The Unhinged Paladins

"-But the Archisus Church didn't have anyone like that?"

"-......"

Actually, Carbanog was right. In an order as massive as the Phytos Church, with so many NPCs, corrupt members were bound to emerge. Just how many temples of Phytos were scattered across the continent? It would be far more surprising if every single one of them were filled with devout, pure-hearted believers. Besides, during the era of the Ancient Empire, everyone was living so comfortably that extravagance, luxury, and pride were practically passive traits.

"-But hearing you talk now, it sounds like only the Archisus Church was particularly hardline?"

"-......"

Tae-hyun was lost for words. Well, that was true! When such incidents occurred, other orders would usually back down, saying things like, "Well, such things can happen even in our own order, so let us not condemn them too harshly," or, "They are still fellow servants of the gods, so blowing this out of proportion won't do us any good."

But the Archisus Church had none of that nonsense.

"-Where would we just leave someone who colluded with the enemy! We must condemn them with the triple set of burning, hanging, and beheading!"

"-What? What if it happens in our church? If we get caught doing that, the baseline is banishment to the Demon Realm, with human bomb as an optional add-on!"

They were one of the most notoriously hardline factions among the Ancient Empire's churches! The reason the demons of the Demon Realm loathed Archisus the most wasn't simply because they had been tricked by him. There was a mountain of history that had accumulated ever since.

Hmm. Still, it makes me feel a bit proud. Tae-hyun felt a small swell of pride. Even if they were a bit extreme, hadn't he just uncovered a glorious chapter of the Archisus Church's history?

While Tae-hyun was basking in pride, the paladins of the Archisus Church sprang into action.

"-It seems these bastards won't listen to reason. Teach them a harsh lesson. Set the temple on fire!"

"-Yes, sir!"

The Archisus paladins pulled glass bottles from their robes. The liquid sloshing inside glowed with an ominous light.

What kind of crazy item is that? Tae-hyun was startled. In the present day, the Archisus Church had a trend of Engineering due to his influence, but in the past, it seemed Alchemy was the trend. Was the Pope back then a master of Alchemy?

"-Throw it!"

Fwooooosh!

"-Search thoroughly to ensure no one escapes!"

"-The Guide leads us!"

"I haven't even said anything yet?" Tae-hyun muttered.

"-The Guide commands us to raise the intensity of the flames so that no one can escape!"

"Are you guys berserkers...?" Tae-hyun sighed.

"-I-I don't know anything! Please let me out!"

A seemingly innocent citizen wept and begged the paladins in front of the temple gates. However, the paladins didn't even bat an eye.

"-How dare you corrupt bastards try to deceive us!"

When the paladins moved to strike down the citizen, Tae-hyun stepped in to stop them.

"No, that's a bit too much. Let them pass..."

"-Tsk. Exposed! I knew such a trick wouldn't work on these bloodless, tearless monsters!"

Slash!

I'm starting to dislike the Ancient Empire.

Tae-hyun desperately wanted to return to his own time! He never thought of his own era as particularly peaceful, but compared to the Ancient Empire, it was practically a paradise.

"-The Guide has exposed the demon!!! As expected of the Guide!"

"-There was a reason why Lord Archisus sent the Guide to us!"

"-Kuhahaha... Since it's come to this, I have no choice but to slaughter everyone in this city and escape. Help me, dregs of Phytos!" Edager roared, looking back.

The Phytos priests hesitated.

"-No, wait. We took your gold, but doing that is a bit..."

"-...You utter fools! Don't you see we have to cooperate right now? Look at the eyes of those Archisus paladins!" Edager pointed forward.

The eyes of the Archisus paladins were completely bloodshot, radiating an overwhelming, suffocating bloodlust.

"-Grrr!"

"-Demons! Rip them apart! A big body means big entrails! Rip and tear!"

The beast-like growls of the paladins sent a shiver down even the demon's spine. However, the corrupt priests of the Phytos Church still hadn't fully grasped the gravity of the situation. As fellow citizens of the empire, they believed they could still negotiate.

"-According to imperial law, it should just be banishment. We'll just accept banishment."

"-Right. Can't we just go to another city after being banished?"

Losing their temple was a massive blow, but they had no desire to fight alongside a demon. Why do something so unprofitable?

"-You idiots! That doesn't work with the Archisus Church!" Edager screamed, but the Phytos priests only scoffed.

"-As expected of a demon, skilled in deception."

"-Does a demon know the Archisus Church better, or do we? Just watch what we do."

The Phytos priests climbed onto the temple walls and shouted.

"-We accept banishment! Open the path, and we will leave the city on our own!"

"-Grrr... Cut the crap!"

