That's how an amateur Lord pretending to be an Assassin Lord, followed by a rookie assassin, found themselves standing before the Church.

Now, a serious question loomed in their minds.

Looking at the large wooden door that was firmly shut, with only one possible entrance visible, Ethan frowned. "How do assassins sneak in?" he asked blankly.

Hall stared at him, his eyes widening in disbelief.

'You don't even know this, yet you're posing as an assassin?' Hall's thoughts screamed in frustration. 'Oh God… is this really the same reliable Lord I follow?'

After a moment of silence, Hall cleared his throat. "Through the chimney."

"Chimney?" Ethan muttered, glancing up at the roof of the Church.

"Yeah. I've heard that's how it's done. But can we even fit through? Won't we get stuck?" Hall hesitated, his face clearly unsure.

Ethan stood still, lost for words. 'Damn it,' he thought. 'I should've just hired a real assassin instead.'

After a few minutes of struggling with ideas, the two crept around the back of the Church, searching for another way in. They crouched low, careful not to be seen, but found nothing that could be called an entrance.

Left with no choice, they slowly crawled back to the front, staying hidden in the shadows.

"Hall, take a look at the door," Ethan ordered in a low voice.

Hall sighed, feeling a mix of confusion and disbelief. 'Can this even be called sneaking in?' he thought bitterly.

Still, he crouched closer to the door, squinting through the narrow gap. "My Lord, it's all clear," he whispered.

"Good….Now Shove it," Ethan said firmly.

Carefully, they pushed the door open just enough to create a small opening. Both of them slipped inside one by one, rolling quietly to the side and hiding under a long wooden bench.

They stayed still for a while, listening for any movement. When everything remained silent, Ethan slowly stood up, his eyes scanning the Church's interior.

But then he froze.

Hall noticed it and followed his gaze, his expression hardening. "The Goddess of Light statue…"

The statue was missing.

Ethan turned to Hall, his face full of questions.

"I don't know, my Lord," Hall replied, shaking his head quickly. "The other three who went inside earlier didn't say anything about it."

The empty space where the statue once stood filled both of them with unease.

It was strange…Tooo strange but no one had mentioned it before.

"Let's go inside," Ethan said quietly, his tone turning serious.

They moved toward the end of the hall where another door stood. Ethan reached for the knob and tried it.

It was locked.

"Should we break it?" Ethan asked.

"My Lord, let me take a look," Hall said. He gently pushed Ethan aside, then took out a thin metal wire he had tucked in his belt. He folded it twice, shoved it into the keyhole, and twisted carefully.

A faint click echoed in the silence.

"It's open," Hall said, glancing back with a small smile.

"..."Ethan blinked.

" How did you know that?"

Hall coughed lightly, avoiding eye contact. "Just… some minor skills I picked up. You know, for times of need."

"Minor skills…"Ethan looked suspicious but didn't ask further. They both slipped through the doorway and closed it quietly behind them.

The narrow hallway inside was dimly lit by small candles stuck to the walls. Ethan took a few steps forward, but suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Blerhh…" He covered his nose and mouth, his expression twisting in disgust.

A horrible, rotten smell filled the air. It was so strong it made his stomach churn.

It was worse than any filth he had ever encountered.

"Can you smell something?" he whispered, turning to Hall.

"Not much," Hall replied, frowning.

Sniff..Sniff

He sniffed while walking around but he wasn't able to smell anything."Maybe your nose is too sensitive Lord."

He tilted his head slightly. "Should we check each room?"

"No need. Just follow me," Ethan said quietly, his tone now heavy and cold.

He moved cautiously, his steps light and controlled. He suppressed his mana completely, not wanting to alert anyone nearby.

The deeper they went, the stronger the smell became. It clung to the air like decay.

Finally, faint whispers reached Ethan's ears. His heightened senses, as an Advanced Knight, picked up words the human ear couldn't easily catch.

They pressed closer to a thin wall, listening carefully.

...…..

Inside, a group of priests sat around a small table. Priest Mureno stood before them, organizing some strange objects.

"Today was a good day to harvest, wasn't it?" one of the priests said with a satisfied tone.

"Yes," another replied. "The number of people coming here keeps increasing. And the preaching of our Lord is spreading well."

"With this," the third priest said, "we can finally reach our goal. Slowly and steadily, we can craft—"

He stopped in mid-sentence. His eyes widened in confusion as he saw Mureno turn sharply toward the entrance with an eeriness.

Mureno's expression froze for a second before twisting into a wide, crooked grin. His lips curled unnaturally as he reached for his staff.

He walked toward the door with a strange calmness, and his eyes glinted dangerously.

When he spoke, his voice echoed chillingly through the room.

"Ohhhh!So we have a visitor!"

...…..

"My Lord," he said with a crooked smile, "since you are already here, there's no need to return anymore."

Outside, Ethan and Hall pressed their ears against the wall, both frowning.

Ethan's eyes widened as realization hit him. His instincts screamed.

"Fuck!" he cursed under his breath, grabbing Hall by the arm.

The next instant—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion ripped through the wall. Dust and debris burst into the air, throwing both of them backward. The Church shook violently as light and sound merged into chaos.

Ethan clenched his jaw, shielding his face from the debris, his thoughts racing.

'We walked right into a trap…'

The wall where they stood suddenly exploded into countless pieces.

Ethan reacted instantly. He grabbed Hall by the arm and threw him backward with a forceful push, sending the man rolling across the ground. Hall's back hit the floor hard, and his vision spun.

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