Chapter 68 Whereabouts

Chapter 68: Whereabouts

The innkeeper wasn't very guarded against this level of information gathering: "You passed by the Sacred Tower, right? Saw the burnt ruins. Hmph, I dare say that's the disaster brought on by Ethan I not being acknowledged by the gods! Without the Saints guarding the eternal sacred fire day and night, those evil creatures hiding in the darkness will come to devour people!"

Great, no need to ask further. The innkeeper had practically told us everything.

Anne said anxiously, "Then, then what should we do? What about those Saints? Can they be found and brought back?"

The innkeeper shook his head: "No one knows! They've all vanished without a trace! I only know that a few charred bodies floated down the river over ten days ago. It's all over. The sacred fire is gone, and the Saints who tended it are gone too!"

Anne was almost on the verge of tears. To avoid drawing suspicion, Sirius pulled her behind him: "You mentioned Ethan I just now. What did he do that caused the Sacred Tower to be burned down?"

The innkeeper slammed the rag in his hand onto the counter and snorted heavily: "He's a useless fellow. He only gained his legitimate status by relying on a few somewhat clever mercenaries under his command. But we all know his methods for obtaining that crown weren't exactly proper..."

Sirius listened carefully to the innkeeper's angry ramblings, extracting bits of useful information.

So that was it: Ethan I had rushed so urgently to the tower where the Saints lived because he had been dragged off his throne. With a few remaining loyal followers, he scrambled desperately to seek them out, seeking a chance to reclaim his position.

The reason for such haste was that even the weak and useless Ethan I knew that being ousted from the throne meant facing the guillotine.

That's when he finally thought of Sirius.

Xavier looked at Sirius with concern, worried he might be hurt by this exploitation.

But he wasn't. Sirius felt like he was listening to someone else's story.

"So, Ethan I is no longer emperor now? And he's facing pursuit?" he asked the key question. "Then he actually took the time to burn down the Sacred Tower? Isn't that just drawing pursuers to him?"

"So he's a very foolish fellow," the innkeeper commented. "He's perfectly suited to be sent straight to the guillotine, to cleanse his sins with his blood."

There was nothing left to ask. Sirius and Xavier took Anne upstairs.

Back in the room, they closed the door, shut the window, and drew the curtains. Xavier stood by the door, alert for any eavesdroppers, before speaking.

"I think the current situation is better than we imagined," Sirius began. "Ethan I is actually on the run. The burning of the Sacred Tower couldn't be hidden, so once the news spread, he couldn't afford to stay there."

Anne's eyes lit up: "So that means, as long as they escaped the fire, there's a good chance they survived."

Sirius nodded: "I think Saint Veronica probably thought of this too. But without absolute certainty, she simply had you enter the Misty Forest, where you could at least find shelter."

Anne nodded. That was indeed the case. The original plan was for the younger Saints to escape under the cover of night and the flames, but they were discovered almost immediately. In the end, she was the only one who managed to get away.

Her descent down the bedsheet rope was perilous too. As she neared the ground, she was spotted by guards outside. Arrows rained down on her like a storm.

But she ultimately reached the Misty Forest safely.

Xavier said, "So Saint Veronica and the others are very likely safe. The tower is your home. You know the area better and naturally know which escape routes to take."

Sirius said, "It's getting late. We'll head to the tower first thing tomorrow morning to see if any clues were left behind."

Anne nodded: "Alright, we'll set off at dawn. If Mother Veronica and the others really did escape successfully, they might have left us some clues."

Early the next morning, they continued their journey.

They were very close to the tower now. After walking on the main road for a while, they saw the slightly blackened spire in the distance.

Getting closer, they spotted tents pitched nearby.

Sirius immediately grew alert, his hand already on his sword hilt: "We need to be careful."

Xavier said, "This looks like a regular army encampment. We'll probably be stopped and questioned."

Anne nervously clutched the hem of her clothes: "These aren't his people, right? I can't help how I feel. They're just... so despicable."

Sirius shook his head: "I don't think they're likely Ethan I's men, but we still need to be cautious. Who knows how 'regular' they really are. And with them stationed here, we probably won't be able to inspect the tower."

