Chapter 46: Cooperation?

“Mr. Cole…”

It seemed that in Novalis… there were plenty of others who wanted to get to the bottom of this case as well.

The girl stopped maintaining her wand and looked up, blinking at Finn.

Elena and Finn exchanged a glance.

‘Since we want to investigate the case, and we don’t have any leads right now…’

‘Should we take this chance… to ask Mr. Cole what he knows?’

“Mr. Cole, your courage to stand against evil… I admire that.”

“But… relying solely on passion to solve a case probably isn’t enough… right?”

Elena seized the opportunity to chime in.

“Yes… please think it over.”

“With only your own strength… it’s like throwing an egg against a rock.”

Cole stared at the mechanical dog beside him with a somewhat pleading look.

Magnum remained silent, its head mechanically turning left and right with a click-click sound.

It was observing the two’s behavior and analyzing their words.

“What are you getting at?”

“Mr. Cole, your skills are extraordinary… you were clearly a professional warrior once.”

Cole stayed silent, offering no denial.

“You’ve probably figured out our identities from our techniques… haven’t you?”

The middle-aged man looked up, re-evaluating the young man and girl before him.

At first, he really had thought they were just ordinary travelers passing through.

But that standard Holy Shield spell that had helped him fend off the attack couldn’t lie.

Neither could the Holy Light Art that had healed his injuries.

Not to mention, they had driven back the Mysterious Man—an enemy that even Cole, a battle-hardened veteran, found extremely troublesome.

Everything proved that these two were no ordinary people.

They were from the Church.

As for why two Church envoys were dressed like this…

Plain clothes, dark cloaks, rough leather boots on their feet.

No expensive accessories like necklaces, rings, or bracelets…

No Church insignias anywhere on them…

Now it seemed… it was probably just for disguise.

“You two are envoys sent by the Church, aren’t you?”

“The Church… is likely investigating this matter in secret as well, right?”

Finn didn’t deny it.

“Let’s be frank. We really did come to investigate the serial cases.”

“But we’ve been struggling… with no leads to start from.”

“Mr. Cole… since your investigation has faced so many obstacles…”

Cole’s earlier words had undoubtedly revealed that Novalis itself wasn’t monolithic.

Maybe they could start by looking into the victims’ anger toward the authorities’ attitude to get some clues.

“Why not consider cooperating with us?”

Faced with the olive branch they extended, the middle-aged man seemed to have no good reason to refuse.

But unfortunately, they could read hesitation on Cole’s face.

“You two… have you forgotten what happened thirty-six years ago?”

“You mean… the ‘Iron Hub City Riot’?”

Elena, well-read in history, responded quickly.

‘Come on… what weird setting is this that I don’t know about again…’

Finn complained weakly in his mind.

“A riot…?”

Hearing this, the middle-aged man looked as if he had been deeply insulted.

“Hmph—that’s just the arrogant Holy Capital’s one-sided story!”

“As if we Novalis people are all irredeemable thugs…”

Cole’s eyes unconsciously filled with resentment.

“Based on reading the perspective in officially published Novalis history books…”

“The people of Novalis believe that using the neutral term ‘Incident’ to define this event is more appropriate.”

The mechanical dog beside him added.

‘At a time like this, you bastard is still worried about this issue…’ Finn grumbled internally.

“Hey! At a time like this—”

Finn flared up, then suppressed it.

“Sss—”

He felt a sharp pain in his right leg.

Looking down, the girl beside him had lightly pinched his thigh, as if issuing a warning.

“Ha… haha… R… right… I see…”

Realizing what had happened, Finn secretly pinched the back of her hand in return.

“Mmph!—”

The girl beside him bristled instantly, letting out a small yelp.

To keep Elena’s restless little hand in check, Finn took the chance to firmly grip it with his palm.

“Mmm…”

Elena wiggled symbolically twice, then gave up struggling like a dead fish.

“Mr. Cole… that was indeed rude of us.”

This was Finn’s verbal surrender.

But then again… holding a beautiful girl’s hand wasn’t such a bad deal.

