Everyone was talking wildly, overwhelmed by confusion.
“Damn it! Things have been uneasy lately anyway.”
“Could it be from the South Holy Union?”
“I’ve heard that village was going to blow up someday. I saw those cult bastards lurking around a few days ago.”
The adventurers took the situation as if it were familiar.
But Evan couldn’t understand.
No, he couldn’t accept it.
What right did they have to wreak havoc within the Earl’s Territory like this?
Rolten ran a hand through his hair, his expression troubled.
“Damn it. Seems something’s blown up. We should go check it out.”
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know exactly, but it’s probably the Order’s doing. That’s what they’re saying, so the chances are high.”
“Are the Orders really allowed to run wild in the Marquisate like this?”
“Can’t be helped. You might not know, but historically, when heretics cause major disasters, the generation that fails to stop them faces terrible calamities. So if there’s concrete evidence, they start purification—that’s the protocol.”
Evan still couldn’t accept it.
Even if that were true, setting fire to a whole village was outrageous.
“The damage inside the Marquisate must be severe. But more importantly, was this kind of thing even permitted?”
Rolten sighed deeply at Evan’s question.
“That’s a touchy subject, but we have no choice. The Orders take unilateral action first, then report it to the Marquisate. There’s no way to stop them, and they pay back five times the damages afterward. So it’s not all bad.”
Evan felt uneasy about their method of settling things with money.
And something about it felt off.
When Evan stayed silent, Rolten added,
“You know already. The Nervan Cult’s been terrorizing the Marquisate lately, right? That’s probably why the South Holy Union sent reinforcements. Also, your head of house made a request to the Order.”
Evan narrowed his brows.
It was good that the heretics were being suppressed forcefully, but it was a double-edged sword.
From Evan’s perspective, there was little difference between the Nervan Cult and the other Orders.
Humans could turn corrupt anytime.
Especially where power and money were involved, it was always the same.
And he felt the root of all this trouble lay with Baroness Heres and Hilton.
Their dealings with the Nervan Cult had brought things to this point.
At that moment, the leader of the caravan approached, raising his voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Everyone! Please wait a moment. The Order is currently purifying the village ahead, so we’ll take a rest here.”
Everyone unpacked and sat down for a short break.
But Rolten hurried to move.
“Evan, you know the drill. We need to get there quickly and back.”
“Yes, I was thinking the same.”
They couldn’t afford to miss even a single incident.
Rolten informed the leader before moving out with Evan.
“…It’s horrific.”
Rolten and Evan watched the burning village from the nearby forest.
“P-please… save me…”
“Ahhh!”
“There’s someone here!”
Thick smoke covered the area, and screams never stopped from the village.
Order officials, apparently from the South Holy Union, were capturing the Lamakria people and dragging them away somewhere.
The problem was that only the Lamakria people were being detained, while the others were seen leaving the village.
Evan felt uneasy watching the scene.
“Doesn’t it seem strange? It looks like only a specific ethnic group is being targeted.”
Rolten answered with a bitter look.
“I know what you’re implying, but for now, all we can do is observe and record.”
He took out a Visualization of Memory from his pocket.
“I’m curious what evidence those bastards will come out with. Whether this is just ethnic targeting or if they’re truly involved with the Nervan cultists.”
Rolten carefully documented everything.
Watching him, Evan pondered the direction to take.
“It must be because of the previous incident where the False Goddess was summoned. The Lamakria king went mad and did something terrible.”
They were already a thorn in the Order’s side.
Now it looked like this was the perfect excuse to round them up.
But the biggest problem was that the Lamakria were said to be excellent engineers.
Darwen was currently gathering researchers from the Lamakria first and foremost.
Because of this, clashes with the Order were inevitable moving forward.
Rustle!
Suddenly, a movement came from the nearby bushes.
“A rat, it seems.”
Rolten drew his sword.
Then, in an instant, he vanished.
Of course, Evan tracked his movements with his eyes.
“His skill level seems roughly at the highest Sword Expert rank.”
Just by watching his movements, Evan could estimate his proficiency.
He was adept at using aura to strengthen his body.
And the density of aura he unleashed in a moment was substantial.
Rolten entered the bushes, and shortly after, he emerged dragging a young Lamakria man.
Rolten held his sword to the young man’s back, who had his hands raised in surrender.
“Who are you? Did you run away from the village?”
The youth silently nodded in response to Rolten’s question.
He looked about the same age as Delian.
His eyes were dead, and a hollow emptiness radiated from him.
In the previous world, those whose cities were destroyed and lost everything had that same look.
No attachment to life but surviving unwillingly.
Rolten asked, “What’s your name? What happened to your family?”
The youth’s voice was weak as he spoke.
“I’m Beron. My family… they’re all dead.”
Silence fell for a moment.
Everyone but him had died; only he survived.
