I Became the Hero Who Banished the Protagonist chapter 61

61. People waiting for the end (2)

While returning to the capital, there was no conversation between Arjen and Isis. Arjen usually moved ahead of the carriage, but on the way back he matched the speed with the carriage. Carriages that were dirty with mud and rain were replaced with new ones, which had large windows. Arjen looked at Isis’s face through the window.

“How come we didn’t detect the activities of the apocalypse worshipers when we were in the colony?”

The knight of the royal road who was riding with me asked.

“… Rather, I could have seen them and passed on without knowing anything.”

“That possibility is the least I hate to think about.”

The knight frowned. Bactins. The scene of the destroyed and disappeared port came to Arjen’s mind. The local governor said that it could not be restored and that the residents had to be moved to another place.

“Are you someone who sincerely wants this world to end? Such lunatics roaming the world unscathed, and we didn’t even notice. Some are struggling to fight disaster, while others worship them. I’m not kidding, what is it?”

The knight trembled and said. Arjen didn’t answer. The scene that came to my mind this time was the battle with the Kraken. coming tidal wave. A city submerged in the sea. A movement that broke mountains and forests. The Kraken’s tentacles were only able to be stopped by the kingdom’s leading knights.

“Anyway, if given the opportunity to arrest them, I will participate unconditionally.”

“… I hope so.”

Had the knight who said that ever actually seen a catastrophe? Arjen passed the knight’s words and looked up at the sky. coexist In the ominously deep blue sky, a small moon rose hazily opposite the sun.

It was a familiar face that greeted Arjen and Isis as soon as they arrived at the capital.

“You arrived earlier than expected. You must have heard the story before you came, right?”

At Bishop Andre’s question, Isis’ head creaked and nodded. Shadows faded under the eyes. Her blonde hair, which had shone like the sun, was crispy, and her eyes, which had been sparkling blue like a lake, were as empty as the sky. Bishop Andrew looked at them blankly, then closed his eyes and sighed.

“Isis. You don’t look very good. Wouldn’t it be better to take a break and not overdo it?”

“… Nope. I have no intention of doing that.”

Isis shook her head and took a step.

“I need to see it with my own eyes. If I run away from here, I… .”

Arjen, who would have stopped her originally, didn’t catch her this time. If I forcefully dry Isis now, she will crumble even more. The world that suddenly came to the saintess was too harsh. To the point where it wouldn’t be strange to destroy her right away.

“Then let’s go. Mercenary, you… .”

Bishop Andre looked at Arjen with narrow eyes and nodded slightly as if he remembered something.

“You may follow me. Although you are only hired by Isis, I think you will be useful in this matter.”

“You speak as if I must obey your orders.”

“It can’t be. I am not arrogant enough to put you down. just,”

Bishop Andrew let out a blank laugh and shrugged his shoulders.

“Because I think we need quite a few skilled people to lend a hand.”

The bishop arrived at the palace with Arjen, Isis, and a few people dressed as priests who followed him. The bishop sat Isis and Arjen next to him and looked at the door quietly, showing signs of waiting for someone.

“… Who else is coming?”

“Yes. Because it’s cooperative. People from the Kairos Royal Palace must also come.”

jerk jerk.

Arjen frowned slightly at the approaching footsteps and presence. strong. To the point where Arjen had to be properly alert and vigilant. Before Arjen could fully figure out whose sign it was, the door to the meeting room burst open. And, seeing the face of the person standing by the door, Arjen’s expression hardened. There was a ripple in the pupils of Isis next to her.

“Illroy, the brave, sees Her Majesty the Queen.”

At the warrior’s greeting, the queen smiled softly. The hero, who only glanced away from the queen, slightly twitched his eyebrows when he witnessed Arjen and Isis.

“I don’t think I’m giving you too much work.”

“… You don’t have to worry about it.”

The warrior’s voice was firm. Arjen wanted to click his tongue. Heresy work. Plus, people who worship disaster. It would be strange if the hero wasn’t involved. After a brief greeting with the queen, the hero turned to the saintess, mercenary, and bishop. The bishop looked at the warrior’s half-rotten expression and slightly lifted the corner of his mouth to greet him.

“Hello, Bishop Andrew, and… .”

The warrior raised a corner of his mouth as he faced his old comrades. It wasn’t meant to be ridiculed, but rather a reflex of bewilderment.

“Isis, Arjen.”

—

Did Bishop Andre summon you? I tried to roll my head, which had been dazed for a moment, as if it had been hit with a hammer. In the midst of all this, I was annoyed by the bishop giving me a suspicious smile. saintess. yes. Since it is related to heresy, if Isis is accompanied, it may be possible to reverse the public sentiment. But Arjen, why is he sitting there? Did Isis bring it?

‘Aren’t you the type of person who would get involved in something like this with his own feet?’

They must have their own circumstances. I decided not to think deeply. What I decided to help was what I decided to help, and the important thing is whether those guys will try to work with me again… .

“Sit down, warrior. It just happened that we were going to talk more.”

I was standing in a daze, and Bishop Andrew called me. I let out a long sigh and sat down. Georg was also looking at the two people next to the bishop with a rather puzzled expression. Isis didn’t even seem to know that Georg was with him, and Arjen nodded slightly to greet Georg.

“Okay, you know the basics, so let’s move on and go into the details.”

Bishop Andre began to speak in a calm voice.

