Salvage(1)

Morsan felt a rush of goosebumps all over his body when Lelin mentioned the name of the Blood Knight while giving Lelin an irritated glance.

"Hey, could you please stop it? I've mentioned before that I don't appreciate being called by that name. I hope you're not doing it intentionally, right?"

"Does that make you irritated? That's exactly how I feel whenever you expose our existence to others."

Lelin and Morsan shared solemn glances, maintaining a prolonged silence. Meanwhile, the rest of the cloaked figures were engrossed in scrutinizing the intricacies of the magic crystal. Unfazed by the solemn exchange between Lelin and Morsan, they paid no attention to them, as if such occurrences were commonplace.

Eventually, it was Morsan who broke the uncomfortable silence as he seemed to be holding back his anger.

"Yeah, yeah... fine I won't do it again... so, don't call me by that name..."

Lelin's anger became evident as Morsan's tone reached his ears, causing his eyelids to twitch.

"Tsk, you always make that claim, but you never follow through... Anyway... Thank you for your hard work again..."

Upon hearing the strange mixture of angry and genuinely grateful tone in Lelin's voice, instead of calming himself down, Morsan was consumed by rage.

In a matter of moments, a flood of memories and emotions overwhelmed him. 

"Thank you, my ass!... where on earth were you all this time? If we had looked into this issue sooner, we could have saved so many people."

Despite Lelin's evident exhaustion, Morsan couldn't help but unleash his fury upon him, shouting and venting his frustrations. As Lelin heard the mocking tone in Morsan's voice, he too lost his composure and joined in the exchange of angry words. 

"Hey don't talk like we were doing nothing. We took our investigation of Baron Erfin very seriously, making sure to leave no stone unturned. We even uncovered some secret information about the Legendary Weapon's Replica that the church had hidden. And to add to the urgency, there was yet another assassination attempt on his highness just yesterday, marking the third one this year. So, it's not fair to say that we were doing nothing."

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense as they continued to argue, causing the three cloaked individuals, who were observing the Magic Crystal Ball, to nervously sweat. They retreated a few steps back as they were well aware that if Morsan and Lelin were to engage in a physical altercation, they would bear the brunt of the consequences. Such was the strength of both individuals.

Lelin and his family were taken captive and enslaved during the invasion of war. He was compelled to risk his life by fighting, as the lives of his family members were threatened. Unexpectedly, one day he accidentally attacked and emerged victorious in a match against the son of Noble who is incredibly weaker than he should be considered at his level, despite not being permitted to do so. In retaliation, they attempted to eliminate his family along with him.

However, in that dire situation, Egone came to their rescue and became their faithful protector. Ever since Lelin became the captain of the shadows, he single-handedly thwarted all assassination attempts on Prince Egone, without any external assistance.

He is quite skillful in stealth techniques, Wind spells, and using a crossbow. He actually managed to fight against Lord Seaetto, the right-hand man of Queen Mirellia Q Melromarc and the current captain of royal knights on equal terms.

In the past, Morsan and Lelin had fought in the heart of a forest due to a disagreement, resulting in extensive damage to the surroundings. Even though Lelin knew he would lose if they fought, he wasn't someone who would back off without fighting.

"Oh, come on! You won't be able to find any proof against Baron Erfin because he had absolutely nothing to do with this matter. Those soldiers acted on their own without his knowledge, misusing his authority. Can't you guys even uncover that? And what about the assassination attempt on Egone? Who the fuck did tried to harm that fox this time?"

"This time, it is a minor individual who has suffered the loss of both his noble status and possessions due to a recent investigation initiated by his Highness. It is not just a few individuals who desire his demise; rather, a multitude of people have set their sights on ending his life. We have been diligently safeguarding him throughout. If you possess such concern, why not join us as a royal knight and aid in his protection, enabling us to operate with greater efficiency? And do you honestly expect us to believe that these inept individuals would engage in human trafficking without any form of assistance? Would you have found it credible if you were in my position? We simply did not anticipate their level of foolishness. We have successfully apprehended all other members of the BLACK faction, with these individuals being the final ones. With this case serving as the last, the BLACK faction will be entirely eradicated, leaving only two factions within the Church. We have accomplished our task commendably, OKAY?"

Hearing his proud tone Morsan couldn't hide his disappointment.

"Do you only focus on Egone and his political adversaries? What about the well-being of the people?"

Just as the impending fight seemed inevitable, Morsan's words caught Lelin off guard.

"Hold on... what's going on? What does that mean? Can you explain to me what happened in detail? Weren't you already killed most of the people here?...

Morsan's expression grew completely absurd as Lenin inquired. He proceeded to share every detail about how he had accepted Vigeil's request and how he had handled encounters with bandits and soldiers. Morsan held nothing back, revealing everything without any concealment. As he mentioned what had happened to Vigeil's sister, Lelin, his voice softened and his wolf-like ears drooped slightly, indicating his guiltiness. Seeing his reaction Morsan also calmed down a little and continued.

***

Author's Note:

Dear everyone, 

I would like to express my gratitude to all of you who have supported me in my writing journey. Unfortunately, I have some sad news to share. My grandmother passed away this morning, and as a result, I will not be able to upload any new chapters for the next three days. We have a lot of preparations to make for her funeral, which is why I am posting this chapter hastily. 

During this time, I am also feeling quite down and in need of some time to recover. Additionally, I would greatly appreciate your honest opinions regarding my fanfic. Recently, when I suggested to my friend to read this novel, he mentioned that it was rather boring and not written well enough. Therefore, I kindly request all of you to share your genuine thoughts on whether you truly enjoyed my fanfic or not. Depending on your feedback, I will decide on whether to continue this story or write another captivating tale that aligns with your preferences. 

When inquiring about earning money through my writing, a few individuals proposed that I write a novel, while many others recommended Patreon. To be honest, I am uncertain if my story is deserving of monetary compensation. The primary motivation behind my choice is my dislike for The Rising of the Shield Hero; therefore, I aspire to create a story set in a similar environment that surpasses it. I am eager to determine which type of story would be more suitable for writing and earning money through Patreon. I am willing to write whatever you all suggest, so please share your opinions.

Thank you for your understanding and support.