But Rolten continued questioning without hesitation.
“How did you survive alone?”
“I don’t know. I just came to my senses and found myself outside the village.”
Rolten furrowed his brow.
“Hah, and you expect me to believe that?”
Beron remained silent, showing indifference whether he was believed or not.
“Alright, I’ll let it slide. There are more important things.”
Rolten withdrew the Visualization of Memory from his pocket.
“From now on, you need to tell us everything: what you experienced, when the attack happened, and what the Order’s people did. No detail is too small. That way, it can help you too.”
Beron silently nodded in agreement.
“I don’t care about help. I don’t even have a reason to live anymore.”
Having lost everything, he couldn’t understand why he was still alive.
But instinct told him to survive till the end.
Rolten sighed deeply and continued speaking.
They seemed to have secured an important witness, but leaving him as-is could be dangerous.
“…But you have to get your revenge, right? Cooperate as much as you can.”
Though trying to instill some will, Beron’s expression remained hollow.
Still, he nodded, showing willingness to cooperate.
“And no matter what you think, we’ll protect you at the Marquisate for now.”
It was best to secure as much evidence as possible about the Order’s movements.
While Rolten and Beron talked, Evan had something else to check.
“No matter what, escaping a village sealed off this thoroughly is hard to believe. He looks normal enough.”
Evan checked Beron’s status through his Eye of the Spirit.
If that didn’t provide answers, he’d have to view his memories directly.
[Alignment: Good]
[Race: Human]
[Gender: Male]
[Affinity: 0%]
[Potential: Chosen One]
[Skills: Living Armor Lv. Master
*Can access memories of the soul.]
At that moment, Evan looked at Beron with surprise.
His survival was no coincidence.
‘A Chosen One?’
Agarrus Apollyon, whom he’d faced before, was also a Chosen One.
‘A special power granted by the beings called gods.’
Agarrus had used the power of duplication to turn his life around.
And ultimately abused it to dream of reviving the False Goddess.
‘Considering that link…’
The Order’s attack on the village wasn’t just out of hatred; there was a hidden motive.
Evan accessed Beron’s memories.
[Chosen One’s memories discovered.]
[Visualization of Memory activated upon viewing memories.]
It was the same as with Agarrus.
Through Visualization of Memory, he would vividly experience the memories again.
[Chosen One (Soul Power Increase)]
Evan immediately selected Beron’s memories.
[Soul power increased.]
[Eye of the Spirit level has increased!]
[Visualization of Memory is unaffected by time.]
The screen froze, and everything in front of him stopped moving.
The space twisted and warped, and the scenery changed.
Before long, Evan came to his senses in a hellfire scene.
Screams echoed endlessly in his ears.
A choking stench rose from all around.
“R-run away!”
His father held back the Order’s Paladins to protect him.
“Father!”
“Come quickly!”
Led by his mother’s hand, he ran toward the village entrance, tears blurring his vision.
“Heretics! Performing vile experiments here.”
A high-ranking Paladin swept the surroundings with sacred power, killing or capturing their Lamakria people.
His mother and he, fleeing, couldn’t escape their grasp.
“Run away! Hurry!”
His mother threw herself at the Paladins.
“Ugh!”
But her feeble resistance ended tragically.
His mother collapsed lifelessly with a single blow.
Watching that, he fled, tears in his eyes, without a clear mind.
He didn’t understand what they had done wrong.
‘Where had it all gone wrong?’
Eventually, he was caught by the Paladins, having run only a short distance.
“Filthy creatures. Even your actions are wicked beyond measure.”
“Executioner! We found the tower in the village center where they conducted experiments. It seems they tried to gain the power of an evil god.”
“Understood. Secure the evidence and arrest them all. Summary executions are authorized if they resist.”
His heart sank.
The tower in the village center.
Built by the village chief as a collective wish for prosperity.
A tradition passed down through generations—a custom to pray for luck.
Yet it had ironically hastened their doom.
‘Why?’
His mind froze.
He couldn’t understand what had gone wrong.
And they kept pressuring them again and again.
He hated the Order.
He couldn’t accept why they had to die.
‘Why his parents had to die.’
The enemies who killed his parents.
At that moment, a light flashed from the tower of wishes standing in the village center.
An indescribable power filled his body.
But soon, dragged by his hair, he was thrown down.
“Ugh!”
The Paladin pointed his sword at him.
“I feel dangerous energy from you. You wicked creature.”
He spoke something unknown and swung his sword toward Evan’s neck.
Then—
Clang!
His sword struck something like a chunk of iron and stopped.
Or rather, the jet-black armor covering his whole body.
Strength drained from him as the armor took shape, and his consciousness blurred.
[All memories of the Chosen One have been viewed.]
Beron’s memories ended there.
Knowing the details, Evan’s doubts only deepened.