Chapter 81

Silently and cautiously, we opened the door of the corridor and went inside.

[…A Corridor of Light in a downtown area. It’s certainly strange.]

[What’s wrong with it being in a downtown area?]

[The Church doesn’t support the cost of building corridors. In other words, it comes out of the lord’s wallet.]

So, usually, they’re built in very remote places, not to mention downtown areas.

Of course, they have to be somewhat mindful of the Church, but it was the explanation of His Eminence, the Sword of Doctrine, a cardinal of the Church, that it was very rare for them to be built so lavishly in the downtown area, especially in the center like this.

[How long has the Corridor of Light been built? Couldn’t the downtown area have sprung up around the Corridor of Light?]

[Are you naively expecting something like that? Unfortunately, the Corridor of Light in the Belmir Barony was rebuilt in two years after the original one collapsed in an earthquake eight years ago, Young Master.]

Then does that mean this Corridor of Light was built so lavishly on such prime land for the sake of the declining Church?

The change of a remote place into a downtown area in just six years would be hard to expect in a medieval-based world.

[I can smell something fishy.]

If the lord was a devout believer, I might have thought it possible, but now that he had acted suspiciously several times, I couldn’t help but be suspicious.

[The bigger problem is that there isn’t even a shred of holy power here.]

At Ferdiel’s words, I turned my head and looked at him.

According to the game’s setting, the Corridor of Light, where hymns to the god periodically echoed, was naturally imbued with holy power.

Unlike objects that were called holy relics just for the sake of the useful application of magitools, real holy relics were mostly made using holy power.

Six years is a long time if you think about it, and a short time if you don’t.

If proper offerings had been made during that time, holy power must have been imbued.

[There’s no way you’re mistaken.]

The holy power Ferdiel possessed could be asserted as the strongest in history.

There was a reason why the Pope couldn’t abandon Ferdiel, even while throwing all sorts of tantrums. He was a being with enough holy power to be called a saint.

At this point, there was no one who knew more about holy power than Fel. Therefore, there was no room for doubt.

There really was not a shred of holy power here.

[In the end, this is another place that just looks like the Corridor of Light.]

Haha, it seems I’ve gotten myself into something unusual, haven’t I?

《Altar, go over there and check.》

At Albedo’s instruction, after a few deep breaths, I slowly examined the altar. As I carefully examined the floor, a groove caught my fingertip.

[Fel, this way—]

The moment I raised my body, I gasped.

“Fel!!!”

I called him urgently, but the attacker was faster.

The man, his face covered with a mask, struck Fel’s head hard.

I was flustered, but I had a way to solve this. I’ll quickly use the writer’s skill—!

“Ugh.”

Something covered my mouth.

《Theo!!!》

I struggled to get out, but with my stats, it was not enough. I couldn’t put any strength into my body.

I have to get out somehow, I have to save Fel—

* * *

My vision blurred, and when I opened my eyes again, I saw the bars of a dungeon.

Damn it, my head is throbbing. It wouldn’t be this bad even if I hit my head like a percussion instrument.

My head was pounding, so I clenched my teeth and slowly took deep breaths.

I’m not the one who got hit on the head, so why does it hurt so much?

After barely calming my unstable breathing, I immediately shook the body of Ferdiel, who had been thrown into the same prison, to wake him up.

“Fel, wake up.”

I hope he didn’t die from getting hit on the head.

“Ugh…”

At the faint groan, I shook his body a few more times, and Fel finally opened his eyes.

“Where is this…”

“It seems they brought us here after we passed out.”

I don’t know what their intentions are, but they’re definitely not good. On the contrary, I feel a sticky malice clinging to my skin.

“It seems the culprits are demon worshipers. They have a peculiar stench.”

I wondered if such a thing existed, but for now, it seemed they were heretics, and among them, the most vicious demon worshipers.

I don’t know who the culprit is, but they have really bad luck. Of all people, a Heretic Inquisitor, and the Sword of Doctrine at that, had come to visit them.

“And there’s a high probability that the demon worshiper is the lord or someone directly or indirectly related to the lord.”

“Why do you think so?”

The lord built the corridor in the fief, but that didn’t necessarily mean a connection.

After all, if you approach with a plan, it wouldn’t be that difficult to deceive a lord who isn’t even a mage. The operation must have been carried out over a very long period.

The reason I could be so sure was simple and clear.

“They hit your head pretty hard with a blunt weapon, but they put me to sleep with a drug.”

“So what?”

Fel showed his confusion, as if asking what that had to do with the culprit’s identity.

“My body is ridiculously fragile. If I had been hit on the head like you, I probably wouldn’t have just fainted—”

I’ll skip the brutal part. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is simple.

“It means it’s someone who knows about the characteristics of my body. And, the assistant mentioned it in passing during dinner.”

My body is very fragile. Thanks to that, I somehow avoided having my head crushed and dying.

“To know information that was just passed by at a dinner with the lord means they are connected to the lord in some way.

This is no ordinary matter, Young Master?”

Even while speaking in a feigned leisurely manner, Ferdiel’s expression was more desolate than ever.

