Chapter 258

257. The Method of Distinguishing Good and Evil (5)

The Street of the Gods. During this period, every major city in civilized society had what was known as a “Cathedral District.” Churches of various denominations lined the streets, with the most revered church of the nation located at the deepest part.

Taking Paltennoia as an example, Shield’s church was such a place. Passing by the temples of minor deities near the entrance, larger churches gradually appeared, and at the very end stood Shield’s massive church.

The so-called “Cathedral of Ashes.” In Paltennoia, where sunlight barely penetrates even at noon, this temple embodies the will to honor the sun from the ground up. Under the overcast sky, the dim sunlight scattered into an ashen hue as it struck the pale marble.

Fernandez briskly climbed the grand staircase. Each step was densely inscribed with verses from Shield’s scripture. Soon, a massive door finished in brass came into view.

– Creak.

The door, without a latch, opened lightly. Inside was a temple illuminated by stained glass depicting the Bible, casting a spectrum of colors. As the door opened, a chime rang, and soon a robed monk appeared from afar.

“Excuse me, but today is a day of abstinence.”

“Do not worry, I have not come as a believer.”

– Click.

Fernandez took out a rosary from his pocket and raised it. Seeing the sacred object bearing the emblem of Vaitas, the monk’s face stiffened.

“Brother, official visits should be made through the diocese. What is this rudeness?”

“Time is pressing, so I came directly. I wish to meet the Archbishop of the diocese.”

“The Archbishop is currently absent. Please return after making an appointment.”

“I smell alcohol.”

“…What?”

As Fernandez took a big step forward, the monk stumbled back.

“W-what are you doing?”

“The smell of alcohol. Not sacramental wine… but distilled spirits. Strong ones. Whiskey?”

“…What nonsense! Leave at once!”

Fernandez grabbed the monk’s hand and growled.

“Is this happening throughout the entire diocese?”

“I-I had a drink, yes! So what! Is it a sin to rest on a day of abstinence? The Lord did not forbid drinking!”

“But if it’s medicine, then no. This smell… it’s not just alcohol.”

Diemonica’s sense of smell could distinguish one person’s scent among dozens. If it was a familiar scent, even more precisely. And Fernandez was deeply knowledgeable in pharmacology.

“Derris herb. Not just any herb for distilled spirits. Drinking medicated spirits in broad daylight. Are you in your right mind?”

“S-slander! And by what authority!”

“I am an Inquisition Officer of Vaitas, a second-class Inquisition Officer of Religiosa Diemonica. Even by rank alone, I am equivalent to an Archbishop, and this authority is guaranteed by the Temple of the Gods. Priest of Shield. State your rank and name.”

“…Father. Jean Berson.”

“Father Jean Berson. I must breach the church’s protocol and meet the Archbishop directly. Where is the Archbishop now?”

Overwhelmed by Fernandez’s presence, the priest stammered and eventually led the way with a resigned expression.

* * *

The inner sanctum of the cathedral. In the Archbishop’s room, adorned with a grand statue and ornate candlesticks, thick smoke was rising. Even before turning the doorknob, Fernandez frowned.

The smell of various drugs mixed together. Just inhaling the vapor made his nose tingle sweetly. Extremely potent narcotics.

“Huh? Who’s there?”

In the midst of the narcotic haze, an old man puffing on a water pipe was visible. His eyes were faintly glazed, and his robe was half undone. The distinctive purple silk of an Archbishop was scattered about.

“Archbishop. A priest from Vaitas has requested an audience.”

“Huh? A brother from Vaitas? Oh dear. Hehe. What a sight!”

The Archbishop staggered to his feet but then collapsed, exclaiming, “Ouch!” Fernandez approached him silently and locked eyes.

“What is this, Archbishop?”

“That’s what I want to know. Are you aware of how rude this is?”

Suddenly, the Archbishop’s eyes gleamed sharply, a mix of narcotic-induced neurosis and mania. With his pupils dilated, he hummed as he spoke.

“To visit the Archbishop of a diocese without notice and commit such rudeness! Even the Emperor couldn’t do this!”

“The Emperor couldn’t. But I can.”

Fernandez sighed briefly and waved his hand. As the Archbishop gasped, the air cleared instantly. The herbs burning at the end of the water pipe sizzled and extinguished.

