The Guardian

Chapter 222: Sect

Mamaia-Sat was a small town that was north of Constanta City, not far away.

This city was perfect in summer because of its beaches that were very well known in Romania and if one added its night bars and entertainment culture, then it became a perfect place to have fun.

Several Romanian guilds were settled in this place, and there were many adventurers and mercenaries.

Aurora could see the lively atmosphere while driving.

“As Urfin has informed us. We have to report to the leader of the Executors of Order, Theodore Laurent,” Aurora commented as she drove, and looking at her friend, she pointed. “We will be at his command.”

The allied forces had three heavy hitters leading, but even though they communicated, they all had their ways and standards.

While they were organized on a grand scale, it wasn’t as if anyone had a dominant position.

It might have been different if the Abyssal Portal had appeared in some country within the European Union, as someone would take full command, but here this was done.

It was why now, even though they were ‘captains’ under the Falion Empire, they had to obey the orders of their local superior.

In this case, the Executors of Order.

“There appears to be a machine here as well. Perhaps several, if reports are correct. It is likely that demons are also to be found. The truth is, there are a lot of people who have been coming from all over and are having trouble keeping everything under control,” Aurora said, remembering the report.

She could see at a glance that this entire area is crowded.

The hotels raised their prices due to the arrival of waves of adventurers, mercenaries, and heroes and, as if that wasn’t enough, there were also groups of refugees.

Being a city near Constanta City that was enabled to stay, this place was full of people.

Even strangely, some tourists and individuals came from far away to protest in the squares.

The cosmos portals were disabled for areas near Constanta City and only enabled for allied forces and individuals living in the area, but that did not stop people from arriving.

In the city, one could not fly, though in other less restricted areas they could, so even cars were not needed to get around.

“As for you Liam, I’ll task you with searching through the guilds. If you find a lead, then let us know and we’ll get ready. For now, we’ll just follow Theodore,” Aurora said calmly before arriving at her hotel.

She needed something to tip the balance, even if it wasn’t important.

The allied forces with their high command were preparing as best they could to go take the abyssal portal, and Aurora didn’t know when they would move.

Giving the goblins more time was dangerous, as the demons were revealing themselves, but by the same token, acting recklessly was just as dangerous.

No one wanted to cause a rift and more so several days away from Christmas and a little over New Year’s.

“I understand. I’m just getting started. I’ll have some difficulty though, as it seems the Romanian government is also on the move trying to find tracks,” Liam reported and, with a simple laugh, added. “Losing their team on the expedition made them start hiding well.”

The Romanian guilds were in a difficult position as they lost their best teams and failed in the expedition, leaving the Romanian government or at least the party that wished to diminish their influence to act.

It was obvious that they would try to hide well, though....

“I’ll see what the Romanians have before I follow the leads,” He muttered like a child doing a mischief.

Aurora ignored him.

Was Liam good at his job?

Putting aside his ‘rank’, which basically represented his ability, on a personal level, he was someone too excellent.

Maybe they knew each other due to him being caught, but mistakes perfected some people and Liam was the kind of person who learned from his mistakes.

“Try not to get caught,” Aurora said, looking in the rearview mirror.

“Remember, if you get caught we don’t know each other,” warned Alice in a rather peculiar tone.

It was the tone a boss would use when sending a subordinate on a suicide mission... Liam’s expression quivered in a mixture of laughter and strangeness, as did Aurora.

Aurora was the one who was asking him to do a job, but it was well known that in that line of work the contractor didn’t have to be revealed, so in a way Alice’s words made sense.

“Don’t worry, I’m a professional,” Liam said and, giving a look, muttered. “But I’m expensive.”

Aurora laughed at those words and at the sight of Alice waving her hands at him as if the price were insignificant.

Was it expensive to hire him?

Yes.

Depending on the job, the ‘zeros’ on his paycheck increased quite a bit, and in the end, all that mattered was if he did his job well.

And in that regard, Liam delivered.

******

Aurora walked towards the Executors of Order building with her sister.

She had already settled into her hotel and now wanted to see what she could help with and what her mission was, but also to formally introduce herself.

As a ‘captain’ under the Falion Empire, she needed to show some etiquette in these kinds of joint missions and more so when she wasn’t the one leading.

Entering the hotel, she asked the secretary about the leader Theodore Laurent and, with an odd expression, the secretary made a call and then pointed out superficially where she should go.

“Why did it feel like she was looking at us with pity?” Aurora asked as she walked in the direction where she had been pointed.

After making the call, the secretary had a change of expression and then looked at them with slight pity... It wasn’t like a very heavy ‘pity’, but it felt like she understood how little value they placed on both of them.

“I think we’ll understand soon enough,” Alice replied as they reached the room that had been pointed out to her.

Aurora’s expression quivered for a moment as she felt the presence on the other side... They were quiet, as if they were conducting a meeting.

Before she knocked, the door opened and Theodore was revealed with his haughty look, so natural of that individual.

“Come in. You’ve interrupted the meeting,” Theodore said, opening the door revealing who was inside.

Among the team of Executors of Order were a Romanian hero and the individual who was Romania’s representative, when they went to talk to the goblin they captured.

