LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 162: All-Purpose Handyman
The Radiant Sun Church bishop was dumbfounded for a full ten seconds upon receiving the letter of challenge.
"Is this really from Weisshem?" The bishop's hand clutching the letter was shaking as he asked the officer who had delivered it.
The officer, understanding the bishop's bewilderment, silently placed a thick leather envelope on the desk. From it, he extracted a silver badge, its front adorned with the emblem of the Radiant Sun Church's Inquisition, and engraved on its back was the name, Benn Hamn Walton.
The bishop stared at the Inquisition's emblem in silent contemplation. If even this important emblem was in the hands of someone else, then it was clear the person that had issued this letter held Walton.
While the bishop couldn't openly go into a tirade about Walton in front of the latter's subordinates, deep down, he was cursing the fool's recklessness.
Back then, he had explicitly warned Walton, a headstrong brute, not to meddle in Weisshem's affairs, reminding him that the Rhine Kingdom, unlike the Kenyan Empire, was governed by the Church of Lady Gold Coin and the Rhine monarchy. They, of the Radiant Sun Church, shouldn't overstep their bounds. But that idiot Walton hadn't heeded the warning and had now recklessly landed himself in trouble.
Charlie Rex, the deranged bastard, had cunningly hoodwinked the Nightmare Butcher and stirred trouble under Yang's name. He definitely wasn't an easy adversary.
And now, though the soldiers of the Indahl City Defense Force had infiltrated Weisshem alongside the Radiant Sun Church, Charlie Rex had smartly singled out the Radiant Sun Church first!
Having been stationed in the Rhine Kingdom, a foreign land of heretics, for over a decade, the bishop knew his place well. Indeed, the 12 knightly orders of the Radiant Sun Church's Inquisition could easily crush any minor nation, but in this distant land, thousands of miles away from the Kenyan Empire, they couldn't rely on reinforcements from the holy land!
For years, this bishop had avoided trouble and friction with the local faith, fully aware of the challenges of battling on home and away grounds; while the Church of Lady Gold Coin in Indahl might not match his Radiant Sun Church in strength, they had the advantage of continuous support from the holy land of Lady Gold Coin, merely a few hundred kilometers away.
His own fighting force, on the other hand, would dwindle with each loss, and he had no intention of stirring unnecessary conflicts.
The bishop neatly folded the letter, sliding it back into the envelope along with Walton's Inquisition emblem. No matter his dissatisfaction, he was the presiding bishop of this Radiant Sun Church branch, and it was his responsibility to clean up the mess caused by the Inquisition's knightly order here.
"Between the City Defense Force and the Inquisition's knightly order, Charlie Rex chose us Captain Roy, what do you think this bastard is up to?" the bishop asked, placing the envelope back into his drawer, feigning nonchalance as he turned to the officer standing at his desk.
Captain Roy, who temporarily assumed command due to the bishop's support, responded with utmost respect, "Charlie Rex's biggest enemy is the Bartalis family, yet he chose to target us first. Perhaps he lacks confidence and courage to challenge the Bartalis family directly and is using us as practice. He might think that the loss of our commander is a severe blow to our combat effectiveness."
The bishop nodded in approval, tapping the desk with his finger. "Commander Walton is indeed a capable commander if only he could rid himself of his rashness."
Captain Roy remained silent, not willing to criticize Walton, his superior.
The bishop, having tested the waters, did not press further and continued, "Charlie Rex isn't yet formally a noble. He lacks family knights or an army. Weisshem only has a militia of just over two hundred and less than 50 soldiers who defected from the city defense force to serve Rex.
"Additionally, a few of Yang's followers serve Rex, but none of them are renowned powerhouses. The most notable among them, 'Razor' Hal, is merely a bandit leader from the Sorensen Mountains.
