Reason – Part 04
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Translator: Kell
Three days passed without incident.
Mercenary had regained his composure, as if his outburst right after he woke up did not happen at all. His steps were still shaky, but he decided to walk around town today as well.
“To be honest, he’s too positive that I’m a little worried,” Gemma told Secrecy with a grim face.
They were in a room in the Knights Templar’s barracks—a conference room for discussing strategies for the journey to Wenias. As the Captain, Gemma was stationed here, while Secrecy frequently visited. Today the priest was summoned by Gemma.
“I’ve heard that he’s been training hard with the sword, exploring the city at night, and enjoying cooking with Lily,” Gemma added. “Considering how disruptive he was on the first day, it’s almost like he’s a different person. I hope he’s not pushing himself too hard.”
A sudden change could be unsettling. Even if it was for the better. Secrecy knew from experience that a sudden favorable change, one with no particular reason, was especially dangerous.
“I did tell him to get used to his human body quickly, but I meant learning how fragile it is,” Secrecy remarked.
“There’s more. He even seems to be interested in the Church’s books that the Director is reading. Imagine that! Mercenary reading is already weird in and of itself, but Church books?”
Mercenary was never a reader. Funny adventure stories were one thing, but him showing interest in technical Church books was nothing short of unsettling.
“Apparently he wants to learn about demons as much as possible for the journey.”
“It’s a commendable mindset, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to stop him when he’s being active. But there’s no guarantee he doesn’t do anything on impulse.”
“Yes.” Gemma felt relieved that the priest agreed with her. “I assigned Barcel to assist him, so I don’t think he’ll do anything reckless, but I thought I’d inform you either way. You seem to have known him for a long time.”
Secrecy gave a shrug. “Not that long,” he corrected. “He’s been avoiding me the past few days.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Oh, no, I didn’t mean it in a bad way!” Gemma quickly shook her head. “It’s just, you can be harsh. You’re the one who locked him up too. He probably finds it hard to look at you. I mean, we’re very grateful that you took on the role of the bad guy…”
“You don’t have to give an honest answer. I was simply joking.”
Gemma looked confused. “I thought Dea Ignis didn’t make jokes.”
“Normally, no. But we’re both a little too tense. I’m sure God will forgive a few jokes. As for which God, I don’t know.”
“As a knight, I can’t let such a joke pass.”
“I wasn’t joking this time.”
Gemma and the priest looked at each other—the priest was wearing a belt over his eyes—and smiled.
Just then, the sound of running turned their attention to the hallway. Secrecy could tell who was coming from the sound of their footsteps. He sensed something terrible.
Barcel coming here in a hurry when he was supposed to be with Mercenary could only mean one thing.
“Apologies for the interruption,” he said. “Uh, Merc’s got into a scuffle with the Noble Guards in the armory.”
“What?! Is he okay?!”
“He’s fine, but I can’t say the same for the other guy. Please come with me.”
Secrecy and Gemma made their way to the armory. Apparently while on the way to the armory to grab a sword for training, a knight from the Noble Guards who happened to be there started lambasting him.
Accordingly, he said, “There’s no weapon for a foul being like you. You might have taken a human form, but you’re not fooling us. We should’ve killed you and the witch, even if it meant ignoring Captain Orlux’s kindness.”
Mercenary snapped and hit the knight. Not accustomed to having a human body meant he had no idea how much power to use. While he was weaker now than when he was a Beastfallen, Mercenary still possessed a physique larger than the average man. If he swung his fist believing that he was a lot weaker now, he could kill someone.
When they arrived at the armory, a horrible scene greeted them. Mercenary was being held down by several people, and a knight was moaning, blood dripping down his face. A crowd of people surrounded them.
“Kill him!” a knight shouted, holding his bloodied comrade in his arms. “Awful things have been happening ever since they arrived! We’ve been doing fine until then. The witch and the Beastfallen brought us misfortune! Kill him now! He’s a monster wearing human skin!”
“Who are you calling a monster, you monster?!” Mercenary shouted back. “You bastards ruined everything! You made her doubt humanity! She thought there was no point in saving the world, because the Church would betray witches again! Why don’t you count the things she’s done for humans?! Now count the things you’ve done to her! If scum like you are humans, then I’d rather be a monster!”
“Kill him and toss him in the woods! That should solve everything. They poisoned Her Excellency’s mind!”
