Chapter 475

– Kwaaaaang!

The deafening explosion echoed far and wide.

The piles of snow on the rooftops of buildings trembled and cascaded down to the ground.

It was a roar that signaled the failure of my attack.

If I had cut through a human body, such a sound wouldn’t have been made.

Durandal, the sword that carried the feats of a hero, stretched out. Its blade, sharper and sturdier than any other weapon, was trembling, blocked by a golden barrier, unable to advance any further.

A barrier. Well, that’s obvious.

If the goal was to buy time, blocking me with a barrier would be more effective than attacking me.

Since the Light of Judgment didn’t work, other attacks wouldn’t make much of a difference either.

It was an utterly predictable decision.

…Of course, it was impossible not to be shocked by the scene unfolding before my eyes.

—

“This… insane…!”

I couldn’t help but stare in shock at Wilhelm, who had erected a barrier to block my sword.

The fact that my slash was blocked wasn’t something to be shocked about. If it was the power of a Divine Artifact, then so be it.

If it doesn’t break in one strike, I’ll just keep attacking until it does.

What shocked me wasn’t the barrier.

– Whoosh!

Flames.

Intense flames, radiating scorching heat, were engulfing Archbishop Wilhelm.

At first, I thought it might be some kind of power similar to my Up-hwa… but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Through the burning robes of the archbishop, I could clearly see his skin boiling and burning away.

Like a criminal tied to the execution pyre.

There was no doubt.

Archbishop Wilhelm, who had blocked me with an unexpectedly powerful Divine Light, was burning to death in the flames he himself had summoned!

“What the hell is that fire…?”

“Kuuuugh…! The Golden Scales… The Divine Artifact of our Church grants Divine Light equivalent to the sacrifice made… I offered my own flesh as the price… No matter how strong you are… you won’t break through easily.”

Wilhelm, his face contorted in agony as his body burned, struggled to answer my question.

So, he’s burning his own life to stop me.

Typical fanatic behavior.

“…Well, it does look sturdy.”

I glanced at the barrier at the tip of my sword and the retreating paladins in the distance, then sheathed Durandal back into its scabbard.

If I went all out, I could probably break it, but I didn’t feel like exerting that much effort.

Since the goal of driving them out of Arad had already been achieved, I needed to conserve my strength and recover as much as possible before Astraea’s main force arrived.

“Khhhuuuugh…! Guh, guuuuahhh…!”

Seeing that I had no intention of fighting further, Wilhelm also collapsed, groaning through clenched teeth.

He doesn’t look like he’ll last more than a few minutes.

Not very efficient for someone who’s burning their own life away.

I sat down on a piece of building debris nearby, took out a cigarette, and lit it, watching Wilhelm’s final moments.

A fitting death for someone who burned so many people.

“Gaaaaahhh!”

He burns well.

“Huu… I didn’t expect you to care so much about your subordinates that you’d choose to burn to death. If only you’d shown that kind of mercy to the citizens, none of this would’ve happened.”

“That… wasn’t possible…!”

…He’s still answering.

His brain must be frying by now. This guy’s really stubborn.

“Those who seek sin and chaos… must be purified by fire…!”

“Like you?”

I chuckled and mocked his words, but surprisingly, Wilhelm nodded.

“Yes… I too… Kuuuugh…! Despite the great sacrifices… I failed to realize justice… so I too am a sinner……!”

So that’s why he set himself on fire.

Fanatics. They’re all insane.

“Justice, huh? After killing so many people.”

Among those he burned, there were surely sinners and evil people.

This whole protest was Belcus’s doing, after all.

But even so, it wasn’t something that could be justified.

It’s like burning down a thatched house to kill a few bedbugs. How is that justice?

At least not to me.

“I don’t know what kind of justice Astraea desires… but isn’t protecting people more just than burning them?”

“……”

No answer.

Beyond the still radiant Barrier of Divine Light, I looked at the charred corpse and tossed the stub of my cigarette before standing up.

It seems he had his own beliefs… but that’s none of my concern.

A dead man died. That’s all I feel.

I have no intention of sympathizing with a fanatic’s faith.

In the first place, I couldn’t even understand their devotion.

Faith is for those who can’t live without clinging to it.

