Ch.124Ill Fate (7)

Kain woke up from his sleep. A monk with a deeply pulled hood whispered quietly.

“I apologize for disturbing your rest.”

“What is it?”

“One of the priests we arrested has taken his own life.”

Kain didn’t ask anything more. He followed the monk’s guidance toward the prison. The foul smell like a stable completely chased away his drowsiness.

The interior was spacious, perhaps a building that had been used as barracks. Unlike typical prisons, this place separated cells with iron mesh instead of stone walls. This was supposedly to detect witches or wizards secretly performing spells at an early stage.

But it hadn’t prevented someone from stabbing their own neck with a fallen piece of wood.

“I apologize for this unfortunate incident.”

The person who appeared to be the night guard supervisor bowed his head.

“What happened?”

“As you can see, he stabbed his neck with a piece of wood. But there was nothing in the room. It’s our principle not to put anything in the cells, not even a piece of straw, as anything could be used as a material for magic.”

He explained that meals consisted of bread crumbs pushed through the iron mesh, and cleaning was simply done by roughly spraying water. That explained the oppressive smell. Kain asked:

“May I take a closer look?”

“By all means.”

The dead man was leaning against the iron mesh. His legs were spread and his upper body hunched forward. He looked like a drunkard in an alley.

In the cell to the left of the dead man was Bördem. His joints screamed in agony every time he breathed, having been pulled out and pushed back in. He couldn’t sleep properly or eat properly.

Bördem was losing himself in a prison worse than the iron mesh cell—the prison of his broken body.

In the cell to the right of the dead man was another priest who had been captured with him. He was covered in blood. Blood that had gushed from the dead man’s neck had soaked his body and dirtied the floor. He had only wiped the blood flowing down his face and was blankly staring at the dead man.

“Where did the piece of wood come from?”

Kain asked the supervisor standing beside him.

“I don’t know. We don’t provide any utensils at all. As you can see, it’s completely stone flooring, so there’s nowhere to hide anything even if they tried.”

That meant either he somehow concealed it when entering, or someone gave it to him. And the first possibility was unlikely, since they repeatedly stripped and searched the prisoners completely.

Instinctively, Kain was about to ask if there was something like a staff roster.

But it was a meaningless question. Setting aside the fact that Kain himself had no authority to investigate, it would be difficult to examine all staff members who had worked during the five days since the prisoners were brought in.

Moreover, it wasn’t even certain that “someone gave it to him.”

So Kain pointed to the adjacent cell.

“May I go in?”

Kain pointed to the priest in the next cell. The supervisor nodded.

“You may.”

“I’m going to handle him roughly.”

“As long as we don’t have to clean up a corpse, I won’t mind.”

Guards gripping spears and swords opened the door. The prison surrounded by iron mesh was a bit cramped for two people. Still, it was tall enough that it wasn’t too uncomfortable.

“Tell me what you saw.”

The priest looked up at Kain blankly. Kain answered by stomping on his leg.

“Argh!”

“Who passed the piece of wood? When was it?”

“I don’t know! How would I know?”

“I’ll keep going until you remember.”

Kain grabbed the priest by the collar. The man who had shown no movement when his leg was stomped now struggled violently.

Slap. He struck his cheek. Slap, slap! The priest went limp after the powerful blow that jerked his neck back. Kain lifted him up.

Then, he saw it. Letters and drawings written in blood that the priest had been covering with his body—a clear image in the shape of burning flames. Kain grabbed the priest’s hand. His fingertips were soaked in blood.

The priest spat in Kain’s face. Kain threw him down. With a choking sound, the priest tumbled.

Kain kicked him repeatedly. The priest’s body writhed on the floor, groaning. His thin, tattered rags smeared the spell written in blood.

Kain looked around. The supervisor and guards stood at a distance watching, as if it wasn’t their business. They wouldn’t be able to hear if he spoke quietly. So he pulled the man’s ear close.

“I saw what you did to those children.”

The priest’s breathing changed. From panting to moaning.

“Keep going like this. Keep going. I’ll pay you back for those children’s share too.”

“…I’ve already experienced it.”

Kain pushed the priest away. The iron mesh rippled. The priest was smiling.

“…That… it’s not bad. Really. Your head goes completely blank… it feels really good.”

“When was that?”

Snickering. Convulsive laughter. Coughing. Blood-mixed saliva.

“I asked when.”

Instead of answering, the priest rubbed his hands together.

“You. There’s a demon raging inside your eyes. Recite a prayer. Until you can’t think of anything…”

Kain grabbed the priest’s right hand. He bent the index finger all the way back. Tears welled up in the priest’s eyes. Yet his mouth was still grinning.

Kain moved his hand. A cracking sound accompanied by a tearing scream.

“When, when I was young. When I was young… aaagh! A monk taught me. A monk…!”

“Which monk! Tell me where they’re from!”

“I don’t know! I really don’t know that!” The priest twisted his body in agony. Kain released his hand. The priest looked down at his bent-back finger as if disgusted.

“…I really… don’t know… I was just a wandering kid. One day I heard the sound of a flute. The villagers took me to the priest who was playing the flute…

There were lots of kids like me there. The priest… the priest said that we were going to save the world, and asked us to come along… so I just followed.”

“When was this?”

The priest sobbed, his shoulders trembling. Kain grabbed his hand again.

Before he could utter a word of denial, Kain slammed his hand to the floor and pressed down. The broken index finger made a cracking sound as it returned to its original position.

“Aaaaaaah!”

But the scream was brief. When Kain raised his fist, the priest hurriedly retreated to the corner.

