Dark Fantasy Paladin

Chapter 7

Dark Fantasy Paladin Chapter 7

Episode 7.

I ran for a full day without stopping.

Even Iden and Petra, who had monster-like stamina, could go beyond this.

It’s a good thing, but in fact, I don’t remember getting a good night’s sleep on the way from the village with Ted to here.

It’s well past midnight. Iden and Euron were resting in the granary area near their destination.

The two horses tussled and let out heavy breaths. I thought it was a very good thing that I had left all my belongings, including the Holy Gap and the Holy Sword, with the procession.

“I was really surprised.”

Euron witnessed Iden throwing herself into the blue flames. It faded away in an instant, but by then Aiden’s whole body had already burned down.

“I’m sorry to say this, but honestly, I thought you were dead.”

The burning flames of Xerath burn until the sinners on the judgment stand are reduced to a handful of ashes.

It was a flame that even Xerath himself could not extinguish, but Iden could not understand why it was still intact.

“Let’s listen to what we said earlier in detail.”

Euron opened his mouth as he put dry branches into the campfire.

“As soon as the fire spread to Aiden’s body, the flame disappeared in an instant. The Lord lost his mind and the interrogator looked very embarrassed. “To be honest, it was my first time seeing that expression on his face.”

The flame is gone? That in itself made no sense.

“Disappeared?”

“Yes, I saw it clearly with my own two eyes. “It flashed blue and then disappeared in an instant.”

It was quite different from the setting in the game. There was a need to meet with Xerath and check separately.

“Did you say anything about the child?”

“You weren’t there. I also know his nickname well. Fire. “I don’t know why someone who claims that even nobles must be purified by fire saved the child.”

The nobles feared Xerath, calling him a fire demon. This is because they impose the standards that apply to commoners on themselves.

“It was a coincidence that I met you.”

“Rather than that, the interrogator seemed to know Yuriel’s movements. He put the Lord on the back of his horse and headed straight for the procession.”

No separate questions were asked about bishops and necromancers. Because Euron won’t know. The reason Xerath went straight to the church headquarters was probably to investigate.

“The interrogator asked me to tell you to see him at the church.”

Although the circumstances were roughly understood, questions still remained. The first thing to do was to meet Xerath.

“Okay, so keep your eyes closed. “I go into the city as soon as the sun rises.”

Iden took a break by leaning against a tree. I couldn’t sleep.

*

Arheim, a city governed by the Vatican, was territorially within the empire, but was a kind of independent country where the Pope had independent governance.

The canals running around the outskirts of the city and the granary areas beyond them brought prosperity, and the constant foot traffic throughout the year created a treasure trove of culture.

A prosperous country. That’s what they called Arheim in the empire.

Iden and Euron entered the entrance to the drawbridge leading to the city.

Because the inspection process was extremely strict, the drawbridge was always crowded with people.

Merchant, pilgrim, adventurer, traveler, priest…etc. Today too, there was a long line that stretched like a tail.

Aiden rode his horse into a separate passageway on the left side of the bridge.

“Stop!”

People paid attention to the words of the guard guarding the place.

“It is not a road that anyone can enter. Go back and wait your turn.”

Aiden’s behavior was beyond words. The tunic was blackened and torn in several places.

With Uriel’s help, the burns were healed, but he looked like a monster.

As Iden continued to ride, the guard drew his sword.

“If you approach any further than that, I will arrest you according to the law!”

Iden slowed down and took out a seal from her pocket and showed it to him.

“you’ve worked hard.”

The guard who saw the pattern quickly saluted.

“sorry! “We will just verify your identity and let you through right away.”

“He’s a paladin. “My name is Aiden.”

As soon as he heard the name, the guard looked at Aiden as if he was a little surprised.

“I have heard the name well. It’s an honor to meet you. But he came in accompanied by the Sachilie family…”

“I came first because it was an urgent matter. “Would you please open the door?”

“Oh, we’ll open it right now.”

As the guard nodded toward the official residence, the iron gate blocking the path rattled up.

The guard handed me something.

“This is the mission that Xerath requested.”

The scroll of parchment was sealed to prevent anyone from opening it.

“I was told to check it immediately upon receiving it.”

Aiden unwrapped the scroll. We headed straight to Xerath’s private residence.

*

“You always come sooner than expected.”

Xerath’s private residence was spacious but simple enough to be bare. There were hardly any users to be seen.

He sat across from Aiden and offered her tea. The spicy peppermint scent spread throughout the room.

“Why don’t you smell like people are living there?”

“Isn’t it because you rarely stay in Arheim?”

Xerath wandered throughout the empire. As a watchdog of the religious order, he hunted down heretics and sometimes judged the devil.

The places he passed were always full of the smell of coal.

“That’s right. I hated staying in the Holy Kingdom. Some say this is the root of the cult. Isn’t it funny? “The roots, which should be the cleanest, are dirtier than any other place.”

Xerath raised his teacup and continued.

“I feel like my faith is being denied when I stay here.”

Xerath took a quick look at Iden’s expression.

“Do you know why I’m telling you this?”

“I do not know.”

“Actually, I was conflicted as soon as I came here. Faith and practicality. It’s up to you which one to choose between the two. “That’s also why I called you right away.”

Xerath stood up and motioned for me to follow him. The destination was the basement of the mansion.

The damp moisture of the basement clung to Aiden’s skin. The cold emanating from the stone floor chilled my bones.

