...
The next day, Shin and Leonard met with Old Man Roger just like they had discussed last night. The pair did not want to, but the old man insisted on accompanying them to the Shrine Temple while they were doing their Rite of Returning.
It was at that moment that Shin understood that this old man wanted to monitor them.
They were still foreigners with unclear backgrounds despite Leonard claiming that they were from a family that used to be a part of the city. They also had considerable attainment in their respective disciplines. Even though they were only at the peak of the Core Formation Stage, the old man could tell that they were at least as strong as some of the Ethereal Opening Stage Experts.
That alone was more than enough for the old man to be wary of them, especially with the current events that were happening within the city perimeter.
Old Man Roger did not even bring his own car when he met with the two. And instead insisted to ride with them.
Shin could only shake his head as he could see through the scheme that this old man was planning. He let the old man ride with them, but he could only be in the backseat while Leonard remained in the passenger seat.
Fortunately, they had already considered this to happen and left the tablets on the house earlier. They also made sure that there was nothing within the car that would expose them, so they did not have to worry about it.
Not long after, they arrived at the Shrine Temple.
There was nothing wrong on the surface, but the three later discovered that something was amiss. They turned their heads and swept their gazes at the shrine and discovered that there were no shrine maidens around.
Forget about the ones who were usually greeting everyone that entered the shrine entrance – even the maidens that were supposed to clean the courtyards and marble paths of the shrine were nowhere to be seen.
Then they saw a large number of police cars parked a few distances away from the shrine, right behind the temple.
Something must have happened!
Old Man Roger did not delay any longer and quickly sprinted toward the temple, forgetting about Shin and Leonard.
Swoosh!
The pair stood still on their spots for a moment before exchanging glances and chasing after the old man.
Trouble had come earlier than they had expected!
…
Inside the temple, all of the maidens were gathered. A middle-aged lady was standing in front of them and facing everyone. From how the shrine maidens were looking at her, it was clear her status within the temple.
But at the same time, the maidens were wearing a worried looks on their faces.
Swoosh!
The middle-aged lady was in the middle of calming everyone down when Old Man Roger suddenly entered. He looked around and frowned deeply before heading over.
The middle-aged lady smiled at him and greeted him. "Sir Roger."
Old Man Roger did not bother to greet back and asked straightforwardly. "What happened, High Priestess Emily?"
The middle-aged lady, who was addressed as the high priestess, smiled bitterly before answering honestly. "Something happened at the peak of the mountains and the Head Priestess, along with the maidens accompanying her, disappeared."
The expression on Old Man Roger's face immediately turned dark when he heard that. He then asked in a solemn tone. "How did that happen? What about the Temple Guards?"
The High Priestess hesitated for a moment before sighing. "All-… all of them have been murdered."
Bang!
A loud sound could be heard as the floor where the old man stood suddenly sunk. He looked at the high priestess straight to the eyes and asked once again, "What do you say? How is it possible?" doubting what he just heard.
He calmed himself quickly before asking once again. "What about the Head of the Guards, Johan?"
The high priestess stuttered as she replied. "Templar Johan-… he-… he is found dead alongside the other guards."
Old Man Roger frowned deeply as he could not help but become confused. Johan, the head of the guards, was just drinking with him last night. The guy was relaxing a little to relieve the accumulated stress that he had these last few days.
From what the old man knew, Johan left during the shift last night and he was supposed to go back at dawn during the next shift. If that guy was murdered, then the incident most likely happened during that shift.
Old Man Roger might have been shocked, but he was able to quickly calm himself down due to his rich experience. He recollected his thoughts before asking the high priestess to fill him in the details.
It was only at that moment that Shin and Leonard were able to catch up. The high priestess quickly noticed them and was about to tell them to leave when another person suddenly rushed inside the temple and reached her side.
"Is it true? Johan is murdered alongside the Temple Guards?" Billy, the police officer who was drinking with Old Man Roger last night, also received the reports from his men just recently.
He just woke up and was about to start his day when he received a call from his subordinate. He immediately headed to this place right after he ended the call.
"What about the Head Priestess? Is she safe? Where is she?" he asked once again, unable to wait for the answer of the high priestess.
The existence of the two young men was suddenly forgotten as the high priestess started narrating what happened.
…
Earlier in the dawn, the shrine maidens alongside the temple guards were heading to the mountains alongside the Templar John.
The maidens were bringing the food for the other maidens staying at the peak of the mountain and the head priestess. Meanwhile, the temple guards were going to replace the other guards guarding them for their regular shifts.
But when they arrived, everyone discovered that all of the guards were murdered. Every guard was found dead with their bodies scattered everywhere as if a monstrous beast had slaughtered them.
The head of the temple guards, Templar Johan, quickly lead the guards accompanying him to head to the peak of the mountain while ordering the maidens to head back to the temple.
The maidens were hesitant at first, but after seeing the gruesome sight in front of them, they were unable to move forward and had no choice but to go back.
But they were only halfway down to the mountain when they heard the cries and shouts coming from the peak of the mountain.
The maidens paused their tracks and wanted to climb up once again to see what just happened. But they just turned around when they saw a 'Demon' standing a few distances behind them and staring at everyone with its bloodshot eyes.
The maidens stiffened when they saw the Demon holding the head of Templar Johan. They panicked and started running down the mountain as fast as they could.
Cries of helplessness and agonizes could be heard behind the maidens that were running at the forefront of the group. They knew that the others were being slaughtered one after another.
There were a few fortunate ones that managed to escape and return to the temple, but their faces were either devoid of life or filled with horror.
The high priestess was barely able to understand what happened after listening to them. She then later used some special techniques to calm the surviving maidens down and put them to sleep.
After that, she reported everything to the police forces of the city, which immediately responded. The police quickly sent their people and head to the mountain to investigate.
…
"So, the forces are still there?" asked Old Man Roger, furrowing his brows.
The high priestess nodded her head and said. "Yeah. Nothing seemed to have happened since the police is already starting their investigation. The seal of the mountain, preventing from going it."
"I'll go," said Officer Billy as he was walking out of the temple. The said mountain was in a restricted area right behind the temple.
"I'll join you," said Old Man Roger as he quickly followed.
Officer Billy hesitated for a moment before nodding his head. This old man might be old, but he was still one of the most powerful experts in the city.
Given the current circumstances, everyone needed the help of this retired expert, especially when there was an unknown entity lurking in the mountain.
"Please, Sir Roger! Save the Head Priestess!" said the high priestess in a pleading tone.
The old man paused in his tracks for a moment before nodding his head. He then continued to exit the temple, planning to head to the mountain.
Shin and Leonard, who just overheard everything, did not know what to do. They also wanted to investigate what happened but could not blindly ask the other party if they could join.
Moreover, they also have their own mission that they needed to deal with.
Even though they were suspecting that this case might be somewhat related to their mission, they could not just ask them if they could come along since it would blow up their cover.
They were caught in a dilemma, not knowing what to do.
...…
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