Chapter 7

“Hic,”

The thief, writhing in pain, flinched when I spoke to him.

“I don’t need that kind of thing right now.”

“Did you hear me? What does ‘sacrifice’ mean? Spit it out in detail.”

“Ugh… If I say it, will I be saved?”

“Yes, I keep my promises. Thieves are scum, but if there’s room for a deal, I’ll make a deal.”

“But, what if you decide to kill me afterward?”

“I won’t do that. Don’t worry. I absolutely hate it when promises are broken. That’s why I keep them. Simple, right?”

The thief pondered for a while, but when I reached for my sword, he resigned himself. Originally, if he stayed silent, he would only die. He had no choice.

“Damn, only the boss knows the details… What I know is that we were supposed to keep the young lady confined here for a while, and hand her over when someone comes to pick her up.”

“Who is the pick-up for?”

“I don’t know. Really!”

Useless.

“So, how did you kidnap the young lady? She’s the daughter of the Lanakeld family. The security must be tight. It’s impossible for you guys.”

“It was the guys in red hoods. They seem to have kidnapped her in her sleep. I haven’t seen their faces… That’s right. The boss seemed to know who they were.”

That dual-sword bastard, I should have kept him alive.

But, the guys in red hoods who are acquaintances with the former kingdom’s military officers…

They must be skilled and unscrupulous enough to invade a noble’s house and kidnap someone.

A sacrifice… some kind of evil cult?

As I was thinking, the thief began to groan again from the pain in his leg.

“Do you know anything else?”

“No, nothing. I’ve never killed anyone. Please forgive me…”

“Alright. I’ll spare your life.”

I used a low-grade potion to treat the injury on his leg. It should be enough for him to walk.

“Thank you…”

“Now, I’m not just going to let you go. If I let you go and you return to thievery, it’ll be my fault for letting you go.”

“I understand, I won’t do thievery anymore.”

“Anyone can say anything with their mouth. That’s why I’m doing this.”

I cast a spell on the nail of the thief’s left hand.

“This spell will activate if you break your promise to me. The effect… if you’re curious, try it out. By the way, I’ve said it before. I absolutely hate when promises are broken.”

The thief looked at the nail of his left hand, sweating profusely, and nodded several times.

I gave him some travel money, and I’ll let him go once we’re gone from here.

If he reforms, he’s not worth killing; if he doesn’t reform, he’ll disappear on his own.

I forgot about the thief and turned my thoughts to the sacrifice. From experience, nothing good comes when evil cults are involved. The circumstances under which I obtained this heavenly sword also involved an evil cult. It’s probably a different organization since I’ve destroyed them.

When I exited the entrance, Nia and the others were covering the roughed-up women with blankets and taking care of them. The young lady of the Lanakeld family was also resting, sitting on a rock.

Nia gave me some hot water when I came out.

“Sky knight-Sama, we’re waiting for the carriage to be arranged. Did you find out anything?”

While drinking the hot water, I told Nia what I had learned.

“A group in red hoods, huh? Well, they’re too suspicious.”

“For now, the Lanakeld family will handle it.”

After all, their daughter was kidnapped from her bed.

It’s not public, but their name has been tarnished.

Moreover, the current head of the Lanakeld family, the Marquis of Lanakeld, is known to be doting on his children. He must be furious.

If the safety of his daughter is confirmed, he will show no mercy.