Chapter 446

The last area was the training ground for the paladins, which Greta had described as suspicious.

To be precise, it was an area created under the guise of a training ground.

As expected, the training ground I encountered looked nothing like a place meant for training.

“What is this place…?”

I felt my suspicions turning into certainty as I looked around.

A wide, open space like a plaza.

The floor was lined with crude leather blankets, like those in a makeshift field hospital, each emitting the foul stench unique to the poor.

At least it was clear that the poor had been lying here.

In one corner, there were piles of what appeared to be rags from the poor’s clothing, and next to them were dirty funnels and buckets scattered about.

Even if I tried to think positively… they looked like tools for feeding and waste disposal.

They said they would support the poor and make them part of society, but it was all a lie.

It seemed more like they were treating them like livestock rather than reintegrating them into society.

Looking at this, even the idea of turning the poor into soldiers seemed unlikely.

“……The 11th Divine Church isn’t much different from the Dream Paradise Society. Honestly, we weren’t this bad…”

Hersh muttered with a slightly disgusted expression.

Saying “we weren’t this bad” is nonsense.

You guys were feeding people to monsters and extracting drugs.

Though she probably didn’t know since it was a secret only the researchers knew.

“…Don’t say that in front of Lacey. Unless you want to be burned alive.”

“Eek…!”

After warning Hersh to watch her mouth, I approached the blankets to examine them more closely.

Seeing how tattered and hole-ridden they were, it seemed they weren’t new but rather reused blankets on the verge of being discarded.

In fact, the brown leather blankets looked like they hadn’t been washed since being placed here, with sweat, filth, grime, and dust mixed together, turning them black.

“The smell is terrible…”

The stench was so bad I didn’t even want to touch them, but Hersh, perhaps feeling a visual kinship with the blackened blankets, didn’t hesitate to touch and inspect them.

“…It’s a bit damp. This means the people who were lying here were moved elsewhere not long ago. Probably just a day ago?”

Yeah, well, now that you know, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly.

—

For now, based on what we’ve seen, we can be certain that the Grimnir Church Order is up to something unethical.

Even the most extreme sociopaths who look down on others wouldn’t suggest treating people like livestock.

What happened here was exactly that.

Even the half-black, half-demon drug dealers would say they’re better than this.

If they had just left the poor alone, it would’ve been one thing, but dragging them here and treating them like this? They’d have no excuse even if they were labeled a heretical sect.

Looking at this, it’s highly likely that the previous kidnapping cases were also their doing.

So, what should we do now…?

We have strong suspicions, but the evidence is still a bit lacking.

Above all, we still don’t know where the poor were taken or the fundamental reason they were brought here.

“If the poor were moved just a day ago, they’re probably still somewhere in this cathedral… Up or down? What do you think?”

I stepped away from the stinking blankets and asked Hersh.

“Down… You’re not talking about the first floor, are you? You think there’s a space underground in the cathedral to hold the poor?”

“Of course there must be. Right?”

The blueprint Greta showed us didn’t include any underground structures, but from what I’ve seen, the people here seem to love digging underground like they’re part mole.

Especially the shady ones.

So, I’m certain this cathedral has an underground space too.

“Then it’s likely underground. That tower doesn’t seem suitable for holding a large number of people. Besides, they wouldn’t bring the stinking poor into the same place where the noble Cardinal and high-ranking priests reside.”

Yeah, that makes sense.

I thought the same. That tower is probably for personal experiments or storing materials.

It’s too small for large-scale experiments involving hundreds of poor people.

So, the remaining question is whether to go down and look for the poor or go up the tower to find other clues…

“…Honestly, I think it’s time to get out of here. This feels bad.”

Hersh frowned, looking uneasy as she glanced toward the window.

As if she wanted to leave immediately.

“Get out? Hmm… This alone isn’t enough. It’s clear they abused the poor, but we still don’t know why. At least we should check the basement.”

“Doesn’t this feel off to you? We’ve searched two floors and found no one except sleeping priests. The research room was empty too. This is clearly abnormal.”

…She wasn’t wrong.

This floor was like a bedroom, so that’s understandable, but I expected at least a few priests on the third floor.

But when we entered, there wasn’t a single priest.

They were guarding the cathedral’s exterior thoroughly… but not leaving a single person in the research room where something as important as magic stones are stored?

As Hersh said, it’s clearly abnormal.

“Ultimately, it means most of the priests must be gathered in the basement or the tower for some reason… All I feel is foreboding.”

“Our goal in sneaking in here was to find that ‘something,’ wasn’t it? Stop whining and follow me.”

We should at least confirm the truth before leaving.

That way, Lacey can come up with the next plan.

“…Ugh, this is bad… This really feels ominous……”

Hersh hesitated, her pointed ears twitching as she reluctantly followed me.

—

At least there were some priests on the first floor.

Perhaps they were taking a break from patrols, as seven priests were sitting on sofas in the lounge, chatting and smoking mana herbs.

We avoided their gaze, walking along the beams to look for an entrance to the underground.

“Over there, isn’t that it? The angle of the mural is slightly off.”

The mural Hersh pointed to depicted a large tree with an old man hanging upside down, his face covered by a black mask like the others.

“Let me see…”

I focused my senses and examined the mural closely.

[Hmm, it’s definitely tilted inward a bit. I can also hear a faint sound like wind. It’s not a mural but a disguised door.]

‘Right. Looking closely, it’s a bit obvious.’

It was a minor discrepancy that you’d never notice if you just glanced at it, but the right side of the wall was definitely pushed inward compared to the left.

This must be the entrance.

I carefully climbed down from the beam and gently pushed the mural.

– Creak.

Just as I thought.

With just a bit of force, the wall began to slide open with a smooth friction sound.

By “a bit of force,” I mean others would need to push with all their strength or use magic to open it.

Seeing the door open, Hersh also jumped down from the beam and clung close behind me.

“……Are we really going in? I feel like we’re making a huge mistake.”

“Keep talking like that, and I’ll push you in first.”

I scolded Hersh and peered inside the fully opened wall.

Beyond the secret door was a dark, hellish abyss, with flickering crimson lights giving the impression that flames might erupt at any moment.

The wind rising from below echoed like the roar of a massive beast.

Below the secret door, a circular staircase led downward, but the dim, unnatural light made it impossible to gauge its depth.

…This definitely feels ominously creepy.

Are we really supposed to go in…?

Hersh’s unease is making me nervous too.

I took a deep breath and stepped over the wall to descend the stairs.

—

Ten minutes later.

I finally understood why the poor had been brought to the church.

“You’re a bit later than I expected.”

A vast underground cavern, as large as the entire cathedral.

Along the walls, towering, faceless statues loomed over me, and on the second-floor balcony, numerous priests stood in formation, their hostility palpable.

And at the far end of the cavern, in front of the ornate altar bearing the emblem of the Grimnir Church Order…

“Welcome to my, our sanctuary. Elmain’s hound, Princess Ha-shal-leur Ai-shan Gi-or.”

A middle-aged man in crimson priestly robes spread his arms wide to greet me.

Bathed in dazzling divine light and swirling with pulsating mana.

“I told you we shouldn’t go in…?”

“…Yeah.”

I had no excuse.