We retreated from Arvil’s City Wall to hold a strategy meeting.
It wasn’t a grand discussion. We lacked too much information about the enemy to formulate a perfect plan.
“First… let’s start by confirming what we know. Judging by the state of Arvil, it’s clear that the cultists have taken over the entire city. We should assume that both the Shaulite Church Order and the Imera Church Order have fallen victim as well. That… abominable magical formula is too vile to even mention.”
Lacey’s face twisted like a Chihuahua that hadn’t eaten for ten days. Her expression was filled with contempt and hatred for the atrocities committed by the enemy. If Belcus had been in front of her, she would have flayed him alive without hesitation.
“It doesn’t seem like a trap set for us. If they had known we were coming, they would have stationed people near the entrance. If they had ambushed us while Archbishop Elmain, Sir Median, and I were resisting the brainwashing formula, they could have easily wiped us out without much trouble.”
Agnes sighed in relief, as if she had narrowly escaped a disaster. If the cultists or demons had attacked while I was still under the brainwashing, we might have been wiped out like a bad joke and used by them.
Perhaps, sensing the sudden attack, I might have broken free from the brainwashing immediately… but that’s something we can’t know unless it happens.
“It’s the blessing of Astraea, Elpinel, and Menes. Evil is always scheming with vile and cunning tricks, but everything eventually flows in the right direction. The fact that the gods sent us here means that the time of judgment has come.”
“Yeah, that must be it.”
I covered my mouth with my left hand and exhaled cigarette smoke while glaring at Arvil’s City Wall. A mix of frustration and hatred stirred a murderous intent within me.
What lay beyond that wall was a hell disguised as everyday life.
It was a cruelty that sent shivers down my spine. Whether it was the women being ‘used’ or the men using them, even if we slaughtered all the demons and cultists and freed them from the brainwashing, the horrific memories they had already endured would never disappear.
Such memories would be branded into their minds like scars, leaving permanent marks.
“We have to kill them all…!”
Milia couldn’t hide her anger either. Of course, for Milia, the atrocities committed by those bastards against the city’s residents, and the fact that she had tried to cling to the residents outside the carriage, were unforgivable.
All that anger was directed at the cultists.
“I am ashamed, Your Highness Ha-shal-leur…”
Nigel hung his head low, as if he were about to perform a public apology. It seemed to be the most humiliating experience of his life.
More shocking than being exposed naked was the fact that he had been tricked by the enemy and stripped of his pants. It was almost an act of force, so he could have brushed it off with a simple apology like Leonor. But he was too earnest.
—
“What could their goal be?”
Damien muttered softly.
Not understanding emotions meant that his judgment wouldn’t be clouded by them. Instead of being angry at the enemy’s atrocities, Damien was calmly pondering the reason behind such a magical formula.
“Their goal… That’s a good point. If it’s not a trap set for us, then why would they turn the city into such a state…?”
“Well… judging by Belcus’s past actions, he’s an incredibly sinister guy. Maybe there isn’t a grand reason, and the chaos itself was the goal?”
Leonor clicked her tongue and glared at Arvil with contempt. It was a plausible argument. Belcus’s hobby was creating discord among people and enjoying the spectacle.
If the entire city was turned into such a state, simply lifting the brainwashing later would create the spectacle he loved.
“If Belcus were the only enemy, that might be the case. However, I don’t think a city-wide magical formula involving at least three authorities would be deployed just for Belcus’s amusement. There must be another reason.”
“…Eljure.”
Hersh suddenly mentioned the name of her former superior.
“Ah. Come to think of it, you were part of the Dream Paradise Society, right? Did something come to mind?”
Agnes glared at Hersh with lingering resentment. Under that icy gaze, Hersh broke into a cold sweat but continued.
“Um, well. Eljure… no, that woman. Could it be revenge? She was excommunicated from the Imera Church Order for doing something like this.”
“That’s true…”
“Could she be seeking revenge in the same way? As always, those tainted by evil never learn to reflect on their sins…”
Lacey and Seilon nodded. It was a fairly convincing speculation. The hellscape in Arvil was essentially a recreation of the village Eljure had created. She had simply changed the method from persuasion to brainwashing.
She had been excommunicated by the Imera Church Order for promoting promiscuity, and now she had plunged them into a pit of promiscuity to exact her revenge. It was the kind of revenge a woman who had abandoned all conscience and humanity would conceive.
—
Leonor’s argument and Hersh’s speculation both had merit. They weren’t mutually exclusive, so it was possible that both were true.
Belcus and Eljure. The two villains likely cooperated, each driven by their own motives, to create the same spectacle. Considering that the brainwashing formula involved three authorities, there was probably at least one other collaborator with a different reason.
“So… what do we do now?”
Seilon answered Agnes’s question.
“A frontal assault… is too risky. Too many would be sacrificed. As long as that brainwashing formula exists, they can use the residents as hostages or soldiers at any time.”
He furrowed his brow in thought and gave us an unpleasant warning.
As Seilon said, if we charged in recklessly, they would undoubtedly use the residents as shields. The fully brainwashed residents would throw their lives away to stop us.
“Then we need to deal with that formula first… It doesn’t look easy.”
I flicked the ash off my cigarette and muttered.
While the brainwashing itself could be blocked with a mental defense miracle, dismantling a city-wide authority was a completely different matter.
For starters, it might be impossible to dismantle the formula without eliminating the source of the authority.
“Why not just knock them all out? If their consciousness is gone, the brainwashing won’t matter. A unconscious body won’t move on its own.”
“Uh… that’s true…?”
Leonor casually pointed out the obvious solution, as if wondering why we were overcomplicating things. Lacey, seemingly convinced, nodded blankly.
“Ah. But it might be a bit difficult for the young lady? You might end up blowing their heads off instead of knocking them out.”
No, even I can control my strength that much… Well, there’s a chance I might mess up, but…
“Let’s test it first. We’ll capture someone under the brainwashing and interrogate them to investigate.”
After finishing her sentence, Lacey looked at Hersh with a probing gaze, as if asking why she wasn’t volunteering. The pressure in her eyes was palpable. Hersh’s face turned ashen.
“Um… Archbishop Elmain…? Why are you looking at me like that…?”
“Kidnapping is your specialty, isn’t it? You’ve done it more than once or twice, so you should have no problem doing it this time, right?”
“Uh… um… well… you see…”
Hersh tried to refuse, arguing that the enemy might have noticed our arrival, but as always, she only had half the rights of a person. Her right to survive was acknowledged, but her right to refuse was not.
Still, her concern was valid.
While the residents showed no particular reaction, it was highly likely that the enemy had already learned about our carriage breaking through the brainwashing and escaping Arvil.
There probably weren’t many who had overcome the brainwashing and successfully retreated. If the enemy had any brains, they would have figured out our identities by now.
In the worst-case scenario, they might launch a coordinated attack the moment we re-entered. Hersh alone wouldn’t be able to withstand such an ambush.
So…
“I’ll go with her. If we move along the city wall instead of the gate, it shouldn’t be too dangerous.”
I had no choice but to step in myself.
—
After persuading the group, who were opposed due to the danger, I headed back to Arvil with Hersh. We were enveloped in the blessings cast by Lacey and Agnes.
Hersh, being only half-human, didn’t benefit much from Elpinel’s miracles, but Menes’s miracles seemed to work better on her. Agnes was a bit annoyed by that.
While the light of the miracles lasted, Hersh and I climbed over Arvil’s City Wall and infiltrated the city. We immediately grabbed the first woman we encountered, knocked her out, and carried her back over the wall.
Contrary to Hersh’s concerns, the kidnapping went surprisingly smoothly.
