The Third Card (3)
“Catch the heretic!”
“Execute that demon worshipper right now!”
Of course, there was no way he would surrender quietly. No, even if he did resist, it didn’t look like we’d get a particularly favorable outcome, so from his point of view it was the obvious choice.
Our priests in the courtroom were so thoroughly consumed by madness that it almost seemed natural.
Heh.
In simple terms, he had only one option: resist.
“Submit to the interrogation, you demon worshipper!”
“Damn it!”
The two people closest to him were sent flying in an instant.
The restraints binding his hands snapped with almost comical ease.
They hadn’t even been properly secured to begin with. I’d assumed some of the imperial knights had been bought off.
“Y-you there! Seize that demon worshipper and kill him immediately!”
“Grab him! He’s a heretic! Bring that heretic here right now! Helena! Take that man’s head! His head!”
“Yes.”
The courtroom erupted into chaos in an instant.
No, “chaos” didn’t even begin to cover it.
The problem was that none of them were actually capable of harming Ito Souta, and yet they kept surging forward anyway, packing the courtroom so tightly that the whole scene looked absurd beyond reason.
Even from his side, he had to make a decision.
Fight, or run.
Even Gandhi would have drawn a sword to protect himself at this point, and in the end, a scream burst out from the Holy Knight Order’s side.
Ito Souta had injured one of the knights while trying to deflect a sword flying toward him.
“Aaaaaaagh!”
“That filthy heretic!”
Seeing that, Lee Jihye glanced toward me and muttered under her breath.
“Oppa, I think it might be a little dangerous to stay here.”
“Nope. It’s not that dangerous, so just sit tight and watch. I think things are about to get interesting.”
“Ah… I guess so.”
Several people had already begun leaving the area. The high judges and other important figures were taking shelter in the imperial knights’ warm embrace, preparing for any possible danger.
What I found a little amusing was Cardinal Basel’s side.
It seemed like his sense of duty—his mission to save the Holy Empire from crisis—was driving him forward.
“Bring that man here at once! Heresy Inquisitor Helena! To behave like that in the middle of a sacred religious trial. He’s definitely a heretic. A demon worshipper, no doubt!”
“Yes!”
“No! I’ll do it myself. I’ll beat him to death myself! Bring me my mace! Right now!”
“It is not fitting for Cardinal Basel to move personally.”
“Then hurry up and seize him!”
Watching a man who looked like he could barely walk tear himself up like that was less funny than it was frightening.
As expected, the chosen warrior who had received the goddess’s revelation really was cut from a different cloth.
In the end, when even the leader of the Heresy Inquisitors, Helena, quietly began to move, the battlefield started to grow heavier by the second.
She’s strong.
Not quite on the level of Victor Hart or Cha Heera, but definitely strong enough to lead an armed order.
If I had to compare her to someone, maybe Lee Sanghee or Hwang Jeongyeon.
With her mace in hand as she charged forward, her back looked exactly like that of a crusader joining a holy war.
Archbishop Jessica began pouring out divine power, throwing up shields and buffs left and right, and the Holy Knight Order, now surging with renewed momentum, rushed at Ito Souta once more.
“Aaaagh!”
What a spectacle. What a spectacle.
He couldn’t resist the Holy Knight Order or the Heresy Inquisitors, and he couldn’t exactly ignore them either.
For now, he was fending off the people charging at him over and over again, but how long he could keep up that pace was anyone’s guess.
I’d thought he wouldn’t last long, but his 99 Agility was more monstrous than I’d imagined.
Still, he won’t last much longer.
When he saw dozens of knights rushing him all at once, Ito Souta threw his body backward.
Of course, behind him was another knight who had come to capture him.
After shoving that knight aside with his arm, he deflected a sword coming in from the side.
It was certainly impressive to dodge everything in a situation like that, but once Helena joined the front line, I could see his expression begin to twist.
All of this was the result of what I’d made happen.
I couldn’t help but laugh. His urgent voice was practically acting like a catalyst for my own amusement.
“Cardinal Basel! This was all planned!”
“Shut up, you filthy heretic!”
“It’s all a misunderstanding. First, please order these people to step back!”
“Close that filthy mouth!”
“Lady Helena, you know perfectly well I’m not that sort of person!”
“Don’t say my name, demon worshipper!”
“Bishop Jessica, surely you can say something….”
“What are you all doing? Are you just going to stand there and watch that demon worshipper keep wagging that cunning tongue of his? Hurry up and shut his mouth!”
