Dawn Architect

Chapter 71:Discovery

One day later...

Hayato stood before a person whose appearance could not be discerned because he was detr kneeling behind some curtains. He had just reported to her everything that had happened and what he had taken from the priestess, whose authority was only surpassed by the head priest.

Whether by luck or not, she was apparently the highest authority in this plan, so it could be said that the church had not betrayed the kingdom and humanity. Still, they will have to pay for what they did. The released hostages had already returned to their homes and rumors began to spread, putting the temple in a delicate position.

"Well done, Shogun Hayato. Because of your accomplishments, your position as shogun and commander in the upcoming expedition is solidified. Also, this will keep the temple from acting arrogantly for a while, but you need to be vigilant. There may be more traitors of humanity among the army, but I trust you will be able to handle it," said the figure behind the curtains, the King (Rei Heika).

"Yes, Heika. I won't let you down."

"Also, that mercenary who provided you with information and who has such a strong trait, keep him close to you. I don't know his origins, but the soothsayers said that foreigners from outside our realm held the key to overcoming that catastrophe. I don't know if he is one, but I would recommend you keep him close."

"It shall be done as you say." With that reply, the conversation ended and Hayato left the room. The figure who was now alone muttered to herself:

"O great mother earth, protect my kingdom," a prayer that would anger the temple if it were heard.

"And forgive me for what I will do."

****

The morning after the battle in the catacombs, I was on my way to meet Lord Ryota, who had helped me contact the Shogun to carry out the rescue task. Now that it was all over and his wife was among the freed hostages, I came to close the deal. Upon arrival, he met me at the reception desk along with his wife and daughter, who gave me a warm welcome. At that moment, he bowed deeply and thanked me for returning his family to him.

"Lucien-dono, thank you so much for saving my wife and daughter," he said in a trembling voice, denoting a sincere appreciation that contrasted with his usual demeanor.

"Sir, you don't have to do this, it's part of the deal we came to," I replied, trying to downplay the importance of the thanks.

"Your help was also crucial, as I was able to meet with the Shogun thanks to you."

"Still, thank you. I assure you that I will support you until you become a noble. And if you don't make it, I won't mind if you marry my daughter," he said, offering me an unexpected way out.

Being a noble is just an excuse to achieve great feats and finish the labyrinth with many rewards, so I don't really care about achieving a noble title.

I put the topic aside, ignoring his daughter who was looking at me blushing. I retain the appearance of an adult, the same one I've worn since I left the capital, and his daughter was the age of Eirlys and the rest. I pretended not to hear anything and changed the subject to the really serious. At the reception we talked about what his support for me would be.

According to him, being a nobleman dedicated to trade without many subordinates or personal army, he would not participate directly in the battle, taking care only of food supplies and weapons.

However, he proposed to hire mercenaries and send a representative of his family to follow my orders and lead the mercenaries. Thus, I would now have a squadron of 200 two-star and one-star mercenaries under my command, which is considered a great fighting power.

He spared no expense to support me; perhaps he thought I was worth it, so I am satisfied with the arrangements, as the main thing I wanted from him was to meet with Hayato to gain his trust.

The reason why everything happened this way is because, on the eve of the battle, the nobleman with the most power and rank was supposed to lead the raid, putting Hayato as the main candidate.

But curiously, the church, which despite having as much or more authority than the king and always remaining neutral, intervened in the affairs of the kingdom by proposing its own representative among the nobles casting doubt on Hayato's position.

However, because of the information I brought and because the events were directed by the high priest, who had authority only below the chief priest, it caused the church, which was pressing, to back down. This solidified Hayato as the leader of the raid. Therefore, even though he doubted the veracity of the information, he could not help but take a chance.

I now have Hayato's trust and a high position as an advisor in the upcoming expedition, not to mention that I have a small army of mercenaries under my command.

As I walked through the streets, I could see one of the Blood Moon members who had also entered the labyrinth. I had bypassed them to concentrate on the clearing, but now I am free until the raid begins. I decided to follow and see what they were planning.

For the next few hours, I watched as he gathered information, trying to decipher the conditions for clearing the maze. It's known that it takes more than power to clear a maze, and now that everyone's range was reduced, they seem to be having trouble finding the necessary conditions. I would be in his place if it weren't for Gaia.

I followed him with the intention of getting rid of them before I missed the opportunity. After a few hours, I saw that they gathered in an abandoned house a little away from the center of the city.

There I could see the others who had entered the labyrinth. Although their rank was reduced to one similar to mine, they are experienced and can most likely handle features. Also, since they belong to the Blood Moon, they most likely have the demonic trait, which wouldn't be a problem for me since I have the holy trait.

I could kill them in an ambush when they don't notice and even if they do, I think I can take them out and run away in the worst case scenario.

Just as I was about to start my attack, I stopped because the content of their conversation was more important than I thought.

I stayed listening for a while and, in the end, decided not to kill them. They would be more useful than I thought in order to clear this maze.

"Lili," I whispered.

['Haaa... I know what you're going to ask me'].

Without even saying anything, Lili broke away from me and stepped into the shadow of the one who looked like the leader.

So, unnoticed, I left, leaving Lili the task of keeping an eye on them.