In the Name of the Mother (4)
Dominica Alba stood frozen, unable to take even a single step. The scene before her refused to process in her mind.
The interior of the chapel was, quite literally, a disaster zone.
Long pews lay snapped in half. The floor was littered with the cloaks of the Holy Kingdom’s knights, and the walls bore deep, crater-like dents where armor had slammed into them.
And then there were the groans.
The fallen investigators filled the chapel with their pained moans. Some were still unconscious, blindly groping at the floor.
Finally, her gaze settled on the man standing at the center of all this chaos.
Elian.
His face was so serene it was hard to believe he had just smashed someone’s skull with a Bible. If anything… he looked even more refreshed than before.
Elian lightly brushed the dust from his clothes and spoke.
“Please wait just a moment.”
He even smiled.
“I still need to make these men repent.”
At those words, his eyes dropped back toward Radien, who lay crumpled on the floor.
Only then did Dominica’s mind snap back to reality.
“Wait—stop!!”
She cried out desperately, rushing forward and grabbing his arm.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
Her voice was still breathless.
“These are special envoys from the Holy Kingdom! They’re investigators sent to look into your identity!”
“…”
Elian looked at her. His tone remained perfectly calm.
“…And?”
“What…?”
His unexpected reply left Dominica momentarily stunned. Even after witnessing countless bizarre acts from all sorts of people, this was a first for her.
Her mind went blank for a second.
But what disturbed her even more was…
The utterly genuine look of confusion on Elian’s face.
“They said they came to investigate me.”
He glanced down at the collapsed Radien.
“So I was in the middle of being investigated.”
From the floor, Radien weakly raised a trembling hand.
“…That… wasn’t… an investigation… it was assault…”
Dominica’s eyelids began to twitch violently.
She tried to make sense of the situation, but she couldn’t figure out where it had all gone wrong.
The Holy Kingdom’s special envoys.
A chapel turned into a warzone.
And finally… Elian, who had beaten those envoys with a Bible.
“…No, wait a second.”
She pressed a hand to her forehead, quickly scanning the surroundings to reconstruct what had happened. No, this was all wrong. Deciding she couldn’t figure it out alone, she turned to the root of the disaster.
“Just what… am I looking at right now?”
Elian was still smiling gently. That expression only deepened her confusion.
“What on earth… happened here…?”
A few hours before Dominica Alba arrived at Brunel Village.
It was early morning, just as the sun began to rise.
A thin mist hung over the forest. Dew that had formed overnight slowly dripped from the tips of leaves. The chirping of birds created a peaceful atmosphere, but unfortunately, it didn’t last long.
The Holy Kingdom’s investigation team had set up camp in the middle of the woods.
And at the center of it all stood Radien Barcas.
With his arms crossed, he leisurely observed someone.
“…Oh.”
The corner of Radien’s mouth curled upward.
“You’ve got more guts than I expected.”
Standing before his gaze was Elian.
No weapons. No escorts.
Just the same clothes he always wore.
He had come alone.
Radien tilted his head at the sight.
“I never thought you’d actually show up instead of running away.”
The surrounding investigators snickered. Some rested spears on their shoulders, others deliberately rattled their scabbards to create an air of intimidation.
Yet Elian simply looked at them in silence. His expression barely changed.
Radien took a step closer.
“Well.”
He shrugged.
“If you really hadn’t come, I might have taken it out on the others, but…”
To him, it was probably a casual remark.
But his intent was anything but casual.
For a brief moment, Elian clenched his fist.
It was only for an instant.
Radien’s eyes flashed. He hadn’t missed it.
“Oho.”
He deliberately took a step back and laughed.
“How scary.”
Snickers erupted from those around him.
Radien raised a hand to silence his men and continued.
“But as long as you cooperate, that won’t happen, so you can relax.”
He patted Elian’s shoulder a couple of times.
“After all, we’re only here to ‘investigate.’”
His eyes narrowed.
“If the Saint has a clear conscience, there’s nothing to worry about, right?”
Elian remained silent for a moment. He slowly unclenched his fist. Then…
“…The villagers won’t be harmed, correct?”
He was worried about the safety of the villagers first.
Radien smiled in response.
“Of course.”
He answered without hesitation.
“We are people who move in the name of God, after all.”
A few of the men behind him swallowed their laughter. Elian’s gaze flicked toward them briefly before returning.
He nodded.
“…Understood.”
Radien’s smile deepened.
