Even if Paths Diverge, the End is the Same (2)

“No, no—! No, my lord! She is not our daughter—!”

Even if they tried to hide, there wouldn’t be any proper space in a farmhouse.

In the corner of a barn, or the corner of a storage room, or sometimes in a grain storage dug under the kitchen floor.

This house was like that too.

A tenant farmer’s house growing oats quite far from the village center, slightly separated.

The man came down from the corner of the attic on the second floor of that farmhouse, dragging a woman by her hair.

The woman was screaming and crying that it hurt.

A middle-aged man who tried to grab the woman, but realizing it wasn’t her, now clung to the man’s ankle.

“You’re noisy. Whether it’s right or not, the Celestial God will examine, so let go of this.”

Black armor.

Black helmet.

The man, who wore a black veil pressed down over his helmet, roughly shook off the man clinging to his ankle and spoke.

An extremely dry voice with no sense of pitch.

He threw down the woman he had been dragging and spoke to another man in the same attire.

“Take her away. The age matches, and the hair color is the same.”

“Yes. The hair color is almost identical.”

Dull white with no luster — that is, milk-colored hair.

The woman, barely raising her body from the ground where she had been sprawled, begged the man.

“I, I’m really not—! I’m really not…!”

The order from the Celestine Church to find a woman with dull white hair, around twenty years old, had spread throughout the entire Capatian Empire.

Along with this, the condition of a woman with orange or golden eyes was also made known.

This madness started from villages close to the church territory.

Starting from fairly large villages on the map, to small villages not even on the map.

Not just the Inquisitor Headquarters in the church territory.

A large-scale search mobilizing all the inquisitors in cathedral-level churches in major cities.

“I’ve told you many times that the Celestial God will examine that. If you’re innocent, you’ll be released, so hurry and get on.”

The woman with disheveled hair stood up hesitantly, leaving only tear tracks on her face covered in soot.

Her father was the first to hear the news that all milk-haired girls were being taken away.

On his way back from selling some of the oats left after paying taxes, the father who heard this news—

As soon as he got home, he hid his daughter in a corner of the attic, but even that was of no use.

The inquisitors who came knowing everything already looked for the daughter as soon as they entered the house,

and when told there was no daughter, they just snorted and began searching the entire house, easily finding the daughter in the end.

The father, sprawled barefoot on the ground, weeping sorrowfully.

The daughter, constantly looking back at such a father, trying hard to smile.

The daughter being dragged to a carriage echoing with cries, filled with young ladies in the same situation.

And the father who couldn’t protect such a daughter.

“We’re not doing this to kill your daughter, you know. I really don’t understand why you’re acting like this.”

The inquisitor squatted in front of the father, looking at his face and spoke.

The inquisitors, all in black, said so, but at least their intimidating presence couldn’t lie.

“Why are you so afraid? Then, perhaps you really are a heretic?”

“No, no—! No, absolutely not, my lord! How could we not know the gr-grace that the Celestial God bestows upon us foolish ones!”

“Then why are you so sad? You’re not a heretic, you haven’t apostatized, nor have you denied the Celestial God. I really don’t understand why you’re so afraid. Am I worrying too much?”

“O-Of course, my lord! My family and I, we’re all ha-happy under the protection of the Celestial God!”

“Yes, that’s how it should be. However, your daughter will need to undergo some investigation, but we’ll send her back as soon as the investigation is over.”

Without even listening to the father’s response, the inquisitor turned around.

It’s uncertain.

Whether she will be able to return or not.

The Celestine Church was like a beehive that had been hit with a bucket of water.

Since that ancient time depicted in the murals of the Celestine Church’s cathedral, when the Celestial God defeated the False Celestial God.

This was the first time the Celestine Church headquarters had been directly attacked like this.

Moreover, the Pope, the symbol of the Celestine Church,

the Saint, who is practically the representative of the Celestial God,

and the Hero, who could be called the Celestial God’s agent of divine punishment.

An unprecedented situation where an apostate launched an attack at a gathering of these three,

and even a demon descended, carrying out indiscriminate destruction on the Celestine Church headquarters.

In the process, the Hero and Saint bravely confronted them, and finally, the apostate and demon fled,

and the Celestine Church, protected by the Celestial God, safeguarded the approaching future of humanity.

— Although this is what has been publicly announced, those who know the inside story are each kindling a fire in their hearts.

The cold-burning embers of anger.

An attack on the Celestine Church is an attack on the Celestial God.

Apostate, Yona.

Concealer, Johannes Spielvan.

Follower, Kaiyak.

Portraits of these three were distributed to each diocese and lined up on every wall,

and a promise was also made to give a reward so large that it couldn’t be spent in a lifetime to those who took their heads.