“Apocalypse cultists are currently active around the Bakhtins area.”

I could feel the blood draining from my head. The hand holding the armrest of the chair went into strength. Bactins. Before I came into this world. A calamity defeated in the manner of a mercenary. I couldn’t see what the conditions were like there, but the presence of worshipers there told me indirectly how dire the situation was.

“As you know, now Bakhtins is practically a non-existent city. We built a temporary village and accommodated the refugees, but it seems that it will take a long time to rebuild the city, so we have been ordered to move to another city.”

The queen nodded and accepted Bishop Andrew’s words.

“Since it was a temporary village, the sanitary conditions were not good. The recovery rate of the patients was too slow, and above all, if an infectious disease began to circulate there, even the survival of healthy residents could not be guaranteed.”

“Yes. Your Majesty’s judgment was certainly right. However, the residents there said that there were some who could not accept the dissolution order.”

Bishop Andre raised his ten fingers and said calmly.

“Because they were people with a strong attachment to the land. There were many people who made a living by fishing, so it must have been difficult to move to another area. We’ll have to proceed with the restoration soon, but those apocalypse worshipers are getting in the way.”

The queen said so with a sigh. She had a calm face, but now she must be more complicated than anyone else.

“There might be a way to ignore them and push them away, but that will irreversibly deteriorate public sentiment. This is why I am glad to have the help of Seongguk this time.”

“no. We are rather happy to be able to catch the tails of the Saihans we have been tracking.”

The Bishop shook his head and clenched his fists.

“Heresy… . Apocalypse worshipers burrow like demons into the cracks in the heart. A gap in a person’s heart. A broken heart that cracks and falls in pieces. The worshipers fill the gaps one by one with darkness.”

There was a faint hint of anger in Bishop Andrew’s voice.

“About three thousand.”

And people’s expressions hardened at the numbers that came out of their mouths.

“Our estimate is that the Bakhtins have been taken over and indoctrinated by doomsday cultists. Even at this moment, heretical believers must continue to increase.”

“What does the Seongguk side want to do with them?”

“It is to arrest the ringleader and hold a joint trial with Kairos Kingdom. It would be better if I killed him.”

Bishop Andrew’s eyes flashed.

“The remaining three thousand people… . Regarding them, we will unconditionally follow His Majesty’s disposition.”

“I have contacted the governor of Bakhtins. So that rumors do not spread to other regions. I want to finish the job as quietly as possible.”

“Yes. I will.”

After the bishop finished his conversation with the queen, he turned to us.

“You won’t need a lot of people. Let’s hide the fact that there are Heretic Questioners, reveal that we came from the Kingdom of Kairos for an investigation, and start the investigation.”

The Bishop’s voice was as cold as ice.

“Punishment to those who betrayed the light of God.”

—

Marianne’s appearance, not in a nun’s uniform, was somewhat awkward. Marianne was wearing the same outfit as a knight and holding a holy spear. Bishop Andre’s appearance was even more spectacle, he was dressed like a court aristocrat of the Kairos Kingdom and even wore glasses. It seemed to be a setting for a newly appointed home secretary.

“Do you know that the heart of the end of the world cult is human sacrifice, champion?”

The bishop said so with a cool sneer.

“The leaders of the apocalypse cult, evil spirit worshippers, never sacrifice people by force. It induces and brainwashes believers into dedicating themselves. People are sacrificed to connect with evil spirits and share their power. It proves their faith.”

said Bishop Andrew, adjusting his spectacles.

“In the end, the best solution would be for ordinary believers to convert… .”

how about

The Bishop said that and looked ahead. By the time we reached Bakhtins, the autumn rain was pouring down. My eyes trembled as I looked at the street corner of Baktins, which had completely fallen into post-war ruins.

“[Those apocalypse worshippers were all over the place for a reason.]”

He said in a voice that sounded like the holy sword was terrible. Right next to me, the steeple of a broken church was stuck into the ground like a spearhead.

“Illroy.”

Georg called me. He, too, was looking around with a grim expression. However, he soon put his hand on my shoulder and lowered his voice, as if he thought it was more important to push me.

“Now is not the time to think about the past. The choice at that time is wrong for all of us except you. I mean, you don’t have to feel guilty about it.”

“… .”

I looked at the scenery without answering Georg’s words. should have kept but couldn’t keep it. I wanted to ask the owner of this body. How did you feel at that time? What were you thinking when you were destined to protect this world and had to surrender without being able to protect it in the end? There were few types that could be recalled from the original. Come to think of it, Illroy in the original work was always regretful and angry.

“It is terrible.”

I muttered. Georg sighed heavily and nodded.

“Then I… .”

“stop. I was weak, and I couldn’t protect it. I don’t want to make meaningless assumptions.”

I dismissed it and shook my head. Even if we talk about the battle with the Kraken, the wounds once suffered by the residents here will not heal. Suddenly, I saw Isis and Arjen walking side by side. Isis didn’t want to face me at all. Arjen looked at me blankly from time to time, but never came to talk to me.

“… let’s go.”

I looked away from them and said.

Soon after, we arrived at the two-story building where Bakhtins’ prefect was waiting. It was a relatively intact building among the surrounding ruins, but the first floor of the building was no different from other ruins.

“Welcome to. Bishop, and… .”

The prefect looked at me and slightly frowned.

“… Warrior.”