The End of Childhood (3)
The Chaos Sect was a heretical cult that had, roughly twenty years ago, recklessly sunk its roots into the Holy Empire of Eliac—the very heart of the Lumentis Church—only to be utterly annihilated. They preached that the one true peace could only be found when the entire world drowned in chaos and destruction. In pursuit of that so-called peace, they committed every imaginable atrocity. It began with orders for their believers across Eliac to slaughter their own families, then escalated into terrorism and assassination attempts. The sheer frequency and scale of the damage nearly brought the ancient empire to its knees. Fortunately, the Chaos Sect’s ambitions were crushed in the early stages, thanks to two individuals who responded faster than anyone else and wielded overwhelming holy power. A boy named Benedict, barely more than a child at the time, and Dominic, the Grand Inquisitor.
Both were nominated as candidates for the next cardinal in recognition of their achievements. The selection process went smoothly for Benedict, but Dominic ran into one complication. Even among the thirteen seats of the cardinal council, he had only ranked eleventh.
“The title of Eleventh Cardinal is a front. In truth, I am the Inquisitor General who oversees every heresy trial and hands down judgment.”
Cardinal Dominic explained that because of this hidden role, he wore white robes during public appearances and black ones when acting as the Inquisitor General.
“That position is precisely why… having a wife connected to the Chaos Sect was fatal.”
“Yeah… I can’t say you’re wrong. What does the record say happened to Melisi?”
“Melisi Arendia… is listed as having fled.”
“And she was pregnant when she ran.”
That was as far as the information Slay had stolen went. The Clown had instructed him to feed Venica a script that mixed truth with lies. A truth laced with falsehoods.
Dominic had driven out his own wife—Venica’s mother—to solidify his position. Not content with that, he had secretly dispatched inquisitors to kill her. After years of pursuit, they had succeeded. The men in black clothes Venica had seen were those very inquisitors.
“Venica.”
Once Slay finished his testimony, I spoke to her.
“Yes…”
“You believed all of that? Without even verifying it properly?”
“…”
She believed it. Or maybe the Seed of Sin had guided her to believe it. Unverified truth is no different from lies. Not every situation demands it, but when the information involves your parents’ mortal enemy, you don’t just swallow it whole. You cross-check. You do what the internet people call a fact-check.
“Don’t be too hard on the girl, Levia. My daughter was simply deceived by the Clown.”
“But…! I attacked Father… my own father…!”
“Levia stopped you, didn’t she? I’m fine.”
“Uncle Dominic. So what’s the real truth?”
“I suppose there’s no harm in telling you now. Venica needs to know too.”
Cardinal Dominic glanced once at the ceiling, then lowered his gaze to look at Venica.
“You really are the spitting image of your mother.”
He smiled bitterly. Seeing that expression, he didn’t look like a man who would send people to kill his wife. If anything, he looked like someone still mourning her.
“Melisi—your mother—was a brave woman with deep faith. At the same time, she was righteous.”
“Venica. Do you know the inquisitors’ creed?”
Cardinal Dominic suddenly threw the question at her.
“Pardon? I… I don’t.”
“‘We are blades forged in darkness though born of light, shields that support the light from within the shadows.’ That is our creed. We use any means necessary against those who dare rebel against the gods and commit sins in their name.”
“I don’t understand why you’re suddenly telling me this.”
“Melisi… was an inquisitor.”
“She wasn’t… a follower of the Chaos Sect.”
Venica let out a sigh of relief. She must have been deeply bothered by the claim that her mother had been a Chaos Sect believer. If she had gone so far as to vow revenge, Melisi must have been a good mother to her at least. To learn that such a good mother had been part of a cruel heretical cult would have been a terrible shock. The Clown and the Seed of Sin had exploited exactly that wound.
“Melisi voluntarily joined the Chaos Sect. She did it to feed us information from the inside. Thanks to her, we were always one step ahead and ultimately succeeded in destroying them.”
“The problem came after everything was over. Melisi had been exposed to both sides.”
The Chaos Sect had discovered she was a spy, and within Eliac only a handful knew her true identity. To the outside world, she appeared to be nothing more than a Chaos Sect believer. So Melisi chose to flee without even revealing that she was pregnant, all to avoid causing trouble for Cardinal Dominic.
“And when I finally found her… she had already been killed by the remnants of the Chaos Sect. On the day I first met you, I hunted those bastards down with my own hands and passed judgment on them.”
“Ah…”
“If you cannot believe my words, verify them however you wish. I won’t stop you no matter what method you use.”
“Hic… sob… No, I believe you… Even if it’s a lie… I will believe you, Father…”
Now that she knew the whole truth, Venica threw herself into Cardinal Dominic’s arms, repeating “I’m sorry” over and over.
“It’s all right. You did nothing wrong. You were simply deceived.”
Cardinal Dominic stroked her hair and offered gentle words of comfort.
