The Church (Part 2)
"Your Eminence! Montpellier is in sight!"
"Halt our advance. Tighten the cordon before we enter the city."
"Yes, Your Eminence!"
Sigh... what an unsightly mess.
Of all the times for a demon to appear, it had to be right now. Naturally, the appearance of a demon was ordinarily a boon for the Church, but the current timing could hardly be worse.
"Should we not halt our ongoing operation first?"
"I would like nothing more, but with the summoning ritual already halfway complete, aborting now is impossible. If we pull our hands away at this stage, a random demon of uncalibrated strength will manifest. That would invite an even greater disaster."
"Hmm... Well, it should turn out fine. The greater the havoc wrought by a demon, the more fervently the little lambs seek the divine. For now, let us concentrate our main force on the demon in Montpellier. As for the summoned demon, we shall calibrate its strength to an appropriate level and simply leave it to run its course."
"A sound proposal. Let us proceed accordingly."
Over the past two years, there had been no notable damage caused by demonic incursions. To rekindle vigilance against wickedness and instill profound awe toward their Goddess, they had orchestrated a controlled demon summoning—yet what a colossal headache this had become.
Having to dismantle the battle formations of the Exorcist Division, which they had painstakingly assembled to slay that summoned beast, and march to Montpellier instead... It felt like an utter waste of labor, thoroughly draining his energy. Of course, thanks to those meticulous preparations, conducting an exorcism here would be child's play. Even so, what was frustrating was frustrating.
The Church was meant to expand its sphere of influence by crushing easily manageable demons. Instead, they had been dragged into a battle against an unnecessarily powerful monster.
"It appears the information blackout held up well."
"Would it be anything less, Your Eminence? Our information control has never failed."
"Well, true enough."
Montpellier was utterly tranquil. Even from this distance, one could clearly see townsfolk bustling through the city gates, going about their lively days. Had they known the Seraphia Exorcist Division was marching upon them, they never could have maintained such peace. The information lockdown had proceeded as smoothly as always—
"Um... Lord Bishop. May I ask a question?"
A strange, unfamiliar voice cut through his train of thought. Turning his head, Pierre found an unfamiliar junior cleric standing boldly before him.
What is this insolent whelp doing? Addressing me directly without observing the proper chain of command?
Pierre shifted his gaze slightly toward his attendant, whose face was pale with utter fluster. Incompetent fool. You should have stopped him.
"...Why, of course. My dear brother, what troubles you?"
Had there been no onlookers, Pierre would have had the impudent brat flogged and expelled on the spot for such breach of decorum. Regrettably, there were far too many eyes watching at the moment. Tsk. Annoying little pest.
"Why do we not provide prior notice when conducting an exorcism? If we alerted the populace in advance, we could evacuate the residents and minimize casualties."
"Casualties, you say..."
And what kind of preposterous drivel is this? Did the fool enlist in the Exorcist Division without grasping even the most basic doctrine? Good grief... The rumors that the quality of our recruits has deteriorated were true after all. I shall have to set aside an entire day for thorough ideological re-education later.
"It seems the casualties you speak of, brother, are merely those visible upon the surface. Even if we concealed immediate danger, how could that possibly reduce total casualties? The residents might become possessed by the demon and turn into our enemies; mass panic would only hinder our sacred rites; and most decisively, what if the demon catches wind of our arrival and flees?"
"B-but the civilian losses..."
"Enough. Brother, it is clear you require further instruction in the faith."
Tsk, brainless idiot.
While it was vital that residents terrified of demonic threats place their complete trust in Lady Seraphia, utterly exterminating the demon was equally imperative. Eradicating demons was the very raison d'être of the Church; on this point, there could be no compromise. It would be a catastrophic disaster if terrified mortals perished without finding solace in God, or worse, began questioning the necessity of the Church altogether.
"Your Eminence, all preparations are complete."
"Well done. The city appears to have noticed our presence as well, so it is time we sent an envoy... No, wait. There will be no need for that."
Representatives were already approaching from the city gates. Tsk. This won't end peacefully either.
"I beg of you, please withdraw the exorcists!"
"Come now, Lord Mayor. You know full well how unreasonable that demand is, do you not?"
"Th-then at least allow us time to evacuate the citizens—"
"Out of the question. In the meantime, the demon might notice our presence and flee, or citizens tainted by its foul influence could turn into hostiles. Ah, speaking of which, your arrival is timely. I have received reports that numerous residents are already complaining of severe headaches, respiratory distress, auditory hallucinations, visions, and delusions. Have them bound and thrown into the dungeons immediately so they may be purged at a moment's notice. I shall dispatch our men to assist you."
"Ngh..."
Good grief. Pierre understood the man's desperation, given that a mayor's duty was to protect his citizens. Yet did the fool not realize that ruthlessly destroying the demon was the truest way to protect them? Truly, there were far too many short-sighted simpletons in the world. Still, it was precisely such desperate fools who ultimately clung to God, so they were not entirely worthless.
