Whispers of Fallen Executors
Palenia Holy Kingdom's capital, Ceres. At its heart lay Light Square.
The scale was staggering. This vast plaza could hold hundreds of thousands at once. The Light Temple situated there was no different. One had to climb a thousand steps to reach it—the holy site for all Issteria faithful and the papal seat of Palenia Holy Kingdom. Crowds were always present, yet its immense size made it look empty when viewed from below.
This grand square filled to the brim only once a year, on January 1st—Creation Day, when Issteria was said to have formed the world. Pilgrims from every corner of the continent turned it into a packed spectacle.
Midway down the temple steps.
"An Executioner... got taken out?"
A middle-aged man asked. His companion was a young man in his mid-twenties, descending the steps beside him.
"That's what I heard from Father."
"Father meaning His Eminence Cardinal Pedro?"
"Yes. Three Executioners who went out on a mission recently all perished."
"Hah..."
The man let out a groan that might have been a sigh. He was Medi Bellutin, vice-captain of the Knight Secreta. His attire set him apart from other knight orders. Unlike typical knights in heavy plate, he wore a pure white priestly robe optimized for mobility. Two long strips of cloth draped from his shoulders down his back, embroidered with golden thread—the emblem of the Secreta Knights. Most members were sons of bishops or higher clergy. The few others hailed from foreign nobility or prestigious houses. As an elite unit, they numbered only thirty-two.
The young man walking beside him fit right in. David Liberke, eldest son of one of the Pope's top cardinals—the highest-ranking cleric after the Pope himself. With unmatched skill, reputation, and background, he was the prime candidate to succeed the captain after Medi himself. That was why Medi treaded carefully around him, unlike with the other knights.
"This isn't like losing some grunt. Sir Kars already fell on a mission in Bailen, Alder Duchy's capital. It seems His Holiness issued the order personally..."
"And now three more."
"Yes. That's five already. They can't hide it forever. No matter how shrouded the Executioners' movements are... secrets don't last."
He was right. For now, only the Pope, cardinals, and a select few knew. But it couldn't stay buried. They'd fudged Bryce's absence, but four more? No. It was only a matter of time before it blew up.
"Who the hell did it?"
The vice-captain pressed. David fell silent for a long stretch, descending wordlessly. Then, abruptly:
"Barbalte Duke's house in Arhen Kingdom."
"......"
"One of their sons botched the job."
"Name?"
"Licht Barbalte."
"Licht Barbalte... You mean..."
"The one you're thinking of. This year's Cherbito champion. The guy who killed Bryce Edmain."
David clicked his tongue inwardly as he finished. That idiot.
The vice-captain licked his lips repeatedly before muttering like a groan.
"...This has gotten way too big."
"If it weren't for that fool Bryce, it wouldn't have escalated like this."
He openly badmouthed a dead Executioner. Impossible for anyone but a Secreta Knight. But Medi said nothing. Bryce had been excommunicated anyway, and the young man beside him had a background that even lowly Executioners who clawed their way up on merit alone couldn't touch.
"He took out three Executioners single-handedly."
"......"
"What about tracking? Has His Holiness given up?"
The vice-captain asked again. Even as Secreta vice-captain, his intel had limits. The young man, with a cardinal father, knew more.
"Who knows..."
David trailed off.
"I'm not sure on that front."
"Not sure? Even if he killed three alone, he can't be unscathed. Why not send trackers now?"
"That's the problem. The Perserk Knights already sent an investigation team once, but it was like he used magic—they vanished completely."
"Perserk Knights missed him?"
Impossible. Among the Holy Kingdom's orders, Perserk specialized in tracking and scouting. A wounded man right after battling Executioners couldn't erase every trace. Yet they lost him.
"Said the trail just... ended."
"Cherbito champ means a skilled mage. Hallucination magic?"
"No."
"No?"
"Space magic."
"......!"
The vice-captain halted. They'd reached the bottom of the steps.
"7th Circle space magic. Long-range teleport, no less."
The young man turned, looking up at him. Medi’s face brimmed with disbelief.
He spat it out firmly.
"That's nonsense."
"......"
"7th Circle space magic? There are only three known 7th Circle archmages on the southern continent."
House Pavria's head, Barte school's council leader, and one eccentric elder mage.
"Only one specializes in space magic."
Shult Markersy. Among 7th Circle mages, a scholar and ancient seeker uniquely versed in spatial arts.
"And some no-name Barbalte kid pulls off teleport? Not even short-range Blink?"
