Chapter 173: Church of Love, Ride the Express Train to Hell! (3)

After scouting the surroundings for three days before the operation, there were no guards. This wasn't because Lusius was usually lax with his security. It was simply that any man who could be caught by a guard would be beaten to death by Elsi, Cellu, or Eve inside the mansion, and if it was a fearsome being that Elsi or Cellu couldn't defeat, there was no point in posting guards anyway. He had just replaced them by installing a security system inside the mansion.

However, Eric, unaware of these circumstances, repeatedly warned his subordinate once more.

"Listen carefully. Talk to the mermaid. If it seems like it's not going to work, you come right out. Got it?"

"Yes. I understand."

Eric raised his hand and said.

"Faith."

Another subordinate placed his hand on top of that one.

"Hope."

"Love."

"Alright. Let's go."

Even as Eric recited the prayer text, he couldn't help but feel his subordinate was unreliable. He was a man who knew how to goggle his eyes, but had no idea how to use his head. Even after joining the Church of Love, Eric couldn't understand the extreme fanatics within it. They were bastards who valued the rights of mermaids, beastfolk, and ain far more than the rights of humans.

Eric was also of the opinion that they shouldn't be discriminated against, but the radicals seemed to think that mermaids and beastfolk should be served like their masters. Or perhaps they just wore it like a kind of faith.

"I'll be on my way, then."

The subordinate, with a fresh fish procured from Esta tied to his waist, climbed over the wall.

For several days, they had painstakingly and cautiously diverted the magic wire on the wall to another location. Thanks to that, the subordinate was safe even when he placed his hands on top of the wall. Eric and the other subordinate served as a platform to help the advance party member safely get over the wall.

"Heave-ho."

The subordinate went over the wall and disappeared. Eric and the other subordinate dusted off their hands and quickly stepped back. Wishing their subordinate good luck, they disappeared into a small house in the open space.

As soon as the subordinate landed on the ground, he gasped for breath. It was because the swimming pool was right in front of him. In the swimming pool, a mermaid was floating limply like a drowned corpse. Since the subordinate didn't know the mansion's internal layout, he cautiously circled the swimming pool and spoke to Cellu.

"Excuse me..."

As soon as the subordinate's voice was heard, Cellu shot her head up and created distance. At her swift movement, the subordinate froze, unable to react. Cellu sat perched on the edge of the pool railing and stared at the subordinate. Her ocular glow, shining in the night, felt eerie. Cellu stuck out her tongue and asked the subordinate.

"Who?"

"Ah, how are you? I, uh, I didn't come here to fight or do anything bad."

Cellu completely pulled her body out of the pool water and positioned herself across from the subordinate. Feeling a clear sign of vigilance, the subordinate first tried to calm Cellu down.

"I am not a dangerous person. You see? I have no weapons, nothing at all."

"How did you get in?"

"O-Over the wall..."

"Really? To do what?"

Cellu's questions continued. The subordinate felt like he was being interrogated. The subordinate recalled the Mermaid Manual. The Mermaid Manual written by Mayhem. According to the Mermaid Manual, mermaids liked fresh fish. The subordinate took out the fish he had tied to his waist.

The moment the subordinate's hand went to his waist, Cellu flinched and retreated further back.

"F-Fish...!"

"What?"

"I-It's fish. L-Looks delicious, right?"

"Are you insane?"

Cellu asked, tilting her head as if in disbelief. Cellu was gradually getting annoyed with this man who had suddenly dropped into the swimming pool. It was one thing to be suddenly woken up at dawn, but it was another that she couldn't find any substance in their conversation. Did this fellow bring me fish just to show it off? Annoyance welled up inside Cellu.

"P-Please have it! I brought it to give to you!"

"Leave it there."

Cellu nodded her head toward the ground. The subordinate carefully placed the fish on a spot without dirt. Cellu still didn't take her eyes off the subordinate. She was currently contemplating whether to call the guards or to beat him up herself. The subordinate said.

"Um... I, I think you are being abused."

"Hmm?"

Cellu tilted her head. It was the first time in her life she had heard such a thing. She had heard rumors a few times that she was receiving far better treatment than her nature of the crime deserved, but it was the first time she'd heard a rumor that she was being abused.

"I'm doing just fine?"

Cellu forgot the fact that she had to capture him and asked a counter-question. The subordinate shook his head at her words and spoke strongly.

"No. This, this is wrong. It's not befitting of a mermaid. Mermaids should live like mermaids in the sea, but this narrow swimming pool... and the poor management... As a former member of the Mermaid Capture Team, I cannot tolerate this situation!"

"Heh, that's an interesting opinion. I think our Lord's opinion might be a little different..."

"That man is a vile and dirty rapist. How could a mermaid..."

"Heh, our Lord is a bit vile, it's true."

Cellu chuckled and nodded. The subordinate's face lit up. He lowered his voice and said.

"Then, Lady Mermaid. Would you not come with us? We provide an excellent mermaid education program and a huge swimming pool, and there are already mermaids with us who..."

"But your voice is so quiet, I can't hear you well. Could you come a little closer?"

Cellu got back into the pool water. The subordinate, smiling with a goofy grin like a fool, reached his hand out to Cellu. Cellu grinned, grabbed the subordinate's hand, and then.

"Whoa!"

She plunged him right into the swimming pool.