As they neared the encampment, they simply fell silent.

Approaching the wooden barricade, they were, indeed, questioned.

"Have you seen any of these people?" a knight standing nearby asked, pulling out several pieces of parchment.

A direct answer wouldn't be very credible. Sirius studied the portraits carefully: "Haven't seen any of these people."

Xavier and Anne also shook their heads.

Sirius then asked, "Is passage not allowed here? Can we go through?"

The knight put away the parchment scroll: "You may pass. If you spot anyone on the scroll, come here and inform us. We offer 500 gold coins for each one captured."

Sirius nodded: "Really? Truly 500 gold coins? Are they really worth that much?"

*Another clueless bumpkin*, the knight thought.

He nodded: "Yes. Report to us immediately if you find them."

After a round of hasty nods from Sirius and the others, they were allowed to pass.

Finding Ethan I wasn't the main purpose of this outing; finding the Saints was. They walked a distance away until the flags on the encampment tents disappeared from view when they looked back.

The encampment was also some distance from the tower. Sirius and the others sneaked around and crouched in a small grove near the tower, observing whether they could approach the ruins.

They also prepared an excuse in case they were caught.

If captured, they would claim to be greedy adventurers here to scavenge for valuables.

After watching from hiding for a while, there seemed to be no guards near the ruins. It appeared they were alone. Now was the time.

They emerged from the bushes. Anne, swift as the wind, darted over the low wall and jumped into the tower's front garden.

This tower standing by the river wasn't just a lonely spire; it had a small plot of land in front serving as a vegetable and flower garden for self-sufficiency.

Sirius and Xavier hurried after her, in case something happened.

The great fire had consumed everything. The flower trellises in the small garden had burned and collapsed. Fortunately, the stone walls contained the flames, preventing the fire from spreading to the surrounding forest.

The tower was a wood-and-stone structure. The large wooden beams supporting it inside had been burned into brittle charcoal. Their search couldn't last too long, and they had to watch their heads and step carefully to avoid being buried alive.

Anne stopped at the entrance. Though excited, she hadn't lost her head.

Sirius and Xavier quickly caught up, and they stood together at the entrance, looking up.

"This place is completely destroyed," Sirius said.

"Our life's work has been consumed by the sacred fire," Anne said, touching the doorframe. "The sacred fire is extinguished. This place no longer needs us."

"Let's go inside and see what remains," Sirius said. "Perhaps some things survived the fire intact."

"Cover the lower half of your faces first," Xavier said. "I smell a bit of decaying, burnt flesh. The situation inside probably won't be pleasant."

"I'll go first, Anne, you follow behind me, but not too closely, that way I can tell you to close your eyes. Xavier, you bring up the rear," Sirius immediately decided.

This arrangement made sense, and neither Xavier nor Anne objected. They began exploring inside the tower.

The ground was littered with charred remnants of objects, impossible to identify. As they picked their way through the debris, they encountered their first corpse.

"Close your eyes." Although Sirius reminded her promptly, Anne still caught a glimpse of the blackened, decaying remains.

"Ugh—" A retching sound caught in her throat as she gagged.

"Anne, go to the window and get some air," Sirius said. "Don't look at the bodies; we'll examine them."

Although the burned corpses had partially decomposed, it was still possible to determine their gender from clothing fragments and bones.

This was a male corpse, a fact that brought Anne some relief.

They then searched the entire tower. There weren't many bodies inside, and none of them were female remains—which was undoubtedly good news for Anne.

"Let's go," Anne said, her tone brightening. "Now we just need to figure out where Mother Veronica and the others went."

"They probably didn't go far. Do you know who the priestesses usually had contact with?" Sirius asked. "Maybe they went to see friends."

"We don't have friends outside," Anne shook her head. "Many sisters were from outside before becoming priestesses, and we didn't interact with outsiders. People only came periodically to deliver offerings."

"What about nearby villages?" Xavier asked. "Do you think Saint Veronica and the others might have gone to a nearby village? The cities and villages around here all worship the deity of the Sacred Tower."

