Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Tea Time (1)
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"This is my land."
The count rose from his seat.
"No one may harm another without my permission."
His emerald eyes swept over the inquisitors.
"Not even if you are dispatched from the Zenith Church."
A heavy silence fell.
All were overwhelmed by the aura emanating from the absolute ruler of Hayes.
Even Ras, a considerable expert himself, wanted to transform into his divine executor form right away. Otherwise, he felt like he would be crushed under this immense pressure.
This was the presence of a being called a superhuman. And even this was likely a restrained version of his power.
'Amazing.'
He had thought that in his divine executor form, he could at least put up a fight against a Sword Master.
But that very thought was arrogance.
"Your Zenith Church has crossed the line."
"C-Count... Please hear me out..."
The inquisitor kneeling before the count struggled to open his mouth.
The fact that he could even speak while exposed so directly to that blatant pressure showed he was indeed quite skilled.
But skill alone meant nothing before a Sword Master—like a firefly before the sun.
"Do you have anything worth hearing? You dragged your internal church matters into my territory. And without my permission, you even severed that man's head. Be grateful that your own head is still attached."
A chill ran down his spine—
The inquisitor sensed thick killing intent in those words.
He was warning that one more misstep would mean death.
Yet he couldn't just seal his lips entirely.
He knew that as long as they were in Hayes, the initiative lay with the count. But he too was backed by the mighty Zenith Church, which dominated the continent.
"It would not be wise to make an enemy of us."
Slash!
"Gaaaaahhh!"
The sword had been drawn in an instant, severing the inquisitor's left arm.
"Next will be your right arm."
The inquisitor's face twisted in agony from somewhere beyond the heavens. He hadn't expected the count to sever his arm without a moment's hesitation.
"You should think before you speak from now on."
Was the Welton Count truly unconcerned about antagonizing the Zenith Church?
The inquisitor was as bewildered as he was pained.
No matter their influence in the Kingdom of Selden, it paled before the Zenith Church.
The count's personal power and his private forces were intimidating, but they were still just on a territorial scale.
'If I say that, I'll lose my right arm too.'
When the fist is closer than the law.
The inquisitor valued his life.
'This isn't what that woman said!'
The holy knight from the Seven Knights who had personally beheaded Lincoln.
She had said that if they struck first, they would hold the justification, leaving the count with no choice but to watch idly.
That even the Welton Count couldn't ignore the Zenith Church.
A complete miscalculation.
The count had approached the matter by setting aside the chimera entirely.
He had focused on his own position and that of his territory, naturally creating justification to pressure them.
'I was complacent.'
He had assumed the Zenith Church name would resolve everything.
He hadn't accounted for the Welton Count's boldness. The price was not small.
At times like this, one had to yield.
His pride stung like hell, but there was no choice.
"I-I'm sorry."
"Empty words of apology are unnecessary."
"...The church will offer official compensation. Please, overlook this just once."
The inquisitor clutched his severed arm and prostrated himself on the ground.
The count regarded him coldly before speaking.
"I would also like you to leave this place."
"Th-that is..."
Abandoning Hayes didn't mean withdrawing from the order entirely.
On the contrary, they had to cling to Hayes somehow.
As the gateway to the eastern Kingdom of Selden, it was an ideal foothold for expanding influence into other eastern territories.
It was already a city without strong religious ties. Losing it would mean abandoning the eastern Kingdom of Selden altogether.
"Please reconsider."
"This decision is final. You no longer have the right to remain in Hayes."
"B-but."
"Didn't you yourselves declare him a heretic? Who can guarantee it won't happen again?"
"We'll work harder...!"
"Trust has been lost. We will not associate with the Zenith Church."
Crack—
His teeth shattered, blood streaming from his mouth.
Yet he could not retort.
Not a word the count said was wrong.
The intense pressure had already dissipated. The inquisitor staggered to his feet, bowed to the count, and turned away.
"We withdraw."
With those words, the inquisitors vanished.
They would likely clear out completely within a few days.
The count patted the dazed Ras on the shoulder and returned to the mansion with his guards.
Ras watched his retreating figure and chuckled softly.
This was the count's way.
"Not bad."
Exposing the Zenith Church's secrets had become difficult due to their preemptive strike, but the count's handling made it hard for them to expand in the Kingdom of Selden.
And their secrets wouldn't vanish, effectively putting a leash around their necks.
'Zenith.'
The Zenith Church's reason for creating chimera holy knights was singular: their main god, Zenith, desired it.
So why did Zenith want chimera holy knights?
Jamie hadn't understood at first, but a hypothesis formed after conversing with Pyro.
'The 12 Gods are currently divided.'
Relations between Zenith and Pyro had already soured.
