Chapter Eleven: Three Years Later

—Three Years Later, Sicily—
Sicily was an ordinary small town to the northwest of Salonia, with a population of around three hundred people. It could only be considered a medium-sized town, with roads paved with gravel, stone houses, windmills, mills, and churches. In this country ruled by religion, almost all small towns looked alike.
Especially the churches—whether in cities or villages—they served as the hubs of local governance and were absolutely essential. The local priests were like the town administrators of the empire; they not only acted as spiritual healers for the local people but also served as spiritual guides for the church to spread its doctrines and guide people’s faith.
Salonia did not have so-called “village chiefs” like the empire. From serious incidents such as attacks by bandits, wild animals, or demons to trivial matters like arguments and fights, the villagers would turn to their local priests for help or for a fair judgment. From weddings and baptisms of newborns to funerals of family members, the church priests played various roles.
Compared to the empire’s rigid laws and regulations, Salonia’s method of governance was indeed much more humane. However, the absolute religious rule made the entire Salonia seem somewhat lifeless. People simply repeated their daily routines mechanically—working, praying, resting.
Anyway, although the lives of the people in Salonia were dull and lacking in passion, they were much more peaceful than in the empire, with few serious crimes such as robberies and murders.
Alfi was a girl born here. Having lived in this town for eighteen years, like almost all girls in Salonia, she was familiar with and loved her hometown, often praying to the gods to keep peace in her town forever…
It’s no wonder—after all, the town was not far from the border between the empire and the church, so news about the empire could often be heard. Just as most people in the empire held negative views of Salonia, the people of Salonia saw the inhabitants of the empire as heretics abandoned by the gods. After all, the two countries had been at odds for hundreds of years, and the war eighteen years ago had left indelible scars on both sides.
After her father passed away, the eighteen-year-old girl took on the burden of the family, relying on that small inn to support the family’s needs.

But Thalonia was no different from the Empire—there were few mercenaries, merchants, or adventurers passing through here. So rather than a inn, it was more like a tavern, one meant for the townspeople. Even if mercenaries or merchants happened to pass by, they wouldn’t like the weak, water-like drinks available in the town, which could at most be considered fruit juice.

Yet the townspeople were accustomed to these bland drinks. After a hard day’s work, they would go to the few taverns in town to talk about recent interesting events or discuss the latest developments in the Empire. After all, over the past three years, the Empire had been in a state of extreme instability, with uprisings of varying scales occurring in most cities. Local armies often clashed with the central army. To avoid being affected by the Empire’s chaos, the Church had sent a crusade to the border early on, sealing all roads.

At this time every day, Alfi would wipe the cypress counter with a cloth while listening to the familiar customers in the tavern discussing various matters. But today, a stranger appeared in the tavern…

It was as if the heavy clouds on the eve of a storm—the wooden door of the tavern was pushed open, and a voice entered, accompanied by the sound of footsteps. Black boots stepped on the creaking wooden planks, creating a strange and oppressive atmosphere.

Somehow, the entire tavern seemed to fall silent suddenly. The villagers in the tavern instinctively turned to look at that person, but it was just a boy who seemed to be about fifteen or sixteen—well, a boy with great presence.

His black hair was slightly long, his face fair and delicate, and his gaze cold and emotionless, giving off an aura that made it hard to look up at him.

His eyes were peculiar—a shade darker than gold. Even more unusual was the faint silver glow in his left eye, slightly hidden by his hair, like stars.

His pure dark red cloak was adorned with rows of strange black symbols, resembling words yet not quite.

Alfi had never seen anyone like him before, neither in terms of the texture and color of his clothing nor the solemn expression on his face.

The villagers’ chatter resumed in the tavern. Perhaps they were thinking, “It’s just a child.” But strangely, their voices were much softer than before.

“A glass of ice water!” the boy sitting at the counter said calmly.

