As if the tragic events of last night were just a lie, the sun was high and the sky was blue.
In a vast meadow as wide as the fluffy white clouds floating above, Rubina sat on a bench, waiting for Yona.
“Why isn’t my sister coming…?”
Somehow, last night, the Church Region was quite noisy.
The clanking of armor echoed everywhere, and shouts from people filled the air, making Rubina scared.
But Rubina didn’t cry.
Because Yona was there, and Uncle Alex was there. And there was also the big, scary-looking lizard uncle who was actually kind.
Rubina believed and believed that those people would solve anything, and if she just stayed still, no more scary things would happen.
But for some reason, today Yona wasn’t coming.
Rubina thought maybe she wouldn’t come today, but usually, Uncle Alex would show up to play on days like this, yet he wasn’t around either.
So, Rubina was endlessly staring at the blue sky and the white clouds, waiting for Yona.
“She’ll be here soon…?”
*
“Do you think she will come? The one who chose a demon over the Church of the Celestial God, do you think there’s any camaraderie left in that soul?”
They were four figures, their faces obscured by black veils, and their armor was entirely black.
In front of them was a chair, and next to it lay a stained towel draped over a water bucket.
Alex, covered in wounds, hung his head low, sitting in that chair.
It was evident to anyone that Alex looked completely worn out.
With his entire body disarmed and even his boots taken off, chains made of metal dug into his bare ankles.
The chains pierced deep into his flesh, oozing a sickly fluid, and the moment it touched the chains, it sizzled with a small sound, turning into black smoke.
“Speak the truth. You can survive, can’t you?”
At the words of the Inquisition, Alex lifted his drooping head slightly.
He was battered and dried up, with blood crusting at the ends of his pale lips, a sight to behold.
Yet, Alex’s expression remained exceedingly calm.
Despite his body being ravaged by pain, a faint smile lingered on his lips.
“What do you mean, speak the truth? I’ve spoken the truth.”
“Testify properly: Your fleeing companion is indeed a traitor who sold their soul to a demon.”
“Oh, that? That should be simple.”
Alex let out a weak laugh. With a slight pop, a piece of blood crust stuck to his lip fell away.
“—Yona, absolutely did not sell her soul. Haven’t I said that several times? Far from being a traitor, she’s the most priestly lady of all.”
“You little…”
The Inquisitor, having been staring at Alex’s face, straightened up and rose.
He stood up.
Then, with a glance towards those standing on either side of Alex, they turned around and pulled out two long silver rods from a table in the back.
The rods pierced between Alex’s thighs as if crossing.
With all his might, he pressed down on the X-shaped rods lodged between his legs—
“Uaaaaaahhh——!!!!”
Alex’s desperate scream echoed.
His leg bones twisted as if about to snap and, just as a cracking sound was about to erupt, the rods pressing down on his legs suddenly stopped.
“Speak the truth.”
“Ah, h-huh, hehh…”
Alex was gasping for breath, his eyes rolling back.
Drool dripped from his gaping lips, and the Inquisition Officer, observing this, scowled and picked up a water bucket.
“Fainting, you traitor.”
Without hesitation, water from the bucket splashed onto Alex’s face.
“Guhk!”
His consciousness returned, and Alex’s eyes reverted from their rolled state to dark pupils.
As the Inquisition Officer was about to signal those holding the rods again, the heavy iron door of the interrogation chamber slowly creaked open.
“Still no confession?”
“Is that you, Sir Scarlet? What brings you here?”
“I came to conduct an interrogation.”
In the dismal lighting of the interrogation chamber, Scarlet’s figure emerged.
As soon as he appeared, wearing a helmet and silver armor, Alex couldn’t help but glance up at him—her.
“I’ve received permission from Elder Ceres Olkamain. Everyone, please leave.”
“…Understood.”
Scarlet held out a piece of paper.
Upon reviewing the document, the Inquisition Officers replied with clear displeasure and left the interrogation room without making a sound.
“—Traitor.”
Bound to the chair, Alex stared silently at Scarlet, who looked down at him.
Through his hazy vision, he couldn’t recognize Scarlet’s face, but he knew.
Inside that helmet was her, Sekti.
But at this moment, he had no intention of acknowledging her.
In the banquet hall, he had called her name, but that was just a mistake.
The current Scarlet wouldn’t recognize Alex, and even if he told the truth, she would never believe him.
Besides, associating with the current Alex wouldn’t lead to anything good for her either.
Scarlet, unaware of Alex’s inner turmoil, spoke to him in a cold voice.
“Let’s start over. You, Yona—what is your relationship with that filthy traitor.”
“…So we’re starting over. Yona is not a traitor. Also… Cough, cough—! Cough, cough!”