Valid point. Space magic was the pinnacle of 7th Circle spells—demanding not just formulas, but a steep price. Long-range teleport, beyond Blink? Even peak-condition Shult Markersy, prepping formulas and pooling all mana over hours, might barely manage it. Not after battling three Executioners, and not from some noble kid not yet twenty.
"Beats me."
But David remained unfazed by the doubts.
"Just that all traces vanished from the site, and teleport residue was found. That's the guess."
"......"
"Can't track without traces, so divine relics are needed. But the last one, Karlatos, shattered."
The kingdom's report: sole remaining tracking relic, Karlatos. Long taken by the three fallen Executioners. Found broken at the scene.
"...Not won't track—can't."
"No orders to other Executioners yet, apparently."
"Let a monster who killed five walk?"
"No choice."
David started walking again. Medi stood dazed, mumbling, then hurried after.
The vast Light Square. Nearby faithful whispered, recognizing the Secreta uniforms. Many pilgrims to Ceres sought not just the holy temple, but glimpses of knight orders or notables.
"Anyway."
David, leading, spoke up.
"It's been over half a year since I last saw Lady Saintess."
The Pope's equal in fame, the Saintess, wasn't in the capital. David halted abruptly, not turning.
"So I'm going to visit her now."
"...That was the real point."
Pedro Cardinal's sole heir. Secreta's rising star captain candidate. Many titles fit David Liberke, but the most famous: Stella Evgenia's one and only guard knight. Anima.
"Got the captain's permission?"
"On my way back from getting it."
Current Saintess Stella Evgenia had rejected her Anima and left the papacy, but her status remained. Officially, David was still her protector.
"His Holiness..."
"Will approve. He's long wanted her back here. Doesn't make sense for the Saintess to rot in some backwater convent."
"...Last time you said that and came back empty-handed."
"It's the thought that counts. So many await her."
"...Do what you want."
"Knew you'd say that. Already recruited the team volunteers."
David turned to face him. A subtle gray longsword hung at his waist.
"...When do we leave?"
"Soon as His Holiness approves."
"Can't talk you out of it."
"And this time feels... different."
"Different how?"
"Got a hunch."
David smirked.
"Something's gonna happen when we get there."
***
Once his wounds healed enough for unassisted movement, Licht often ventured out. The convent, nestled quietly in the woods, housed more than expected. Nuns numbered just over twenty at a glance. Including orphans and novices, around eighty total. Hence the spacious courtyard.
After morning prayer and breakfast, nuns washed dishes or hung laundry. Surprisingly, the children got solid education from them. Class over, they poured into the yard like clockwork, romping about. One corner had kids sparring with wooden swords—mostly boys dreaming of holy knights.
The large convent building ringed the yard. It held dorms, a chapel topped with a cross spire, and an oversized space too big for mere storage.
—Storage, you say?
—Yes.
—Oh? Seems Brother mistook it.
—Mistook?
—Not storage. More like... an archive.
—For books?
—Not sure if Brother knows, but Hyeris Convent has deep history. It stores old tomes, histories, documents. Too big for a study, too small for a library.
—I see.
—Do you enjoy reading? If so...
Bored of bedrest, Licht sought the abbess. Permission came easily. Deep in a corner of the building, few visited—the path was deserted.
At the corridor's end, Licht pushed open the archive door without hesitation. And.
"Didn't expect it this big..."
He muttered reflexively. Vast interior. Ceiling soared high enough for two stories, yet used as one. Despite the space, it felt full—thanks to orderly shelves lining it. Sunlight poured through wall windows, banishing any gloom. A bit cluttered, though. Less a reading library, more a hoard of books and papers.
Licht roamed freely among them. Massive collection. Ancient histories, scholarly works. Myths of creation. Holy power tomes dominated.
He skimmed a few, then slid them back. Basic primers—easy to grasp.
Useless.
Mana and aura users couldn't wield holy power. Polar opposites. Healing spells existed, but tricky to learn and weak. Good for staunching blood at best.
Swordsmanship and magic books too.
Licht pulled and read whatever caught his eye. Mostly decades-old, surprisingly fruitful. Never knew this sword style existed. Magic used to work like that. Defying time's laws was taboo, but sharing ancients' records? A delight.
He'd scanned over half the shelves when.
"......?"
His steps halted. One book drew his gaze. Tucked in a corner—nearly missed. He drew it out slowly.
"...What is this?"
No flashy cover. Plain white, unadorned. The abbess was right about the convent's history—many tomes here fetched fortunes. But this... different. Instinct pulled him. Or just a hunch.
"......"
Thirst tugged at him. Licht flipped the cover. Black flames erupted. The pristine white page turned pitch black, red letters searing into it.
"Resurrection... ritual...?"