“Huh?” seemingly unprepared for the other party to speak, Alfi was slightly startled. Holding the cloth, she looked at the boy in front of her with slight unease.
“Is it strange?——Just a glass of water at an inn?” The boy raised his head, frowned slightly at Alfi, then sighed lightly and said, “It would be troublesome if those annoying guys found out. They keep saying ‘wine is the blood of gods’!——A glass of ice water, please!”
“Oh!” Only then did Alfi come back to her senses. She hurriedly picked up a cup, poured some water into it, and placed it on the counter. Then she apologized, “I’m sorry, it’s just plain water…”
“Oh, it’s fine!” The boy picked up the cup and drank the water.
Taking advantage of this time, Alfi curiously observed him. Suddenly, she noticed a black cross tattooed on the collar and chest of his black-red uniform, different from the silver cross she was familiar with. The black cross gave off an impression of oppression and silence.
“Are… are you a clergyman?” Although the color of the cross seemed strange, Alfi mustered the courage to ask.
“Mm,” the boy nodded, then raised his right hand wearing a white glove, holding the empty cup, and said softly, “One more glass of water, please!”
“Oh… oh, okay!” Alfi quickly poured another glass of water and handed it to the boy. Curiously, she asked, “What brought you to the town…”
“Work!——A rather troublesome job!” The boy shrugged as if to appear casual, drank the water in one gulp, and tapped the table with his fingers while saying softly, “If you don’t mind, may I ask you a few questions?”
“Oh… oh!”
“Has anything special happened in the town recently?”
“Something special?” Alfi tilted her head and thought for a while before shaking her head. “I don’t remember anything special happening… Um, was Uncle Zhang’s son’s wedding last month counted? The bride was very pretty…”
“…” The boy helplessly covered his forehead and said irritably, “That doesn’t count!——I mean something truly special, like if anyone has gone missing or if the town has been attacked!”
Alfi thought for a moment and shook her head. “No!”
“Really?” The boy was stunned and frowned, murmuring, “That’s strange. This town is clearly shrouded in a thick aura of darkness…” Saying this, he raised his head and asked in a deep voice, “Where is the priest in the town church? When I went there just now, the door was closed. Where has the priest gone?”

“Father? Oh,” Alfi lowered her head and thought for a moment before saying, “It’s probably in the mountains behind the town. They might not return until tomorrow…”
“The mountains behind the town? In which direction?” The boy asked with a frown. As soon as he spoke, the tavern suddenly fell silent. An uncle said in fear, “Young man, never go there. It’s a den of demons. Although they were injured by Father’s divine power, ordinary people would be devoured instantly if they went there. They’re extremely terrifying demons! Father warned us never to approach that place!”
“Terrifying demons?” The boy showed a strange expression on his face, as if eager to go, and said in a teasing tone, “Interesting. In which direction?”
Strangely, the villagers in the tavern, including Alfi, shook their heads nervously, giving the impression that they knew something but couldn’t say it. Especially Alfi, who tightly held the cloth in her hands, her dull and vacant eyes seemed to have seen some horrible monster. She trembled all over and kept saying, “Don’t go, don’t go there!”
After staring at Alfi deeply, the boy frowned and said softly, “The priest here will return tomorrow morning, right? Is there any room available? This is a inn, right?”
“Uh… yes!” Alfi nodded, coming back to her senses.
“Good. I’d like to stay here for one night!” With that, the boy took out three Crossbadge gold coins from his pocket.
Unlike the empire’s currency, Salonia’s standard currency was gold coins engraved with a Crossbadge. Since the country had abundant gold and silver mines, gold was used as currency, and silver symbolizing holy light was used to cast crosses. Of course, gold crosses could also be seen occasionally.
Alfi took one of the coins and pushed the other two toward the boy, smiling politely and saying, “Please follow me! By the way, what’s your name?”
“Sos!” the boy replied simply.
Meanwhile, in the woods about one or two li outside the town, a group of suspicious people were watching the Sicily Town from afar. There were around ten of them, dressed in dark red religious uniforms with rows of black patterns that looked like strange, mysterious symbols. On their right collars was also a silver Crossbadge of a special material. Especially on their chests and backs, a black cross pattern stood out sharply.

