Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Hallucination
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Deolon took one look at the empty chapel and immediately grasped the situation.
'These quick-witted bastards got away. In that case, maybe...?'
Deolon hurriedly rushed to the vestry. Sure enough, the door had been smashed open.
Deolon steeled himself for the tragedy that was surely to follow.
'Please, anything but that.'
Deolon opened the reliquary inside the vestry.
There were signs that the floor's hidden door had been opened. When he pried it open, the jewel case and boxes had already been ransacked.
'It's over.'
Deolon squeezed his eyes shut.
The boxes contained proceeds from assassination commissions and secret missions, along with gold coins donated by the people of Fairbank village. And there was the golden chalice too.
That golden chalice was something he'd acquired from the cathedral where he used to work.
A merchant, on the run after murdering his wife, had come to Deolon for confession, repenting his sins. He'd confessed to possessing a golden cup he'd melted down all his gold to make. He planned to take it to the eastern kingdom and sell it to start a new life there.
Deolon had killed him, then buried him in the backyard along with the gold cup. He'd gone on living there undisturbed for several years, then naturally took it with him when he transferred to Fairbank's cathedral.
It was worth enough to buy the entire village. But the chalice was still there, and so were the gold coins.
'Did I see wrong?'
Deolon puzzled over it and opened the poison box as well. One vial was positioned differently from how he always arranged them.
'No. They definitely touched it! They touched it. But they left it behind.'
Deolon pocketed one vial of poison and closed the lid again.
When he stepped back out into the vestry, there was a single gold coin sitting on the table.
Deolon clutched the gold coin in his hand and fell deep into thought.
'What kind of trick is this? They saw the gold coin right there and left it? They're not idiots who wouldn't know its value...
It looked like the only things stolen were a few loaves of bread and some cheese, though I'd need to check more closely.
"Father Deolon?"
Alisa called out from the doorway of the vestry.
Deolon swiftly closed the reliquary door and replied.
"It looks like Jayden and his group have already fled."
She nodded and said.
"That seems to be the case. Any traces left in this room?"
"Nothing like that, but I checked what those scoundrels stole."
"What's in that room?"
She gestured with her chin toward the side door next to Deolon.
"It's where we keep the sacred relics."
All those relics were fakes. But the villagers firmly believed they were genuine, and that belief was enough for Deolon. If the Holy Emperor of Rotikan or Cardinal Parens made an issue of it, he could just play dumb and say he hadn't known.
Now that he knew his fortune was safe, Deolon's regret over letting "Soph" get away resurfaced.
Deolon said to Alisa with feigned humility.
"The situation has gotten tricky. I have no idea what to do."
"Wait. I've posted men at every gate, so we'll hear back soon."
No sooner had she spoken than the sound of the cathedral doors opening echoed through.
She immediately went on alert.
As soon as one man entered through the cathedral doors, he collapsed with a thud. Alisa and her subordinates rushed over in a group.
Deolon followed. As he ran, he gripped the vial in his pocket tightly so it wouldn't shake.
Alisa knelt beside the fallen subordinate, and he whispered something to her in a voice too low for Deolon to hear.
Alisa just nodded, then stood up.
Deolon asked in an anxious voice.
"What... is it? Some kind of problem?"
"They escaped through the north gate," she said. "What's north of Fairbank?"
"As you know, just the Kuman Plains. And if the rumors of demons in the plains are true, then demons too."
Alisa stared silently at Deolon.
'I don't like the look in this woman's eyes. It's like she's seeing right through me.'
Deolon opened his mouth with a wistful smile, but Alisa cut in sharply.
"You lied to me, Father."
"What? When did I lie...?"
Deolon put on a timid, flustered act, asking in an exaggerated tone.
"Oh, if it's about the demons, I did say it was just a rumor... I'm sorry if that offended you."
"That's not it. You said the group was just one frail priest, one little girl, and a boy about fifteen years old, right?"
"Yes."
"And none of them were martial artists."
"That's how it looked."
"But one of them did this to our best stealth expert."
Alisa pointed to the man passed out in front of her and continued.
"...And they say he used some kind of long iron chain as a weapon. Didn't you say they had no weapons?"
"There were none. I might not know much about such things, so I could have seen it and not recognized it, or my observation skills might not be sharp enough and I missed it, but I swear to God,
I didn't lie."
Deolon placed his hand on the star cross hanging at his chest and spoke with a gentle smile.
Alisa nodded curtly with a stiff smile.
"You swore on God, so I'll believe you."
Deolon clasped his hands as if in prayer. But Alisa spoke first, her voice laced with anger.
"So I'll give you a chance to correct your earlier lie."
Alisa's eyes gleamed in the darkness.
Deolon thought it was an illusion and asked.
"What earlier lie?"
"Who told you Jayden the priest was going after the Holy Grail?"
"Duke Drake, of course."
"The duke only said 'someone with the Holy Grail.' But you specifically named Jayden."
Deolon, who had been smiling, now showed extreme displeasure.
"Didn't I tell you I have my own methods of deduction? Without that brain, do you think I'd be selling information from Parens, Glitten, and Rom to the duke at such high prices?"
"I know. That's why the duke sent a letter, and why I trusted you and wasted days. So I'm asking: who else told you to catch Jayden? Who?"
