## Chapter 696 – Paladin Kim Kat

“Now that you say I don’t have to give it, I kind of want to. Anyway, I’ll trust you since you said you did well. I hope you don’t betray my trust, Boss. Still, making a living as the boss here isn’t too bad, right?”
“W-Well, that’s true…”

The boss was more useful than I thought.

So, he could make a living as a boss in his own way. Even though the slum ecosystem is kind of fucked up, if you’re sitting at the head of an organization, you can make a decent profit.

That’s why it can’t be eradicated.

If there’s a position where money can be made, it’s human nature to try to sit there no matter the cost.

“Maybe I’ll come back again. If you find out anything, write it down and give it to me.”
“Understood…”
“But what exactly is that place marked on the map? Why are people gathering there?”
“I’m not sure about that… But weren’t you looking for a place where `many people` gather? So I just looked for the most likely place.”

So he found the most suspicious place.

“You don’t know what they do?”
“No… But aren’t you looking for something suspicious…? In my opinion, those are the most suspicious places. People who believe in strange religions tend to gather like that.”
“Strange religions? Are you talking about heretics?”
“H-Heretics…! I don’t know about that. Poor people believe in all sorts of religions… But if the city hasn’t eradicated them, wouldn’t that mean they’re not heretics?”
“Well, that’s true.”

True. Since it’s a world where polytheism is the norm, all sorts of religions, beliefs, and teachings are rampant. The poor tend to cling to such things.

Above all, it’s a place where freedom of religion is recognized.

Even if it’s not an officially recognized religion, there are really a lot of them.

If we were to compare it to Earth, there are many religions like Christianity, Buddhism, Catholicism, Zoroastrianism, but there are also people who believe in Confucianism, Taoist practitioners, or those who train to become hermits in the mountains. Believing in the energy of nature. Believing that sleeping with a fan on will kill you, folk beliefs, indigenous beliefs. There are many people who believe in such things.

In this world, there are divine beings, mana, and magic, so this bizarre tendency is even stronger. There are even training sessions, religions, exercises, worships, and gatherings to awaken the mana within the body.

Even the Brass Sky Angels haven’t been able to grasp all of these religions. Of course, they’ll only investigate if there’s noticeable damage. There’s just too much miscellaneous stuff.

“Alright, see you next time.”
“Yes. Take care…”

Anyway, now that I’ve found the location, I should go there right away.

Of course, it might not be the right place.

Whether it’s a gathering or education, there could be people gathering anywhere. A gathering isn’t necessarily unhealthy. It’s a natural act for people to gather.

Therefore, even though it wasn’t very reliable information, I left the building with satisfaction.

Still, right now, even this is progress in the investigation.

Hilde has hypnosis magic, but it’s practically impossible and dangerous to pick out all the people walking around the streets and cast a spell on them.

I need to start by narrowing down the scope.

“Let’s go, Hilde.”
“Yes!”

I immediately went with Hilde to the area near the location marked on the map.

* * *

After going around and investigating, questioning, and searching the four districts with Hilde, I couldn’t obtain any particularly meaningful information about heretics.

Since gatherings usually happen at night anyway, and everything was closed at this time. Still, after asking some of the nearby merchants, it seems they were aware that people were gathering.

After checking roughly, one place was simply a gathering where people cleaned crystal balls and practiced mental cultivation, and another was an office recently occupied by a new criminal organization.

I plundered the assets of the criminal organization like taking coins from a piggy bank.

The remaining two places were on the border between the slums and the general city area, but they were closed, so I couldn’t do anything.

“So, Blackie, you’re back?”
“Yeah. I’m planning to look around the remaining places tomorrow. I’m planning to go out again tonight.”

After roughly finishing the schedule, I returned to the lodging and told the girls what I had found out. I had told them in the morning that I would be back soon today, so they were all inside.

“Is that so? Where are the remaining places located?”
“Ah, Sis.”

I immediately showed Karin the map.

“Hmm, well. There’s no need to make you go alone to several places. I’ll go and check this place out. I didn’t just do combat or sabotage when I was a knight or mercenary. What else would I do here but play around? I’ll go with Liz.”
“Me? You’re moving with me?”
“Are you super happy?”
“N-No one said they were happy… Then let’s do that. It’s better to just do a simple investigation than to play around anyway. It’s good to finish work quickly, right?”

If they help me, I can investigate more quickly.

“My sisters are so reliable…! I’m so grateful I could cry!”
“It’s only natural. By the way, an investigation? This is new. I was originally a combat specialist.”

I trembled all over with gratitude.
It would be great to finish quickly, play around at home for a bit, and then report.

“Hmph, then this one shall help as well. Let’s see the map.”
“Oh my, Risha. I appreciate it, but are you sure?”
“Hehehe, there’s no particular problem. Isn’t it just a simple investigation? This one is quite good at investigations.”

She has such a trait.

“Of course, it’s not something I do now… But if I’m with Cloudie, Winia, and Ari, there shouldn’t be any difficulties.”

Just looking at the combination, it’s literally a destructive party.

“Okay. Let’s go with Risha, Sis. You okay, Sis?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. I’ve never done an investigation before, but since Risha says so, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

Whether it’s Cloudie, Karin, or Liztina, they were all combat specialists. Still, Risha is more familiar with this kind of thing.

Karin licked her lips and said.

“Come to think of it, we first met our witch on the battlefield.”
“That’s right. This one has done various things, and investigation was included in that. Aren’t I a black magician? It’s only natural.”

She’s really reliable.

My women are all the best in their respective fields.

“Then, Kat. Are you going out as soon as the sun goes down?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Hehehe, you’re so diligent, Kat.”
“I’m Diligent Man Kim Kat. Ah, but now that I’m about to send you all out, I’m getting too worried.”

