Episode
7 .
I ran all day without a break.
Even Iden and Petra, who had monstrous stamina, were at their limit.
It was a good day, but in fact, I had no memory of getting a good night’s sleep on the way from Tedrang Village to this place.
well past midnight. Aiden and Euron were resting in a granary near their destination.
The two horses gurgled and let out a rough breath. The holy grail and the holy sword, I thought it was a very good thing to leave all my luggage with the procession.
“I was really surprised.”
Euron witnessed Iden throwing himself into the blue flames. It faded in an instant, but at that time, Aiden’s whole body had already been burned.
“I’m sorry to say this, but honestly, I thought you were dead.”
Xerath’s Blue Flame burns until the sinners at the Judgment Seat are reduced to a handful of ashes.
In the first place, it was a flame that even Xerath himself could not extinguish, but Iden could not understand why it was intact.
“Let’s listen closely to what we said earlier.”
Euron opened his mouth as he put dry branches into the campfire.
“As soon as the fire spread to Aiden-sama’s body, the flames disappeared in an instant. The Lord passed out and the Inquisitor looked very puzzled. To be honest, I’ve never seen his expression like that.”
Did the flame go out? That in itself was nonsense.
“Disappeared?”
“Yes, I saw it with my own two eyes. It shimmered blue and disappeared in an instant.”
It was quite different from the setting in the game. It was necessary to meet with Xerath and check separately.
“Didn’t you say anything about the child?”
“No. I know his name well. fire. I don’t know why someone who insisted that even nobles should be purified with fire spared the child.”
The nobles feared Xerath, calling him a fire demon. This is because they are pushing the standards that only apply to commoners to themselves.
“It was a coincidence that I met the young lady.”
“Rather than that, it seemed that the Inquisitor was aware of Yuriel-sama’s movements. He put the sutra on the back of his horse and went straight to the procession.”
I didn’t ask questions about bishops and necromancers. Because Euron wouldn’t know. The reason why Xerath went directly to the church headquarters must be for the purpose of investigation.
“The interrogator asked me to tell him to see you at the church.”
The situation was roughly understood, but the question still remained. First of all, meeting Xerath was the first step.
“Okay, close your eyes. As soon as the sun rises, we enter the city.”
Aiden took an interlude, leaning against a tree. sleep did not come
*
Arheim, the city ruled by the Holy See, was territorially within the Empire, but it was a kind of independent country in which the Pope had independent sovereignty.
The canal that runs along the outskirts of the city and the granary beyond it brought abundance, and constant footsteps throughout the year created a treasure trove of culture.
Seonghwang country. In the Empire, Arheim was called that.
Iden and Euron entered the entrance of the drawbridge leading to the city.
The inspection procedure was extremely strict, so the drawbridge was always crowded with people.
Merchants, pilgrims, adventurers, travelers, priests…etc. Today, the long line was connected like a tail.
Aiden rode his horse through a separate passage on the left side of the bridge.
“Stop!”
People paid attention to the guards guarding the place.
“It is not a road that anyone can come in and out. Go back and wait your turn.”
Aiden’s behavior was nonsensical. The tunic was tanned, and there were tears in places.
The burns were healed with Uriel’s help, but he looked like a monster.
As Iden continued to drive his horse, a guard drew his sword.
“If you approach more than that, I will arrest you according to the law!”
Aiden slowed down and took the sigil out of his pocket and showed it to him.
“you’ve worked hard.”
The guard who confirmed the pattern quickly saluted.
“sorry! We’ll just verify your identity and let you through right away.”
“It’s a paladin. His name is Iden.”
As soon as he heard the name, the guard looked at Aiden in surprise.
“I’ve heard the great name. It’s an honor to meet you. However, I heard that he is coming in with the family of Sachili…”
“I came first because it was an urgent matter. Will you open the door for me?”
“Ah, I will open it right now.”
As the guard nodded towards the official residence, the iron gate blocking the way rattled up.
The guard handed me something.
“This is the letter requested by Xerath.”
The scroll of parchment was sealed so that no one could open it.
“That…, as soon as I received it, I was told to check it right away.”
Aiden opened the scroll. I headed straight to Xerath’s sister-in-law.
*
“You always come sooner than expected.”
The sister-in-law of Xerath was spacious, but it was so simple that it was empty. The users were also barely visible.
He sat across from Iden and offered tea. The spicy peppermint scent spread throughout the room.
“Doesn’t it really smell like people living there?”
“Isn’t it because he rarely stays in Arheim?”
Xerath wandered all over the Empire. As a church watcher, he hunted down heretics and sometimes judged demons.
Every place he passed through was full of burnt smell.
“Right. I hated staying in the Holy Land. Some say this is the root of the church. Isn’t that funny? The root, which should be the cleanest, is dirtier than any other place.”
Xerath raised the teacup and continued.
“Being here makes me feel like my faith is being denied.”
Xerath took a quick look at Iden’s expression.
“Do you know why I am talking like this?”
“I do not know.”
“Actually, as soon as I came here, I was conflicted. faith and reality. I’m not sure which one to choose. That’s why I called you right away.”
Xerath rose from his seat and gestured for me to follow him. The destination was the basement of the mansion.
The damp dampness of the cellar clung to Iden’s skin. The cold air exhaled from the stone floor chilled his bones.
