After seeing the others off, the faces of the remaining mercenaries were somewhat grim — only Lafinia let out a cheer. "Are we finally going to fight?"
She drew her Knight's longsword, her face brimming with eager anticipation.
This expression immediately drew the displeasure of her companions.
"In that case, you can start tonight's patrol!"
A single cutting remark from Lin Lei, delivered without a shred of courtesy, was enough to deflate all of Lafinia's fighting spirit.
Old Bam didn't dare say anything openly, but secretly gave Lin Lei a thumbs up.
Watching Lafinia storm off into the carriage in a huff, Lin Lei and the others burst into hearty laughter — though Lin Lei himself wore a smile, his gaze held something deeper as he turned to look back in the direction they had come from.
"This feeling... it's as if something has happened..."
......
At that same moment, a peculiar group of people had entered the city of Aimon.
"According to our intelligence, the target vanished without a trace after going ashore. After eliminating the other possible directions, this area has the highest probability of being their landing point..."
The leader of this group was a Paladin clad in gleaming silver armor. The blinding Holy Light forced the city gate garrison soldiers to scatter, their faces bearing expressions of reverence and fear as they looked at the Sacred Emblem on the Paladin's chest.
It was a badge with a blue shield as its base, its design featuring a balance scale upon a warhammer, now wreathed in its characteristic divine radiance.
"A Paladin of the God of Justice!!!"
Exclamations rang out here and there, and the thugs and ruffians on the streets vanished without a trace.
The Sacred Emblem worn by this Paladin was none other than the sigil of Tyr, the God of Justice — this powerful deity had made the suppression of evil his sacred duty, and his ranks were filled with fanatical Paladions, a force that struck terror into the hearts of all evil powers.
"Lin Lei Faolan — this minor noble is definitely connected to the recent Pirate Tide. He won't get away!"
The Paladin's expression was resolute. "Under the radiance of my Lord, all evil shall face judgment!!!"
"Paladin-Captain Lorent! Don't forget our God's teachings — until a proper trial has been conducted, the target still holds noble status. Please watch your words and maintain proper etiquette!"
An elderly priest standing behind the Paladin offered a reminder.
Unlike the radicals among the Paladins, the priests of the God of Justice, while just as earnest in judging evil, had long recognized that the world held no pure good or pure evil—only gray areas in between. They had learned to compromise. And that was precisely why the Church of the God of Justice had endured to the present day.
"However… the lives of over a thousand civilians on the outer seas, and tens of thousands of innocents driven from their homes—these do demand an answer. The other party must cooperate with our investigation. The God of Justice will not let a single wrongdoer escape, nor will he condemn a single innocent!"
Sorrow flickered in the priest's eyes, then in an instant transformed into resolve.
"Praise be to our God!"
Behind the priest, several other high-ranking clergy began to pray in turn.
They were the investigation team the God of Justice had dispatched to the outer seas of Danbres, led by a number of high-ranking Paladins and senior priests.
When they arrived at the outer seas, they were first and foremost horrified by the atrocities committed by the evil pirates.
The spreading Pirate Tide had nearly annihilated the entire Bodie Archipelago. Only the fiefs of a few minor nobles had escaped the catastrophe.
Because the pirates had left virtually no survivors, gathering evidence had proven extraordinarily difficult.
After overcoming one peril after another, they had finally managed to vaguely trace the masterminds behind the carnage to the Pirate's Port and the Crimson Tiger pirate crew—only to discover that one minor noble appeared to have played a very important role in the affair.
The investigation team pressed on without rest, arriving at Faolan Island at once, only to be informed that Lin Lei had already departed.
Left with no alternative, the team split into two groups. One remained behind in the outer seas to continue the investigation while spreading the teachings of the God of Justice. The other returned directly to the mainland, ostensibly to request Lin Lei's cooperation with the inquiry—but in truth… once a target fell into the hands of these Paladins, even the most cunning and devious noble rarely lasted more than a day!
When it came to divine arts of interrogation or breaking a target's will, the priests under Tyr, the God of Justice, were never found wanting.
Sometimes, a simple alignment check was enough to resolve a great many problems.
Before the might of a powerful deity, a minor noble caught with evidence against them possessed no power to resist.
But conversely, without evidence, even a high-ranking bishop could not directly judge a noble!
Lin Lei had severed all ties between the Crimson Tiger and Faolan Island long ago. Therefore, unless they captured Lin Lei—the key witness—the investigation team in the outer seas could take no action whatsoever against Faolan Island or Baron and Baroness Jonas.
It was precisely because he understood this that Lin Lei had resolved to set out on his travels.
"Disgusting… these nobles again, turning a blind eye to the suffering of the common folk beneath them, creating one disaster after another…" A female priest spoke up indignantly.
"Watch your tongue!"