“To think there was such a story behind it all. But now that the Chaos Sect has risen again, Lady Melisi’s sacrifice has come to nothing.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
That tactless bastard Slay. How could he say something like that in this atmosphere? With Venica right here?
“Cheska.”
“Yes, Lady Levia.”
“Gag that idiot.”
“How about I just smash his jaw while I’m at it?”
“Not a bad idea. Or we could rip his tongue out.”
“Huk! W-wait! Mmph! Mmph!!!”
“Bite down hard. Otherwise you might swallow your own teeth.”
“Mmph! Mmmph!!”
“Finally some quiet. I can rest without any stress now.”
After Slay was dragged off to the prison cells and Venica stopped crying, she said she needed time to think and left. Only the people from Entat Parish, Dominic, and I remained in the hospital room, savoring the peaceful silence.
With Slay’s testimony finished and Venica’s misunderstanding cleared up, the whole incident had come to an end. It really was tranquil.
“He really was a loud, tactless fellow. I felt refreshed when Cheska smashed his jaw.”
“If we’re talking about being loud, Venica was just as bad. She’s a total crybaby.”
“Can’t you call her tender-hearted? Hahaha.”
“Uncle, go help with the cleanup. I want to sleep.”
“Hahaha! I still have some business left, so could you be patient just a little longer?”
“Business? What business?”
“Thirteenth Saintess Candidate, Levia Leviathan.”
Cardinal Dominic suddenly called my full name in a serious voice.
“Truly… truly, thank you. For preventing my daughter’s ruin.”
He bowed his head in gratitude. So that was the remaining business—bowing and thanking me. He had waited until Venica left the room because he didn’t want to show her this side of him.
“Why is this uncle being so heavy? I just took a request and completed it in exchange for payment.”
I spoke awkwardly, feeling embarrassed. When a scary-looking man like him starts shedding tears and bowing his head in thanks, it’s honestly hard to respond.
“You went far beyond the request. I will never forget this favor.”
“Venica really is your biological daughter. You’re both crybabies. Stop crying already, uncle. It’s ugly.”
“Kahaha! Does it really look that similar to you? Thank you! Really… thank you!”
The moment I said she resembled his daughter, he started laughing. We’ve got a total daughter-obsessed fool here.
“Speaking of payment, I’ve been thinking it still isn’t enough. Is there anything else you want?”
Oh! Uncle Dominic, you’ve got more sense than I thought!
What I want… hmm…
“Then how about those things you said were used to create the Formation of Judgment? What were they called again?”
“The Divine Stones?”
“Yeah. Give me those.”
“Very well. One or two should be—”
“No. All of them.”
“…Do you even understand how rare Divine Stones are?”
Levia doesn’t care. Just hand them over.
“All. Of. Them.”
“…Shall I prepare another contract then?”
“Obviously.”
“I’ll say it again—you’ll never starve no matter where you go.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“It wasn’t a compliment.”
Then I remembered something I had forgotten. Something that might be important to this daughter-obsessed cardinal.
“By the way, uncle. There’s something I want to ask—or maybe request.”
“Is the payment still insufficient?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s about the paladins guarding Venica.”
“What about them?”
“Their personalities are absolute garbage. I’m wondering if people like that should really be allowed to stay by Venica’s side.”
“…Tell me the details.”
“Yesterday, when I tried to leave Ravendi to stop the Clown…”
I recounted every insult and sneer I had received at the checkpoint the day before, feeding them to Cardinal Dominic with just a little extra seasoning.
They said Venica’s disappearance was my fault, looked down on someone trying to help, and in the end they all drew their swords to block my way. I even thought they might be on the Clown’s side.
After hearing the entire story, Cardinal Dominic exploded.
“Th-those bastards!! How dare they insult my daughter’s savior?! How dare they interfere?! I will judge them myself!!!”
Boiling with rage, he stormed out of the hospital room.
“Lady Levia.”
“I didn’t lie, right?”
“No, you did very well.”
Oh, a compliment. A little later, distant explosions and screams could be heard, but I didn’t pay them any mind. If anything, they felt like white noise that helped me fall asleep.
“Levia, was what you just said really true? I’ll deal with those bastards right now—!”
“Calm down, Grandpa. Your body is still hurt. You need plenty of rest. You can’t move around violently.”
“I still have enough strength to turn those greenhorns into pulp, so don’t worry!”
“No. Grandpa. Please. Don’t go alone.”
At my earnest plea, Grandpa Carlo barely managed to swallow his anger and lay back down on the bed he had half-risen from.
“Hehe… Our Levia really has such a kind heart. To endure even after hearing such things.”
What Grandpa Carlo said with a smile didn’t make sense for a second. He seemed to have misinterpreted my desperate request in a completely different way. If I had really endured it, I wouldn’t have told Uncle Dominic either.
“What are you talking about, Grandpa? I meant don’t take all the fun for yourself.”
Since I can’t lift a finger right now, I sent Uncle Dominic as the ‘first wave.’
“…”
“…”
“…”