Chapter: 280
As the morning slipped into the afternoon, the church’s interrogator, Nian, was busy training with his subordinates when Kade, the Pope’s secretary, arrived with a divine order.
The command was simple:
Immediately head to the Burrow Duke’s territory in the Soladin Kingdom and investigate the place thoroughly.
Check for any peculiarities, and if you find anyone who seems to possess a relationship with the True God or immense divine power, bring them back to the holy land by whatever means necessary.
Although Nian found many parts of the command unclear, he was not one to question the reasons behind orders. An order meant there was a good reason for it, and all he and his subordinates had to do was carry it out.
Less than an hour after he received the command, Nian and his crew headed to the church’s teleportation circle for an immediate jump to the Burrow territory.
“Um? I’m sorry, Interrogator. It seems something’s wrong with the Burrow teleportation circle.”
“Well then, send me to the nearest location.”
“Yes, understood. Preparing right away… Huh? What’s going on?”
However, the process wasn’t smooth sailing.
It was as if someone had planned it; all the teleportation circles near the Burrow territory were down.
Looks like the Pope’s urgent command is connected to a problem in Burrow territory. Something’s definitely off.
After wasting quite some time, the only place Nian could teleport to was far enough that it would take a carriage two hours to reach the Burrow territory.
Given the Pope’s urgent command, wasting time like this was unacceptable.
Normally, everyone would wait for the effects of teleportation to wear off before moving, but given the situation…
“I’ll head to Burrow territory first. Once I’ve handled things, follow me immediately.”
Leaving the cleanup to a trusted subordinate, he immediately activated Holy Magic on himself and drew upon the techniques that the great holy knight, Ruel, had established to enhance himself.
By the time all his preparations were complete, Nian was already in a state far beyond a mere human. His speed was comparable to a warhorse running at full sprint.
How long did he rush forward in such a reckless manner?
He finally arrived at a town and realized something was off in the Burrow territory.
An ominous and repulsive aura from the Evil God permeated the village.
With sacrificial magic circles appearing on the outskirts, it seemed that the influence of the Evil God had been here longer than just yesterday.
Furthermore, seeing all the townsfolk collapsed, it indicated that the magic circle had been activated only to fail.
Hmm. With such events occurring in the Duke’s household, how did no one notice anything?
This indicates that the lurking threat is related to the dark Evil God, Tariki.
Given the scale of the incident, it seemed reasonable to assume that the Evil God’s apostle was on the move.
As an interrogator who often dealt with the loathsome minions of the Evil God, Nian reached this conclusion with just a small amount of information, but his expression darkened.
If the Evil God’s apostle is lurking right in the heart of the Burrow territory and gaining strength there, we and my subordinates would be outmatched.
This matter is significant enough for the church’s knights to be deployed, and in the worst-case scenario, the Holy Church might have to go all out.
Stepping into such a dangerous place could mean death for everyone.
That would be a problem. I need someone to report these findings.
I’ll leave orders for my subordinates to wait here, and if I haven’t returned even after half a day, they must report everything to the church.
Once Nian finished laying out his plans, he began moving toward the Burrow territory again.
As he continued to dash forward, he noticed something strange midway.
If this were a normal situation, the closer he got to the center of the Burrow territory, the denser the aura of the Evil God should become.
As he drew closer to where the Evil God’s apostle was said to dwell, the repulsive aroma of the Evil God should intensify.
However, that wasn’t the case. Strangely, the closer he got to the center, the weaker the Evil God’s scent became.
What on earth is going on in the center of the Burrow territory?
Just when Nian was racing forward, pondering this mystery, the presence of the Evil God vanished completely.
And the repulsive aura that had lingered was replaced by something else.
It was a presence he had felt long ago.
Back when he had just gained the title of interrogator, during the inauguration ceremony personally presided over by the Pope, he had felt this energy from the divine being.
So warm and comforting that it made his eyes tear up from its greatness.
The moment he sensed that warmth, he rushed forward with all his power, wanting nothing more than to meet the being located in the Burrow territory.
He wanted to be enveloped by the increasingly intense divinity.
Running forward like a madman, he finally reached the entrance of the city where the Burrow mansion was located.
Nian was sure that a miracle had unfolded right here.
The warm divinity suffusing the entire town could only be described as miraculous.
However, much to his dismay, when he stepped into the city, holding back his overwhelming emotions and mounting excitement, he was not welcomed by someone related to the great, glorious, and kind divine being.
“Hold on for a moment.”
Blocking his path was a man who seemed like a statue carved by an exceptional artist.
With a soft yet compelling voice and an undeniably attractive appearance, even in ragged clothing, he emanated a sense of freedom.
Nian recognized this man. How could he not? This was someone famous all over the continent.
The apostle of the Art Guild.
Prete.
The one responsible for the Art Guild gaining power even with the church’s interference.
“State your identity.”
“Greetings. I am the interrogator of the Holy Church, Nian. And who might you be, apostle of the goddess presiding over beauty and art?”
Even when Nian presented the cross of the Holy Church from his pocket, Prete remained cautious.
“From the aura you exude, you appear to hold quite a significant position. But what brings you here?”
