Chapter 56: The Mastermind Appears
"Atanis, you've finally arrived."
Sensing the old priest's approaching footsteps, Joshua turned to look at him and teased, "You're a bit slow, you know. Look, everything's already over."
"It's not that I'm slow, but that you were too fast, too sudden."
Atanis, walking to the warrior's side, was also helpless. What could he do? From the moment the Dragon Clan assassin struck to their rapid flight and escape, less than a dozen seconds had passed. And he, who had been browsing through books in the deepest archive room of the church, needed seven or eight seconds just to walk out the door. Then, the warrior's return and the fight with the paladin took no more than a few minutes. By the time he gathered the City Guard to investigate, it was already over. Even if he had reacted in time, he couldn't have made it.
Looking around, everywhere were massive craters, overturned earth, broken trees, and scattered debris. Atanis shook his head, then turned his gaze to Loranda, who stood silently to the side, suppressing the throbbing in her head. His eyes widened slightly.
"Such a disheveled state... So they really did fight, and she lost."
He thought to himself, "I didn't expect Joshua's strength to have reached this level. He doesn't seem to have any injuries. This was a decisive victory!"
Regardless, as a high-ranking administrator of the Church of the Seven Gods, he stepped forward decisively, saluted the paladin, and said, "Good day, Knight Loranda. I am Atanis, Bishop of Saint Lawrence Cathedral in Moldavia."
After the Pope had left, the paladin, who had been silent all this time, finally raised his head. His once handsome face was now covered in blood and grime. He seemed to have been pondering something earlier, and upon hearing Atanis's greeting, he immediately returned the salute: "Good day, Bishop Atanis. I am Loranda, a high-ranking knight of the Far Sea Holy Mountain. It is an honor to meet you."
Although Loranda's strength surpassed Atanis's, and her adoptive father was the Pope, she was ultimately just an ordinary high-ranking knight, not yet a Knight Commander who could sit on equal footing with the bishops. Therefore, in the presence of the old bishop, she performed a subordinate's salute.
This was perfectly normal for the two of them, who adhered to order. After all, managing the church didn't depend on strength. After exchanging greetings, the paladin came to her senses. She enveloped her body in Holy Light, and in a moment, her disheveled appearance vanished, along with the blood and sweat.
A basic divine spell, Purification—a practical little technique that both priests and paladins could master. The wounds on Loranda's body had also healed. After all, she was a top-tier Gold Peak close-combat professional. After this much time, even a concussion would be mostly healed. After completely tidying up her appearance, she turned her head and cast a deep glance at Joshua, who was staring into the void.
His attention didn't seem to be on his surroundings at all, but fixed on the empty space ahead. This immediately made her feel awkward, unsure of what to say.
Joshua, who was looking at his system, sensed someone watching him. The warrior turned his head and nodded to the two church members.
Just then, Loranda made her decision. She smiled with relief, stepped forward, and said to Joshua, "This time, I have lost."
But Joshua, in an excellent mood, didn't mind at all. He shook his head. "It's just a lack of experience. Your basic conditions are similar to mine. As the Pope said, you just haven't fought enough. I look forward to our next bout."
Having said that, it was Joshua's turn to feel a bit awkward. But what kind of person was he? Certainly not a good one! So the warrior deliberately ignored the fact that he had provoked the fight and falsely accused her of being a Dragon Clan spy. The paladin, for her part, seemed to have forgotten the matter as well, instead immersing herself in the reality of her defeat and the thought of training harder in the future.
The surrounding City Guards, at Joshua's signal, gradually moved closer. They saw the terrifying traces of the battle and were all a bit tense. When they saw the two ferocious, unblinking heads of the Demonic Blood Giant Dragons, more than a few swallowed hard and quietly prayed for divine protection.
Joshua shook his head. The psychological fortitude of his City Guard was still a bit lacking. When the Dragon Calamity came in the future, although the elite troops like the Demonic Blood Giant Dragons wouldn't be the first to appear, a massive horde of dragon beasts would certainly be overwhelming. If they were already weak in the knees now, how would they face the dragon army later?
