Chapter 87: Isolated Areas
After exiting the church, Corleon had the messenger who was resting in the kitchen deliver the letter to Nyx.
Then he summoned Hack.
"I need you to make a trip to Gobelow Village and have George, who is stationed there, return,"said Corleon.
"Right now?"Hack asked.
"Depart tomorrow when the Morning Star rises."
"What about Captain Hode’s side?"
"There’s still no news from them, but you don’t need to worry. They might have found a new clue. May the Lord protect them,"Corleon reassured.
In truth, four days ago, Corleon had already been unable to locate Hode and the others through Revelation.
Just like those hidden werewolves, whenever he tried to investigate their information, a pair of beastly vertical pupils would always block his view.
Corleon felt some concern but did not show it in front of Hack.
"Yes, the Lord will watch over them."Hearing this, some worry faded from Hack’s face, and he made the sign of the cross over his chest.
"What about that boy you brought?"
"He seems to be adapting well to life here,"Hack said with a smile when mentioning Marl.
"It’s just that he keeps wanting to join the Church and become a Temple Warrior, but I don’t think he’s suited to be a Temple Warrior."
"He’s too clever—not suitable for us."
"Is being clever a bad thing?"Corleon smiled as well.
"Being clever is good, of course. But to be a Temple Warrior, one often has to do foolish things,"Hack replied frankly.
He was a Temple Warrior, not an idiot.
Ever since he understood the duties of a Temple Warrior, he had known that one day he would have to do something foolish.
Just like Hode entering the passageway on his own.
Hode was one of their strongest fighters.
Entering alone might have increased his chances of survival, but compared to the others, Hode’s death would be a greater loss.
"That’s not a foolish act—that’s a noble one,"said Corleon.
"Hahaha, yes, it’s a noble act,"Hack laughed."Even though I don’t recommend him to become a Temple Warrior, I hope the Bishop will allow him to stay and permit him to become a Monk."
"He’s a smart person—fit to be a Monk."
"It’s not just Temple Warriors. Sometimes, even Monks must do foolish things,"Corleon said.
"But since you recommended him, let him study at the monastery, along with those other three."
"Cicero will be pleased."
After Hack left, Corleon closed his eyes.
Only after confirming this decision was right did he return to the church.
Being in the descended state drained him greatly.
He needed rest.
The next day, before the Morning Star had risen, Corleon received a reply from Nyx.
"Regarding the Sacrament, there’s no need to prepare. There have been uprisings in both Gobelow Village and Andes Village. Judging by their tracks, they are heading for the Principality of Corlay."
"Things over there are chaotic—very chaotic and dangerous. But for them, it might be a good place. I just hope they survive there."
"However, traces of our Church were found in both rebellious villages."
"Those local gentry will surely use this matter to lobby Knight Wolf."
"Knight Wolf’s stance is ambiguous now. I can’t be certain what he’s thinking."
"Yes, I know George and the Bishop once saved his life. But when matters escalate to family interests, some decisions are beyond him."
"These days, I even perform rituals before bed. Otherwise, I worry an assassin might reach my bedside."
"Of course, with the current werewolf threat, they wouldn’t risk attacking the church. But the Bishop must always remain cautious."
"To them, if driven to desperation, they won’t care whether we’re connected to the Lord or not."
"In their eyes, once they kill us, the Lord will naturally weigh where the interests lie."
"The Bishop should not view them through the good and evil of the Holy Scriptures. In their eyes, there is no good or evil—only benefit."
"The equipment the Bishop requested has been approved by Knight Wolf, but it’s only some decommissioned gear. It will be shipped from York Town around noon today."
"If more is needed later, then demand the Church trade them for werewolf corpses."
"But the Bishop must instruct the Temple Warriors not to seek help from the villages. Those folks don’t care about werewolves."
"Once the Lord returns with his army, or the battle on the western front against the Dark Creatures ends, our forces will easily drive them north—"
"Oh, Demitri, that—"the following part was a section blacked out.
"Whether it’s the Lord or Demitri present, those Dark Creatures wouldn’t dare to emerge."
That was the main content. The rest were just some polite greetings.
It came as no surprise to Corleon that an uprising had also occurred in Andes Village.
Of course, in Corleon’s eyes, this was a rebellion.
Once such a rebellion succeeded even once, it would trigger a chain reaction.
Corleon thought that if Holmes Village hadn’t been massacred by werewolves, it likely would have erupted in rebellion as well.
He paused and closed his eyes, attempting to locate them using Revelation.
Yet again, his investigation was blocked by a pair of beastly vertical pupils.
Corleon thought for a moment and unfolded the map of York Territory.
This was still the previously drawn one. It showed the locations of the four villages, and when connecting them together, they happened to form a cluster of northern villages.
When linked with the villages destroyed by the Necromancer before, it appeared that the entire northern and northeastern parts of York Territory had now been thoroughly cleared.
There was vaguely a vacuum zone drawn along the border with Marquis Demitri’s territory.
Now, aside from York Town, the population of York Territory was concentrated mainly in the south—where most of the Knight Families were located.
He recalled the ridicule in Nyx’s tone when he previously mentioned knights trampling the local gentry’s manors.
Perhaps there were other factors when those four gentry families’ estates were trampled by knights?
Nevertheless, Corleon sketched out the path from the two rebellious villages heading toward the Principality of Corlay.
Looking further up—was the Northwind Mountains.
He thought of the beastly vertical pupils that repeatedly blocked his sight.
So, were those werewolves hiding in the north?
Or rather, even further north—in Marquis Demitri’s territory?
Corleon furrowed his brow.
That was an entire Marquisate, more than three times the size of York Territory.
What exactly was happening over there?
Just as he was about to put away the map, Corleon spotted a small marked patch at the map’s edge.
It was Lundex Territory—previously the territory of Pegiraov when he was a Lord.
After Pegiraov became a Viscount, there had been no news from that region.
Now, it seemed that the vacuum zone formed by the four villages in the werewolf activity area had severed it from York Town.
Corleon thought of the Lord’s secrecy.
After some hesitation, he closed his eyes to use Revelation to probe the Lord’s situation.
However, he was blocked by a giant golden-edged, red-background dragon flag.
He sighed.
Corleon penned a reply, inquiring to Nyx about the state of Marquis Demitri’s territory and the former Lord Lundex’s land.