Chapter 138: The Knight Is Using the Whip? (3)

“First, let me apologize to you. I’m so sorry.”

“Please don’t bow your head like that. It makes me feel like I’m the bad guy here…”

Seeing the old priest who was bowing his head so low made Lee Han feel guilty. His heart pricked seeing the old man, or rather, a man so old that he could be called ancient, a 116 years old man, apologizing to him so sincerely like this.

Because of that, he tried to get him up, but the old man…

“Age has no meaning in the face of a mistake. Besides, by principle, an older person is supposed to lead an example and apologize when they made a mistake.”

“…I’ve known this already, but you really are a real adult.”

The old man’s manners left Lee Han in awe. Once again, he realized how outstanding he was as an adult compared to the other adults he had ever seen in this world.

Feeling more favorable towards the old man now, Lee Han opened his mouth again.

“…Really, I just worked hard because you gave me a deposit. When I looked into it, the holy water you gave me was the highest-grade one that took three years to make. The price was also astronomical.”

To explain it in martial arts terms, the highest-grade holy water was something like ‘Shaolin Great Rejuvenation Pills¹’ or ‘Void Stalactite Milk²’. In other words, it was a precious elixir that no money could buy. It was a treasure that wouldn’t only cure all kinds of diseases, but also grant someone a healthy life afterwards. Its value was comparable to pure troll’s blood.

For a knight who made a living with a sword, it was like gaining an extra life, so receiving this felt like an excessive down payment, a way too satisfactory of a deal.

Moreover…

“In my opinion, that kind of down payment is too excessive for dealing with those kids. A few gold coins would be more appropriate.”

“They are valuable combat personnel of the temple, though, hehehe.”

“…Those guys?”

That statement made Lee Han raise his eyebrows.

It was only natural. After all…

“Even a group of idiots are more notable than them, though?”

Except for one guy, they were all atrocious.

Though his evaluation was borderline mockery, the weak guys…

“Ugh…”

“K-Kill me…”

“Ack… Ughhh…”

Could do nothing but howl in agony, like a pack of beasts.

“…”

The only one Lee Han could evaluate as decent was the red-haired priest who was able to endure more pain than others as he closed his eyes.

“…”

…At that moment, Raphael looked at the red-haired priest, Pierre, with a sad look.

“You must have heard that you are being accused of heresy, brother.”

“That gnoll-like statement is actually true?”

“Embarrassingly, yes.”

“Okay, that’s just scary. How could someone who’s just living normally in this world suddenly get suspected, and get his life threatened? How could one live in this world when this kind of thing could happen?”

“…It’s due to the temple’s lack of virtue.”

“Hmm…”

Lee Han recalled the battle priest’s words three days ago, when he accused him as an heretic.

If I remember correctly…

“They’re suspicious of me because I came out of nowhere and raked in those achievements, aren’t they?”

“That’s merely a superficial reason.”

“?”

“The real reason the Heretic Inquisition suddenly designated you as a heretic is because some high-ranking priests and cardinals in the temple had delusions that they were harmed by you.”

“What the…?”

That answer was the kind of nonsense that left Lee han speechless.

Seeing Lee Han blinked in bewilderment, Raphael let out a sigh for the first time. A rare sight, considering that he had never lost his composure so far.

“…It may sound like an excuse, but it hasn’t even been two days since I found out why you were labeled a heretic. Before that, I just decided to make my move because the brothers in the Interrogation Department were acting suspiciously and seemed to be targeting you.”

“So, you were protecting me?”

For Lee Han, this was a surprising revelation. Of course, assuming that he wasn’t lying.

He volunteered to act like a shield for me?

To summarize, Raphael was protecting Lee Han, who was being targeted by the temple without even knowing why.

Now that the reason why the old man visited him every day was revealed, Lee Han felt both gratitude and a strange feeling toward him. After all, they were merely strangers. But, there was another emotion that came before those two.

“Why?”

Why did he protect him? That ‘curiosity’ came first. Before they met, they were just complete strangers. Why did he decide to act as his shield and go against the temple’s wishes? Not to mention that he was also the most senior person in the temple.

To this question, Raphael…

“Isn’t it obvious? What can’t I do for someone who has been wrongfully accused? I am a worthless human, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t move.”

