041: Departure and Arrival

Charlie’s Psychology Clinic was closed for the day.

Before the doors shut, three men and one woman arrived as visitors. They were all acquaintances of Li Cha. There was Sergeant Mary, Sergeant "Beard" Harden, Sergeant "Dwarf" Faken, and Captain Old Shock, all from the Intelligence Service’s Internal Affairs unit.

They had come to see Li Cha, naturally, on account of the "Saint’s Relic." Last night, Old Shock had reported to Freya that there was a Saint’s Relic outside the city of Saint Ann, along with the news that Li Cha possessed the ability to treat corruption. Old Shock had been sixty or seventy percent certain about the former, believing the trip out of the city would not be in vain. However, Li Cha’s source of information—which might not have been a mere coincidence—and his ability to treat corruption were far less certain. Dealing with corruption was the specialty of the healing priests of the Church of the Goddess of Light, and Li Cha, from top to bottom, did not look anything like a priest.

Since the matter involved the Church of the Black Fog, Major Freya had every reason to step in personally, which would have ensured the lion’s share of the credit went to her. Yet, for some reason, Freya had been incredibly busy lately. In the end, the mission to secure the Saint’s Relic fell to Captain Old Shock.

Inside the clinic, Old Shock sat sprawled in his chair and asked bluntly, "Li Cha, can you really treat corruption?"

Li Cha, still wearing his white medical coat, replied, "Maybe... I suppose."

With four pairs of eyes fixed on him, Li Cha naturally couldn't be definitive. He had already done his homework: the Intelligence Service operated as a collective, and everyone was like brothers and sisters. However, since they were in the intelligence business, everyone was allowed to develop their own informants. As long as the intelligence Li Cha provided was reliable, no one would dig deep into his sources. Furthermore, Li Cha encountered so many people every day—some through normal interactions and others by design—that investigating him would be an exceptionally difficult task.

Seeing his ambiguous answer, Old Shock chuckled. "Regardless of whether it’s true or not, if we manage to complete this mission and earn a bonus, we’ll all have you to thank, Li Cha. Since this is your first time joining our unit on a collective mission, we’ll rest for a moment and then set off immediately. We aim to bring that item back before dark!"

Li Cha pointed to himself. "I have to go too? I’m not even level 10 yet..."

Old Shock waved a hand. "Don't worry. Unless something goes wrong, you won't need to lift a finger. You’ve never fought a magical beast, have you? Think of this as a drill."

Magical beasts... combat... Li Cha had indeed never killed a magical beast; the only person he had ever killed was a vagrant Susan had hired to deal with him. He thought to himself that if Susan could lead people to the Saint’s Relic, there was no reason why four elites from the Intelligence Service couldn't do better than a noble lady playing at adventure.

"Fine. Thank you for the opportunity, officers. Please, give me a moment."

Li Cha went upstairs and donned the set of black iron light armor he had been issued, grabbed his black iron one-handed sword, and checked his magic-powered pistol, ensuring it was fully loaded. Because he frequently took on collection quests, he also had a few combat potions stockpiled at home.

Once finished, Captain Old Shock gave the order: "Alright, once we enter the cave, Mary, you look after Li Cha. Let’s move out!"

...

Before long, the five members of the Intelligence Service boarded a carriage. Old Shock, the dwarf, took the reins. Inside the carriage, Harden, who was applying poison to his daggers, and Faken, who was maintaining his musket, sat on one side, while Li Cha sat across from Mary, who was clad in silver heavy armor. Mary was not short to begin with, and with her armor and full-face helmet, one could not tell she was a woman at all.

Li Cha whispered, "Boss Lady, why have you been so quiet today?"

Mary, in her knightly guise, replied, "What is there to say? Nothing."

Li Cha chuckled. "Oh, I thought you were still mad at me."

"!!!"

The eyes behind the visor snapped toward him. Mary growled in a low voice, "If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll rip your mouth off right now!"

Li Cha rubbed his nose. "So you *are* still mad."

Mary usually dealt with insolent men with a single slap, but Li Cha was different. As he had once pointed out, if not for Mary’s betrayal, he would never have had to join the Intelligence Service. At the time, Shock was hiding his brother away, and Mary didn't want to lose a teammate. Seeing potential in Li Cha’s unique abilities, she had made the cold decision to "betray" him. Now, they were all teammates. When Old Shock ordered Mary to protect Li Cha in the cave, it was partly an attempt to mend the relationship between them.

Little did they know, the tension between Li Cha and Mary went deeper than that. For one thing, the two nights Mary had spent unconscious in front of Li Cha remained a permanent thorn in her side. What exactly had happened during those two nights? She couldn't believe this guy hadn't done anything while they were alone in the room! Her feelings toward him were complicated, especially after last night, when the bastard had bitten her—yet she still hadn't slapped him.

Thinking of this, Mary raised an arm.

"What's wrong, Mary?" asked the bearded Harden from across the carriage.

"Nothing," she said. She then pointed at Li Cha. "You, go sit on the other side."

...

Not long after, the carriage pulled up outside the forest. Old Shock, the driver, opened the carriage door and realized all his efforts were in vain. Inside, Mary sat alone on one side, clutching her knight’s lance, while the three men were squeezed onto the other.

"Lads," Old Shock said, "according to the map, we head into the forest from here. It’s about a forty-to-fifty-minute journey to the cave entrance."

Knight Mary hopped down first, taking the lead. Faken the dwarf gripped his hunting rifle; the dense forest environment was not particularly friendly to a musketeer, but he was in high spirits, whistling a tune. Harden, the third man, didn't look like much, and his personality was just as rough, but he moved with the agility of a swallow once in combat mode. He served as the scout, and with a quick "I'll go ahead and take a look," he vanished into the woods in a few bounds.

By comparison, Old Shock was the most genial of the group. Harden, the fastest, left markers for the rest of them to follow. Mary, the heavy-armored knight, marched with impressive speed, her defense unquestionable. Faken was busy keeping watch, leaving no time for idle chatter. Only Old Shock took the time to explain the basics of wilderness combat to Li Cha.

"The four of us have been a combat unit for a long time. We don't need a plan; we know exactly what to do. Normally, an adventuring party requires a balanced composition—melee, ranged, and support. Stability is the most important indicator of a team's overall strength..."