“I’ve been commanded to root out anomalies in this area.”
“If that’s the case, you may take your leave. All issues have already been resolved.”
Upon hearing Prete’s words, Nian raised an eyebrow.
He didn’t doubt that the problem had been resolved. A miracle was taking place in this town; how could the Evil God’s plans possibly remain intact?
What irked Nian was something entirely different.
“The apostle of the Art Guild claims to have resolved the issues by himself?”
Prete said he had solved the ‘problem.’
He insinuated that he had personally thwarted the Evil God’s plans.
That was nonsense.
The divine presence of the great deity was right here in the town; how could the apostle of the Art Guild dare lie?
“Yes. Thanks to guidance from the goddess.”
How dare he attempt to steal the credit of all the accomplishments made by the followers of the True God!
“You resolved this alone? Without any companions?”
“Is there a problem with that?”
“In this town, I can feel the magnificent divine presence of the True God.”
“Hah. Nonsense. This is merely the result of the goddess performing a miracle on the land.”
Prete’s nonchalant answer caused Nian to grind his teeth in seething frustration.
This opponent was not one to be trifled with.
The man before him had achieved countless feats under the guidance of the goddess and was, in essence, a symbol of the Art Guild.
Nian was not someone who could challenge him head-on.
“Well, if you are alone, it may be difficult for you to handle the situation in this city.”
Nian forced a smile while hiding his rising anger, but Prete shook his head before Nian finished speaking.
“I don’t need help. The members of the Art Guild will arrive shortly.”
“However…”
“Enough already. Are you going to try and steal our achievements again?”
When Prete remarked about the wrongdoing committed by a member of the Holy Church years ago, Nian sealed his lips tight.
He had enough grounds for suspicion.
The scale of the incident was simply beyond what Prete could handle alone.
Considering the divine presence of the True God felt in the city.
There were also a few suspicious movements, but he couldn’t pursue them.
The lack of clear evidence was the problem.
The strength of the Art Guild was formidable, and most troubling of all was that Prete’s reputation and strength surpassed Nian’s.
“…I’ll inquire further through the church later.”
“Yes. Please do.”
Bowing respectfully to Prete, Nian exited the city. The moment he stepped outside, he plunged a dagger into his own shoulder.
It was a punishment for his own incompetence and also an act of penance to the True God.
And a way to carve this humiliation into his flesh.
*
“Hey, don’t be so gloomy. At least things are going well.”
‘Grandpa.’
“Huh?”
“Shut it, or else.”
I pointed my gesture toward a certain direction where the clumsy fox was being punished.
Wrapped in the clothes left behind by the soldiers of the Artea family, it seemed that the foxy troublemaker was slowly suffering to death.
“C…carry… kill me…”
The clumsy fox, who couldn’t resist beautiful things, despised the ugly to the extreme.
In the game, there’s an event where one is chased out of the forest for no better reason than not wanting to breathe the same air.
Trapping such a character in the essence of an ugly man suggests that hell was mild compared to the actual hell that was happening here.
But I had no intention of freeing that fox.
My vendetta for having my dignity stomped into the ground and sold to a horrid pervert isn’t being dismissed by mere trifles!
“I’m sorry. I will be quiet.”
Noticing the danger of going too far, grandpa quickly shut his mouth.
Hah. Selling my dignity to that masochistic pervert was already a huge decision on my part and now I have to suffer this further humiliation?
This is too much!
Of course, I made that choice!
But at that moment, it was the only way I could see!
It was an all-or-nothing choice of dying together vs. being literally turned into a laughing stock! How could I pick the former?!
Hey! Pathetic God!
Be honest!
You set all this up, didn’t you?!
You made the interrogator run into me so I could be humiliated!
There’s no way the timing aligns just right like this if it wasn’t your doing!
Ugh!
Just you wait!
You pathetic, useless, masochistic, perverted trash god!
I will expose your true nature across this entire continent someday!
– Ding!
While I vowed to take my revenge, a notification sound rang out.
[You’ve succeeded in disrupting the Evil God’s plan!]
[You’ve rescued the citizens of the Burrow territory!]
[You’ve incapacitated the apostle of the Evil God!]
[Thanks to your achievements, Tariki has expended most of their power!]
…
[An achievement so wondrous it has reached the ears of many gods!]
[The tally is complete.]
[Quest rewards have been distributed.]
What the hell?! Are you trying to brush off my vendetta with some lame rewards?!
Hah! Trying that now wouldn’t amount to anything!
No matter what you give, it won’t change the fact that I’m in such a miserable situation!
This is what they call mutually assured destruction!
As my dignity has plummeted, you too will face the consequences of this!
[Skill ‘Master of Shields’ has been granted!]
…Huh? This is a skill that significantly boosts shield proficiency!
It’s a top-tier skill that’s difficult to acquire! They’re offering this?!
No, hang on. Let’s calm down.
Am I really content to settle for this?
If I allow this, something similar will just repeat again!
So this time, I must definitely warn that pathetic pervert god!…
[Skill ‘Unyielding Will’ is evolving!]
…Maybe I should listen to a little more?
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