A tall black spire stood at the heart of Virith-Anash.
It stood out amongst the rest of the buildings, standing tallest and overlooking the city that touched the Crimson Sea.
It was the Temple of the Goddess of Light.
Every evening, the emissaries of the Church left to collect payments from the merchants around.
Each region of the city had a required quota to meet in order to keep things running. In such a dangerous and unforgiving place, safety was hard to maintain. Especially since the threats that tried to break into the city didn’t come from just the monsters.
Within the large hall of the Temple, several groups had already gathered.
They were the emissaries, all coming back from the daily collection period.
From among the groups, the team leaders stepped forward, each one marked by their gray clothes. They all handed over the collective payment they received from the merchants outside.
“31,305 Solas? That just narrowly puts you in first place.”
One of the collectors raised a brow, their brown robes fluttering slightly, surprise flickering across their pale features.
Their gaze shifted to the team leader, and a faint smile curved their lips.
“Not bad, keep it up.”
“…Thank you.”
An’as humbly accepted the praise before quietly retreating.
This had indeed been one of the better collection days of his career as team leader. And it was all partly thanks to that strange merchant from before.
With the additional fifteen percent he had managed to receive from him, he was able to just barely able to rank at the top.
This was a great achievement within the temple. Only team leaders who managed to rank at the top once had the chance to be ranked up to the rank of collectors. By then, he wouldn’t have to do this type of dirty work.
An’as had a dream.
He aspired to rise as a Luminarch, one of the highest positions within the temple, and claim a place upon the Seat of Solas. His goal was to spread the Doctrine of the Goddess across all lands bathed in her light.
To him, the Goddess was everything.
She was the one to pick her up and give her a purpose within this colorless world.
He wanted to be her everything.
“The payment collection period is over. For the teams with the lowest performance, you will be marked down for the time being. Should you fail to meet the quota again, the team leader will be dismissed and replaced.”
As the head collector’s voice reigned down, the expression of a few changed beneath the masks as tension rose in the air.
An’as smirked at the sight, slowly turning away and heading away from the temple.
As he did, he stripped off his clothes and mask, revealing the face of a pale young man with short brown hair and hollowed cheeks.
Every emissary had their identity hidden. Nobody knew what each looked like, and things were kept like this for those in the lower ranks. This was intentionally done to prevent any spies from the other churches from infiltrating the temple through the members.
There were severe repercussions for those who had their identities exposed.
An’as blended seamlessly with the people of the city, his steps slow and steady as he headed towards the port. Such was the life of the emissaries. They were no different than regular citizens outside of work, and as he walked out in his regular appearance, An’as stopped by the port.
Splash!
The crimson sea roared as its furious tides slammed into the docks, sending waves of blood-red water spilling over the edge.
An’as stood by the edge, just far enough for the water not to reach his shoes as he stared into the distance.
Gradually, his brows furrowed and his tongue clicked.
“…They’re here.”
A large shadow appeared over the horizon. Soon, the shadow grew more distinct, clearing up to be a massive ship.
The moment the ship appeared, the atmosphere around the port changed.
Everyone grew tense, and staring at the distant ship, An’as remained expressionless, his clothes fluttering silently.
Soon, the ship docked at the port, its massive frame casting a large shadow on everything beneath as figures appeared aboard, their smirks all too clear.
“Hiya!”
“Huaat!”
Several leapt down from the ship’s deck, their drunken laughter and boisterous voices echoing through the air.
“We finally touched land!”
“….It’s been a while, hahaha!”
Their appearances were wild, and their eyes were sharp. With one glance, one could tell they were powerful, but even they paled in comparison to the man who descended the ramp with slow and steady steps. His towering frame and broad build radiated an overwhelming presence.
With a belly that jutted out and shoulder-length curls clinging to his face, he drew every gaze in the port, the tensions rising. Most glaring was the tattoo on his neck, a red, tattered veil draped over a skull.
There was not a single look of goodwill directed his way.
An’as also felt tense, trying his best to avoid their attention. He was just about to back away when he suddenly bumped into someone.
“What—Um?”
He turned his head to see a familiar figure standing behind him, his calm expression once again standing out to him.
An’as quietly held his tongue. He couldn’t reveal his identity.
“Hello.”
The merchant smiled, his gaze warm as he looked at An’as.
“…I apologize for that. I wasn’t careful.”
“Oh, yeah…”
An’as nodded and was just about to move away when the merchant leaned his face towards the group in the distance.
