74
Chapter 74
Cardinal Dominic let out a deep sigh.
Lately, not a single day went by without worry etched on his face.
It had been a long time since he last visited the Empire.
A sight far more developed than the Kingdom he oversaw.
There was no room for admiring the scenery or experiencing the various cultures.
Walking around the Capital wearing a Priest's robes drew everyone's attention to him.
However, the nature of those gazes was completely different from what he experienced in the Kingdom.
They were not looks of respect and awe.
They were the exact opposite of the eyes he met when wandering around in his free time, healing the sick.
People kept glancing at him and whispering among themselves. Their eyes held clear contempt.
And it was obvious what kind of rumors they were spreading.
The Black Fang's video.
The Holy See's corruption, widely exposed by that video, and the countless suspicions surrounding it.
That was the very reason Cardinal Dominic had come here in the first place, so he couldn't be unaware of it.
'What on earth am I supposed to do about this?'
Looking down at the small icon in his hand, Cardinal Dominic asked that question in his mind.
But no answer returned.
Cardinal Dominic smiled bitterly, thinking that it wasn't exactly strange.
[For what purpose does the Holy See exist if not to carry out the will of God?]
The words spoken by the Leader of the Black Fang in that video.
Cardinal Dominic couldn't refute those words at all. The Holy See was undoubtedly corrupt.
It was filled with people acting to satisfy their own selfish desires rather than to enact God's will.
And he himself had turned a blind eye to it.
He hadn't done so from the start. Initially, he had tried to root out all such corruption.
However, no matter how severe the punishment, their methods simply grew more cunning.
Even if he thoroughly investigated and punished the culprits, corrupt deeds would just be committed by someone else.
A massive scale.
An organization that exerted influence over the entire world.
It was impossible to prevent corruption in such a place. That was the conclusion Cardinal Dominic reached.
Therefore, he drew a line and managed the Kingdom's believers to ensure they didn't commit acts that crossed it.
He had always thought it was for the best.
But.......
That was ultimately nothing more than an excuse.
Dominic had seen it in the Black Fang's video.
A child dying of illness.
The sight of clergy ignoring desperate cries for help.
This couldn't possibly be the right way.
Even though they had chosen to follow the God of Light, even though they had sworn to devote their very beings to carrying out His will.
Dominic had turned a blind eye to such things in God's name. He had ignored those sins, claiming there was nothing he could do.
'A gathering of apostates who prioritize their own selfish desires over God's will.'
It was exactly as the Leader of the Black Fang had described.
The reason God's voice couldn't be heard no matter how much they prayed might be because God was turning His back on them.
Perhaps He was disgusted by those committing such ugly acts in His name.
So.
'As I thought, change is necessary.'
Change was necessary.
How on earth could all this corruption be resolved? How could they regain the lost trust?
How could they atone to God for the sins they had committed?
That was still unknown.
But one thing was certain—things had to change.
At today's meeting, Dominic would make his case.
That what is wrong must be addressed, even if it seems impossible to fix.
That no matter how impossible it may seem, those of us who swore to carry out God's will must never stop striving to do what is right.
With that resolve, Dominic rose from his seat.
The morning sun was rising beyond the window.
Soon, a meeting that would determine the future of the Holy See would be held at the Great Temple.
The Cardinals and Archbishops from other branches, including Dominic.
The High Command of the Holy See.
They would all gather in one place.
'For some reason, I haven't been able to reach Cardinal Karon since yesterday....'
He was the one in charge of the Empire where the Black Fang incident had blown up. It would actually be stranger if he wasn't busy.
He was likely already struggling due to the video that had spread intensively throughout the Empire.
On top of that, he had to prepare for the meeting.
It wasn't particularly strange that he couldn't be reached.
Dominic brushed aside his trivial concerns and joined the others, heading toward the Great Temple.
*****
[The recruitment quest was not completed by the designated point. The 'Corruption' quest will now proceed.]
['The Righteous Knight' Lucy has fused with a twisted Soul Body.]
[Lucy's recruitment is now impossible.]
[Lucy's stats surge momentarily, but she will take her own life once her revenge is complete.]
