Ch.18Report on the Fall of Innocence (5)

“…I’ll wait outside.”

Lily put her hands on her hips.

“Didn’t you say you weren’t uncomfortable?”

“It’s for your comfort. It’s cramped in here. And what if someone opens the door? I’ll stand outside, so take your time changing.”

He thought he heard a “hmph” sound, but she didn’t argue further. Kain stepped into the hallway and carefully closed the door.

The room wasn’t particularly soundproof. There was a small gap at the bottom of the door where voices could leak through.

If he wanted to discuss matters with Lily, he’d need to block that gap.

From outside came the sound of knights reciting their order’s motto. It sounded like their version of prayer.

Soon after, he heard someone being accused of sins, followed by the sounds of whipping, and screams.

Was this what all knight orders did? Or was the Mercy Knights Order particularly extreme? Kain couldn’t tell. He wondered if Archbishop William had also done such things during his time as a holy knight of the Mercy Knights.

Who was being beaten? And who was doing the beating? Could that person be related to whoever had rendered the Archbishop so helpless…

Knock knock.

A knocking sound came from behind. Kain opened the door.

Lily, having changed clothes, slightly spread her arms. The room was dark, and the moonlight even darker.

A thin shirt. Thin pants. Golden hair naturally falling loose over her shoulders. Neither her face nor body was clearly visible, as she stood with her back to the moonlight.

But her silhouette was distinct.

Like the crescent moon on a clear night, thin but not fragile. Though covered, the soft curves were actually more pronounced.

Kain hesitated.

A shadow flickered at Lily’s feet. It passed over her long, straight legs and firm abdomen.

The gap between her shirt and pants was caused by her large, upright chest lifting the fabric. Her cute, indented navel was visible because of this.

Eventually, the shadow moved up past her deep cleavage to her face.

It wasn’t Lily’s face.

It was a shadow that had erased her eyes, nose, and mouth.

Anyone who has watched dark streets for a long time knows. That even darkness has shades.

Like something dead rising, something. Forgotten. Thought to be forgotten. Something one tries not to think about. A person’s face taking shape.

The flickering shadow looked forward, and like blood spreading across a dress, a smile spread.

– Kai…

“Kain.”

The shadow disappeared.

Kain gasped for breath, like someone who had forgotten how to breathe.

Lily slightly bowed her head, twirling her hair with her fingers.

“Um… I’ve changed… why are you just looking without saying anything…”

The moonlight brightened slightly. Lily’s clear face appeared, shy but with her voice slightly cracked from excitement.

The face of a living, warm-hearted woman. Kain sighed, relieving his chest.

“Don’t you have other clothes? You look cold.”

“I do have some. But after being pressed by chain mail all day… this part keeps chafing…”

Lily’s long fingers lightly brushed the upper part of her chest. A soft “ah” sound escaped her. Kain lowered his head.

“That must hurt a lot.”

“It’s nothing. A little olive oil will soothe it. I brought some in my bag. If you don’t mind…”

Lily took a step forward. Kain bent down. He picked up a blanket from the bed and handed it to Lily.

“Here’s a whetstone. If you’re going to stand in the hallway, wrap this around you.”

A disappointed silence. Three breaths.

“…The hallway, you mean the blanket?”

“I want to change clothes too. Block the door for me. The hallway draft is cold.”

Pouting, Lily took the blanket and draped it like a robe.

Kain gently pushed Lily’s shoulder, signaling her to leave.

Under his palm, he felt warm skin and a sweet yet tangy scent. Where her hair had passed, there was a wildflower fragrance.

Lily closed the door. His palm burned, and the fragrance kept trying to bloom inside him.

Thinking that if there were miracles, this would be one, Kain removed his clothes one by one.

Hoping that his not-so-good luck of the day would be shed along with them.

He noticed neatly folded clothes where Lily had been. They seemed to be what she had worn today. A habit likely learned from the knight order, they were perfectly squared.

Kain, who was about to crumple his own clothes, scratched his head and folded them too. It wasn’t done well, but it was dark anyway, so it wouldn’t matter much.

After changing into new clothes, Kain called Lily back in. The cool air from the hallway helped calm his mind a bit.

Remembering the voices that had leaked through the door crack, Kain laid his clothes at the bottom of the door to block the gap.