If I’m not mistaken, they are one of the Vatican’s most secretive entities—the Inquisitors, belonging to one of the Vatican’s two special agencies, the [Inquisition Bureau]. As the leader of these Inquisitors, a man appearing to be around forty years old stood in that town, shaking his head and sighing. “We’re not allowed to appear in front of the public, but… sigh, what an obstinate superior!” Upon closer inspection, he was undoubtedly the leader of the six Inquisitors who had pursued Agus alongside Cardinal Andrew—Brother Chesho. “But there really is something wrong with this town,” said one of the Inquisitors expressionlessly. “Even from such a distance, I can smell the stench coming from those dark creatures!” “Enough,” Brother Chesho interrupted his subordinate irritably. “Anyway, we can’t just show up in front of the public. It’s the rule—our existence must remain hidden from them; it could harm the Vatican’s reputation… Tch! We’ve been sued over this same issue more than a dozen times already. What an annoying superior!” “But Brother Chesho…” One of the Inquisitors said hesitantly, glancing at the angry Brother Chesho. “The superior has already gone into that town alone. No matter what you say, he won’t hear you. So what should we do…” “Stay where you are!” Brother Chesho growled irritably, then took a deep breath and shook his head. “The superior is the superior, and we are we… Wait until nightfall before taking action!” “Let the superior enter that town alone? According to the records, there’s a high-ranking demon hiding in that town…” “Don’t worry,” Brother Chesho said in a low voice, casting a glance in the direction of the town with a faint, unreadable smile. “A high-ranking demon? Could it be more powerful than our obstinate prosecutor? Although it goes against our principles… it’s far too weak!” “That’s true!” The Inquisitors all unconsciously wore eerie smiles. As time passed, the sun in the sky gradually set, and the brilliant stars became the rulers of the night sky. The night breeze blew across the town, bringing a coolness that seemed to penetrate to the bones… “The scent of darkness is getting stronger!” The Inquisitors resting in the woods outside the town suddenly opened their eyes at the same time, standing up with a fervor in their eyes—fervor that made their faces appear grotesque.

Gazing at the silent night, Brother Chesho looked around and said in a deep voice, “Go investigate this thoroughly. Meet back here before dawn. — Set off!”
“Yes!”
As soon as those words were spoken, the team of nearly a dozen Inquisitors dispersed into the darkness, heading in various directions toward the town, following the scent of darkness.
Meanwhile, the young man—no, it was Thos—sat on the railing by the window of the inn, casually observing the town. At his feet lay a piece of high-quality paper covered in dense lines of text, with the words “Investigation Order” written at the top.
“Such a strong presence of darkness, and they claim nothing happened… I wonder what this town’s priest is good for!” Thos shook his head in exasperation, his wet hair suggesting he had just taken a bath.
“Knock, knock, knock!” There was a knocking at the door.
Thos turned to look at the door. Using his magical senses, he could tell without opening it that it was the inn’s owner, that girl named Alfi—well, actually a young woman.
“What is it?” Thos walked over and opened the door.
“Oh, I just wanted to ask if you need dinner…” As she spoke, Alfi instinctively looked up and suddenly saw the black tattoos on Thos’s right chest, shoulders, and right arm, resembling a terrifying, fanged beast.
“Yah!” Alfi was startled and stepped back two times, hitting the wall behind her.
“Hmm?” Following Alfi’s gaze, Thos glanced at the black tattoos on his body, smiled slightly, and raised his hand. “Sorry if I scared you. — It’s just a tattoo!”
“Oh…” Alfi covered her chest and took a few deep breaths, then said awkwardly, “It looks a bit like a demon pattern… I’m sorry, I overreacted! — Do you need dinner? If you don’t mind, I think you could eat with my family. It’s not a fancy meal, but…”
“Hmm?”
“Well, just two glasses of water and a place to stay for the night won’t cost a gold coin, so…”
“Hehe,” Thos smiled slightly and nodded. “Thank you very much for your kindness, but I don’t need it for now…”
“Then… I’ll leave you alone. It’s not a fancy meal anyway…” With a slightly lowered head, Alfi spoke with a hint of disappointment and self-mockery.
“Uh, wait!”
“Yeah?”

