Chapter 26
Auriel lowered her head, showing no intention of resistance.
Seeing the soldiers approach to restrain her, Bishop Juda felt a slight sense of relief.
“Thank goodness. If she had resisted, it would have been such a hassle…”
Auriel possessed powers comparable to that of a saint.
Juda was well aware that if she seriously fought back, there would inevitably be casualties on his side.
Of course, as a clergyman with little combat ability, the outcome wouldn’t change, but still, avoiding unnecessary trouble was always preferable.
With time seemingly under control, Juda observed the situation with satisfaction.
At that moment…
-A flash!-
“Huh?”
“What… what’s that?”
Suddenly, a golden light shot up into the sky.
It came from within Auriel’s arms, startling the bishop, priests, and soldiers.
For a moment, they worried that she had unleashed some kind of holy magic.
But nothing happened.
The golden light vanished without any special effect or pain.
Slightly baffled but dismissive, the bishop gave his orders to the hesitant soldiers.
“What are you doing? It’s nothing. Seize her already.”
“Y-yes, Bishop!”
The soldiers snapped out of their daze and approached Auriel once again.
Then…
“Ugh!”
“Argh… ugh!”
“Huh?”
“What the…?”
Suddenly, the soldiers began clutching their throats, collapsing one after another.
It was as if an invisible force was strangling them.
“W-what is this…?”
Auriel remained still, just as surprised as everyone else, staring wide-eyed at the fallen soldiers.
From her demeanor, it was clear that she wasn’t responsible for the attack.
“Could it be… that light earlier…?”
Juda suspected that perhaps the light was an artifact wielding unknown power, one Auriel herself was unaware of.
But then…
“No, that was just a flare.”
“!”
His thoughts were interrupted by a man’s voice.
The massive presence emanating from behind him made Juda’s spine tingle.
A large, coarse hand rested on his shoulder.
The sheer weight and force behind the grip rendered him immobile.
“Wh-who… who are you?”
Juda stammered, unable to turn his head.
The man gradually applied pressure, speaking in an eerily calm voice.
“You just saw me earlier. Guess your memory’s as trash as your morals.”
“! No… wait… aaagh!”
The unimaginable pain crushed Juda’s shoulder as if it were a piece of soft fruit.
He instinctively tried to summon his aura to defend himself but…
“W-what the…? No…!”
The aura shattered effortlessly.
The raw, overwhelming power destroyed his shoulder, leaving him writhing in agony on the ground.
“Arrrghhh!”
Juda screamed and writhed, unable to think about healing or escape.
The pain was all-encompassing.
The man left him there, walking forward calmly.
Auriel, seeing the figure in the crow mask, gasped.
“H-how are you… here…?”
The man responded as he approached her.
“That’s what I’d like to ask. I didn’t think you’d use it after all.”
“I’m sorry… I was wrong… You told me the truth, but I…”
“No need to apologize. Honestly, I wouldn’t have believed me either. If a stranger said my family would betray me, I wouldn’t have listened.”
“Ugh…”
His blunt acknowledgment of reality made Auriel tremble.
“Let’s save the details for later. First, let’s clean up this mess.”
“C-clean up? What do you mean?”
Auriel glanced nervously at the fallen bishop and soldiers.
“Y-you’re not going to kill them, are you?”
“What, still attached to this scum?”
“It’s not that! But murder is… And the kidnappers earlier were one thing, but killing them now would make things irreparable! Killing more than three people in Bennessa automatically results in the death penalty!”
“The laws I follow say trash like this deserves to be beaten to death.”
“Stop spouting nonsense! You’re not a king! You can’t just make laws like…!”
At that moment, the man slowly removed his crow mask.
Auriel, who had only caught glimpses of his face before, now saw him clearly.
Recognizing the golden hair and beard, her face filled with shock.
“Y-you’re…!”
The man smirked, his presence exuding authority and power.
“I can. Because I’m the King of the Sea.”