To train their courage, Joshua ordered the City Guards to carry the two dragon heads back into the city and informed them of the location where he had fought the two Demonic Blood Giant Dragons. Dragon corpses were very valuable. The warrior generously decided that one-tenth of the money from selling the dragon materials they retrieved would belong to them.
One-tenth. Although it didn't sound like much, in reality, even when divided among these several hundred City Guards, each person would get several dozen gold coins, equivalent to over half a year of hard work. This was even a conservative estimate from Joshua, considering that the price of dragon materials might drop due to an oversupply. In the current market, it could be several times higher.
Hearing this, the crowd, motivated by money, no longer cared about fear. They let out a cheer and, with high spirits, worked together to lift the dragon heads. Meanwhile, another group took out maps to confirm the location their lord had mentioned, planning to set out the next day to find the dragon corpses after organizing the camp.
Joshua gave a few more instructions regarding the cleanup, then turned back to Atanis and Loranda, who were quietly conversing. "Gentlemen, let's return to the city first. Especially you, Knight. You definitely need a good rest."
Having said that, he seemed to remember something and added with a smile, "Destroying your helmet earlier was my fault."
"Who could have foreseen that in the heat of battle? It's not your fault."
Loranda wasn't particularly upset about her helmet. She had gained a lot from this exchange. The time she had spent staring blankly earlier was her way of seizing the lingering feeling of the fight to contemplate how she could improve her combat techniques and methods. Even now, she was still savoring the timing of Joshua's punches and the swiftness of his changes in technique.
They were both people who frequently hunted magical beasts. Why was he so effortlessly relaxed, whether dealing with dragons or anything else? Loranda knew that this level of mastery was beyond her current understanding. But since someone who possessed such skill was right beside her, she would surely have many opportunities to seek his advice in the future.
Thinking this, a glint flashed in her azure-blue eyes. Men are like that—even if they feel mutual respect and genuine admiration, being beaten still makes them want to return the favor!
Joshua could naturally see the paladin's thoughts. This friend's mind was too simple; he could tell what she was thinking just from her expression. But he didn't mind; in fact, he was quite pleased. After all, now that he was on the verge of breaking through to the Ultimate level, there weren't many people at the Gold rank who could withstand so many of his punches.
"Since I destroyed your helmet, I will naturally provide appropriate compensation," the warrior said leisurely. "You might not know this, but the strongest blacksmith among the Rune Dwarves is currently a guest at my residence."
Hearing this, Loranda's eyes lit up. She naturally knew of the dwarves' craftsmanship. It was as renowned as the Elves' enchantment scrolls and jewelry, synonymous with high-quality equipment. Apart from the shield and cross-shaped warhammer in her hands, everything else she wore was standard Church of the Seven Gods gear. If she could get her hands on dwarven-made equipment, it would undoubtedly be a leap in her combat power.
Seeing how Joshua, with just a few words, had made the paladin forget the earlier fight and even consider visiting his home, Atanis stroked his beard and shook his head. "Regardless, let's return to the city first... Joshua, your Lord's Manor is still in ruins. Before I left the city, I saw your little maid and steward overseeing the repairs."
"That's true."
Recalling that a part of his Lord's Manor had been destroyed by the dragon, even Joshua couldn't help but stiffen his expression. Fortunately, he was certain that only the rear section, where the reception hall was located, had collapsed. His study and bedroom were completely intact.
And so, the three of them set off on their way back to the city.
Far away.
In the Three Mountains Holy City, the Imperial Capital.
Within a lavishly decorated mansion, adorned with countless sparkling crystal ornaments, a crisp shattering sound rang out. It sounded like a crystal ornament had been torn down and thrown to the ground.
Then, an angry male voice followed: "Useless! Two dragons, the most potent poison, and they still couldn't finish the job. They were even killed instead! Can't these Demonic Blood monsters even fight?!"
(To be continued.)