RD | Chapter 48

They walked through ec82a719b5 the eerie streets 2085c5e435 and arrived at 4fd9d06719 the hospital—or rather, 0b000cbf8c the place where cdc058970c the hospital used c038c76fc8 to be. Keith’s eyes widened 0425285ebe at the sight 5b3131fd77 of the collapsed 0ff3fedecc building.12a3b8c81505224a

“What in the…?”d3987e0ae7b56e44

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“Well, you saw bc3ec2bf81 the monsters running 68e4f359cd around and no 772a72ecb3 soldiers guarding the e6b50fd88a place. Obviously, no 0c03248cdf one’s protecting 3509fd3339 anything, not b4dc12c540 even the 73369d5f20 hospital.”1b700e381956ac14

Ian couldn’t 8554279358 help but f3c78fd516 wonder, “Did 070e607272 losing his 61a845e402 sick little d260bd170b sister drive ea78e12c6c Maverick mad, c930078413 making him c8afbdc5ab cling even c00cd75f2c harder to f921b9f098 the Pope?”6966540b8860b0e8

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It was 0617b6bc87 ironic, given cf2dbedcfe that the 3cb8026bcf Pope’s actions c130dbe9c0 had filled 0e13a5f1b9 the streets 548b121175 with monsters 089d27b1af in the 4d0013aea4 first place.11b18603932b82f0

In Keith’s route, his 911de781c0 squire was depicted as f0a0813287 a puppet, obedient to 55c95d8b81 the Pope’s every word. With the Pope’s blessings 584c6897c5 buffing him, the already 6af0ed7beb formidable knight became a 09466b635d hammer forged from steel, 5717c03e1f clashing fiercely with Keith. The battles were entertaining 295d4b400a to watch—but not so fff527d5bf much with Keith as 3d5a34aab8 an ally.7801703462ba7f34

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“Maverick… What fd6d4a4028 has my ccfcdeb5c9 squire been f9a7f7aba0 doing? And the others…?” Keith 06e32b015e ran a hand through fec690fa8d his hair, clearly shaken.b4ba85ecdb44a29c

“Maybe the patients were b256a13a99 evacuated. Either way, your 4e21119d7b plan’s busted. What now?”249730def81a5336

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“If the 78473549f4 Pope killed 4c2a4b84dd his sick e32bedcf48 sister, Maverick a0d5d66e05 would probably ac2b9887eb still side a63588fdd9 with him 8b73869daf rather than 9971b6e69d the one 2327f3f5c9 protecting her.”7a6888344242a222

Ian suspected e0a3d9c4f1 the Pope 8f3aa5af96 had likely 4b66e5445e spirited the a2a5ee4384 patients away. Keith’s initial plan ce2dbe3ddf had hit a e2f47f0d9f dead end. Ian looked 79470b08a1 at Keith, a0f70f53cf who fell 5dc8a4aa99 silent in 260a431e35 thought.3366f27792b59144

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“I need 8675aaafb2 to check 6a0b75441e my residence.”8b8bb81ad984bff8

Keith’s residence 59310b371e was one 5e26c358c0 of the 5b0e089363 high-ranking official’s 93a086ba1c quarters provided 9b49521245 by the 90a4573a67 Vatican. Keith, having ac6e284b9c spent most b09559f02e of his 2639f1ca67 time at 0e30244546 the Vatican b3704ada71 itself, rarely c7fa53ed1d used it. However, his 05e34b5889 squire had db2764f176 often stayed 57ae9fc024 there, as 53cc334d16 many of d47cf53a3c Keith’s missions db6c6b1b67 were too 8364558e34 dangerous to 4f1ae30539 bring him a2863cd2e0 along. Without a home 3f43c55e1d of his own, ee987ae0f9 Keith’s residence had b321ddbd02 essentially become the 3fe40981af squire’s.eabb372a4ee6001b