Seeing the disappointed look on the other person’s face, Thos thought for a moment before politely saying, “Well… I’ve disturbed you then!”
“Not at all!”
A few minutes later, Thos had dinner with Alfi’s family.
The meal wasn’t particularly lavish, but it was clearly much better than that of ordinary families. Perhaps it was to entertain Thos, the only guest staying there. After all, since the Crusaders had blocked the borders, few outsiders could be seen in the town anymore.
So, aside from Thos and Alfi, only Alfi’s mother and her two brothers, around ten years old, were at the dinner table.
At first, the atmosphere at the table was a bit awkward. After all, Thos’s black-and-red uniform was very different from that of previous travelers. Although there were hardly any nobles in Salonia, those who could wear such clothes were certainly not ordinary people.
Especially Alfi’s two brothers kept staring at the black cross badge on Thos’s collar.
Perhaps noticing their gazes, Alfi frowned and said, “Jim, Jan, it’s very impolite to stare at guests like this!” She then glanced at Thos apologetically.
“No need to worry,” Thos said with a slight smile. He took out a silver cross from his pocket and whispered to the two children, “I can’t give you that. If you want something, here, take this!”
“That can’t be…” Alfi quickly refused. After all, although silver items weren’t very valuable in Salonia, the craftsmanship of that cross was clearly not ordinary. But seeing her brothers’ excited expressions, she felt a bit torn.
A small gift seemed to greatly ease the tense atmosphere at the table. Alfi’s mother, a simple country woman, looked at Thos gratefully and then said softly, “My daughter told me that Mr. Thos is a clergyman. May I ask what brings you to this town? You don’t seem like an ordinary traveler…”
“It’s just work! — Just call me Thos!” The young man shrugged and smiled slightly at the two children who were giggling.
“What kind of work?”
“Hmm,” Thos thought for a moment before vaguely answering, “It’s some kind of cleanup work. Just troublesome tasks, traveling back and forth for trivial matters…”
“Huh?” Alfi was surprised and then asked curiously, looking at Thos’s uniform, “Where are you from?”
“Salonia!”

“Huh?” Alfi was surprised. Although the country was called Salonia, few people used that name; usually, Salonia referred to the sacred city where the Holy See was located.
“Do you come from the Central Holy See?”
“Mm, yes!”
“Oh my…” Alfi covered her mouth in shock. Even her mother found it hard to believe and murmured to Thos, “You’re so young… I didn’t expect this… I’m sorry!”
“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” Thos smiled slightly, finished the rice in his bowl, thought for a moment, then asked softly, “I was wondering… has nothing strange really happened in this town?”
“Why do you ask?” Alfi’s mother looked at Thos in surprise, then clasped her hands together in prayer and said with a smile, “It’s not as good as Salonia, but it’s a peaceful and warm place. Thanks to Father Archie Bull, who drove away those terrifying demons for us…”
“Demons?” Thos froze, frowning. “What kind of demons?”
“Up in the mountains behind the village, there’s a graveyard. About half a year ago, those horrible demons appeared… The priest warned us not to go near there…”
“What kind of person was Father Archie Bull?”
“He was a very kind person who helped us a lot. Thanks to him, this town can remain peaceful and warm…”
Looking at the satisfied smiles on Alfi and her mother’s faces, Thos found it somewhat incongruous. Though they seemed happy, there seemed to be an inexplicable fear lurking deep in their eyes…
“There really is something wrong with this town…”
After dinner, Thos lay on his bed in his room, deep in thought.
According to the records, the town had a population of around 300 people, but it seemed like there weren’t even that many residents here…
Father Raymond Lancelot, who had gone to Gobur to serve as a local church priest, had also disappeared in this area with no news since. Add to that this strong sense of darkness…
It was unclear how much time passed. Thos, who had been resting with his eyes closed, seemed to sense something and suddenly opened his eyes. Looking through the window beside his bed at the darkness outside, he faintly perceived what appeared to be a huge object moving around the town.

