“Actually, there’s something I want to verify as well. Would you mind if I accompany you?”
Cain—once infamous as an irredeemable wastrel whom even the imperial family struggled to protect—now carried the solemn dignity of the empire’s emperor. At his proposal, Podric Kendal, the Beheading Priest of the Ellington Holy Alliance, raised one corner of his mouth in a smile.
Cain met Podric’s gaze head-on—the man’s smile somehow chilling, emanating a strange aura—and quietly activated the Wanderer privilege.
[Using Stage 1 privilege of ‘Wanderer’ to partially view the setting document for ‘Beheading Priest, Podric Kendal’.]
Almost simultaneously with the system message appearing before his eyes, Podric Kendal’s setting document unfolded.
<Podric Kendal (Bishop-level Inquisitor)>
Possessed Traits: Will to Exterminate Evil (S), Meister (S), Holy Fanaticism (A), Ruthless Executioner (A) — Additional traits unavailable for viewing.
Overview: Podric Kendal is a bishop-level inquisitor of the Ellington Holy Alliance. Orphaned young after losing his parents, he was taken in by a low-ranking priest and raised in a monastery, walking the path of priesthood. At some point, for unknown reasons, he developed a deep interest in forgotten black magicians and heretics. From his late teens, he honed his martial prowess as a paladin trainee, eventually being recruited as a low-ranking executor in the Sixth Diocese, beginning his career as an inquisitor.
Podric Kendal’s setting document aligned closely with Cain’s memories as the developer. Yet one trait stood out that absolutely should not have been there: the S-grade trait known as Will to Exterminate Evil.
Is this the influence of private DLCs?
As he examined Podric’s document, Cain briefly organized the scattered fragments of memory in his mind.
The Will to Exterminate Evil was an S-grade trait established after the Dark Crusade waged by holy constellations to punish evil. It dramatically enhanced the oath-taker’s combat power to its limits when facing clearly defined “heretics” or impure beings.
Though not a “unique trait” granted to only one character in the world… Cain, as the developer, had no recollection of assigning this trait to the Beheading Priest Podric Kendal. The mere fact that Podric possessed it meant something was wrong.
I don’t remember modifying it separately.
The Will to Exterminate Evil. Due to Ancient Oblivion, the existence of Onisia, the Evil-Slaying Paladin, had been forgotten, making inheritance of the Will to Exterminate Evil extremely difficult. Across the entire continent, finding someone with this rare trait would be nearly impossible. Even Cain himself—despite possessing developer memories—had no straightforward way to acquire it quickly, resorting to the artifact Guardian of the Oath as a workaround to awaken Onisia’s sacred mark.
In any case, considering the circumstances, this seemed like a phenomenon caused by applying numerous unverified private DLCs.
“Your Majesty?”
Cain’s prolonged thoughts were interrupted by Viscount Heinrich Denver, standing close to his right.
“Send word to Marquis Pavel.”
“Leave it to me.”
Snapping out of his daze, Cain ordered word be sent to Grand Mage Damien Pavel—the marquis currently preserving the intact corpse of the demon Hog Melros. Viscount Denver responded vigorously and gestured into the air. One of the imperial guards standing by the wall quickly exited the audience chamber.
“Let us move.”
Feeling the gaze of Podric, whose face had hardened as he silently urged them onward, Cain headed to the imperial magic tower where Marquis Pavel awaited, accompanied by his escorts.
Damien Pavel had been exiled from the Felberg Empire a hundred years ago. Though he had returned, cleared his name, and regained his title, certain necessary procedures remained before he could be officially appointed tower lord of the imperial magic tower.
The imperial magic tower stood within the imperial castle grounds but in an outer area, making it quite a distance from the palace.
“So this is the imperial magic tower.”
Even the infamous Beheading Priest showed faint surprise at the towering grandeur of the structure. He had left all his executors behind for the audience with the emperor, but had Raven, Hound, and Parrot been present, they would have been shocked to see his expression.
The Beheading Priest, obsessed with heresy hunts, was known for showing almost no emotional change. He grew extremely excited only at the thought of hunting and judging heretics, or felt awe witnessing holy miracles. Normally, he maintained a dry, impassive face, rarely revealing his feelings.
“There are records stating the imperial magic tower existed even before the Apocalypse War. This, too, is clear proof of how truly great the previous emperors of Felberg were.”
Aren Valerian—the paladin who had been stalking Cain alongside the imperial church paladins before suddenly sticking close—began introducing the tower’s brief history in front of Podric and launched into unrestrained praise of Felberg’s past emperors.
“We ascend.”
Aren, who continued his emperor-stalking despite recently receiving a viscount title, could easily ramble in praise for hours once started. Cain ignored him appropriately and stepped toward the tower’s entrance first.
Thanks to the prior notice, they boarded the magitech elevator and arrived swiftly at the workshop where the demon’s corpse was stored.
