Chapter 483

Seilon calmly admitted defeat.

A penetrating wound? Well, it could’ve been healed with a Healing Miracle, but if I had wanted, it could’ve been my neck instead of my shoulder.

As expected, without any twists, the duel ended with my victory.

It was the moment Arad’s fate was decided.

“Astraea has judged right and wrong. Obey her will!”

Seilon removed his dented armor, healed himself, and decisively ordered a retreat.

“No, if it was going to end like this, why did you even come…?”

Though it was a hard conclusion to accept, the believers couldn’t break their sworn word.

They prepared to retreat, visibly discontent.

“Is this really okay? Even if it’s the commander’s order, retreating in the face of obvious disorder…?”

“What can we do? As Sir Seilon said, if we clash with such a strong opponent, even if we win, we won’t have the strength left to find and destroy the demon.”

“That’s… certainly true. Who would’ve thought the Empire’s hero would be this strong? The former Empire’s Greatest Sword was at least human-like, but this…?”

They kept grumbling, but thanks to the spectacular and overwhelming duel, they finally understood.

If I had come and fought them head-on instead of ambushing them, most of the Holy Legion would’ve lost their lives.

It was something they could’ve easily anticipated from the rumors about me, but people usually don’t realize things until they see them for themselves.

They had heard I was strong, but they never imagined I’d be this strong.

“…Isn’t the demon story just an excuse? From what I see, it seems like-”

“…Enough with the blasphemous talk. Even if it were true… you don’t have the authority to question it. That’s for His Highness to decide.”

Some tried to voice unpleasant speculations, alternating glances between me and Seilon, but their quick-witted superiors stopped them.

At least, it wasn’t the place for such talk.

…Still, it’s impossible to stop such rumors from spreading.

Even if they held their tongues in front of their superiors, those dissatisfied with Seilon’s decision would start complaining among themselves once they returned to the Holy City, and eventually, the rumors would leak outside the Church Order.

—

After the retreat was decided, Seilon and I headed back to his barracks, watching the bustling crowd.

Since Astraea’s Healing Miracle might react to my injuries, it was better to heal where no one could see.

As soon as we entered the barracks, Seilon knelt and apologized for the disrespect of injuring me.

Instead of accepting the apology, I praised him. It had been a while since I enjoyed a good fight.

It was the honest truth.

Fighting a strong enemy wasn’t exactly fun due to the desperation and sense of crisis, but fighting a strong opponent who wasn’t an enemy was purely enjoyable.

“Is that so…?”

Seilon looked a bit puzzled.

It seemed he couldn’t understand the concept of enjoying combat.

How can you not get this?

Sparks flying from swords, the ground shattering with every punch, bodies flying with every clash—how could that not be fun?

It’s on a whole different level from extreme sports.

Anyway, with Seilon’s help, I healed my wounds and lit a cigarette.

The divine light settled on my torn flesh, reconnecting severed blood vessels and regenerating torn skin.

Thanks to Astraea’s Holy Mark, even the clumsy miracle of a paladin healed me quickly.

While I rested leisurely, Seilon wrote a report to Cardinal Zaisers.

It included details about the Holy Mark, my intention not to reveal it, future plans, and even the idea of pretending to be lovers to escort me.

“Uh… Median, sir?”

“Ah, about my name, it’s not important now, but later, call me Ha-shal-leur. If we’re going to pretend to be lovers, at least the terms should sound intimate.”

“……”

Seilon sighed deeply before speaking again.

“About… pretending to be lovers. Is it really necessary…? Couldn’t we just say we’re impressed by each other as friends…?”

“Didn’t you see your believers’ faces? If you want them to call me a Ka`har prostitute, go ahead.”

It’s not for me, but for your believers.

Even if it’s unlikely to come out, if they find out I have the Holy Mark… they might commit mass suicide to atone for their sins.

Unable to refute my words, Seilon finally bowed his head and finished the report.

—

After that, things went smoothly.

Seilon instructed a cleric, who seemed to be the deputy commander, to lead the Holy Legion in retreat and handed him the report.

He sternly ordered him not to open it and to deliver it directly to Cardinal Zaisers.

The deputy commander looked at Seilon with a mix of concern and suspicion but eventually retreated with the Holy Legion without further objection.

Compared to their advance, the retreat seemed almost pathetic… but in truth, Astraea had saved their lives.

If I didn’t have the Holy Mark, things wouldn’t have been resolved so easily.