“If you could satiate my curiosity, who are they exactly?”
“…You don’t know?”
An’as looked shocked at first, but then, recalling how this merchant introduced himself, he understood.
Even though he didn’t want to interact with him, An’as decided to fill him in on a few things. He did, after all, indirectly help him get first place today.
“Those are the Crimson Wraiths, one of the Seven Lords of the Crimson Sea.”
“Seven Lords of the Crimson Seas?”
“…Yes. They’re the Seven Lords that dominate the Crimson Sea. If you wish to cross to the Remnant South, then you must go through them. Only a few selected ships are allowed to cross the Crimson Sea.”
An’as glanced in the direction of the burly man.
“That man over there is Sylas ‘Red Veil’ Vane, captain of the Crimson Wraiths. Don’t be deceived by his appearance. He may look like that, but he’s a Tier 8 and he’s rather famous for his speed and deadly assassination techniques. He’s also an illusionist, which means nothing you see from him can be trusted. The same goes for his crew. They’re notorious for their brutal, yet frighteningly precise kills. You should never cross paths with them.”
“….That’s interesting.”
Rather than being shocked or even scared, a look of interest flashed across the merchant’s features, prompting An’as to frown.
“You, are you sure you’re a merchant?”
“Hm?”
Lazarus turned to face An’as with a smile, his head tilting slightly.
“…And what makes you think I’m not?”
“Everything about you.”
An’as looked at Lazarus up and down.
“You look and act like some sort of noble from the outer world. Not only that, but you also don’t seem at all fazed by anything.”
An’as narrowed his eyes, studying the merchant intently.
“You ask me why I don’t think you’re a merchant. This is my reason.”
“…..”
Lazarus stared at An’as with a slightly surprised expression. But very soon, his expression turned into one of amusement as his lips pulled up, and he leaned closer, whispering into his ear,
“…I guess that makes the two of us, Mr. Emissary.”
“Wha—!?”
The moment the merchant spoke, An’as snapped his head up, eyes wide with shock. How could he have known? His entire demeanor shifted, tension coiling through him, but before he could react, the merchant took a step back and pressed a finger to his lips.
“…You don’t want to do this here.”
He nudged his head towards the pirates in the distance, and An’as’s face darkened.
Every part of him burned with the urge to seize the merchant, to drag the truth from his lips through whatever means necessary. But with the eyes of dangerous company all around, he clenched his jaw and held himself back.
“Looks like you do know some self-control.”
The merchant smiled, finding a box and sitting down as he looked towards the distant group of pirates.
Even now, he was still relaxed.
“So you’re saying that in order for me to reach the South Remnant, I will have to somehow find a ship that these seven lords approve of?”
“…..”
An’as didn’t answer.
He felt that if he talked, he’d be playing right into the merchant’s game.
‘Just wait until they leave the port. I’ll…’
“It seems like you’re thinking some useless thoughts.”
The merchant slowly turned his attention towards An’as once again. It was also in that moment that An’as felt a certain pressure he hadn’t felt before coming from the merchant, his eyes flickering faintly.
However, that flicker only lasted for a brief moment before his smile grew warm.
An’as remained tense, unsure of the situation. For some reason, in that split second when his eyes flickered, he felt the back of his head tingle.
As someone who had lived by the edge of death since young, he understood what had just happened.
He…
He was mere inches away from dying.
‘This guy is not normal!’
An’as quickly grew alarmed, his palms sweating.
‘…I need to report this to the temple! Someone as dangerous as him disguising himself as a merchant. He must have some hidden motives!’
But as if his thoughts were being read, the merchant laughed, slowly standing up while directing his gaze towards the distant pirates as they entered the city.
He placed his hand over the young team leader, patting him twice.
“There’s no use thinking about useless thoughts. I’ve been observing you for quite some time. I know quite a bit about you.”
“Wha..”
“You work for the Temple of the Goddess of Light as a team leader. You were only recently promoted, and now you have the ambition to rise to the Luminarch position. You are an orphan with no family, and the church took you in when you were young.”
An’as’s pupils dilated upon hearing his words.
How did he know? Most of the information was not something that anyone could simply figure out.
How was this possible?
The merchant laughed once again, patting An’as on the shoulder.
“You check out all the boxes. Careful. Cunning and knowledgeable.”
He nodded with a satisfied expression as he looked at An’as.
“The moment you took money from me was the moment you started working for me.”
“Huh?”
“Yes…”
The merchant patted An’as again, his voice warm.
“…You are now my assistant!”