Chapter 19
“Sir Randolph, do you think what the young master said is true?”
“I don’t know. But how long are you going to keep using honorifics, Carlson? Now, you and I are merely the young master’s hands and feet. Can’t you treat me like you used to?”
Randolph said as they walked through the city of Bernshi.
“But a knight is still a knight, and I’m just a foreigner.
The reason I treated you casually before was because I thought you were a commoner.”
“I don’t know about that. I’m just bitter that my mistake seems to have created a distance between us.”
“……”
Carlson looked at Randolph.
Randolph still had bandages wrapped around his head.
Although the bleeding had stopped, the spot where his ear used to be was now flat.
Carlson, Randolph, and Pyke had been comrades since their training days.
Carlson was not interested in achieving military merit, and as a result, a rank difference arose between him and Randolph, who became a company commander and platoon leader.
Although now, that difference meant nothing.
“Stand tall and walk proudly, boss.”
Randolph said, seemingly embarrassed by Carlson’s gaze, and instead directed his words at Bill, who was walking ahead.
Bill turned around with a pale face.
His gaze fixed on the leather pouch Randolph was holding.
Flies were persistently gathering near the leather pouch.
“Even a pig being led to slaughter would walk more proudly than that.”
“That’s because the pig doesn’t know it’s going to die.”
“Who’s dying? Don’t you trust our skills?”
Randolph smiled faintly.
He seemed to be somewhat enjoying the situation.
“You took down the notorious Nias! Seeing you whining like this would make even your own infamous reputation cry.”
Randolph said.
“Yeah, yeah. It’s all my fault, I know.”
Bill sighed repeatedly.
He was slouching so much that his arms almost touched the ground.
He looked like someone being dragged by a rope tied around his neck.
Then suddenly.
Randolph and Carlson stopped walking, and noticing no sounds behind him, Bill also stopped.
“Masters?”
“Pyke…….”
Heads executed and displayed at Bernshi City’s plaza. They were the heads of murderers and robbers.
Most were so pecked at by crows they were unrecognizable, but Pyke’s head, relatively recently displayed, was still identifiable despite being partly torn.
“Regrettable.”
Carlson said quietly.
“He was always bound to go like that. He used to say it often, that he was born a stray dog with no place to return.”
“……And he said he’d die like a stray dog too.”
“Yeah.”
“Ralph.”
Suddenly, Carlson dropped the honorifics and spoke more familiarly.
“Hm?”
“Don’t end up like that. You have a family to protect.”
“I will.”
Randolph nodded heavily.
“Black magic is spreading like a plague! The apostles of evil, hiding in the darkness, are raping women and devouring children!”
On one side, heads were impaled on spikes, while on the other, a man in priest’s robes was preaching on the street.
“Starting from the sins and malice inherited from Goethe’s ancestors, demons crawling out from the demon realm are casting a shadow over this city! Thus, Pope Anasius himself has sent holy soldiers to purify this land!”
Waaaah!
Around the priest, men in plate armor stood with solemn faces, and dozens of citizens gathered around them.
There was an eager expectation on the citizens’ faces.
“Through the practice of faith, you will find salvation!
Your belief will be answered! Trust not the lords who do nothing for you, but rely on Him who will protect you from evil!”
“That’s right!”
A loud agreement erupted from the crowd.
“……”
Carlson, Randolph, and Bill shared the same feelings at that moment.
“I can’t believe a tenth of the imports to Goethe go into the hands of those ink-stained fanatics.”
“And that such a religious man would publicly insult the lord.”
Bill agreed with Randolph.
“If Pyke were here, he’d probably ask me how much silver we could get for selling that priest.”
“Never thought I’d miss that guy already.”
“Empty talk with no value.”
The three of them walked toward the sewers without a word.
They passed through the southern market area of Bernshi City, then under the red-light and slum districts.
Finally, they arrived at the entrance of the sewers slightly west from there.
“Boss, you know the way, right?”
“Yes, I do.”
Bill’s face looked like he’d just swallowed something bitter.
“From now on, watch your speech. Speak down to us.
We’re just your capable subordinates, after all.”
“Yes, ugh—”
“Speak down.”
Randolph smacked Bill on the back of the head.
Then Bill, looking determined, said, “Got it, you bastard.”
“……”
The moment Bill said that, Randolph instinctively reached for his sword hilt.
“Ah, but you told me to!”
“Ralph.”
