I'm Not the Archbishop (4)
ManShinJeon Fruitsring Territory branch.
"Snap out of it."
Kane roughly shook his head to clear his stray thoughts.
He was talking to himself. But now was the time to focus on strategy planning.
He didn't know what punishment awaited upon his failure.
'Damn it. If only that guy hadn't shown up.'
Their plan had been sailing smoothly.
They'd successfully cursed Amelia, the Holy Church's top benefactor and a major obstacle to the grand scheme. Amid the chaos, they'd established a branch inside Fruitsring Territory and steadily grown their forces.
With the beloved countess wasting away from the curse and territory folk vanishing one by one every night,
Fruitsring Territory was turning into a prime fear farm, ripe with despair. Just a bit more tribute, and they could breach the city's barrier, summon a powerful yokai or rule yokai right in the heart of the town.
But a few days ago,
an unbelievable report arrived.
Amelia Fruitsring's curse had been lifted.
'Bullshit.'
Kane had suspected the reporting lay believer at first.
What kind of curse was it? It was a vicious one that required stealing 50 years of someone else's lifespan or burning through 50 years' worth of divine power in a single day to barely lift.
Fifty years of divine power was about what a high priest amassed over a lifetime. Unlike mana or aura, once spent, divine power took time to replenish.
The Holy Church was under heavy assault from ManShinJeon. They couldn't be in a position to pay that much.
But the curse lifted? Clearly, the lord had used some inhumane method. That would fit the plan—he'd be demoted, and they'd install a puppet in his place.
But here's the kicker.
'A grand archbishop has shown up.'
That made sense. A grand archbishop, a pillar of the church, could wield that much divine power.
Actually, it was perfect. It meant that the Holy Church had holes.
The closer the weight classes in a fight between guardians and killers, the stronger the killers are.
'Should've sided with the strong ones.'
Idiots. No matter how humans thrashed, the yokai were unbeatable.
It's wiser to crawl under them for survival.
Sacrificing the few for the many was inevitable.
That was the natural order.
But the follow-up report shattered Kane's common sense.
'The grand archbishop is a young boy?'
And he'd burned his own 50 years of lifespan without hesitation, not divine power. Up to here, it seemed the church sacrificed a boy. Hypocrites would do that.
'...But he reconstructed his body to regain a youthful form?'
.....
It made him seriously wonder if the reporting lay believer was a fraud.
'What the hell is this guy?'
He looked to be in his mid-teens. If this monster with impossible talent and fanatical faith reached the church's pinnacle?
ManShinJeon's future began to look bleak.
'Gotta nip this in the bud now.'
Plus, the mad grand archbishop has tamed a yokai, walking with two of them in tow.
Its no ordinary lunatic.
The upper echelons recognized this severity, approving the assassination op immediately and granting the use of a top-grade holy relic.
Foot of the Forgotten.
A forbidden relic forcing the caster and nearby targets into a dimension whose name must not be known.
It required 5 believers, 50 living humans, and some tricky conditions to craft—its rare even in the church.
Once pulled in, there would be no escape for an hour. That was the rule.
Don't underestimate an hour. In history, only past popes, the first saintess, and council lords survived and returned.
No one knew what lurked there. Nor should they.
Not even Swordmasters or archmages guaranteed survival in that place.
That was a yokai's greatness. Unrivaled power over life and death.
And today,
the boy grand archbishop finally stepped out of the mansion.
Kane concealed his presence, observing from afar.
The boy in sight was ordinary. Except for the short-brimmed cylindrical hat. Looked like a neighborhood kid running errands for the bakery.
'Hiding his aura on purpose? Sly.'
The two yokai flanking him emanated unusual pressure.
'High intelligence. Handling constraints.'
Even from afar, his body hairs stood on end from the unpleasant oppression. It's presumed that's Lannancy, so she was fine. But the girl yokai beside her? Her identity's impossible to guess. No known yokai traits matched her appearance or aura.
There's only one case like that.
'...Did she achieved a realm ascension?'
This meant she was a monster among monsters. Strolling leisurely through the market, controlling such a vicious yokai.
'If she'd joined ManShinJeon, she would reach apostle rank easy. Shame she's the church's dog.'
Kane clicked his tongue inwardly, starting his calculations.
For the current op force: three Sword Experts including himself, two 4th-circle mages. One Sword Expert half-step to Swordmaster. Even accounting for a body reconstruction monster, this is a solid lineup.
'Hm?'
The glancing boy suddenly whipped his head this way.
"......!"
Then strode straight toward their hiding spot.
'Shit. Were they spotted?'
They had extreme caution on stealth and presence block, yet he was approaching like a dog scenting prey.
"Lure him!"
On command, the top Sword Expert Morris lured the boy into a secluded alley. Luckily, the boy took the bait alone, leaving the saintess candidate and yokai.
Trapped in a dead-end alley, Morris activated the relic without delay. The best fighter volunteered as a sacrifice in case the boy slipped out.
But the boy saw the Foot of the Forgotten, yet he was unmoved. He ignored the relic? No reaction came from him as the ritual progressed.
In a blink,
Morris and boy vanished in red haze.
Pfsh!
Blood sprayed from the Foot of the Forgotten. The ritual was a success, the caster is dead.
Shh.
Red moss sprouted around the foot. Left alone, the area would be contaminated. "Ignis Spear—.""Blizzard—." Boom!
