"Why not? She’s a Priest, after all."

"Because she’s a Half-Demon, Colin," Kase said. "Either her ancestors were villains who made deals with Demons, or she’s been up to no good herself. It’s not a good thing. Who knows if her Priest status is just a disguise created with some Evil Skill?"

"But, uh... how should I put this?" Colin scratched his chin. "It’s not that I completely trust her."

"That’s for the best. I know what you’re trying to say. It’s because I’m a Half-Orc that I know what these ’half’ folks go through."

Kase said grimly, "People won’t give them jobs, they won’t give them bread, and they certainly won’t give them kindness. Humans rarely even fully trust a Half-Elf."

"Think about it. What happens to people like that in the end? They try to stick together with their own kind, following rules only they know. Then, to survive, they turn to stealing, cheating, or robbing on the streets, trading their honor for something to eat."

Colin nodded silently.

’It’s hard to imagine what Kase must have gone through on his journey here from the north.’

"There are plenty of Half-Orcs in Thousand Masts City, but most of them are like that. They either desperately try to please others, or they use their fists to make everyone fear them. And there are far more of the latter than the former."

Kase turned back.

His Half-Orc eyes shone with a faint glow in the darkness. He continued, "So I have to warn you—never trust any Half-Orc or other half-breed."

The night passed in a heavy and somewhat uneasy atmosphere.

「The next morning.」

The group washed up and got ready, then sat down at the dining table again.

"So, what’s our plan for later?" Old Harvey asked.

Colin thought for a moment. "Since he’s blaming you for the missing fresh meat, it means those Cultists must need fresh cuts of meat.

"We can go to a nearby village and hire a Hunter to deliver a fresh kill to the town. Then we’ll see if anyone goes for it. If they do, we can pinpoint their hideout. After that, we’ll use ropes to get over the walls and into the village."

Old Harvey suggested, "If we’re going to get into the village chief’s house, we might need a saw blade to cut through the door bolt."

’Hearing that, it’s no wonder the surrounding villages are all suspicious of this guy.’

"Just send the meat over. I can keep an eye on it," Kase boomed.

"Then that’s the plan. We just need to confirm the Cultists’ location." Colin looked at Old Harvey. "If any controlled villagers show up, we’ll need you to help hold them back."

Old Harvey agreed, and his sons standing behind him nodded as well.

Colin turned to the last person and said, "And Orelia, you’ll come with us to deal with the Cultists. Just act as you see fit when the time comes."

The small Priest clenched her fists and said, "I understand."

"One last question. If these Cultists worship the Gnolls Deity, will the hyenas in the area obey them?"

"It’s very likely."

"So that means we might have to deal with a pack of hyenas, too."

Old Harvey waved his hand dismissively. "That’s a small matter. The hyenas just have numbers on their side. We should be able to handle them."

Of course, it wasn’t that Colin was scared.

’It’s always good to ask questions beforehand and be fully prepared.’

With a plan in place, all that was left was to execute it.

Colin went to the next village and found a Forester. For one Silver Coin, the man happily agreed to take a rabbit to Pig Badger Village to sell to the butcher.

Kase, meanwhile, had already found a tree. He hid in the canopy, observing the butcher’s house from above. One of Old Harvey’s grandsons was assigned to be the messenger.

Time ticked by, second by second.

The group went about their own business in the mill, but with the night’s operation looming, everyone was on edge. Colin decided to just sit in his room and read the monster encyclopedias written by the Dwarves.

Amidst this tense wait, evening gradually arrived.

Just then, Old Harvey’s grandson ran to the mill in a hurry, shouting, "The village chief went to the butcher’s house! The big guy saw the village chief go to the butcher’s house!"

The others in the room turned to look at Colin in unison.

"Let’s go." Colin picked up the Hand Half Sword from the table, hung it at his waist, and strode out the door.

Old Harvey and his sons grabbed their tools and followed, bringing a few Hemp Ropes with them. Orelia put her hands together, uttered a prayer, and set off as well.

After finding Kase in the tree, the group stealthily made their way toward the village chief’s house.

Pig Badger Village wasn’t very large, and there were only a few Guards. Perhaps because they were under the influence of the Cultists, the Guards’ reactions were sluggish, as if they hadn’t woken up properly. This actually made things easier for Colin and his group.

They found an opportunity, threw their Hemp Ropes over the wall, and climbed across.

The village was pitch-black, lit by only a few Torches. But Kase moved as if he could see in the dark, leading the party to the village chief’s house with surprising speed.

Colin made a silencing gesture, took the saw blade passed to him from behind, and slid it into the crack of the door. He then began to slowly saw at the bolt on the other side.

While he was sawing the bolt, there wasn’t a single sound from inside the house.

After a great deal of effort, he finally sawed through the bolt and opened the door. The house was completely empty.

Groping around in the dark, they looked around the house and found that the bed originally in the corner had been moved. Near the corner was a small hole, just big enough for two people to pass through.

The small hole was pitch-black and extended downward at an angle.

Kase patted Colin’s shoulder, then squeezed into the hole and went down.

Colin and Orelia followed right behind the Half-Orc. Old Harvey and his sons stayed behind dutifully in the chief’s house, barricading the doors and windows with the available furniture to ensure their position was secure.

The further they climbed down, the stronger the smell of blood became.

Colin also noticed that the tunnel didn’t seem to have been dug with shovels. As he climbed down, he could clearly see claw marks on the surrounding earthen walls.

After climbing for a short while, they reached the end of the small passage.

Below was a corridor wide enough for only two people to pass through. Kase had to lower his head just to stand up straight.

"Get ready. A fight could break out at any moment," Colin said, drawing his Hand Half Sword.

Standing behind him, Orelia responded with an "Okay" and raised her Wooden Round Shield slightly.

The group moved forward, feeling their way in the dark.

As they advanced, the smell of rot grew stronger, and they could faintly hear the sound of some kind of beast eating.

Kase was still in the lead.

He held his Insect Shell Shield up and gripped a Javelin in his hand.

’If there really are Cultists, it’ll be tough for them to get past him in this narrow terrain.’

Unfortunately, the corridor they were in soon came to an end.

The corridor connected to a fairly spacious underground cavern. On the cavern walls were several strange, red-glowing Torches that fully illuminated the scene within.

The exit was located on a high ledge, with only one path leading up from the cavern floor below.

Colin tiptoed forward with the other two to look down into the bottom of the cavern.