A warrior must believe in themselves, not in gods.

Hersela would’ve said that.

—

Even after Wilhelm became Burning Wilhelm, the Barrier of Divine Light showed no signs of dissipating, so I turned away without hesitation and left the cathedral.

I was a bit concerned about the Divine Artifact he had… but seeing as the staff burned along with Wilhelm, there was no need to worry.

The scales at the end were half-melted, so even if it was a Divine Artifact, it probably couldn’t function anymore.

Even Divine Artifacts are just tools. If you handle them roughly, they’ll break.

Grimnir’s Divine Artifact shattered when I smashed it, didn’t it?

I lit another cigarette to soothe my tired body and silently walked through the ruins.

The streets, shattered as if hit by a barrage of catapults, had quieted down, and there was no sign of people.

The Paladins of Astraea must have carefully retrieved their comrades buried in the rubble while retreating.

By now, they’ve probably opened Arad’s gates and fled.

With this, the primary goal of driving the Astraea Church out of Arad was achieved.

I also discovered that their main miracle, the Light of Judgment, had no effect on me. It was a somewhat encouraging result.

Now, all that’s left is to rest, recover my strength, and prepare to face their main force.

…Though that’s the hardest part.

I pondered how to deal with Astraea’s Judge, who would soon arrive, and retraced my steps toward the city center.

The plaza, general store, blacksmith, clothing store… and the inn. The shops clustered in the center were all empty, but the basic facilities were still intact.

Like the old, dirty beds or the bathing facilities that hadn’t been maintained for at least a week.

As soon as I found the bathing facility, I took off my armor and set it down next to my bag.

I had come here to wash up in the first place.

I wasn’t particularly injured, but I was covered in the blood of the paladins, and the stench of blood hit me with every breath.

Not just my body, but Ryu-rik’s leather armor was also soaked in blood.

Even though it had an automatic repair function, it didn’t come with an automatic washing feature.

I’ll need to wash the armor too.

I took off the leather top and pants and set them aside, then finally removed the sweat-soaked undergarments and the tattered chest bindings.

The slightly discolored white cloth reeked of sweat and a strange peach scent.

…I should probably throw these away and get new ones.

I set down the undergarments, which only a creepy collector with questionable tastes would appreciate, and scooped water from the tub to pour over my head.

Ugh, it’s freezing.

My body shivered as the icy water drenched me.

– Splash!

The murky bathwater flowed down my collarbone and chest, slowly washing away the bloodstains.

It would take more than one pour to wash away the dried blood, so I repeated the process several times.

It wasn’t until the seventh pour that my chest returned to its original color.

And then, I saw it.

I saw it.

The unmistakable golden scales etched near my chest.

—

…What the hell is this?

—

Like a deer frozen in headlights, when people are too shocked, their consciousness momentarily stops.

It took a full forty seconds after witnessing this unbelievable, unwanted reality for my mind to catch up.

I stared blankly at the tattoo symbolizing Astraea on my chest, then tightly closed my eyes.

This is a dream. Yeah, it must be a dream. I’m probably still asleep in the general store. That’s it. That must be it. No wonder the Light of Judgment didn’t hurt at all. It was weird how easily Wilhelm killed himself, right? I must’ve been really tired to have such a nightmare. Or maybe this is Menes’s doing? Yeah! This has to be Menes’s prank. It doesn’t make sense otherwise. That crazy god, Menes. Next time I see her, I’m smashing her idol.

I hoped to see the general store’s ceiling from before I fell asleep and cautiously opened my eyes.

My chest was still there.

I closed and opened my eyes again.

Still my chest.

Again. Chest. Again. Chest. Again. Chest….

After blinking about fifty times and pinching my cheeks, arms, and chest….

I finally came to a new realization about this world.

Astraea must be a lunatic.

…No, seriously, what the hell is this?

A tattoo symbolizing Astraea? This is a Holy Mark. Why do I have a Holy Mark? Are you out of your mind, Astraea?

If you’re going to mark someone, mark your own believers, not me.

I slumped on the bathroom floor, muttering blasphemies that would’ve made Wilhelm rise from the dead to kill me.

But no matter how much I cursed, the Holy Mark didn’t disappear.