After sending off the Holy Legion, Seilon and I went to Kranuus Cathedral to inform Radenis that the Arad incident was over.

And to throw in a bit of intimidation.

“We’re leaving Arad’s management and recovery to your Church Order, but don’t try anything funny. The Astraea Church Order and the Elpinel Church Order will publicly declare your Church Order as collaborators with demons. If you don’t want to end up like Grimnir, behave.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

Radenis nodded obediently.

Though he looked at us with eyes full of questions, as if wondering why we were together.

Since the search for Belcus’s underlings among the rioters was still ongoing, we decided to stay in Arad for the time being.

Our residence, of course, was Astraea Cathedral.

The citizens, who had been cleared of charges after the investigation, looked like they wanted to tear down Astraea Cathedral immediately, but since I declared it my residence, that was impossible.

From that point on, it was no longer a cathedral but my spoils of war and lord’s castle.

Attacking the cathedral now would mean opposing me, not the Astraea Church Order.

I had forced them to give up their chance for revenge, but I had also saved their lives and lifted the strict punishments they wanted.

Anyway, Seilon and I avoided going out as much as possible, waiting for Radenis’s report.

Since we couldn’t spar inside the cathedral, nothing special happened during that time.

Seilon spent his time praying before the goddess statue or teaching me basic doctrines, and though I wasn’t particularly interested, I respected his sincerity and listened to Astraea’s teachings.

Though I didn’t memorize them.

—

Three days passed.

The city’s residents began rebuilding the collapsed and burned city with the help of Kranuus’s believers, and Archbishop Radenis presented the investigation results to me.

“The Reverse Ascension Society?”

What a grandiose name.

It also gives off a very cultish vibe.

“Yes. Most of the instigators were just extremists, but two of them were indeed connected to Belcus. After intense interrogation, we managed to get the name.”

…I won’t ask what kind of interrogation it was.

Probably something like cracking open skulls.

The ones Radenis found were low-ranking, so they didn’t know much, but he managed to extract some information.

The Reverse Ascension Society.

It’s a cult alliance formed by Eljure’s “Dream Paradise Society,” Belcus’s “Invidia,” and other miscellaneous heretics like the “Eternal Ascension Path.”

Their goal is obvious.

What cultists want is either revenge on the Church Order or indulging in the thrill of evil deeds.

Given Eljure’s involvement, it’s highly likely that the Reverse Ascension Society was behind the chaos in other cities, not just Arad.

Except for Nasiriya, where the ruling Church Order itself was insane.

“…So, where’s their base?”

“They don’t seem to know either. But if they’re not hiding in some small village, it’s probably Arvil.”

Radenis answered, setting down his teacup.

Arvil.

A city ruled by the Shaulite Church Order and the Imera Church Order, where, according to the Special Operations Unit’s investigation, an illegal red-light district was thriving.

“You seem pretty confident. Did you find some solid clues?”

“Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Eljure hates the Imera Church Order, so wouldn’t she want to start her revenge by destroying Arvil?”

It was a pretty convincing deduction.

I found myself nodding along.

“Then we should investigate Arvil… but I’m not sure if we should inform the Holy City about this.”

“Are you worried about another bloodbath like here? Don’t worry. Unless it’s the Astraea Church Order, they usually don’t resort to such extreme measures.”

“…Ahem.”

At Radenis’s sarcasm, Seilon, who was listening nearby, looked uncomfortable.

Of course, he also acknowledged that Wilhelm’s mistakes were significant, so he didn’t argue.

“No, it’s not just that. The bigger they are, the easier they are to spot, right? If the Church Orders in the Holy City start moving, those guys will notice and hide.”

Those kinds of people are all experts at hiding.

Belcus had been hiding perfectly fine for over a decade.

“Hmm… I understand your concern… but we can’t not report it. If a situation beyond your control arises, someone has to stop it. If you’re worried, we can emphasize your concerns in the message to the Holy City.”

…It was an answer I couldn’t refute.

In the end, I agreed with Radenis’s opinion to send information about the Reverse Ascension Society to the Holy City.

In front of someone who asked what I’d do if a situation beyond my control arose, I couldn’t just claim such a situation wouldn’t exist.

And so, the tumultuous events in Arad came to an end.

—

After that, I wrangled another horse from Radenis and set off for Nasiriya with Seilon.

Before heading to Arvil, I needed to meet up with my companions and tell them what had happened.

Honestly, it felt like I’d done something half-crazy… but if I explained it well, they wouldn’t be too shocked, right?