recover them before anyone notices…’
While Yurdan was formulating plans, Thump, thump!
Someone knocked on the prison bars.
“Hm?”
Raising his head, Yurdan saw an elderly white-haired man glaring at him from outside the bars.
Yurdan hurriedly stood.
“Velled.”
He whispered to him.
The man outside replied, “The honor is mine.”
At that moment, Yurdan’s face brightened.
“Sorry. There’s been a problem with the plan.”
‘It’s done. I’ll get out first and explain later. I managed to get in with difficulty.’
“Yes.”
The man moved to cut the bars but flinched when Yurdan pointed behind him.
“But what’s that guy behind you?”
“What? Behind me…?”
Turning his head back, Yurdan’s heart sank.
The robed man was standing right behind him without any sound.
He was so shocked and dumbfounded he was left speechless.
“Y-You… What the hell are you?”
Yurdan spoke, but the robed man remained silent.
Yurdan sneered and provoked, “Annoying guy. You want me to get you out too? No way. Just accept your fate.”
Turning back, Yurdan muttered, “Since witnesses can’t be spared, let’s deal with this guy too… huh?”
But the white-haired man outside had already vanished.
“What, what!”
Yurdan hurriedly pressed his face against the bars, searching for him, but he was gone.
He disappeared like a ghost in that brief moment.
“What the hell just happened…?”
Turning around again, Yurdan was stunned once more.
The robed man had also disappeared.
“What is this…”
He rubbed his eyes and looked around multiple times, but no one was there.
He had no idea how to interpret the situation.
Frozen in place, time passed.
Suddenly, as if a lie, the two men reappeared.
Outside the bars, the white-haired man lay collapsed.
Inside the cell, the robed man was still there.
Seeing the white-haired man, Yurdan called out in a hurry.
“Hey! What’s going on? Why are you collapsed again?”
At that moment, he felt a hand on his shoulder from behind.
Turning around, Yurdan’s pupils dilated in shock.
“Y-You!”
The robed man pulled back his hood, revealing a handsome blonde face he knew well.
The robed man was none other than Evan.
“Velled? Is he your companion?”
“Ah…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll imprison that guy too.”
Yurdan gritted his teeth, feeling defeated.
‘It was a trap.’
They were using him as bait to catch the rescue team.
Yurdan was stunned.
Evan smirked as he looked at Yurdan.
“This is just the beginning. If the news stops, I’ll keep sending them. If you don’t want to die, you better cooperate like before.”
Saying that, Evan spoke outside the bars, “Alan, Reynold, take this guy outside.”
Alan and Reynold suddenly appeared and replied, “Wow, he’s really here.”
“So he really was the informant…”
They were delighted as they lifted the collapsed white-haired man and disappeared somewhere.
This would continue for a while.
Yurdan said nothing, dazed, and collapsed onto the floor.
He realized his fate was sealed.
***
Tallin Central Command.
Andre frowned, staring out the window.
After Evan disappeared, he had asked the Magic Guild to unseal the scroll and was currently waiting for the seal to be broken.
Meanwhile, he had to make a decision.
‘The Order is in danger.’
Evan warned of Yurdan’s betrayal and that other forces were behind this.
If true, they had to act immediately.
But even if Evan’s words were credible, there was no solid proof.
It might be a misunderstanding.
It was hard to trust Evan, whom he had just met, over Yurdan, with whom he had spent a long time.
“No, I can’t act recklessly.”
He could move after confirming the scroll’s contents.
Clatter!
“Commander!”
A subordinate hurried into the office.
“What is it?”
“There’s news that Evan has captured twenty-two of Yurdan’s informants.”
His eyes widened.
“What? That many? Are you sure?”
The man nodded.
“Yes. We joined late and don’t know the earlier situation, but we were lying in wait with some escort knights at Evan’s request. A group of six moved toward the prison where Yurdan was held.”
“So, what’s happening now?”
“Evan is interrogating them himself.”
“I’ll head there immediately.”
Andre stood up and was about to leave the office.
Then someone else entered.
“Commander, the scroll’s seal has been broken.”
It was the Magic Guild’s notification.
‘…Understood. I’ll go there first.’
The content of the scroll Yurdan had tried to deliver was more important.
Andre hurried to the reception room.
There, wizards wearing magic robes awaited.
A man who looked like their leader approached and handed the scroll to Andre, saying,
“Commander, this scroll is quite fascinating. The sealing magic is the work of a very skilled mage.”
“Is that so…”
Andre carefully took the unsealed scroll.
He opened it fully and began reading its contents.
‘Status of two organizations? This is a list of the Order of Tallin—leaders and their knights.’
He didn’t fully understand, but the air of danger was thick.
Half the names were marked with red X’s, with short notes beneath.
“All the leaders of the Order have completed their task. We will capture as many Order troops as possible until entry.”
At the end, it mentioned that a ritual was to be performed, offering the commander—Andre himself—as a sacrifice.
All the devices for the Ritual of Sacrifice had been set up on the dais.
‘…Bastards.’
Just looking at it sent chills down his spine.
***
[You have judged the Massacre Citree.]
[Branch Quest: Judgment of the Wicked has been completed.]
[Go find the Mediator of the World to receive your reward.]
Beneath Evan lay 22 knights, all unconscious.
All had been judged by the Soul Judge’s ability.
‘They kept sending them relentlessly.’
At first, Evan waited for them at the prison where Yurdan was held.
They came one by one, two or three times, but when no news came, they sent groups of five or seven.
At that time, Evan had no choice but to suppress them using the Order’s knights without the Soul Judge’s powers.
He locked them in prison and, under the pretext of interrogation, brought them out one by one to the interrogation room.
There, Evan used the Soul Judge’s power to judge each of them.
Of course, like with Yurdan, the souls inside all chose self-destruction, so he couldn’t get much information.
‘Well, I expected that, but it doesn’t really matter.’
The important thing was that he had significantly increased his holy power through this operation.
And he was able to complete the Quest: Judgment of the Wicked.
He achieved his goal quickly.
‘Maybe I can find out more as I proceed with the next quest.’
Evan opened his inventory and used a Soul Stone.
He would meet the Mediator of the World immediately and proceed to the next quest.
Evan’s entire body disappeared in a swirl of light.