Chapter 420

“What are you guys?”

I tilted my head, looking at the church soldiers pointing their spears and swords at me.

For a moment, I thought Gwinnel had set me up to discard me like trash, but… that suspicion didn’t make much sense.

Even if there were dozens of paladins and hundreds of soldiers, to me, they were nothing more than a force I could wipe out as easily as snapping a child’s neck.

Probably, the city’s security forces had been dispatched because of the massive commotion in the slums.

“Any suspicious movements, and we’ll attack immediately! Drop your weapon!”

“Reveal your identity! What’s your purpose for committing such a massacre? Answer us!”

They shouted with trembling voices, like scared dogs.

At least the paladins at the front had the guts to yell, but the soldiers lined up behind them looked like they were seriously debating whether desertion or fighting had a higher survival rate.

“L-look at all that blood…! How many people did you kill…?!”

“Word from the vanguard says the entire alley was flooded with blood…! At least hundreds, they said…?”

“Good heavens, hundreds…? Has the ‘Decapitator’ returned?”

Hmm… well, the Decapitator *has* returned.

He’s right behind me. Just the head, though.

“What’s with that monstrous mask…? Some kind of heretical symbol?”

“Menes, save us…!”

The soldiers, seemingly terrified by my appearance, trembled as they gripped their weapons, whispering among themselves.

Like little children who’d wet themselves after encountering Satan Claus.

Of course, Satan Claus only harvests sinful children, so the innocent ones have no reason to fear him.

Not that I’m some kind of monster like that anyway.

This could’ve ended as a minor misunderstanding if I’d just explained things properly.

From their perspective, they had no choice but to mistake me for a deranged mass murderer who’d just slaughtered hundreds, but in reality, I was just following Archbishop Gwinnel’s request to take down half of a drug cartel.

“Massacre? Seems like there’s been a misunderstanding. I—”

Just as I was about to remove my hood and reveal my identity,

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!”

A scream as piercing as a woman in labor echoed from behind me.

Oh no, did she wake up at this exact moment?

The sack I was carrying began to thrash wildly.

Hersh, reunited with her departed comrades, was screaming with joy from inside the sack!

“What, what’s that screaming sound?!”

“Not just murder, but kidnapping too?!”

The paladins’ aggression intensified. They looked ready to strike at the slightest twitch of my finger.

Hersh, having passed out again, fell silent after her long scream.

This is so annoying.

I sighed, pushed back my hood, and removed my mask.

As I detached the purification device from my face, a horrific stench of blood and entrails hit my nose like a hammer.

“Haah… I am Sir Median of the Elpinel Church Order, Ha-shal-leur de Median. You’ve heard of me, right?”

“Huh…?”

Black hair, blue eyes, and the distinct features of a mixed heritage.

The paladins, recognizing these all-too-famous traits, lowered their guard in confusion.

“Ha-shal-leur…? Ah, you don’t mean… Ha-shal-leur, the Winter Slayer?!”

“Black hair and blue eyes…! It’s definitely him! Sir Median! The Knight of Radiance!”

“Wasn’t he the escort of Elmain Staldorf? Why would someone like him do such things…?”

Their fighting spirit plummeted.

It wasn’t out of fear of my reputation, but more like they no longer saw me as an enemy. A very desirable outcome.

“I was here on Archbishop Gwinnel’s request to eliminate a drug cartel spreading narcotics in the slums of Holon. Here, I have the proof. Take a look.”

I pulled out the certificate Gwinnel had written and handed it to the lead paladin.

He flinched slightly as I approached but quickly composed himself and carefully read the document.

“Hmm… It’s definitely Archbishop Gwinnel’s handwriting, complete with his seal. But according to this document, the Archbishop requested an infiltration investigation, not an extermination…?”

The paladin’s eyes twitched slightly as he glanced at the sea of blood behind me.

He also sneakily looked at the sack dripping with blood.

“Ah, well… The scale of these guys was bigger than expected, so I couldn’t just slip by quietly. There was some magician, the Decapitator Heinz, and Kellogg of Repose? Yeah, those kinds of guys showed up.”

“Th-the Decapitator?! Good heavens, is that true?!”

He looked like he was about to jump out of his skin.

“You know him? He was swinging around a scythe, so I cut off his head and stuffed it in here. I also captured one of his lackeys as a prisoner. I was planning to hand him over to Archbishop Gwinnel.”

