Ch.520Back to Alhebron

After finishing emergency treatment for the companions who were dying from the battle with the demon, Lacy left Arvil for the Holy City.

Though she was concerned about the future of those left in Arvil, caring for them required not strong holy power but sufficient manpower and time. She didn’t think her staying to help would make much difference.

There were other urgent reasons for her departure.

While others could recover with adequate rest, Haschal and Ceylon needed intensive treatment only possible in the Holy City. She was also worried about Saulite’s holy knights approaching Arvil by the hour.

If they targeted her weakened companions, she couldn’t handle it alone.

‘Well, not alone, but… it wouldn’t make much difference.’

Lacy glanced at the man and woman driving the carriage and Hush sitting in the corner, letting out a faint sigh.

Special Crusaders who had broken free from brainwashing and regained their senses. They were shocked too, but in better condition than those who had been brainwashed without knowing anything. After all, they had infiltrated the brothel prepared for their mission.

—-

The day before leaving Arvil.

Lacy found and treated the Special Crusaders among the survivors and received a detailed report about what had happened.

“…I infiltrated that place to track the flow of money. I thought if I could follow where the profits from the entertainment district were going, I could find the culprit behind Arvil’s corruption.”

A woman with lewd tattoos on her arms, thighs, and lower abdomen.

After taking the extreme measure of disguising herself as a prostitute, she discovered something shocking.

“Enormous sums of money, far beyond what could be considered payment for services, were secretly flowing into the brothel. The massive funds that were crucial to maintaining and expanding the brothel… surprisingly came from the Church of Saulite.”

“…Are you saying the archbishop here was helping the cultists?”

This was hard to believe even for Lacy, who secretly despised the corrupting churches.

“I’m not sure about that. Whether it was done at the archbishop’s level, ordered from above, or if they knew they were dealing with cultists… I was trying to investigate further, but unfortunately, the cultists began to move at that point, and I too was caught up in their power.”

She meant that just as she was trying to confirm the truth, the Resonance of Lust was activated, and she was inevitably brainwashed.

“…You truly, truly suffered. Elpinel will surely remember your sacrifice.”

After offering words of comfort, Lacy fingered the holy symbol around her neck and remained silent for a while. Her mind was complicated, filled with countless speculations and assumptions.

It was unlikely to be the archbishop acting alone. If he had misappropriated such large sums, he would certainly have been caught by his superiors.

So, it was reasonable to assume that Cardinal Carnius was directly involved.

‘Cardinal Carnius, supporting a brothel…? For what purpose?’

Was the Cardinal of Saulite actually a demon worshipper? That possibility seemed slim too.

Why would the leader of the Church of Saulite, the second most powerful force in both the Empire and the Holy State after the Church of Elpinel, worship an evil god? There was little to gain and everything to lose if discovered. It would be like a king becoming the leader of a bandit group.

‘If they weren’t allied with the cultists… why help the enemy? Did they want the enemies to prosper? Why…?’

Lacy pondered repeatedly but couldn’t find an answer.

Though not in critical condition like her companions, she was exhausted to her limits. With just one day of rest, she couldn’t function with her usual sharpness.

“…It was my duty. Despite many complications… this will remove those who obstruct Lady Elmaine’s wishes. That is enough for me.”

The Special Crusader, mistaking Lacy’s silence for depression, offered comfort despite being a victim herself.

“Pardon…?”

Lacy, lost in completely different thoughts, asked in surprise.

“Isn’t that right? After Lady Elmaine and Lord Median defeated the notorious cult leaders and even brought down a monster that might have been an evil god’s incarnation, who would dare show opposition?”

“Ah… yes, of course. This pilgrimage was started to gain fame by resolving the Holy State’s crisis…”

As Lacy nodded in response, the answer to her problem suddenly flashed through her mind.

Fame.

While no one could have predicted the Arm of the Evil God, the fame from defeating Valkers, Eljur, and Diread alone would have been enough to reach the heavens. Thanks to Lacy and Haschal’s quick actions, that fame became theirs, but…

What if they hadn’t come to Arvil?

‘The holy knights of the Church of Saulite would have clashed with the cultists in the entertainment district… and if they won, they would have claimed high honor. Was that the goal?’