__
“See? This is why people need talent to succeed.”
“Just you wait… I may have stepped aside this time, but someday, I’ll be the one in that spot.”
As feelings of envy filled the remaining nobles, they silently wished for their chance to come soon.
At that moment…
-Thud!-
“Huh?”
Suddenly, a hand emerged from the carriage window.
It casually grabbed Marquis Zavanni’s head.
And then…
-Smash!!!-
“?!”
“What… what the hell?”
The marquis’s head shattered like an eggshell, blood spraying everywhere as his body crumpled to the ground.
The onlookers froze in shock, their faces pale with terror.
Then…
-Bang!-
The carriage door flew off with a sharp noise.
But instead of the expected Auriel, a man stepped out.
Wearing a black crow mask, the figure slowly emerged from the carriage.
Instead of the anticipated joyous time with the nun, something had clearly gone terribly wrong.
The nobles were overwhelmed by confusion and fear.
“Wh-who are you?! Do you have any idea where you are?!”
“Where? Your graves.”
With those words, the figure began channeling magic into both hands.
The oppressive aura radiating from him made the nobles shudder as they frantically shouted for their guards.
“Wh-what are the guards doing?!”
“There’s an intruder! Stop him immediately!”
Hearing the commotion, armed guards—some wielding swords, others firearms, and even mid-level mana users—rushed toward the intruder.
The security seemed tight, as expected for an event involving high-ranking nobles.
But then…
-BOOM!!!-
The intruder swung his fist toward the guards.
The golden shockwave that erupted swept through them in an instant.
“H-how is this possible…?”
“Wh-who is this person…?”
The guards, who had arrived in haste, were quickly knocked to the ground.
Whether they were dead or unconscious was unclear, but none of them moved after that devastating strike.
The nobles, witnessing this unimaginable scene, were filled with a newfound emotion: despair.
They realized that if they stayed, they might meet the same fate—or worse, end up like Marquis Zavanni with their heads smashed to pieces.
Marquis Reit, the de facto leader of the remaining nobles, felt a chill run down his spine as the masked man approached.
Trembling, he tried to reason with him.
“L-look here… W-why are you doing this? Surely this is a misunderstanding… W-we were only following orders from His Holiness the Pope!”
Seizing on this “justification,” the other nobles chimed in frantically.
“Y-yes! We were merely assisting in completing the relic as per His Holiness’s orders!”
“It’s true! Unlike Marquis Zavanni, we harbored no ill intentions! We were simply participating in a sacred ritual!”
Moments ago, they had scoffed at the significance of the relic.
But now, their supposed piety became their sole hope for survival.
Surely following orders from the Pope himself was justification enough, wasn’t it?
The masked man’s voice was calm as he replied.
“So, everyone here gathered solely for the purpose of completing the relic. Then… does that mean you’re all still willing to do whatever it takes to finish it?”
“O-of course!”
“We are devout followers of God! If it’s for His Holiness and the will of God, there’s nothing we wouldn’t do!”
Desperation fueled their declarations of faith, though their sincerity was dubious at best.
The masked man seemed to consider their words, his tone remaining even.
“Very well. If your will is so resolute, I’ll honor it.”
“Ah!”
“T-thank you…?”
Relieved that their lives might be spared, the nobles even dared to feel a flicker of hope.
Perhaps the intruder was merely here for the relic.
Maybe things were simply out of order, but it might still be possible to proceed with their plans involving Auriel.
Smiles of anticipation crept onto their faces.
Then…
“Bring it here.”
“Y-yes! R-right away!”
At his command, a trembling priest rushed to the back of the carriage and retrieved something.
When the nobles saw what he brought out…
Their faces froze in horror.
“W-what… is that?”
“T-this… this can’t be…”
What lay before them was none other than Bishop Juda, his limbs crushed and his body barely clinging to life.
The masked man’s voice turned cold.
“What are you waiting for? I’ve brought the material. Go ahead and complete it.”
“!”
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