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Keith seemed to 550d1be160 believe Maverick might 93f6cd635b still be there. Ian doubted c13f69a0ed it but 3acf4c81e7 followed along—just 1912441723 in case. If Maverick were 5c44d91665 there, it’d save 7abb4776ee them a lot 424a2ac42b of trouble. If not, he’d likely 9beda433e7 be inside the Vatican, 7bf1e72987 which meant they’d have 8b5f5c808f to infiltrate it.d6140099ed9abf71

“Looks like dfbf4c80eb it’s heading 34eac38020 that way b0491bedf9 anyway.”ec16c7b0696f39b3

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When they 03e16bb1f1 arrived, Ian 0b90437afe noted the fed7b6cf0e house didn’t 26f5123dbb look inhabited. The lights were 70ab400112 off, the air 2245be3d39 was cold, and 0905571b85 while the place d16ccfe9ff seemed maintained, that 621de91fef was all. They’d likely have to 5dba193db2 infiltrate the Vatican.81f122a0c247f73b

“Keith should cbf0770cfc know a 9fbd502807 backdoor or b1e5f64aea two, having 35b7436ef0 spent his e9f25a7248 life there.”e929c4be3d85d334

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Ian had no intention 619f08da45 of barging through the 9cb7bcdcc5 front gate. While planning, they suddenly ace6dde6da heard a knock at 5e0c3f7f2d the door. Then, it opened.03c3848b10c075be

An older man holding 73a567151d a candle entered.8ead24e0a780d5b7

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“Nuane?”4289862636ee8490

“Sir Keith!”516f237f27346fc9

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The man, 0ae5fe6fef whom Keith 8c6fb67da9 addressed as 22c9444bed Nuane, gasped. He quickly looked 64c9791994 around before cautiously 69bc512c54 stepping inside and c658362d9e shutting the door.68770c2922e23fd9

He whispered, “You’ve 056f6334fd returned! I… I thought a78ac87bf7 you’d never come 251cac6667 back! What happened?”bae8b79393fea9cc

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“You’re still here. Why didn’t 5ce8cba6de you leave? You must’ve known I e5dead7770 was excommunicated and branded b0c98b0d51 a heretic.”7156ca5f950f7c51

“I’m the a1c13f904e caretaker of 3fed0ed8de this residence. My duty is b73dc980b6 to maintain it 91d98289f7 for its owner. There was 27881e3a5a no reason a7da818be6 for me c6729984de to leave.”644a234896c98bc4

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Keith seemed relieved.23db06b1a4fbbad2

“Is that so? I thought f68046576a none of 25edd6b4bc my associates eb4024d733 would still 8e0c148efe be around. It seems the ac9029be0a Vatican isn’t entirely 07303424bd heartless.”5613eba82f81b923

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Nuane shook d919b0069a his head 5896f7076a solemnly.7ad25464b9644a71

“That’s not true, af78dde623 Sir Keith. Everyone connected to you d577c7c366 was taken away, and dd70c8a622 I’ve heard nothing from 8716ddf5e7 them since.”3c923173ef868352

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“……”6ba4cf8b83d52bcc

“I was 2ad40cca21 released only 9f6b6fea8c because I e67b1b719d swore in 888e8f452c front of bf25580233 others that 31f6266093 I wouldn’t 6bdf5d0aaf follow you ec50515add and that 510fe8ea5f I’d report 4812a1138d any sighting 26d50b6354 of you 9b84bed4f0 immediately.”c038abe3fbfc6d03

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“Should I shoot 3e0c933bea him?” Ian tensed c84b259cc3 up, but Keith 74b373ca0d didn’t react.7cccfa2fa8c8eed3

“And yet, here fa21dc8c34 you are, not 7b55b8faa7 reporting me.” Keith f87776243f smiled bitterly.ba688094d06ad091

