Episode 271: No, these guys are crazy.
How dare a small kingdom on the outskirts blatantly block the temple’s events?
“Do you think the Kingdom of McRain will be safe even if it goes against God’s will!?”
Essel’s threat was based on anger, but it was not entirely true.
Even the Ares Empire is careful about formal confrontation with the temple, but this kingdom?
But even after hearing the threat, the swordsman remained calm.
“It’s probably not God’s will, but the temple’s will. With their divine power, it wouldn’t be that difficult to attach their own arms.”
It was so absurd that Ezel froze in the same position she had been yelling at.
Before we knew it, the battle had stopped.
The Heretic Inquisitors, who seemed to have no emotions, realized that something had happened to their command and stopped fighting and gathered in one place, and McLane’s knights did not bother to stop them.
“Well, since no one has died yet, I think things can be resolved now. What do you think?”
“Are you really sane? I will only come to my senses if I see the country ruined…!”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think the Cardinal will see whether this country falls apart or not.”
When did it come?
The moment the swordsman, who was about twenty meters away, suddenly came right next to her and whispered something in her ear, Ezel’s tongue stopped against her will.
“Ah, once you become a cardinal, will you be able to reattach a severed head?”
A low voice in my ear.
As the thick murderousness in that voice enveloped her entire body, cold sweat flowed down Essel’s wrinkled face like a waterfall.
It wasn’t really a sword aimed at his neck, but anyone could see that it was an abnormal sight.
“Your Majesty the Cardinal!”
“dismissal!”
“How dare you!”
The agents whose arms were cut off began to emit brilliant light from their entire bodies again.
but.
“Mer stop!”
At Ezer’s sudden shout, the storm-like momentum disappeared like a spring breeze in an instant.
“Oh, there seems to have been a misunderstanding. Put down your weapons!”
Despite his grandiose status as a cardinal, Essel did not have the divine power of a high-ranking priest or the combat power of a knight. Neither the mind nor the body can withstand the force displayed openly by the Auror user.
“Your Majesty the Cardinal! Do not give in to threats!”
“We will fight until the end!”
“God’s will cannot be broken!”
The Heresy Questioners, who had always been expressionless, shouted here and there with heated faces.
As the agents began to step forward one by one, as if they were planning to resume the battle at any moment, Ezel’s face was distorted.
‘Damn the rain.’
How could this moment not be shameful?
However, the temple’s promising candidate, who rose to the rank of high priest at a young age by deeply understanding the doctrine and accepting God, was not present.
The only person here now was a small man who had become corrupted over the decades and now valued himself more than God.
‘I’ll have to live first and see.’
And So In-bae showed off the acting skills that brought him to this position to the fullest.
“…Piety does not give in to threats. This is an area where Sister Ilia allowed the taboo. We were hasty.”
“Your Majesty! That Bishop Ilya is currently being repatriated for religious interrogation…”
“Until the results come out, that is the official position of the temple. I hadn’t even thought about that.”
“ah…!”
The Heresy Questioners all looked as if they had realized something.
And looking at them like that, all the MacLine knights had the same thought.
– Crazy bastards.
Anyone could see that the cardinal’s words were nothing more than a struggle to survive. Nevertheless, everyone seems to have understood the nonsense and are sheathing their weapons all at once.
‘They say you shouldn’t even associate with fanatics.’
Even the swordsman who created this situation just laughed at the absurdity.
“Thank you for your cooperation, Your Majesty the Cardinal.”
As the swordsman chuckled and lowered his head, Essel responded in a very low voice with his eyes flashing strangely.
“Huh… Huh. I’ll keep this number in mind.”
It felt even more heartbreaking to see him just grinning at those words.
Who would have imagined?
It is no exaggeration to say that there would be someone who would threaten with force the leader of the Inquisitors, who held the fate of the country in his hands.
‘Crazy guys. I will definitely make you shed tears of blood.’
Essel engraved the resentment in his heart like that.
However, his and the investigation team’s hardships began from then on.