“Sound was leaking through.”

“The gap seems higher than I thought.”

With a single hand movement, the blanket draped over her shoulders slid down. Even though Kain knew Lily was fully dressed, he instinctively closed his eyes for a moment.

Lily passed by Kain, picked up the discarded clothes, and walked to the door. Before he could say anything, she turned her back and knelt on one knee.

The unbelievable moonlight flowed like honey down Lily’s back. Her body gently rippled as she breathed and neatly folded the clothes.

The shirt was so thin that the shadows became clearer rather than blurred.

The moon was so mischievous. It didn’t illuminate things but rather cast shadows that revealed.

With each breath Lily took, how much her surprisingly delicate shoulders rose. How her arms moved as she gently arranged the disheveled clothes with her fine, long fingers.

Between her rolled-up shirt and pants so thin they were almost see-through, moonlight gathered at her slender waist. As she straightened her back slightly, it flowed downward.

Round. Clear. Flowing along intimate curves, it seemed to look up at Kain, caught by her firmly planted heel.

That heel, those white and pretty feet, the indented arch and tiny, constantly curling toes,

They seemed like they could fit in the palm of his hand. Like he could hold them with just one hand. Kain thought without realizing it.

That’s why he lay down on the bed. He lay on his side facing the wall.

The hard floorboards beneath restored his stubborn reason. He could somewhat understand why monks slept in such discomfort.

“Let’s talk lying down. I’m tired.”

That was all Kain said. He waited until Lily lay down and covered herself with the blanket.

Kain glanced toward the door. He saw his own clothes neatly folded. Lily had unfolded them and folded them again. Despite the likely smell, she hadn’t complained once.

Lily’s clothes were placed on top of Kain’s. Tops with tops. Bottoms with bottoms. The clothes, carrying each owner’s scent and warmth, overlapped.

Lily had clearly arranged them that way on purpose.

Though hidden by the blanket, Kain kept rubbing his palm against his collar.

As if doing so would somehow wipe away the warmth filling his palm.

* * * * *

Kain explained to Lily what he had seen.

Beatings, bruises. Broken bones. While the Archbishop had suffered the worst, the guards hadn’t fared much better.

“The wrists and ankles were in terrible condition. Everyone’s. The collarbones and solar plexus areas were the same. Judging by the bruise marks, they were clearly ‘struck down’ with a scabbard.”

“The guards would have responded with weapons. The wrist is also the most commonly attacked area in duels. Whoever wielded the scabbard, they weren’t fighting randomly.”

“I think so too. All the wrists were struck from top to bottom, probably to disarm them and prevent them from picking up weapons again.

Then they neutralized the collarbones and arms to completely eliminate any threat. But why the ankles? Just to prevent escape?”

Lily was silent for a moment at Kain’s question.

“The guards were probably wearing armor. And if they were well-trained soldiers, they could easily form a tight formation.

When their wrists were injured, they would have tried to block with their bodies… that’s probably why their upper bodies were so brutally assaulted. Once they fell, their ankles were crushed to prevent any interference.”

That made sense.

The unarmed personnel—monks, priests, servants—also had their bones crushed throughout their bodies, but not as severely as the guards.

In terms of the degree of crushing, the difference was like that between sand and gravel. If such a comparison could be permitted for the injured.

“There’s something else strange.” Kain frowned.

“I mentioned the bruise marks remained intact, right? I could roughly deduce how and at what angle they were struck.

For tall guards, the bruises were darker below the collarbone, while for shorter guards, they were darker above. The angle and slope were almost identical.”

Lily’s breathing became rough. She seemed to understand what that meant. Kain nodded.

“I think this was the work of one person. The method of striking, the angle and intensity, the slightly different wound locations for each guard…

Considering the length of an Imperial scabbard, they must be about my height. The victims’ testimonies confirm this. When asked if it was one person, they said yes.”

“Just one person… that’s hard to understand.”

“I don’t understand it either. Of course, they weren’t an ordinary person. When I asked if they used magic or sorcery, everyone said yes. But they didn’t know what kind.”

“That would be difficult to ask about. But if it’s magic and sorcery… isn’t that the Order’s jurisdiction?”

That was correct. While the Security Bureau handles all sorts of crimes, cases involving magic, sorcery, miracles, and heresy follow the Order’s judgment.