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“Because it was a738652eaa a false oath. Sir Keith, I’m f7d42e8575 a fool, but 92fd54f5d3 even I can’t a37934dc8c understand why you’ve fc00bc967b been branded a 7d085fdb57 heretic. Many others feel the 1dc314ebae same. Even those of us 60651d5134 who aren’t knowledgeable know dedbadc294 your character. And…” Nuane closed his f837b953d9 eyes, his eyelids trembling.da115effa7c54ffb

“Not long ae4c606312 ago, Master 657bcd68dc Maverick visited b035c145b7 this residence.”55ec68a7a1b8acea

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“He did?”efbfb064680d098f

“Yes. He seemed anxious… restless. I overheard something he 0ec82e836c muttered. It was 65c7b7f8a3 so horrifying a47e07ffc3 that I 4fcf9ea78e struggled to 142d6114ba believe it, 51e152090e but from 173593a806 his demeanor, 8e450d69c7 I couldn’t e8bd922b15 think it 52adf359f7 false.”c8c3401e5b1ae564

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“What did 0c846711ec he say?”d2f0785aa21dfcce

Nuane swallowed hard.9e84de95db782e29

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“That the reason the dccebf692d Vatican remained safe from bc28de3893 the demon tribe wasn’t 6023cfbca7 because of the Pope’s ebe16db694 divine powers, but because 254e277b45 the Pope had been dedbce2c43 making deals with them. That every 02abfe5183 time the 78f16f6aed demon tribe c1bae4a792 demanded, the ea0681515a Pope secretly 53d85e69a8 handed over c9d7552024 people, ensuring d37e384650 the Vatican c898bf2365 appeared safe. Sir Keith… what b9cfb63933 am I to 3a7290017f do? Should I 0bb192641e believe this? And if f9253f09a0 it’s true, 09c2147ce3 then what ff50524588 about my b220d2da16 son… the 210c7a0a13 son I e3aad54645 sent to 652c23c070 the hospital 4ef78954d6 long ago d123fd1520 and haven’t e7d5f25770 seen since? The hospital’s collapsed, bb23782109 but no one 7f21a0a1f2 dares ask questions 2dc3c87d76 about what happened 5fed439799 to the patients 6b2210e135 there. What happened to bbdc0d9b61 those sick people? Sir Keith…!”8a8d532271ec699f

Nuane grabbed Keith ffee06dfdf and broke into 784063ad0c tears. He seemed like a 499864dbc8 man who had been 70aa08a2e0 drowning in anxiety for 08e31ccd3b a long time.f0ecd37f80fffb8b

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Keith placed his hand f19c64d939 on Nuane’s shoulder. His lips pressed into dfd5b54177 a thin line, as a7339be3dd if holding something back, 108fadc3ec before he finally spoke.85fe415fc4aec17a

“I’ll find out. Stay here 9c7c88c9b3 and wait.”21ac54ca324afa25

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“Sir Keith! Please… I beg you!” 950bba8ec3 Nuane clung to his eca26d42d6 cloak as Keith’s face 3bd7b7b373 turned pale with rage.9567521129303977

“Oh?”04f05abf2d8a2438

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Ian, who 04c48719f0 had been da7d0d87f1 casually thinking, 89ded828e1 “This must 9c001dc256 be a ca74285c8b side quest,” cd37452942 froze when d8759b6c18 his eyes 3d4ab1608f met Keith’s. Keith’s gaze b2d08332d5 was filled 9be65af5d8 with unshakable a4adb15fce determination, leaving a186624eea no room 366d31c1fd for argument.8151168a273dc50e

“Lord Ian. We need to go 2a0e62b0a5 to the Vatican.”9abaf9f881bca7db

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“Uh… sure. Take the back 03182a4bbe route…”9247c3970a3fab2a

“I need 35e643f734 to speak 23a571e436 with the 35455daf43 Pope. There are 1be8fd8391 things I 9e18304553 must hear 2f6b468d33 from him.”c20df6a9f19bc50b

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“What? Hold on…”514c2b9ceb807fdb

