Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: The Bishop's Breakdown
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“Hurry and prepare countermeasures—we need countermeasures!”
Leviham panicked and made a fuss, but the elf had no intention of doing so.
The elf shot Leviham a glare and spat out curtly.
“No.”
After that, she remained utterly immovable, and soon enough, two horses burst through the underbrush.
Riding atop them were Baynon and Theorad.
Neigh—!
Theorad yanked desperately on the reins and shouted amid his ragged breaths.
“Bishop! The elf is my slave! Even if you are the bishop, you cannot take my slave away!”
Thanks to that, the elf wore a satisfied smile.
‘Cute.’
But in the current situation, she was the only one who found it satisfying.
Theorad dismounted with a complicated expression and approached Leviham. Baynon followed suit, getting down from his horse.
“Bishop. It seems to me that you’ve misunderstood something. Could I hear the reason why you fled into the forest with my slave?”
It was an exceedingly polite question, but to Leviham—who saw Theorad as the witches’ frontman—it looked like nothing more than courtesy behind a mask.
“A misunderstanding...? Theorad Viscount! How long do you intend to deceive me! Do you think you can keep hiding your hostility toward the Church forever?!”
“Pardon? What are you...?”
“I saw everything! I saw you receive the crystal orb from the Moonless Guildmaster! Will you keep making excuses even now?!”
No, how the hell did he know the crystal orb was from the Moonless Guildmaster...?
Theorad glanced back at Baynon, but Baynon just shrugged, equally clueless.
He didn’t know the full story of the incident, but it seemed they’d been caught red-handed. Otherwise, Leviham couldn’t speak with such conviction.
But having malice toward the Church was a clear misunderstanding! Theorad pleaded earnestly with sincerity.
“It’s true that I did business with the Moonless Guildmaster. But I didn’t approach him with the impure motives you imagine. Please, believe me.”
“Believe you? Then tell me what kind of deal you made with the Moonless Guildmaster!”
“Well... that’s...”
Theorad hesitated.
And understandably so—saying “I bought pills that make you lactate and all sorts of adult toys!” would be tantamount to social suicide.
Thus, Leviham, who had no way of knowing the details, interpreted Theorad’s hesitation as the first step of a lie.
“As I thought. From the very beginning, you approached the Church with a calculated plan, pretending to be generous. It was all to erase suspicions about your scheme to build favor with us and plot in secret.”
“Bishop, that’s not...”
“No more excuses. I know full well that even this elf has been used in your scheme. So I will do everything in my power to stop you.”
The tangled threads only grew more knotted. Realizing he couldn’t persuade Leviham with words alone, Theorad had no choice but to order Baynon.
“Bind the bishop.”
Baynon’s eyes widened.
“Pardon? Young master? Are you serious?”
“Yes. We can’t let him go to the cathedral like this.”
The best course was to take him back to the mansion somehow and explain everything once they were away from the elf.
But from Baynon’s perspective, he couldn’t blindly follow the order. It was utterly unreasonable, no matter how you looked at it.
“Young master, if we lay hands on the bishop, it could lead to a religious trial. Can you bear that risk?”
Who cares about that right now! The bishop’s life is in danger!
“Don’t worry about the aftermath. There’s something far more important at stake now.”
“If you insist that strongly...”
Shing. Baynon drew his sword from its sheath. Unlike the worn scabbard, the sharply honed blade emanated a fierce, piercing aura.
As Baynon assumed a sword stance, Leviham’s pupils trembled once.
‘He’s resorting to brute force, is he?’
Startled for a moment, Leviham quickly regained his composure. After all, he’d steeled himself for this, knowing the man before him was colluding with the Moonless Guildmaster.
“If you think I’ll come quietly, you’re mistaken.”
A golden hue enveloped Leviham’s body. He intended to use holy magic, a power exclusive to the faithful clergy.
Could Baynon defeat a cleric wielding holy magic? As Theorad groaned uncertainly over the odds, he spoke up.
“I can’t explain the details in this situation, but please trust me and return to the mansion. I don’t want to drive you to your death, Bishop.”
“Hah. So you’re saying you’ll kill me the moment I resist?”
Not me—the elf might kill you! The words rose to the roof of his mouth, but he couldn’t voice them.
The elf watching from behind Leviham was making him far too nervous.
But the elf had no intention of killing Leviham, as Theorad feared. She was merely using him as a disposable pawn to toy with at her leisure.
‘Hmm.’
And now, the elf decided it was time to discard Leviham.
‘This should be enough to punish Theorad plenty.’
Entangling the Church and the family would only cause headaches. And if Theorad got hurt while Leviham spammed holy magic, that would be a problem.
