Chapter 144: The Reason
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 144: The Reason
“Brother?”
“...Ah.”
When Yohan, who had been following him quietly, came to a halt, the Cardinal called out to him. Snapping back to his senses, Yohan looked at the Cardinal and gave a faint smile.
“Was I, perhaps, a hindrance?”
“It’s quite all right. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
“I will guide you to the prayer room. You won’t be disturbed by others there.”
With those words, the Cardinal led Yohan into the prayer room. Just as the Cardinal had said, the inside of the room was incredibly quiet.
However it was constructed, it was as if he had entered a soundproof chamber; not a single sound could be heard. The only things in the prayer room were a single cross and a faint ray of sunlight shining down from a minuscule hole in the ceiling.
It was the perfect environment to become engrossed in the religious act of prayer.
“Then, I shall step outside for a moment.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
After the Cardinal left, Yohan, now alone, quietly sank into meditation to organize his thoughts.
He was jolted from his meditation by a thunderclap so loud it hurt his ears.
When Yohan had followed the Cardinal inside, Evangeline, in a rare move, did not follow him but headed elsewhere.
She was just as interested in rummaging through every nook and cranny of this church as she was in being with her beloved disciple.
“Ooh, what’s this place?”
“You must not enter without permission.”
“I’m going in~.”
“This damned witch...!”
Evangeline’s purpose in tearing through the church was to make the Cardinal following her die of high blood pressure from the stress.
Her next goal was to look around at the church’s artifacts and see if there was anything to break. Just as they had ruined her daily life, she wanted to shatter the things they held dear.
“Wow, why is this statue so big?”
Once she found something suitable to break, Evangeline would give it a light tap, as if by accident. Her fist, laced with magic, easily toppled the stone statue that weighed several dozen tons.
The moment their balance was lost and they tipped to one side, most of the statues were prone to shattering under their own weight.
“Aaaaaaaargh—! What, what are you doing!?”
“Oh, my. I just gave it a little tap with my delicate maiden’s hand, and it collapsed. Isn’t this just shoddy construction?”
“What are you talking about! You’re the one who pushed it over!”
Seeing the ancient relics that had been with the church throughout its history being smashed to pieces, the Cardinal finally lost his patience and began spewing curses at Evangeline.
“You crazy witch! Get the hell out! This is no place for you!”
“Crazy witch? I’m an envoy, an envoy. Don’t you know what an envoy is?”
“I don’t give a damn if you’re an envoy! Get the hell out of here!”
The Cardinal shouted himself hoarse, trying to drive Evangeline away. But Evangeline, ever the witch, did not budge easily and began moving about, smashing the church’s holy relics.
Naturally, the people in the church were not about to stand by quietly after hearing the commotion. The Holy Knights of the Headquarters, who had been resting after their training, were dispatched and came to meet the Cardinal.
“Your Eminence, what is all this...”
“You’ve come at a good time! Quickly, drive this witch out!”
“Pardon? A witch, what do you mean...”
The Holy Knights, who had worn expressions of disbelief at the news of a witch entering the Holy Nation Church’s Headquarters, hardened their faces upon seeing Evangeline.
It was common knowledge that witches were stunningly beautiful, and so the Holy Knights had been instinctively trained to be wary of any beautiful face they saw.
“All units—prepare for holy combat!”
As the lead Holy Knight shouted the command, the footsteps following him paused for a moment, then receded into the distance.
As Evangeline tilted her head, wondering what they were doing, she let out a gasp of admiration at the sight of the Holy Knights reappearing, having donned their armor in the blink of an eye.
“Ooh, that was fast. Were you already wearing your armor?”
“—Witch, have you lost your fear? Do you know where you are...”
“It’s a church, isn’t it? I knew that when I came.”
“You knew? You must be out of your mind.”
“And what about you? Do you know who I am, or why I’m here?”
At Evangeline’s words, the Holy Knight shook his head. He didn’t care about any of that. What was important was that she was a witch, and they were Holy Knights who hunted witches.
This had been ingrained in them through an education that bordered on brainwashing. Witches must be killed. There is no mercy.
Seeing the Holy Knights draw their swords and approach Evangeline, the Cardinal was horrified.
“No, wait—you lot. I said to drive her out, not kill her...”
“Escort His Eminence outside.”
