episode_0131

“Huh?! What in the world…”

The guards exclaimed in surprise at the scene revealed by the glowing magic in front of them.

The barricade that had been sealed off, blocking the path to the storm drain tunnel, was now open.

It must have been a sturdy barricade, but it seemed to have been roughly cut through with a blade.

I approached and touched the broken wood.

“It was broken recently.”

It hadn’t been broken for long.

The fact that the sorcerer who had just entered had broken it.

What could be inside the storm drain tunnel…?

“What will you do, Saint? Will you explore the inside yourself?”

“Yes. Let’s go in.”

“Everyone, switch to high alert. Youngest, go up and inform everyone outside that someone has infiltrated the storm drain tunnel.”

“Got it!”

In an instant, the guards surrounded me, ready to enter the inside.

We still didn’t know what the sorcerer was planning to do in the storm drain tunnel.

If they were planning to detonate explosives underground to collapse the cathedral…

A massive disaster would occur.

Time was of the essence.

There was no time to hesitate; we had to enter immediately and stop the sorcerer.

The guards, aware of this, were all preparing for battle with determined expressions.

“We’re going in.”

I started to enter the inside.

Careful, but not slowing down.

I relied on the light of the glowing magic to navigate the dark sewer.

I was on high alert, fearing ambushes, traps, or enemies lying in wait.

Surprisingly, nothing sprang out from the sewer.

And soon, the vast space of the storm drain tunnel, built to accommodate Cologne’s rainwater, began to reveal itself.

But it was too dark to see anything.

I could make out a silhouette, though.

“Holy Light!”

Shoo!

A flash erupted from my fingertips, soaring up and stopping just below the ceiling, casting bright light in all directions.

In an instant, the dark storm drain tunnel lit up.

The identity of the silhouette we had seen became clear.

“Wow!”

“What is this?!”

People stood stiffly, their faces pale, eyes wide open, but showing no reaction.

They looked like the Nicholas priests we had seen today.

All of them were standing in rows, perfectly aligned.

There were easily over 500 of them!

We were momentarily shocked, but quickly regained our composure.

“They were… stolen from Elvengard…”

And there, surrounded by people, was the massive body of a spider.

At the end of it was a grotesque figure with a woman’s torso attached.

The spider, too, lay limp as if dead.

“They’re all dead…”

I approached and checked their pulses, placing my hand on their hearts.

They were all definitely dead.

The corpses stood stiff like mannequins.

Just like when I had mistakenly checked Nicholas’s pulse.

The priest was indeed dead.

“What in the world…”

Arranging over 500 dead bodies in rows?

What kind of hobby is this?

Suddenly, a chilling sensation swept over me, as if cold air was rushing in.

Even the floor was covered with red lines that I couldn’t understand.

It seemed like some kind of massive spell, but I had no idea of its purpose.

Were they offering these corpses as sacrifices for something?

Not knowing the enemy’s intentions made it even more terrifying.

A sorcery that uses over 500 corpses as sacrifices.

What could the end result be…?

“I know you’re hiding here! Come out now, sorcerer!”

To find out, we must catch the sorcerer who just hid here.

What the hell is he doing?

Why sacrifice so many people like this…

Anger wells up, teeth gritting.

But I must calm down.

Narrowing my sight due to excitement is exactly what the opponent wants.

“There’s no place to hide! That means one of them is here!”

Passing by the stiff corpses one by one, I examine their complexion.

The enemy is among them.

It’s clear that someone is pretending to be a corpse.

Now, I just need to examine each one and find the one who flinches.

“Come out! Quickly! Come out!”

“Saintess, please calm down.”

“I’m perfectly calm right now.”

“No, you’re not. You’re losing control. Let’s go outside and request backup. It’s too dangerous to search for the sorcerer using magic here. Since there’s only one entrance, leaving and abandoning the sorcerer trapped here.”

“Sigh…”

The guards block my way.

I grit my teeth and manage to calm down.

They were right.

I can’t control my anger right now.

Trying to confirm one by one and expose the sorcerer is an incredibly reckless plan.

If a close combat with the sorcerer happens, we will all end up as corpses…

Retreating is the right answer.

Even though I know it in my head, it’s difficult to actually do it.

“Alright. It seems right to re-enter with the paladin and the mages. But we can’t just leave it like this…”

I touch the ground and start using magic.

Casting a 4th-rank neutral magic, Holy Shield.

A yellow light gradually emanates, enveloping the spider monster’s corpse.

It seems like the enemy might be tampering with the corpse, so I’m preventing them from touching it.

This should buy us some time.

“Okay. Let’s go now.”

We flee back the way we came.

One guard went to call for backup, but that was done without knowing the situation inside.

We need to inform them that the crazy sorcerer killed 500 people and turned them into corpses.

“Ugh… It’s bright…”

I quickly climb the ladder and ascend to the surface where the bright sunlight shines.

As the guards following me also come up and adjust to the sunlight, we realize that quite a few people have gathered around us.

And standing in front of me is none other than Archbishop Nicholas.

The moment I meet his cold gaze, chills run down my spine.

This man.

He’s a corpse!

“Arrest Archbishop Nicholas! This man is not alive-”

“Oops.”

“Huh?!”

At that moment, Archbishop Nicholas’s kick strikes my abdomen.

I fly backward and fall into the sewer below.

The guards rush over in surprise, but there’s no way they can catch me.

“Nooo! Nooo…”

The entrance closes with a clang, the light disappears.

As I fall, I lose consciousness with a dull thud.

In the last moment…

I felt like someone was holding me and embracing me…

“What are you doing, Archbishop Nicholas?!”

