Blood Assimilation

Gutz, who had been dumbfounded by their friendly exchange, stuttered as he blankly replied: "O-Okay."

Then, he was dragged away by Brawler Randy who had lost his impatience with talking to Holy Knight Randy.

On the other hand, from behind, Holy Knight Randy shouted: "Then, I will most likely see you tonight!"

Brawler Randy didn't bother responding to him and merely held Gutz by the wrist and dragged him away as he marched in the wrong direction. Instead of Gutz leading the way, Brawler Randy was now the one leading the way, even though he had no idea where he was headed.

After making some distance between himself and Holy Knight Randy, Brawler Randy undid his strong grip on Gutz's wrist. Gutz felt the slight pain coming from his wrist and wanted to complain to Brawler Randy before noticing a deep scowl on his face. He also noticed that Brawler Randy was lost in thought, as he looked in the direction they came from.

'That incarnation bastard was reading my memory the whole time without my permission, even though he wasn't the main body. That whole play along with my act thing was just to buy some time for him to read all my memories through our telepathic connection. He even dared to order me around just because he was the ideal and perfected incarnation without flaws. On the other hand, I couldn't read his memory at all. It was as if his memories were shrouded in smog. Luckily, I had blocked some of the memories in order to prevent them from being accessed by the main body before leaving my inn. Therefore, that incarnation most likely didn't see my transfiguration state.'

After complaining and brooding for a few moments, Brawler Randy turned to face Gutz's curious eyes. Brawler Randy pretended not to notice his curiosity and initiated a random conversation with him. The two of them eventually resumed their trip after a brief exchange between them that felt like they were mumbling gibberish to each other.

…

Meanwhile.

On the other side.

With a smile on his face, Holy Knight Randy stared in the direction where Brawler Randy vamoosed with Gutz. Then, the next moment, the smile on his face abruptly disappeared, replaced by an indifferent countenance.

'That incarnation… He was definitely hiding something from me, but why would he do something like that, though? Was he wary of me? Why? According to what I got from his memories, he seems to rely on his fists when in combat. After consulting with Gutz, he planned on buying a gauntlet. Unfortunately, I couldn't read all of his memories because he left the range of our telepathic connection. Besides that, he also appeared to have offended some people at a casino on Entertainment Street. As long as he could deal with them by himself, it didn't matter. However, he had the appearance of our main body when he was there, which could be a problem. Whatever, I should focus on my end of things before worrying about that incarnation's problems. Sooner or later, our main body will discover his actions.'

After deeply analyzing and collecting his thoughts, Holy Knight Randy indifferently turned to face the questioning gazes of his subordinate briefly before walking away without paying them any mind.

Meanwhile, Barian and Zante, who were curious about what had transpired made their own guesses as to what it entailed.

Barian whispered: "Do you think the Captain knew that scammer?"

"I don't know for sure."

Zante shook his head and replied in a low voice: "But from their exchange, the Captain must've been helped by him."

Barian impatiently asked: "Then, is it possible that he didn't lie to us, that Solomon, was it?"

"Maybe."

Zante slowly nodded and replied with uncertainty: "It does seem like it. We'll have to find a chance to ask the Captain about it later."

Barian slowly nodded in agreement as he thought about his actions earlier. In the event that the young man had not lied to them, then he would have accused him of something he didn't do. While the method he promised was different, they still managed to locate their Captain before their doomed fate was sealed.

While lost in their thoughts, Holy Knight Randy relied on Zolat Grant's memories to return to the Church of Light's sacred building.

…

Thirty minutes later.

They had arrived.

At this moment, Holy Knight Randy and the two Holy Knights, Barian and Zante stood in front of a magnificent building of worship. Without further delay, Holy Knight Randy took a step forward, pushed open the huge door, and walked inside the Grand Hall. Barian and Zante hesitated for a moment before following him without saying a word.

…

On the second floor of the sacred building, where members of the Church of Light occasionally took residence, the Cardinal in charge of the Imperial City branch of the Church of Light, sat on his chair with a peaceful expression in his praying room with his eyes closed. He was wearing a clerical, long robe reminiscent of a cassock, except the design was slightly different. The color of the clerical, long robe was white with golden designs on the hems, making him appear noble and dignified.

