Chapter 181: Amaranth Monastery (5)

“Ahhtila used to be a front-line warrior, but I heard his personality changed a bit after his body was cut in half once by a hero. It seems the shock of surviving that left quite an impact.”

This was the information Milia had passed on, almost like a joke.

After barely escaping death from being beaten up by Hero Wolf and his group, Ahhtila apparently avoids fighting directly now. He’s mostly started using the cowardly tactic of controlling his subordinate demons to fight, and most of the subordinates who originally admired his imposing figure have left, so his forces have dwindled significantly, apparently.

In her opinion, if Ahhtila were at that Amarans Monastery, he would choose to fight by controlling the Monastery Head rather than fighting himself.

All of our operations were based on the premise that Ahhtila fights using manipulation.

“I witnessed horrific torture and abuse occurring at Amarans Monastery. I request an investigation into Amarans Monastery and the arrest of Monastery Head Andre.”

Lumia’s statement turned the atmosphere of the church upside down. Those with quick minds agreed with her claims for the time being and broke into wide smiles, while the priests who remembered Andre from the past wore expressions of disbelief.

Amidst the high-ranking priests showing different reactions, Alexander frowned and was racking his brain. Everything had to be done not by justice, but by political judgment.

Because the church led by Alexander had become too bloated to sustain itself by love and justice alone.

Currently, Alexander was facing a crisis. This was because his main supporters had lost family members in the war and their dissatisfaction was piling up due to gaining no achievements in the Northern Expedition. Just as a skilled acrobat is meaningless without an audience, the church’s power only holds meaning with someone’s patronage and strong support from nobles.

Only with the certainty of obtaining high positions and various benefits within the church, the more one does for the head of the church, could tightly knit relationships like a spiderweb be maintained.

“Priestess Ernrich Lumia. Didn’t you once receive teachings from Priest Andre? What is the reason for suddenly accusing him?”

The meeting was continuing amidst Alexander’s silence. Lumia said to a priest probing her intentions.

“Because I saw children suffering. Right before my eyes, Andre forced the boy’s repentance, made him recite prayers, and used magic devices to torture him. Furthermore, I witnessed him using suspicious power to subdue my party who were trying to pull the boy out. As a priestess, I absolutely could not overlook such wickedness.”

The priests were watching Alexander’s reaction. Alexander considered this incident a good opportunity to appease his dissatisfied supporters and soothe the public sentiment of the kingdom’s people.

The Holy Knights who vanquished a cruel false prophet that tortured civilians demanding repentance for sins.

Isn’t it a resonant story just to hear?

Alexander said with a satisfied smile.

“I remember Andre. I knew him to be a very devout person, so I can’t believe he has fallen that far. We will send the Holy Knights from ‘our’ side to investigate thoroughly.”

Lumia nodded and said.

“Thank you for listening to my opinion, Saint. However, as the accuser in this case, I also want to contribute to resolving it. From what I’ve heard, Monastery Head Andre holds street events every month in a city near Amarans Monastery to promote it.”

“That’s very good information. I will make sure to relay your opinion to our Holy Knights.”

No matter what Lumia brought up, Alexander had no intention of putting her on the arrest team. Even just giving one spot each to the priests close to him, who were children of nobles he knew, the spots on the arrest team were insufficient. He didn’t want to give credit to an annoying woman like Lumia, who had no background.

Monastery Head Andre was originally an unrecognized individual, unable to properly use holy power. For such a person, even if they used ‘suspicious power’, there was no way they could defeat the Holy Knights. Even though they were mostly chosen from Alexander’s close aides, fundamentally, one had to pass an exam to join the Holy Knights.

It meant they were a group possessing basic competence.

“Still, Priestess Lumia is a capable priestess. She has numerous demon-slaying records and is famous for her deep faith. Wouldn’t it be good to bring her along to prepare for unforeseen circumstances? Last time…”

Alexander knew what content would follow the words ‘Last time’. It referred to the incident during the last Imp subjugation operation where two high-ranking priests died and the priests were annihilated. He faced criticism for devising a complacent plan, thinking they were mere Imps, and nobles who sent their family members trusting Alexander also rebuked him via letters.

“When are you bringing that up? Is now the same as then?”

