## Chapter 712 – Paladin Kim Kat

“Still, it’s a real shame that the heretical preacher took her own life. If we had captured her, we could have dug into who was behind them.”

I feel the same way.

I never expected her to kill herself.

I’ll just have to chalk it up to bad luck.

Next time, if there’s a suspicious person, I’ll make sure to subdue them first so they can’t move. Tie their limbs and gag them. I was too arrogant back then, shamefully.

“I’m sorry. That part is my fault. I should have been better prepared.”
“Hmm? No. I’m not trying to blame the Paladin.”

The Saintess stood up from her seat, approached me, and patted me on the shoulder.

“Have confidence. This is a tremendous achievement.”
“It is, but I’m still disappointed. I never thought she’d kill herself.”
“It’s a mistake anyone could make.”

That’s true, too.

“This time, it’s enough that we crushed the heretics’ purpose and learned that there’s a force operating such ‘trained preachers.'”

Trained preachers, huh.

“The force seems quite large.”
“That kind of proselytizing method isn’t something an individual can research and carry out. There must be a higher organization that taught her.”
“I think so too.”

It’s too organized.

Maybe this isn’t just about heretics, but some inhuman ‘businessman’ who deceived even the preacher? I’m starting to suspect that. It feels like some criminal businessman is using the heretics.

That could be the case.

“Anyway, we should give the Paladin a reward for completing the mission.”

She walked to the window, picked up a small box, and handed it to me. I received it as if I were receiving a wedding ring and carefully opened it.

“…!”

Gold and silver coins are inside…!

“The total amount of the mission reward is 2 gold and 80 silver.”

2 gold!!!!!! 80 silver!!!!!!!!

“Most of the confiscated cash was embezzled public funds from the city. After deducting that and reasonable compensation for the victims, I put in some of the remaining amount with unclear origins.”
“Oh! Saintess! You’re the best!”

I bowed 90 degrees with a beaming smile.

“Thank you so much!!!!!”

It makes me want to work…!
As expected, Saintess Kadia promised me wealth and glory…!

“In my opinion, Saintess Kadia is the most beautiful of the kingdom’s three beauties!!!!!!”
“Hmph, that’s an obvious fact.”

How pretty could a great mage or a princess be! Saintess Kadia, with her noble heart, was the official Kingdom’s Number One Beauty!

“Kingdom’s Number One Beauty! Kingdom’s Number One Beauty! Saintess Kadia, with her kind and beautiful heart!!!”
“Oh… this feels quite good.”

Saintess Kadia smiled contentedly, returned to her seat, crossed her legs, and took out a cigarette.

“I want to give more rewards to the Paladin who worked hard. If I had known, I would have chosen better clothes to wear.”
“Clothes?”
“If this Saintess wears more revealing clothes, the Paladin’s morale will be boosted accordingly.”

A swimsuit version of Saintess Kadia might be good.

“Hehe, you don’t have to do that. The more beautiful you are, the more charm there is in keeping secrets.”
“Secrets?”
“Yes. The Saintess looks best in that Saintess uniform rather than revealing summer clothes.”

There’s no need to overdo it.

Her current outfit is alluring enough.

It’s a dress fitted to her body line, emphasizing her childbearing hips and butt, and even her chest. The clothes are also white with bronze accents, which go well with her radiant blonde hair.

“Hmm… suddenly telling me the Paladin’s preferences…”
“No, what did you hear?”
“I understand that the Paladin likes modest clothes. I’ll consider it.”
“If I had to choose, I’d prefer more revealing clothes.”
“You want this Saintess to wear such clothes? For the Paladin’s sake, I’ll consider it positively.”
“Please maintain your dignity.”

This crazy joke.

“If you use your beauty too much, something might happen later.”
“…What kind of thing would happen?”

At those words, the Saintess smiled and asked me.

“Are you talking about the possibility that the Paladin, unable to bear it like a wild beast, might pounce on this Saintess?”

It’s a teasing tone.
Feeling wronged, I shouted.

“Oh my! To be treated like this! I trust the Saintess!!”
“This Saintess trusted the Paladin until she was pounced on.”
“Inhuman unfairness…!”

As I trembled, she said.

“Hmph, just kidding.”

It’s too inhuman a joke.

“Who else would I joke with like this besides the Paladin?”

She crossed her legs the other way and continued in a benevolent tone.

“But if you want to pounce on this Saintess, do it in your imagination. I can’t control individual thoughts, so I’ll allow that.”
“Why is such a generous conclusion being drawn? More than that, who would do such a thing?”
“Oh?”

A scornful voice.

“This Saintess knows very well that many men in the kingdom can’t sleep at night thinking about this Saintess. It’s a natural thing for a recognized beauty.”

That’s probably true.

“No, still, thinking about that is a bit much, isn’t it?”
“Well… as a pure Saintess, I’m just displeased. The Paladin’s words might be right.”

But why is she so confident?

“But what can I do? Men are like that, and this Saintess sometimes benefits from it. As long as it stays in imagination, there’s no problem.”

She said that and took out another cigarette.

“But…”
“Yes? What is it?”

What?

“I heard that a collection of drawings depicting this Saintess is being traded secretly.”
“No way! Is that true?”