She hadn’t even gotten to properly enjoy her fun, so she didn’t want her toy breaking physically. With no other choice, the elf lightly approached Leviham.
Unaware of the danger closing in, Leviham focused his holy power toward Theorad.
“In the name of the Goddess, I shall punish you!”
“Bishop, I’ll give you a chance to retract your words. If you don’t heed me now, you’ll surely regret it.”
“Retract? I’d sooner...”
Tap. A slender finger touched his back.
At that instant, Leviham witnessed the world before him transform.
‘...Huh?’
Darkness. The world was suddenly swallowed by pitch-black void.
Theorad and Baynon, the brush-choked clearing, the surrounding trees, the horses grazing on grass—all vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced by the natural presence of darkness.
The pitch-black world was eerily silent, not a soul in sight. Terrified by the suffocating quiet, Leviham looked around, but nothing was discernible.
What in the world was happening? Amid his bewilderment, a chilling voice echoed in his mind.
— Faith will not protect you. The Goddess of Light is nothing but a nonexistent illusion.
Leviham flinched and staggered back. Thinking it a hallucination, he shook his head vigorously, but the voice rang as clear as if whispered directly into his ear.
— Out of pity, I shall grant you mercy. If you wish to live, leave this place. And swear eternal silence on all that transpired at the mansion.
Leviham ground his teeth. He judged it the whisper of a demon.
“Theorad de Haram! So you’ve finally colluded with demons to wield dark sorcery! Even so, I will not yield. The Goddess resides in my heart, shielding me from your vile tricks!”
Focusing all his nerves into his hands, Leviham unleashed sacred flames. Golden fire blazed brilliantly, driving back the surrounding darkness.
“The Goddess of Light does not claim the weak as her flock!”
The flames grew steadily, soon illuminating every direction with ferocious intensity.
Feeling a thrill at banishing the darkness, Leviham unwittingly looked up—and froze against his will.
“......”
Beyond the light’s reach, in the unyielding darkness, dozens of crimson eyes gazed down at him with utter contempt.
Immense and arrogant. Their stares seemed to declare they could crush the likes of him at any moment.
“Ah... Ahh...”
Like one facing an unstoppable natural disaster, Leviham collapsed limply to his knees.
The sacred flames in his grasp scattered like mirage.
The world that had briefly shone bright was once more consumed by darkness.
“Sp... Spare...”
Terror drenched Leviham’s eyes as they quivered.
Theorad de Haram. He belatedly realized this was a being beyond his capacity to handle.
Thud. As Leviham suddenly dropped to his knees, Baynon furrowed his brow and sheathed his sword.
“...Why is he acting like that?”
“No idea.”
As if I’d know just because you ask.
But judging from Leviham’s state—eyes unfocused, mouth agape, mumbling incoherently nonstop—the elf must have done something.
Indeed, the symptoms started right after the elf touched him, so his guess was spot on.
In any case, neither he nor Baynon could do anything at the moment, so they had no choice but to watch.
“Y-Yes... I understand...”
Finishing his mumbling, focus returned to Leviham’s eyes.
But there was no vitality left in them. His face looked so haggard, it was hard to believe this was the same man who’d been invoking the Goddess’s name with venom in his gaze moments ago.
“Ahh... I’m back. I’m back...”
Shedding a single tear, Leviham rose like a broken shell of a man, muttering to himself.
He rolled his pallid eyes, scanning the surroundings, then spotted Theorad and recoiled in horror, bowing his head.
“I-I misunderstood! F-Forgive me! I’ll b-be on my way...!”
The sudden apology left him too flustered to respond.
As Theorad stayed silent, Leviham backed away furtively before turning and bolting off.
His frantic movements were like those of a man fleeing a vengeful spirit, naturally raising questions.
Baynon felt the same.
“Young master, I shouldn’t suspect, but... does the bishop do drugs by any chance?”
“Don’t be ridiculous...”
“But look at him.”
Clack. Baynon secured his sword back in its sheath.
“He starts a fight, then suddenly panics and whips his head around, conjures flames in his hands, drops to his knees babbling like he’s begging, jumps up, apologizes, and runs off... No matter how you slice it, that’s not normal.”
“You’re right, it’s not normal.”
Not after getting messed with by the elf.
“Still, it’s not good to suspect the bishop. Baynon, follow him and help him out of the forest. The paths are dangerous.”
“Pardon? Didn’t you just say to bind him?”
“True. But since the misunderstanding’s cleared up, we shouldn’t stir up unnecessary friction.”
“Well... Then I’ll go escort the bishop.”