Episode 266 Punishment Discount Season (3)
A quiet weekend morning.
Bikir went out into the street.
The midday streets are crowded with people.
On the terrace of the cafe, a lady or office worker who met at a business meeting was chatting, and young people crossed their arms and walked around laughing and talking about what was so fun.
After the pretty women and handsome men walked by busily, the eyes around them followed them for a few seconds and then headed forward again.
The flower fragrance in the flower shop, and the sweet and savory smell in the egg bread shop.
At the railway station ahead, where carriages carrying urgent news were rushing along, the sound of hammers announcing the construction of an extension was loud.
“…”
Suddenly, Bikir stopped for a moment on the outskirts of the street.
A narrow alley between red brick buildings and buildings.
At the narrow entrance, the lines stamped with the seals of the imperial guard were informing of the prohibition of entry.
It was the place where Bikir had committed the assassination at dawn just a few hours ago.
Two things have changed.
One is that the body has already been removed and is only marked with a white line on the floor.
Both of them were deeply dented in the floor.
“…”
Bikir examined the marks on the floor from a distance.
Traces of snakes. That was obviously not the case when Bikir was assassinated.
The crowd was buzzing as they looked at the bloodstains on the walls and floor.
“Someone died there last night.”
“They were horribly tortured and then poisoned.”
“Be afraid. Could this be the work of the night hound?”
“No. The culprit this time is that Miss Ouroboros or something.”
“What? Was there another villain besides the Hound of the Night?”
“It’s slow to hear about this friend.”
Bikir blended in with the crowd and quietly overheard conversations around him.
No clues were left, so there was nothing to worry about.
It moved in a complicated line, and in the middle, it turned into a dog and walked around under narrow landmarks, so it can never be traced by human power.
It’s just that it’s a little surprising that Miss Ouroboros came to the place after she left after work.
‘……It’s a strange woman.’
Bikir heightened his awareness of Miss Ouroboros.
She has gone beyond being a mere copycat.
It’s a terrorist with an unknown purpose, and it seems like it’s chasing a hound in the night, so you need to keep an eye on it.
……But the purpose of going out today was not about Miss Ouroboros.
Bikir left the crowd and headed for the main street with a bread hat pressed down deeply.
“……So many people.”
Bikir, who arrived in the yolk land of the zodiac, was impressed.
There are so many people, it’s like watching a dense bean sprout steamer.
‘Even if I’m mixed in, no one will know.’
Indeed, to hide a tree, Bikir thought, the saying “hide it in the forest” was just right.
Bikir blended in with the flow of the crowd and naturally moved forward.
Before long, the holy symbol of the Quo Vadis family, the ‘White Shield’, appears.
This splendid and magnificent temple was managed by a branch of the Old Testament sect.
I saw a large number of people standing in a line in front of the entrance of the temple.
Then, a priest dressed in white shouts vigorously to the horn of a horned ox.
“Now! Repent! Special discount today only! This is a great chance to have your sins forgiven at half price! Come on, this opportunity doesn’t come every day! Today, misdemeanor crimes are half price! Serious crimes are served at 30% DC price! Really big crimes! is the current price, so please consult with the bishop~ Now, indulgences! Indulgences! Special sale only today! Buy now and get even more tax benefits! Starting tomorrow, we’ll do another discount promotion!”
The sound of priests selling indulgences mixed with the touts of cotton candy vendors selling cotton candy, corn vendors selling roasted corn, and bubble vendors selling soap bubble toys for babies.
People coming out of the temple come out with a bright expression and walk with light steps.
They were all those who bought indulgences.
A couple’s conversation was heard in Bikir’s ears.
“Ugh. I bought an indulgence this time, so I feel relieved. I’ve been scolded because of my guilt.”
“Ah, was it because of drinking and hitting a child while driving a carriage?”
“Yeah. Because of that, I couldn’t sleep well for a while, and this time I came to repent because I heard that the indulgence was greatly discounted.”
“But didn’t the child die? Did you apologize and compensate the bereaved family?”
“No? I didn’t? You bought an indulgence. Wouldn’t it be okay since you bought it with a very expensive one?”
“Well. Well, then that’s fine. Anyway, we’re really nice.”
Bikir turned and looked at the couple for a moment.
‘It doesn’t smell like the devil.’
They were not the ones who made a pact with the devil. surprisingly.
However, similar types of humans were overflowing here in the ecliptic.
