Chapter 014: The Journey North

Over here, Du Fan’s entire body was covered in goosebumps. Over there, Joshua finally introduced the remaining few people—just representatives of the fifty Temple Knights who had followed Du Fan and the others to the Divine Palace, nothing noteworthy.
If one had to point out who were the main forces entering the Divine Palace, it would naturally be Alfred, Tasia, and Nicholas.
As for Du Fan, given his apparent strength, he was far inferior even to an ordinary Temple Knight. He was only included because the Holy Church wanted to ensure he wouldn’t hide anything. In short, Du Fan wasn’t even worth considering as a mere pawn.
But he didn’t mind. Once they reached that place, everyone would see who the real pawns were. Anyway, with these guys taking the brunt of danger ahead, even if he couldn’t benefit from anything, he should still be able to escape if things went wrong.
After seeing everyone introduce themselves, Anthony glanced at Du Fan again and said, “If what you’ve said about this mission is true, regardless of whether it succeeds or not, I promise you that if you return alive, the glory of the Light God will shine even brighter upon you. If it’s false, then, Du Fan, I believe those behind you have the power to inflict divine punishment on you.”
In other words, if everything about the Divine Palace matched Du Fan’s account, he would surely benefit. But if there were any discrepancies, well, Du Fan wouldn’t need to return.
Du Fan understood what he meant, but he was 90% sure it was true, so he wasn’t worried. He simply smiled and said, “Then, Lord Anthony, when do you plan to set us off?”
Anthony pondered for a moment before saying, “It’s better to act immediately rather than wait. I assume you’re all prepared. If nothing else hinders you, set off right away. As for Bruce, I’ll find a way to delay him for a few days so you can reach your destination faster. But we don’t have much information, so be extremely careful once you get there. It’s better to avoid mistakes than to expect success. Do you understand?”
“Understood!” they replied in unison, bowing.
“Then go,” Anthony waved his hand. “This time, Joshua will lead, with Du Fan as his assistant. Decide whatever needs to be done through discussion.”

Du Fan frowned and couldn’t help but glance at Joshua. With this guy around, even if he managed to gain some advantage in the end, it would likely be impossible to keep it hidden from him. A thought crossed Du Fan’s mind, and suddenly he smiled and said, “Lord Anthony, do you mean that Lord Joshua will also go this time?”
“Of course,” Anthony nodded. “I, an old man, can’t follow you. But Joshua is extremely skilled. If not for encountering those holy-level monsters, he could at least ensure your safety along the way.”
Du Fan shook his head slightly and said, “Lord Anthony, I think it’s not appropriate.”
Anthony frowned and asked, “What’s not appropriate?”
Du Fan thought to himself, Of course, with this guy around, it wouldn’t be right for me to steal something casually!
But despite thinking so, Du Fan spoke seriously, “Lord Anthony, according to the information we’ve received, with Lord Joshua’s abilities, it’s impossible to enter that divine palace. In other words, even if Lord Joshua follows along, he won’t be of any use at critical moments. Moreover, if Lord Joshua isn’t in the capital, aside from the rumors that might arise, Bruce will surely suspect the reason for his disappearance. We are just insignificant figures; if we disappear for a few days, no one will notice. But if Lord Joshua disappears, Lord Anthony’s plan to keep Bruce occupied will likely fail. Please consider carefully whether this is a gain or a loss.”
Anthony stared at Du Fan, looking at his seemingly pure smile, before sighing after a long while. “You’re right. Perhaps I was too hasty. Logically, it’s enough to have you go; even if Joshua follows, it won’t help. Very well, this time it will be the four of you in charge. If anything happens, you must plan carefully before acting. As for those of us who can’t go, we can only cheer you on from behind.”
Du Fan sneered inwardly. A brute, an icy beauty, and a divine magician—how could he possibly have a say in front of them? Anthony’s words were just polite talk. But Du Fan didn’t care. He nodded and agreed.