Of course, in most cases, accusations of magic or sorcery are mostly slander, so the Order usually passes them back to the Empire.

“That’s true. But we don’t know if it was trickery or real magic and sorcery. So let’s set that aside for now.”

Lily didn’t press further. Instead, she summarized what she had heard.

“I understand. So, whoever this unknown person is… they suppressed resisters more forcefully, and even those who couldn’t resist had their bones broken with a scabbard and their tongues torn out… is that what you’re saying?”

“It seems so. Though they probably didn’t use the scabbard to tear out tongues.”

“It’s strange. A scabbard is not a weapon.”

Lily’s voice was full of bewilderment.

“Because it’s not a weapon, it’s not durable enough to break the bones and joints of over 50 people. It’s not a hammer or flail.

Having multiple identical scabbards doesn’t make sense either. Could there be some specially made scabbard?”

Kain wanted to slap his own forehead. Lily was right. If it could crush so many people, the scabbard couldn’t possibly remain intact.

‘How stupid. How did I not realize that.’

“Now that you mention it, you’re right. Made of metal… but who would make a scabbard like that? Unless it was custom-made.

Anyway, that’s what I found out. It was the work of one person, they used magic or sorcery, and they’re about my height. What about your side?”

“Nothing too impressive. Neither the knights nor the monks knew much.

So I mainly dug into why this chaos occurred. But something didn’t add up.”

“In what way?”

Kain lay flat on his back. Staying on his side had become uncomfortable. Lily was lying facing toward Kain.

“His Holiness the Pope must have already known about this. At least before us.”

That would be true. According to Anna, Abbot Arius, the first victim, was attacked at least three months ago.

“Yet the situation here seems… clumsy, disorganized, and panicked. As if they were caught completely unprepared.

Unlike the Empire, the Order has a simpler system and is famous for handling matters smoothly according to hierarchy.”

The Order’s secrecy is intense.

Even the Imperial Royal Guard Bureau can’t penetrate it properly. The Pope exerts influence in many countries, and if the Empire could capture the Order’s information network, its intelligence gathering capabilities would improve.

But due to the Order’s uniquely closed and swift handling of matters, attempts always failed. This was true for both the Security Bureau and the Royal Guard Bureau.

Behind this lies a firm command structure and simplified organization.

It’s also the secret to how the Order has maintained its system for so long. If viewed as an organizational structure rather than just a faith organization, it could be considered much more stable than the Empire.

Yet here was this strange handling of affairs. Especially for something that had happened before.

“What could be the reason? Did you look into that too?”

“An Inquisitor and the Southern Regional Commander of the Mercy Knights are arriving tomorrow. We’ll know more after speaking with them…

But I heard something strange. His Holiness seems to be planning to canonize the attacked heroes.”

“To do what?”

Kain sat up abruptly.

It was unexpected. Canonization. A declaration to elevate living people to the rank of ‘saints’ to be remembered eternally by the Order.

Those who enter the ranks of saints are martyrs, miracle workers, and prophets who elevated the persecuted Order to a position close to state religion.

But they were all elevated to sainthood after death. Making a living person a saint had never been done before.

Lily also sat up. The blanket slid down, pulling her shirt’s shoulder and exposing almost one entire breast. But Lily didn’t seem to notice.

“A dispatch arrived. Abbot Bartolomeo was shocked too. He said he wasn’t sure if it made sense.”

Kain lay back down.

‘How does the canonization process work again?’

Kain wasn’t a member of the Order, but as a former Security Bureau member, he knew something about the situation of the Order, a potential competitor and collaborator of the Empire.

To make someone a saint, they must go through a verification process. Are they flawless? Are there any issues? Not just personal life problems, but every aspect from birth until sainthood is thoroughly examined.

“…This is serious.”

“Did something occur to you?”

“Canonization sounds nice… but in reality, it’s practically a declaration to dig up everything about Archbishop William and the heroes from the roots.

Once the canonization process begins, every aspect of a person’s life can be legally and meticulously examined. That means…”

Silence pooled between them. A cup that would endlessly fill unless someone drank from it. Kain clenched his fist.

“The Seven Heroes were hiding something from the Order. Something even His Holiness didn’t know. And His Holiness only found out about it recently.”