Frowning, Thors got out of bed, put on the Inquisitor’s uniform, and stood by the window. Outside, he saw a huge circular creature floating slowly over the town—its countless thick tentacles and that enormous, eerie single eye clearly belonging to a demon commonly found in the abyss: the Evil Eye. Yet the townspeople seemed unaware of this. As candlelight after candlelight went out, some villagers stepped out of their houses, wandering aimlessly toward the Evil Eye, including the innkeeper, Alfi. Watching this strange scene, a faint smile appeared on Thors’ lips as he murmured, “Huh? I see…” Suddenly, the massive Evil Eye seemed to sense Thors’ presence. Its single eye stared at him, its pupil containing some kind of mesmerizing magic. As one of the deep abyssal demons, the Evil Eye’s eye had the power to control minds, like a illusion. But for it to try to use this power on Thors, it clearly overestimated itself. “Just a Hus-class demon soldier, daring to provoke me?” Thors said calmly by the window, looking at the ugly Evil Eye. Realizing its eye couldn’t control that human, the Evil Eye let out a deep growl, and several pillar-thick tentacles lashed out toward Thors’ house. “Stupid!” Thors spat coldly. With a flick of his left hand, a white beam as thick as a finger not only severed several tentacles but also struck the Evil Eye’s single eye. A scream of agony, like an earthquake, echoed, and the figure of the Evil Eye slowly disappeared. The villagers who had been controlled collapsed on the streets as if they had lost their support. Thors opened the window and jumped down. He went to Alfi, who was lying on the street, knelt down, patted her face, and called softly, “Hey, hey, are you okay?” “Huh?” Alfi woke up from her coma. Like all the other villagers on the street, she looked around in confusion and asked, “How did I end up here?” “Who knows!” Thors smiled faintly and glanced at the woods behind the town. “Mr. Thors?” Alfi was surprised. She was puzzled by what had just happened but couldn’t explain it. Like the other confused villagers, she returned to the inn filled with doubts.

As she walked on, perhaps recalling Thors who was still on the street, she turned around only to find another person by Thors’ side—a person also dressed in dark red uniforms and magical robes, seemingly discussing something. Alfi could faintly hear words like “behind the town,” “in the mountains,” and “the graveyard.”

Were they going to the woods behind the town?

Alfi was shocked. After all, for the townspeople, that place was the most terrifying place imaginable.

Yet just as she planned to stop them, she was stunned to see the two of them disappear from the street. With a hint of concern, she thought for a moment, suppressed her fear, and gritted her teeth as she ran toward the woods.

Alfi rushed along the path. Under the starlight, the woods behind the town appeared even more terrifying than during the day, especially that dark graveyard.

She was terrified and regretted coming to such a place, though she was grateful to that guest…

Suddenly, Alfi saw a person standing at the end of the graveyard. She instinctively stopped in her tracks.

Perhaps hearing her footsteps, the person turned around, and relief finally appeared on Alfi’s face as well.

“Father Archie Bull, it’s so good to meet you…”

Just as she wanted to run toward the priest, an arm grabbed her.

Startled, she instinctively looked up and saw familiar black hair and familiar dark red uniforms…

“Thors… sir?”

Compared to what she had seen him like during the day at the inn, his now dark golden eyes held an inexplicable coldness and mockery—far from that kind and polite guest. This made Alfi uneasy. Even more surprising was that several people dressed in dark red uniforms and magical robes appeared around them somehow.

“Inquisitors…” The middle-aged man dressed as a priest in the distance, Archie Bull as Alfi called him, spoke in a deep voice.

“It seems you know already, so I won’t have to explain further,” Brother Chesh said solemnly, nodding at Thors. “Archie Bull, in the name of the Heresy Inquisition, I arrest you on charges of malicious murder, harboring demons, and more!”

