Opportunist

"THE CATHARS ARE IN SEVERE DANGEEEEERRRR!!!"

Luca's declaration echoed loudly, causing the shocked guards to jump, nearly stumbling and falling as a result of how suddenly those words came. He watched this and took a small note to himself, inhaling very deeply for yet another loud cry.

'If they can get so easily flustered, it must mean they're not very well trained. I could probably beat them… though the issue lies in their armor and weapons.'

Those items were clearly of good quality, and if he attempted any funny business, the reach of their weapons and the defense that their armor provided would make it insanely difficult for him to even land a proper hit on them.

That didn't matter much to Luca, though.

After all…

"THE CATHARS ARE IN SEVERE DANGER! IF YOU DON'T LISTEN TO US, YOU'LL BE ANNIHILATED FOR SUREEEE!!!"

… His real objective wasn't to fight them.

"W-what do you think you're doing, you idiot?!"

"What are shouting? We're in danger? What's that supposed to mean? No… first of all, quiet down a little!"

"NO! I WON'T BE SILENCED! IF YOU WON'T LISTEN TO ME, IT WILL BE AT YOUR OWN PERIL!"

Luca stubbornly kept raising his voice, with each new sentence exceeding the last in volume. The soldiers attempted to stop him, but he quickly retreated behind Legion and kept his clamoring.

As expected… they were hesitant to advance due to Legion's imposing presence.

"What are you doing?" The Death Knight turned to Luca and asked, one eye raised in mild puzzlement.

It was only natural that Legion would be confused.

No one, save for Luca himself, knew why he would just burst out screaming like a frantic idiot.

'Just trust me.' He winked at Legion, who still had a confused expression—almost as if they didn't understand what the wink meant. 

"Alright! That's it!"

"You're being a nuisance here. We're going to have to ask you to leave." 

The two guards now wore serious expressions, despite the nervousness they were clearly feeling. Their eyes burned with determination as they tightly gripped their weapons—seriously considering fighting Legion if Luca didn't stop.

'Just a little more…!' Luca thought to himself, inhaling as much air as he could for one final bellow.

He intended to make this one his loudest.

"IF YOU DO NOT HEED OUR WARNING, DESTRUCTION WILL BEFALL—!"

"What's with all of this commotion?" A voice from within the walls—clearly irritated by the tone alone—echoed sharply in the air, causing Luca to abruptly stop his shouts and instead wear a satisfied smile on his face. 

'Bingo!'

A figure walked from the inner compound, her black hair dancing elegantly behind her as the silvery white gown she wore fluttered with the cool winds that whispered softly on the hill. She had a stern look on her clear face, and her dark brown eyes shone with not-so-mild annoyance. In her hand was a book, and she held it tightly to her chest as she stepped forward.

Finally, she stopped just short of the gate's boundaries and looked at the guards—both of whom were already cowering and bowing in her presence.

"What is the meaning of this? Who are these people?" She asked, her eyes traveling to Luca and Legion for a brief moment before resting on the two men.

'Looks like she's someone with some influence here…' Luca nodded in satisfaction, observing how the arrogant guards from before had already mellowed out and were frantically explaining themselves to a woman much younger than them.

'She doesn't seem to be twenty yet. At most, she should be a year or two older than I am… yet they treat her with such courtesy.' He glanced at Legion, who was patiently watching and probably didn't grasp the relevance of what was playing out before them. 'This lady, whoever she is, is our key inside.'

Everything from this moment forward was crucial.

"Miss… I apologize for my loudness earlier, but your guards were being negligent in their duties and treated us with such levity even though we emphasized the importance of the news we came to share."

"Hm? What? Is this true?" The woman turned to the guards, who quickly shook their heads.

"They're from the Heresy Cult, Lady Marla." One of them quickly said. "They wanted to meet with the Archbishop without any justification."

"What? Really?"

"Y-yes! They were even rude to us and acted incredibly arrogant." The second added hurriedly.

However, Luca had already expected these responses.

He was a step ahead of them.

"What poor liars the two of you are." He sighed, shrugging with slight disappointment.

"W-what? How dare you call us liars?!"

"Your disrespect knows no—!"

Before the guards could say any more, the Lady raised her hand and silenced them, now focusing her stern gaze on Luca. The frown on her face was enough to make any man uncomfortable, and Luca was no exception.

Still, he did his best to maintain composure.

"Are you insinuating that two of the esteemed guards of the Cathars are liars?"

"Milady, I am not insinuating anything." At this point, Luca made sure his expression was as serious as possible. "They are liars."

"...." 

The Lady's frown deepened. "And what is your rationale for saying this?"

'Here it goes! This is the most crucial part!' Luca swallowed his saliva, loosening his fingers as he tried his best to appear as genuine as possible.