“Here we go again. Yona is not a heretic. Also… cough, cough—! Cough, cough!”
Alex coughed violently and spat out blood.
A handful of blood splattered onto his pants, spreading out like a gruesome painting.
“Dozens witnessed that scene. Dozens saw the heretic’s image, the demon-worshipper’s image. I am one of them, and His Holiness the Pope has also witnessed it firsthand.”
Honestly, your statement is completely unnecessary—
Scarlet said, picking up a stake.
One end was sharpened, resembling a nail. Its size matched that of the hammer Alex always used.
“The Inquisition is too soft, don’t you think?”
In a case like this, where everything pointed to one conclusion, there was no need for a confession.
What was needed now was judgment.
Judgment is akin to the punishment rendered in place of the celestial deities.
At least, that’s what Scarlet believed.
“You will die anyway. In the upcoming trial, you will die without a shred of chance.”
Unusual flames began to flicker in Scarlet’s eyes.
“Prepare to taste maximum agony, heretic.”
With those words, Scarlet plunged the stake into Alex’s thigh.
“GRAAAAAAAAH—!!!”
A scream erupted from Alex’s mouth with a thud.
Despite the stake being buried deep in his thigh, blood didn’t gush out; it didn’t even flow.
“For formality’s sake, let me ask. The girl Yona, whom you tried so hard to protect, she is a heretic and a demon-worshipper, right?”
“N-no… No! Yona isn’t like that…! GRAAAAH!”
Scarlet began ruthlessly digging at the stake lodged in Alex’s thigh.
The divine power emanating from her shook Alex’s entire body.
Eventually, it stimulated the divine power dwelling in his lower abdomen, causing it to rampage as well.
Thanks to that, the golden barrier restricting Alex’s body activated.
The pain felt like his heart was shattering and his insides were being torn apart.
Amidst the agony that felt like his body was being ripped to shreds, Alex heard the sound of his own teeth fracturing.
– You idiot, what were you doing that you couldn’t avoid that one?
– Come here, let’s get that treated first.
– What are you even trying to do if not me? Huh?
Through the fogging consciousness, a distant voice echoed.
Yona, oh Yona.
It seems you made it out safely.
If you were caught too, they wouldn’t be having such fun with me.
Good—
That’s great, Yona.
Never come back again.
Even if I die here, you must not die.
Even if I perish here.
At least you—
Absolutely must not return.
I was happy because of you.
He was happy.
Now, may you be happy too.
—
“This is the way for everyone to be happy, Your Grace.”
“…I don’t know. Is it really right to go this far? Perhaps the Divine would understand.”
Pope Akzel IV stroked his beard as he closed his eyes.
Seated across from him, Ceres smiled at Akzel IV’s face with apparent satisfaction.
“After all, Vervaria is just a clone. How could our cathedral knights allow Vervaria to descend in her true form? And as you saw, despite being contained, she fled without being able to do anything.”
“…Hmm.”
Pope Akzel IV didn’t respond much to Ceres’s words.
“It was the Dark Order that summoned Vervaria. We aren’t the ones who did this, Your Grace. We’re merely saying we should use her to our advantage now that she’s here.”
Ceres’s words flowed smoothly, as if reciting a well-prepared script, elaborating her assertions skillfully.
“This news of a demon descending upon the Church Region will spread to every parish. Bishops will start fortifying their defenses again, and they’ll become wary of the existence of demons that were only spoken of in scriptures. Then, once again, each parish will gather around the Church Region—”
Ceres continued her speech.
While her confident voice was pleasant to hear, Pope Akzel IV still hadn’t found his conviction.
“If the Divine sees the church united in prayer like this, He’ll surely respond and grant us His favor once more. Don’t you know that the recent strange phenomena sweeping through the Duchy of Kapatia are due to the depletion of the Divine’s blessings?”
“…That is true.”
There are times when one must play along, even when they know better.
Pope Akzel IV was well aware of that fact from his long military career.
There was nothing particularly troubling about sacrificing a nun.
However, the idea of having to sacrifice Johannes was a source of anxiety.
“Do not worry, Your Grace. Everything is for the Divine, and for the infinite glory and development of this Duchy of Kapatia, you know that His blessing is absolutely necessary. Everything is for humanity. Besides, we have the Hero and the Saint on our side. We can manage.”
Huuuh—
A puff of cloudy breath spread out.
“…I see. Necessary sacrifices must be considered.”
“Thank you for your decisive action. Surely, the Divine will respond.”
“I believe so.”
With his eyes closed, Pope Akzel IV let out another long sigh.
And a cold glimmer passed through Ceres’s eyes as she watched him.
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