Someone is making Saintess merchandise?

“It was also a very high-level creation. Their imagination was so rich that this Saintess was taking sensual poses I’ve never even tried in my life. And… naked.”
“What big-hearted bastard is doing that?”

It’s not that I didn’t see erotic novels with the Saintess as the main character when I was choosing red books last time, but specifying an individual who exists in reality, not a fictional character, is a clear crime.

“Just tell me. I’ll go and destroy them all.”
“Hmph, you’re really reliable. But, I’ve already arrested a few.”
“That’s a relief.”

Those guys should be beaten to death.

“But they all said they were just imagining and drawing a beautiful woman, not specifying this Saintess. It’s insulting, but legally, it doesn’t seem to be a big problem. More than anything, they named her Katrina instead of Kadia.”
“No way…! That’s absurd!”

Such crazy things…!

“Anyway, so I confiscated some books… Ah, here it is.”

She stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray, rummaged through the drawer, and took out a red book.

“This is it.”
“…”

The one drawn on the cover was unmistakably Saintess Kadia.

Inside, is there a sexy Saintess drawn with someone’s ugly imagination?

“Well, if the Paladin wants it, I’ll give it to you.”
“Please watch that alone.”
“What would this Saintess do with seeing this Saintess’s naked body?”

ㅡThud.

The Saintess naturally placed the book on the desk… Well, it’s a relief that she has a strong mentality even though she acts playfully. Being subjected to this kind of thing is bound to be shocking.

I naturally moved the documents stacked next to it onto the book. Such things should not exist in this world.

Anyway, let’s get back to work.

“But Saintess, what will happen to that city?”
“Kingdom officials and paladins have been dispatched to the city in question to conduct a more detailed investigation. Now that clear evidence has been found, all those involved must be identified and punished. In addition, we plan to conduct education on heresy on a city-wide basis. It’s not a very distant city either.”

The aftermath seems to be handled well.

“With that, we can say that this matter is over. You’ve worked hard, Paladin. I’ve taken a load off my mind.”
“Hehe, thank you. Ah, but my disciples… no. What are the new paladins doing these days?”
“After completing their job training at the Grand Cathedral, they will be dispatched to church branches throughout the kingdom. Of course, some children will remain here.”

They are still receiving job training.

“The children assigned to the Grand Cathedral… I’ll try to send them as much as possible when the Paladin requests help, like this time.”
“Thank you so much.”

There’s nothing more I could ask for if you do that.

Honestly, how can I use veteran paladins?

They’ve received my training, and they regard me as a true teacher, so they listen well. They’ve also received a lot of my command through various training. So it’s easy to get them to do things.

But that’s not the case with other paladins.

“Then, Paladin. It seems like it’s time to issue the next order.”
“I’ve rested well.”

ㅡClatter.

She took out the order and handed it to me.

I immediately took it and read the contents.

“…Paladin missing case?”
“It’s not confirmed.”

It seems that a paladin has gone missing… A human weapon like a paladin has gone missing? Isn’t this a bigger deal than I thought?

“Currently, one paladin who was tracking a case has stopped making regular reports. It’s not uncommon for paladins on missions to contact irregularly, but the current situation has been going on for a long time, so we plan to send a search party.”

Paladins on missions abroad are required to report regularly. There are no phones or internet here.

They must write a report by hand and send regular mail to a nearby city. If it’s really close and the road to get there is guaranteed to be safe, they can use a messenger to get there quickly, but if it’s far away, it takes quite a long time.

“How long has it been since contact was lost?”
“Usually, letters arrive within a month, but it’s been two months since we last heard from him. It’s almost been three months. Well, there are cases where paladins who have lost contact suddenly reappear, but it’s natural to send a search party when this happens.”

Of course, you have to send it.

Paladins are specialists carefully raised by the church.
Losing even one of those assets is fatal.

“Then why don’t you just send it?”
“As you know, there are many things going on right now. It’s difficult to pull out troops. Isn’t that what the Paladin is for?”
“Hehe, that’s true.”

It’s a troop that can be operated freely.
They do all sorts of miscellaneous things.

“But I’m not an expert at finding people… But I’ll go anyway, as the paladin’s safety may be threatened.”
“I hope to hear good news.”

I carefully folded the order, that is, the order document bundle, and put it in my arms.

“If a problem occurs on the spot.”
“Yes.”

The fact that a paladin has gone missing clearly means something is going on. Of course, nothing might happen. It’s natural for contact to be delayed in this world.

But if there’s another reason.

“I’ll destroy them all.”
“Detailed information is attached to the order.”
“I understand. I’ll study it and then depart.”
“You’re really reliable.”

At some point, the Saintess, who had her chin on her hand, said that with a smile unique to her age. A mutual relationship of trust has been established for a long time. She feels like a comfortable older sister rather than a strict boss.

“Hehe, I’m grateful that you trust me.”

But suddenly, since we’re talking about letters, something came to mind.

“But Saintess? I have a question outside of work.”
“Is it a personal question about this Saintess?”
“No, it’s not that… Does the Holy Light Cross Society have a headquarters in the capital?”
“You didn’t know?”
“…”

Oh.

“…”

I should write a letter to Elise…