Right now, even in this branch of the Old Testament in Quo Vadis, many people were queuing up to buy indulgences, and on the other side people who bought indulgences were lined up.
If we assume that all these people have sinned and that all of them have been pardoned, it will be dizzying.
‘I want the world to be like this.’
Bikir shook his head with the usual sigh of old people.
I was doing my best to prevent the era of destruction from coming, but somehow the task feels even heavier today.
yet.
Bikir also joined at the end of the long line and waited a long time to enter the temple.
After passing between the clean and large white stone pillars to the point of not knowing how much money was spent, I went deep inside and saw the neatly dressed priests.
“Hello. What sins did you commit? Is there any indulgences you’re looking for?”
A priest approached Vikir.
He looks young, but he doesn’t seem to have a lot of experience.
The priest clung to Bikir and explained this and that without even asking.
“There are indulgences for minor crimes~ Of course, indulgences for serious crimes are also available~ There are special indulgences suitable for extreme crimes worthy of the death penalty… Customers or believers, you look young, so you would not have committed such a serious crime. There will be no such thing as a misdemeanor after all?”
Bikir asked the priest who was struggling to come up with an estimate for the customized indulgences.
“If you can repent of your past sins, can you repent of your future sins in advance?”
Then, of course, the priest smiled brightly.
“If you buy indulgences in advance, everything is possible. What kind of crime are you planning to commit?”
“…It’s truly a colossal heinous crime.”
The priest’s expression hardened at Bikir’s words.
How will the priest react to a human who foretells a huge crime to be committed in the future?
…… Eventually, the priest with a serious expression spoke in a serious voice as expected.
“What is it? Hmm. If it’s for a serious crime, the unit price of indulgences would be very high. Are you okay? If you have the funds, I’ll bring the bishop. Oh, first of all, shall we go to the VVIP chapel and wait for you with a cup of tea?”
Far from dissuading those who foretell that they will commit sins in the future, they are making estimates.
And that, too, in a tone that seemed to recommend a promotional product.
When Bikir laughed, the priest asked again carefully.
“…but how grievous is it that you are looking for such an expensive indulgence?”
Then Bikir answered.
“Looks like I’m going to kill one of the neighbour’s pigs.”
Moment. The priest tilted his head as if he had heard it wrong.
“A pig… a pig… is that a felony?”
“Yes. A pig is also a life. Isn’t it a sin to take a life anyway?”
Then the priest let out a deep sigh.
He glanced at the long line of people behind him, then turned back to Vikir.
“hey.”
Now the words are short.
“Just go, huh?”
Nonetheless, when Bikir stood still, the priest tore up a sheet of indulgences that was in his pocket and put his own stamp on it.
“Yes. I’m giving it to you because I’m proud to have come this far with only one little pig’s life.”
“……Thank you.”
“Okay. Don’t sin next time. Live kindly.”
The priest sighed deeply and placed the roughly scrawled indulgences on Vikir’s hand.
Bikir looked up and said.
“Money is…”
“It’s okay, man.”
The priest clicked his tongue and suddenly put his hand into Bikir’s pocket.
Then he took out a coin from among the tinkling coins.
It was a 1 gold coin with trace amounts of gold in copper.
It went into the offering box that the priest wore around his neck.
Tangerang-
“Yes, you have repented~”
The priest’s regular comment was heard plainly.
That was it.
* * *
Bikir left the temple.
In his hand was a small sheet of indulgences.
< Indulgence >
‘I forgive all the sins of this faithful church member.’
– This indulgence was issued and guaranteed by the Old Testament sect, and forgery can be punished –
㊞
‘…Is this like this?’
Vikir gathered the information she saw, heard, and felt when she entered the temple.
The faint but distinct smell of the devil’s energy that was hovering inside.
[…I’m sure you can feel the energy of Number Six. It’s still vague, but I mean.]
Dekaravia on the chest was also saying the same thing while sniffing when it didn’t even exist.
Bikir followed the rotting smell of the ‘sixth corpse’ back to the main road.
‘It’s not inside this temple… but it’s definitely related. The emperor must be somewhere.’
When Bikir is about to turn his back on the temple and return to the academy.
“……!”
In an instant, a familiar face appeared.
‘Eak.’
Bikir hurriedly put on his bread hat and crept to the side of the pillar.
Even though he was wearing his hood deeply, he could see the sharp-eyed Bikir.
Dolores.
The face of her as she crept into the temple, looking around with suspicious movements.
