Ch.227People Cannot Be Judged by Appearances Alone.

I follow Bells deep into the alley.

Only after watching her from behind did I notice she was limping slightly on one leg.

She could have used a healing miracle anytime.

So this wasn’t something she couldn’t heal, but rather a wound that hadn’t fully recovered even after healing magic.

Based on my experience, I’d guess she suffered a severe injury, perhaps even having her entire leg severed.

Did Isabella strike first? Well, I’ll know soon enough.

—-

The further we go, the worse the road conditions become.

Empty bottles, cigarette butts, and garbage are scattered everywhere, and there’s even a skull rolling around.

Rats move in packs, feasting on something thoroughly rotten.

The stains everywhere reek of filth, but it’s more bearable than before.

Perhaps I’ve grown accustomed to being covered in entrails.

“Ugh, this smell.”

The princess seems to be having a hard time.

We changed directions several times as we moved.

The alleys were as complex as a maze.

At each alley entrance stood warehouse-like buildings with no signs of life, their appearances rather peculiar.

They had no windows, and rusty chains hung across every entrance.

No matter how I looked at them, they didn’t seem designed to let people in, but rather to keep them confined.

…Yes, like prisons.

“What was this place used for?”

“It was a brothel, I heard.”

The answer was quite surprising.

“A brothel…? In a place like this?”

Even men in heat would likely turn back after seeing the state of these alleys.

“To be precise, it was an illegal brothel. They disguised the entire ground floor as weapon warehouses and such, then imprisoned women they had kidnapped or acquired through illegal slave trade in the basement, drugged them, and forced them into prostitution. Eventually, they were caught and everyone was purged.”

Purged.

I suppose that means they were all rounded up and burned?

“Even if evil people hide from heaven, the stench of their sins cannot be concealed. Eventually, they will be dragged out under the sky and receive their due retribution.”

Hmm, that’s right.

If you do evil deeds, you should die.

“The entrance is like a maze, the building walls are sturdy like warehouses, and there’s even a secret basement… it’s perfect as a hideout.”

“That’s similar to your thinking, isn’t it?”

I shrugged, turning to look at Renault.

She too had been hiding in a smuggler’s secret warehouse.

“All hideouts are pretty much the same. How different can people’s thinking be?”

“Is that so?”

Still, it’s rather ironic that a candidate for sainthood would hide in a criminal organization’s brothel.

Eventually, Bells stopped in front of an ordinary warehouse building.

Not at the chained entrance, but by the wall.

It was an unremarkable stone wall, but looking closely, there was a tiny hole.

Some kind of secret door?

“It’s here.”

Bells took out a key, inserted it into the hole in the wall, and twisted it.

With a click, the latch released, and part of the wall began to slide open.

Stairs leading underground were revealed.

—-

Past the stairs and corridor, through an iron door and inside.

The basement was larger than I expected. A communal bathroom, over a dozen private rooms, a central lobby, and even a counter. Whoever these bastards were, they had done a proper job with the interior.

Honestly, I was expecting something more like a cattle pen.

Well, if it had been like that, even Lacy might have looked elsewhere.

—-

“It’s been a while. I’m glad to see you’re safe. This too must be Elpinel’s protection.”

[Elpinel had nothing to do with it. It was all thanks to me. Wasn’t it?]

Don’t make me recall unpleasant memories. It makes me want to vomit.

“You don’t look particularly safe yourself. Your complexion is quite pale.”

“…I had some difficulties getting here. If it weren’t for Lady Bells, I might have been captured.”

Lacy smiled gently toward Bells.

“I only did what I had to do.”

She bowed her head awkwardly in respect.

“So, what exactly happened? Were you attacked by Isabella’s subordinates?”

“That could be one way to put it. On the day Magnum Caelum collapsed, I was secretly meeting with the Covert Martyrdom Apostolate who had come from the Holy State. That meeting was attacked by six monsters. Along with a high-ranking mage who appeared to be their commander. A man I’d never seen before.”

A high-ranking mage? Did Isabella have such a subordinate?

I don’t think she did, but I’m not sure. I don’t remember all the minor characters.

“Monsters, so it was them after all?”

“Yes. Those insect monsters wearing the shells of Masters that I heard about before… he called them Paraschevalie. We fought with all our might, but the power difference was clear.”

So they’re called Paraschevalie. First time I’ve heard that.

If six of those monsters appeared, there would have been no way to win.

“So… only two of you survived?”