[If you head to the Great Temple, you can hear her last words. Please be careful not to get caught up in Lucy's rampage.]
[......A critical error has been detected.]
[Unable to confirm the death of the Hidden Boss 'Avenger' Lucy.]
[You have recruited a companion who is in an unrecruitable state.]
[The deviation from the Destiny Path is severe.]
[The difficulty of restoring the Destiny Path has increased exponentially.]
[Advising the user.]
[Please stop intentionally blocking my messages.]
[I am on your side.]
[The Destiny Path is for your survival. I recommend that you stop intentionally destroying it.]
[The path to save everyone is arduous.]
[Live by prioritizing only your own survival.]
[In order to survive, you must trample over others.]
*****
Various message windows floated up before my eyes.
Of course, as always, they flashed by themselves for a moment before vanishing in an instant. So they didn't actually accomplish anything other than straining my eyes.
This wasn't the first or second time this had happened, so I didn't even feel particularly annoyed by this behavior that seemed like it was just messing with me.
I was already half-resigned to it.
I supposed the saying 'no expectations, no disappointments' was meant for exactly this kind of moment.
I erased the useless Status Window from my mind and looked at the girl in front of me.
The girl who had knelt before me earlier and declared she would become my sword was now lying right in front of me.
Well, it wasn't like her life was in danger or anything.
She had tried to get up but suddenly collapsed, so I caught her and checked her condition. She was breathing normally.
It was probably because her body, pushed to its limits by exhaustion, just couldn't hold on anymore. She'd be fine after a good sleep.
So for now, I had laid her down in a suitable spot.
Honestly, it was a bit ambiguous whether a space soaked in blood, where human corpses had just been cleared away, was actually a 'suitable' spot.
But I could only say they brought it upon themselves.
With intestines, eyeballs, and various organs scattered all over the place, it was impossible to find a clean spot.
'It's definitely quite brutal.'
Seeing Ciel and Rien so far, I had thought they were a bit ruthless for good guys.
But facing the atrocities of a true named Villain made those thoughts vanish from my mind.
Naturally, worries crept in about whether I could actually handle this child, whether reforming a Villain was truly possible....
I soon pushed those thoughts out of my head.
The oath that child had just sworn.
Because that wasn't just a meaningless performance.
Geas.
The act of a Knight placing a restriction upon themselves through an oath.
That child had sworn to become my sword. Even if her personality changed, she couldn't escape that restriction.
It was likely the solution she had come up with herself.
'Being a split-personality Murderer is a bit extreme, but.......'
I had definitely secured a means of control.
In a situation where I didn't know what dangers would befall me in the future, I had gained such a powerful asset.
It was only natural to endure that level of creepiness.
'Definitely, taking Lucy in wasn't a bad choice.'
I came to that conclusion and lifted my hand from the ground.
The task of erasing the memories imprinted on the land by recklessly pouring Mana into the ground.
That had just been completed.
This should prevent the Empire's tracking to some extent.
Now there was absolutely no reason left to stay here.
'I am curious about what happened here, though.'
Investigating the Holy See's affairs in person was the worst possible plan. The sun had just risen.
It wouldn't be long before this area was crowded with people. If I ran into someone at this massacre scene, things would get complicated.
If it came to that, it would be much more efficient to just hear the circumstances from Lucy.
I scooped Lucy up in my arms.
There wasn't a lock or anything on the door, so all I had to do was walk back to the mansion.
Compared to the incidents I had faced today, it was a simple task on the level of a child's prank.
That was why I casually threw open the doors of the Great Temple and headed back to the mansion.
......No.
I should have returned.
My mind naturally went blank in confusion at the sight that appeared as soon as the door opened. An incomprehensible scene was unfolding before my eyes.
There were people.
And not just one or two.
Dozens of people wearing Priest's robes.
Powerful individuals, each radiating an extraordinary aura, were there to greet me.
In other words.......
It seemed like something had gone terribly wrong.
*****
[The absorption of Divine Power has been completed.]
[Physical changes according to the increased Spiritual Rank will take place in 3 minutes.]