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Fall of the Holy City – Part 06

As the group advanced along the main street of the holy city, the citizens cleared a path for them in fear.

A man with a magnificent mane and a towering figure, Gerhardt, was seated in the middle of an open-air carriage, and next to him was Jillarte. Behind them were humans wearing strange masks, but all the carriages behind them were occupied by Beastmen.

Though they were only a group of about a hundred people, they carried themselves with an air of confidence. The parade was so symbolic that many of the citizens couldn’t help but feel that the Theocracy of Bios had lost.

“This city seems pretty lifeless for how clean it is,” Gerhardt commented.

Jillarte chuckled. One of his merits is that he doesn’t engage in dirty scheming, but he should definitely think a bit more.

She wished he should consider how his actions might affect the holy city. The arrival of the enemy’s supreme commander with only a small force was an obvious show of confidence, the conduct of a victor.

This was one of the reasons Jillarte had opposed Gerhardt’s decision to go to the pit. Many of his retainers had also opposed the idea, but once they were overwhelmingly defeated in the mock battle, they couldn’t say anything.

As a species that believed “might is right”, the only words they could utter were, “Take care.”

“Oh, Silver Face is here too. And is that the Four Eastern Stars?”

Their rendezvous point was the plaza in front of the Tower’s main gate, just before the massive bridge. Aside from Hikaru’s group, there were about a hundred temple guards gathered there, keeping away the curious Agiapole residents. It didn’t seem like the carriage could get there that easily.

“Hyah!”

“Ah, milord!”

Gerhardt leaped from the carriage and cleared the crowd with a powerful jump, landing in front of Hikaru’s group.

“Are you the remaining members of the Four Eastern Stars?”

“Yes.”

In response to the ferocious aura emanating from Gerhardt’s entire body, Selyse cautiously gripped the hilt of the White Ray Blade.

“What a fascinating woman. Fight me!”

“Kuh.”

“Draw your sword… Ugh!”

Selyse was about to draw her sword, when Gerhardt’s knees suddenly buckled. Hikaru’s doing, of course.

“Could you not do that here?” Hikaru said in disbelief. “If you want to spar, go back to your camp.”

The Beastmen in the background stirred.

“He just kneed the boss!”

“Little shit!”

“Did he seriously just knee the chief? Silver Face must have some serious muscles.”

“I want to see them.”

They were excited for some reason.

“No way! I don’t want to. Why do I have to go to that muggy place?!”

The leader of the Rank A adventurer party Rising Falls, Igloo Fullblood, arrived, flanked by temple guards. His handsome features—flowing blond hair and large blue eyes—might appeal to young women, but he lacked masculinity. Nonetheless, his outfit, consisting of a jacket and pants made from high-quality monster leather, and the longsword he carried on his back, gave him the distinct appearance of an adventurer.

So the holy sword didn’t get digested by the chimera, huh?

When Igloo was using the weapon against Hikaru, the chimera grabbed it with its long tongue and swallowed it.

Since Igloo had a weapon imbued with the holy attribute, which had a special effect against undead monsters, Luvain ordered him to accompany them.

Hikaru would rather Luvain gave him the weapon instead, or have Igloo deal with the monsters that were appearing on the surface.

“Who’s the twig?” Gerhardt asked. “Impressive weapon, though.”

Igloo was indeed lacking in strength both physically and mentally. Hikaru couldn’t help but assume that he reached Rank A solely due to the power of his weapon.

“What did you say?! I’ll have you know I’m a Rank A adventurer! And why are these Beastmen walking around Agiapole like they own the place, huh?”

He even lacked critical information.

“Oh… You’re the leader of that party that disrupted the Ruler’s Rumble.”

The Ruler’s Rumble, a tournament held to determine the leader of the Confederacy of Einbiest, was won by Gerhardt again this year. A member of Rising Falls had disrupted the event and attempted to assassinate the runner-up, Jillarte.

“What?! So this guy is Gerhardt?! It’s the enemy’s boss! Hey, temple guards, what are you doing? Kill this guy now!”

“Kill me? How interesting. Draw your sword, then.”

“Engaging in violence before the heart of the Church, the Tower, is highly inappropriate.”

As Hikaru was pondering how to put an end to this idiotic exchange—or whether to just let it be—the central priest that visited Einbiest’s camp as an emissary, Leonie, appeared.

“Lord Igloo, His Holiness has given strict orders that if you do not take on this assignment, you will return the holy sword. Will you do that, then?”