"Isn't it too unbelievable that we would just come up to your territory and act arrogantly, demanding to see your Archbishop? That makes no sense, does it? Those guards merely made that up as an excuse so they wouldn't hear us out."

"... And why would they do that?"

"I'm not sure." Luca sighed. "We told them we came here with urgent news regarding some recent activities involving the Church, but maybe they didn't believe us… because they didn't even let us finish."

"Did you say… it involves the Church?"

"Yes! Of course, I can't say all the details here, but the Heresy Cult was recently attacked by a Knight wielding a Blessed Weapon. Take that however you wish, but it's possible that he could have been an Inquisitor of the Church."

"W-what?! How were you able to survive if someone like that attacked? Isn't that unbelievable enough as it is?!"

Luca suppressed his smile.

'Good! Looks like she bit into the bait…'

"Did you forget that we have The Heresy Witch Lili on our side? Plus… well…"

"Well what?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't say any more." Luca sighed. "It's too confidential to be said in public like this. Plus, we have been treated so badly despite trying to extend our sincerity and warning you of an impending crisis."

"Ah..."

"I know you people don't think very highly of us because we are a Cult, but I expected the Cathars to be different, at the very least. Your group is seen as a bastion of justice, but perhaps that virtue has been greatly exaggerated when it comes to your—"

"N-no, you're wrong!"

"Lady Marla, mark my words… I am not lying to you." Luca's tone became much deeper all of a sudden, and he ensured to make his most serious expression yet. 

"The Cathars are in danger… and we have news that can save everyone here."

"The Bishops...."

"If destruction eventually befalls the Cult, or if any kind of trouble arrives, will you be able to take responsibility? Will you be able to live with yourself knowing you were warned… knowing you had access to information that could preserve this great sanctuary, yet you chose to ignore it?"

"...."

Luca sighed loudly, ensuring she felt his impatience.

"Just hear us out." He added gently. "It won't take too long, and I can assure you that this will be of great benefit to you all. If you turn us away right now, you will regret it for the rest of your life… Lady Marla."

Then, there was silence, with tension so palpable that one could almost taste it.

Luca tried his best to hide the bead of sweat that formed on the side of his face as he kept up his brave front. The bravado he displayed was nothing short of a hollow performance that he needed to convince the woman before him of their value.

If she chose not to take them seriously, there was nothing he could do.

'Legion will probably force his way in, and that will definitely not end well…' He sighed internally, pleading desperately that his plan worked.

"... Fine."

As soon as the Lady said this, Luca's eyes brightened up. He couldn't hide it, even if he tried.

"I will tell my supervising Bishop to hear you out. If he deems your news valuable enough, you may then see the Archbishop…" She sighed. "That is the most I can do as a Deacon."

"That isn't good enou—"

"That is plenty!" Luca swiftly silenced Legion, making sure his voice was louder. He quickly approached the lady and took her unoccupied hand, placing them between his two hands while smiling broadly.

"Thank you for your consideration, Lady Marla. You have done a great thing today, and the Lord will definitely take note of this."

"Which Lord? The one we serve, or the false god you people worship?" She quickly withdrew her hand, her eyes reflecting utter disgust as she looked at Luca.

'Damn… that hurts!' A bead of tears formed in Luca's eyes, but he ignored that feeling and instead stole a glance at Legion, who—just as he suspected—was enraged by the Lady's retort regarding the Heresy Cult's Lord.

'No! Stand down! Please… endure it!' He mouthed, shaking his head while desperately pleading with Legion through eye contact.

They were so close now. 

If Legion was to act violently, everything Luca had worked for would go down the drain.

Thankfully, Legion understood his pleas and stood down.

"Whew…!"

"Hmph! Do not misunderstand. I am only doing this for the sake of the Cathars… nothing more, nothing less." Lady Marla shrugged, her expression remaining indignant.

'What a bitch!' Luca growled internally, while rubbing both hands and shamelessly maintaining his outward smile. He didn't dare show any of his dissatisfaction with her.

That was what it meant to be an opportunist.

"Let them in."

"U-understood, Lady Marla!" The guards frantically opened the gates more broadly, stepping out of the way so all three of them could enter.

"And don't think I've forgotten about you two and your lies."

"B-but Lady—!"

"Save it."

Luca watched all of this and instantly felt bad for the guards. 

They were only doing their jobs—and diligently at that—yet such accusations had fallen on them. It must have hurt them greatly that their Lady chose to believe outsiders instead of one of her own.

'I don't even want to know what their punishment will be.' He sighed, glancing at Legion once again. The hulking Knight had a small frown on their face, but aside from that they were perfectly calm.

'Good… if Legion is doing their best, I should also do mine.'

That meant he couldn't afford to think about the fate of the guards behind them, or the impudence of the Lady before them. All that mattered was the task that their Lord entrusted to them and its completion.

'I must not fail Lord Mors.'

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[A/N]

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