The God of Humans (2)

The mass hysteria sweeping through Capatia soon spread throughout the entire Capatian Empire.

Given the distances involved, it wasn’t easy for something starting in the Inpula church territory to spread to every corner of the empire.

However, the messengers riding horses without rest to every corner of the empire moved at a speed beyond imagination.

The wanted posters they carried were not overlooked even in the smallest villages,

And along with those wanted posters, news containing the details of this incident, mixed with distortions and lies, began to stir up the empire.

And this was no exception for Evian.

“What, what is this doing! Stop it right now!”

Men in dark gray armor.

Dark gray helmets with only their eyes visible, and black veils pressed down over even those helmets.

They stopped their movement and turned around at the sudden roar.

“Where are you taking those children, release them immediately!”

A nun still showing signs of youth, but fully imbued with the maturity of years.

A priest, and moreover, one with the title of high priest who had enough authority to have private audiences with Phoebe in this Evian diocese.

Eize.

As the men who were escorting three girls turned around, Eize glared at them, exuding a fierce aura as if ready to pounce at any moment.

“Who are you? You seem to be a priest.”

The man’s voice was extremely flat.

The voice flowing from under the helmet had a low resonance, giving an alien and somewhat intimidating feeling.

But Eize, as if not caring about such things, abruptly approached them and stood blocking their way.

“This is not the time for introductions! Where on earth are you trying to take those children?! Answer me right now!”

The girls were looking at Eize with desperate eyes, as if they had met a savior.

The fact that they were suddenly being taken somewhere just because their hair color was like this was a great fear for them.

Eize, who appeared while they were being dragged away like this and now stood blocking the men’s way, was truly a savior.

“We have already received permission from Bishop Phoebe. We are taking them for investigation regarding the apostate, to investigate women with similar appearances.”

“Taking them? Who calls this dragging ‘taking’? Release them immediately.”

The men were silent for a long time.

In that strangely heavy silence, Eize approached the men without hesitation and pushed them aside.

Then she grabbed the hands of the girls who were being escorted surrounded by the men and pulled them towards her.

“Come here. Were you scared?”

However, the men were even quicker to stop Eize.

Forcibly breaking Eize’s grip on the girls’ hands, the man spoke to Eize in a low voice, as if threatening.

“…What are you doing?”

“Even if you received permission from Bishop Phoebe, I cannot allow this. As a high priest dedicated to this Evian diocese, I absolutely cannot tolerate such an outrage.”

“Shall we consider this as interfering with the investigation of the apostate?”

“Ha!”

Eize snorted.

The man stood still without moving. Though his gaze under the helmet was glaring at Eize with disapproving eyes, it wasn’t visible so there was no way to know such a gaze. Even so, Eize glared back at the man. That fiery gaze was staring at the men as if it would devour them.

“Would the apostate come all the way here? Does the apostate have wings instead of hands? If they rode a demon, wouldn’t there be witnesses? You know how far it is from here, Evian, to Inpula, don’t you? You must know what kind of skill it would take for the apostate to sneak all the way here in between, that’s why you’re doing this, right?”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“It’s not nonsense. It’s logic. Can you refute even one point of what I’ve said?”

Eize’s voice was like a sharply honed blade.

The rising irritation and anger were exciting her even more.

“Step aside, High Priest. If you keep this up, we’ll have to make you suffer for obstructing our duties.”

That was the final straw.

The anger she had been barely suppressing finally burst out at those words.

“High Priest? Did you just say High Priest?”

“That’s right. Now step aside, High Priest.”

“Add ‘nim’, you fucking bastard.”

At such rough and vicious cursing that couldn’t be seen as coming from a priest, the men fell silent.

Eize, her face flushed red with anger, was glaring at the men as if she would devour them whole.

“Apostate or whatever, you idiots, you let your headquarters get robbed because of your own stupidity, so why are you tormenting innocent kids?”

“Your words are excessive, High Priest.”

“I said add ‘nim’, you fucking bastard.”

“High Priest!”

“I said add ‘nim’!”

A deep silence dominated the street.

In the middle of Evian’s downtown, which should be bustling in the afternoon, a battle of nerves was unfolding.

That battle of nerves was finally able to be settled when the head of the Evian branch of the Inquisitors appeared.

“High Priest Eize. Please calm your excitement.”

“I’m not excited. Speak up.”

“…Ahem.”

Although it was clear to anyone that she was in an excited state, he knew well that irritating Eize’s nerves wouldn’t lead to anything good.

The head of the Evian branch of the Inquisitors — Alistein cleared his throat lightly a few times and continued speaking to Eize.

“First, please understand our position as well. We know well that those girls have no connection to the apostate. We have no intention of harming those girls. You know well about the unfortunate incident that occurred at the Celestine Church headquarters, which is protected by the Celestial God, don’t you?”

“…So what?”

A voice with much of the excitement subsided.

Eize knew well about that incident too.

