Interrogation (2)
Blake lifted Neftam’s relic.
A small metal ornament that resembled a sword was previously given by Neftam for heresy interrogation.
This was the first time in history that this holy relic was directed to a saint of the church.
At first, when Elina delivered the oracle of God, there was talk that she should try using this holy relic.
However, at that time, not many people doubted that the saintess had lied about the oracle.
Suspicion of the saintess could have been an apostate act on its own.
A saintess was someone who listened to an oracle and acted on the will of a god.
Suspicion of such a saint was considered similar to doubting the will of God.
However, after turning around, the holy relic was heading towards the saintess.
“You are calm.”
“yes. I didn’t tell a lie Chief Inquisitor”
“Soon everything will be revealed.”
Blake has been suspicious ever since he heard that God forgave Elin, the saint of Yuan.
Neftam forgives the saintess of Yuan? It may or may not have been.
As the heretic inquisitor, he did not miss the smell of lies surrounding Elina and Ellin.
However, when he raised the question before, he just withdrew in anger at the advice not to doubt the oracle.
If Elina lied, the holy relic would react.
You soon find out that the resentment and anger at that time were headed in the right direction.
And by then, Blake could finally wield the sword without mercy.
Blake memorized a prayer that activates the power of the holy relic.
“Lord. Distinguish what is deluded by reciting false lies and whispering evil things into people’s hearts, and reveal them before your eyes. in your name… .”
That was the moment.
“… Well?! The holy relic emits a strange light!”
With a loud sound, the intense light that burst from the holy relic overturned the entire area.
“What?!”
The hand holding the relic seemed to burn.
Exercising great patience, he did not want to let go of the holy relic.
But that patience only aggravated the pain that seemed to cut through the body.
‘This is a punishment for non-conformists?!’
As for the holy relic, only the suitable object designated by the god can handle its power.
If an unqualified person tried to use power, the power of the god caused a backlash.
Most of them ended with injuries, but there were even deaths.
“Am I not qualified?”
Blake cried out in disbelief.
He was the one who had done countless heresy trials.
There were times when I used a holy relic in the process, and at that time I was able to use the holy relic without difficulty.
But come now… !
Blake was staggered by the psychological shock that was heavier than the pain from the holy relic.
Unbelievable, no, it shouldn’t happen.
Until now, his whole life had been denied.
All that he had done for God and for the will of God passed through his mind.
Since childhood, as an orphan, he has been protected by the temple.
In a place where he had no place to turn to or trust, the only thing he could trust was God, who always looked down on him.
Blake has developed an infinite love for God while watching Neftam’s statue.
Rather than becoming a mere priest, he wanted to more actively defeat God’s enemies. It was because he believed that it was a more active form of faith.
How hard did he work to act on Neftam’s will?
“Come on, place the relic! you die!”
I heard Bradley shout urgently.
The sound of letting go continued in succession.
“Are you saying that Neftam abandoned me… !”
Blake knew at least that he could change his name at this rate.
However, placing the holy relic here was like having one’s faith completely denied.
For him, it was the love of God leaving him that was more terrifying than death.
“Ugh… !!”
So even if he died here, he couldn’t let go of the holy relic.
It was then.
A soft hand wrapped around Blake’s hand holding the relic.
“You are not unqualified.”
A dry voice reached Blake’s ears.
His hand, like a spring breeze, opened his fingers holding the holy relic one by one.
It was a motion that did not contain much force, but Blake could not resist her little force.
“I just misunderstood the will of God. God never left you.”
The girl’s hand carefully pulled the holy relic from Blake’s hand.
At that moment, the intense pain running through her body disappeared as if she had washed it away.
“Elina… Yeha… ?”
He fell to his knees and collapsed to the floor.
After breathing hard for a while, Blake looked up to find the girl who had ended his suffering.
But Elina was not standing in front of him.
“Saint of Yuan… ”
Elin was holding the holy relic of Neftam, which emitted intense light.
There was no warmth in her gaze as she looked down at Blake.
“It’s not your fault.”
However, the words that came out of her mouth were calm but comforting.
The light of the holy object in Elin’s hand gradually faded.
The light changed to a soft and peaceful light.
It was the light emitted when the holy relic was held in the right person’s hands.
“Why is Neftam-nim’s holy relic… ”
The saintess of Yuan that the light that rejected herself acknowledged was none other than that.
In an instant, anger surged up like an explosion.
It can’t be like this. It shouldn’t be like this.
He stood up steadfastly even in the midst of suffering as the light had already swept through his body.