I felt a little sorry for him, but Heresy Inquisitor Helena and Archbishop Jessica were already on my side.
They had spent enough time debating Ito Souta with me that I didn’t even need to use Holy Wine.
Cardinal Basel’s outrage had probably been the final blow.
This suffocating match was entertaining enough as it was, but it was about time to stir the waters.
When I glanced over at Jung Hayan, I saw her already chanting a spell.
“Mana Chains.”
Chains made of blue mana wrapped around him.
The way he dispelled magic with a mere wave of his hand was thoroughly absurd.
Jung Hayan looked a little disappointed, but I nodded and applauded to encourage her.
Praise makes whales dance. It also makes Jung Hayan desperate.
“Wind Blade! Mana Chains! Air Pop!”
A triple cast. I’d expected it might happen, but still.
She’d lowered the output considerably so she wouldn’t drag others into it, but as the main dealer in the Ito Souta raid, she was more than qualified.
I felt like I ought to contribute something myself.
I couldn’t use my own magic in here, so I decided Yuliena was the way to go.
“Yuliena!”
At my gesture, Yuliena shot forward faster than most knights could move.
Yuliena, in her own way, was moving on her own too as she hurled herself toward Ito Souta.
With the tank group of Heresy Inquisitors and Holy Knights holding the front properly, the main dealers like us had it much easier.
Besides, Ito Souta wasn’t exactly in a position to attack the tanks however he pleased.
Neither was I, of course.
I didn’t know whether he’d attack me or not, but he’d been desperately insisting on his innocence all this time, so I could already tell this side was the safer route.
He didn’t want the conflict to escalate further. He believed that if he just kept talking, this madness would eventually die down.
“Ah… this is tougher than I thought.”
“Yeah.”
“I really never imagined he’d be this strong….”
“Should we send in the Mercenary Queen and the shrine maiden?”
“No, I don’t think we need to go that far. For now, we have to protect the guests in case anything happens. Heera noona looks like she’s having plenty of fun anyway… if something does happen, she’ll probably join in.”
“Ah. He dodged! Focus, will you?”
“Even with Yuliena’s speed, he’s hard to catch. He’s really fast. Are all the guild masters this much of a monster?”
“Maybe it’d be good to coordinate with Hayan. Or think of some other way to break him down. Didn’t you say Yuliena inflicts a curse if she wounds someone? Rather than going for something big right away, I think it’d be better to start by making small cuts one by one. And didn’t she also have the ability to directly cast curses and control those black tentacles?”
“Ah, that’s a function I can’t use right now. I think it’ll probably work once Yuliena’s consciousness wakes up, though….”
“Then there’s nothing we can do. Mental attacks are still an option, so try talking to him at least. It might not be bad to take a more proactive role in directing the Heresy Inquisitors and Holy Knights.”
Lee Jihye, the excellent team captain, had a brilliant suggestion.
In a raid, you had to use every means at your disposal. Before I’d even finished thinking, my mouth opened.
“We must seize that filthy heretic. The filthy heretic has received the power of the devil, so I think we need to join forces as well!”
As expected, I saw the look on his face as he glared straight at me.
But what could he do?
When I started talking more enthusiastically, the formation around him clearly became more organized. Before, everyone had seemed a little worked up, but now it felt like the basic shape of a raid was finally taking form.
“Good! Let’s execute that demon right away, everyone!”
“Kill the heretic!”
“We must not let him escape. Block the doors and keep pressing in on him, and the filthy demonic power clinging to him will soon start to wear away too. Just a little more effort, everyone! For Goddess Benigore!”
“For Goddess Benigore!”
The man glaring at me came back into view.
That was precisely when Jung Hayan’s magic struck his arm.
It was only a simple binding spell, but in that instant, Yuliena slipped past and brushed against his arm.
“Damn it!”
Good.
I clenched my fist before I even realized it.
If this had been outdoors, with open space on all sides, his Agility stat would have given him a major advantage, but in the current situation, things were definitely going badly for him.
Front, back, and sides—everything was blocked in. He was in a sealed space packed tight with people pressing in on him, and he couldn’t even attack properly.
Of course, as time went on, he began to change too.
I wasn’t sure whether it was because he’d decided he had no hope left, or because he wanted to tear apart my mouth for all the talking, but the important thing was that he was resisting with everything he had.