Deolon answered forcefully.
"Duke Drake! Only him!"
Alisa stood up.
"I gave you a chance, and you just blew it."
The black-clad men stood as well. For a moment, Deolon thought they were closing in to threaten him. But instead, they were backing away from Alisa.
'Whoa, I underestimated her just because she's a woman. With sturdy men like these as her subordinates, I should have known she had something up her sleeve.'
Deolon had plenty of experience in situations like this, and when his life was on the line, he didn't let pride get in the way.
He forced an awkward smile and said.
"No, no, there must be some misunderstanding. Let's have some tea and talk it over slowly. I'll explain everything."
Deolon walked toward the vestry, still clutching the poison vial in his pocket. And he chattered on, feigning cheer.
"No, no, you gentlemen probably don't like tea? We have fresh goat's milk, and if you'd prefer, I can fetch some beer. The tavern over there is probably closed at this hour, but if I go, they'll open right up..."
An invisible force slammed into Deolon's back, smashing his face into the floor. Since his hand was in his pocket when he fell, his arm twisted at an odd angle, dislocating his shoulder, and the poison vial shattered on the ground.
"Arghhhh!"
Deolon screamed, clutching his injured shoulder. His nose was gushing blood, but the shoulder hurt so much he couldn't even care.
As he lay there looking back, Alisa approached. Her hair fanned out like a peacock's tail, fluttering as if aflame, and the broom strapped to her back floated up into the air on its own.
"Who gives you your orders?" she demanded, her eyes gleaming.
"You witch! My faith isn't so weak that I'll bend to threats like this."
Deolon was terrified but spoke defiantly.
Alisa, as if she'd expected as much, didn't change expression and said.
"Prove your faith."
Alisa extended her hand forward.
In that instant, Deolon's body went rigid.
He stared blankly into space for a while.
Then suddenly he screamed and thrashed about. Not even realizing his shoulder was dislocated, he clawed at his head with that arm, making it flop around like a scarecrow's limb hanging by a single straw.
A name that should never have passed his lips slipped out.
"Lorenzo! Cardinal Lorenzo!"
Alisa lowered her hand.
Deolon blinked several times, then panted as he looked frantically around.
"Wh-where? Where'd they go? Where is everyone?"
He stammered in a panic.
Alisa said.
"I can show them to you again."
Alisa merely raised her hand, and Deolon, terrified, scooted backward on his butt.
"No! Please... please...!"
"Answer my questions fully, and you won't have to see them again."
Alisa said.
Deolon nodded rapidly several times.
"Why is Cardinal Lorenzo involved with the Holy Grail? Didn't Rotikan wash their hands of it?"
"I-I don't know. He always just sends letters ordering me to kill whoever's going after the Holy Grail. This time he specifically mentioned the name Jade."
Deolon answered readily.
"The name was Jade? Not Jayden?"
"Yes. Jade, disciple of the famous priest Danel."
"And the other two?"
"I swear to God, I don't know who they are."
"Not to God—to me."
"I swear to you, Lady Alisa."
"Then I'll ask again. Who is that redheaded brat? Who is protecting Jade right now?"
"I know nothing about those two. I didn't even know one was a bodyguard. I didn't see any chains, any weapons, nothing."
"You didn't see a chain that long?"
"I swear."
"And the bit about wanting the woman?"
"That was just... that woman..."
"Young and pretty?"
When Alisa asked with a mocking tone, Deolon reluctantly nodded.
"You're honest."
The broom floating in the air descended to Alisa's side.
Alisa grabbed it with her hand, strapped it back on, and said.
"Kill him easily."
At Alisa's order, one of her subordinates who had silently come up behind Deolon slit his throat. Deolon didn't even have time to speak.
Meanwhile, Alisa asked the subordinate who had searched the vestry.
"What was he checking in that room?"
"Nothing much. Looks like he was trying to hide his gold coins and jewels. The gold coin we gave him was still there. What should we do with it?"
"Leave it. If a sum like that turns up in the 'Burned Cathedral,' someone will pocket it and bury the incident for us."
The subordinate who killed Deolon approached, wiping blood from his blade.
"Cardinal Lorenzo is involved. Things could get complicated. Should we retreat?"
"No. We can't pull back any further."
Alisa strode quickly out of Akilia Cathedral and said.
"You, go inform Duke Drake of this. You, handle Deolon's body, wake the knocked-out guy, then set the cathedral on fire together and get out. The rest of you, with me."
One man hurried to Alisa's side and said.
"The rumors of demons in the Kuman Plains are true. Among the Kun tribe, it's called the 'King of the Plains.'"
"Fancy name. How strong a demon is it?"
"No one's seen it, so we don't know yet. But it's expanding its territory fast, so we'll likely make contact eventually..."
"We pursue for now. Even if the King of the Plains is the lord of jade, we can't let them go after tracking them this far."
"By the way, what did you show Deolon just now?"
"You're always curious about my hallucinations."
"It worked especially fast today. What was it?"
"The thing he fears most, like always. In this case, bugs."
"Bugs? What kind? Mantises? Spiders?"
He asked, surprised.
"Just a mix of various ones." Alisa smirked and replied.
"A whole lot of them."