Opposing spells clashed at a point. It was low-circle spells, but the power was undeniable. The moss site cleanly vaporized.
"...That ended anticlimactically."
One mage sighed, muttering.
"That's a real grand archbishop? His face stayed innocently blank even seeing relic."
"Grand archbishop my ass. Just a clueless kid. Cocky ones die first anyway."
The believers sneered, relaxing. 'Definitely gone. There was no presence sensed.' But there was an unexplained unease that tickled in his chest, he dismissed it as just his mood. There were no variables. Or so he thought.
"Track the saintess candidate. We must offer to the Apostle Yuk Sad—."
"Excuse me."
Until a voice from behind him.
"......!"
Kane's heart plummeted.
The group whipped around in unison.
There stood the boy from before.
'Is it a hallucination...?'
His doubt was brief. Kane soon reviewed the possibilities of this situation.
Teleported or did he blinked pre-transfer? Impossible. The activation sealed all spatial magic. That was the rule.
Are they hallucinating? ManShinJeon grafted yokai parts that are unstable even to a laymen. It helps in resisting average mind interference, even enough for a true vampire.
One conclusion was soon reached.
'The ritual succeeded. The boy did went to that dimension.'
Then what stood there in front of them? 'Did he ignored the constraint...?'
His brain flooded with questions. No answers came from the foe. They all felt it: that thing shouldn't be here.
"Y-Yokai...!"
Someone yelled. It was hard to deny.
The boy reacted, shedding his innocent expression.
"Guess... I should stop this play?"
He had a crescent smile and devouring eyes. The brain knew it was a human, but their instincts denied it. "...Oops, got some on my mouth."
It wiped the mysterious red liquid trickling from its lips. A fishy blood stench. No doubt Morris's.
'Did the church finally lost it? Puting a yokai in a grand archbishop's seat?' ManShinJeon wouldn't dare. Low-inteligent ones maybe, but intelligent yokai in a key post? Ally or enemy, they must never turn back.
'Must... eliminate at all costs.'
Kane prided himself as an elite swordsman. A promising talent for pre-ManShinJeon.
He calculates his victory paths in battle.
His gift has earned him the title of branch leader.
But now,
'This... no. That plan...? No. Won't work. Damn. Shit! Fuck!' All the paths he sees are blocked.
Against one who strolled out of a Swordmaster-killing hell in under a minute unscathed.
Against something ignoring the constraint forged from 56 lives.
How?
"Hey, don't look so scared. I'm not that weird."
The boy switched attitudes suddenly.
He removed his hat and clutched it politely to his chest.
Just that,
"Urk?!""Hup...!"
The blurred features sharpened.
That ordinary face held a strange allure.
'Damn, can't look away the more I do...!'
Mind attack? I can't force my gaze away, I sought countermeasures.
But,
Seems its not just them.
Shhh....
"......!"
The wind wailed.
The air chilled their skin, sound soon faded away.
Everything was eerily still, like a storm's eve.
Despite the boy ahead, they frantically scanned.
Sky. Ground. Cracks. Windows. Alley beyond.
-Everywhere.
'...Insane.'
They couldn't see it, but they felt it.
Screech. Screech.
Unknown gazes.
Watching this place.
"Threats and bluffs don't suit me. Honestly, when I dropped into that red sky place, being alone scared me a bit? But I got back quicker than expected, so lucky me."
The boy smiled shyly, brightly.
'...Red sky?'
That instant,
beonewithusbeonewithusbeonewithus.
"Urk!"
All but the boy vomited blood simultaneously.
'Just recalling that place pierces resistance!'
Slap!
Kane slapped himself.
"Must... become one...""Happyhappyhappybecomeonehappy."
He checked his side: the mages mumbling, faces slackening. He smelled the stench of urine as their pants are soaked.
The last Sword Expert bit their tongue to endure. Lennon, was it?
'...Must retreat. Survive, then report.'
Church has a yokai-handling monster.
Kane eye-signaled Lennon.
Slash! Slash!
Beheaded the burden mages instantly. To prevent info leak.
Kane and the Expert leaped madly at the alley wall. Two walls over, then blend into market crowd.
Thud!
Over the wall, a woman's face came up in Kane's sight.
Twice the adult male's height. Kane immediate notice it's over 8-cheok tall.
'...8-cheok ghost!' an 8-cheok ghost strolling through a territory's center? They encountered it mid-escape. 'Fine. I can insta-kill this yokai at my level.' He's not at his full strength due to the mind damage, but it's still doable. He twisted midair for a spin, red aura-coated the sword as he slashed diagonally at the neck. Clang! A metal clash rang in his ears. The 8-cheok ghost parried the aura blade with her claws.
'Aura blade with claws...?' The yokai claws were tough, sharp, but impossible to fully block the blade. 'Unless it has reached realm ascension—.'
The thought hit: a yokai beside the archbishop.
'Ha, haha.'
Strength drained from his body. They were never meant to fight this beast.
"Bye now."
A courteous farewell, soon a dark maw engulfed his vision.
In a flicker of time, he glanced at the leaping Lennon for aid.
"Yeah, keep staring in my eyes. Lennon, right? Where's your branch?"
He gazed dreamily at Lannancy from before.
'Ah...'
This is his life's end.
For Kane's final thought.
He wanted to tell his past self.
Something that can overturn the world's laws exists.
He wouldn't believe it anyway.
'...If I'd known it was real.'
He wouldn't have joined ManShinJeon.
Crunch!