“In any case… you should understand—”

After calming down a bit, the man’s voice returned to its steady tone.

“In Novalis, what it means to cooperate with the Church…”

“If outsiders found out… it wouldn’t look good.”

“People would think you’re stubborn and foolish, pointing fingers and saying the Church has ‘brainwashed’ you, that you’re their lapdog.”

“The authorities would also consider you one of the Church’s people—putting you on their surveillance list.”

“On top of that, I’m the foreman of this mine. I have to be responsible for my brothers.”

Cole pointed at the solid ground beneath his feet.

“Mr. Cole… you should know what kind of forbidden power that Mysterious Man was using…”

“As a Church professional… I can tell you very responsibly—”

Finn’s expression turned serious.

“That’s the Demon Cult… the remnants of the Demon King.”

“Combined with the official’s sluggish investigation of these cases and their strange attitude, the answer is crystal clear.”

“The Demon Cult and the Novalis authorities have made some kind of deal…”

“If you want these cases to be fully resolved.”

“If you want the souls of those who died tragically to find peace.”

“Then cooperating with the Church is your only path.”

Finn deliberately spoke with emphasis.

But he was still patient, trying to explain the current situation clearly to the man.

Sometimes, if you don’t stress the urgency and importance of something, the person you’re persuading might not even realize it.

“And please rest assured…”

“During the investigation, we’ll do our best not to reveal our Church identities… to avoid embarrassing you.”

Seeing that the man didn’t flare up this time, Finn pressed his advantage.

“That’s right… Mr. Cole…”

Elena spoke up slowly as well.

“Don’t worry… with the Church’s help, justice will surely be served.”

Meeting the man’s suspicious gaze, she remained unflinching.

Elena used the speech tactics she’d employed as a Paladin to paint a rosy picture for the man.

The two worked in perfect tandem, one playing the good cop, the other the bad cop.

They both knew full well how tempting the prospect of uncovering the truth was for Cole.

“Maybe we can even help you find out what happened to your brother.”

‘Hey hey… Elena… isn’t that going too far…?’

‘You’re not really going to help him find his missing brother, are you?’

Finn shot Elena a sly glance.

‘Oh, I’m just telling a little white lie…’

The Silver-haired Girl stuck out her tongue playfully.

‘Why does it feel like we’re the villains brainwashing people here…’

Finn nervously ran his fingers through his black hair.

That was his tell when he felt guilty.

‘Don’t sweat the details…’

Elena put her hands on her hips, looking righteous.

‘I asked the Goddess herself. She said it’s fine.’

‘Where have I heard that before…’

The man before them was clearly moved.

The dissatisfaction on his face had disappeared, replaced by a conflicted expression.

“Hey, Magnum, why are you playing dead now?”

He kicked the motionless mechanical dog beside him.

“What do you think?”

“Analysis: If we consider today’s battle as the standard for the difficulties you’ll face in your future investigation…”

“Taking into account the available clues…”

“The probability of you solving the case… is close to zero.”

Cole’s lips trembled slightly.

“Conclusion: You need to change your approach.”

It seemed he had no choice.

“Choosing to secretly cooperate with the Church’s envoys is a new plan.”

Magnum was a robot invented by his brother.

Ever since it was created, it had been serving everyone at the mine.

It planned the optimal mining paths, improved work efficiency, and greatly simplified the management and maintenance of the mine facilities.

In some situations, its ‘brain’ was frighteningly sharp.

Sometimes Cole almost suspected it was a living human.

It always gave Cole proposals that satisfied him.

And now its suggestion was… cooperation too?

“I’ll need some time to think this over.”

After mulling it over, the middle-aged man let out a long sigh.

“For now… let me see you two out.”

“With all this commotion, it’d be bad if the Enforcement Bureau people came back.”

Finn and Elena exchanged a delighted glance.

That iron dog beside Cole was also on their side.

It seemed there was still plenty of hope.

At worst, they’d just keep pressing Cole until he eventually gave in.

“Thank you for your understanding…”

“Then we’ll be waiting for your reply at the Sacred Heart Church.”

……