“What have you done to the Saintess?!”

Thud.

The sewer entrance is closed by Archbishop Nicholas.

And as he stands on the entrance, guards and knights point their spears at him.

An unbelievable event just happened before their eyes.

Archbishop Nicholas kicked the Saintess and made her fall into the underground.

It’s at least a 2-story drop, so the probability of death is very high.

Archbishop Nicholas intended to kill the Saintess.

There’s no other way to interpret his actions.

This only further confuses the soldiers.

Through numerous tests and inspections, only those who are upright and righteous can ascend to the position of a magistrate.

I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a rational reason behind his actions.

“Explain yourself!”

“You all must have been surprised by my sudden actions. But please listen to me carefully. The saint I just pushed down is a fake.”

“What did you say?”

“I mean, the fake saint disguised by a sorcerer. It may have been difficult for your eyes to see through, but it’s hard to deceive my eyes.”

“Is that really true? The saint was fake?”

Murmurs spread around.

The edges of the windows began to shake.

That’s how convincing the magistrate’s statement was.

But that wasn’t enough.

His hasty logic soon revealed its flaws.

“Then step aside, magistrate. We will go down and arrest the fake saint. And then we can dispel the disguise.”

“That’s not possible. The opponent is very strong. I’m barely keeping them contained at the entrance.”

“We have 10 holy knights gathered here. It’s okay.”

“Oh. It’s an enemy that can only be dealt with by bringing in 10 swordmasters. I’ll have to request assistance from around the world.”

“Magistrate, do you realize how suspicious you look right now? Please step aside from the sewer entrance.”

“…”

One by one, people began to have doubts.

They were convinced that the magistrate was talking nonsense.

He was somehow preventing anyone from going down below.

Preventing the revelation of the fake saint.

“Since Solar Vice Commander is absent, I, Maximos! The First Battle Commander will take command! The Holy Knights will arrest Nicholas Dietertraum, the magistrate, for attempting to kill the saint! I will now strip Nicholas of all his authority!”

“Haha… It would be better if you didn’t do that.”

As the holy knights closed in on Nicholas, he laughed dejectedly.

With a slight bow of his head and a faint smile on his lips, he soon turned into a sly grin.

“Hehe… Xenon. Don’t let anyone touch the entrance.”

“What? Xenon? Why is the Vice Commander’s brother’s name-”

Boom!

At that moment, a loud noise echoed as smoke filled the air.

An explosion engulfed the holy knights, causing several of them to suffer significant injuries and fall.

The intense magic scattered in all directions, too powerful for the holy knights to control.

Despite that, its impact was enough to harm the holy knights.

“Xenon? Why!”

[Everything… for Luna…]

As the holy knights tended to their injured comrades.

A boy emerged from the thick smoke.

A red light flickered and flashed on his left chest.

As he reached out his hand.

The immense amount of magic gathering at his fingertips frightened the holy knights.

“Damn it! What did you do to Xenon!!!”

Boom!

Another explosion of magic erupted, drowning out the screams of the holy knights.

The back of the cathedral turned into chaos in an instant.

Meanwhile, behind Xenon, standing by the sewer entrance, Nicholas the magistrate.

His skin had turned pale, frozen stiff.

As something flowed out of his body, the surrounding air grew cold.

Soon, that chill moved downwards, seeping into the ground.

.

.

.

“Ugh… It hurts so much…”

After hitting his head on the ground and momentarily losing consciousness…

As soon as he opened his eyes, the immense pain at the back of his head made his body involuntarily crouch.

However, when I touched the back of my head, there was no injury.

No bump or swelling.

“Is this… a potion?”

A slippery liquid smeared on my head.

Licking it with my tongue, it was definitely a high-quality potion.

Who applied this to me?

But more importantly, how long have I been unconscious in this darkness?

“Nicholas, you bastard!”

I remembered!

I kicked Nicholas and ended up here!

Nicholas is no longer the person we knew.

He is already dead, just being controlled by his corpse.

People on the surface still don’t know that, so I have to hurry and inform them.

With that thought in mind, I frantically searched for a ladder in the darkness.

Suddenly, I felt a presence nearby, and my body froze.

“If you get up, don’t answer, don’t move, don’t use magic, just listen. If you make a loud noise, you die.”

“…”

It was a familiar voice.

No, a missed voice.

The voice I had been longing to hear.

At first, I thought it was a dream.

I doubted whether I was hearing things.

But when I realized that it was not the formal language he usually whispered to me but rather casual speech, I knew this was not my imagination but reality.

Yujin is in front of me right now.

It’s certain, even though he’s not visible in the darkness.

It was a situation I had only dreamed of, but I couldn’t be entirely happy.

His voice was trembling as if he was nervous.

I quickly understood that it was a dangerous situation.

“We’re going to slowly ascend to the surface from now on. We have to go up quietly without making a sound.”

“W-what’s going on?”

“Do you want to see for yourself? It should be fine to illuminate for a moment. Ignite.”

Click.

The sound of a finger flicking lightly.

A small light flashed, illuminating the surroundings for a very brief moment.

In that moment, I saw Yujin’s broad back standing in front of me.

I saw something in Yujin’s right hand.

Beyond that, I thought I saw the silhouette of something, but I couldn’t see it clearly.

“Do you understand the situation?”

“It was too brief for me to see properly.”

“Once more.”

Click.

Once again, the finger flicked.

This time, I focused not on Yujin but beyond him.

And I had to hold back a scream of horror.

“Oh…”

The corpses I had just seen.

Those corpses were staggering through the sewer.

As if searching for something, they waved their hands in the air…