Fernandez took out a flask from his waist and poured it over the Archbishop’s face. With a splutter, the Archbishop shook his head.

When he opened his eyes again, reason had returned. He looked as if he had aged decades in a short time.

“You’ve learned magic. An Inquisition Officer of Vaitas… from Enmagika?”

“Diemonica.”

“Not magic, but a relic then.”

The Archbishop sighed briefly and sat down. It was a given that Diemonica’s body could not harbor magic, so there was no need to correct his misunderstanding. As Fernandez stood silently, the Archbishop looked at him with a bitter smile.

“It must be a relic. A relic capable of restoring reason, yes. A necessary relic for the Diemonica. I see why you’ve come to this old man…”

“Let’s get to the point quickly.”

– Thud.

Fernandez pulled up a chair. He spun his greatsword and drove it into the floor. The hard stone floor gave way effortlessly as the blade sank in heavily.

Click, and the rosary hanging from a small chain above it burned and descended. Watching the flickering shadow of the rosary under the candlelight, the Archbishop clicked his tongue.

“Are you here to confess?”

“With the authority of the Church’s proxy jurisdiction, sinner, begin your defense.”

“A few years ago, our church would not have recognized your jurisdiction. But… well, it’s rather fortunate now.”

The Archbishop closed his eyes and knelt properly. Beneath his still-dripping hair, the old Archbishop’s wrinkles contorted.

“I started taking drugs and drinking three months ago.”

“What happened?”

“Many things… truly, many things.”

The Archbishop’s words trailed off as he delved deeper into the past.

* * *

Any incident starts from a small spark. The incident that came to the Shield diocese of Paltennoia was no different.

“The Emperor requested an audience. He had been having strange nightmares every night, wondering if they were omens.”

“What kind of nightmares?”

“Very strange dreams. A pure white centipede falling from the sky…”





It was a dream of coming down and embracing people. They said it came down with an indescribable halo of light, in a fearful and strange appearance. But strangely, they said it made them feel at ease.

Fernandez’s face stiffened. A white centipede?

“I judged it to be a symptom of anxiety due to the recent complex changes in the international situation and the weakening of the royal authority. It seemed that the royal physician’s help was needed rather than mine. Speaking of which, the Emperor is already receiving the royal physician’s prescription.”

“The royal physician.”

“He was angry, saying the medicines given by the court physicians were useless. The Emperor seemed severely alcoholic. He didn’t do drugs, but his face was red and his eyes were yellow from the alcohol.”

The Bishop shook his head and continued calmly.

“I performed a simple consecration and sent the Emperor away. Since then, he came every three days, and each time his temper grew sharper. He said it was no help at all. Then one day, he came with a pale face, dressed neatly, and said he no longer needed my help.”

“Did he shake it off himself?”

“Would it be right to say he shook it off? No, it wasn’t shaking off. It was more like being possessed. The Emperor said he no longer needed my help.”

Thinking of that appearance, there was definitely something strange about the Emperor. An indescribable, peculiar atmosphere. It wasn’t just the natural dignity of the ruler of the Empire.

It was a strange sense of alienation. A strange sense of alienation that humans don’t feel. In the heart of the old and faithful Bishop, a suspicion arose. A sense of alienation that ‘he was possessed by a demon.’

“Why didn’t you request the Inquisition Office?”

“The Emperor could read minds. The moment I saw the Emperor’s face, he saw my mind. He whispered to me.”

[Try your best.]

With a bitter smile, the Emperor said that and left. Of course, the Bishop sent messengers. By all possible means.

To the Papacy of Shield, to the Papacy of Vaitas, to the council hall, and to the Inquisition Office.

“But such reports…….”

“Yes! Such reports wouldn’t even be accepted! I only found out later!”

The Bishop shouted, raising his voice. In his eyes, a mix of injustice, sadness, pain, and madness flowed intensely.

“Like that, a week, then a fortnight, and finally a month passed without a reply. I kept sending, kept sending. All possible messengers. I even carefully selected the most trustworthy ones and secretly sent spies to the upper ranks. But there was no reply, I tell you!”

Was he abandoned?

The Shield Diocese of Paltennoia is one of the largest and most authoritative dioceses in the Church. If he, as the Bishop of such a position and an elected cardinal, was abandoned by the Church itself, it would be unthinkable.