But Jamie sensed it was more than that.
Pyro's reaction confirmed it.
They might have even turned weapons on each other.
Hence Zenith's desire for powerful soldiers. Nothing else made sense.
'Then the key is the current state of their divisions.'
The 12 Gods as a whole probably weren't fully fractured.
Likely split into factions.
Pyro seemed isolated, unable to form her own group.
There had been gods close to Zenith in the past.
One in particular, whom Zenith treated like a limb.
The pinnacle of the 12 Gods, the one who had planned his own sealing.
"The Sun God Ra."
Not sure if the strongest, but the most troublesome god among the 12.
"Hoo—too little information."
Pyro had told him to come to Appoton.
"Appoton, huh."
The territory ruled by his maternal Bell family.
He had never been there.
"It's been a while... maybe I should skip out."
Jamie's face darkened.
He could already picture Sears's gleeful expression.
Ras entered the Zenith Church grounds and headed straight to the orphanage.
Up on the second floor, light shone from one room.
"Riki. It's Big Brother Ras."
"Come in."
Inside, Riki and his little sister Anna, who had arrived earlier to rest, welcomed him.
"You're here? Greet him, Anna. This is the man who saved your brother."
"Ah, hello. Thank you."
Anna rose from the bed, placed her hand on her navel, and bowed.
She was still dazed from her brother's sudden return.
Ras nodded slightly at her.
His suspicions were confirmed.
'His little sister has the qualities of a saint too.'
Before returning here.
Ras had found Riki and been shocked by the immense divine power of Pyro emanating from him.
To the startled Ras, Riki had said awkwardly,
'Um, she said I became an apostle.'
Apostle of the Goddess Pyro.
He had doubted his ears at first.
He knew of apostles, saviors who appeared when the main church was in crisis.
For Riki, from whom he had sensed no divinity, to claim that—it was bewildering.
But there was no room for doubt after hearing he had spoken directly with the goddess. Ras had felt her presence too.
'If he has apostolic qualities, I figured his sister might have something too.'
But he hadn't expected true saintly qualities.
And concentrated fully in both eyes.
'That's why she's blind.'
Once awakened, she would naturally see.
Ras approached them and knelt on one knee.
"I apologize for the delayed formal greeting amid the chaos. I am Ras Armetic, divine executor of the great Pyro Church."
"B-Big Brother! What are you doing all of a sudden?!"
Riki jumped up, trying to pull him to his feet.
But Ras didn't budge, like a heavy stone.
"Lord Riki is the goddess's apostle. You will ascend to a position equal to the pope and become the symbol of the Pyro Church henceforth."
"Big Brother."
"And Lady Anna has yet to awaken her qualities, but one day she will awaken as a saint. Then her unseen eyes will open as well."
"Eh..."
"Wait, wait, hold on, Big Brother. I don't understand a word of this? Stand up first."
"I will serve you both to the best of my ability until Appoton."
Riki's mind was in turmoil.
He couldn't fathom why Ras, who had treated him casually until moments ago, was acting this way.
And what did he mean about his sister?
Awakening as a saint would let her see?
"I said stand up!"
As Riki shouted, Ras rose reluctantly, as if conceding.
"...Can my sister really see?"
Riki looked up at Ras.
He didn't get the sudden change, but these were words he couldn't ignore.
He gripped Anna's hand tightly as she stood blankly.
"Big brother..."
"Really, truly, my sister..."
"Yes. The reason Lady Anna's eyes are blind is that powerful divinity is concentrated in them. Awakening as a saint will resolve it naturally."
"Saint?"
Anna tilted her head.
She didn't know what a saint was.
"It refers to a special person chosen by the gods."
"M-me?"
"Yes. That is correct."
"Big brother."
"Yeah."
Riki squeezed her hand tighter.
He couldn't hide the smile forming.
His sister could see. He had thought she would live her life in darkness.
So he had vowed to stay by her side forever.
"Anna..."
Tears streamed hot from his eyes as he hugged his sister tightly.
Anna burst into sobs too.
"Hic—waaaah!!"
"Anna... my sister... sniff, it's great... really, really great..."
"Waaah!"
Ras smiled at the siblings clinging and weeping.
But the smile didn't last.
The birth of an apostle meant the crisis for the Pyro Church was drawing near enough to feel on his skin.
And Riki, now an apostle, could no longer dream of a normal life. Nor could Anna, destined to become a saint.
Would the siblings' future be happy?
'I'll make it so.'
Ras clenched his fist.
He wouldn't burden the young boy and girl with everything.
He would ensure it.
That night, the orphanage echoed with children's cries until late into the dawn.
Tears long pent up in young hearts.