“Hahaha. The investigation team over there decided that there was no charge of heresy for drinking deer blood.”
“Oh really? I’m glad. I’m so glad.”
All the way to Raftan Castle, the knights met the residents of each village they stopped by and chatted with them.
It is deliberate and manipulating public opinion.
Perhaps those little conversations will soon spread throughout the kingdom on footless horses.
‘You’re just postponing judgment?’
It was a ridiculous situation for the Heresy Questioners, but since their leader was silent, they did not bother to refute it.
Meanwhile, their leader was groping in his arms and grinding his teeth.
‘It won’t be long now for you guys to smile.’
With only that one thought in mind, Essel tried to ignore the knights’ actions.
Heehee!
“Inform the news that the Heretic Questioner has visited.”
Even when I proudly shouted those words at the gates of Raftan.
“Oh, Your Majesty the Cardinal! It is an honor to meet you.”
Even when the lord jumped up and lowered his head.
Ezer thought he would soon be able to repay this humiliation.
With a gloomy look on his face, he passed by the lord and went inside. As soon as he was ushered into the VIP room, he slammed the door shut and took out a pure white crystal ball from his pocket.
However, contrary to expectations, the response of the savior he trusted was not so good.
The Pope, who could be considered his only superior, listened to his earnest appeal and his expression hardened.
[The response within the kingdom to the investigation team is not good… Did you summon me to say the obvious, Essel?]
“It’s not that bad! We even used military force to prevent the Heresy Trial, Your Holiness!”
[Oh so? Who among the priests died?]
“That’s not the case… but there are many who were seriously injured…!”
Essel appealed once again, remembering the agents who stumbled because they were unable to shake off the remnants of the Aurors even after reattaching their severed arms.
[There are no dead people. Ha… Cardinal Essel, you keep disappointing me.]
Did the words he heard really come from the mouth of a man called the Pope?
As Ezel, who was dazed for a moment, could hardly continue speaking, the Pope’s eyes flashed and he spoke in an irritated voice.
[Eshel. You’re probably under the illusion that securing physical evidence for heresy is the whole mission, right?]
“Huh? That’s all the orders I received…”
[Sigh… That’s pathetic. Was it the problem of letting my stomach fill up with fat for ten years? [The viper has lost all its venom.]
Ethel suddenly came to his senses after seeing the Pope’s eyes grow colder along with the sharp bruises.
“Your Holiness, please dismiss me from school. Please enlighten me from my foolishness!”
thud. thud.
Ethel repeatedly hit her head on the floor, but the Pope’s voice was still cold.
[Your mission is to bring me a clear justification for the temple to be involved in the Kingdom of McLane.]
“…Really? You mean…”
[You can look for evidence of heresy, but that would be very difficult. In that case, it would be a good cause for some of the dispatched priests to make a ‘big’ mistake.]
The communication was cut off with a cold voice that seemed to freeze one’s heart, and Essel was unable to leave the place for a while.
And the next day.
“All priests, disperse and look for evidence of heresy! Never compromise! Even if it means risking your life!”
At Ezer’s shout, the Inquisitors scattered throughout the Raftan territory.
Numerous knights followed behind them.
As is the case with everything in the world.
Standards used to vary depending on the person applying them. And if the opponent does not know the criteria in detail, it could become a weapon in itself.
“What is that?”
“That’s to honor the souls of the village’s ancestors…”
“It’s idolatry. It’s heresy.”
As the Heretic Questioner declared and took out his mace, the face of the villager who had been listening to him suddenly turned pale.
That moment.
visor!
“That’s it. If you move any further, we cannot guarantee your safety, priest.”
“There is no compromise in the face of heresy!”
As if he had already forgotten about the deer blood incident, Inquisitor Looper slashed his sword with his gauntlet and swung his mace.
‘In the name of God.’
He was willing to risk martyrdom in order to eradicate heresy.
but.
bang!
Ugh.
“Rest, you crazy fanatic.”
The knights, unable to hide the contempt in their eyes, easily knocked out the Heretic Questioner, who was burning with faith.
