Under the bright sun, at the noisy city gates, a squad of fully armored soldiers stood guard.
Yet Nidhogg and Vargas, wrapped in their cloaks, were not strictly interrogated by them. They entered the city without trouble.
In truth, the Slug Count likely wanted cultists to enter the city—to become his next prey. He had no need to keep out cultists or those bearing ill intentions toward him.
Instead, the cultists of this land had been completely devoured by him. So much so that he now had to target civilians, forcing them to pose as cultists to continue his heresy trials and horrific tortures.
Suddenly, Nidhogg noticed a carriage covered in black cloth. From beneath the cloth, he could faintly hear women crying.
The carriage, loaded with women, drove deeper into the city. Their cries faded with its passage.
Were the heretics caught and identified by the Slug Count all women?
This was no time to ask. Nidhogg silently suppressed his doubts and simply followed Vargas forward.
Vargas remained silent the whole time, limping along with his crutches, but moving quickly.
He led Nidhogg from the noisy city streets into secluded alleyways.
Turning a corner, they came to a deserted street, then descended a stairway into a dark cellar.
This cramped cellar was filled with all sorts of things.
Ancient and modern classics. Cult and pagan texts. Globes. Orreries. Skeletons of various creatures. Even a goblin corpse preserved in a jar.
In Nidhogg's view, Vargas resembled an occult scholar, astronomer, and alchemist more than a physician.
Of course, Vargas had also been forced to delve into many different disciplines.
He truly couldn't find any clues about the Beherit, so he had tried everything, even seeking out new knowledge through these means.
Vargas cleared a chair and seated Nidhogg before presenting him with known information.
"Regarding the Count, he currently has three influential ministers and officers. One of them is Dahr, from the Heresy Review Committee. This old man seizes heretics for the Count and also oversees the public executions of heretics."
"There are two others—Soldag and Gregor. They are the two most valiant knights in the Count's order, having followed him to conquer cults and paganism. But they aid in tyranny and have killed many innocent people."
"If you plan to do something about the Count, Dahr's cunning and Soldag and Gregor's brutal strength are the biggest obstacles before you."
Nidhogg cared little for these men.
After all, they still belonged to the human category. Only the Slug Apostle himself posed a threat to him.
But things should be fine. The Slug Count's Beherit was now in Nidhogg's hands. As long as the Count couldn't summon those four angels, Nidhogg was confident he could kill him.
Unexpectedly, Vargas then provided him with surprising information.
"Besides them, a knightly order was stationed here a few days ago. The Count has been hosting them."
"I've heard these knights are all brutal and love their pleasures. They seem more like mercenaries and bandits than knights. But they are a fighting force. They might try to stop you from killing the Count."
Oh? Is that so?
The more Nidhogg listened, the deeper his frown became. He asked, "What is this knightly order called?"
Vargas thought for a moment and replied, "I remember it being called the 'Black Dog Knights.' Their leader is a man named Wyald. I saw him from a distance—he looks like a beast. That's why he left an impression."
The Black Dog Knights. Wyald. It really was them.
This Wyald was also an Apostle.
Back then, when Guts and the others rescued Griffith, the pursuit force sent by the King of Midland was these brutal Black Dog Knights. Even during the pursuit, they never forgot to indulge in cruel pleasures and massacre villages.
Wyald was also the second Apostle Guts ever encountered. Guts eventually mortally wounded Wyald in a death-defying state.
But Wyald still didn't die. If Zodd hadn't arrived in time, many Hawk Company members would have perished there before the Eclipse.
Of course, compared to what happened during the Eclipse, dying here might have been a mercy.
But how had the Black Dog Knights ended up here?
Nidhogg asked this question.
Vargas replied, "You must know that over half a month ago, there was another rebellion in Windham City, right?"
"Though it's somewhat unbelievable, the 'White Phoenix General' Griffith, credited with subduing Julius, actually plotted to follow Julius's example. He tried to seize the King and command the entire Kingdom of Midland."
"However, his plot was thwarted in time. He himself was imprisoned. The five thousand White Phoenix Knights under his command were surrounded and suppressed by the kingdom's army. They died, scattered, and fled."
"But even so, it's said that several hundred men still broke through the encirclement. They will become a great hidden threat to the kingdom in the future."
"The King knows that these remnants will sooner or later return to Windham City to rescue their leader. But he cannot move the White Tiger Knights from the border. So he has summoned the kingdom's other knights to defend the capital."
"The Black Dog Knights were originally an infamous knightly order created by the King to harass the enemy across the border. This time, they also received orders to head to Windham City."
"However, after receiving the summons, they were in no hurry to reach Windham. They traveled slowly, enjoying themselves along the way, lingering in every town and village they passed through, committing all kinds of atrocities."
"They burn, kill, and loot. They do every evil deed. Everywhere they go, people complain. I truly don't understand how they can hold the title of 'knights.'"
"They arrived here a few days ago. They've been causing trouble in the city and harming civilians. But the Count smells something in Wyald. He hasn't stopped them. Instead, he's been entertaining them lavishly."
"There aren't enough camp followers in the city, so the Count has been buying slave girls from elsewhere to satisfy the Black Dog Knights' desires. This would have been unthinkable in the past, but given the current Count, it's no surprise."
After Vargas finished, Nidhogg understood all the nuances. He also now knew the reason for the crying women in the carriage he had seen at the city gates.
During his recent travels, he had also learned of Griffith and the Hawk Company's fate.
But he hadn't rushed to find them. If he had, he would likely have been drawn into trying to hold together the Hawk Company's remnants. Yet the Hawk Company's captains were determined to rescue Griffith at any cost.
Then he would have wasted time building up his strength, and when the Eclipse came, all his previous efforts to preserve the Hawk Company would have been undone.
He had to be clear-headed. The reason Griffith had obtained the Beherit and the outcome of Griffith becoming a God Hand—one of the Five Archangels—through the Eclipse were beyond his will to change.
At least for now, he couldn't interfere with the law of causality. At best, he could only be considered a "leaping fish," capable of stirring ripples on the water's surface.
But was Wyald, the "Black Dog," also staying in this city?
Nidhogg needed to decide whether to wait until Wyald left before acting—defeating them one by one—or to deal with two Apostles here at the same time.