Me, a priest? How could that be!

Chapter 40 What I'm about to say, don't be afraid.

Seeing Aqua in trouble, Charlotte felt relieved. He returned all the grievances he had suffered from the Axis cultists to their goddess, and suddenly felt enlightened.

You're saying Charlotte is also an Axis?

There's no conflict.

However, Aqua's behavior changed from screaming loudly at the beginning to sobbing softly later, and then to remaining silent, leaving the people on the shore looking at each other in bewilderment.

At that moment, Charlotte inadvertently noticed the mountains in the distance.

The lake's water flows continuously from the mountain, and at the very top of the mountain stands an ancient castle on the edge of the cliff, which is not conspicuous from their angle.

That is...

Charlotte seemed to realize something and said to Kazuma Sato beside her, "We don't need me here for now, do we?"

"Right..."

Kazuma Sato wasn't sure either, but so far the brutal alligators hadn't broken through the iron cage's defenses, so there shouldn't be any major problems. He just didn't know how much psychological trauma Aqua was experiencing at this point.

"I have something I want to investigate. You can stay here for a while."

"That's possible..."

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

Under the puzzled gazes of the three, Charlotte set off towards the mountaintop.

He knew that the Headless Horseman had been ordered by the Demon King to come to Axel to investigate the pillar of light that fell from the sky, and he also knew that the other party would choose this castle as a temporary base.

However, it wasn't certain whether the Demon King's army had arrived, so he planned to investigate. If they had, Charlotte could pass this information on to the guild and receive a reward.

Many adventurers make a living from this, and the guild won't skimp on it.

Walking on the mountain path.

I sensed something was off.

Although it's a road leading to the summit, few adventurers come here, so the road should be rugged and difficult to traverse. But now it's become very flat, and the dangerous monsters that used to roam the forest seem to have vanished without a trace.

Could it be that……

Charlotte quickened his pace toward the mountaintop, and soon his guess was confirmed: the Demon King's army had indeed occupied the ancient castle on the cliff face.

There were several small groups of goblins and kobolds, each group consisting of 20, patrolling around the castle. They met up about every 10 minutes, and there were no unfamiliar faces.

Judging from their patrol speed and the time they take, it seems they are patrolling around the castle, which means there are only 40 monsters outside.

The exact number of the Demon King's army inside is unknown.

Charlotte did not rush to leave, but continued to lie in wait, unsure whether they were the vanguard or whether the Headless Horseman was also inside the castle.

Soon, the headless knight, riding a headless horse and holding his head in his hands, arrived at the castle gate surrounded by a large number of monsters, and was talking to the patrolling monsters.

Having confirmed the headless horseman's presence, Charlotte prepared to leave. Just then, the headless horseman raised his head and gestured in various directions, as if sniffing something.

Sudden--

The headless horseman turned the head he was holding 180 degrees and stared intently at the bushes where Charlotte was hiding. Charlotte tensed up and froze on the spot, completely afraid to move.

The kobold, still reporting on his work, noticed the headless knight's actions and asked with some confusion, "Lord Beldia, what's wrong?"

"...It's okay, let's continue."

The headless horseman shook his head, then led his minions toward the castle while listening to the kobold's report.

Only after the Demon King's army had completely disappeared did Charlotte relax and gasp for breath; he was drenched in sweat.

There was no doubt that he had been discovered.

But the Headless Horseman ignored it, or rather, couldn't be bothered to. He considered himself a noble knight in life and disdained to kill weak adventurers, thus choosing to spare Charlotte's life.

Out of embarrassment and anger?

No, not at all.

Charlotte underestimated the strength of the Demon King's army officers, after all, Aqua, Chris, and Wiz around her all looked harmless.

The fact that Beldia exuded a dangerous aura just now shows that the Demon King's army officers are definitely not to be underestimated.

Charlotte didn't think much of it and immediately returned to town.

Upon arriving at the Adventurers' Guild, he was greeted by the same receptionist as before.

"Mr. Charlotte, what's wrong?"

"Don't be afraid of what I'm about to say."

"We are professionals, we are not afraid, please speak."

"I saw the Demon King's army officers."

hiss----

The two saleswomen at the counter gasped, their expressions instantly turning serious as they asked earnestly:

Are you sure?

"I'm sure."

Charlotte gave the same serious reply.

Perhaps it was because he was wearing the robes of an Eris priest, or perhaps because he was well-liked in town and was not accused of spreading alarmist or false information, that he was taken away by the guards.

"Mr. Charlotte, please explain in detail."

"Okay. I saw it from the old castle on the hill outside the town..."

Of course, he wouldn't say that he went there specifically to investigate; he just said that he had a sudden urge to go and take a look. He found a large number of goblins and kobolds around the castle and became suspicious. After some investigation, he discovered that they were the Demon King's army and the Demon King's army officers leading them.

"Are you sure it's the Headless Horseman?"

"Yes. And it seems he's noticed me, which is important."

Charlotte emphasized this point.

Discovery and non-discovery are two different concepts.

No one knows whether the Headless Horseman will stop hiding and take the opportunity to attack, perhaps even besieging Axel and wreaking havoc tomorrow?

The saleswoman at the counter nodded.

"Yes, I understand. I will send someone to investigate this matter, and you will receive the appropriate reward after verifying the information."

"Investigate? Shouldn't we be requesting reinforcements directly from the capital?"

"Unfortunately, without concrete evidence, we cannot request support. In fact, it's not just Axel and the capital; other towns have also been under attack by the Demon King's army."

"……I see."

Charlotte sighed.

Actually, this situation is already quite good; at least they didn't choose to turn a blind eye.

If it turns into a situation where "in the first stage, we declared that nothing was wrong" and then "in the fourth stage, maybe we could have done something back then, but now it's too late"... then it really will be too late.

Although Charlotte felt it was too late.

If he could reincarnate before Kazuma Sato, he would have some time to develop, but now he is only level 6 and has only learned three skills. He is truly powerless against the Headless Horseman.

...unless you have a powerful magical item.

If he had the Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon, he believed he wouldn't be afraid to face the Headless Horseman.

The problem now is, where can we find such a powerful magical item?

Charlotte buried her head in her arms.

While I was thinking, I heard an unfamiliar female voice beside me.

"So you're Charlotte?"

"Your profession is high priest, right?"

……Um?

Looking up, I saw two female adventurers beside me, one a spear wielder and the other a thief. Although they were cute, their arrogant and haughty attitude was extremely annoying.

And I don't know them either.

"Don't do that, Clementa, Fiona."

At this moment, a handsome young man dressed in jet-black armor, with a long sword hanging at his waist, and whose profession was a sword master, introduced himself with a smile:

"Nice to meet you, I am Mikami Hibiki."

Great, now we've gotten to know each other.