"On paper, such limited military might makes it clear that Charlie Rex wouldn't have the courage to challenge our knightly order." The bishop paused briefly, his eyes narrowing. "It's evident that Charlie Rex has a backup plan. The most likely scenario is that he has once again successfully deceived the 'Nightmare Butcher' and borrowed Yang's army of the undead. That will be the enemy you'll most likely face on the battlefield."
Captain Roy asked anxiously, "Your Reverence, will the Nightmare Butcher himself join the battle?"
This time, the bishop remained silent for a long time
Finally, he said, "Rest assured. The Nightmare Butcher has done many heinous acts, but that doesn't include breaking his word."
Captain Roy was perplexed for a bit, then suddenly recalled the previous negotiating the Nightmare Butcher had with them
When Walton and the bishop negotiated with the Nightmare Butcher, Captain Roy, as deputy to the knightly order, had been present too.
The Nightmare Butcher had indeed personally stated that in Indahl territory, he would show the utmost sincerity in maintaining peace with the Radiant Sun Churcheven if other knightly orders of the Inquisition attacked him unawares, he would ensure their safety.
Captain Roy felt that something amiss about this world
The bishop, not wanting to dwell on this issue further, waved Captain Roy off dismissively. "Prepare for battle. Let's teach this bastard a lesson he will never forget."
Captain Roy quickly excused himself and left the Radiant Sun Church, boarding the carriage driven by his own soldiers back to the knightly order's encampment. Throughout the journey, he was deeply engrossed in thought.
Roy was rather young and hadn't yet reached 30. Before becoming Walton's deputy and the vice-commander of the order, he had served as a night watchman for a few years in the north of the Kenyan Empire.
It was an unspoken rule in all church-affiliated military forces that officers must emerge from the ranks of the night watchmen, for the world's unknown dangers made untested officers unreliable.
Of course, even the most perfect rules had loopholes, as they tended to apply downward rather than upward.
Walton had spent nearly two decades fraught with risk as a night watchman before rising to his current position, while Roy, from a rather illustrious family, had spent only three years in a small town near the holy land before smoothly transitioning into the order.
Aware of the disparity between himself and Walton, Roy never harbored ambitions to replace the former. He, too, hadn't replied to the subtle insinuations of the cleric. After all, with the support of his family, he would still get promoted smoothly in a few years.
What made Roy perplexed was the bishop's attitude toward the Nightmare Butcher.
On confirmation of Walton's disappearance in Weisshem, the bishop had immediately convened all officers to announce the situation and prepare for war. And now, on receiving Charlie Rex's challenge, the bishop's stance was clear: just defeat the bastard.
The bishop feared the Nightmare Butcher but didn't take Charlie Rex seriously, firmly believing the Nightmare Butcher would honor his promise and not intervene in the conflict between the knightly order, Weisshem, and Rex.
In other words, the bishop deemed the Nightmare Butcher a man of his word, worthy of a certain level of "trust."
This was a staggering revelation for Roy; after all, their knightly order was dispatched from the Kenyan Empire to hunt down the Nightmare Butcher throughout the continent, and they were indoctrinated with the notion of the black mage's vileness and ruthlessnessa threat that absolutely needed to be eliminated!
The more Roy pondered, the more he found it incomprehensible.
What sort of person is the Nightmare Butcher? For the first time, Captain Roy, who had been on a mission to pursue and eliminate this black mage, seriously considered.
While Captain Roy found himself pondering the true nature of this enigmatic figure, his former superior, Commander Walton, now a captive, was grappling with similar thoughts in distant Weisshem.
Commander Walton, who was now a captive, enjoyed the same treatment as WagnerHal previously reckoned Wagner as too dangerous to be in his care and chucked him to the house Yang lived in.
The ever busy Yang rarely appeared, and Commander Walton's only two "housemates" were Wagner Pitt and "Charlie Rex."
Stripped of his military garb and now donning a simple cotton shirt and brown trousers, Walton had just finished taming the overgrown garden when "Charlie Rex," with food boxes in hand, came in via the courtyard gates. Beckoning to Walton, he said, "The water pipe at Mrs. Marshall's place next door has burst. Grab Wagner's toolbox and have a look, will you?"