Undiminished faith and bitter heart moved his body instead.
“Heresy… On the subject of heresy! The saintess of Yuan! You have to cut your throat right now!”
Blake put his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist.
This bitch, he had the confidence to cut his throat as soon as he drew out his sword.
But what he couldn’t do was because he saw her eyes looking straight at him.
Silver eyes stared at him without fear.
I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but those eyes seemed to be reprimanding me.
“… ha. ha.”
He froze with his hand on his sword.
Can you doubt God’s will?
“stop… do it. She is not serving Yuan. Chief Inquisitor.”
While he hesitated, Elina intervened between them.
The saintess’ eyes stared at Blake with warm sympathy rather than reprimand.
So, in those eyes, Blake was seriously hurt.
“No, this can’t be… It can’t be like this. God’s will is really… Is it really like this?”
His hand holding the sword hilt trembled.
All the beliefs I believed in were being denied.
The perfect world he believed in, which was made up of his belief in Neftam, cracked.
“As I said, you are not at fault.”
Elin pointed the holy relic at herself and said.
“The only thing you did wrong was choosing the wrong target.”
Elin took Neftam’s holy relic to herself.
Unlike Blake’s hand, the light emitted by the holy relic in Elin’s hand was different.
It was Neftam’s natural warm light.
A soft light spread around Elin who received the light.
Her bobbed hair, down to her shoulders, swayed softly as if the wind was blowing.
The girl’s figure was shining in pure white, symbolizing Neftam.
The figure of a beautiful girl surrounded by light was kept in Blake’s field of vision, mindlessly stunned.
She must be the saintess of Yuan.
Even knowing that, Blake considered her to be sacred. So I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
At some point, the light slowly faded.
The girl’s eyes turned to Blake.
“look. Are you done with this?”
A plain question escaped her lips.
“oh… ah… ”
It was not easy for Blake to speak.
The meaning of the light from earlier was one.
That Neftam forgave her.
The oracle that Elina conveyed was true.
“… ”
Blake closed his eyes.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly let go of his sword hilt.
Elin sighed and held out the holy relic she was holding to him.
Blake carefully took the relic from the little girl’s hand.
“If you still have doubts, you can try again.”
The girl was looking up at Blake with the same flawless eyes as before.
He ran his thick fingers down the Nephtam relic in his hand.
From the moment Blake put down the hilt of his sword, he had already come to a conclusion.
He decided not to test God’s will any longer.
“… I made a mistake.”
He bowed his head deeply in front of the saintess of Yuan.
The saintess of Yuan was recognized by Neftam more than Blake himself, who had devoted his whole life to Neftam.
It was an insult to God to doubt her any more.
And then, he turned to Elina.
“I will bring my conclusions to the denomination. With some remarks I just made, if you want my dismissal, I’ll gladly accept that too. sorry. Yes.”
Elina shook her head.
“no. The Inquisitor is just carrying out his mission. Is there any sin there? Keep your head up.”
“The arrogance of thinking that I could fathom your will is my sin. A sweet punishment for him… ”
Elina gently crouched in front of Blake.
Elina’s hand wrapped around her trembling hand.
“There is no punishment. it’s okay. If the Inquisitor had really misinterpreted Neftam’s will, the sword he was holding would have been pulled out.”
“But I… ”
“You didn’t. So, how can I doubt the sincerity of your faith?”
Blake caught Elin’s face with a gentle smile in his eyes.
And I felt the same sacredness as when I saw Elin’s light earlier.
The pure white beauty and warmth permeated from the hands that held each other.
The church itself was wrong from the beginning.
“… Yes.”
Blake looked at Elin, who was standing next to Elina.
The girl, surrounded by holy light, looked at Blake and nodded.
it is forgiven
He bowed his head deeply.
It seemed that he now knew God’s will.
From the beginning, there were two saints.
The beauty of the two saints was still engraved on Blake’s retina.
Neftam only knew that already.
Blake took that to heart.
After the work was done, Blake went out the door.
“Did things go well?”
“…okay. I met the saintess and used the holy relics. There was no lie in the prophecy.”
“Ah, too.”
Blake gave a small smile as he looked at his subordinates who were relieved and happy.
At that moment, an occupational doubt, hardened by habit, passed by.
‘Leonhard Danehart…’
The man who kept watching this situation.
If only he had done something…
‘No.’
He stopped thinking halfway through.
Going further, it was no different from suspecting Neftam again.
He soon dispelled the strange suspicion.