That made sense.

It wasn’t about helping cultists by investing money, but deliberately strengthening the enemy to gain fame for defeating a powerful foe. Everything fit together.

—-

The Church of Saulite was trying to rise as the Holy State’s premier power while the Church of Elpinel was weakened, but their influence had diminished since Lacy returned to the Holy State and showed great achievements.

Among the three churches of the Holy Solar Alliance, the Church of Astraea had turned nearly neutral over the Stigmata issue, while the Church of Ceres was about to clash with the Church of Volberg.

Whichever side won would lose significant power, so Cardinal Carnius must have been extremely anxious if he wanted to be first in the Holy State. Otherwise, they would fall behind the Church of Elpinel again.

So, they clearly intended to enhance their reputation by achieving the feat of eliminating the strengthened cultists.

…Without imagining that they could completely ruin a city and even summon an evil god.

“…I need to return to the Holy City.”

Having confirmed her suspicion, Lacy chose to return to the Holy City without hesitation.

Cardinal Carnius Gustav of Saulite.

If the old man, known as a devout and exemplary priest, was hiding such a sinister intent that he would resort to such extreme measures, staying here would be very dangerous.

Having lost all the forces that could protect her, she had no way to resist if the Cardinal, upon hearing the news, tried to assassinate her and her companions.

—-

After deciding to return, Lacy, with the help of the Special Crusaders, kidnapped an unconscious Saulite paladin.

He was someone the Special Crusader knew. They had occasionally met as a “customer.” He was in charge of transporting funds to the brothel.

Of course, being merely a courier, he didn’t know much.

He believed the large sums delivered to the brothel were the archbishop’s charity for pitiful prostitutes who had to sell their bodies to survive.

But that didn’t matter to Lacy.

The fact that money from the Church of Saulite was flowing to cultists was enough evidence to impeach Cardinal Carnius.

So they left Arvil.

During the carriage ride back to Alhebron, Agnes, Demian, and Millia, who had the least injuries, woke up, and by the time they nearly reached the Holy City, Nigel and Leonore also regained consciousness.

Only Ceylon and Haschal remained unconscious until the end.

Millia, Lena, Nigel, and Leonore took great care of the unconscious Haschal, waiting for her to wake up again. Lacy did the same.

Upon returning to the White City, Lacy immediately headed to St. Elunel Cathedral.

After meeting Richard, who was buried in paperwork, Lacy told him everything that had happened, then sent the injured, including Haschal, to the treatment room where she poured healing miracles, even using holy artifacts.

That wasn’t all she had to do. She contacted the Church of Astraea to inform them of Ceylon’s condition and ordered all Special Crusaders in the Holy City to investigate Cardinal Carnius.

It was a busy time without rest.

Ernriter Zaiseus, the Cardinal of the Church of Astraea who received Lacy’s personal letter, sent a discreet healing priest to Elunel Cathedral.

One of the main effects of the Stigmata was amplifying the power of the god they served. For Haschal, who had received Astraea’s Stigmata, the healing miracles of the Church of Astraea would certainly have several times stronger effect.

‘I’d like to bring her to our church, but Elmaine would strongly object. Lord Median wouldn’t want that either.’

Ernriter respected the opinions of the two women. More precisely, he respected Haschal’s opinion.

If their saint didn’t want to reveal her Stigmata, it was his calling to follow her wishes.

Of course, if Haschal had wanted to be treated at the Church of Astraea, he would have brought her there even if it meant directly confronting the Church of Elpinel… but he didn’t think that would happen.

—-

Ten days after the demon subjugation, Ceylon finally regained consciousness.

Though he had consumed nearly twenty years of his lifespan by burning his life force in battle, he showed no regret, as if he had simply done what needed to be done.

It was truly the strong mentality befitting a Judge of the God of Order.

Rather than being discouraged by having fewer days to live than he had lived, he only praised Haschal and Astraea’s name upon hearing that she had sliced the sky to defeat the demon.

…Though he nearly fainted again when he heard his nickname “Massive Root Ceylon.”

And,

Haschal, who had been sleeping like the dead despite receiving treatment from many people, finally woke up twenty days later.