Forel and the necromancer were hanging from a rope that had come down from the ceiling.

There were tools lined up on the table right in front of me, and they were in such terrible shapes that I didn’t want to guess their purpose.

“Is life still attached?”

“They cannot die until God allows it.”

At the sound of Iden and Xerath’s voices, Forel and the necromancer went into fits of rage. Please kill me. I twisted my whole body, begging for death.

He looked a little out of human form, as if something had happened to him.

“It took less than ten hours for them to confess their true feelings. “As soon as the bishop pulled out the fingernail, he opened his mouth.”

Xerath approached the necromancer.

“Do you still serve the demon god?”

The necromancer shook his head desperately. He could not speak because he had no tongue.

“If it is true, God will guide your soul. Please repent until then.”

Xerath left the fussing necromancer behind and looked at Iden.

“The bishop was obsessed with lust and joined hands with heretics. “The condition of the deal was to exchange you for the numerous children kidnapped by the Demon Cult.”

To necromancers, paladins were more desirable than anything else.

It was enough to give away the dozens of children collected for offerings for free.

There was no such thing as an altar to begin with. It’s all a scheme of the bishop and the necromancer. Bishops needed children and sorcerers needed paladins.

“But who would have thought that a just-commissioned paladin could defeat a dark warrior?”

The ambush was at Aiden’s level of power.

Aiden was dizzy. I couldn’t believe it, but Forel was actually committing apostasy.

Even if we let this matter pass, it was very unpleasant to see that the characters’ actions and the development of the situation were askew.

“Anyway, the outline is roughly like this. From now on we must struggle between practicality and faith.”

Xerath pointed to the bishop.

“An unexpected name came out of Forel’s mouth. Archbishop Tegain. “I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”

Archbishop Tegain was one of the leaders of the moderate faction of the church.

Currently, the Holy Synod is abuzz with discussions about the Holy Land Restoration Expedition. The radical priests strongly expressed their desire to go to war, while the moderates opposed it, saying it was too early.

If things go according to the original flow, the first expedition will be canceled. I had to do that this time too.

“…If the archbishop is caught up in the allegations, the moderates will be dealt a blow.”

“That’s right. If the moderate faction collapses, an expedition led by the radical faction will become a fait accompli. “I agree with reclaiming the stolen sacred sites, but I don’t think that’s possible right now.”

The Holy Land referred to the land beyond the continent. A territory that our ancestors lost to the devil 200 years ago. Now it has become a devil-infested world.

“What do you think?”

Aiden answered in a somewhat stern tone.

“Not now.”

“Does that mean we are turning a blind eye to Archbishop Tegain’s allegations?”

“You have to look beyond the target. “A lot of blood will be shed just to catch one apostate.”

Xerath gave a subtle smile.

“What if? What if I report it to the church and start an investigation right away? “Then what will you do?”

Aiden answered without hesitation.

“I swear to God, I will stop you, Master.”

“how?”

“Even if it involves blood.”

It was something I couldn’t back down even an inch from. Expedition only once. When everything was in place, we had to rush in in an instant.

It was definitely not now.

This was something that had to be accomplished even if it meant killing Xerath. Iden did not have the confidence to persuade this fanatic with words.

On the other hand, Xeras burst into laughter.

“You really have no hesitation. “He has no hesitation in his beliefs.”

Then he shook his head as if he was fed up.

“I guess that was the difference between you and me.”

Iden was embarrassed by the sudden change in mood.

“You probably have questions, but you never ask. Don’t you know my nickname well? A demon that kills people by burning them. “I am the first to overturn the judgment.”

Xerath recalled the past. I thought of a younger brother who was deluded by the devil, cutting out the hearts of his parents and siblings with a knife and offering them to the devil.

He crouched under the bed and watched everything. My younger brother clearly drank holy water, but why? Such questions had no meaning.

I watched the tragedy. Even though he was born with a blue flame, he hesitated.

Xerath calmly told the story and snapped his fingers.

The flame did not ignite anywhere.

“The moment you jumped in to save the child, I hesitated again. You didn’t hesitate for a moment. God gives you one chance, but not a second time. “I have disappointed God.”

Changyeom’s firewood is his faith. If you are confident in yourself, the flame will burn forever, but the moment you have doubts, it will die out.

“God has taken away the flames.”

Xerath looked somewhat relieved.

“They will re-award it to someone else who is qualified.”

Iden didn’t know Xerath’s secret story. The development of the disappearance of authority was also unfamiliar.

The stem of the story was moving in the direction I remembered, but the branches were becoming tangled.

“anyway. If you are so steadfast this time, please lead them to God.”

If it is a matter related to the Demon God Church, the investigative authority is transferred to a higher special task force.

Forel cannot withstand their interrogation. There was a very high probability that all the way up to the top would be involved.

‘If the moderates collapse, they will perish.’

Of course, they must have made their own preparations. However, Iden did not want to leave behind even the slightest element of anxiety.

“Master, do you agree?”

“I told you. I’m conflicted again. Please forgive your pathetic teacher for delaying your decision.”

“Forgive me and go to sleep. This is the path for everyone.”

Aiden stood in front of the two criminals.

“Will you forgive their sins and lead them to God?”

“I don’t know about that.”

However, these two people must disappear.Iden grabbed the mace that was lying on the table.

The moment I was about to hit it, Iden felt a rush of heat.

“God answered you.”

Xerath smiled in satisfaction.

A pale, searing flame was fluttering quietly.