“…”

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t help you much, and my weak body is inadequate to stop them. I needlessly caused you to suffer. Even though I gave you the holy water, that’s still worth less than an innocent man’s body and the emotional wounds you almost suffered for no reason. If anything, the holy water is nothing more than a cheap consolation prize.”

“…No, I am satisfied enough with it.”

“Are you trying to console me, brother?”

“No…”

He had realized this before, but…

This man is a real and proper adult…

Lee Han exclaimed in admiration, thinking that he had finally met an adult he could respect for the rest of his life other than his grandfather.

The old man’s attitude of a self-sacrificing saint who’d help others without even trying to look for a reason was an attitude that no one could imitate. Naturally, Lee Han was in awe.

Someone like him…

Is someone worthy of being called a ‘great man’.

There were many people who unintentionally became Raphael’s eyes and ears all over the temple. Even now, those people still respected him and treated him like a cardinal. Naturally, he was thankful towards these helpful people, and thanks to that, he learned of the temple’s corruption not long after he made his new resolve.

What he managed to find out about the corruption was none other than…

“To summarize, the high-ranking priests of the temple…”

They had a ‘share in the Tunnel’.

“So, when that share becomes a wasted piece of paper due to the Tunnel’s collapse, they get angry at me and declare me a heretic?”

The Tunnel was a prison to the worst of criminals and also the largest fertilizer production site in the Southern Continent. Due to its nature, it also became a perfect place for someone to hide their dirty money to avoid the royal family’s eyes. In other words, it was a ‘safe asset’, like gold which value would never go down.

And to take advantage of this, the high priests of the temple bought shares in the Tunnel, and it just happened that…

…I turned it into dust.

They probably thought that the Tunnel would never collapse in their lifetime.

And yet, it took only one—no, two knights to collapse the place that possessed a hundred years of history. Those who invested in the Tunnel probably suffered losses comparable to the guys who invested a ton during the [Dutch Tulip Mania³] at the very least.

It was an unexpected situation, and it wasn’t hard to understand why they ended up hating him, but…

“How could members of a religious organization order someone’s assassination because they lost some money? They even sent guys who are supposed to punish the heretics.”

“…”

“There’s no way that the temple didn’t know that the Tunnel was a real ‘den of heretics’.”

“…They knew.”

“And yet they are holding me responsible?”

“…”

“Is this right…?”

“…Even if I had two mouths, I have nothing to say.”

“Wow… Really?”

“…”

“I’m going crazy… I don’t even know what to say.”

He took the old man’s silence as affirmation. This time, he was truly surprised and lost his cool. Yes, he could understand that someone would be angry if they had lost their property, and it was normal for them to vent their anger on the person who caused it.

However…

For the people of the temple to do something like that…?

A bunch of religious guys who are proud to believe in God in a world where God really exists?

I’m not getting pranked, right? Is there a hidden camera nearby?

That doubt came to mind, so Lee Han ended up hitting his forehead.

…It hurts.

Through history lessons, Lee Han had learned how terrible it could be when religion became corrupt. However, he only learned about it, and he had never actually experienced it. To him, it was like stories more than anything.

However, now that he directly experienced the ‘corruption’ and ‘degeneration’ of religion, he came to fully understand with his whole body that the depravity and unpleasantness were beyond imagination.

It was so bad that the back of his neck had turned cold…

“Wow, just wow…”

He was even amazed.

Now I understand why they told me to not get involved with the temple if possible.

Blackie the Regressor and Timid the Status Window Guy. Those two guys both had warned him about the temple.

-Don’t get involved with the temple, Instructor.

-Be careful of the temple, Instructor.

Now he knew why they said that.

Those fuckers are more stinky than I imagined. Like ‘filthy dregs that stink worse than filth’.

“It’s really regrettable… I never thought something like this would happen while I was away for a moment…”

“…It’s not your fault, is it?”

According to the information Lee Han received from the guild, after he stepped down from his position as a cardinal, Raphael had been on a pilgrimage. For 7 whole years, he had only been spreading the word of God, living in line with nature.

But then he suddenly returned one day…

It was like a big shot in politics that had announced his retirement, suddenly returned to the scene.

“Was the reason you returned and became an inquisitor related to the current temple’s corruption?”

