Please Allow Me to Be a Righteous Thief Today, Part 4
It was no exaggeration to say that the Grand Cathedral of the Papal Palace was the ultimate sanctuary for the residents of the Holy City, a place where they could find peace of mind and offer prayers to the Main God. Since such a cathedral had been abruptly closed, complaints were bound to arise. Among the citizens, a select few even intuitively sensed a connection between this sudden closure and the space beyond the stone gate deep inside the cathedral.
They say that even a fist-sized snowball grows massive if you keep rolling it. The slope and the snowfield were already prepared. Thus, Yohan had merely packed a tiny snowball at the edge of the slope and sent it rolling down. And the small snowball Yohan rolled threw the entire Holy City into utter chaos in less than a day.
"Everyone, calm down!"
"What? The Main God has returned, and you expect us to calm down?!"
"Everyone! We shouldn't just stand around here. Let's all go to the Grand Cathedral!"
"O Main God!"
Yohan shook his head as he watched the soldiers struggling helplessly against the wildly excited believers.
"Honestly, this is getting a bit out of hand," Yohan muttered.
Of course, he could understand why the believers were reacting so vehemently. It might be different for Yohan and his companions, who spent twenty-four hours a day with a goddess, but for ordinary people, the manifestation of a deity was literally a once-in-a-lifetime event. Conversely, this was also why they were so easily deceived by the temptations of demonic entities.
In any case, how would ordinary folk behave when presented with a sudden opportunity to meet a descended god face-to-face? And not just some low-level subordinate deity, but Main God Justia herself, worshipped by the Holy Kingdom that held half the continent in its grasp? There was no need to state the obvious. Yohan shrugged at the thought.
"Hey, wait a minute. Those guys in armor..."
While the soldiers were floundering against the crowd gathered in the Grand Plaza, a group of robust men clad in gleaming plate armor soon made their appearance. Their attire was identical to that of the obnoxious jerk Yohan had encountered at the teleportation magic circle station a few days ago.
"The Holy Knights," Annie murmured. "It seems the Papal Palace has decided they can no longer sit back and watch."
It was one thing for ordinary soldiers to scuffle with the believers, but the moment the Holy Knights were deployed, the gravity of the situation shifted entirely.
"No matter how I look at it... they're definitely trying to cover it up, right?" Yohan asked.
"Yes," Annie replied with a nod.
Seeing the squad of Holy Knights, Yohan was certain. The Papal Palace wanted to conceal the awakening of Main God Justia. That was why they had deployed the Holy Knights—to suppress the situation as quickly as possible.
—Ho, so those are the Holy Knights of this era.
It seemed the Goddess was also intrigued by the appearance of the Holy Knights.
The squad of Holy Knights cut through the excited crowd without a single hitch. Surprisingly, the believers, who had refused to listen to a word the ordinary soldiers said, meekly parted ways the moment they faced the Holy Knights. Upon reaching the center of the Grand Plaza, the knights simultaneously raised the heavy shields slung over their shoulders and slammed them onto the ground.
Thud—!
A heavy, earth-shaking shockwave rippled outward, and silence instantly fell over the Grand Plaza, which had just been a chaotic din of cheers, screams, and prayers. They were definitely on a different level compared to ordinary soldiers. Sensing the overwhelming aura radiating from the Holy Knights, Yohan intuitively knew that every single one of them was a monster capable of tearing a low-level devil apart with their bare hands.
"Those bastards look insanely strong when they're grouped up like that," Yohan remarked.
"They are indeed strong," Annie explained. "Inquisitors like me are primarily tasked with scouting and investigation rather than direct combat. But the Holy Knights have only one primary duty."
The primary duty of the Holy Knights: fighting demons. They were a group formed solely for direct combat against devils and demonic entities. Although their scope of operation was narrower compared to the inquisitors who tracked down anomalies and hunted heretics, the individual combat prowess of a Holy Knight far surpassed that of most inquisitors.
Soon, the man who appeared to be the captain of the Holy Knights stepped forward.
"Absurd rumors are currently circulating throughout the Holy City claiming that the Main God has awakened from her long slumber," the captain announced, his voice carrying a commanding resonance. "These are nothing more than baseless falsehoods. I urge all believers not to be swayed by such deceitful words, and to keep your minds and bodies steadfast in righteousness."
The captain's voice possessed a strange, compelling power that made listeners want to blindly believe and follow his words.
—They certainly feel different from the others. I can sense a faint trace of divine power radiating from every single one of them, the Goddess observed in his mind.
—Hehe. Though, of course, they cannot compare to you.
At her follow-up remark, Yohan let a subtle smirk play on his lips. In truth, "faint" was a term that only applied from the perspective of a deity. By the standards of ordinary mortals, these Holy Knights, who channeled the Main God's power to execute her will, had undoubtedly stepped into the realm of superhumans.
"B-but isn't it true that access to the Grand Cathedral was suddenly banned overnight?" one believer called out.
"That's right! We also heard that a loud noise echoed from inside right before the cathedral was sealed off!" another chimed in.
The arrival of the Holy Knights had made the crowd remarkably docile, yet they still seemed reluctant to let go of their belief in the Main God's return.
"The loud noise inside the Grand Cathedral was due to a partial collapse of a statue, caused by the carelessness of children visiting on a field trip," the captain explained smoothly. "There is no risk of further collapse, but as a precautionary measure, we have restricted public access until the repairs are fully completed."
"A statue collapsed?"
"Indeed. According to the testimony of the priest who was guiding the children of noble families from the Empire, several children were playing by hanging onto the statue's arm and ended up causing the accident."
Eavesdropping on the exchange, Yohan had a sudden thought. Every citizen of the Holy Kingdom was a devout follower of the Central Church, which worshipped Main God Justia. Having just heard that foreign noble brats had committed such an impious act, there was a very high chance the crowd would erupt in outrage.
