“Priest of Ellington, do you still dare to call me a heretic after seeing this?”
Cain raised his left hand, revealing the sacred mark of Onisia, the Evil-Slaying Paladin, right in front of the Beheading Priest’s eyes. At the same time, he infused a trace of mana into the mark, awakening the divine power that slumbered within.
Hummm.
The moment it absorbed Cain’s mana, Onisia’s sacred mark resonated faintly, emanating a pure, snow-white divine aura.
It was not as grand or overwhelming as the manifestation he had shown in the ancient underground ruins. Yet even this was more than enough to prove his innocence to Podric Kendal, the Beheading Priest who had walked the path of light under Ellington’s name for over thirty years.
Divine power and demonic energy could not coexist. This was an absolute law that applied to everyone. A priest who wielded divine power could not learn black magic, and for demons or demonic beasts that relied on the special resource known as “demonic energy” in addition to ordinary mana, divine power acted as a deadly poison.
In the era when heretics ran rampant, there were even records of common prayers that could produce a trace of divine power—used by ordinary people, not just priests, to prove their own purity.
“Priest of Ellington, can your eyes not see this proof of purity?”
Cain stared at the silent, seemingly flustered Beheading Priest and pressed him again with sharp intensity.
Podric Kendal’s gaze, said to be obsessed with hunting heretics, remained fixed on Cain’s left hand without shifting even slightly. His direct subordinates, the executors, also looked bewildered.
“Captain. This really feels like divine power, doesn’t it?”
The mercenary-turned Hound realized something was wrong from the unmistakable divine energy.
“It seems the coordinates of the short-range dimensional gate were off due to side effects from continuous use of Grace.”
The high-ranking mage known as Raven claimed it was a side effect of repeatedly using Grace.
“Heretic! Heretic! Heretic!”
The former Vizendium Kingdom ranger called Parrot shouted accusations of heresy in the complete opposite direction from Cain.
Podric Kendal himself realized his mistake but could not easily open his mouth. Admitting the error here would end the matter, yet he was deeply reluctant to be the first to acknowledge his fault in front of the imperial paladins glaring at him fiercely.
“Beheading Priest Podric Kendal.”
Before the agitated imperial knights and church paladins could act rashly, Cain—who had already assessed the situation—stepped forward first.
“I never imagined you would rush here so urgently, even using Grace.”
The existence of Grace was widely known across the continent. Cain mentioned it softly and continued in a gentle tone.
“I’m not certain, but it seems there was a mistake in your haste… If you came looking for heretics, you appear to have come to the wrong place. I have a guess about that, though.”
To ease the extremely tense atmosphere, Cain calmly provided Podric with a way out. There was no way Podric had come to accuse the emperor of the Felberg Empire of heresy, so Cain framed it as a simple mishap while subtly hinting that the heretics Podric sought were elsewhere.
“His Majesty the Emperor of Felberg is indeed as merciful and magnanimous as the rumors say.”
Fortunately, Podric had returned to rational judgment the moment he realized Cain was not a heretic. He, too, had no reason to clash with the empire’s forces if Cain was innocent.
“Is mercy and tolerance not the virtue of a ruler?”
Seeing Podric turn meek as a lamb the instant he confirmed the divine power, Cain quietly smiled.
At this rate, unnecessary conflict seemed avoidable.
“There was fierce fighting nearby between Felberg’s valiant knights and a group of wicked heretics. I received a report that the engagement has ended, but given how coincidentally timed your arrival was, you must have followed the energy from there. They are likely still recovering bodies and the wounded at the site. If you wish, I can secure the heretics’ corpses and show them to you.”
“I am grateful for Your Majesty’s consideration. Securing and delivering the heretics’ bodies would greatly aid in tracking their backers.”
“Felberg’s loyal knights will actively cooperate in securing the heretics’ corpses, so do not worry.”
To emphasize that this was not an empty promise, Cain summoned an imperial knight as he finished speaking and assigned personnel to assist the Beheading Priest and his executors.
“In any case, the urgent matter seems resolved, so I will return to the imperial castle with my subordinates. You arrived much earlier than indicated in the Sixth Diocese’s official notice, but if you still desire an audience, I will permit it. Feel free to visit once dawn breaks.”
With those words, Cain returned to the capital Granada with the forces led by Count Steiner Randerk. The count was highly sensitive after Cain’s life had been threatened, but he took no excessive measures beyond slightly reinforcing imperial troops in the palace and castle areas.
Separately from that, however, there was an issue Cain absolutely needed to address. It was identifying the large-scale black magician group’s base that had appeared not far from the capital.