“Well now, looks like we can communicate.”
He spread his arms wide.
“Shall we begin, then?”
It was the first trial.
Two investigators stepped forward, carrying heavy chains.
They were thick—thicker than Elian’s wrists. Cold metal wrapped around both of his arms and torso multiple times.
Radien sneered at the sight.
“They say a Saint never loses his faith, even in the midst of suffering.”
He slowly raised his head and pointed toward the edge of a cliff.
Below lay a ravine filled with jagged rocks.
“We’re throwing you down there.”
One of the men smirked.
“Try surviving while you pray.”
They shoved him.
Elian’s body soared into the air for a moment before plummeting straight down.
BOOM—!!!
A thunderous crash rang out as dust billowed upward.
One of the investigators shrugged at the sight.
“…That’s it, then.”
That was when it happened.
Crack.
The sound of metal twisting echoed from the bottom of the ravine.
A shadow slowly rose within the dust cloud.
It was Elian.
The chains that had been wrapped around his arms snapped like paper under pure physical strength and clattered to the ground. The heavy iron rolled away with a dull thud.
He looked up at the top of the cliff.
“…Will the next test be conducted from up there?”
“…”
The second trial.
One of the men brought forward a box covered with cloth.
At Radien’s gesture, the cloth was removed. Inside lay a pair of silver shackles.
The entire surface was engraved with intricate patterns that emitted a faint glow.
Inside the circular rings, layer upon layer of densely inscribed holy script continued without end.
They were prayers.
Ancient verses of the Holy Light Church.
Sentences signifying blessing, purification, and obedience…
“These are Magic Sealing Shackles,” Radien said casually.
“Items used by the Holy Kingdom’s Heretic Inquisitors.”
One of the men lifted the shackles.
Click.
The patterns inside flashed brightly once.
And then.
The mana in the surroundings began to sink.
The flow of mana that had been drifting like embers suddenly severed.
“Once you put these on,” Radien laughed.
“Prayer, spells, miracles—everything gets blocked.”
He tapped the shackles with his finger.
Ting.
A clear ring sounded.
“They were made for those who use power without God’s permission.”
The investigator fastened the shackles around Elian’s wrists.
Click.
In that instant, an invisible chain seemed to dig deep into his body. If he possessed mana, it felt as though its flow had been violently severed.
Radien’s eyes changed. The playful light had vanished, replaced by genuine interest.
‘I don’t know what kind of magic you used, but this time you won’t survive.’
“Good.”
At his signal, three spearmen stepped forward.
The spears they held were not for training—they were real weapons with razor-sharp tips.
“They say a Saint accepts even death if it is God’s will.”
More mockery followed.
“Don’t dodge.”
Three spears thrust toward him from three directions at once.
Crunch.
What sounded was a dull impact.
They had definitely made contact.
Yet…
He didn’t budge.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Instead, the men holding the spears were thrown backward.
“What the—?!”
The spears hadn’t even left a scratch on Elian’s body.
One investigator, driven by sheer stubbornness, stabbed with all his might.
Crack.
It sounded like a dry branch snapping.
The spear split cleanly in two.
“…You may continue.”
Not even his breathing had grown ragged.
This time, no one laughed.
The third trial.
Radien himself stepped forward.
His eyes had completely changed.
Curiosity, irritation, and an inexplicable wariness.
The more he tested Elian, the more the young man transformed from a simple country youth into an unknown entity.
“Right. Then let’s test your divinity.”
At his nod, one of the men brought a small box. When opened, it revealed a chalice filled with red liquid.
“This is holy water,” he lied boldly.
‘It’s actually poison, though.’
A few of the men chuckled.
“If you’re truly a Saint, God’s protection will let you survive, won’t it?”
The chalice was placed before Elian. He asked quietly.
“…Will this be the end if I drink it?”
“Yes.”
Elian lifted the chalice and emptied it in one gulp.
The entire investigation team held their breath.
A few seconds.
Ten seconds.
Twenty seconds.
Nothing happened.
Elian set the empty chalice down.
“…It’s a little bitter.”
That single sentence shocked them all.
The investigators unconsciously took a step back.
The smile completely vanished from Radien’s face.
He stared at Elian for a long time before forcing the corners of his mouth upward again.
“…Ha.”
A fake laugh.
“This is getting more interesting by the minute.”
He continued slowly.
“This is the final test.”
By now, even the surrounding men could no longer hide their tension.
This was no longer something that could be called a test.