"Ugh! Glub! Aack! Gak! Blub! Ptoo! Aah!"

"Heh, but I like it better here."

Cellu pulled the struggling subordinate's face out of the water. Both bewilderment and terror were etched onto the subordinate's expression.

"What are you?"

Cellu asked with a smile. The subordinate shouted.

"D-Don't do this! I'm from the Church of L—! Glub! Aaaack!"

"Heh."

Cellu plunged the subordinate back into the water. The subordinate resisted with all his might, but Cellu's arm didn't budge. After repeatedly dunking the subordinate in the water as if doing laundry, she looked at the completely exhausted and trembling subordinate, then grabbed him by the hair and crawled out of the water. As she slowly crawled toward a small lever in the corner of the swimming pool, the subordinate counted the stars in the sky and spat water from his mouth.

When Cellu pulled the lever, the crystal spheres on the wall began to emit light and noise all at once.

Eric, who was watching this scene from the distant open space, spat out an insult.

"Damn it all!"

** **

A few days later. From morning, Eric and his subordinate held their breath and watched the movements of the mansion. Despite the major commotion, the mansion was quiet. They might have been assessing the situation in their own way, but it was extremely quiet for having caught an illegal trespasser. Eric clicked his tongue and said.

"Karl was caught. Those bad guys. He's probably being brutally tortured in the underground."

"He was a good guy. What do we do now?"

"You'll have to step up. You, you said you were a beastfolk expert, right?"

Eric said, looking at the other subordinate. He was from the Church of Love's Beastfolk Negotiation Team and was in charge of rescuing kidnapped beastfolk and sending them to the Church of Love Headquarters or the Eastern Plains Region. At Eric's question, the subordinate nodded and answered.

"Yes! That's right!"

"Then why did you come to the rescue team? They said you were competent."

"Ah, that's..."

"What is it, you bastard, just say it."

"A fight broke out when I was playing with a sleeping cat beastfolk's tail, making a moustache."

"Wow, fuck..."

Eric shook his head. He wondered if this ruffian could really succeed if he put him on the mission. Eric asked with a doubtful expression.

"Are you going to be okay? If this fails, you're fucked. Got it?"

"I'll be fine. That was just a prank. I was originally known as the ace of the negotiation team. I can definitely succeed."

"...You fucking have to succeed, you hear?"

This operation was simple. It was an operation to make the subordinate, a former member of the Beastfolk Negotiation Team, contact the beastfolk in the mansion to dig up information. Since beastfolk had lower intelligence than combat power, they would answer everything if you just asked them casually.

For this operation, he was specially dressed in civilian disguise clothing and even wore a wig to change his impression. Eric patted the subordinate's shoulder, telling him to do a good job.

"Faith."

"Hope."

"Love."

The two men exchanged glances and crossed their arms. According to the investigation over the past few days, the cat beastfolk living in this mansion occasionally came out of the mansion for exercise. Eric planned to have the subordinate make contact during this short time to extract important information.

And according to her cycle, the day the cat beastfolk came out for a walk was today.

Eric looked at Elsi coming out of the mansion and patted the subordinate's shoulder once more. Elsi stretched in front of the mansion gate as usual and prepared to run. The villagers, now familiar with Elsi, would wave to greet her or exchange some small talk.

"Elsi. Running again today?"

"I have to periodically loosen up my body. It's useless if my body gets stiff."

"Elsi, you seem sturdy enough without all that."

"The cleric said a flexible posture is good. I have to periodically do gymnastics and loosen my body."

"A flexible posture?"

Elsi, having spoken that far, seemed to recall something and hastily shook her head, shouting at the passerby.

"Ah! This is a secret! The cleric told me not to talk about what he does at night!"

"Ah, uh... Hmm..."

The passerby shook his head and walked away. The subordinate, watching the scene, ground his teeth and shouted.

"Fucking zoophile!"

"Hey, hey. Don't get excited! You punk."

"Beastfolk should be cherished! How can a human fuck a beastfolk?"

Before Eric could even stop him, the subordinate ran toward Elsi. Eric, flustered, looked around and used the moment everyone's attention was on the subordinate to make his escape.

"Excuse me! Miss Beastfolk!"

"What are you."

"You are being abused right now!"

"Abuse? What is abuse?"

Elsi tilted her head.

"Abuse is what's happening to you right now!"

"What's happening to me?"

"Your labor force is being exploited! And you're receiving unjust treatment!"

"Is that so?"

Elsi still had a face that showed she didn't understand. The subordinate continued to speak with passion.

"That's right! You deserve better treatment! To live in the plains like a beastfolk should! Or if you come to our Church of Love...!"

"I am here because I want to be. Human is noisy."

Elsi frowned. The subordinate jumped up and down on the spot and screamed.

"Beastfolk! Should live in the plains! Now, come with me to the Church of Love..."

The moment the subordinate reached out his hand, Elsi took a step back and lifted her leg. As her body spun in a circle, her tail tickled the tip of the subordinate's nose. The subordinate's face contorted for a moment, and then a powerful roundhouse kick that followed sent him crashing to the ground.

"Gack!"

"Soldier! I've caught someone from the Church of Love! I'm taking him to the underground."

"Ah, yes!"

A soldier who had been staring blankly dragged the subordinate away. Eric, who was watching the scene from afar, sighed. Now, he was the only one left.