What stood out even more in the midst of all that was his condition.
He’s not normal.
The damage from nearly getting killed by Cha Heera was still lingering.
In that condition, he had to face Heresy Inquisitor Helena, who was being buffed by Archbishop Jessica.
Jung Hayan’s harassment at just the right moments was also playing a huge role.
“We have to bring that heretic down, everyone!”
“……….”
“He’s the cancer of the Holy Empire! No, the cancer of the Free Cities! We must cut out his bud! His roots!”
“……….”
“Everyone, keep pushing!”
“Shut, shut up….”
“The summit is right in front of us!”
“Shut up! P-please, please shut up!”
“The one who needs to shut up is you, filthy demon worshipper! Goddess Benigore will punish you!”
“Y-you bastard! You bastard!”
“This is divine judgment! Filthy heretic! Goddess Benigore, grant us your power!”
He really couldn’t get close at all.
And that wasn’t all.
He was visibly growing agitated, and even the words I’d been deliberately ignoring were now getting answered with curses.
He looked angry, but it wasn’t simple anger.
That was the curse Yuliena carried. It seemed like a little more provocation wouldn’t hurt.
“Receive the goddess’s power!”
“Damn it, damn it!”
“Everyone, the filthy demonic power is starting to retreat. You’re tired, but we’re almost there. Just a little more, everyone!”
“Y-you weak little maggots! You pieces of trash!!”
“The demon is revealing its true nature!”
“Shut your mouth!”
“At last, you’re showing your true colors! You filthy servant of the demon!”
As time passed and the little wounds accumulated all over his body, the way his excitement kept mounting was a sight to behold.
I couldn’t help but realize once again that Yuliena and I actually worked together quite well.
Eventually, as if he’d lost his temper completely, he turned to look at me.
Ah.
Explosive mana began surging outward in all directions.
He’d decided that keeping up the defense while trying to persuade Cardinal Basel any longer was impossible.
He’d made up his mind to push forward in his own way.
No, maybe the curse had left him unable to properly grasp the situation. But the truth was something nobody could know.
It could have been simple revenge against me, or he might have decided that incapacitating the Holy Knights had to come first.
One thing was certain.
He’s insanely strong.
He was stronger than I’d thought.
Screams rang out from every direction. It had already been hard to make out his figure at the best of times, but the knights and inquisitors were being knocked away with absurd speed.
If he’d had a sword in his hand, limbs would have been flying everywhere.
Even so, the holy power filling this place was still keeping the existing forces in place, though I figured the troops’ role was really just to restrict his movement.
The Holy Knights and Heresy Inquisitors were by no means weak.
They were the Holy Empire’s elite armed force, and Helena, Jessica, and the few others visible here all had very high stats.
The fact that Ito Souta was still holding out at all was hard to understand.
And in that body, too? Without equipment? Seriously?
I could understand why the Holy Empire made sure to extend proper courtesy to people at this level.
I’d felt it before with Cha Heera, but there really is a reason why people call beings beyond the standard “beyond the standard.”
“Hold him! Aaaaagh!”
“Don’t let him move! Surround him as tightly as you can!”
“Lady Helena!”
“Don’t give him room!”
“Everyone, please, just a little more effort!”
Even while I was chattering away, a path opened.
For a split second, I caught sight of his face as he rushed toward me at full speed.
Oh!
I was surprised, but not panicked.
There were still too many mountains standing between him and me.
Before he could even reach my side, Cha Heera darted in and kicked him in the ribs.
With a thunderous bang, he screamed and slammed into the opposite wall as if that had been inevitable from the start.
He’d made it through the first gate, but unfortunately, he hadn’t passed the second.
“Aaaagh!”
“Bind that bastard immediately!”
“Cough. Let go of me! Let go! I’ll kill you! Uwaaaagh… I’ll kill you! I’ll kill only you, Lee Kiyoung. Lee Kiyoung! Let go of me right now! Cough!”
“Tie down his arms and legs!!”
“Let go of me. Uwaaaagh! I’ll kill anyone who comes near me.”
Although it wasn’t intentional, Ito Souta’s appearance under the curse really did make him look as though he were drunk on demonic power.
Spitting blood in thick, choking bursts after taking a hit from Heera noona, he looked so much like a demon’s companion that I might have believed it myself.
It was a fitting end for a man who had once pretended to be so refined.
“Hoo… that feels so much better.”
I had no choice but to nod at Cha Heera’s words.