“I know.”
At Carlson’s restraint, Randolph took a deep breath.
“Good job, boss, just like that.”
“Alright. Let’s go, you bastards.”
Bill muttered again and hurried ahead like he was running away.
“Carlson.”
Randolph placed a hand on Carlson’s shoulder.
Carlson realized he was gripping his sword hilt without thinking.
Luckily, Bill reached the destination before his head could fly off.
“We’ve come to trade on behalf of Nias.”
Somewhere deep within the maze-like sewers.
In a place so dark even vagrants avoided it, a figure in a black robe was crouching.
“Nias?”
When Bill tilted his head, Randolph threw the leather pouch.
The figure in the black robe opened the pouch, and a swarm of maggots and flies revealed a rotting head.
It was the decayed head of Nias.
“Now, I am Nias.”
Bill said, his voice trembling slightly.
***
“Do we really have to go this far? Even if it isn’t you, we could find another bait.”
“This is my choice. With Carlson and Sir Randolph here, we’ll be fine.”
A sunny day.
Isaac and the Count strolled through the garden. It had been a long time since the father and son walked together like this.
The Count searched his hazy memories.
It was back when Jonas was still in the womb. Every time the Count visited the mansion, he would often give Isaac piggyback rides.
Adele, whose belly was steadily growing, would always watch with anxious eyes, worried that Isaac might fall.
The Count enjoyed teasing Adele like that.
It was amusing to see such a strong woman, capable of cutting down monsters with ease, fret over the smallest scratch on Isaac.
Now, that boy had grown enough to walk beside him. He had thought Isaac would always be a troublesome child. He had worried that Isaac would forever remain holed up inside due to his rare and burdensome constitution.
Yet now, that boy was worrying about the family.
He was even prepared to jump into danger for the family’s sake.
Thus, for those cultists, there was no greater prize.
A child possessing so much mana and carrying the title of Goethe’s heir would attract all eyes.
They needed fame, and Isaac was the perfect bait for them.
“You really are just like your mother.”
The Count said after listening to Isaac’s calm explanation.
The way Isaac coolly laid out the reasons why he had to offer himself up as bait was exactly like Adele. His thinking was logical and rational. Above all, he was sharp and bold.
“I see.”
The old church doctrine condemned interest gained from loans or currency exchange fees as sinful.
Bound by that doctrine, Goethe could never amass wealth.
If they tried to sever ties with the old church one-sidedly, the Holy See would never remain silent.
They needed a justification, and Isaac had found a way to create it.
“Oh dear, my lord, young master, I’m so sorry, so sorry!”
As they finished a lap around the garden, servants who spotted the Count and Isaac quickly apologized and scurried away.
They looked startled upon seeing the Count, and then terrified upon noticing Isaac beside him.
“Father, may I ask you something?”
Isaac watched the retreating backs of the servants.
“What is it?”
“If I no longer cause mana explosions, will Mother return?”
“……”
The Count stopped walking.
Adele had been wandering across the continent in search of a cure for Isaac.
It was the path she chose as a mother.
The Count had never thought that Isaac would be worried about it.
“Yes. If you recover, she will surely come back.”
“How can I prove it?”
“What do you mean?”
“How can I prove that I no longer cause mana explosions?”
“……What do you mean by that?”
The Count asked, wearing an expression as if he had heard a bad joke.
***
A few days later, at a dawn filled with thick clouds.
A carriage set off under Hans’ farewell.
The Count, an early riser, stood by the window watching the carriage leave the mansion.
His face was full of worry.
“Please don’t worry. Sir Carlson and Sir Randolph are with him.”
Schiller said.
Even though it was early morning, he was immaculately dressed in his formal uniform without the slightest disorder.
“That’s true. Both of them were among the best in Winterband.”
“Is there something else you are worried about?”
“Isaac is twelve this year, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“……He is growing much faster than I expected.”
The carriage had long since disappeared from the Count’s view.
Hiss—
The Count sat at his desk and took his pipe.
Through the rising smoke, he gazed at a silver coin placed on the desk.
The royal family’s emblem was engraved on the coin.
***
In the southern forest of Bernshi City, there stood the ruins of an abandoned monastery.
It was once a community of Protestant monks, but due to the oppression by the Old Church, it had become deserted.
Weeds grew wildly, and birds, insects, and wild animals had made their homes in the ruins.
The broken structures bore scorch marks and burn stains.
