Chapter 11 – The Child of God (Part 5)

“I’m heartbroken thinking that a poor lady might be trembling in fear day by day. I hope for the grace of the gods.”

With his detestable attitude, Rune struggled to suppress the urge to draw his sword. Unfortunately, the high priest’s life was in the hands of the Holy Kingdom, so they couldn’t do anything immediately.

Cherta, too, bit the inside of his cheek to suppress his boiling anger and wore an arrogant smile.

“Thank you for your words. But I recently heard some astonishing news.”

“Oh, I hope it’s good news.”

The high priest, thinking the momentum had shifted to his side, continued to provoke them. However, what followed was something that would shatter his benevolent smile.

“Yes, it’s good news. The bug that took my woman opened its mouth.”

“…”

“When its life was threatened, it spoke easily. Even bugs value their lives above all.”

The high priest, whose expression crumbled for a moment, awkwardly forced a smile and picked up the teacup. Unlike before, the cup clattered against the saucer.

At that moment, the door opened, and Diharn entered, whispering something to Cherta. The high priest pretended not to care, but in reality, all his attention was focused there.

As Diharn straightened up, Cherta’s red eyes, which had been fixed on the high priest, softened. Cherta clapped his hands joyfully and delivered the news.

“They say the mastermind has just been revealed. It seems the grace of the gods has descended upon us, just as the high priest always says when we come here to pray. Don’t you think?”

“…Congratulations.”

Pretending to be unaffected, he offered his congratulations, but his inner thoughts were anything but calm. The composure he had maintained until a moment ago was gone, replaced by anxiety.

‘Did he really reveal the mastermind? I had set a safeguard to activate dark arts that would melt the body if he spoke. How could this be?’

Paralyzed by fear, he couldn’t even verify the truth and stiffened. If they truly knew the mastermind, the temple was finished. With evidence, even the Holy Kingdom wouldn’t side with them once they learned of this incident.

Then suddenly, a thought struck him.

‘Wait. Has the dark arts ever failed before? Even transferring the dark arts to paper was ultimately successful, wasn’t it?’

The answer came quickly. He had injected dark arts into people countless times, and it had never failed. If so, then the Crown Prince’s words were all…

‘It’s a lie. They’re acting to test me. That person is dead!’

As soon as he reached this conclusion, the high priest had to stifle a laugh.

‘These foolish fools! A brat much younger than me dares to try and fly over my head?’

The anxiety and nervousness that had plagued him seemed laughable now. He felt foolish for even briefly experiencing such emotions because of someone like that.

The high priest, whose face now displayed the confidence of a victor, savored the taste of his tea and spoke fluently. With his anxiety gone, the words flowed effortlessly.

“That’s why bugs are useless. They open their mouths lightly for just one life.”

“…”

“That’s why they crumble so easily, used only by the lowest class.”

The teacup clattered again as he set it down. The high priest was delighted by the sense of superiority over the Crown Prince’s supposed strategy.

“Now that the mastermind has been revealed, the bug must be destined to die. How unfortunate.”

“Do you pity the bug?”

“The gods are equally benevolent to everyone. As a servant of the gods, it’s only natural for me to feel that way.”

“High Priest, because you have such a heart, you were able to rise to your position.”

“It seems you’re in a good mood from the good news. To even praise me, it seems.”

How amusing it was to see the foolish man unknowingly praising him. The high priest chuckled at Cherta’s praise, unaware of the consequences his arrogance would bring.

“Then, what punishment would the benevolent high priest give to the bug that revealed the mastermind? I’ve been pondering how to handle the aftermath.”

“If it were up to me, well, considering it would have already crumbled and melted away, would it even feel pain? Following the benevolent grace of the gods, I would impose a light punishment. After all, a life is just one, but death can happen more than once—how unfortunate is that?”

“Heh.”

The high priest spread his arms as if he were truly a benevolent god. 

At that moment, Cherta burst into laughter. He covered his face with his hand, his shoulders shaking, and then he laughed loudly for quite some time.