Dan Stolojan and Marius Posse respectively watched her, the former nodding brightly, while the latter was just indifferent... Very different from when he gave smiles in front of Duke Kristoph and Cardinal Auguste.

“I’m sorry, I was not notified of the meeting. If I had been, I would have arrived earlier.” Aurora said with a serious expression.

She took her job very seriously and that meant she didn’t like to be late and would be present at these things.

“I know. I didn’t notify you. I didn’t want two A-Rank students on the mission,” Theodore replied casually and, turning to the table, he commented. “My mistake, an A-Rank and an S Rank who still didn’t update her rank.”

His tone left Aurora stunned for a moment.

She’d like to say she was annoyed, but his way of saying it was... Too matter-of-fact.

He was just presenting the facts.

She was an A-Rank fighter and Alice was an S-Rank who hadn’t updated her rank... That was what was officially said about both of them.

And while she had used her sword to fight the goblins, they were in the middle of the battle and it was in front of Urfin’s team, who were not surprised because they were correctly informed.

“Despite our official rank, we will not delay the missions,” Aurora replied with a friendly smile.

“I can back up the woman with the bag of chips. She backed me up when I was facing an S-rank goblin,” said Hero Dan, watching Alice and when he looked at Aurora, he gave an apologetic smile and stated. “I was in my limited at the time and could only notice her actions.”

Aurora just nodded without getting too upset.

The S-Rank battle was chaotic and sometimes it was hard to pay attention to the entire battlefield, so it was normal not to have been noticed.

“Okay, that’s enough. Whether it’s good or bad, you’ll be able to prove it in the mission. And while I hope it’s the former, I’ll take responsibility for everyone’s mistakes,” Theodore announced in a flat tone.

The former representative of Romania and leader of the guild ‘The Custodians’ frowned at those words and Dan was similar.

The only one who was calm was Alice, who was eating her chips as if she wasn’t in a meeting, and Aurora, who didn’t feel that Laurent’s words sounded wrong.

He seemed to simply stress that as the leader of this mission, he would take the consequences, even if it was someone else who screwed up.

“My team and the authorities are scanning the entire city for those machines. The radars are having trouble detecting the signals, but if they are close, they will manage to pick up something,” Theodore reported, and when everyone nodded, he added. “If this method doesn’t work, we’re also looking at places with high percentage energy expenditure.”

The first method was labor intensive because so many people had to scan the city, the warehouses, and the harbor, but that didn’t mean it was fully functional.

The machine could hide in a basement or underground using magic. As long as it had power, the machine would keep running and the radar would have trouble detecting it with so much interference.

What led to the second method was basically to analyze the electrical energy costs of different areas and search until the connection was found.

The expenditure of electrical energy to activate machines like these that literally powered a spell and managed to weaken the dimensional barrier was extremely high.

Of course, this method could also not work, as it could be connected to generators or even use cores or batteries of magical energy.

It was known that magical energy was both more efficient and more profitable than any other means of energy.

“In the end, these methods are to keep the attention that we are looking for something. Our target is a raid,” Theodore confessed, and pointing to the map of the harbor, he explained. “Word has reached us that tonight, a minor demon will be arriving in the city. Our aim is to capture him.”

Everyone showed a hint of surprise at such information.

“Some mercenaries will meet with those demons to sell several goblins. We will intercept that negotiation and arrest everyone involved. The idea is to detain him and then carry out the respective interrogations,” Theodore added, and with a simple tone, he commented. “Then I will pass you the full report, but you have to make sure that no one ruins the mission. We had a hard time letting those mercenaries take the goblins to act on cue.”

They all nodded solemnly, leaving a bit of surprise at their cleverness on display.

The problem was not the seller, but the buyer... They let the mercenaries capture some goblins to track him and then catch them, along with the buyers.

It was a good plan that required time and patience, but now it was about to show the results.

“As for the minor demon. We don’t have too much information, but we know he is related to Demon Lord Pezak, a recognized member of the ‘Sect’ that worships the Goddess Larzura. Our sources say he wants to use the goblins as a sacrifice. That’s why he wants to capture them,” Theodore revealed, getting serious looks from everyone.

Larzura, the Goddess of Hedonists, Licentiousness, and Freedom... A goddess known for her licentious rituals.

The problem was not the debauchery of hedonistic pleasures; it was that those rituals could create grotesque aberrations that they liked to impregnate women and even men with their seed so that they would give birth to even more grotesque creatures.

And as if that wasn’t enough, she was also a troublesome goddess who could make all creatures indulge in one’s most bestial and darkest pleasures, being corrupted in the process.

Evil and Demonic Gods existed and when it came to them, one had to be prepared for all sorts of grotesque and unpleasant events.

General Kavuri was performing a ritual to Ketzula, the God of Abominations, Desire, and the Ambitious, and people were hung like cattle in the warehouses, however, Ketzula could never respond due to the barrier of the God of Time and Space.

The terror and cruelty of such existences could not be seen.

“They have to be prepared for the worst. We don’t know what can happen when we face such existences,” Theodore said with very high seriousness.

Perhaps only one member of that cult was moving, but if such an individual performs a ritual or prayed to his goddess and received a response, it could be something very problematic.

After all, an Evil God was at his back.