Episode 32
The damp basement.
Someone was walking down the corridor lined with cold iron bars.
A man with a thin beard and a sharp look like that of a mouse.
rat.
He was looking around the place where the merchandise was stored, waiting for news to come.
“Tsk tsk.”
With his hands behind his back, he clicked his tongue.
not satisfied
Beyond the iron bars, boys and girls crouched down without any reaction.
Eyes blackened with despair.
The rat asked the man following him, frowning.
“No, why are these things like this?”
“yes? I thought he would take care of it for now…”
“Huh management? don’t fuck If it’s like that, I can’t even sell it for the right price.”
“But there are also customers who like things that are obedient like that…”
“ It’s like this idiot. ”
The rat clicked his tongue and glared at the merchandise manager.
“Where are the elderly people we have made as our customers ordinary people? Aren’t they a bunch of aristocrats who want to subdue arrogant bastards?”
“That’s right.”
“Do you want those old people to be dead like that? Of course you want to be a little bit temperamental and clear. You can search the back alleys for these things and there are plenty of them!”
Letting out a low-spirited laugh, the rat gave an impassioned speech.
pedophilia.
Among them, there were not a few bad people who wanted to make the children of ruined noble families or the illegitimate children of noble families their own.
The product manager immediately put his head on the floor.
“Sorry! I’ll manage it more thoroughly, so forgive me…!”
“If I wasn’t in a good mood, I would have given it as food for the shadows. Behave well.”
“Thank you!”
“Tsk, anyway, if I don’t see it, it’s like this right away.”
The rat clicked his tongue.
Information and Human Trafficking.
It is the main driving force that allowed him to rise to his current position in the capital’s underworld.
Human desires are endless.
Of course, there were plenty of people who wanted to relieve their inferiority complex and desire through young noble children whose families had fallen.
especially.
Especially in a capital city full of rich people like this.
“All I have to do is give him hope to keep my petty pride alive. very little hope. Young things easily brighten up with just that.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“The things that have been locked up for a long time are sent up. If you pretend to treat them moderately, they’ll come alive on their own, so you can just sell them then.”
The Empire officially forbids the slave trade.
Among them, the act of buying and selling children is a taboo among taboos, but what to do?
If there was no demand within the empire, there would be no reason for his business to flourish like this.
‘Yeah, thanks to that, I also got the means to hold on to the Master.’
It’s funny.
To think that that great Master would be swung by his own hands.
There are many corners to use.
I promised to give you information, but isn’t that the law that information depends on information? Aren’t you really naive even if you’re a master?
okay.
‘I didn’t even know that my child was once behind that iron bar.’
giggle Unknowingly, a smile came out of my mouth.
「Kariaman.」
I didn’t know when I first captured a boy with that name.
No way did the boy have anything to do with the ‘lawless judge’.
‘Yeah, I was a kid who didn’t even know the world.’
Easily tricked and captured.
I don’t know why I fell out with the lawless judge, but I knew that there was a conflict.
When I think about it again, I am amazed at my courage.
If they get caught, that day will be the end, but it doesn’t matter. I am confident that I will not do that.
furthermore.
If the Prophet, who is said to have come out of the Church as planned, is in his hands, he won’t have to worry about becoming an enemy of the Master.
‘If he’s a prophet, he’ll surely be satisfied with the food.’
Yes, the guy who sticks to himself.
If he gets stronger, there’s no need to be afraid of Master.
just skip it and stop.
You don’t have to think about anything else.
It was then.
“boss.”
“Come. Who is the Prophet?”
Seeing his subordinate appearing in front of him, the rat had no doubt that his plan had succeeded.
Isn’t it none other than Master?
There won’t be much of a problem.
Contrary to his conviction, however, the informant’s face was not bright.
“That is…that woman. Master.”
“What’s going on?”
“That’s it…”
The informant blurted out his words, as if he was not sure.
“Tell me straight.”
“It looks like it’s attached to a temple?”
“…what?”
The rat’s face hardened.
* * *
This is before the regression.
One day, the body of the judge’s flesh and blood was found.
With the whole body horribly deformed.
-ah.
He did not see it in person, but the moment he saw the corpse of his flesh and blood, it was said that the ties holding her were snapped.
“It is sad.”
Rian said bitterly about it and drew his sword.
“The sword empress has been looking for blood relatives all her life. But I found a corpse degraded like that.”
“It wouldn’t have been strange even if I went crazy.”
“It’s actually crazy.”
Since then, she has lost her original appearance.
They became engrossed in one purpose and stopped looking around.
plural.
She was so broken that even her own life was used as bait.
“still…I mean, there was only one chance. A chance for him to come to his senses again.”
“…opportunity?”
“Yes, it seems that he accidentally found the right person to make his successor.”
“Be fit…”
“You know, you know?”
Ryan smiled.
“Eileen Lindell.”
“…!”
“In order to learn the sword of the sword empress, you need an innate ability to adapt to the aura, right? A rare talent that only happens to one in ten million. That seems to have been the case with her.”
I couldn’t say anything.
Because I know what she’s become now.
And that is….
“So it was.”
Is it that the last hope has been trampled on?
Only then did the situation make sense.
“It could have been different.”
“Well, not to mention that he didn’t become like that, and maybe a second swordsman named Eileen Lindell came out.”
It’s useless now.
The boy smiled bitterly and shook his head. I too felt the same way as him.
…if there was a chance
I could have changed everything.