Forel and the necromancer were dangling from a rope that fell from the ceiling.
Tools were lined up on the table right in front of me, and they were so terrible that I didn’t want to predict their use.
“Are your lives attached?”
“They cannot die until God permits them.”
At the voices of Iden and Xerath, Forel and the necromancer had a seizure. please kill me He begged for death and twisted his whole body.
It was a little out of human form, no matter what he had done.
“It took less than ten hours for them to confess their true feelings. The bishop opened his mouth as soon as he pulled out his nails.”
Xerath approached the necromancer.
“Do you still serve demons?”
The necromancer shook his head desperately. He couldn’t speak because he had no tongue.
“If that is true, God will guide your soul. Until then, repent.”
Leaving behind the necromancer who groaned and shouted, Xerath looked at Iden.
“The bishop was possessed by lust and joined hands with heresy. The condition of the deal was to exchange you for the numerous children kidnapped by the Demonic Cult.”
For the necromancer, the paladin was the most coveted existence.
It was enough to give away the dozens of children he had collected for the memorial service.
There was no such thing as an altar in the first place. Everything is the scheme of the bishop and the necromancer. Bishops needed children and sorcerers needed paladins.
“But, who would have thought that a recently commissioned paladin could defeat a Dark Warrior?”
The ambush was Aiden’s level of armed force.
Aiden was dizzy. I couldn’t believe it, but Forel was actually apostate.
Even if this case goes like this, it was very unpleasant that the actions of the characters and the development of the situation were going wrong.
“Anyway, the outline is roughly like this. From now on, we must struggle between practicality and faith.”
Xerath pointed at the bishop.
“An unexpected name came out of Forel’s mouth. Archbishop Tegain. You may have heard of it.”
Archbishop Tegain was one of the leaders of the moderate wing of the Order.
Currently, the Holy Assembly was abuzz with discussions about the restoration of the Holy Land. Radical priests strongly expressed their campaign, while moderates objected that it was still too early.
According to the original flow, the first expedition is canceled. I had to do that this time too.
“…if the archbishop is under suspicion, the moderates will suffer.”
“Right. If the moderate faction collapses, the expedition led by the radical faction will become a fait accompli. I agree to recapture the stolen holy ground, but that doesn’t seem to be the case now.”
The Holy Land was a word that referred to the land beyond the continent. 200 years ago, the territory that the ancestors took away from the devil. Now it has become a demonic realm infested with demons.
“What do you think?”
Aiden replied in a slightly firm tone.
“Absolutely not now.”
“That means you’re turning a blind eye to Archbishop Tegain’s charges?”
“You have to look beyond the target. A lot of blood will be shed to catch one apostate.”
Xerath showed a subtle smile.
“If only. What if I report to the Church and immediately start an investigation? Then what will you do?”
Aiden answered without hesitation.
“I swear to God, I will stop Master.”
“how?”
“Even with blood.”
It was something I couldn’t back down from. Expedition only once. When everything was ready, I had to rush in an instant.
It was never now.
It was a part that had to be accomplished even if it meant killing Xerath. Iden didn’t have the confidence to convince the fanatic with words.
On the other hand, Xerath burst into a hearty laugh.
“You really have no hesitation. He has no hesitation in his beliefs.”
Then he shook his head as if he was fed up.
“That must have been the difference between you and me.”
Aiden was taken aback by the sudden change of mood.
“You must have a question, but you never ask. Don’t you know my nickname well? A demon who burns and kills people. I was the first to overturn the judgment.”
Xerath recalled the past. He remembered how his younger brother, who had been seduced by the devil, cut out the hearts of his parents and siblings with a knife and offered them to the devil.
He crouched under the bed and watched everything. The younger brother obviously drank the holy water, but why? Such questions made no sense.
watched the tragedy. Despite being born with a blue flame, he hesitated.
Xerath spoke calmly and snapped his fingers.
The flame did not ignite anywhere.
“The moment you jumped in to save the child, I hesitated again. You didn’t even hesitate. God gives you one chance, not twice. I have disappointed God.”
The firewood of blue flames is belief. If you have confidence in yourself, the flame will burn forever, but the moment you doubt it, it will die out.
“God has taken the blue flames.”
Xerath had a somewhat relieved expression.
“I’ll give it back to someone else who deserves it.”
Iden didn’t know about Xerath’s secret story. The development of the disappearance of authority was also unfamiliar.
The stem of the story was moving in the direction of remembering, but the branches were intertwined.
“anyway. If you are so determined this time, lead them to the side of God.”
If it is a case related to the Demonic Church, the authority to investigate is transferred to a higher task force.
Forel cannot stand their interrogation. There was a very high probability that they would be woven all the way to the top.
‘If the moderates collapse, they will perish.’
Of course, they would have prepared for it on their own. However, Aiden did not want to leave even the slightest element of anxiety behind.
“Does Master agree?”
“Did you tell me? I’m conflicted again. Forgive the pathetic master who puts off making decisions for you.”
“Forgive me and sleep, this is the way for everyone.”
Aiden stood before the two sinners.
“Will you forgive their sins and lead them to the side of God?”
“I don’t know.”
However, these two must disappear. Iden grabbed the mace lying on the table.
The moment he was about to strike, Iden felt the heat.
“God answered you.”
Xerath drew a satisfied smile.
A pale, pale flame shimmered loftyly.