At this moment, his eyes abruptly fluttered open. He used a clairvoyant tool and noticed that someone had entered the first floor of the sacred building. Immediately, he initiated a magic formation under him, activating a spell. Following the spell activation, his figure became enveloped by a pillar of golden light before disappearing.

The next moment, he reappeared once again. However, this time, he was standing on the altar on the first floor of the sacred building with his hands behind his back. His demeanor, at this moment, seemed holy due to the faint holy aura he emitted from his body.

As soon as the Cardinal appeared in the room, Holy Knight Randy recognized his presence. He wasn't surprised or shaken by the imposing holy aura that made one feel the need to kneel before him. Instead, he ignored the pressure on his body and casually strode forward.

By contrast, the two Holy Knights, Barian and Zante, could not resist the pressure and tacitly stood behind, no longer proceeding forward.

The brazenness displayed by Holy Knight Randy surprised Cardinal Juke. He wasn't expecting Zolat Grant to still be unruly before him, especially considering that he had managed to obtain the 'clay' that could 'mold' the rise and fall of his exceptional reputation in Imperial City.

Once Holy Knight Randy stood a reasonable distance away from the Cardinal Juke, he calmly looked up as he observed him. Cardinal Juke was a middle-aged man. With a slightly stout physique, he stood there confidently. With a stern expression, he eyed Holy Knight Randy with a look of contempt.

The moment their gazes met, Cardinal Juke impatiently demanded: "Sir Grant. Where have you been all this time? Also, have you found it?"

Holy Knight Randy replied: "I am sorry, Your Eminence. What might you be referring to?"

"Stop playing dumb, Sir Grant."

Cardinal Juke frowned, restraining his irritation, and said: "You know damn well what I mean. Have you, or have you not found the hideout of the Vampire Queen? Answer me!"

"I am sorry, Your Eminence."

Holy Knight Randy displayed a look of realization and replied: "I have searched the forest thoroughly but I couldn't find the hideout of the Vampire Queen you spoke of. Were you mistaken, Your Eminence? Perhaps it was never there, to begin with."

"Do not insult my intelligence, Sir Grant!"

Cardinal Juke shouted in exasperation and then said: "I know for certain that the hideout exists because I have already used my divination to search for it beforehand… You are merely lying to me to protect your own interests, aren't you? I can see it in your eyes, Sir Grant."

"..."

Holy Knight Randy was slightly shaken by his words.

A moment later, he opened his mouth and spoke: "I assure you, Your Eminence, that I have not found the hideout of the Vampire Queen you spoke of."

"Then why were you missing for days during your mission? What were you doing during the time that you left your subordinates all by themselves? Don't tell me you were colluding with that vampire, Sir Grant."

Cardinal Juke suspiciously glared at Holy Knight Randy as he spoke these baseless words of accusation out of frustration that he couldn't get what he wanted, even after talking with him for this long.

'So that's how he plans on playing. You can't get what you want, so you might as well make up something to get my attention, huh? What a corrupted individual!'

Holy Knight Randy was appalled by the actions of the Cardinal of the Church of Light. He wondered why he even wanted to go to such an extent to get the location of a Vampire Queen from him.

With that in mind, he decided to scour through Zolat Grant's memory and search for the reason. However, the next moment, his expression changed abruptly before returning to normal as if nothing had happened.

Cardinal Juke noticed the change on his face and assumed that he was angry about his provoking words, which he said intentionally. He planned on using the statement to thought-provoke him into considering the power he had in his hands as a Cardinal of the holy and sacred Church of Light.

Contrary to his expectations, Holy Knight Randy calmly responded to him: "Your Eminence, surely you're jesting. I would never betray the church, much less lie to you about something relevant to promoting the Church's reputation."

Cardinal Juke gritted his teeth in frustration after hearing his calm response and retorted: "Your loyalty to the Church is not in question, Sir Grant. But your loyalty to me is. In case you have forgotten, I have in my possession a piece of information and evidence that could ruin your reputation and your career as an honorable Holy Knight. And I am not afraid to use it if you do not do as I say."

Holy Knight Randy scowled in displeasure but still asked: "What is it that you want me to do then? I can't divulge something I don't know about, Your Eminence."