It was more like a verification process.
To confirm whether the being before them…
Was truly human or not.
Night had fallen.
Darkness slowly settled over Brunel Village. The only sounds were the creak of a swaying signboard and the distant barking of dogs.
The Holy Light Church chapel seemed to glow faintly within that darkness.
Candlelight leaking through the cracks of the doors and windows softly illuminated the surroundings.
Radien stopped in front of the chapel doors. He brushed off the gloves in his hands and looked back.
“This is the final test.”
“…”
“If you’re a Saint… shouldn’t you prove it until the very end?”
“As I’ve said multiple times… I am not a Saint.”
Radien acted as if he hadn’t heard and turned toward the chapel interior.
The door opened with a creak.
Inside, dozens of candles burned quietly atop the altar.
But the silence didn’t last.
Thud.
A dull sound filled the chapel.
“…Kgh…!”
Someone groaned.
Elian’s gaze turned toward the source of the sound.
One of the investigators was grabbing a village man by the collar. The man’s face was already covered in blood… and he was forced to his knees.
The fist rose again.
Thud—!
His head snapped to the side.
Watching this, Elian spoke.
“…What do you think you’re doing?”
His voice clearly carried anger.
The investigator’s fist stopped at those words.
Radien slowly walked forward.
“It’s a test.”
He spoke as if it were nothing.
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t touch the villagers?”
Radien shrugged.
“I’m not planning to kill him.”
Then he smiled.
“Just hurt him a ‘little.’”
The chapel candles flickered in the breeze.
“To become a Saint, you must be able to accept this kind of sacrifice with solemn grace.”
At that moment.
BOOOOM——!!!
An explosive impact rang out.
All eyes snapped toward it at once.
The investigator who had been beating the villager was now embedded in the chapel wall. The stone wall had cracked like a spiderweb. His limp body slid slowly down.
“…?”
No one had seen him move.
Radien’s eyes slowly widened.
“…What the hell.”
Elian was already standing in front of the villager. No one knew when he had moved.
He knelt down to meet the man’s eyes.
“Can you stand?”
The man nodded with trembling eyes.
“…Yes…”
Elian said shortly.
“Then please leave quickly.”
His tone was calm.
The man staggered to his feet and headed for the door. One investigator tried to block him, but his body wouldn’t move.
“…It is time for repentance.”
He announced that it was time for him to act.
Radien raised his hand as if snapping out of a daze.
“Form up!”
The investigators drew their weapons. The sound of tense breathing filled the space.
Elian slowly turned around.
A faint but intense emotion seeped into his voice.
“Are you not… followers of the Holy Light Church?”
There was no longer any need for polite speech.
“Are you not those who follow the teachings of Goddess Yustia?”
At this, Radien let out a snort.
“Look at this extremely devout believer.”
It was pure mockery.
In that instant, Elian’s figure blurred.
An afterimage remained.
Then his form vanished.
Whoosh.
Every candle in the chapel went out at once. Complete darkness swallowed the space. Everyone’s vision was cut off.
One investigator swallowed hard.
“…Where did this bastard go—”
A voice rang out from within the darkness.
Low and clear.
“…Do not call the suffering of others a test.”
Crack.
The sound of a groan.
Then.
Thump.
The sound of a body collapsing.
“The Goddess does not treat human tears as a joke,”
Thud—!!
A scream was cut off before it could even finish.
Radien’s eyes frantically searched the darkness. He couldn’t see anything.
He could only hear breathing.
No—even that was gradually fading.
“Nor does She demand blood as proof of faith.”
Crunch.
The sound of something breaking.
Then another collapse.
One by one.
With every completed sentence, another investigator disappeared.
Elian’s position was never visible.
“…”
The final groan ceased.
Only one person’s breathing remained in the chapel.
Radien.
His hand slowly gripped his sword.
Footsteps echoed in the darkness.
One step.
Another step.
Then they stopped right in front of him.
At that moment.
One candle relit.
The small flame flickered, illuminating Elian’s face.
Not a single drop of blood stained him.
Only Radien remained.
Across the chapel floor, the fallen investigators lay scattered in silence.
Elian spoke.
“A test is something one directs at oneself. It is not an excuse to break others…”
His voice remained calm.
Then Elian reached into his robe and pulled out a book. Its cover glowed softly in the moonlight.
And.
He gripped the book in one hand.
“Love thy neighbor…. That shall be the first teaching.”
That was the last thing Radien ever saw.