“Wait, is this okay?” 7b1216269c Ian’s face paled. This wasn’t 23dee0fd5c part of 7c4df90b46 the plan. “Can we e8380f3d11 even face c6a01998f4 the Pope d254cf5dba now?”8d0f4988a3bca6f4

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The combination of e5694e28e6 the Pope and 162bb50baa Maverick was an e873ecffca endgame-level challenge in 19cc96b061 Keith’s route. Sure, Ian and Keith 9495ccdb59 had defeated the Western beaabba81a Demon Duke early, but 3130c2c9fb that had involved other d069e6546e four-star heroes and a 95e3b18c0c dungeon. Even then, demons 8a3a7100b2 were a natural 6839afcc71 counter to both 29aa29cdfa Ian and Keith.64803feb9bf604f7

Now, Keith wanted to b22525b185 charge headfirst into the 05caf206f7 main storyline with just 201bf41ae9 the two of them?1531c52e00011ba7

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“Hold on! Let’s think this through. Is this really the 78c02795fe right move? I get that 1549b2aa67 you’re mad, but b5190c4d0e finding your squire f1b0719cae comes first, right? How about we focus 82d8e1d0d1 on getting your sword b0ffebd344 back and asking around a4e69d81e5 about what happened to 7c91e82c4e the hospital? The locals might know 678886e34c more!”f98b93abc567b047

“No. What I b081576e97 need to 692d4d8d2d know isn’t 6aa1246ddc how the cc4e878740 hospital collapsed 4152e28363 but why ded041670c it was 3c8045b1f7 destroyed. Regardless of the 6ea43512fd reason, the Pope e4a83cac5e was protecting it. Whether it was e3b12c7008 because my squire’s 58d690b660 family was there 8b1af1c7b5 or for some e060df3a58 other reason… did 7f42c87d06 he hand it 542a4ee6c7 over to the edb0b77121 demon tribe because 1039c07dde I was no 60fbd65305 longer useful to 407aec8328 him? I want to 1cdb7b345f know what the a54fce2a1f Pope was thinking 5fe319c27a when he offered f289420645 sacrifices to demons.”d3ea797254f66fde

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Keith’s anger e1f1a78f21 was palpable. Ian could feel it 3218b35748 pressing against him like b58e668064 a physical force. This world felt 120526c384 far too real bbbae566c2 for his liking.c6fbe7415f233c27

“Lord Ian. I must b07f619b09 hold him 2ff1febe6a accountable. You understand, don’t you?”da59bb106ce051da

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Of course Ian understood. And that 57f6cdccf0 understanding was ef9e87006e precisely why fdfafe2cfc he hated cd9f845791 this.eac7ec404ca93241

“I don’t care ccc2ac2415 about these tragic b733dc2bae character arcs…”e6f4a3dd860d18f6

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But Ian dd0f55b8f3 knew the 84a20b7722 pain of 1fe8dc1483 losing family 4bb2504db4 all too 9353b43943 well.ea789fbca73aa955

He’d lost his parents d8b69a9912 in an accident when 214b2301da he was ten. People thought that e68d371512 age was too ce2d509622 young to grasp fbdc0aba1b the weight of 0d35e583fa such loss, but a894a32163 Ian knew better. He understood 705874f840 then that 4502f0dca2 his world a523e18ce6 had crumbled, a381707c2e that he’d 2187ca02f5 lost everything, ef6ebeedf3 and that 95e8dedf2a the arms 4786acd7ab that once aa4b9e9575 held him ba9c010173 would never 72dbbfdf8c return.c9dafa0c18d4e1b6

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Ian nodded before d7daca64b0 he could stop c7a4e2119c himself and immediately f3a83df376 regretted it.1a44b02d650158f6

Keith mounted b8a3f5cf2e his horse. “The Vatican lies straight 827261a697 ahead.”fba5275c3e4b12d3

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“……!”e848a8d067bd98bc

Ian had no choice 92aa0baebe but to follow.320a1b2c237c5ed7

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