as Seren and her Paladins continued toward a warehouse on the outskirts of the city.
"Is this the place?" one of the Paladins asked.
"Yes, it should be," Seren replied.
Golsiera and her troops arrived.
"We've set up the parameters to ensure no one enters or leaves," Golsiera said.
Inside, they saw several workers tidying up the warehouse.
Seren searched for the presence of Dellain or the Nomadic People.
They were nowhere to be found, and Seren wondered: Are they not here? Have they already left?
She led her troops into the warehouse, startling all the workers.
"Calm down, everyone. I am Martyr Seren Eleison, just conducting an inspection here. No need to worry. Please continue with your tasks," Seren assured them.
Golsiera immediately sent her troops to search the area.
After an hour of searching, they found nothing.
"Sorry, Martyr, we didn't find anything," Golsiera reported.
"Excuse me, Martyr, may I ask what you're looking for?" the warehouse boss asked.
"We're looking for the Deep Elves. They're disguising themselves as regular Elves. They are a dangerous group," Seren explained.
"Elves? This morning, we received cargo from an Elf. He asked us to ship a large shipment. However, it was protected by magic, and since we didn't have inspection clearance, we didn't know what was inside. But the logistics department approved the shipment," the warehouse boss replied.
"Martyr, should I send someone to inspect the cargo?" Golsiera asked.
"Hmm... Do you have any record of what was shipped?" Seren inquired.
"Based on the label, it only says company documents," the warehouse boss replied.
Golsiera immediately looked at Seren.
Seren met Golsiera's gaze and responded, "Yes, something seems off, doesn't it?"
"Documents shouldn't be sent via cargo. And why was it sealed with magic?" Golsiera pointed out.
"Maybe they're important documents?" one of the warehouse employees suggested.
"Or perhaps... it could be Mana Bombs or something like that," Seren speculated.
"How can you be sure, Martyr?" one of Seren's Paladin captains asked.
"Whiteford has Holy Pylons and Magic Pylons that can minimize the impact of magical attacks. They're just wasting their power trying to attack Whiteford," Golsiera explained.
"I agree with Captain Golsiera. Our enemies know better than to try to face Whiteford. One attack on them means they're challenging Whiteford in war, and I doubt even the Balrog Empire could fight Whiteford," Seren added.
"Then... are we looking in the wrong place?" Golsiera asked.
Seren fell silent, her face filled with concern. She then led Golsiera to a secluded spot away from others.
"There's something I'm worried about, something I noticed after studying our enemies a few years ago," Seren confided.
Seren took out a necklace. "Based on what I know, the Sister of Surface Order has long targeted the continent of Ivovnia to spread their influence once again, even before Tamura's invasion," Seren revealed.
"What do you mean?" Golsiera asked.
"They might have already been inside White City long before the Balrog Empire's attack began," Seren replied.
"That's why the Paladins didn't release this information to the public... to prevent suspicion from falling on innocent elves," Golsiera concluded.
"Yes, exactly. If it's like this, we'll have trouble investigating our target. It's better to start with the sender," Seren said.
"But are you sure the Elf we're targeting is the one we're looking for?" Golsiera asked.
"Hmm... I have a plan," Seren replied.
The two of them returned to the crowd, where Seren divided the tasks.
Two captains with their troops were sent to double-check the cargo, while Golsiera and her troops accompanied Seren and the remaining forces to the logistics office to check the sender's identity.
They quickly split up, and Seren and Golsiera arrived at the office, which was still open late into the night.
Seren immediately met with the manager of the office, and after receiving permission, they began their inspection.
From there, they discovered that the sender was Kaseph, an Elf who had lived in Sicilian City for 10 years. He had moved here from Lorenstein Kingdom and worked as an accountant for a large company.
Kaseph was a quiet Elf who rarely socialized, but he was known to be quite friendly.
Soon after, they were approached by several Spear of Justice Paladins, including a Justiciar named Krozekel.
"Good evening, Lady Martyr. I am Justiciar 35 of the Spear of Justice Paladins, Whiteford Branch, Krozekel," he said.
"I am Martyr 12 of the Loyal Swords Paladins, Fonta Aria Branch, Seren Eleison," Seren replied.