The high priest, slightly furrowing his brows at Cherta’s sudden behavior, froze when Cherta stopped laughing and spoke in a chillingly cold voice, as if biting off each word.

“High Priest, how do you know that a life has already crumbled and melted away?”

“…!”

“And how do you know that death is not just once?”

“Th-that is…”

“I never mentioned anything about the bug’s death.”

As soon as those words were spoken, Diharn and Rune drew their swords and aimed them at the high priest’s neck. The high priest, unable to grasp reality immediately, only realized the situation when he saw Cherta’s relaxed yet arrogant smile.

“How foolish. Just a little flattery, and you get so excited, speaking words you shouldn’t have.”

The Crown Prince had come knowing everything.

Next to the high priest, who had turned pale and stiff, the chief priest, who had regained his senses first, stood up abruptly and shouted in shock.

“W-what are you doing! This is an affront to the gods! How dare you draw a sword on the High Priest-!”

“You’d better keep that mouth shut.”

But even he couldn’t continue under the chilling atmosphere and pressure from Cherta.

“What do you plan to do about the consequences… by doing this?”

The high priest, having regained his composure, muttered in a firm voice as if warning them. Cherta’s lips twisted at the shameless and laughable words. It was, in fact, the question he wanted to ask.

“I would like to ask the same. Did you not think this would happen when you dared to touch my woman without knowing your place?”

“You have no solid evidence. Jumping to conclusions based on a few words is not a wise action for the future ruler of the Empire. It seems you’ve misunderstood my words. Who in this world wouldn’t know that a life caught by Your Highness would crumble?”

On the surface, his words seemed reasonable, but in reality, they were just elementary excuses to evade the situation. His heart raced wildly, and the fear that this might be the end clouded his ability to perceive what he was saying accurately.

“Moreover, Your Highness might not know, but we, who serve the gods, consider death in two parts. The first is the death of the body, and the second is the death of the soul. So, my words were not incorrect…”

“High Priest.”

“…”

“You take me lightly.”

If he had kept his mouth shut, he might not have incited further anger.

“I was going to listen to see how far you’d go, but it’s not even worth it. Did you think I would believe that?”

The high priest bit his lip instead of answering. His pupils shook aimlessly, reflecting his inner turmoil.

‘Damn, is this really the end? The Child of God appeared in my time, offering a chance to gain immense power, and it ends so futilely?’

It couldn’t end like this. It must not end like this. 

The high priest’s mind spun rapidly again. There wouldn’t be any concrete evidence. If there were, that madman would have already had him arrested.

Above all, there was still a line they couldn’t cross. Specifically, the life of the high priest himself. That was under the jurisdiction of the Holy Kingdom, so they couldn’t punish him recklessly even for a grave crime without permission.

Having thought this far, the high priest decided to use this point to escape the situation.

“…I was flustered and spoke nonsense for a moment. But I truly know nothing about the hunting festival incident. Moreover, I was here at the temple during that time. How could I have done such a thing?”

His shameless insistence on his innocence was almost laughable, and a breathy laugh escaped from between Cherta’s lips. The high priest kept talking incessantly, to the point where Cherta was tempted to tear his mouth apart.

“I am a servant of the gods. How could I possibly deal with such filthy things that harm people?”

“…”

“If you still suspect me, proceed with the Holy Kingdom’s permission. If you follow the proper procedures, I will cooperate without complaint.”

Rune wanted to grip his sword with all his might and thrust it deep into that throat. He wanted to mutilate that face until it was unrecognizable, knowing they couldn’t harm him.

“So, I think you should put away your sword now. You shouldn’t do this to an innocent person.”

“…Lower your sword.”

“Your Highness!”

That’s why he couldn’t believe Cherta’s command. But even with his anger-filled shout, Cherta just stared at the high priest without a word, so Rune had no choice but to grit his teeth and lower his sword. Diharn also followed his master’s order.

The high priest, who had been inwardly sneering at them in relief, let out a long breath.

“Ugh!”

At that moment, something splattered onto his face. He couldn’t immediately grasp the situation that unfolded just as he thought he had evaded it.

“Ugh, High Priest…”