Then what happened? Was it because the subject was the Emperor, requiring a somewhat cautious approach from the Church’s standpoint? At that time, strange phenomena were happening every moment.

Occasionally, swarms of rats would invade the streets, causing disturbances.

The newly harvested grains all rotted, and flies swarmed.

A strange plague never seen before spread, completely closing off a district of the capital.

The sewage treatment plant had frequent accidents, causing a shortage of workers.

And then, about a month and a half later. The Emperor came to him.

[Follow me.]

The Emperor’s face was now completely pale. Beyond the signs of alcohol and illness, it now looked almost like a corpse. With a wax-like stiff face and a slight smile, the Emperor escorted him somewhere.

It wasn’t the Imperial Palace. Somewhere…… blindfolded and dragged around, the Bishop was led to a strange cave he had never seen before. Soon, the blindfold was removed from his eyes. And what he saw…….

“That blood…… that flesh…… how should I describe it? How should I say it correctly?”

“Hell.”

“Yes. It was hell……. Hell rampant on earth…….”

Blood and flesh were scattered everywhere. Like fish on a market stall. Literally ‘scattered.’ Wax-pale people moved among them, recording something or fiddling with things.

When he recovered from the visual shock, only one thing came to his mind. ‘Laboratory.’ It looked like a magic workshop unfolded by a mad artist in a crude style.

On the ceiling, the floor, and the pillars, something wriggled and hung.

“Dear God. I wish it wasn’t so. It was…… probably human.”

The Emperor smiled kindly at the despairing Bishop. He flicked his red tongue and whispered in the Bishop’s ear. You will be the last.

But everyone who met you went ahead of you. Look at the path before you. They are your future.

“Those experimental subjects?”

“Right. They were…… the most trustworthy messengers and spies I sent. The reason there was no contact with the outside? Simple! The Emperor used them all…… to conduct some experiment. How long had it been? How many people had died in there? Huh?”

The Bishop shouted in anger, then bowed his head with a resigned face.

After that, he secluded himself, meeting no one. Those who contacted him, even for the smallest things, never appeared before him the next day.

It was his fault. The Bishop thought so. It was my fault. It was my foolishness.

“So you will be the same. Ah, Lord. Lord…….”

The Bishop fumbled and picked up the fallen liquor bottle on the table. Most of it had spilled, and only a little remained, but even that seemed precious as he trembled and licked the bottle’s mouth.

Fernandez slowly reached out and grabbed his liquor bottle.

“Ah?”

“It is said, even the small flowers under the bushes stretch out to the sunlight and look up to the sky.”

“……Thus, in wind and service, there is no distinction of high and low, only exhaustion. Also……”

“Also. The Lord’s virtue is like sunlight, shining on high mountains and wide fields without discrimination.”

“……Therefore, in the Lord’s embrace, we are all precious sheep, and Lord Shield is our good father.”

Fernandez stood the liquor bottle upright and got up from his seat. He pulled out the sword stuck in the floor and swung it, making the Bishop flinch.

“By the authority guaranteed by the Temple of the Gods, I judge you innocent. Bishop of Shield.”

“I am a sinner. My lack of virtue and arrogance created many victims.”

“How can the wronged plead for the sinner before the one who acted. Only one. If there is a sinner, it is not you.”

“What do you intend to do? The Emperor will come for you.”

“Let him.”

While trying to grasp the situation and pondering how to infiltrate, it’s better if they take the offensive first. Fernandez turned his back and grabbed the doorknob of the prayer room.

A frantic voice came from behind.

“You will be killed! The opponent is not just a fallen noble of the secular world. The Emperor is…… a demon!”

“And I am Religiosa Diemonica (Demon Hunter).”

-Creak.

The rusty hinge of the door creaked and closed. At that moment, Faijashi whispered.

-You’re doing something cute.

‘Right. As a senior in the industry, I should set an example.’

Small as the Emperor, but big as a demon…… probably, if there is a being equivalent to a High Demon.

As a Demon Hunter. No, as a senior Demon Summoner, I will go.

Hearing Faijashi’s snort, Fernandez strode and roughly opened the church door.

A city under a wide, ashen sky unfolded before his eyes.