“I have been waiting.”
As soon as they reached the dimly lit workshop, Marquis Pavel—who had arrived earlier—slowly emerged from the shadows. He had worn an old gray robe upon their first meeting, but now donned the orange robe symbolizing the Felberg Empire’s imperial magic tower. Though he did not yet wear the insignia of tower lord, an intangible pressure emanated subtly from the grand mage who had found the path to truth, making him difficult to approach.
“Marquis Pavel. The demon’s corpse?”
“The preserved body is this way.”
At Cain’s question, Marquis Pavel led the visitors to the isolation chamber storing Baron Hog Melros’s corpse.
Even within the workshop, this small sealed room was particularly heavily isolated, filled with complex magic circles engraved with intricate spells. In the center, atop a long rectangular table, lay a corpse that looked as though it might collapse at any moment.
Once human, but having transcended human limits by accepting a curse through a contract with a black magician—this was the body of the demon, Hog Melros.
Normally, when a demon died, vital activity ceased, curse erosion began, and the body collapsed. Yet Grand Mage Damien Pavel prevented Baron Hog Melros’s corpse from disintegrating using his exceptional mana control and ancient magics.
“Examine it.”
At Pavel’s suggestion, Podric boldly approached the demon’s corpse without checking Cain’s reaction, assessing its condition.
The moment he drew close, the face of the Beheading Priest—famous for showing little expression—began twisting grotesquely, like a demon’s. After some time passed, Podric hurriedly stepped back, composing his distorted features.
“Well? Do you now know who our enemy is?”
Cain looked at Podric, whose face had returned to dry impassivity, and posed a meaningful question. By using “our,” he especially emphasized that the Felberg Empire, like the Ellington Holy Alliance, considered heretics its enemies.
“Your Majesty the Emperor of Felberg. A single examination cannot reveal much with certainty.”
The Beheading Priest, infamous for his madness toward heretics, showed an uncharacteristically restrained attitude despite clear evidence of black magic before him. This was quite unexpected. Cain nearly panicked at the thought his plans might not unfold as intended.
Yet Podric continued, grinding his teeth with a voice full of hatred.
“Of course, this can be classified as unmistakable traces of heresy.”
“Then we must track down and judge those behind it.”
“That is correct. But it cannot be done immediately.”
“What do you…”
Podric’s ambiguous stance left Cain feeling not just incredulous but deeply frustrated.
“What do you mean? Are you not a priest of the Ellington Holy Alliance and an inquisitor of the Sixth Diocese? Black magicians, demons, and traces of demonic energy are clear evidence of heresy established since the Dark Crusade. Is it not the duty of an inquisitor to root out and judge all involved parties?”
Cain conveyed a gentle but firm will. With the inquisitor here, he needed to tie the black magic forces completely to the Five Imperial Dukes and annihilate them. Yet Podric spoke lukewarm words about not acting immediately—what was this nonsense? Heresy hunts had been inactive for decades, but for the famous Beheading Priest to back off like this? Frustration was inevitable.
“I have heard rumors that Your Majesty the Emperor of Felberg was once a wastrel, yet you possess remarkably deep knowledge of continental history.”
“Priest of Ellington! This is in the presence of His Majesty the Emperor!”
True to his mad-dog reputation—knowing only heresy and divinity—Podric’s reckless remark prompted a cold glare from Viscount Denver and a fierce shout from Viscount Valerian. But Cain maintained his composure.
“Everyone, calm yourselves.”
At the emperor’s single word, silence fell. In the quiet tension, Podric spoke again.
“There seems to be a misunderstanding… I do not mean we will not pursue the heretics. The curse infused into this demon is too vast and wicked for me alone to handle at present.”
Even a Meister-class Beheading Priest claiming the associated evil was too great to manage alone—Cain silently swallowed his tension.
With a deep sigh as he finished speaking, Podric revealed his right forearm. Scars covered it, overlaid with tattoos of intertwined chains and crosses.
“As a bishop-level inquisitor of the Sixth Diocese and the 13th auxiliary bishop of the Holy War Chamber, I request a Round Table Conference in the holy land. Please wait a little longer for the heresy hunt.”
Unlike the bewildered Viscounts Denver and Valerian, Marquis Pavel and Cain hid their agitation at Podric’s declaration.
Though the leadership of the Ellington Holy Alliance was called the Supreme Council, there existed figures with even greater authority: the twenty-one auxiliary bishops listed in the Holy War Chamber. They held the right to convene and participate in the Round Table Conference, which could declare a holy war in the name of the holy land. Once declared, not only the Ellington Holy Alliance but all forces closely tied to them would join the crusade army in accordance with the will to exterminate evil.
This… things might have gotten too big…
He had intended to start a wildfire to catch a big flea, but it seemed the entire country was about to burn.