Seeing their expressions, Anthony seemed extremely satisfied. Perhaps due to his excessive concern over the success or failure of this journey, the Lord Anthony, who had not blessed his followers for a long time, rarely stood atop the sanctuary this time. He scattered the holy water—whose price in the imperial capital reached several thousand gold coins per bottle—like water, upon several people below. Du Fan and the others felt that as soon as the holy water touched their bodies, they seemed to gain all their strength. Immediately, they became full of vigor, slapping their chests in front of the statue of the God of Light and vowing to complete the task no matter how difficult it was. Then, under the pretext of detecting demonic activity in the northern part of the empire, this group rode their snow-white steeds and left the church at top speed. Du Fan’s face was hidden under the hood of his robe. Sitting on the horse, though a bit unaccustomed, he felt incredibly relieved. Aside from the surprise of leaving the imperial capital for the first time, he was mostly filled with anticipation for this journey. What exactly awaited him in that sacred palace? It seemed as though some unseen force was guiding them. On this early spring afternoon, the gears of history seemed to turn a few more degrees forward. … Warm sunlight shone on the lush green land. On a mountain road in the province of Kort in the northern part of the empire, a group of elegantly dressed knights moved slowly forward. Among them was a rather luxurious carriage. Whenever passing merchants, mercenaries, or adventurers encountered this group, they would stop by the roadside and pray respectfully. At such times, a young man in a white robe would step forward from the group to bless them. This group was naturally Du Fan and his companions, who had left the imperial capital three days ago, and the young man who blessed everyone along the way was none other than Du Fan. Although their pace of travel was slow, there was little they could do about it. Others might have been fine, but Sister Tasia and Saint Nicholas seemed to have never traveled far before. After three days of non-stop travel, they were so exhausted they were on the verge of fainting. Alfred, who temporarily took control of the group, could only find a carriage in a nearby church for those two important figures to rest in. As a result, the group’s progress was greatly slowed that day. Alfred stood beside the carriage with a frown. Only after seeing Du Fan finish blessing another group of merchants did he wave his hand, signaling the group to move forward.

After a while, Du Fan rode up on his horse. Though he lacked experience in long-distance travel, the Green family was a martial lineage, so he had learned horseback combat skills since childhood. As a result, he appeared extremely at ease on horseback, his demeanor even earning a nod of approval from Alfred, a proper knight.

Looking at Du Fan’s calm face, Alfred sighed and said, “Lord Du Fan, it’s not that I want to criticize you. It’s fine for you to pray for the believers, but our speed is already slow. Adding prayers along the way will only slow us down further. At this pace, when will we ever reach our destination?”

Du Fan smiled and replied, “Sir Alfred, Knight Commander, we can’t speed up because of those two behind us. So the only option is to delay things.”

“Delay?” Alfred frowned. “What do you mean, Lord Du Fan? Please be clearer.”

Du Fan nodded and said, “Let me put it this way. Our stated goal is to investigate the movements of the demon race in the north. Bruce, that old fellow, must be aware of this. I’m sure he has spies watching to see what we’re up to. After all, we’re getting closer to the location of the Divine Palace. It would be strange if he weren’t worried. Since we can’t speed up, the only way is to reassure him.”

“Reassure him?” Alfred shook his head in confusion.

Du Fan said, “Of course, to reassure him. Don’t think I’m just praying for people. After praying, I keep asking those I pass by about the demon race’s activities. This will eventually reach Bruce’s ears. He’ll naturally assume that our target might indeed be the demon race. This could buy us some extra time. If we’re lucky, to avoid conflict with the Holy Church, Bruce might temporarily suspend his actions while we search for the demon race. That would be the best outcome for us.”

Alfred said cheerfully, “If that’s the case, it’s certainly ideal. But what if he doesn’t think so?”

Du Fan said, “Even if he doesn’t think so, news of us moving slowly along the way will naturally reach Lord Anthony’s ears. If he learns of our situation, he might help us buy some time. But all of this is uncertain; only a genius knows for sure what will happen. All I can do now is do my best. I hope those two lords will recover soon. With just the two of us, we wouldn’t even dare enter that divine palace!” As he spoke, Du Fan and Alfred exchanged a glance and both smiled bitterly.