“Malicious… murder? Harboring demons?” Alfi widened her eyes, staring at the seemingly kind priest in the distance and murmuring, “How is that possible? How could that priest… Who are you?”

“Holy Inquisitor of the Law Enforcement Department’s Heresy Inquiry Bureau…” Father Archie Bull gazed solemnly at the nearly ten Holy Inquisitors before him, then wore a somewhat kind smile as he said softly, “I think there’s a misunderstanding. Something about malicious murder and harboring demons? I have no idea about any of that…”
“Is that so?” Sos smiled coldly and said indifferently, “Then how do you explain the dark aura in the church and the pentagram magic circle in the basement? And those notes of yours—don’t tell me they’re just tools you use to pray to the gods…”
“…” Archie Bull’s smile froze as he said dryly, “Even Holy Inquisitors don’t have the right to enter a church without the local priest’s permission. That’s the rule!”
“And so what?” Sos smiled disdainfully. “Stop talking about rules and regulations. If you’re not satisfied, go complain to me! —But you no longer have the qualifications for that!”
“You bastard!” Archie Bull cursed under his breath. His smile vanished completely as he sneered, “Typical of a dog raised by the Church—your sense of smell is really keen…” He glanced at Sos and said mockingly, “So even a brat like you is one of the Holy Inquisitors? How surprising!”
“Stop talking nonsense. I’m giving you a choice now: Do you want to walk to Salonia, or be beaten half to death and dragged there?”
“Don’t be so arrogant, brat!” Archie Bull roared angrily. With his roar, giant black shadows gradually appeared behind him. Those tentacles and giant single eyes were clearly the demon eyes that had attacked the town earlier—there were five or six of them, and the one whose eye had been injured by Sos was staring intently at the human who had caused it pain.
“You’re too impatient,” Sos said mockingly, shaking his head.
“Damn you, brat! Don’t think you can get proud just by injuring one of those demon eyes!” Following Archie Bull’s roar, those giant demon eyes immediately attacked the Holy Inquisitors.
“Foolish!” Sos shook his head slightly, raised his left hand, and shouted, “Pavas!”
With a whoosh, a circle of white energy rippled beneath his feet. Pure holy light power flowed from his left hand, gradually forming a giant figure.
As massive wings unfolded behind that figure, Alfi was surprised to see that it was an angel holding a spear and a sword in each hand.
[Medium Angel: Seraphim—Pavas]

“Heavens… an angel?” Archibald Bull stepped back in shock, speaking in disbelief. “How could some mere Inquisitor possess such divine magic?”
“Foolish sinner, he isn’t some ‘mere Inquisitor,’” Brother Cheshé said with a cold sneer, his tone almost despairing as he looked at Archibald Bull’s astonished face. “This is the new Cardinal Archbishop… one of the twelve Cardinals Archbishops, head of the Inquisition and the Tribunal of Darkness, the Overseer—Lord Volmon Klaest. He’s also one of the candidates to inherit the Pope’s title…”
“How… how is that possible? A kid?” Archibald Bull stared in disbelief, eyes wide.
Frowning and glancing at Brother Cheshé, Thos said irritably, “I am who I am. Stop spouting those nonsense names—what Volmon Klaest?” With that, he raised his hand and pointed at those Evil Eyes that recoiled in fear of the holy light. “Kill them, Pavaas!”
“Uhm!” At Thos’s command, the Archangel seemed to transform into the bravest warrior, wielding a spear and sword to chop one of the Evil Eyes into piles of rotten flesh with ease. Pained groans could be heard, as purple-green foul liquid poured down like rain.
Faced with nine Inquisitors and one Archangel, those four or five Evil Eyes, belonging to lower demons, were utterly helpless. After all, Evil Eyes relied solely on their innate single eye to charm people, with no other special powers.
There was no need for Thos to get involved personally. In just two or three minutes, those dark creatures turned into piles of stinking rot.
“That’s enough, Archibald Bull!”
“Enough?” Faced with Brother Cheshé’s ultimatum, Archibald Bull chuckled darkly. “Not necessarily. The blood of demons has the power to corrupt holiness. I’ve actually been waiting for you all for a long time—since that fool named Raymond Lancelot was killed by me… Haven’t you noticed that this graveyard is actually a magic circle barrier?”