Judging solely from the tactics used by those who had threatened his life both underground and on the surface, they were unmistakably from the Black Legion school—which favored turning knights into demons and commanding them as black knights.
The total number of black knights that had attacked Cain, both underground and above, numbered nearly in the hundreds. Unlike death knights, which fell under undead and lost meaningful combat strength after centuries, black knights could not remain effective forces for hundreds of years. Thus, the enemy must have maintained a hidden base for at least several years—up to decades—gathering capable knights from the vicinity through some means, demonizing them, and turning them into black knights.
Even if it had been in a remote imperial territory, the problem would have been severe. Yet for hundreds of black knights to appear so close to Granada—the heart of the Felberg Empire—this was a grave issue.
I’m not certain, but the chances are high that their hideout is nearby.
The movement of hundreds of troops would inevitably draw attention. Though the Felberg Empire had recently faltered greatly, it was unlikely that armed forces of several hundred had gone undetected near the capital for long. Their base had to be close.
If black magicians have a stronghold near the capital, it cannot be left alone.
Looking solely at Baron Hog Melros’s demonization incident, it was nearly certain that the Five Imperial Dukes faction had allied with heretic forces—black magicians or demon god worshippers. The Black Legion school, given both their danger and the karma accumulated from this incident, needed swift subjugation.
With numerous unpolished private DLCs applied, various factions had been added, creating many unpredictable variables. It was necessary to identify and eliminate all risks in advance if possible.
The fortunate part was that the inquisitor and executors dispatched from the Ellington Holy Alliance had arrived earlier than scheduled. Their goal was ultimately to purge heretics, so if the Black Legion school’s hideout was discovered, they would surely cooperate in the subjugation to some extent—assuming the Beheading Priest’s temperament earlier was not an act.
“By imperial decree. Mobilize the Capital Guard Legions and imperial army to conduct a large-scale search operation in the Granada area and adjacent regions. Report immediately if even a single suspicious clue is found.”
All risks must be eliminated. On the day he returned to the palace—before the morning sun even rose—Cain discussed the matter with Count Randerk and mobilized massive forces to thoroughly search the vicinity of the capital. As an added measure, he had Nightmare and Rachel, quietly operating in nearby areas to avoid the Beheading Priest’s visit, gather intelligence to support the military search.
Count Randerk could only marvel at Cain’s calm, logical demeanor as he directed the forces of each department—a far cry from his former wastrel days.
As the search operation unfolded and checkpoints strengthened on major roads leading to the capital, Beheading Priest Podric Kendal—after examining several intact corpses of the black magicians and black knights who had fought the 4th Capital Guard Legion—was entering the imperial palace.
“Have you confirmed the bodies?”
Cain asked the Beheading Priest, who had entered the audience chamber alone.
“Yes. They were indeed heretics. Undeniably the corpses of black magicians. An inquisitor who has seen this many black magician bodies—at least recently—probably does not exist. It feels as though even this era of peace is finally reaching its curtain call. I have already sent a separate report to the holy land, so additional personnel support may arrive soon.”
Large-scale heresy purges had not occurred for decades. Heretic forces had not been entirely absent, but when they revealed themselves from the shadows, they were only in minuscule numbers. Yet today, Podric had seen far too many heretic corpses to dismiss lightly. Judging the situation extremely grave, he immediately requested additional support from the Ellington Holy Alliance.
“I’m relieved you recognize the gravity of the situation.”
A satisfied smile spread across Cain’s lips at Podric’s more proactive response than expected. With the connection between the Five Imperial Dukes faction and heretic forces now nearly confirmed, the additional inquisitors and executors sent from the Ellington Holy Alliance would become the sharp blade aimed at the Five Dukes, exactly as Cain intended.
“There was an unfortunate delay, but there is one thing I must confirm before it is too late.”
“You mean verifying Baron Hog Melros’s body?”
“Precisely. Unless there is a special reason otherwise, I would like to examine it immediately. It may even help pinpoint the hideout Your Majesty currently has the military searching for. One of my subordinates is an expert at sniffing out such ‘scents’.”
Podric said. From the beginning, the reason he had been dispatched to the Felberg Empire’s capital under the Ellington Holy Alliance’s name was to examine the demonized Baron Hog Melros’s corpse. Having already confirmed through the black magician corpses that fought the 4th Capital Guard Legion that heretic forces were stirring again, investigating the baron’s body had become an absolutely essential task for the Beheading Priest.
And that was exactly what Cain himself desired most right now.
“It is no trouble. I will arrange for immediate verification.”
Cain answered Podric’s request readily.