Information about the three’s whereabouts was fully shared with each neighboring country,

and regardless of grudges between countries, an agreement for the extradition of criminals was immediately initiated.

There are eyes watching everywhere,

and ears listening everywhere.

The bishops, who could be called the heads of the dioceses, sent messengers to every village included in their diocese,

and promised extensively that they would give a reward just for reporting if anyone happened to see them.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the entire Capatia now pointed its blade towards those three.

What was visible beyond the faint gaze was pure white.

Due to the haziness, the front wasn’t clearly visible.

Only after blinking several times did the focus finally adjust, and thanks to that, she realized that what she was looking up at was a pure white ceiling.

“…Where… is this…”

Her parched lips made a crackling sound every time she spoke.

The inside of her mouth was also completely dry, feeling creaky every time her tongue moved.

“Ah, you’ve opened your eyes.”

An unfamiliar voice.

Following that voice, Scarlet’s view rolled around to see the figure of an unfamiliar woman.

Black nun’s habit.

Black veil.

A bright, cheerful expression.

“Who… are…”

“Oh my, don’t strain yourself.”

The nun, with that same smile, approached Scarlet and helped her sit up.

Somehow her armor had been removed, and she was in patient clothes.

“Here, have some water. Your mouth is completely dry, isn’t it?”

The cup touching her lips was full of cool water.

Her lips, which had seemed like nothing would go down, so parched, loosened as soon as the moisture touched them, as if it had never happened, fully absorbing the moisture.

The water that followed, moistening her mouth, spread as if soaking her entire body.

Were there so many places in her body that had been demanding moisture?

Moisture seeping everywhere like rain falling on parched earth.

Only then did Scarlet fully drink one cup of water.

Ridiculously, only then did she finally feel alive.

“My, your throat was very dry. I thought it might be like that.”

“Th-Thank you.”

“No need for thanks. Oh, don’t move your hand yet.”

Scarlet showed her hand that was under the blanket.

Although she was told not to move it, it’s human nature to want to do more of what you’re told not to do.

The hand she showed like that — that left hand, was tightly wrapped in pure white bandages.

“I don’t know what happened, but healing didn’t work on that wound. Well, maybe for someone like the Saint it would be different, but for us, getting it to heal to some extent was the best we could do. But it should be almost completely healed now. Does it hurt?”

‘Why is she talking so much?’

Scarlet let the nun’s words go in one ear and out the other as she tried moving her hand.

As the nun said it should be almost healed, there was a slight pulling sensation when she moved it, but no feeling of pain.

“…It seems to be almost completely healed. Where is this place?”

“This is Carakuchia.”

“Carakuchia…?”

An unfamiliar name.

Even for Scarlet, who had practically memorized maps, it was a name she was hearing for the first time.

‘Where on earth is Carakuchia…’

“It’s a village more towards the Insturia mountain range from Sudmesial. It’s such a small village, it probably won’t be on any maps.”

Sudmesial was a city located at the five o’clock position below the Inpula church territory.

It’s a large city as it’s a feudal capital, but to have come near the Insturia mountain range after passing even that city.

Well, that’s not strange either.

After leaving the church territory, she had ridden her horse aimlessly, so it wasn’t strange even if she had come as far as Sudmesial.

“Your armor and warhorse are all stored in the cathedral— oh, a place similar to a cathedral. You don’t need to worry about that.”

“…And who might you be…”

“Ah, I’m late with my introduction.”

The nun removed the veil covering her head and bowed to Scarlet.

Abundant milk-white hair flowed down from inside the veil, and her eyes curved fully like a crescent moon as a smile appeared.

“My name is Serad. I’m just a run-of-the-mill healer.”

Healer.

A healer, she says.

“Our village is so small that we don’t have any priests. We don’t even have a cathedral. This is just something I roughly made imitating a cathedral by gathering white wood… that kind of village.”

“…I see.”

She almost frowned unconsciously when the woman said she was a healer.

But Scarlet managed to hold back.

“Still, you need to rest a bit. I won’t ask in detail, but your physical condition was quite poor. Don’t overexert yourself.”

But this was not the time for that.

Scarlet shook her head and tried to get up, attempting to get down from the bed.

However, Serad pushed her body down before she could.

“You look like a cathedral knight, but how can you not listen when you can’t even overcome my strength? Just lie down.”

Indeed, it was so.

Without her armor, Scarlet was just a young lady of that age.

And with Scarlet’s small build, her natural strength wasn’t very strong.

In contrast, Serad was taller than her and had a good physique, so when she pushed Scarlet down, Scarlet was laid back on the bed without even being able to resist.

“Rest a bit more. I’ll bring some porridge, so eat that too. Even if you’re a cathedral knight, your body will wear out if you push it too hard.”

Serad gave a bright smile.

Scarlet couldn’t bring herself to smile.