"If I may ask, what brings a Loyal Swords Paladin from another branch here?" Krozekel inquired.
"I'm investigating matters related to the Balrog Empire here. Additionally, the Martyr assigned here is unavailable, so I have permission to conduct the investigation," Seren explained.
"Hmm... very well. If this is the decision of the higher-ups, I have no objections. However, I would like to remind you that if you suspect anything, even with evidence, please report it to the Spear of Justice or the relevant authorities on legal matters," Krozekel added.
Seren simply nodded, understanding the meaning behind Krozekel's words.
"Hmm... we need to stay calm while gathering information," Seren said.
"They don't seem too friendly," one of the Paladin captains remarked.
"That makes sense, considering there are forces from other regions conducting military investigations in their area. There will clearly be pressure from the Whiteford military on the Paladin Order from Whiteford," Seren replied.
At that moment, Golsiera received Kaseph's address.
Without further hesitation, they headed directly to Kaseph's residence.
Upon arriving, Seren instructed all the Paladins to wait outside, while Seren and Golsiera approached Kaseph's house.
After knocking several times, they received no answer.
"Do you think he's already asleep?" Seren asked.
"Maybe," Golsiera replied.
Before they decided to stop, they circled around Kaseph's small house and noticed an open window at the back.
"Hm... careless," Golsiera said.
"Do you think he left it open on purpose?" Seren asked.
"I don't know... I want to peek inside, but isn't that illegal?" Golsiera replied.
Before Seren could respond, she caught the smell of blood.
"Golsiera, get your weapon ready," Seren whispered.
Golsiera immediately drew her sword, and Seren opened the unlocked back door.
Once inside, they found Kaseph's lifeless body, a knife lodged in his neck.
"Golsiera, contact the local authorities," Seren instructed.
"Understood," Golsiera replied, quickly leaving the house to make the call.
"Alright, you can come out now," Seren said.
"You've definitely improved. I'm impressed," Dellain's voice came from behind.
"The Paladins will be here soon. Can you explain this?" Seren asked.
"Yes, it was my doing. I don't know how, but the Tremor Knights got ahead of me," Dellain replied.
"What do you mean?" Seren asked, confused, as she carefully and warily held her sword towards Dellain.
"Somehow, the Tremor Knights knew I was coming. They accelerated their operation. Ten of my soldiers were killed by this person," Dellain said.
"Then you killed him here?" Seren asked.
"No. Our fight took place two kilometers from here. I managed to stab him, then he fled. He made it here, and then I finished him off," Dellain explained.
"Alright, so now what?" Seren sat down in the nearest chair.
"You should focus on the cargo he sent. That said, I'll check a building used by the traders' community. It was formerly used by my people to transit goods through Myriad Port," Dellain said.
"...What are you planning?" Seren asked.
"Of course, finding a way for Whiteford to target the Deep Elves. By ensuring Whiteford's attention is on the Deep Elves, their influence on the Balrog Empire will weaken," Dellain replied.
Seren glared at Dellain.
"I can't let you do that," Seren said.
Dellain was surprised by her response. He met Seren's gaze.
"Why?" Dellain asked.
"The Deep Elves are almost indistinguishable from regular Elves. If they're exposed, there will be suspicion on the entire Elf race. Those who are found out won't escape the consequences," Seren explained.
"Besides, the number of Deep Elves shouldn't be large, right?" Seren asked.
"Indeed... those who have returned to being Deep Elves can still be counted on one hand in the Balrog Empire. But I'm not sure about the number of those from the Sister of Surface Order," Dellain said.
"Given that they need the Nomadic People, and even provided a way to turn Nomadic People back into Deep Elves, it means their numbers are still limited. They might be strong individually, but militarily, I believe they cannot stand on their own," Seren said.
"Hm... I hadn't thought of that, but I like your way of thinking," Dellain acknowledged.
"However, remember, they've been planning this for a long time. From what we were told, there are 50 members of the Sister of Surface Order, and 45 of them have become Tremor Knights. But those are just the higher-ups of the Deep Elves. There are still many Deep Elves following them. Additionally, there are at least 200 Nomadic People who have already become Deep Elves. And their numbers will continue to grow," Dellain explained.
"Before your brother became a Deep Elf, he drank a liquid..."