How could she not know.

Yona, one of her sore spots.

Wasn’t Eize the one who was more surprised than anyone at the news that Yona had become an apostate?

“So an investigation is necessary. It’s a direct order from the Pope himself at the Celestine Church headquarters. We must follow it, and those friends are merely carrying out their duties. We will only conduct a simple investigation of their whereabouts on that day and then send them home, so please don’t worry too much. It’s also a show to demonstrate that we are tracking the apostate.”

“But—”

“Come on, High Priest. Aren’t we all from the same diocese? Me and those friends are just doing what we’re told. If they’re innocent, it will be revealed, so please understand.”

Eize took several deep breaths.

It wasn’t wrong, but— however, however.

Somehow, the feeling she had built up as an adventurer wasn’t good.

The feeling that an ominous event was covering this continent, that feeling was truly unsettling.

“…I understand. Branch Head, you’ve promised. If they’re innocent, you’ll definitely release them as they are.”

“Of course, I promise.”

“I understand.”

Eize closed her eyes slightly then opened them, taking a step back.

And in front of her, the inquisitors and girls slowly passed by.

“Thank you for your cooperation, High Priest.”

“…Not at all, Branch Head. Please, take good care of them.”

“Of course. If they’re innocent, definitely.”

“I understand. Then.”

Eize turned around abruptly and headed somewhere.

Watching her retreating figure, Alistein thought.

Whether they are guilty or not, it’s the Celestial God who judges that,

So it’s up to Him to decide.

“What on earth is going on, Bishop? The whole of Evian looks like a stirred-up beehive.”

“Do you think I have any brilliant ideas?”

Phoebe sighed softly and lit a cigarette.

Through the hazy smoke, the figure of Eize, thoroughly annoyed, could be seen.

Recently, it had been a series of irritating events.

It was good that Evian was starting to become known as the diocese that produced a saint,

and it was good that the hero and saint began tracking the dark organization and finally declared the start of the hero’s journey.

However, the news that came not long after—

A healer from Evian had become an apostate.

And that apostate attacked the Celestine Church headquarters.

Not only attacking the Celestine Church headquarters, but also inflicting massive damage to the strength of five cathedral knight orders, and then fleeing.

It seemed like the position of next Pope that had come within reach was now flying away somewhere.

“If the person running the diocese says they have no good ideas, what are we to do?”

“If there’s nothing, what else can I say but that there’s nothing?”

“But does it make sense to stir up the entire diocese and arrest all women with the same hair color as Yona?”

“…Yona, mentioning that name is.”

“To me, she’s Yona. Yona becoming an apostate, it’s nonsense. I absolutely won’t believe it until I see it with my own eyes.”

“There are hundreds of witnesses, High Priest. This is not something to be stubborn about.”

“Is this inside or outside?”

“…Don’t say such strange things, High Priest. Be rational. It’s now crystal clear that that dis— healer has become an apostate. It’s no longer a matter of believing or not.”

“That matter and this matter are different. How can you think it makes sense to arrest everyone just because their hair color is similar?”

Eize was thoroughly angry.

Seeing her like this, Phoebe thought that persuasion was hopeless.

It was Phoebe who was angry.

Evian’s honor had risen high with the production of a saint, but with the production of an apostate as well, it was as good as thrown into the gutter.

In such a situation, Eize, who should be pouring more zeal and devotion into capturing the apostate as the high priest, was just spouting nonsense about not believing and whatnot.

This was enough to make Phoebe’s anger burst as well.

“Anyway, stop this now. This is madness, Bishop. How can such a thing happen? Even in the echoless age when the Celestial God had left us, there was nothing like this!”

“There were no apostates then either!”

Finally unable to contain his anger, Phoebe slammed his fist on the table.

With a bang, the ashtray on the table shook greatly, and at the same time, the silence between Phoebe and Eize deepened.

“I’m sorry, High Priest. I’ve been under too much stress lately.”

“…It’s alright.”

“Anyway, what’s happening now is the domain of the inquisitors. So High Priest, stop interfering at this point. It’s a situation that’s tantamount to a direct insult to the Celestial God, now. The headquarters is busy trying to capture the apostate on their end, so from our position, we can’t disobey either.”

At those words, Eize closed her mouth.

Rationally thinking, Phoebe’s words were correct.

It was a direct order from the Pope, and moreover, that order was given to the inquisitors.

It wasn’t something that she, as a high priest, could comment on, and even Phoebe, as a bishop, couldn’t rashly disobey.

Because she could understand the position, there were no more words she could say.

But for Eize, her faith in Yona was stronger.

She couldn’t believe it until she saw it with her own eyes.

Even though she wasn’t smart, even though she hated studying terribly,

Yona was a girl who had a truly kind and righteous heart, and who pursued what it meant to be a clergyman.

Eize vowed not to believe the news that such a Yona had become an apostate until she saw it with her own eyes.