Chapter Index

    “You don’t plan to keep running forever, do you?!”

    Without witnessing Fairchild’s demise to the end, we sprinted down the passage at full speed.

    It wasn’t as dramatic as a movie scene where the ground crumbled with every step, but the danger was real. Frankly, if things escalated to that point while trapped in this barrier, we’d be dead for sure.

    “Ugh, damn it! The magic’s gone haywire!”

    Chris cursed in frustration, his hands moving rapidly. Likely due to Fairchild’s uncontrolled rampage, the enchantments woven into this short passage had also malfunctioned.

    “I’ll handle the fine-tuning. Chris, just focus on Eric’s protection and dismantling the barrier!”

    “Easier said than done!”

    Despite his grumbling, thanks to Cecilia’s assistance, the corridor’s stretching length visibly shortened. Earlier, it had retreated imperceptibly with each step, but now its collapsing pace was noticeable.

    As we ran wildly through the seemingly endless passage, a thought struck me.

    “Cecilia!”

    “Don’t distract me—if I lose focus—”

    “Is anyone still inside?! Who’s left in the church?!”

    “Huh?”

    To open the path to Fairchild, we had… processed an inquisitor. Now, as a last act of defiance, Fairchild was bringing down the Empire’s First Church—the heart of the capital and the grandest of all sanctuaries. Soon, the church would collapse, but honestly, I couldn’t care less. Prayer doesn’t require a church, and the Goddess isn’t petty enough to measure faith by brick and mortar.

    The church today is little more than a warehouse for the Pope’s hoarded wealth and a cover for corruption. Even if we hadn’t done this, Elia would’ve marched in with soldiers and trampled half of it anyway. But such punishment should only target the corrupt.

    “Who’s left…? Oh!”

    Cecilia’s face fell as she finally remembered.

    “Indeed… they’re still there. I was so focused on Fairchild that it slipped my mind.”

    “Are they the only ones?”

    “Some priests might remain, but… they’d have fled long ago. No one sniffs out danger to their own skin faster than them. Frankly, I don’t care what happens to such people.”

    “That’s a dangerous statement coming from a Saint.”

    “You weren’t planning to spare them either, were you, Eric? Even so, this is problematic.”

    “Are those inquisitors incapable of deciding to flee? What kind of training did they even get?!”

    “They’re fanatics, Eric, not idiots. They know they should leave. But the Pope’s command to ‘defend the church’ overrides their reason.”

    “This is insane.”

    Losing so many inquisitors here would be disastrous. They still blindly believe the Pope’s words as absolute truth—but like the one Cecilia convinced earlier, they can be reasoned with. Their deaths here would be unacceptable.

    “What did they even do wrong? They just didn’t have anyone but the Pope to believe in. Even for the world’s sake—”

    “Right. So before we save them, let’s get the hell out of this damn corridor. If we waste any more time, we’ll be buried too.”

    “Guh… You think I’m doing this because I want to? Stabilizing this place’s magic is like rebuilding it from scratch—”

    “Got it, got it.”

    I patted Chris’s back.

    “Switch with Cecilia and both of you focus on unraveling the passage. I’ll stabilize the scattered mana.”

    “You?”

    “What, you don’t trust me?”

    Of course, compared to their magic, mine is like a sparrow facing a stork. But even sparrows can fly.

    Chris resumed deciphering the floor’s magic, Cecilia dissolved what he unraveled, and I dispersed the leftover mana before it could destabilize. The shredded remnants, barely recognizable as spells, dissipated harmlessly.

    “The mana… it’s really scattering.”

    “When did you get this strong?”

    “Did you think I’d just whine about prophecies and leave everything to you? At the very least, I have to pull my own weight—so when you face the Demon King, I can handle the grunt work in the background.”

    “You’re coming? Don’t be ridiculous.”

    Christine carefully lowered me as Cecilia swiftly took her place, lifting me onto her back.

    “We’re running now. I have many objections to you tagging along, but as Eric said, escaping safely comes first.”

    Chris deciphered, Cecilia dismantled, and I dispersed the excess. Repeating this cycle, we finally broke free of the cursed corridor.

    “Hahh… hahh… Never doing that again.”

    “Yeah, yeah. Cecilia, where are the inquisitors stationed?”

    “They have private quarters inside the church. I’ll guide you!”

    Despite barely escaping, there was no time to rest. As we ran, cracks spiderwebbed across the walls, widening relentlessly.

    “Here!”

    The inquisitors’ lodgings defied my expectations.

    “Isn’t this too austere?”

    “They have no need for more.”

    The quarters were spartan—barely more than sleeping spaces.

    “Both of you, step back. I’ll need a rough approach. Chris?”

    “Got it.”

    Instantly understanding, Chris stood behind Cecilia and wove a light defensive spell.

    “Rough approach? What’s that?”

    “If I try to reason with them, they’ll just cite the Pope’s orders. So we force them out.”

    “Can’t you persuade them like before?”

    “There are dozens here. No time to convince each one. So—!”

    THUD.

    Cecilia’s fist, brimming with divine energy, struck the floor. A hemisphere of holy power erupted, spreading through the quarters.

    “……”

    “Whew. Even that much takes a toll.”

    “What did you do? Barely made a sound.”

    “Fraud.”

    “Huh?”

    BANG! CRASH! THUD!

    Before I could ask, doors flew open as fully armed inquisitors stormed out.

    “Your Holiness!”

    “Saintess!!”

    “Are you unharmed? We’ll escort you!”

    Surrounded in seconds, I whispered to Cecilia as they formed a protective formation.

    “What the hell did you do?”

    “Lean closer.”

    Her whisper was barely audible.

    “I faked a divine message. Made them think the Goddess told them to flee.”

    “That’s… uh…”

    “Don’t react. If they suspect, we’re finished.”

    The sheer audacity left me speechless. She’d forged a divine oracle.

    Though divine messages are rare, the Goddess does speak directly. Had anyone listened closely, they might’ve noticed the voice wasn’t Hers.

    I glanced around.

    “We must not perish here!”

    “For Her will, even if my body is crushed to dust!”

    “Light! The radiance of Her blessing!”

    “Smite the Demon King and his foolish followers!”

    “……”

    Their fervor was terrifying.

    The cracks in the walls grew larger.

    “Chris.”

    “Yeah?”

    “Open the doors. At this rate, we won’t wake them all.”

    “Got it.”

    True to its name, the First Church was vast.

    Inquisitor quarters were scattered across multiple sections for emergency response.

    “Arise, bearers of the prophecy!”

    “The Goddess walks with you!”

    “Dare doubt Her sacred word and face divine wrath!”

    My ears hurt.

    At first, it was bearable. But after relentless shouting at every stop, I was ready to snap.

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