A few years ago, the Protestant monks were trapped and burned alive there.
It was a brutal act carried out by the Inquisitors of the Old Church.
Under the gloomy sky, the monastery looked even more desolate today.
Toward that place where no human shadow could be seen, the carriage advanced slowly.
As the carriage reached the entrance of the monastery, a figure in a black robe appeared from somewhere.
Even in broad daylight, he held a lantern and silently stared at the carriage.
When the coachman pulled the reins to stop the carriage, the figure in the black robe spoke.
“Kiss the entrails of the black calf.”
“……”
“If the black calf kisses the entrails.”
When the coachman did not answer, the black-robed man spoke again.
“Joy shall mock you.”
“Bring the gift to offer to Him.”
Two armed men got off the carriage, followed by a boy tied with ropes and gagged.
“In the name of the Goddess of Fire, welcome, you who are suffering.”
“Cut the bullshit and just take us to your boss.”
The coachman said.
“Is that boy truly the promised offering?”
The black-robed man stared at the boy, who was tightly bound and gagged.
The boy’s ash-gray hair and blue eyes were as described, and his noble appearance was clear, but it was still hard to be sure if he was the promised offering.
More than anything, what bothered the black-robed man was how calm the boy was.
There was neither anxiety nor fear in his eyes.
His gaze was detached, as if he had accepted everything.
“Shit, if you can’t even recognize him, why the hell did you hire us?”
The coachman grumbled.
“If you nitpick over useless things, we’ll just leave, got it?”
“We have to confirm it from our side too. After all, we must give you the reward you desire.”
The black-robed man replied calmly.
A glimpse of his face revealed he had no nose and no lips, his teeth bared grotesquely.
The coachman flinched in surprise but hid it well.
“Your boss ordered this, right? Then your boss should recognize him too! What, do you expect a kidnapped noble brat to carry proof of identity? You idiot.”
“……”
When the black-robed man glared at him, the coachman turned his gaze away awkwardly.
His face was terrifying enough to haunt one’s dreams.
“Now that the promised sacrifice has arrived, offer the true gift. The Goddess of Fire shall receive it gladly.”
At that moment, an old woman leaning on a cane emerged from the ruins.
“As the Goddess wills.”
The black-robed man bowed his head.
“Follow me.”
Following the black-robed man, the group dismounted the carriage and entered the ruins.
“This way.”
The black-robed man carrying the lantern and the hunched old woman led them underground.
It was a catacomb.
“Never thought they would set up base in a place like this.”
Randolph muttered.
The catacombs consisted of narrow stone chambers connected like an anthill.
Aside from the lantern carried by the black-robed man, it was complete darkness.
“Everything began here. When the Old Church’s fanatics burned this place down, three saints survived the flames.
Covered in burns, the three saints claimed they saw the true visage of the divine between life and death. An indescribably beautiful goddess.”
The old woman talked incessantly about things nobody had asked, hurrying her steps.
“The human body carries the soul. By consuming flesh imbued with a soul, they are reborn within us. Their intelligence, abilities, vitality, and even the pains and joys they experienced in life—all of it. The fragile existence of humans thus reaches eternity. This is the Goddess’s teaching.”
At the end of the catacomb.
They spotted a room that seemed oddly bright.
And when they entered the room—
“Shit.”
Bill cursed involuntarily.
At least Nias had been civilized.
Even if it was human flesh, he had at least cooked it.
Crunch!
Crunch!
If there were a hell, it would look like this.
Naked cultists were tearing raw pieces from the butchered bodies piled on the altar.
The face of the corpse being devoured was grotesquely twisted.
It had long since died.
“Hear me! The sacrificial prophecy has arrived! Feast upon the noble soul and become noble! Feast upon the wise soul and become wise! Feast upon the pure soul and become pure! Today, we have brought a soul possessing all three to the house of the Goddess! Feast, fea—”
“Goddamn it, I can’t listen to this crap.”
Thunk—
The coachman kicked the old woman.
Her raving voice was cut off.
The cultists who had been enjoying their meal turned their gazes towards them.
“How long do we have to keep up this shit, young master?”
The coachman asked the boy.
“Sigh. In the end, you caused a scene.”
One of the men who had come along clicked his tongue at the coachman.
Another man untied the boy’s ropes.
The boy removed his own gag and spoke.
“Only deal with the ones who attack. Don’t forget the goal.”