“Stop… please… please stop…”

“I asked when!”

“…I, I don’t exactly know either, really… it’s vague. Back then… it’s like being in fog. I don’t even know if I saw it in a dream or experienced it in reality.

We just laughed and talked and played, crossing mountains, rivers, and hills. The adults were kind… they loved us very much. They loved us. Then we reached the sea… at the sea…”

He was rambling. The priest had lost his mind. Kain considered slapping him again to bring him back to his senses. Just then, something brushed past Kain’s ear.

“What did you just say?”

“…People said we would save the world.” The priest swallowed, his chin trembling.

“They said we were good and virtuous children who would save the world from the evil Demon King and chaos…”

A single word rolled off Kain’s tongue involuntarily.

“Children’s Crusade.”

“The crusade never ended.”

Kain’s lips twitched. The priest smiled innocently.

“Because the Demon King didn’t die. So we need to bring new children. If a seed doesn’t die, how can it sprout and bear fruit…”

“What do children have to do with the Demon King?”

“You don’t know. Only those with pure hearts can reach the Demon King. Besides children, who else could do that?”

Foam formed at the corners of the priest’s mouth. His eyes rolled back and his head tilted backward. He writhed like a fish pulled onto land, then passed out.

Kain turned and walked out. Those who had been waiting at a distance rushed in to bandage wounds and clean up the filth.

His hand ached from punching. His eyes met with Bördem, who had collapsed on the floor. The count’s face was deathly pale.

“You’re next.”

The hem of the count’s pants became wet. Kain shook his head and headed toward the prison exit.

* * * * *

Morning.

As soon as he received basic treatment from the medics, Kain shouldered a water yoke.

The instructor who heard the news tried to stop him, saying, “You can rest today,” but reluctantly allowed it when Kain replied, “My mind is troubled, so I need to move my body to clear it.”

Most of the Children’s Crusade were said to be orphans created during previous wars.

Either both parents were swept up in war, or they were children born during wartime. If neither, then they were abandoned by their parents.

That’s what a holy war is. Not a war between people and people. It’s just the righteous side capturing beast-like humans to unleash their desires.

They taunt them. Play with them. And finally kill them. The more glorious the honor wiped clean with blood, the more garbage bins increase.

Warden Belisarius had departed early in the morning for the Holy Grail Knights headquarters, so Kain couldn’t meet him.

It seemed he intended to report the detailed situation and receive additional support. The monastery was in an uproar, like a disturbed beehive, as they tried to uncover the circumstances of the incident.

Amid the chaos, a nurse approached.

“Someone is looking for you.”

The nurse seemed to be growing more vacant-eyed with each passing day. Her speech was becoming somewhat slurred, and her movements unnatural. It was a bit unpleasant to see her becoming like a lifeless wooden doll.

“Oh. You’re here.”

In contrast, Elisabet was overflowing with vitality. As her once pitifully thin body gradually gained weight, she radiated the energy of a living person. Her once pale lips now had a reddish tint, and her eyes were moist.

“I heard about last night. They say there was a commotion.”

“Why were you looking for me?”

Kain replied gruffly. Elisabet pointed to a chair. She wanted him to come closer and sit down. Kain shook his head.

“If you have nothing to say, I’ll be going.”

Kain turned around. There was a crashing sound behind him. Elisabet, who had tried to get out of bed hastily, had fallen to the floor. “Ouch.” Despite being in pain, she reached out toward Kain.

“…Just a moment. I want to apologize.”

Kain just stood at a distance, looking down at her. Elisabet finally gave up trying to get up. Her voice was strained as she spoke while lying face down on the floor.

“Now you’re apologizing?”

“I was desperate.” Though she had gained weight, her body was still frail. She was so delicate that her body visibly moved with each breath.

“…I was impatient and treated you badly. Although I didn’t have only good feelings toward you, I acted on impulse without explanation. I’m sorry.”

“That’s not an apology.”

In distress, Kain turned his head away. It was difficult to keep looking at Elisabet, who was struggling to get up, with Maria’s body and face.

“Get some rest. I’ll wait for Maria to recover.”

“I summoned the branch.”

Is she starting again? Kain stood with his back to the door. Maria supported herself with both arms on the ground, looking up at Kain with a bright smile. Her chest was clearly visible through her loose clothes, causing Kain to avert his gaze.

“…The Demon King’s shadow, you know about it, right? How hands holding swords or spears emerged from the shadow to torment people. That’s what was summoned.”

“How can I believe that?”

“Because I saw it.”

Finally, Elisabet sat down on the floor. She stretched her legs vulnerably while leaning against the bed.

The patient gown was no different from an upside-down sack, and there were no pants. As a result, her white thighs were completely exposed.

“A priest died at dawn yesterday. Tomorrow, the self-proclaimed count will die. The day after that, the last remaining priest will die. The priests’ hearts are full of hatred. They intend to summon evil spirits by sacrificing their lives.”

“I’ve already erased the blood-soaked letters.”

“It’s already been written, so that’s the end of it. It doesn’t matter how long it lasts. The sacrifice has been offered and the ritual has begun, so it won’t stop until someone forcibly intervenes.”

Elisabet reached out her hand again. As if asking to be helped up.

“I can help you. Let me help.”

“What exactly do you want from me? The leather strap?”

Instead of answering, Elisabet brought her legs together. She slightly rubbed her touching thighs.

“That would be nice. But no. You said you didn’t like that. And I don’t particularly want to demand that either. What I want isn’t just that one thing…

But you won’t budge if I just ask for it. What I want is something very small. And only you can fulfill me.”

A small, pointed tongue glistened between her lips.