At the time, I thought so.
* * *
“…The underworld in the capital is targeting the Prophet?”
Archbishop Alley, in charge of the capital’s central temple, widened his eyes.
“You should know that the Prophet Cassandra has disappeared.”
“I know. I still want to say that I am grateful for him…”
“That’s fine. More importantly, they wanted to monopolize the Prophet’s ‘prophecy’ among themselves.”
“…yes?”
Archbishop Alley opened his eyes.
He said it in disbelief as soon as he heard it.
“No, no matter how unlearned they are, that’s right, against Kyoguk…“
What if it wasn’t just a simple underworld?”
“…!”
He closed his eyes in disbelief, deep in thought, and then spoke.
“…Do you want to say that heresy is involved?”
“That’s right.”
The archbishop’s eyes grew cold.
If you’re in charge of a temple in the capital, not anywhere else, you must be flawless in terms of your faith and skills.
Of course, his hatred for heresy is greater than anyone else’s.
“…Do you have any evidence? The determination of heresy must be certain. If it is to label a worthless person as heresy.”
“The evidence is there.”
I smiled and looked back.
Behind me was Milium, who had been waiting for his turn.
“I will explain that.”
Before I could finish my words, a voice came from behind me. Seeing the opponent, the archbishop’s face deepened.
“…Is Sir Milium here?”
“Unfortunately, that happened.”
“Whoa.”
At those words, the archbishop sighed lightly.
“I was curious. Why did a master from outside the empire and a so-called judge of the lawless zone get involved in this muddy fight?”
She quietly bowed her head.
“I apologize for causing trouble in the hall of worship.”
“A fuss? No. It doesn’t really matter that Lord Milium caused trouble in the temple.”
The Archbishop glared at her with sharp eyes and said,
“Kyung tried to kidnap the prophet of the kingdom of heaven. It really would have happened if Prince Mikhail hadn’t stopped it.”
“….”
Churches do not trust Cassandra’s prophecy.
However, apart from that, the fact that she is a prophet does not change.
Anyway.
Cassandra is one of the beings held sacred by the Church.
It’s not something to be taken lightly from the government’s point of view.
‘Even if you don’t trust the prophecy, there is something called symbolism.’
Prophet and Saint.
It was clear that these two had considerable value as ‘symbolism’ in the kingdom.
Milium did not deny it.
“I know. That is why I am saying that I will strike down heresy in order to atone for my sins.”
“That word…”
“Yes, the underworld leader who led the abduction. I totally help him with his punishment.”
“Did you check something?”
“Yes that’s right.”
At the archbishop’s question, she frowned and said:
“I was controlling the shadows.”
“shadow?!”
cried the archbishop urgently.
“Wait, did you say shadow? You controlled the shadows?!”
“Even the Archbishop knows.”
By the time the bait was properly cast, I immediately went out.
“Many people have forgotten what moving shadows mean, but you, one of the few Archbishops in the Church, would know.”
“…< The Ugly Lord >.”
“you’re right.”
At my answer, he collapsed into his seat with a devastated expression, as if his legs were weakened.
“That something sinister lurked in this capital? What nonsense….”
“Sir Milium couldn’t have been wrong. Even if it is not the actual body, the possibility that the incarnation exists cannot be ignored.”
“well…You know.”
“Walpurgis didn’t get to where he is now for nothing.”
“That is true, but…her.”
Confused look.
< The Ugly Lord >.
One of the 12 monsters that followed the Demon God.
Before returning, these 12 monsters are perfectly resurrected and dwell in the ‘Brigade Commander’ who follows the devil.
‘It was Milium who defeated that ugly monarch before returning.’
Looking at it this way, I could see some kind of before-and-after relationship.
She was at this point playing into the hands of an ugly lord, and much was lost.
And later, he burned his own life to avenge it.
However, the Archbishop still looked in disbelief.
No, it would be more accurate to say that I do not want to believe it.
“Are you sure? According to Confucius, this is really not an ordinary thing. That the Demon God’s family exists…
“I ask the other way around.”
I looked at him with sharp eyes and asked.
“The prophet has already prophesied the coming of the demon. Of course, isn’t that what the Archbishop should have expected?”
“that…!”
But the Archbishop was speechless. To refute my words here would be to deny the will of the church.
‘Of course it’s still hard to believe.’
The remnants of demons that were thought to have disappeared long ago were hiding in the capital under his management?
You didn’t even know that until now?
Of course, pride doesn’t allow it.
Is it the same as if his faith was denied in the face?
“However, I do not intend to blindly force cooperation. Either way, this will cause a great uproar in the capital.”
“…What do you want to say, Prince Mikhail?”
done. If this has come to an end, what I will say has been decided.
“I’ll fix it for you.”
“…!”
“I will subdue that < ugly lord > with Sir Milium here. The Archbishop only needs to make one promise.”
“Speaking of medicine…”
“Selection of warriors.”
“her.”
At my words, the archbishop smiled bitterly.
“Is that too?”
“Isn’t that an unreasonable demand? Even if it’s just an incarnation, subjugating the < ugly lord > is a feat worthy of being called a hero.”
“that…It is true.”
The Archbishop thought for a moment with his arms crossed.
But the trouble was short-lived.
“great.”
The Archbishop immediately made an appointment using his divine power.
“I promise you with my faith. If there exists an incarnation of the < ugly lord > and you subjugate it, I will support you as a ‘hero’.”
Great mage who transcends by regression