Kalid could only watch as the beast man scurries off deeper in the forest. He dismisses the divine power around his body as the battle had ended. There was no point chasing a beast in its habitat. At least not now. He walks straight to the other beast man corpse. Tossing it around as his hands search through the mess of fur and blood.
"I assume you are no exception to the church's order." Athred asks as he looks at the wounded knight being supported by the others. Kalid looks once at the dying man before continuing to search the beast man's body.
"I'm not." He responds, a furrowed brow accompanying it. Even most nobles do not know the inner working of the church. Especially those who were not educated from an early age. Something he had doubted a recent noble family such as Athred battle-axe to know or care for. "The church's order" especially was not well-known among the nobility. It was after all an unofficial consequence of the witch hunt where a practitioner of divine power was forbidden from being a healer and a warrior unless permitted by the upper echelons and tested accordingly.
"Then he'll die." Adhred says out loud confirming what the others were thinking. He moves toward the still bleeding titled knight. He had been quite fond of the hothead, carrying himself with pride and now that same thing became his dead. Adhred sighs as he leans to the knight whose struggle had weakened, the blood still slowly streaming from his neck as he's unable to speak properly. Adhred grabs a dagger that the wounded knight carried as he searches for a vital point that he can reach. Finding one near the chest, Adhred stabs the dying knight. The man's eyes turn from fear to delight as he goes limp. Adhred looks once at the now still corpse and rips off the noble knight's household insignia, putting it in his pouch.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Adhred asks as he stands up and returns to the paladin who's still reaching the beast man's corpse.
"No, that's the issue. If he was alive it would have been easier to extract information. But alas now we need answers from a corpse."
"What is it you're searching for? I doubt a slave would carry anything of note."
"These weren't slaves." Kalid says in an accusatory tone, his normally more formal eyes filled with a hateful fire resembling Asariel's will.
"As if you actually believe that? These aren't the plains in the south. The only way they would end up here is either chained or hanged." Adhred dismisses the idea. Unlike others of the landless nobles, he had done more than the others to emulate it. Not only claiming it in standing. A Maester had taught him about history, broadening his view. Whilst his father taught him about the battlefield and discipline. Just like he's doing with the daughter of his own. That's why he could not understand Kalid's words. He seemed to have been a learned man as well. Hence, why he should know no beast-man would arrive so far north without a ship.
"He doesn't carry a mark." Kalid points to the beast-man's neck lazily. Not truly caring for the disobedient knight's opinion.
"That's something you cannot say with certainty."
"Indeed, because you split our certainty apart with your axe." Kalid stands up and goes to check the human male they carried. He grabs the human male's hand and slowly turns it. Assessing the man who's a combination of no more than tattoos and open wounds. The wounds were infected far beyond human help. Even the power of a saint would only have alleviated the symptoms. 'Poor bastard.' The paladin thought as he continues to check the body. The tattoos were nearly unrecognizable resembling a child's painting more than anything substantial.
"mmhmm." The paladin mutters audibly as he looks at the body. His anger replaced by interest. "A slave driver, it seems. And those wounds do match those beast-man's claws." his scrutinizing gaze switches constantly between the two bodies. "If I recall correctly even recent slaves are branded and marked."
"They could have gotten rid of it, or perhaps they are only branded when reaching Sytrichian land?" Adhred suggests some different options in a superior knight like tone. Kalid simply looks at the knight, his experience as a paladin matching or even superior to that of the noble pretending.
"Is it that hard to imagine that some beast men are here of their own free will?" Kalid asks, his gaze and scrutiny now focused on his companion more than solving the current mystery.
"The chances are slim to none. The-."
"Why are the chances slim?"
"You and I are both aware. How many duchies they need to pass to reach this place."
"They could've gone by sea."
"Beast men? By sea?"
The conversation swiftly turned to an interrogation. One asking the questions and the other denying every idea. Its tensity matching the surrounding forest with now three bodies richer and probably more at the end of the day. The two other titled knights still have their weapons drawn. The small hole they stopped digging in a testament to their confusion. Kalid looks over to the two confused knights. He could have felt ashamed if his annoyance with their leader wasn't greater.
"I'ill have you know, noble knight or whatever fancy name you nobles have thought of." Kalid continues speaking before Adhred could even rebut the distasteful statement. "It's all well and good to pretend to play knight. But if you can't imagine another possibility than your self-taught human knowledge. Then follow…. Don't lead."
"..." Adhred doesn't react simply squeezing his fists as he looks to the lecturing paladin. It's oh so typical of their kind to preach about things they would never understand. A paladin thinks he knows a knight. A paladin thinks he knows honor. A paladin thinks he knows sacrifice. What's so honorable of claiming your sins to be part of Asariel's will? What's the sacrifice they make when they wield their divine power on those who do not have the same.
A knight fights with his own strength, his own valor…. Never will they truly understand.
"You will save more lives that way. A true honorable thing." Kalid adds before he turns around and continues deeper in the forest. Adhred beckons the two other "Titled Legion" knights to follow, noticing that the paladin will not wait.