Chapter 55

The Outsider waited for the Seongsin Church priest in front of him to react.

But there was only an uncomfortable silence.

The Outsider thought he could say something, exchange words, and find a way to punish Tisah. But what was this silence?

Confused, the Outsider suddenly looked around the now silent execution grounds.

But one must understand the priest’s position.

He had just said that killing him would grant a blessing. Though the Outsider claimed that receiving a blessing meant you could believe in any religion, from the outside it looked like accepting evil.

Whether true or not, his current standing required him to step down.

Who will kill a god?

And yet, it’s not someone you can just ask anyone to do. The paladin had just failed. Using a weapon that had killed a god before, he swung and missed.

Not only did he miss…

It defiled the paladin instead.

Still…

Isn’t there one exception?

At that moment, the priest’s gaze fell on someone.

There stood the fallen paladin. From the priest’s perspective, a man turned disgusting purple, regardless of his intentions.

Even if the man had no will in his fall, to the priest he was still a traitor.

And killing the Outsider wouldn’t grant a blessing.

Because he’d already received one.

The sacrifice was decided.

The highest-ranking priest approached Paladin Martin with ease and spoke.

“Paladin Martin. Go and fulfill your duty.”

But Martin looked down at his sword. He clearly felt the sensation of cutting through a neck. He even saw the head hit the ground.

Could he really kill again?

This doubt crossed his mind. He reflected on himself.

His faith in the holy still burned within his chest, and divine power filled his body alongside his belief.

The gods were still with him.

Filled with piety, he raised his sword.

If severing the head didn’t work, then he’d keep striking until death.

“In the name of our Lord.”

Martin nodded to the priest, turned his gaze to the Outsider quietly watching, and aimed his sword. Deep in his heart, he prayed to the holy as his blade began to glow with a soft golden light.

Ohhh~

The audience couldn’t tear their eyes away from witnessing a divine miracle right before them.

Some cheered, saying this is why execution grounds are entertaining.

From a random terrace nearby, Tisah, who had uninvitedly settled down to watch, thought it’d be nice to have some snacks while anticipating the Outsider’s execution.

“If my touch upon another carries their sins and I receive punishment by dying, and if that means they all may be forgiven, then strike me quickly.”

The Outsider seized the opportunity.

As Martin raised his sword, he paved the way for a future path. His words deeply resonated with Martin.

Martin stopped his sword and turned back to question the priest.

“One who has been blessed instead of being executed for evil isn’t a sinner, correct?”

It was truly a cunning remark.

Because if this statement was affirmed, despite being forcibly blessed, Martin would have no sin. He could maintain his position as a paladin.

To execute this without faith would mean ignoring the lifeline dropped right in front of him.

Most importantly, embracing heretics was a virtue of the holy.

That’s why Tisah was such a renowned hero in the Seongsin Church. They lamented not having such heroes emerge from headquarters, reducing Tisah’s prestige.

If this was a negotiation where he closed his eyes to save someone else, Martin could firmly reject and dismiss it.

But this involved sin.

It wasn’t denying sin but acknowledging it.

By taking the punishment to die, it meant accepting the rules set by the holy.

The Outsider didn’t realize this but had put everyone in quite a predicament.

If this was denied here, Tisah would become a sinner by the church’s standards. The hero would completely fall, and Martin executing the sentence here would make him unforgivable.

If Martin lowered his sword here…

Then who dies?

Who sacrifices themselves?

Maybe someone could handle a simple martyr.

But this was becoming an apostate.

Believing in the gods so far, but due to belief in the afterlife, the afterlife becomes hell.

Of course, one could command Martin to carry out his duty. What happens if Martin refuses?

In their view, Martin had already fallen to the evil god. A sacrifice must be chosen.

Showing the selection of a sacrifice here would ruin everything. If the evil god says something strange again, the situation gets complicated.

What if they affirm it?

Tisah’s sins are erased. But Martin won’t hesitate to slay the sinner.

Afterward, claiming it was the will of the gods, Tisah could be re-labeled a sinner, and Martin could be locked away in a secluded monastery.

The priest, after apologizing for misjudgment, could place the will of the gods above all.

With this thought, the priest agreed with the Outsider.

