Chapter 25: Errors, Correctness, Value, and Meaning

Lester wasn’t on patrol today, but it wasn’t difficult for Vilyric to find him.

That 【Soul Shield of the Black Knight】 was a gift she had personally given to Lester. While binding such spiritual items hadn’t been established yet, it had certainly stayed in Vilyric’s bag for a long time, creating some connection between them.

The general skill 【Full Map Orientation Detection】 might seem a bit useless now that she’s learned how to apply SP, but when there are marked items present, it can be quite handy at times, at least it doesn’t attract too much attention.

Following the skill’s guidance, Vilyric ultimately found a certain worried-looking man in the commander’s office at the headquarters.

“Hi hi! Why the face like someone owes you a few thousand gold coins and ran away, Uncle Lester?”

“Whoa!”

Lester nearly knocked the large shield off the table in shock at the sudden appearance of the two girls, but as he recognized Vilyric’s almost-smiling face, he quickly composed himself.

“Wait, Miss Vilyric, how did you just appear out of nowhere…”

After staring at the cute face of the black-haired girl for a few seconds and then at the little dragon daughter behind her, confirming it was indeed them, Lester sat down again, helplessly rubbing his forehead.

“Well, no one owes me gold, it’s just that a group of troublesome girls got into big trouble last night and then suddenly went missing at a critical moment, leaving wanted posters all over town. It worried this old man so much that I hardly slept a wink last night… Sigh, it seems I was overthinking it, but aren’t you, Miss Vilyric, a bit too bold? The army is coming, and instead of running, you…”

Hearing Lester complain like a nagging mother, Vilyric quickly gestured for him to stop.

“Stop, stop, stop! Yesterday’s incident was really just an accident… I didn’t expect it to happen either… Anyway, don’t worry! We’ve found a safe place to stay and new allies. The reason we came to the headquarters is that we actually want to ask you for a favor, hehe…”

“You all… Sigh, fine. What is it this time? But you better know, the military has set their eyes on me thanks to last night’s situation; if it gets too noisy, that won’t do.”

The commander gave a bitter smile, looking as if he wanted to say, “I really can’t deal with you guys,” but his expression clearly relaxed a bit.

It was evident that he genuinely worried about Vilyric and the others, and given that Lester had readily stood by their side yesterday, the Priestess felt quite satisfied.

However, they did indeed need Lester’s help this time.

“Actually, I remember you mentioned that the mercenary troop’s Cyril… cough, used to be a member of an organization called the 【Ghost Thieves】. Can you tell me more about it?”

“Uh?”

Lester furrowed his brow. Although he had casually mentioned it before, Vilyric bringing it up now, coupled with her unrestrained tone, made the commander keenly aware of something.

But since Vilyric was specifically asking, he couldn’t outright deny it.

“That kid Cyril… He did indeed make some foolish mistakes due to certain circumstances in the past.”

The man stood up, placed his hands behind his back, and walked to the window, gazing at the overcast sky with a tone of nostalgia.

“I met Cyril during a request near the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons. At that time, he had been sold out by his companions and was gravely injured after being pursued by magical beasts, lying unconscious in the woods. Since I ran into him, I certainly couldn’t just ignore him, so I rescued him. Later I found out he actually came from the infamous 【Ghost Thieves】 and was a disgraceful poacher.”

“Not many people know about this; just a few trusted companions in the troop and myself. When Cyril confessed to me, I considered kicking him out… but those guys begged for his mercy, and after spending some time together, I found out that Cyril wasn’t a bad person at heart. He just went down the wrong path in his early years, so I allowed him to stay.”

“I set three rules for Cyril: First, he could have no dealings with those filthy poachers again; second, no stealing, robbing, or killing innocents in any form; and third, he must not betray his companions for personal gain, or else I would personally make sure he faced my shield.”

Lester turned back, a gentle smile appearing on his weathered face.

“But to be fair, that kid hasn’t disappointed me; at least for the past year and a bit, he has faithfully followed every rule, even growing out his hair and changing his appearance so his former companions wouldn’t recognize him.”

“Mm…”

Though Lester said all this, the Priestess didn’t know how to respond except to show she was listening.

The commander didn’t mind her lackluster reaction; he looked at Vilyric with slightly wary eyes, his expression serious.

“Cyril was indeed a poacher before, but we all make mistakes in life… So, Miss Vilyric, what’s your plan for bringing this up now?”

Seems there’s been a misunderstanding… At times like this, being overly polite or dishonest would be rude; since she had confirmed that Lester was a trustworthy friend, the Priestess no longer concealed anything and broadly described what she had learned from Lan.

“So it’s the Ghost Thieves behind this? Hmm… Those guys are indeed a set of shameless scum among poachers, no wonder… So you’re hoping to use Cyril as a clue to find them, right?”

Lester pondered, and Vilyric nodded straightforwardly.

“Yeah, that’s the simplest method right now. Otherwise, I could just barge into the City Lord’s mansion, stick Tyler Tuls’s head on my staff and force him to confess, but you know, I don’t usually enjoy resorting to violence.”

The commander’s lips twitched a few times.

“Is that a matter of violence or not? Do you treat the City Lord’s mansion like a tourist spot or your backyard?… Fine, considering your face, I’ll make an exception this time, but I still need to ask Cyril for his opinion. If he himself doesn’t want to, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Uh-huh, I’m not the type to force others into doing things. Persuasion is key, I get it. So let’s summon that guy now?”

…

“Sure, as long as the commander agrees, I have no objections.”

Unexpectedly, before Vilyric could use her charms and pleasantries as planned, Cyril readily agreed to her request.

“Are you sure, Cyril? You should know that if what Miss Vilyric said is true, the Ghost Thieves are at the center of a huge turmoil right now. You should be aware of what it means to seek them out. Even so, do you still choose to join this?”

Seemingly unfazed by Vilyric and the little dragon daughter watching from the side, Lester earnestly persuaded him.

“Commander, I understand your point. It’s just that the Ghost Thieves’ old tricks have drawn the wrath of many this time.”

Cyril, with his greatsword on his back, turned his gaze to the dark sky outside, a light chuckle escaping his lips.

“In the past, I did a lot of foolish things, but joining the mercenary troop and becoming an adventurer made me understand the value of life and companions. Poachers are merely a bunch of desperate people driven by greed, profiting by harming others; they should have been punished long ago.”

“But this city is full of scum; those big shots not only fail to eradicate wicked villains but actively protect and condone them, while the real adventurers are targeted everywhere.”

“I don’t understand the nobles of Demon Town and the United Kingdom. Why are they against magical beasts, even going so far as to collude with poachers?”

“I’m just a nobody, Cyril, who doesn’t grasp complex ideals, but I like what I like and hate what I hate. If I have the chance to stick it back to those hypocritical scumbags, what’s the harm in risking my life?”

He pushed his bangs back, revealing a deep, ghastly scar that almost split his right eye in two, a fleeting spark of hatred gleaming in his eyes.

“Perfect, I have some old scores to settle anyway.”

   

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