26: Chapter 26 Crime? You can just pick any crime you like.

In Kas Town, it was a pitch-black night.

Charlie stood before the mayor's house, feeling rather sullen.

He had rushed over at noon, but the mayor wasn't home, so he had waited until now.

He could have come back tomorrow, but he was worried the outsider might leave at any moment, so he figured the sooner it was resolved, the better.

And so, he waited until just past midnight.

"Bishop Charlie? It's so late, what are you doing here?"

He looked up to his right.

The mayor was dressed in a short-sleeved, short-legged linen outfit covered in weeds and twigs, and his hair and beard were a tangled mess, like a bird's nest, and a poorly made one at that.

Suppressing his irritation, Charlie tried to keep his voice as calm as possible: "There are some matters I need your help with, Mr. Mayor. Where have you been to return at such an hour?"

As he spoke, he eyed the bits of grass, twigs, and mud all over the mayor. Had he gone to the forest outside the town?

Upon hearing Charlie's question, even though the mayor's face was covered by his beard, one could still tell his expression was grim.

"Bishop Charlie, there has been a lot of magical beast activity in the forest outside the town lately, and it has seriously affected the safety of the townspeople when they farm or gather herbs."

"I was thinking, should we join forces between the church and the Guard to head out and exterminate them before they develop a leader?"

The mayor was quite worried; such a large number of magical beasts had never been discovered around Kas Town before.

If he let the magical beasts continue to gather, and they happened to evolve a leader, the townspeople would be in danger.

Looking at him with confusion, Charlie felt suspicious: "The entire Guard is in town today. Did you go to the forest alone?"

Nodding, the mayor replied: "Yes, Bishop Charlie. The Guards are just ordinary people; it would be dangerous if they were surrounded by magical beasts."

The mayor was the only person in the town besides the church who possessed extraordinary power—a Knight who practiced Knight Magic.

Out of consideration for unnecessary sacrifices, he had gone to the forest alone today. If he were surrounded, he could at least save his own life thanks to a physique far superior to an ordinary person's.

After answering, the mayor brought the topic back: "Bishop Charlie, what do you think of my proposal?"

Not much.

Charlie thought to himself, but he spoke evasively: "Compared to a distant threat like magical beasts, it is more important to address the trouble right in front of us."

"What trouble?" The mayor searched his mind, but no cases had been reported in the town recently?

"A very dangerous outsider has appeared in the town, Mr. Mayor. Arrest him as soon as possible."

"What has he done to violate the laws of the kingdom?" The mayor's expression was grave.

"Not yet."

The mayor was stunned, then paused: "But, Bishop Charlie, without a crime, I have no authority to arrest anyone."

This stubborn idiot!

Charlie was furious inside.

He had been impatient after waiting for over ten hours, and now the mayor was dragging things out. His last shred of patience was exhausted.

His gentle gaze faded, and coldness, as tangible as a blade, pierced the mayor: "A crime? That sort of thing, just find one."

No matter how thick-skinned the mayor was, he could still understand those words.

After a moment of thought, being familiar with Charlie, he quickly realized that the outsider must be carrying a large amount of gold coins or valuable treasures.

He instinctively wanted to refuse, but was blocked by Charlie's murderous gaze. He muttered: "Very well, Bishop, I will handle it tomorrow morning."

Charlie flicked the sleeve of his robe and strode away.

The mayor stood there for a moment before walking toward the gate.

He passed through the courtyard, entered the house, sat in a chair in the hall, and tugged at his beard while pondering for a while. He called for the housekeeper: "Have Rone come over."

"Right now?"

"Immediately."

The housekeeper backed away and left. Soon, Rone, wearing casual clothes, hurried over.

"Mayor, is there an urgent matter?"

"Don't panic, it's just a small matter."

"Hmm..." The mayor ran his fingers through his thick beard, silent for a moment. "Do you know about the outsider in town recently?"

An outsider? That mage? Why is he concerned about this?

Rone's thoughts raced as he replied: "There is such a person."

"What does he do in town every day?"

"I don't see him on the streets most of the time. When I do occasionally run into him, he's basically just wandering around."

He didn't dare mention the incident where the two of them clashed over the demi-human.

On the Saul Continent, the status of demi-humans was low. Those with great strength fared better, but those without were often bullied.

The Kingdom of Lake had introduced relevant laws to prohibit such incidents, but the enforcement in most cities was just for show.

Coincidentally, the mayor of Kas Town was part of the minority that actually enforced them.

If the mayor found out Rone had beaten a demi-human, he wouldn't go easy on him.

"In other words, he hasn't done anything to threaten the safety of the town?"

"That's right."

The mayor narrowed his eyes slightly: "Rone, go find that outsider tomorrow and tell him that someone wants to hurt him, and that he should leave Kas Town as soon as possible."

"Is it Bishop Charlie?" Rone's heart churned, but he kept a straight face.

"Yes, that greedy bastard. If it weren't for him, how could Kas Town be mocked by merchant caravans as a vampire den where even a mouse passing through has to hand over its own flesh to leave alive!"

"So much so that no merchant caravans dare come to Kas Town anymore, and some daily supplies are scarce. The townspeople have to risk being attacked by magical beasts to buy them at the neighboring town three hours away!"

Rone didn't take a word of it in, wondering why Charlie would bring this matter to the mayor.

After the mayor finished ranting, seeing Rone silent, he mistook it for fear of offending the church and comforted him: "Don't be afraid, Rone."

"The church rules strictly forbid armed conflict in human settlements. As long as we don't give him any handle regarding blasphemy, he won't dare do anything to us in town."

"Very well, I will handle it immediately." Rone nodded, turned, and walked out of the house quickly.