"O Main God..."
Sighs and gasps rippled through the crowd of believers as they absorbed the captain's explanation. It seemed things were about to play out exactly as Yohan had anticipated. However, Yohan had miscalculated.
"Then, are all the children who were in the Grand Cathedral safe?"
"Was anyone crushed or injured by the falling stones?"
Contrary to Yohan's expectations, the believers did not rage over the fact that heretics had dared to damage a statue of their Main God. Instead, they genuinely worried about the well-being of the children who had caused the accident.
"Do not worry. Thanks to the Main God's protection, not a single soul was harmed," the captain assured them. "However, because many of the children were startled by the impact of the falling stone, the tour was immediately cut short."
"What a relief."
"Praise be to the Main God..."
Having concluded their conversation with the Holy Knight captain, the believers dispersed with surprising calmness.
"Well, I'll be..."
Watching from a distance, Yohan couldn't help but look impressed. Since the church ruthlessly hunted down any other religion as heresy, he had assumed the citizens would share that same extreme mindset. But as it turned out, this place was inhabited by ordinary, decent human beings after all.
—Hmph. Did you expect the angry believers to go wild and demand those nobles be nailed to crosses? the Goddess sneered, reading his thoughts.
"Let's slip away too," Annie suggested.
"Right."
Indeed, it was time to leave. If they lingered while the crowd dispersed, they would easily draw the attention of the Holy Knights. Standing up immediately, Yohan and Annie made their exit from the Grand Plaza.
Yohan followed Annie toward the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Because its primary duty was internal audit and surveillance, the Congregation was located somewhat apart from the other institutions under the Papal Palace. Given that Main God Justia was currently resting in the Papal Palace, this separation was a welcome relief for Yohan.
"It's pretty chaotic here too," Yohan noted.
"The commotion you caused has spread all the way here," Annie replied.
—Hehehe.
"Alright. Leave the rest to me from here on out."
Yohan nodded at Annie's confident reassurance. It was time for him to slip back into his role as Yohan, the simple farmer from the backwoods.
Guarding the perimeter of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith were ordinary guards, along with a small contingent of Holy Knights on high alert. Considering the immense value of what was stored inside, this level of security was only natural. If he had to bypass these Holy Knights and break into the Secret Archive without using Annie's credentials... it would be an incredibly daunting task. Yohan let out a quiet sigh at the thought.
"Inquisitor Agnes. I have just returned from my investigation mission."
A checkpoint, much like the gates of the Holy City, was set up at the entrance of the Congregation. Once again, Annie flashed her identification token and vouched for Yohan's identity, allowing them to pass through the gates without any hindrance.
"This man is a local farmer I encountered during my investigation. After hearing my teachings, he has resolved to devote himself to the Central Church as a new believer," Annie explained to the low-ranking staff who approached them.
Upon hearing this, the staff members, who had been eyeing Yohan with suspicion, suddenly looked deeply impressed.
"I must report the results of my investigation immediately, so please arrange a room for this man to rest and recover from his journey," Annie commanded in a flat, authoritative tone before walking away.
Her demeanor was the very picture of the terrifying, charismatic inquisitor Yohan knew so well. Of course, the reality was that she turned into an absolute beast the moment alcohol touched her lips.
"Please, follow me," the staff member said.
"Y-yes, sir."
Yohan played the part of the naive, simple-minded farmer exactly as he and Annie had planned. Although he had managed to enter the Holy City under an inquisitor's authority, he had been told that to be officially recognized as a believer of the Central Church, he had to undergo a test of "purity." Purity, huh... While pretending to be incredibly nervous on the outside, Yohan calmly scanned his surroundings inside the Congregation.
—Indeed, they are all clergy who believe in the Main God, the Goddess murmured in admiration inside his mind.
Yohan gave a slight nod in agreement. Through his Apostle's Authority, he could feel the faint traces of divine power residing within the people passing by. *Man... I don't know if we can actually pull this off. Slipping past these guys to steal the Original Scriptures from the Secret Archive, and then looting the Divine Weapons from every city...* Yohan clicked his tongue inwardly.
"Before we head to your quarters, you must first prove your purity," the guide said.
"P-purity?"
As they walked down the corridor, the staff member suddenly stopped in front of a heavy door.
"Yes. Although the inquisitor has vouched for your identity, this is a mandatory procedure that all new believers from the outside must undergo as a formality."
"Ah, I see."
*Well, it's probably just splashing some holy water on me like last time,* Yohan thought as he followed the guide into the room. *Maybe I should ask them to let me take a shower in holy water to moisturize my skin while I'm at it.*
The room was pitch-black, lacking even a single window. The only light came from the open doorway, barely illuminating the floor.
Click—
But that brief illumination vanished as the door swung shut, plunging his vision into absolute darkness.
"It is quite dark in here. I will light the lamp shortly."
Whoosh—
A moment later, the staff member lit the lamp hanging from the ceiling.
—Did you see that just now?
The guide had conjured the flame without relying on any physical tools or standard magic. This meant he was no ordinary clerk, but someone capable of performing Miracle Arts. Although Yohan had already sensed a faint trace of divine power from him and suspected as much, seeing it in action was a different story entirely.
"W-wait, what is this?"
But that wasn't the only issue. As the light filled the room, Yohan's eyes widened in shock at the object that materialized before him.
"Yohan, the farmer from the southern backwoods. We shall now begin the verification of your purity. Come, please take a seat."
Before Yohan stood a chair carved out of solid stone. Naturally, it was no ordinary chair. Heavy iron shackles were prominently installed at the positions where his forearms, wrists, thighs, and ankles would rest.