“That’s right. I didn’t think something like this would happen in just 7 years…”

“Hmm, I don’t think that’s the case.”

“Huh?”

“The corruption must have been progressing slowly, you just didn’t know it. After all, it’s not normal for such a huge organization to become corrupt in just 7 years. This means, the progression has been happening in secret, everyone’s been doing it behind your back. It’s not hard to make a fool of one person with just 5 people, let alone more…”

“…”

“Or I could be wrong.”

“…Heheh, no, that sounds right.”

Raphael made a cold expression after hearing Lee Han’s words. It was as if he had gained enlightenment from his words.

“Really, I was so indolent and ignorant. Rather than going on a pilgrimage, I should have stayed at the temple and made an effort, even if only a little.”

“Can a person change a group by working alone? Once mold grows, its growth will be uncontrollable.”

“…Brother, you really are kind, despite how you look.”

“What’s wrong with my appearance?”

“Hahaha.”

“Are you laughing at me?”

The old priest laughed with a much more relaxed expression. It seemed as if the burden on his heart had been lightened a little by talking to the man in front of him.

Then, the knight and the old priest continued their conversation.

And that lasted for quite a while.

As their conversation was almost over, Lee Han came to know why he was accused of being a heretic and that there might be more people targeting him.

Raphael did tell him…

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll do my best to protect you.”

Though he didn’t have much of a position, he had the dignity of the oldest real adult in the temple. If he wanted to, he could act as a shield to Lee Han.

His resolution could be seen in that statement, and Lee Han was grateful for that. But…

“No, you can just let them.”

“…Brother?”

“Let them come. I need a decent sandbag anyway.”

If the temple’s fighters were of a higher level, he would’ve welcomed Raphael’s offer with open arms, but they weren’t.

So…

Even if they keep coming, they won’t cause any damage.

He deemed them as a decent sandbag to help him pass time. Besides, he already felt the limit of training by himself, so having the opportunity to fight the opponent who could utilize the unique power of [Divine Power] was a refreshing stimulus.

In addition…

If all the Heretic Inquisitors are like this bunch, they won’t ever be able to handle me.

They were atrocious.

Though he had said that jokingly to Raphael, his statement was true.

They are like the Young Masters, no, the Silver Lion.

They just put their trust on their Divine Power and go wild.

While they could bully those weaker than them, they were no match to those who were just slightly stronger than them. In other words, they were just thugs who could only believe in their Divine Power and ran wild.

That Pierre guy was pretty good though.

While the other guys just believed in their Divine Power, that guy had trained his skills and body well, treating his Divine Power as a supplementary means. His display was quite impressive, and it left Lee Han wanting to see more from him.

…However.

His mentality is rotten.

Lee Han frowned.

Indeed. The guy had great skills, but his mentality was among the worst. Just because he was at a disadvantage, no, because his defeat was certain, he immediately tried to commit suicide.

He was the type of person that Lee Han hated the most.

Disrespecting people who struggle to survive even when they live in suffering like that…

That guy might have great talent, but he was worthless as a human, so Lee Han did not hide his contempt at all.

“Hehehe, I guess that kid disappoints you deeply.”

“…Yes.”

“…Please be lenient. That kid has suffered plenty.”

“That’s not an excuse. Not even ‘He’s still young and doesn’t know the world’ is an acceptable excuse.”

“…”

“Are you wondering why I said that? It’s because I could tell by just hitting him and looking at his skeleton. Just by seeing how he keeps his ‘outer shell’ until the end, I could already tell how vicious of a guy he is.”

“…It seems like I’ll find myself to be surprised a lot while I’m together with you, Brother.”

“Well…”

While Lee Han was laughing…

Thud…

For a moment, the red-haired priest fainted again from the pain.

And then.

Paat!

Just like a snake shedding its skin, the priest’s skin peeled off and the red-haired priest’s true appearance was revealed.

He was smaller, and his skin was a little smoother—

“Um, I’m just wondering, but, is he a man because he identified himself as a man? If so, I can understand, but…”

“Is that what you’re really curious about?”

“What else do I have to be curious about?”

“…”

One should respect others’ identities, and Lee Han knew of this well.

…Although, though he’d respect others’ identities, that still wouldn’t stop him from raising his fist. After all, his fists were fair to all genders.