Even as he said that, cold sweat running down his back was unavoidable. What if Monastery Head Andre truly possessed terrifying power? What if, after refusing the offer to send additional troops this time, the Holy Knights were all killed again?

One mistake was enough. Alexander looked at the priest with an uncomfortable expression, but he averted his gaze and remained silent. Alexander was uncomfortable with the current situation. He didn’t like the priest’s attitude, which seemed to attack him, and he hated the reality of having to admit his words were right.

“…..However, as the priest said, preparing for unforeseen circumstances seems not bad. Let’s do as you say.”

However, work is always work, and personal matters are personal matters. By mixing personal feelings into work, one is inevitably bound to run towards ruin. Alexander stepped back, using his past trauma as a lesson. Lumia nodded with a satisfied expression, and the priests too looked at each other with relieved expressions.

Alexander said.

“Prepare the reserve forces centering around Ernrich Lumia. However, if Monastery Head Andre is judged not to be dangerous, Lumia’s subordinate forces should focus on personnel control and cleanup of the surrounding situation.”

“Understood.”

Lumia nodded, smiling. Alexander thought her smile was truly beautiful. At the same time, he lamented that she had such a straightforward personality. If only she were a little interested in success, he would have treated her well.

“Priestess! Shouldn’t we be dispatched too?”

Andre was rampaging. However, Lumia’s expression remained serene as she watched the situation from a short distance away. The priests and knights following her were anxiously fidgeting with anxious faces.

No matter how corrupt those supporting Alexander were, they were fellow knights who trained together. They were priests who spent their trainee days together. From the perspective of serving God, watching comrades die was never a pleasant thing.

Every time Andre rampaged, the knights gritted their teeth, were pushed back, and flung in all directions. Relatively experienced knights erected shields at the forefront by exerting holy power, while priests fired holy magic from the rear.

“Kuaaaaaah!”

Andre twisted his body and slumped down, then got up again and swung his arms widely.

A golden shield floated in mid-air and collided with a heavy trajectory, a white light cluster dispersed into particles, and a loud explosion occurred.

Amidst the fierce battle, which was more intense than expected, Lumia said.

“We are here to protect people. Civilians haven’t evacuated the plaza yet, and the monks are trying to escape, taking advantage of the chaos. Knights, control access to the plaza and subdue the monks. Priests, follow me and evacuate the civilians. We do what needs to be done first.”

The knights and priests nodded.

In the shade of a back alley near the market, a pink-haired woman wearing a hood was watching the situation. She raised a magic communicator while chewing on a piece of apple from an unattended stall.

“Ah, testing. Testing. Can you hear me?”

A languid voice came out from the forest outside the city walls.

“I hear you.”

The short, chilling voice even carried a chill. Sophia said as she slipped out of the city, following the priests’ guidance.

“They’re fighting fiercely. It seems you’ll have to step in. You need to come right now, because you can’t request backup.”

The communicator was cut off. Sophia clenched her fist, crushed the communicator, and casually tossed it into a barrel full of rotten fish.

Then, she leisurely left the plaza, humming.

“Move the injured to the rear! Don’t let your guard down!”

The knight was sweating profusely. He had heard of ‘suspicious power’, but never of brute force. When they were assigned Priestess Ernrich Lumia, renowned in the East and West, he had thought Alexander was exaggerating due to trauma from the previous subjugation.

“Uwaaaak!”

But it wasn’t the case.

Andre was truly a monstrous brute. A mythical monster-like being, which the knights had only encountered in old records, was sweeping through the plaza.

The knight gritted his teeth.

“Priestess Lumia! We need support!”

The knight intended to call for Priestess Lumia and push her command forces in. And then retreat back to request additional support.

She’s a demon hunter. She’ll handle this kind of demon better. Because all the knights here are precious.

“We need support!”

And the knight saw a pitch-black mass flying up into the sky. A black shape, impossible to know what it was, flew up into the sky like smoke and was approaching the plaza. Even amidst the urgency, the knight couldn’t take his eyes off it.

Taffy quickly scanned the plaza. She quickly began to search for the knights whom she had to kill.

In the distance, Lumia using holy magic was visible. Light extended from her fingertips, and white light was visible shimmering on the swords of the knights surrounding the demon. Taffy looked at Lumia and smiled slightly.

Knights whose swords shone brightly and priests whose bodies glowed, as if asking to be targeted.

They were targets.