"I don't know if they would go," Anne still shook her head. "As Fire Priestesses, failing to protect the divine flame left by the deity is a dereliction of duty. I don't know whether we'd receive sympathy or blame."

"Then let's start by asking around in nearby villages," Sirius said. "This isn't your fault. Faith is important, but your lives are precious too. The priestesses probably haven't gone too far; we'll find them soon."

Anne nodded. More than half a month of anxiety finally started to fade. Unlike the earlier words of comfort, this time she truly believed they could quickly find her scattered sisters.

Sirius bought a map of the area from a map merchant and planned to search, starting from the farthest points and working their way inward.

Since the regular army camp stationed here was no longer under Ethan I's control—he had been dethroned, and power had changed hands—they could boldly inquire about the priestesses' whereabouts freely.

They did manage to gather some scattered clues.

The priestesses might have gone deep into the southern forest, where there was a monastery.

They set off immediately to find that monastery hidden deep in the mountains.

The search wasn't too difficult because they encountered an ox cart delivering flour to the monastery.

Xavier paid a gold coin, and the cart driver immediately agreed to take them along, though there was only room for Anne on the cart. Sirius and Xavier had to walk.

They arrived at the monastery very late, but thanks to their experience hunting in the forests, walking all day wasn't too exhausting for them.

"Sister Regina, it's me, Jonathan. I've come to deliver flour to the monastery," the cart driver pulled the bell on the monastery gate, and the clear chime immediately attracted a nun.

"Who are those behind you?" A panel slid open on the gate, revealing a pair of eyes that stared intently at the group behind.

"I am a priestess of the Sacred Tower. I heard my sisters had come here, and I wanted to confirm if they are here," Anne stepped forward.

"He and I are guards, escorting Sister Anne to find her companions," Sirius pointed at himself and then at Xavier.

"Your name is Anne. I see," Sister Regina said nothing more, closing the panel and leaving temporarily.

"I'm starting to think bringing you along might have been a mistake. I can't afford to lose this job," the cart driver took off his hat and wiped his sweat.

"It shouldn't be that serious, right?" Sirius said uncertainly. "This monastery doesn't seem particularly secretive; there's a proper road leading here."

"Who knows? The abbess here has a peculiar temper," the cart driver wiped his already dry forehead again.

Soon, Sister Regina returned, opened the gate wide, and invited them all inside.

"You two, go with Jonathan to the kitchen to unload the flour. Anne, come with me," she said.

"Okay!" Anne immediately nodded and followed Sister Regina.

Although the nun said nothing more, her meaning was clear enough.

Sirius was a bit uneasy about Anne being taken alone, but they were on someone else's turf, so it was better to be polite.

They'd hurry and unload the flour and then sneak off to find Anne.

Split up, Sirius didn't forget to seize the chance to gather information from the cart driver: "Hey, do you know why this monastery is in such a secluded place? Is it because the nuns here prefer asceticism?"

The cart driver said, "I don't know. This monastery is quite old; it was built before I was born."

Xavier asked, "Is the abbess here very strict? You mentioned earlier you could be dismissed?"

The cart driver had something to say about that: "The abbess here is a strict, old-fashioned nun. She's very unwelcoming to outsiders entering the monastery and refuses to let anyone bring outside news in, lest the nuns' devotion to the deity waver. I heard that before me, a cart driver brought a rabbit for one of the nuns here, and that driver was immediately dismissed."

Sirius said, "She sounds like a devout believer. Do you know which deity they serve?"

The cart driver scratched his head: "That, I really don't know. I'm only allowed into the kitchen, and when I deliver goods, I never see any nun besides Sister Regina. And Sister Regina doesn't chat with me."

The conversation with the cart driver didn't last long; clearly, he knew almost nothing.

Sirius stopped pressing and helped unload.

A whole cart of flour was quickly unloaded. The cart driver left the kitchen, leaving only the two of them waiting there.

Soon, two nuns walked into the kitchen together. Seeing Sirius and Xavier still there, their expressions turned to shock: "Who are you? Why are you here!"

Author's note: Good night, good night.

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