“Hm?” Seizing on something, Brother Cheshé frowned and looked down. The purple demonic blood seemed to flow along the existing shallow grooves in the ground. Before they could react, symbols unique to barriers appeared on the ground. At the same time, the Inquisitors suddenly felt their holy light power being restrained, becoming unstable. Even the movements of the Archangel Pavaus slowed down due to that demonic blood.

“Hahaha, you bastards, just die!” Amid Archi Bull’s frantic shouts, a purple evil eye, even larger than the others, gradually emerged from the darkness.

He naturally noticed the strange expressions on the Inquisitors’ faces. He thought it was merely panic and unease as they realized their power was being restrained. But the next moment, Archi Bull realized he was wrong. The moment the magic circle formed, the aura of that little brat in front of him suddenly grew profound, like oppressive darkness… No, it was darkness itself—a terrifyingly powerful force of darkness!

“I thought I knew what you were up to. Hey, don’t recklessly disrupt someone else’s power balance! I don’t want to go back to that damned cell again, you jerk!” With their holy power restrained, the long-suppressed forces of darkness instantly enveloped Thos’s entire body. Within that gloomy, ominous aura, it seemed as though a fierce magical beast was roaring incessantly. Black tattoos reappeared on Thos’s face—demonic-looking tattoos that clashed sharply with his Inquisitor’s uniform.

The moment this dark force appeared, the purple evil eye stopped moving entirely, hovering fearfully. It dared not make a sound even as the Archangel Pavaus slashed at it mercilessly. Clearly, the gap in their powers was far too great…

A few minutes later, the Inquisitors indeed did as their commander ordered, beating Archi Bull half to death. Watching him lie on the ground, curled up in fear, even Brother Cheshé’s usually expressionless face showed a hint of pity.

Sighing and shaking his head, one of the Inquisitors murmured, “According to the records, Archi Bull used to be a competent priest. Who would have thought he’d fall prey to the temptation of demons? Truly…”

“Not surprising,” Brother Chesho whispered, glancing at Thors who was talking to Alfi. “Ever since Argus built that dark altar near Sassen, the world’s barrier against demons has gradually weakened. Those damned dark creatures are all eager to enter this world. Worse still, as that dark altar gets closer to completion, the power of the ancient will Mammon can increasingly influence the people of this world—by exploiting human desires. Tsk!”
“Will Salonia also be affected?” asked a Inquisitor with a frown.
“Isn’t it already affected?” Brother Chesho shook his head self-mockingly and smiled bitterly. “In the past, hunting demons that intruded into this world wasn’t our Inquisitors’ task!” As he spoke, he seemed to sense something and took out a magic communication stone from his pocket.
Meanwhile, Alfi still hadn’t recovered from what had just happened. To be honest, she simply couldn’t understand—neither those seemingly terrifying evil eyes nor those power angels that resembled divine warriors. Like all the townspeople, they were controlled by the illusions of those evil eyes, their memories altered. It all started because of a foolish priest attracted by demonic power. Thors had seen too many such incidents in these three years.
All the blame pointed to that altar being built near the imperial capital of Sassen—a altar that disrupted the world’s original power balance and served as a gateway for terrifying entities to enter this world. Thanks to it, demons, who could only enter through summoning, now slipped in through various loopholes.
At the heart of it all was that man—Argus, Argus BartClarkfield!
“Commander, there’s a one-sided message from the Holy See…”
“Another mission?”
“No. The message says that a meeting will be held in ten days to discuss recent events and that altar of the empire. His Holiness orders you to return to Salonia immediately! Of course, the other eleven cardinals will also be there!”
“Hey, I thought he could keep fiddling with those things forever… Got it!”
Argus…
Hmph!