“Incredible…! The serial killer our church has been chasing for ten years…!”

He seemed deeply impressed by the fact that I’d taken Heinz’s head. His eyes, once filled with instinctive revulsion, now looked at me like I was some kind of lifelong benefactor.

I briefly explained what had happened inside.

Of course, the core details were things I’d have to report to the Archbishop first, but at the very least, I could convince them that the sea of corpses wasn’t innocent slum dwellers or pitiful addicts, but enemies who deserved a thousand deaths.

—

Later, I met Archbishop Gwinnel, who was in the middle of prayer, and reported what I’d discovered.

“The Dream Paradise Society?! Those heretics have returned to this city?!”

“Yes. There were some clashes during the investigation, but… thanks to that, as you can see, I’ve brought back solid evidence.”

I laid out some of the drugs, identification tags bearing the Dream Paradise Society’s emblem, and scriptures I’d taken from Heinz on the table.

Of course, I didn’t forget to show off the heads of the Five Blades members.

“This face…! It’s hard to make out, but it’s definitely the Decapitator Heinz! Even Kellogg of Repose and Nabis the Crusher…! Truly remarkable achievements! I’m thoroughly impressed.”

Gwinnel, though shocked, laughed heartily and tapped Heinz’s head.

I knew he’d like that.

“Do you know who these are? The woman with the hole in her head here was named Radeli, and the prisoner foaming at the mouth over there is Hersh.”

“Don’t know them.”

Since they were part of the Five Blades, I thought they might have some notoriety, but the Archbishop reacted like he’d never heard of them.

What, were they just quota-filling members or something?

“I see. Anyway, their leader and key executive, Kist Amon, has reportedly left Holon. I’ve already taken care of most of their armed forces, and the remnants are likely hiding in the underground facility I mentioned earlier. Isn’t this a great opportunity?”

“Hmm? An opportunity, you say…?”

I leaned back on the sofa in the reception room and smirked.

It was time to start talking.

“Handling it all alone wouldn’t have been bad, but wouldn’t that reflect poorly on you, Archbishop? It might tarnish the Menes Church Order’s reputation. People might start asking what the Menes Church was doing while heretics were setting up shop in Holon’s underground. Of course, you were just being cautious, but as you know, ordinary people only see the surface of things, not the intricate details.”

Archbishop Gwinnel nodded slightly in agreement.

Frankly, it *was* the church’s fault, and even though my words were filled with elitism, his agreement suggested things were going well.

He was more of a politician than a devout priest or a virtuous warrior.

This kind of personality was actually easier to deal with. Just stroke his ego a bit and present mutually beneficial information, and that’s it.

“So that’s why I’ve returned. I’ve already taken care of the dangerous ones, so cleaning out the underground lair should be more than enough for the Menes Church Order’s forces, right? It might take me days to do it alone, but with the church’s troops, it shouldn’t take long to exterminate them.”

Who knows how long it’d take me to sweep that vast place alone?

I’d already crushed their armed forces, and the truly dangerous leader and Kist were absent, so leaving the rest to the Menes Church was far more efficient.

Plus, it’d earn me some goodwill from the Menes Church.

“If you crush the core of the Dream Paradise Society, others won’t criticize you—they’ll praise you endlessly. You can explain that the lack of results so far was because you were waiting for the right moment to strike and wipe them out in one fell swoop.”

“Indeed! What a brilliant plan! Truly, the Empire’s greatest sword!”

Gwinnel laughed heartily, tapping the armrest of the sofa.

I’m not sure what being good with words has to do with being the Empire’s greatest sword, but he seemed thoroughly pleased with my suggestion.

—

After that, things moved swiftly.

Gwinnel summoned inquisitors and ordered them to arrest the traitorous priests I’d identified, throwing them into the underground prison. He then mobilized the entire church’s forces to storm the Dream Paradise Society’s underground facility.

The purge continued from dawn until noon.

Our group also participated in the purge as part of the negotiation with Gwinnel.

We needed to leave a record of our cooperation.

Bels and Lacey gleefully crushed the skulls of the heretics, while Lilliez blessed our allies from the rear.

The rest of the group sort of wandered around, casually slaughtering any enemies they encountered.

I sat back, smoking a cigarette, and watched the spectacle.