“That’s enough!” Gemma’s roar blew away the heated atmosphere in the armory, ushering in a cold silence. The onlookers opened a path for the Captain. “The Church prohibits lynching, no matter what reason you may have. Barcel, take the injured to the infirmary. I believe there’s a man in our unit who excels in the Chapter of Protection. Even Magic learned to distract them on the trip should ease the pain.”
“Understood!”
“Priest. Take Mercenary to his room and lock him in. Don’t let him out until he’s calmed down.”
“With pleasure.”
The freezing air began to warm up as Barcel and Secrecy followed Gemma’s orders.
“What, no punishment for the monster who hit a knight?!” a Noble Guard cried, his face stern.
Gemma shot him the same stern look. “I understand your concern for your injured comrade, but I have it in good authority that you were the ones who provoked Mercenary. If you have any objections, I’ll listen to the facts of the matter as soon as your friend recovers.”
“This is ridiculous! Far too unfair! The one who struck someone bloody gets no punishment? You’re just going to let him cool his head off? I can’t believe Commander Eudwright sent someone useless as captain of the expedition!”
“I’m saying that a verdict will be handed down after we reach Wenias. We can’t afford any more injuries right now. Nor can we reduce our manpower. It was Her Excellency who decided to take all the people, even criminals, to Wenias. We, the Knights Templar, will abide by her decision and take everyone, including Mercenary and the knight.”
Gemma’s calm response made the knight’s face twist in disgust. “If Captain Orlux was in good health, you wouldn’t be acting like you owned the place. Besides, it was that fucking Dea Ignis guy who injured the Captain! Wenias must have sent you here to create chaos!”
Gemma didn’t know what to say. After Secrecy incapacitated Orlux, Captain of the Noble Guards, the Noble Guards of Knox Cathedral came to despise the knights dispatched from Wenias.
After his knees were crushed, Orlux went to the Bishop to complain about Secrecy, but she brushed him aside. Orlux quickly became depressed as a result, and locked himself in his room, never stepping outside. His followers, having lost their leader, started causing problems all over the place, letting their emotions take over.
The most annoying thing was that the Noble Guards still held considerable influence over the townspeople. On the surface they were silently obeying the Bishop’s orders, preparing for the journey to Wenias, but the dark emotions stirring beneath were slowly showing on the faces of the people.
Everyone was understandably anxious. Suddenly the world was flooded with demons, and just when they thought help had arrived, a witch, an enemy of the Church, was escorting them.
After being forced to abandon their familiar hometown, Captain Orlux was harmed by Dea Ignis, sending the town’s trusted guards into shambles. Without the Bishop, who had the absolute trust of the people, they would have long since fallen into a state of panic.
The worst possible scenario was even likely to happen: Knights Templar and the Noble Guards killing each other, dragging the civilians into the conflict.
The smartest thing to do was not to criticize Orlux for expelling Zero and Mercenary. And after what he did just now, executing Mercenary would be the best option, like how the Church once declared witches to be evil and burned them to death to calm the masses.
“It does not look very good,” Leyland Tanger, Vice Captain of the Knights Templar’s Northern Expeditionary Force, muttered gravely as he stopped writing. “To them we are outsiders. Us taking command is not favorable. It would have been best if we had the cooperation of those who are trusted around here.”
“Forget cooperative, they’re against us,” Gemma said. “That said, if we leave them in charge, the first thing they will do is publicly execute Mercenary.”
“The past me would have chosen that option. Execute an obvious evil, unite the people, and head to Wenias as one. A very idealistic option.”
“Vice Captain!”
“I said the past me. Back when I never doubted that Beastfallen and witches were evil, and that executing them would make the world a better place.” The old man’s expression clouded. “It is difficult, and sometimes terribly cruel, to make people deny and forget what they have always believed in. Many can’t bear to learn that the ones they thought were evil were, in fact, good. For the sake of the people, and for the sake of Mercenary, it might be best to keep him locked up until we arrive in Wenias.”
“There has to be another way.”
“I understand what you’re trying to say, but things are too unstable at the moment. He can’t defend himself either. If the people launch a surprise attack, there will be casualties. We must avoid that at all costs.”
“I doubt Mercenary will be happy about that.”
“I don’t know how to feel about this. If he were a Beastfallen, everyone would have steered clear of him. Ah, it will be fine. There’s only a few days left before our departure. We just have to hang in there until then.” He forced a smile.
Gemma could only manage a dry chuckle in response.
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