Shimmering Waves, Sea Breeze, and a Port City of Bountiful Hauls – Part 04

The very same day Hikaru started keeping watch on the archpriestess, she called the dealer in. The thought that it could have all been sold off if he’d been even a day later made his skin crawl.

There was a reason Hikaru waited until the exact moment of the transaction.

“Wh-Who are you?!”

“I know you!”

The dealer stared in shock, but the archpriestess recognized Silver Face.

“How did you get in here? Temple guards, arrest him! Temple guards! Temple… guards?”

“There’s no point in calling them.”

Before this, Hikaru had spoken to the priest who had endured an arduous journey with him, and asked him to speak with the temple guards stationed around the area. The guards belonged to the Church but operated under their own chain of command. They were already fed up with the archpriestess’s arrogant behavior, so they listened when the priest gave them a simple, unmistakable order—ignore her, no matter how