Wiping the sweat off his brow, Walton silently made his way to the corner shed, retrieving the toolbox left behind by his predecessor, Wagner Pitt. As he prepared to step out, the man posing as "Charlie Rex" called out from the living room window, "Come back for lunch once you're done."
"Yes, ascetic," Walton replied tersely, stepping out
Only when he became a captive did Walton realize the man he believed to be "Charlie Rex" was merely a stand-in, an ascetic from the Church of Prosperity that Yang had casually picked.
Considering Yang's notorious impulsive nature, this facade of appointing someone as a figurehead was entirely in character.
The actual Charlie Rex was a righteous young man who showed no signs of ambition and was completely devoted to Yang. Walton's realization of this truth came as a shock when Hal, who had captured him, brought him face to face with the real Rex at the town hall.
Having received a noble elite education, it didn't take long for Walton to piece together the situation after his initial period of frustration. First and foremost, Yang had no regard for the Bartalis familyhe was indifferent to whether they recognized the real Charlie Rex. Furthermore, Yang didn't view the Radiant Sun Church branch in Indahl as an obstacle, a fact confirmed by the local bishop's lack of interest in Weisshem's affairs.
Connecting these dots, Walton surmised that Yang would inevitably scheme against Indahl and the Bartalis family's century-long domain!
To this, Walton felt that the bishop had been right. The squabbles between Yang and the Church of Lady Gold Coin, Charlie Rex and the Bartalis family were none of his business!
Sadly, by the time Walton realized that Charlie Rex was just a puppet and Yang's will was the driving force behind all the changes in Weisshem, it was already too late
"Mrs. Marshall's house" mentioned by the ascetic Lowell was, in reality, several houses away from Yang's large residence.
But that detail was insignificant. In his new role as an all-purpose handyman, every household in the vicinity had become a "neighbor" in need of his assistance.
Unlike large cities that had a centralized water system, townsfolk relied heavily on a network of pipes drawing water from wells for household use. Mrs. Marshall's well was a hub for several homes, all paying a weekly fee for the water they drew.
Walton had fixed these pipes just days before; Mrs. Marshall recognized him immediately and pointed toward a web of pipes draped over her well. "Please have a look at this section, sir. The pipe seems to be malfunctioning, Jenny's house isn't getting any water," she requested.
Walton nodded begrudgingly and trudged over to inspect the pipes
Walton had never done plumbing work, but he found the town's water pipes surprisingly straightforward to work with. Unlike the iron pipes he had seen elsewhere, these were made from a peculiar material resembling rubber, easily detachable and reassembled, allowing for flexible configuration and straightforward installation.
Such unique and ingeniously designed pipes in a town where the economy was modest at best astonished Walton. When he inquired about their origin, the townspeople openly shared that these pipes, relieving many from the daily chore of fetching water, were sold at affordable prices by town hall clerks in the marketplace, who even assisted with installation.
In his days before capture, Walton might have suspected Rex of using underhanded methods to win over the townspeople.
Now, with the knowledge that the real Charlie Rex was merely Yang's puppet and that all changes in Weisshem were orchestrated by the black mage, Walton's thoughts were a tumultuous mix.
What is Yang's endgame? he pondered while fixing the pipes, his mind grappling with his shattered worldview.
While Walton struggled to make sense of his new reality, his predecessor, Lieutenant Wagner Pit, now released from the shackles of his all-purpose handyman role, was drowning in despair.
"This is Exile Town, the birthplace of the undead. You might consider it their hometown," Yang Qiu explained calmly to a bewildered Wagner, who had just arrived via the Town Hall's underground teleportation point.
"As you have seen, we've welcomed some new undead friends. They are still acclimating to combat, but we don't have the luxury of time for them to gradually gain experience through hunting. As you know, Rex's challenge letter must have already been delivered to the Radiant Sun Church by now."
Wagner Pitt: ""