“Yes. The others martyred themselves gloriously to save just me. May they find grace and peace…”

Lacy put her hands together in prayer.

“I’m sorry to hear that. They must have been excellent priests.”

“It’s alright. Elpinel must have embraced their souls. Someday when I stand before Elpinel’s scales, I’ll meet them again. Until then, my duty is to tear all the culprits into ten thousand pieces and burn them as sacrificial offerings to mourn them. I must burn everything from the roots to the trunk to the smallest twigs.”

The first part sounded saintly, but it got increasingly brutal toward the end…

“Well… you can do as you please with that. So, after that, the two of you came here alone?”

“Yes. The fact that monsters raided our meeting place means information leaked from somewhere… it’s truly blasphemous, but it means someone among our church members has fallen to become a disgusting apostate. Until we find out who it is, I judged it dangerous to contact the church.”

“Isn’t it the Archbishop of Trier? He made excuses while knowing you were missing, and his declaration of neutrality was suspicious.”

Both Leopold and I were virtually certain he had defected to Isabella.

“That rat must certainly be crucified, but it can’t be just him. I was wary of him from the beginning, so I didn’t share any information with the archbishops of Ernst’s faction.”

“…Rat?”

“For an apostate who betrayed Elpinel, even ‘rat’ is too good. He’s no different from maggots on a corpse.”

Lacy gritted her teeth. Her face contorted.

It’s always jarring to see such expressions and tone coming from someone who looks so gentle and pure…

“Originally, the dispatch of the Covert Martyrdom Apostolate was a confidential matter known only to the cardinals in the homeland and myself. Trier couldn’t have known about it.”

“That means… evil god worshippers or their associates have infiltrated the Holy State as well. Even at the cardinal level.”

If proven true, this would be no small scandal.

“That’s probably right. The fact that Trier knew about my meeting… means someone from the homeland told them, which means they too are apostates. How shameful that sin has seeped into the heart of the church. No wonder my attempts to realize Elpinel’s will have been repeatedly blocked.”

No, I don’t think that’s why they were blocked…?

—-

Lacy continued her story.

Thanks to her martyred comrades, she was able to escape, but the monsters’ pursuit continued relentlessly.

Bells nearly died, apparently.

After fighting desperately, losing limbs in the process, she managed to defeat three of them.

Since they couldn’t know who the apostate was, they couldn’t request help from the church either.

The moment her whereabouts became known, pursuers would swarm again. They had to thoroughly conceal their location until Bells recovered.

“So that’s why you were hiding here?”

“Yes. I thought if I waited near Landenburg, Lord Median would eventually come. I considered asking the Margrave for help, but… unless Bells recovered first, I could only imagine being used for someone else’s benefit.”

Lacy didn’t seem to trust Ludwig much.

Well, he is hard to read. One might think he’s just a loyal subject concerned for his country, but there’s something subtly different about him.

“While staying here treating our injuries, we heard that Lord Median had arrived and asked Sister Lilliez to relay my location.”

Lilliez Bianchi. She was a woman who surprised me in many ways.

“It’s impressive that you trusted her. When you were avoiding all other church members.”

“Sister Lilliez is a member of the Special Crusader Unit. Though it’s not officially established yet, I had already recruited members before. She’s a capable individual with unwavering faith, deep goodwill toward me, and excellent skills. She’s the one who prepared this hideout.”

…Special Crusader Unit, that’s the one. The non-human extermination squad.

That priestess, with her ever-smiling face, was involved in such an organization?

Indeed, you can’t judge people by appearances.

Well, Lacy herself looks like a saint who couldn’t hurt an ant.

In reality, she’s a fanatic preparing extermination camps for non-humans.

—-

“So what will you do now? We failed to get evidence that Isabella is a witch before we even started.”

“Even without evidence, we must proceed. Considering the martyred apostles, I cannot remain idle after suffering such losses. Don’t you think so, Lord Median?”

A firm resolve showed on Lacy’s face.

Bells, listening from behind, also nodded in agreement.

“Your enthusiasm is admirable, but I asked about your plan, not your determination.”

“I do have a plan. Though I’ll need your cooperation, Lord Median.”

“Cooperation?”

“Yes. First—”

…The plan Lacy explained was outrageously aggressive.

In fact, it was more reckless than a proper plan. But I liked it.

[This will be interesting.]

Hersella let out a chuckle. She seemed to like Lacy’s plan too.

Well, when would we ever experience something like this again?

“It would be quite a sight if it succeeds. Alright. I’ll cooperate.”

I clasped Lacy’s hand.