PAID

It hardly needed saying, but Pendragon was currently in a state of war.

The repeated terrorist attacks by the heretics had been devastating.

The damage they inflicted on Pendragon was catastrophic—most recently, the collapse of the Great Cathedral and the destruction of half of House Offen’s estate.

The scale of their threat had finally sent chills down the spines of the ruling elite.

But the most laughable part of all this was—

No one knew exactly who these heretics were.

Their organizational structure, their numbers, their leaders, and the true mastermind behind them—

Everything was a mystery.

The only thing they knew for certain was that the heretics originated from the Blood Crusaders, a long-defeated army crushed by the God of War.

However, the current iteration was completely different from its predecessor.

Their scale, composition, and methods bore no resemblance to the past, rendering any old intelligence utterly useless.

Even when the apostates within the Great Cathedral—who had maintained hidden ties with the Blood Crusaders—were discovered, they were nothing more than expendable pawns who were swiftly discarded and burned alive by their own organization.

With that, any remaining sources of information were seemingly lost.

But then—@@novelbin@@

“You’ve probably already guessed this, but the Blood Crusaders are structured in a cell-based system. Most members don’t even know their own direct superiors. There are even merchants and nobles unknowingly assisting them.”

There was a saying—even when the sky collapses, there’s always a way out.

The discarded leaders of the Blood Crusaders—abandoned by their own people—started spilling everything they knew.

And some of it was invaluable information.

“So if you think you can capture one of their cell members and squeeze out useful intel, you’re dreaming. They don’t know anything worth knowing.”

“Don’t worry. We already wasted manpower and money confirming that firsthand.”

“…Y-you already tried, huh?”

“If you’re curious about what happened to those cells, I can share the details.”

“…I’ll pass. I’d rather not make an angry beehive even angrier.”

“Wise choice.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

The woman—Dyna, once known as one of the Seven Apostles—shrugged.

However, her expression was grim.

Because as she spoke—

The person sitting across from her was terrifying her to her very core.