After arriving at Raftan Territory, knights from the 4th Corps joined in, making the difference in power even more severe.
“Never kill!”
“Just faint!”
Before I knew it, a real scene was unfolding throughout the Raftan Territory where the fainted Heresy Questioners were being transported one by one to the inner castle.
“The priests’ passion was too much. So I had no choice but to take action.”
Essel asked back with a wrinkled face at the swordsman’s absurd excuse.
“…I want to know whether it was your will or the king’s will that this absurd situation occurred.”
The attitude of the swordsmen and knights had already gone far beyond the line.
Even if it was something that happened in the mountains, I couldn’t even guess what their intention was to be hostile to the temple while a large number of civilians were watching.
“We are simply protecting the people of our kingdom.”
The swordsman’s attitude of answering with an ambiguous smile was enough to turn Essel’s stomach.
‘What the fuck should I do now?’
Essel’s worries became deeper and deeper.
* * * The rumor that the Inquisitor had entered the kingdom slowly spread.
The faith of the Nine Great Gods was the basic ideology that dominated the emotions of the continent, and violating it was such a serious matter that even the magistrates were silent.
However, when the investigation team was seen heading to the Raftan territory and the swordsmen and elites of the 2nd Corps were following behind, the rumor spread quickly. However, there was no such strong reaction from the royal family as feared.
“Aren’t you going to be in big trouble?”
“Hey, what kind of person is our Majesty?”
“What does the Inquisition have to do with your Majesty?”
“What does it matter? He overcame the plague and brought a good harvest to the place where he came. The hero chosen by God is our Majesty.”
“Ah… that’s what I heard.”
“If our Majesty calls it a heresy, then those who call themselves heretics are probably heretics.”
“Well, the priests at the temple are so fat that they only reveal money… they are disgusting.”
It was an unexpected public opinion brought about by the consequences of Logan’s actions and the corruption of the temple, which had ignored the difficult public sentiment.
There it is.
The Inquisitors ruled that Raftan Territory was ‘not guilty’.
The verdict, which was completely different from the ferocious behavior of the Heresy Questioners that had been passed down like legends, soon joined the wave of rumors, and it soon had a repercussion that no one could have imagined.
Our Majesty is a God-given hero recognized even by the scary Inquisitors!
“Ha… this is fun. This is how things work.”
Logan laughed at the overly positive public opinion.
Of course, I couldn’t just smile. What we had to do from now on was like gambling with the fate of the country.
The issue was too serious to be optimistic just because public opinion was positive right now.
Dwayne, who knew that feeling, also smiled bitterly.
“Still, it seems like Geomgong is doing well.”
“Yes, I guess so. You’re holding back better than I thought.”
“Huh? You’re holding back?”
“Yes. It’s the first time I’ve seen Master so angry.”
“…It won’t cause any trouble, right?”
“You’re a sensible person. You won’t create anything that could cause problems with your plans.”
Despite Logan’s assertion, Dwayne was unable to erase his anxiety.
“By the way, Your Majesty, do you really intend to proceed with that plan?”
“Why are you doing this now? We all agreed to this.”
“No matter how much I think about it, it seems like a very dangerous thing. If even one thing goes wrong, the kingdom could be destroyed.”
“Even if we let the investigation team do what they want, it will still be a mess. If either way leads to the abyss, we should at least take a gamble.”
Logan bit his lip and dismissed Dwayne’s concerns.
I couldn’t figure out whether the situation with children like Stella was that serious or whether the temple had other intentions.
but.
“This is a critical time. We cannot allow temples to shake the country at this time.”
“If something goes wrong, it’s not just a matter of shaking, it could be ruined…”
“Anyway, it’s the same in the end.”
“Ah…”
Dwayne was pulling his hair out in frustration, but Logan’s heart was strong.
‘If the temple makes an unexpected tackle, we respond in a direction the temple could not have imagined.’
Everything is ultimately done to protect this country.
A fire burned in Logan’s red eyes.