Certainly, I’m not sure who the culprit is, but they have a lot of nerve.

I don’t know what their plan is, but it’s certain that they are quite reckless and audacious.

“Then, shall we escape now and grasp the situation?”

“What, you can escape?”

“We have to try.”

I silently recited the ‘I Am the Writer’ skill.

As expected, a blue-glowing parchment and a pure white quill pen appeared before my eyes.

I haven’t figured out the identity of the system, but I had a feeling this would happen.

No matter how great a magitool is, it can’t possibly stop a system that can even destroy the world.

「The handcuffs on Theo and Fel are released」

As soon as I finished writing the last letter, the handcuffs that had been tightly binding my wrists instantly fell off.

Fel, who barely caught them before they hit the floor, looked at me in surprise.

It’s no big deal! No, it is a big deal!

“Don’t ask for details, let’s get out of here quickly.”

“Alright, for now.”

He wouldn’t suspect heresy over something like this, would he?

As for the prison’s keyhole, Fel took out something like a hairpin from his shoe, fiddled with it a few times, and picked it in an instant.

“That’s really amazing.”

I thought that only happened in movies, but it actually works.

“Thanks for the admiration, but I’m going to use magic, so please be quiet.”

It was a compliment of sorts, but was he embarrassed?

I shut my mouth and immediately began to survey the dungeon.

In the dungeon, besides us, there were our fellow Academy students who had fallen asleep from the sleeping pills.

There wasn’t enough time to wake them up one by one and escape, so I started by counting the number of people.

After checking the last cell and realizing one thing, my expression hardened.

“Senior Lerwon is missing.”

This is really bad.

The alarm bell warning of danger in my head rang loudly.

“What?”

“…It’s just Senior Lerwon who’s missing.”

It’s not that I want someone else to be the sacrifice, but why did it have to be Senior Lerwon!

There’s no one in this world who deserves to be a sacrifice, but really, anyone but Lerwon.

Lerwon’s body, which has not yet fully returned to being human, is still imbued with a powerful curse that desires the destruction of the world.

A curse so powerful it’s vicious, it’s the ultimate sacrifice and prey for a demon.

“And of all times, it’s a full moon. Was this planned from the beginning?”

This is the first I’m hearing of this. I hurriedly grab Ferdiel’s shoulder and urge him to explain.

“Full moon? What do you mean?”

“In the old days, the God of Light symbolized the sun, and the demon who opposed him symbolized the moon.”

He said that the meaning had faded somewhat now, but among demon worshipers, there was still no day more suitable for conducting a demon summoning than a full moon.

This is driving me crazy. It’s a series of unfortunate events. I feel like tearing my hair out!

“Why did it have to be Lerwon!!”

As I rode the wind, a surge of irritation welled up.

There are over twenty people from the Academy, so why did it have to be Lerwon out of all of them!!

“Because Senior Lerwon doesn’t have a surname.”

“Ah, damn it.”

Was that what it meant?

This time, I was annoyed for a slightly different reason.

“Damn this class-based society!!”

Don’t decide a sacrifice for such a stupid reason!

Spitting out vulgar curses, I ran and ran towards the place where the demon’s energy was getting stronger.

“Here!!”

At Fel’s shout, I burst open the door, and there was Lerwon, unconscious on the altar for the demon.

It’s not too late!

“A lord committing heresy?”

As soon as I confirmed the face in the center, I spat out a curse with all my might.

If he makes a mistake, not only himself but also the residents of his fief might be collectively branded as heretics and executed? Where did he sell his conscience!!

Thinking that the situation was turning urgent, the Baron’s sword points towards Lerwon’s heart.

“You won’t!!”

The wind strongly pulled at the Baron’s hand.

The trajectory of the sword was greatly distorted, and the sword that was about to be plunged straight into his heart grazed Lerwon’s cheek and lodged itself precariously at the tip of his ear.

If I had been a little later, it would have been embedded straight into his heart. If that had happened, another Demon King, who had been forced to take the throne by Baal, might have appeared.

“I have to get Senior Lerwon back.”

“Alright, for now. Before that—”

Fel caressed his wrist.

A pure white sword appeared from the magic circle engraved on his wrist, and Fel pointed it at the demon worshipers.

“Son of Caelus A. Levian. The only one who wields the Sword of Doctrine. Ferdiel L. Levian has witnessed with his own two eyes that the being before him has forsaken God.”

The scene of Ferdiel pronouncing the sin was so sacred that for a moment, I forgot the urgent situation.

“The forgiveness of sins is the sole authority of the God of Light.

The sword that punishes as doctrine declares that their sins are clear and will carry out an immediate execution according to the old law.”

A very clear sentence.

Even the most foolish person would not fail to understand what his words meant.

Because there is only one person in this world who can claim to be the sword named Doctrine, the sword that punishes as doctrine.

“Why on earth is the Sword of Doctrine here.”

Baron Belmir muttered as if in a panic.

“What is permitted to you is God’s mercy and man’s punishment.”

And now, it was time for man’s punishment.

“You’re dead now.”

It would have been really cool if it weren’t for Ferdiel’s following words.

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