Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill-Chapter 350: Official Church Businesses

The three exchanged glances inside the cabin.

"What are we going to do now?" William asked.

Of the three of them there, Brian was the only one who knew how paladins operated, but he couldn’t help.

"If I go over there to talk to them, they could connect me to you two. That could be a problem," Brian said. "They must know this house belongs to some kind of witch."

"Let me handle it. I’ll go talk to them," William said, moving to the door. Before opening it, he gave a hand signal for Shyvana and Brian to hide.

The best place to hide seemed to be the cellar that Shyvana’s friend had just used. The two opened the trapdoor and descended the stairs.

William was left alone inside the cabin. Then, he stepped out, facing the paladins outside. There were about six of them, all clad in heavy iron armor. In addition to their armor, they had weapons on their backs or waists: swords and maces.

"How can I help you?" William asked.

The paladin in armor with gold trimmings, who was likely the leader, grew irritated by the question.

"Are you serious?" the paladin leader said. "You’re going to tell me you didn’t see those magical herbs planted out front?"

William wasn’t stupid.

"I didn’t know planting magical herbs was forbidden," he said. And in fact, it wasn’t. The paladins were there for another reason.

"It’s not forbidden," the leader said. "But I received word that you’ve been up to some suspicious things inside this cabin. That’s why we’re here, on behalf of the church, to search your house. We even have an official warrant."

The paladin leader pulled a scroll from his pocket. William walked up to him, ready for a fight at any moment. He took the scroll from the paladin’s hand and read it carefully. For a moment, he thought the paladin was joking, but it was, in fact, an official church scroll. The most incredible part was that it even bore the official seal of one of the high-ranking Priests. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"I can’t understand what kind of suspicious things I could possibly be doing here," William said, then added, "Not to mention I live in the middle of nowhere. Who would be watching me?"

The paladin stared coldly and said, "The strangest part of this story is that an old woman supposedly lived here. And you don’t look like an old woman."

The situation began to grow tense. William’s eyes locked onto each paladin, and he noted that their hands were close to their weapons. They could draw them at any moment.

"Maybe it was my grandmother?" William said. "I’m here visiting her for a few days. I just arrived."

It was the first excuse that came to his mind.

There was no way for them to know that Shyvana’s friend wasn’t actually his grandmother.

The paladin insisted. "Let us in and take a look around your house. If you have nothing to hide, there’s no reason to be afraid."

At that moment, the paladins expected William to try and rush them and fight. But contrary to what they thought, he simply gave a friendly smile and said, "Please, make yourselves at home."

The paladins took a few seconds to process what had just happened, then they entered the cabin.

Shyvana’s friend was certainly not stupid enough to keep anything forbidden or suspicious in an obvious place. She had a hidden spot for that—the underground part beneath her small cabin. There was a good chance of finding something interesting in there, and William was prepared to fight if it came to that, though he hoped it wouldn’t.

Of the six paladins, only four went inside. The other two stayed outside, ready to fight if something happened. They had to be there to ensure no one escaped through an exit other than the main door.

As soon as the paladins stepped into the cabin, the weight of their armor made the wooden floor creak and groan, as if it might give way at any moment.

The first thing they did was search for other people inside the cabin. Obviously, there was no one there, since Shyvana and Brian were hidden in the underground section. William stood in the corner, one hand resting near his sword.

He had been assessing the paladins’ strength from the start. They weren’t weak, not to mention it was six against one. That fact would make any fight difficult.

The paladins began turning things over inside the cabin, looking for anything incriminating. They opened drawers and sifted through papers, making a mess with disregard. With every paper they picked up, William grew more nervous.

"See? I told you there’s nothing suspicious in here," William said.

The paladins searched for about five minutes before finally giving up. However, the paladin leader stepped near the rug that covered the door to the hidden cellar. Because of the weight of his armor, he noticed the sound was different from the other floorboards.

He stopped and looked down.

In that instant, William knew a fight was inevitable.

There, he knew he would have to fight.

"Shyvana!" William yelled, then ran outside to face the paladins there.

Everything happened in a blur. With his surprising speed, William was outside in seconds, already drawing his sword and attacking the first paladin he saw. Before the paladin could even draw his own weapon, William had already landed his blow. He channeled his demonic energy into the blade, amplifying its power and making the strike even more lethal.

The sword sliced the paladin’s neck, an area left exposed by his armor. It was a cruel cut that severed the paladin’s jugular. The demonic energy had a burning quality; it seeped into the paladin’s body, causing his blood to boil.

The other paladin outside had more time to prepare himself against William.

He grabbed his mace and also a crucifix.

"What the hell is this energy?" the paladin yelled. "Chief, this guy’s a demon!"

That paladin didn’t charge at William. Instead, he began to chant a sort of prayer, and a divine energy started to channel around him. William could feel his own demonic energy growing restless inside his body.

At that moment, the rest of the paladins who had been inside the house came out. William was now surrounded.