"-The situation has changed. Now that we've seen a demon, we can't let you live..."

During the era of the Ancient Empire, the paladins of the Archisus Church knew no retreat. Once a demon was spotted, they would fight to the death to slay it, no matter the cost. But Tae-hyun held them back.

"Fine. If you accept banishment, I will spare you!"

"-Guide!!"

"Uh-huh! Do you dare ignore the will of Lord Archisus?"

Tae-hyun suppressed them using his authority, reputation, and class. Despite being in a state of absolute madness, the paladins actually accepted his words.

"-Kugh. If it is the will of Lord Archisus, we have no choice."

"Yes. Good decision."

The trembling Phytos priests let out a sigh of relief.

"-Then we will leave the city immediately."

"Yes. Get lost."

Tae-hyun saw no reason to make unnecessary enemies here. Once they dealt with this sudden demon, things would be wrapped up. He would claim the temple, banish the corrupt priests, and capture the demon...

But the demon was not about to go down easily.

"-You brainless priests...! Crunch!"

Edager grabbed a nearby Phytos priest and devoured him whole.

"-I'll slaughter you lot first!"

"-You bastard! How dare you repay our kindness in hiding you like this?!"

"-How laughable to hear corrupt bastards who took bribes talk about kindness!"

"-By the power of Lord Phytos, we will not forgive you!"

Boom! Boom! Crash!

Wait, they're stronger than I thought?!

It wasn't surprising that Edager was strong—he was a demon of the Demon Realm, after all. Since he could disguise himself like that and even had a proper name, he was definitely no low-grade demon. But the Phytos priests weren't weak either. I thought they'd be weak since they were corrupt, greedy, and took bribes... Is it because this is the Ancient Empire?

"-Assemble! We shall vanquish the demon! With our true faith!"

...But you guys literally took bribes from that demon... Tae-hyun thought dryly. Still, it seemed Phytos loved his followers even if they took a few bribes. The Phytos priests unleashed a barrage of powerful holy magic, pushing Edager back. Edager, clearly not expecting them to be this strong, began to struggle.

Tae-hyun suddenly realized. Come to think of it, that made perfect sense. If he hadn't been here, the Archisus paladins would have set the temple on fire and fought both the Phytos priests and Edager at the same time. Given how strong they all are, it wouldn't have ended quickly. Demons are masters of underhanded tactics. If this battle had escalated to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the scale of the entire city...

Could the city actually have been destroyed because of this?

The Archisus Church would have been fine since they had plenty of other temples in other cities and castles, but the Carbanog Church, which was already struggling, would have had an even harder time. And with the Archisus Church busy fighting enemies, they wouldn't have been able to keep looking after them...

"Paladins! Follow me! We will aid the Phytos priests!"

"-Grrrrr!"

"...Paladins! Follow me! We will hunt down Edager!"

"-Waaaaah! The Guide!"

"-Long live the Guide!"

Crazy bastards. Tae-hyun grumbled internally. What was with the massive difference when it was literally the same ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thing!

"-Aaargh! You Archisus bastards!! You tricked us! We trusted you! We trusted you!!"

"...We came ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to help," Tae-hyun said.

"-I-Is that true?!"

The Phytos priests were stunned. When Tae-hyun and the Archisus paladins kicked down the temple gates and stormed in, they had feared the worst, thinking, "The demon was right! These vile bastards are trying to kill us all!" They had never imagined the Archisus Church would actually come to their aid. Given their notorious reputation, they were the last people anyone would expect to help.

Tae-hyun was pleasantly surprised to find that helping them here would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠serve as a bargaining chip once he returned to the present.

I was thinking of attacking them after the fight, but I guess I shouldn't.

No, it's not because I'm wicked. It's just that my paladins seemed to want to do that.

With the Archisus Church joining the fray alongside the Phytos priests, Edager grew increasingly flustered.

"-You Archisus bastards! Think carefully. These corrupt fools took bribes and lusted after wealth, defiling this city! You would never forgive such people!"

The demon's words were undeniably persuasive. The Archisus paladins flinched. Their righteous hearts, which could never tolerate evil, wavered for a brief second...

But Edager had chosen the wrong opponent. The person standing before him was not someone who could be defeated with mere words.

"How dare you attempt to deceive us, the Archisus Church! That bastard has insulted and mocked Lord Archisus!" Tae-hyun shouted.

"-!"

"How lightly he must have looked down on us to say such things!"

"-!!"

"Come to think of it, I think that bastard just said the Archisus Church isn't even a major order! He said we're a step below the Phytos Church!"

"-!!!"

Instantly, the eyes of the paladins burned with a terrifying, crimson rage.