I Will Be the Greatest Knight
Chapter 206: The Search

Chapter 206: The Search

They rode for hours, directionless and traveling with no concrete end goal except for finding the mages. Their only plan was to hit each village that they came across and hope that they started off on the right foot.

Irene’s best idea was to at least go to the village where they first found them. It would make their lives so much easier if they simply receded to where they once were.

It just so happened that the township where they found the mages once before was the very same one Samson once lived in. That place was memorable to Irene for many different reasons by that point.

Upon arriving, the three apprentices witnessed rebuilding efforts even over a year later. It was slowly taking time to heal.

Irene hoped that she would see that in the Duke’s Tower eventually. Even if they couldn’t be there now, they would be back one day and make it better than it was before.

Since time was of the essence and the urge to get back to the ancient wall where the camps were set up had already struck, they hurried through the village, seeking the reeve.

Luckily, the man was close to his home because winterization efforts that year were slow. After all, no knights were going there to help them.

When the reeve saw the teenagers, he seemed somewhat relieved. His initial thought was that they were there to help, but he saw their serious expressions and the way they moved with purpose to find him. He knew immediately it was not the case.

"What can I do for you, apprentices?" the reeve asked, standing from where he had been sitting on a bench in front of his house. "I don’t suppose you’re here for winterization efforts. After the passing of His Grace, Sir Gunnar was insistent that things would slow for a while while Tenetium finds how to reorganize itself while His Majesty finds us a worthy replacement."

Irene felt a bit bad that she kept shifting her weight onto each foot as she impatiently waited for the man to finish speaking. She felt unbelievably in a rush. There wasn’t time for small talk, only the seeking of information.

"We have been sent through the duchy by Sir Gunnar to seek information regarding mages that left the Duke’s Tower over the summer," she explained. "Have any mages passed through this area that you are aware of?"

The man’s arms crossed, and he thoughtfully stroked his chin. Even his contemplation felt like it took forever as the apprentices waited for him to come up with a response.

"Forgive me, apprentices," he finally responded. "I don’t believe that I have."

However, since he responded negatively, Irene decided not to bother explaining the situation further.

"That’s alright, sir," Felix stated immediately. "We will likely stay here a night and move on then."

It was his subtle way of saying that they were going to ask someone else who paid attention to these sorts of things. Felix had an idea of where he wanted to go to seek information.

After leaving the reeve, Irene turned to the oldest apprentice.

"Felix, what are you thinking? It’s clear you were implying something else," she realized.

"If I recall correctly, you were the one who found a priest so morally opposed to mages in this very township," Felix reminded her. "If there were anyone to sniff out a group of mages as they travel through, it would be those old bastards."

"Felix!" Irene snapped, shocked he would openly refer to anyone as that.

"How do you know they’re old?" Leif wondered, feeling like challenging the oldest apprentice on his words.

"The churches are always made up of old men," he defended. "As for the bastard part, is there a better way to describe people who unjustly persecute those who are innocent? The mages have done nothing but be helpful towards our cause. If I had to choose a group to be more suspicious of, it would be the priests."

Irene merely bit the inside of her lip, holding back what she wanted to say. She also didn’t trust the leaders of the Perodian churches, but she felt it wasn’t her place to speak on that subject. After all, he could likely say the same about Sünstoian beliefs. The walk with spirituality was so very personal to people. Those who believed it were strong-willed in their beliefs. Those who didn’t were equally as justified.

Leif already knew how she felt, so he offered her a small smile and a shrug.

They continued deeper into the township where the church stood proudly, untouched by what the monsters did to the township before. As usual, its grounds were pristine and the door wasn’t locked, offering anyone an opportunity to come inside in case they were feeling repentant. More likely than not, there probably were a few people who needed to go to the church, considering it was a device used to make people feel guilty.

As they walked through the doors, Irene was surprised to see the same old man who was there before. It had been a few years since then, and she had assumed his advanced age would take him off the earth more quickly than that.

Since Felix didn’t seem to be in the mood to offer someone a bit of social grace, Irene stepped forward and put on a more polite facade than what she was feeling.

"Father, do you have a moment for a few questions?" she asked.

The old man turned and leaned on his walking stick. He knit his eyebrows together as he squinted at the teenagers walking in. There was a momentary worry that he didn’t remember who they were, but he couldn’t be sure of anything since his old mind was often playing tricks on him.

"This is a place of learning, child," he responded. "Ask whatever you need and I will gladly respond on behalf of our God."

Felix cleared his throat, and Irene resisted elbowing him so he would behave himself.

"Have mages appeared in this area in a while?" she wondered.

"If they were, I would have chased them out!" the priest responded, suddenly becoming animated. "If they were here, I would have been the first to sense that something was amiss! Luckily, their dwelling at the edge of town has been destroyed."

Irene’s eyes widened. It seemed something more important had been revealed.

"Thank you, father, for your answer!" she called as she turned heel and quickly ran out of the place.

From there, Leif and Felix followed her to the edge of town.

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