The moment he heard the words "Oath of Vengeance," Colin got a bad feeling.

He silently moved to the front of the group, shielding the Half-Orc and the Tiefling behind him.

Ale, understanding Colin’s intention, stepped forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

Colin’s feeling wasn’t without reason.

A Mage’s Power came from research and Magic; a Warrior’s, from training and physical prowess; a Priest’s, from prayer and the Gods... But a Paladin’s Power stemmed from their own conviction and oaths.

Nearly every Paladin had an oath they strove to uphold for their entire lives.

This oath could not be too narrow; it had to concern both the world and the self, serving as a kind of guiding creed that bound them.

These grand creeds weren’t typically diverse; they would ultimately converge into several major categories.

For example, "To protect the mortal realms from threats from other planes," or "To walk the path to a Legendary future that will one day shine." Even some noble knights who swore allegiance to their monarch could become Paladins.

Of course, these oaths didn’t necessarily require a solemn ceremony.

As long as a Paladin wholeheartedly and piously believed in these tenets, they could draw Power from them.

Conversely, if they began to doubt or question that conviction, their Power would weaken and might even abandon them entirely.

This was also why most Paladins were so fanatical.

After all, someone who wasn’t fanatical couldn’t possibly devote themselves body and soul to a creed concerning the entire world.

The oath of a Paladin of Vengeance, in general, was to punish all evildoers in the world. They would rather sacrifice their own lives and reputations than let a criminal escape justice.

Even among the already zealous ranks of Paladins, they were the hardliners who thought everyone else was too soft.

"Don’t worry. As long as that Tiefling behind you still has the Morninglord’s favor and doesn’t smell of sulfur from Hell, I won’t do anything to her. Same goes for the Half-Orc. I don’t see any evil in him at the moment."

Yuri yawned. "Besides, Edwin’s nose is much better than mine. I trust his judgment of people—of course, I only trust your character, nothing more."

With that, he stood up, carried his clean plate over to the side, and set it down.

He reached over to a nearby table and picked up a sheet of parchment.

"Are we starting right now?" Colin asked.

Yuri said with a smile, "If you can convince those damned Cultists to take a nice holiday, I can recommend a decent inn for you right now. You could go take a nice, comfortable hot bath or something."

Orelia asked in surprise, "Cultists get holidays?"

"No."

The smile on Yuri’s face vanished instantly. "So can you stop asking questions like that?"

"Oh..." Orelia lowered her head.

From the way the man spoke, Colin could tell he wasn’t the easygoing type, so he didn’t say anything more.

Once he went silent, it was even less likely that the others would talk to Yuri.

The group just stood there in the room, staring blankly at one another.

「A moment later.」

Yuri broke the silence. "First, although Three Bays City is a member of the Lord Alliance, they don’t welcome any outside forces into the city. So, apart from the Five-Stringed, it’s difficult for other hardline organizations to interfere here.

Don’t go flashing your identities as field agents from Thousand Masts City. That won’t work here. The local Water Police Team won’t recognize it. Revealing your identities will just tip them off."

He looked at their confused expressions and sighed.

"Let’s start by talking about the possible Cults in Three Bays City..."

"So you’re saying we don’t know who the enemy is?" Kase was concerned about this point.

"Based on the current situation, they’re most likely followers of some Duke of the Devil. Their methods are very cautious," Yuri said. "We’ll talk as we go. We need to check every district in the city."

After speaking, he pointed at Colin and Ale. "You two look like ordinary people. But you’ll need to bring your Priest with you. The Half-Orc can stay here."

Colin watched Yuri make these arrangements without consulting anyone and felt completely lost.

He asked, "What exactly do we need to do?"

Yuri retorted, "Do you know what Cultists need most?"

"Money and people," Colin answered, based on what he had read in books. "Money can be used to buy off ordinary people, bureaucrats, and lords. People are hard currency in the lower planes and are their primary target."

"So, what you should be investigating is...?"

"Recent missing person cases in the neighborhoods... right?"

"Correct. And also shifts in the territories of the city’s gangs. Which ones have suddenly grown stronger, which ones have suddenly weakened—this is all key intelligence."

Yuri continued, "Also, pay attention to the smell of sulfur. Just as a beast can’t hide its own stench, Demons can’t conceal that scent of sulfur from Hell."

With that, he went into another room and rummaged around, emerging with a few masks, gray Cloaks, and some worn-out cotton clothes.

"Disguise yourselves as recent travelers. The city hasn’t finished settling the last wave of refugees, so no one will pay you much mind. Be back here before dinner. And remember, check if you’re being followed before you return."

After saying this, Yuri unstrapped his Armor and the Armed Sword hanging at his waist, and began to put on the shabby clothes.

Seeing this, Colin and the others had no choice but to do the same.

Fortunately, the cotton clothes were reasonably thick and should offer some measure of Defense against weapons like Daggers.

"So I just wait here?" Kase asked, frowning.

"There’s no other way. A two-meter-tall Half-Orc is pretty conspicuous in this city. It’d be even more conspicuous if that Half-Orc was running around looking for things," Colin said. "It’s just like back in the Supreme Forest. You’ll have to wait here for now."

He said that, but Colin actually felt a bit uncertain himself.

According to his own plans, they were supposed to find a tavern to settle in after arriving, then slowly formulate a plan and act only after they had a clear picture of the situation.

Instead, this action-oriented Paladin had thrown them straight into a field exercise from the very beginning, catching Colin completely off guard.

Ale and Orelia, standing beside him, were even more bewildered.

The two of them looked stunned, unsure of what to do. They stood there in a daze for a moment before finally picking up the clothes to change into.

After changing, Yuri placed a silver metal tube, as thick as an arm, on the table. A Hemp Rope was attached to it, making it look something like a firework.