“N-No, that’s not it. I just, you know… wanted to voice my discontent.”

“Very well. As for the folks from Einbiest. We are grateful that you’re willing to help resolve the holy city’s problems, but if you wish to cause any disturbance, please return to your camp.”

Gerhardt fell silent, but what Leonie said was reasonable. Einbiest had only ceased hostilities with Bios, and it did not mean that the enemy’s leader, Gerhardt, could come and go in the holy city as he pleased.

“I trust everyone is in agreement. We will now proceed to our destination. There’s more people here than expected, so please keep your voices down.”

Leonie led the way into the Tower. Hikaru, Lavia, Paula, and the three members of the Four Eastern Stars walked together.

The direction they were headed was unfamiliar even to Hikaru, who had visited the Tower several times. While he could use Mana Detection to scan a wide area, there were too many magic items inside the Tower to have a clear grasp of the surroundings.

So the first Pope built his residence on top of the sealed pit.

Was it to assert dominance? Or was it because of fear—fear that Funai might rise from the depths of the earth at any time and jeopardize his status?

“This way.”

They arrived at an old stone building. To the unknowing eye, it appeared as nothing more than a warehouse. However, as the thick iron door swung open, whatever initial impression they might have had would change completely.

Cold air brushed against their skins. In the dimness was a gaping hole, with a spiral staircase that led underground.

“Let us confirm the participants. Silver Face, Star Face, Flower Face, the three members of the Four Eastern Stars, five members of the Einbiest army, Sir Igloo, and five temple guards as witnesses. That should be all.”

Five highly skilled temple guards had been selected to join them. With the Knights Templar away from the holy city, these were considered the next most formidable force.

While Leonie spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, her voice held a hint of tension. She was likely nervous.

Her voice is quivering even though she stood firm in front of Gerhardt. This place must be very dangerous.

Hikaru didn’t know to what extent Luvain had shared about the pit, but Leonie seemed to have received fairly accurate information.

Ranna is down there. She will pay for what she did.

The poison spread in Ponsonia and Quinbrand was created by Ranna. Because of her, Hikaru and the others had to run all over the place and ultimately ended up in the holy city, where even Lavia fell victim to the enhanced version of the toxin.

If at that time Lavia didn’t have enough points on her Soul Board to acquire Toxin Immunity… If Hikaru had not been able to find Luvain…

If Lavia had died…

Such thoughts had crossed his mind countless times. There were nights when he had nightmares about Lavia’s death.

She had to pay. A spark ignited within him.

“Let’s go.”

Cloak flaring, Hikaru entered the warehouse and headed to the entrance of the pit.

The bells in the Tower rang, announcing the evening hour.

---

Luvain paused from flipping through the documents.

The room was crowded with numerous priests, each meticulously examining the issues left behind by former archpriests. While several archpriests had already faced execution, the victims who had suffered under these corrupt leaders remained far from satisfied.

Luvain’s intention was to provide as much compensation as possible, a sentiment shared by the priests gathered here. These were not solely central priests; they included individuals from various regions. Some had sensed the danger during the war with the Quinbrand Empire, while others had heard of the disturbances in Agiapole. This had prompted many priests, deacons, and friars to journey from outside the holy city.

“It should be about time.”

A grandfather clock on the wall indicated that it was 5 o’clock in the evening. The chimes from the bell tower outside reverberated through the room.

Luvain felt conflicted. Despite ascending to the papal seat, he had not proven himself useful during the true crises—neither during Einbiest’s invasion, the Quinbrand Empire’s aggression, nor the sealing of the great pit.

All he had accomplished was the removal of the corrupt archpriests involved in crafty schemes and injustice.

Is this what I wanted to achieve, even if it meant sacrificing the former Pope?

He clenched his fists tight. He despised the fact that his mind remained clear, free from the torment of guilt. He had believed that becoming the Pope would enable him to transcend pain and suffering and lead more people effectively. Yet, he still felt like nothing more than a cunning archpriest, or perhaps just a humble friar.

“Your Holiness, is there something wrong?” inquired a nearby priest.

Luvain shook his head. “It’s nothing. Let us do what we can. It will be a certain step forward on the path of faith.”

“Yes, sir!”

His words stirred the determination of the many priests. However, for Luvain, it felt more like self-assurance spoken to himself.

Inside the room, the only sounds were the rustling of pages and the scratching of pens on paper.