I’m grateful for the help, but my heart is pounding too much.
They’re women who are many times stronger than me, so what’s there to worry about?

“Risha knows how to do so many things. There’s nothing to worry about. Hmm, now that I think about it, it would have been nice if I had learned magic. It’s a shame I’m a half-elf.”
“Hehehe, why learn magic when you’re so good with a sword?”
“Not that it matters when we’re fighting, but it’s because Kat can’t help in situations like this?”
“I said there’s no problem. What’s with the woman who cut down a Great Demon.”

Anyway, after resting for a while and discussing what to do, we put on robes and went out as a group when the sun went down.

It’s time to split into three groups.

Me and Hilde.
And Karin, Liztina.
Finally, Cloudie, Winia, Risha, Ari.

What a murderous party composition.

We decided to join up immediately if there were no suspicious points. Well, it’s efficient since we’re going to look around all the suspicious areas in one day.

We moved towards our respective destinations.

Hilde and I will go back to the place we went to in the morning, and the other wives will go to new places.

It would be great if something turned up here.

“But, Kat-nim.”
“Hmm? What is it, Hilde?”
“Who is the strongest among Kat-nim’s women?”

As we were walking, Hilde asked such a thing.

“Strength, you say?”
“Yes. I always feel it, but everyone is really strong. Who is the strongest? Ah, of course, Kat-nim is strong too.”
“I’m not even close. But strength is…”

It’s a bit of an ambiguous question, but according to what Cloudie and Karin said a long time ago, they couldn’t really come to a conclusion about who would win if they fought.

They both know how strong the other is, but they don’t know for sure unless they actually fight. Above all, they’re not in a relationship where they would fight to the death.

ㅡHuman mana has a very large deviation.

Most people don’t have any at all, but many people have so much that they’re very powerful. Karin is like that. Karin emits sword energy just with her mana. She has such specs, and her swordsmanship is also top-notch, and she has a lot of combat experience. That’s what makes her strong.

Anyway, in that sense, if we were to average the human race, the amount of mana would be around `medium`.

Elves generally have a lot of mana, so it feels like they’re classified as `high`. But half-elves are quite different.

They basically have mana from birth, but Cloudie explained that they can’t accumulate more than a certain amount. They have a racial defect. And their physical abilities often decline depending on the climate or situation. Ah, that’s the case for elves too.

Half-elves generally become strong quickly to a certain extent. However, due to the racial mana limit, they can hardly grow beyond that. That’s why Cloudie is a scary woman.

Anyway, her only weakness is her mana capacity.

A significantly low amount of mana compared to her overwhelming power.

Therefore, Cloudie prefers to just `kill the opponent` rather than fight head-on in combat. Of course, she likes duels too, but that’s just Cloudie’s taste.

If Karin and Cloudie were to fight… I guess the outcome is still unknown.

“Cloudie and Karin seem similar, and Liz is a little below them. She fought last time and lost to Karin.”

Liz is a little below Karin.

“Hmm, is that so? My feeling is similar. Then what about Risha-nim?”
“I don’t know about Risha since she’s not a combat magician.”

I know she’s an amazing black magician and witch, but Risha herself said that she’s not a combat specialist. Still, it seems like she would be very scary if she did something… Karin and Risha first met on the battlefield.

“What about Winia-nim and Ari? Who would win if they fought Kat-nim?”
“Why would I fight my women?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I’m just curious about who is stronger. Of course, I’m weaker than Kat-nim! But if Winia-nim and I fought, it would be very difficult.”

Ari is at a level where she doesn’t know anything right now.
She’s really different from Alaune.

“Winia is a magician who has built up her skills through combat… But I don’t know since I haven’t really fought a combat magician.”

Winia’s magical abilities are considerable.

She has been fighting for a long time, so she is very good at combat operations. In fact, with her support alone, there would be no problem with most battles. A warrior who can avoid firebolts that are fired almost instantly, and continuously and very quickly?

I’m not confident that I can avoid them 100%.
And getting hit by one would be fatal.

And what about Chain Lightning?
Can I cut or avoid that lightning?

Of course, it’s true that Winia is below Risha.

“Oohuhu, to make all those women your own. Kat is even more amazing! The most handsome man in the world!”
“This feels so good.”

Anyway, as I was chatting with Hilde, I was able to arrive back at the scene I had visited in the morning and afternoon.

Since I had been there once, the search was quick.

There were no problems with the crystal people, and the criminal organization I had robbed earlier had disappeared. The remaining two places were just clubs where people met and hung out.

“A bust, damn it.”
“Let’s go join them first. There might be something on their side.”
“Let’s do that.”

I headed towards the place where Cloudie, Risha, Winia, and Ari had gone. It was closer than Karin’s place.

But when I arrived, they weren’t there.
After checking, it turned out that it was just a place where people studied.

“Maybe they went to Karin, Sis’s side?”
“Probably.”

I immediately went to Karin’s side, and Hilde pinpointed their location.
I headed straight there, and they were gathered in a corner wearing robes.

“Ah, there comes Husband.”
“Yeah. Sis. Did you find anything?”

Karin came up and said.

“I’ve only roughly confirmed it, so I can’t say it’s a heretical group or anything, but they were doing something similar to a religious gathering. I got a hunch when I heard them talking about money. Well, I didn’t want to go in right away, so I just did some reconnaissance and came out.”

Oh, shit.
Was the place Karin went to the right answer?

“That’s pretty perfect. Well, I’m the least noticeable, so I can check it out next time. Thanks, Sis.”

I’ll wait with Hilde and secretly grab one of the people who come out and check to see if I can attend the next gathering.