"Let us set aside the matter of the citizenry for now... Ah, a pleasure. Are you the parish priest who discovered the demon?"
"...I greet Bishop Pierre of the Exorcist Division."
Pierre had heard reports that this priest had tried every underhanded trick imaginable to prevent the Exorcist Division from coming. Judging by his expression, he looked as though he had swallowed a mouthful of filth. Cowardly idiot.
If the demon that appeared in Montpellier were truly as monstrous as claimed, how could the city still be standing so pristine? Long before their arrival, it would have been shattered into ash and reduced to a desolate ghost town. The priest had likely fallen victim to demonic hallucinations, seen phantom terrors out of sheer cowardice, or fabricated an outrageous lie to justify his own pathetic failings. Tsk. I must send word to the archdiocese and have this parish priest replaced immediately.
"I read your report, Father. A demon wielding holy light magic, manipulating the flow of time... My, truly astonishing claims, weren't they?"
"Pfft."
"Heh, unbelievable..."
"..."
It seemed Pierre was not the only one harboring such contempt. The surrounding exorcists laughed openly, mocking the parish priest without restraint. Typically, exorcists bound by rigid monastic discipline would never behave so crassly, but the priest's claims were evidently so preposterous that even they could not stifle their derision. Under normal circumstances, Pierre would have barked a reprimand to enforce decorum... but in this case, the absurdity was simply too great to bother.
"Ahem. Mind your manners before the good father, everyone."
"Yes, Your Eminence."
After letting the laughter run its course, Pierre lightly checked his men. Though the priest thoroughly deserved the humiliation, maintaining outward appearances prevented troublesome gossip later. The exorcists, sensing their commander's lack of genuine disapproval, merely straightened their postures to save face.
"Well, Father, I understand your concerns. However, we cannot simply allow a demon to lurk unchecked within the city walls, can we?"
"...Indeed."
"Taking your grave counsel to heart regarding the sheer strength of the threat, we have made ample preparations. You need not harbor any worries."
Indeed, they were more than prepared. Every demon was innately wicked, and a demon's power was measured directly by the catastrophe it inflicted upon its surroundings. If the city remained this peaceful and undamaged, the demon was guaranteed to be an insignificant weakling. There was no reason to waste elite military assets on such a trifle. What they had brought was already more than enough.
They actually showed up.
From a high vantage point overlooking the outskirts, I watched a horde of unfamiliar figures swarming near the city walls. Yet I didn't feel the slightest prickle of danger. I mean, there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell I'd die to a rabble like that.
I hadn't bothered to inspect their exact levels, but judging by their ambient aura, they were all roughly the same flavor of mediocre. If I just stood there and let them wail on me, my passive HP regeneration would outheal the entire exorcist corps' total DPS.
Now then, what should I do about this...
I could simply ignore them and head back to where Lucia was waiting. It was mildly irritating that they had rallied a whole crusade just to hunt me down, but that didn't mean I should just wipe them off the map. The Seraphia Church was undeniably corrupt to its core, willing to resort to any vile scheme to glorify their deity. However, if those hypocrites vanished overnight, this world would be overrun by demons and demonic beasts in a matter of months.
Whatever their internal rot, the Church did ruthlessly exterminate monsters without hesitation to prove their God's supremacy—even if staging false-flag demon incursions to prove that supremacy was profoundly messed up.
At any rate, the answer was fairly clear. A world where Lucia could live in peace and happiness needed to remain intact. I figured I'd just observe the spectacle for a bit and then head—... Wait.
"...They're executing them."
Down by the perimeter, the exorcists had dragged out several city residents. Without warning, they began channeling holy light magic, burning them alive on the spot.
What the hell...? Why? No matter how you look at them, they're just ordinary civilians! Why are they slaughtering them?
I focused my senses, tuning my hearing to the distant clamor until the frantic voices carried across the wind.
"M-My head... my head hurts so much! Please... Aaaagh!"
"The demonic taint has taken root..."
Piecing the fragments together, the grim reality dawned on me. Because I had lived in this city for over a decade, traces of my magi had naturally seeped into every cobblestone, alley, and wall. And now, these holy zealots were beating and immolating anyone whose body had absorbed that residual demonic mana, claiming their minds were infested with evil.
...Good grief. This is completely out of hand.
"My lords, please have mercy! I'm fine! I'm completely sane, I swear it on my life!"
"Silence. The demonic corruption has already progressed far too deep. In peacetime, you might have been spared, but leaving the tainted unattended on the eve of battle against a demon invites unimaginable catastrophe. Only by consuming your flesh in sacred fire can we prevent your reanimation as undead and preserve your mortal honor. Bear no grudge. Carry out the sentence!"
"M-My lords! Please! Have mercy—"
...I can't just stand by and watch this shit.
Wiping these bastards out would severely disrupt the regional balance and complicate the containment of local demonic beasts... but that was their problem. If innocent civilians were getting massacred because of my passive footprint, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night.