“Yes. If the evil god regrets and dies for its own wrongdoings, how could the gods not forgive? Didn’t we accept the heretic Tisah? How could our Lord not accept you? Execute the sentence, Paladin Martin.”

There was only one choice.

So the priest chose accordingly.

Paladin Martin finally raised his sword.

“When I die, I’ll come find you. But don’t worry. Though I suffered under the witch Tisah, I forgive humanity. So swing without hesitation.”

The Outsider seized the chance.

Also, laying groundwork to torment Tisah further.

The Outsider knew of a governor who faced criticism for 2000 years for overseeing the execution of a famous religious figure.

He took note.

Tisah is alive, right?

Before being pierced, the Outsider briefly caught sight of Tisah’s shocked expression far away.

Martin swung his sword.

The blade shone gold, drawing a beautiful arc that tore through the Outsider’s flesh.

But the Outsider’s body returned to normal. Instead of blood, strange triangles scattered, reforming repeatedly.

Martin kept swinging his sword to finish the job.

He swung endlessly.

Swing.

Swing.

Swing.

Gradually, cheers from the crowd faded. The sound diminished until people realized they had all fallen silent.

The pleasure and excitement of executing a sinner long turned into unease.

Had the Seongsin Church not sold out Tisah initially…

People of the Ansellus Kingdom might’ve just questioned the paladin’s qualities.

But now, distanced from the church mentally, doubts arose about the divine powers the church claimed.

Thus, people wondered:

Is the Seongsin Church truly worthy of our faith?

Doubt crept in amidst the unease.

The sun rose high and slowly set.

Now it’s dark around.

The chains and clothes restraining the Outsider were shredded, revealing a pale naked body. Yet, no one viewed the Outsider as human.

Between the relentless executor and the kneeling condemned silently praying, which was more mysterious?

Anyone would point to the Outsider.

Though internally thinking, “When does this end? Is the paladin underleveled?” while observing the world with the eyes of a blessed person, outwardly the Outsider seemed enigmatic.

Finally, Martin gave up.

“Father, I alone cannot defeat this evil god.”

The priests present remained silent. They understood the atmosphere here. Moreover, among the gathered nobles of the Ansellus Kingdom were nobles from other kingdoms.

They judged this as an opportunity to display the church’s authority, but it backfired, making hiding this incident extremely difficult.

Yet, there was a way out.

Half a day ago.

Executing the Outsider would absolve those who received blessings of their sins.

They originally planned to erase the event entirely, but failing to kill the Outsider changed things. Acknowledging the Outsider’s claim after killing them would suffice.

The Outsider, without much thought, made this statement to avoid religious massacres posthumously.

Knowing the harvester system could reproduce, they didn’t want it breaking.

Just that.

But tangled problems tightened their grip.

Thus, the priest resolved to purify the evil god with the divine power of himself and surrounding priests, despite risking corruption.

The crowd around the execution grounds dispersed.

Instead, sacred symbols of the Seongsin Church headquarters filled the space. Connecting the symbols formed a massive polygon, with each priest and paladin standing inside.

Behind them, they knelt in prayer.

As twilight descended and torches lit the surroundings,

A great pillar of light pierced through the darkness and struck the execution grounds.

People witnessed a divine miracle.

Divine punishment falling from the heavens.

The light engulfed the Outsider.

Crack.

A sound of something breaking accompanied cracks appearing where the Outsider stood. These cracks extended, piercing the heads of the priests and paladins.

The Outsider was certain his body would dissolve and vanish.

In this moment, deciding what to do, he played a mischievous trick. When cracks appeared on people, the Outsider could reach them through these fissures.

Blessing is an active action.

Meaning, one could choose not to bless.

So, he withheld blessings from the highest-ranking priest and two others randomly, totaling three out of nineteen.

The Outsider regretted one thing. The cracks ascended skyward but didn’t reach the heavens.

He couldn’t see the face of the gods.

Still, satisfied with his efforts, the Outsider disappeared from this world.

The light faded, and the evil god was defeated.

However, at that spot,

Among all the priests from the Seongsin Church headquarters who participated in killing the Outsider, three priests’ hair hadn’t turned purple.

Hellish suspicion tainted the air.

---