“Stop, stop! Don’t touch her! Don’t kill her!”
“Has he already been affected? There’s a possibility of mind magic. Everyone, be on your guard.”
After forcing the shrieking Cardinal outside, the Holy Knights immediately unleashed their divine power, activating the holy relics within the church.
The entire church filled with divine power—a force that rejected magic power and spells. Within this space, no witch or monster could use magic.
Evangeline, too, let out a low groan as she confirmed that the magic protecting her had vanished.
“Hmm, this is dangerous.”
She could no longer use magic. Before her stood dozens of Holy Knights. Even if she enhanced her physical abilities with magic power, she couldn't take on Holy Knights who underwent grueling training every day.
One or two might have been manageable, but dozens of them in full armor? They were an opponent she couldn't normally overcome.
“Die, witch.”
The Holy Knights closed in. To demonic beings, they were reapers, they were death itself. Facing her imminent demise, Evangeline began to giggle as if she'd gone mad with terror.
At the sight, the Holy Knights approached without mercy. They were just at the edge of sword range, where a swing would barely miss. Evangeline pulled a pistol from her coat.
BOOM—! With a deafening blast closer to a cannon than a pistol, the charging Holy Knights’ bodies exploded.
“What—!? Magic should be forbidden—!”
“This isn’t magic. Good thing I brought it.”
It was a pistol Makina had made for the witches. An object whose power had been so crudely amplified that a normal person’s arm would break from the recoil.
But for Evangeline, a witch, it was something she could use without any issue. Facing the Holy Knights who charged even after seeing the gunshot and its power, Evangeline fired the pistol wildly.
BANG—! BANG—! BANG! —Click.
“Ah.”
The bullets ran out. Realizing that the mysterious mechanical device had stopped working for some reason, the Holy Knights charged fiercely, sensing their chance.
Watching the Holy Knights rush toward her, Evangeline put the empty pistol back in her coat and pulled a new one from her other pocket.
It was a similar weapon in shape and power, only the color was different.
“Sorry—I’ve got another one.”
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
After mowing down the Holy Knights with the automatic pistol’s rapid fire, Evangeline casually swapped the magazine and put the gun back in her coat.
After everything was over, Yohan, who had heard the gunshots belatedly, rushed over and found her.
“Teacher! What is all this...”
“Ah, Yohan.”
Evangeline wiped the blood from her skin with a nearby nun’s veil and beamed.
“They attacked me first, so I couldn't help it.”
“...The Holy Knights attacked you first?”
“Yep. The Cardinal and I told them not to, but I think they all lost their minds.”
“Then it can’t be helped.”
Yohan sighed inwardly and left the scene with Evangeline. He didn’t need to see to know exactly what had happened.
The Holy Knights, brainwashed to hate and kill witches, must have lunged at his teacher, a witch, as if having a seizure the moment they saw her.
In the process, his teacher had only defended herself. The Holy Knights, taught that capturing a witch was martyrdom even at the cost of their own lives, would have charged recklessly without a second thought, regardless of their comrades dying.
He knew it would end up like this. Hadn’t he brought his teacher here with some inkling of this outcome?
“—Wh-what in the world is all this...!”
The church officials who arrived late after hearing the noise were aghast at the sight of the Holy Knights collapsed on the floor. Yohan looked at them with a sharp gaze and spoke.
“These men ambushed us.”
“Even so, to cause such a tragedy...!”
“Tragedy? Do you people—do you have any idea what you’ve just done?”
Now—while they were confused by the sight of the corpses—was the perfect time to press them.
Yohan immediately began to berate the crowd.
“A church official used Holy Knights to try and assassinate an envoy of the Empire. Tragedy? Do you have any idea what would have happened if your little plan had succeeded? Do you have any idea how many people would have died because of it?”
“Wh-what are you... Our Holy Knights would never do such a thing!”
“Oh, yes. They would. Do you know who this person is?”
Yohan pointed to Evangeline, who proudly puffed out her chest.
“This woman is a witch. She is a star of the Empire, and your enemy.”
Hearing that Evangeline was a witch, the church officials’ expressions hardened. But that was all.
They couldn’t express anything more towards the two who had come as envoys of the Empire.
“...Is, is that so.”
They simply—understood.
The reason the Holy Knights had attacked her.
And their own powerlessness.