Chapter 423

The Holy City of Alhebron was like a city designed by gathering a hundred people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, making them fight to the death, and then entrusting the last survivor with the task of designing it.

The architecture itself seemed to have been handed over to lunatics who harbored an endless hatred for curves.

Every section was meticulously aligned as if measured with a ruler, and without exception, the walls, ground, and roofs were all painted in pure white.

Even more astonishingly, all that white reflected the sunlight so brilliantly that not a single stain could be seen.

Can you believe it? Even the ground people walked on was spotless!

Even cleaning masters who had worked as janitors for forty years would surely scream and run away if ordered to work in such a city.

This city was, quite literally, a symbol of the Holy Kingdom’s inhumanity, just by existing.

“Alhebron… It used to be called the City of Blind Lambs, the holy land of the Elpinel Church Order. It’s been a long time since I’ve returned here.”

Lacey clasped her hands together and prayed with a deeply moved expression.

The rest of us couldn’t bear to look at the blindingly bright city, so we kept our heads up, staring only at the sky.

At least the sky was still blue.

The City of Blind Lambs?

I could see why it got that name.

After all, anyone living here would go blind within a week.

“My eyes… are… really hurting.”

“Ah, here, use this.”

At my quiet complaint, Lacey seemed to remember something and pulled out a bundle of cloth from her luggage, handing it to us.

Veils made of dark-colored silk.

The veils effectively blocked the blinding reflections while being thin enough to not hinder our vision too much.

“That’s better.”

Sunglasses would have been nice, but that would have been asking too much.

Unfortunately, we had to make do with the veils.

“In the streets of Alhebron, everyone wears veils like this. The radiance of His Holiness is too bright and glorious for human eyes to handle.”

How do they live like this?

—

After donning the veils Lacey gave us, we were finally able to properly appreciate the city’s scenery.

“The field of view is a bit narrower, but it doesn’t seem to be a big issue.”

“I had no idea Alhebron was like this. I thought the ‘City of Pure White’ was just a metaphor… Did Matty live here too?”

Nigel awkwardly adjusted his veil, while Leonor muttered in a melancholic voice, reminiscing about her younger brother.

Matthias was part of the Shaulite Church Order, so he probably lived in Arvil, not Alhebron.

“It’s all so white…”

“Right. How do they maintain it?”

Rana and Milia were busy looking around, fascinated by the pure white city.

“……”

Damien was scanning the city with sharp eyes, his expression suggesting he was identifying the best spots for leap attacks.

That lunatic obsessed with leaping. His fixation on the void was something I could never understand.

“…Is it really okay for me to be in a place like this…?”

Hersh trembled, her shoulders hunched, her face clearly anxious.

Well, to her, this entire city probably felt like a banquet hall for butchers eager to torture and kill her.

Not that it was far from the truth.

“Since you have the slave mark, it shouldn’t be a big problem… but still, avoid exposing your ears. Cleaning up a mutilated corpse and finding the culprit to demand compensation is quite a hassle.”

“Eeeek…!”

At Bels’ explanation that her ears being discovered would lead to her being torn to pieces, Hersh convulsed, swallowing a scream.

Whether it was an exaggerated threat or something that could actually happen, Hersh seemed to have already imprinted Alhebron as a slaughterhouse delivering fairy meat.

“…Stick close to me. I don’t want to lose a useful slave I just acquired.”

“Y-yes!”

Hersh nodded and tried to cling to me, but after making eye contact with Rana, who turned her head toward her, she subtly stepped aside.

Good. Keep that distance. Too close, and you’ll just get in the way.

—

The streets of Alhebron had the atmosphere of a funeral procession.

People walking by wore veils similar to ours and moved quietly, not raising their voices even when conversing.

It felt less solemn and more like all vitality had been drained.

Maybe it was because I lacked faith, but that’s how it felt to me.

Horse and carriage traffic was prohibited within the city, so we had no choice but to walk. Fortunately, since everyone wore veils, we didn’t attract too much attention.

Though there was a bit of a commotion when our identities were checked at the city gates.

Surprisingly, the paved roads throughout the city remained spotlessly white even after being walked on with dirty feet.

Lacey explained this as a miracle of Elpinel, but to me, it seemed more like they were using idle priests to pour holy power into maintaining cleanliness.

We marveled at the sterile, alien city as we headed toward the Elpinel Church Order’s grand cathedral.

The walls of the uniformly built structures were adorned with various church order emblems, and many buildings even had crosses mounted on their roofs.

The architecture seemed standardized, with most buildings being similar in shape and about two stories tall.

The only exception was the cathedral. Amid the horizontally stretched roofs, the towering cathedrals stood out like lone peaks, both alien and majestic.

Perhaps due to the extreme contrast in height, it felt as if the other buildings were bowing their heads toward the cathedral.

“It reminds me of Landenburg.”

Nigel shared his calm observation.

Well, Ludwig’s territory had a similar design philosophy.

A city of extreme practicality and monochrome. Though it wasn’t as inhuman as this.

“Right. Did you visit here before?”

Perhaps Marquis Ludwig had visited Alhebron and been deeply impressed.

“Perhaps so.”

Nigel smiled in agreement.

—

After walking for about an hour under the blazing sun, we finally arrived at St. Eluniel Cathedral, where the Elpinel Church Order’s cardinal resided.

This cathedral, with a name that could tie your tongue in knots, was built before the era of Carolus to honor a saintess who spread Elpinel’s will on earth. It was said to be as grand and holy as the Exra-shapel Cathedral.

The gleaming white walls were engraved with scriptures of the Elpinel Church Order and reliefs depicting the era of the Great Celestial Religion. Dozens of marble statues on the roof gazed down at those gathered before the cathedral.

The largest statue in the center depicted a goddess with twelve wings spread wide, dressed similarly to Lacey’s saintess robes.

It was said to be based on Elpinel’s appearance as described in the scriptures.

Though, strictly speaking, calling it a goddess statue was incorrect.

While the appearance was feminine, Elpinel was a complete being, transcending gender, embodying a primordial form before the concept of male and female even existed…

Lacey’s abstract explanation was hard to follow, but I figured it meant both were present.

On either side of Elpinel’s statue were sculptures of angels, followed by statues of knights in armor and priests in holy robes.

The knight statues were easy to identify without explanation.

Twelve knights with their faces hidden by helmets, and one man in ornate armor with his face revealed. Clearly, these were depictions of Emperor Carolus and the Twelve Knights.

Especially striking was the statue of Emperor Carolus.

[I am no prophet, but I am certain of this one thing! I can clearly see what will happen to Leopold’s head in the future! Can’t you see it too?]

Hersela burst into laughter as she looked at the bald statue.

‘Right. I thought it was from stress, but it must have been a hereditary issue.’

The statue of Carolus, fittingly the ancestor of the Radiant Emperor Leopold, radiated a brilliance that far surpassed Leopold’s.

The majestic, glowing head made me chuckle as well.

—

As we approached the cathedral’s entrance, paladins guarding the door politely stopped us.

“May the grace of the heavens be with you. Welcome to St. Eluniel Cathedral. May we inquire about your identities?”

“It’s been a while. Could you inform Cardinal Drexler that I have returned?”

Before I could answer, Lacey stepped forward, lifting her veil slightly to reveal her face.

Though she had swapped her saintess robes for a simple nun’s habit after her candidacy was suspended, no one could fail to recognize her.

“L-Lady Elmain!”

The startled paladin jerked his upper body like Damien preparing for a leap attack.