"Tomorrow I will tell Charlie that the outsider has already left. Be careful to avoid being seen on your way to notify him, and don't reveal it to anyone else."

Rone's footsteps paused for a moment, then he continued walking: "Understood."

Once he was out the gate, the mayor breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't too worried about his order being exposed.

He trusted Rone's competence and loyalty very much.

After all, he was a foundling he had picked up twenty-some years ago on a snowy day, raised to adulthood, and appointed to the important post of captain of the Guard.

Apart from the title, it could be said that he was treated like a biological son in every respect.

"I hope that outsider takes my warning seriously." The mayor sighed and got up to go to his bedroom to rest.

After climbing high and low in the forest all day, he was exhausted and didn't even want to take a bath.

...

Rone walked through the courtyard, turned back to stare at the gate, his eyes cold, his fists clenched tight.

After a long time, he turned and walked toward the church.

When he arrived at the church, he found the gate tightly shut, so he climbed over the wall and pounded on the door to Charlie's bedroom.

After pounding for about ten minutes, Charlie finally pulled the door open, his eyes bloodshot.

"Rone, you had better give me a sufficient reason, otherwise, the fury of having my sweet sleep interrupted will absolutely burn you to ashes!"

Charlie was furious, but Rone was not at all flustered as he repeated his conversation with the mayor.

After listening, Charlie regained his composure, his lips curling into a sneer: "Who does he think he is? A hero?"

"Bishop Charlie, that guy is a mage. He hasn't used magic in the town, and the mayor won't sign an arrest warrant. I don't have the authority to mobilize the Guard to use force to capture him in the town, and the Guard, being all ordinary people, might not be a match for him."

"You can take action yourself. I believe your Light Magic is enough to blast him into a pile of minced meat."

"Idiot! Do you want to get me killed?!"

Charlie absolutely dared not use violence within a human settlement against a human who had not clearly blasphemed the gods or initiated armed conflict.

A surveillance crystal was installed in the church, which could detect and record the magical fluctuations of magic cast nearby.

When a high-ranking Believer from the superior sect came to interrogate him with a Truth Crystal, he would die a miserable death.

"Then what should we do? Watch the gold coins we have in our grasp slip away?" Rone also knew about the existence of the surveillance crystal, but he had forgotten about it because he rarely came into contact with it; after being scolded, he remembered.

Charlie snorted coldly: "Slip away? Don't even think about a single copper coin!"

As he spoke, he turned back into the room, and when he came out, he was holding a scroll in his hand.

"I have already seen the outsider; there was no magical fluctuation of a Magic Apprentice level coming from his body."

"The Guard has over forty soldiers. You can easily take down a mage-in-training who has only practiced the Meditation Method and hasn't started learning magic yet."

"But I have seen him cast magic."

"Just a one-time magical item."

"To prevent him from carrying other magical items, take this."

Taking the scroll, Rone examined it curiously: "What is this?"

"An Apprentice-level magic scroll. If you are worried about heavy casualties in the Guard, use it. Just tear it open and aim it directly at the target."

A greedy vampire, would he be this kind?

Rone looked suspicious.

"By the way, this scroll is worth two gold coins; we'll split the cost." Charlie looked like he was in pain over the gold coins.

Hearing this, he felt relieved; that was more like it.

"No problem."

He agreed immediately. After all, his main goal was to take revenge on the outsider; the gold coins were an unexpected bonus. If there were any, it was profit; if not, it was no loss.

Charlie warned: "The scroll also emits magical fluctuations. You are not allowed to use it within a range too close to the town."

"Watch the entrances and exits of the town. As soon as he gets far enough away, immediately take the Guards and pursue him to finish him off in the wilderness."

"I understand. Also, how are you planning to deal with the mayor?"

"I can't hide it for too long. If he meets the outsider on the street, he might go and warn him personally."

This was indeed a problem, and Charlie felt a bit distressed.

Given the mayor's personality, if he found out Rone hadn't notified the outsider, he might personally escort him away until he reached a safe zone.

The mayor practiced Knight Magic, and the scroll in his hand couldn't deal with him.

The church also strictly forbade bishops and official Believers from leaving the effective range of the surveillance crystal without authorization, so he couldn't leave the town to hunt him down.

After pondering for a while, Charlie remembered a potion he had accidentally obtained that could cause the user to become temporarily weak.

It just needed to be taken for a week in a row to take effect.

Thinking it over in his mind, he asked Rone:

"In short, do your best to prevent them from meeting. It won't take too long, about seven days. Any problems?"

Rone shook his head to indicate it was fine. The mayor rarely wandered the streets, so seven days was manageable.

"Very good."

"Watch the town gate closely. If the outsider prepares to go to another city, follow him and kill him."

"If he hasn't left after seven days, hmph, I will send them off personally!"

Rone looked at Charlie intently and suddenly asked: "The town needs a mayor to maintain order. Bishop, do you think I am qualified for the position?"

Theoretically, the church had no right to interfere in the kingdom's administrative positions.

But for the mayor of a remote town, if the local bishop strongly endorsed it, the kingdom likely wouldn't get upset with the church over such a trivial matter.

"Of course." Charlie revealed his usual gentle gaze: "You will be a qualified mayor."

"I sincerely thank you for your support, Bishop. Praise the gods." Rone performed a solemn Knight's salute and excitedly gripped the scroll before heading home.

His back receded into the darkness.

Charlie watched, the corners of his mouth slowly curling up, revealing mockery for the ignorant.

He murmured softly: "Mayor? If you survive the pursuit of the magic family behind the outsider, I will seriously consider it, provided that you can keep your life in my hands."

He turned and entered the room.

"Creak—"

The two doors closed, and the faint light shining from the room was blocked out.