Chapter 224 : Chapter 224
Chapter 224. Birth of the Inquisitor
Bishop Lambrado Altante quickened his steps, feeling the demonic energy spreading in the air.
RUMBLE!
"Bishop, this is...!"
"Yes. The gate to the Demon World has opened."
This was the second time.
Once at the Academy before, and once now.
It was just as the Archbishop had predicted.
Following the contents of the dream that darkness was flocking to the 8th Prince, heretics were summoning the gate to the Demon World while throwing away their lives.
As if the 8th Prince had to be killed right now.
'Haha, they must know too.'
The words the Archbishop said when he visited the Grand Temple a while ago came clearly to his mind.
'If left alone, he will surely overturn them.'
'The 8th Prince will? Them?'
The 8th Prince's experienced skill unlike his age and noble faith were things Bishop Lambrado also acknowledged.
Didn't he clearly see him reforming devil worshipers locked in the underground prison with the Necklace of Joy?
He thought he was by no means an ordinary figure.
However, did he not lack power yet?
Although it did not fit Bishop Lambrado's personality, religion was ultimately a political fight.
No matter how much the Archbishop supported the 8th Prince, as long as there were those within the Supreme Deity Order who disliked the 8th Prince, the road to official support would be rough.
'In my opinion, I do not understand why they would target the 8th Prince who has neither divine power nor influence...'
'Bishop Lambrado, they are beings who see beyond the abyss.'
As Bishop Lambrado became flustered at the unexpected words, the Archbishop's gaze deepened.
'Why do you think evil is strong?'
'That is... because they dig into human weakness.'
'That is right. Evil instinctively recognizes weakness and strength.'
Bishop Lambrado nodded.
As the head of the Inquisitors, he knew well how cunning devils were.
Their skill of bringing out human weaknesses, instilling fear, and enticing with tempting words was astounding.
'Then do you mean they noticed the 8th Prince's strength and are wary?'
'Haha. We will know if we watch in the future.'
The Archbishop's smile deepened.
'Right. How about Bishop Lambrado watches directly?'
Bishop Lambrado suddenly woke from his thoughts.
Archbishop.
Although you told me to watch, don't you know that I cannot do that?
Bishop Lambrado let out a small sigh.
He was a person who jumped in directly rather than watching.
So he had no choice but to come here.
The place he arrived leading the Inquisitors was in front of the House of the Undead.
RUMBLE!
The state where the gate to the Demon World was already open.
Apprentice holy knights were evacuating people and controlling the surroundings.
Apprentice priests were healing people who fainted or collapsed from the commotion.
The Inquisitors were flustered by the scene calmer than expected.
"It is strange that the demonic energy is this weak."
"It is clearly a situation where the gate to the Demon World should have opened and more, how...?"
"Bishop! Look over there!"
For some reason, the reformist bishops were surrounding the entrance to the Demon World and deploying a holy magic circle.
A look of relief passed over the Inquisitors' faces.
"It is really a relief! The Bishops were blocking it."
"Indeed, they are Bishops. It is a perfect barrier of the Supreme Deity. Now if we just go and seal the gate...!"
At that moment, the reformist bishops discovered Bishop Lambrado had appeared and clamored.
"What do you mean coming only now, Bishop Lambrado!"
"For someone called the Bishop of Marcellent to be this slow!"
Bishop Lambrado was dumbfounded by their words.
Still, it was praiseworthy that they were protecting people by unfolding a holy magic circle as bishops but... they were really noisy.
"Late! You're late!"
"Do you know how many minutes have passed since we unfolded the barrier?"
"Oh my, my arms! My arms are trembling so much I could die!"
Such exaggerations.
Bishop Lambrado's brow furrowed.
"I came as soon as I felt the demonic energy. Are there any casualties?"
"None, none! Rather than that, hurry up and resolve that over there!"
"Since the Inquisitors aren't coming right now, the 8th Prince is suffering so much. Tsk!"
Bishop Lambrado asked with a dumbfounded expression.
"What do you mean...?"
Does that mean the 8th Prince is here without evacuating?
He discovered two people moving busily inside the barrier of the Supreme Deity unfolded by the reformist bishops.
One was Gusto, an apprentice holy knight, and the other was... surprisingly, the 8th Prince.
"Gusto, I found out the pattern. You have to stab precisely when these guys open their eyelids."
The 8th Prince was diligently teaching Gusto something.
"Looking at it, they close their eyes for 3 seconds after getting hit once, 3 seconds after getting hit twice. And 7 seconds after getting hit three times. If you stab the eye after that, it becomes one-eyed. Got it? It's the 337 tactic."
"Yes, Prince."
Gusto nodded vigorously.
"Let's go, with the 337 tactic!"
"Yes!"
Like that, Radel mercilessly stabbed the eyeballs of the guy trying to squeeze out of the entrance to the Demon World.
SCREECH!
Black tears dripped from the bloodshot red eyeballs.
Then, just before the eyelids closed, didn't Radel spray holy water this time?
SPLASH!
It was precise and agile skill as if he hadn't done it just once or twice.
The reformist bishops were watching that appearance absentmindedly.
"Astounding, the rhythm is astounding."
"Indeed. Where did such a figure appear from?"
"Isn't he much better than holy knights these days? He could be an Inquisitor, ha really."
Are these the people who were disparaging the 8th Prince with veins popping in their necks until a while ago?
These were the ones who shouted absolute opposition at the meeting discussing officially supporting the 8th Prince.
But aren't they looking at the 8th Prince now as if seeing the most commendable existence in the world?
Bishop Lambrado had no choice but to be surprised.
* * *
Saint of the Thirsty Land, 8th Prince.
This time, he even punishes a devil worshiper!
The Black Falcon Dormitory lounge.
Edward was sitting on the sofa reading 'Blue Rose'.
Radel's article was printed largely on the very first page of 'Blue Rose'.
As Radel's follower number 1, it was an article Edward absolutely could not miss.
"Edward, show me too after you read it."
"I want to read it too!"
Edward's friends reached out their hands from the side one after another.
But Edward shouted loudly as if there was no need for that.
"Forget it, I'll just read it for you!"
Thus, Edward's article reading session unfolded.
That a devil worshiper appeared in front of the House of the Undead and ended his own life to unfold a Demon World summoning circle.
That just in time, bishops of the Supreme Deity Order visited the holy ground, the House of the Undead, and coincidentally unfolded a holy magic circle to save people.
That the 8th Prince bravely faced the existence of the Demon World until the Inquisitors arrived.
Reading the article where everything was written in detail, Edward blushed with excitement.
"...Thus, the Supreme Deity Order expressed official support for Prince Radel Silvert Cretian. The 8th Prince, is he truly a saint?"
Perhaps overwhelmed by too great an emotion, he closed his eyes tightly for a moment and then continued reading the article down.
"However, people's interest is actually focused more on the House of the Undead where even bishops of the Supreme Deity Order visited. The Supreme Deity Order praised the spirit of the apprentice holy knights and the 8th Prince who valiantly blocked the devil worshiper, and designated a feast day to commemorate the House of the Undead where this incident occurred as a place where an official miracle happened."
When Edward finished reading the article, Edward's friends closed their eyes and exclaimed in admiration repeatedly.
"Wow!"
"As expected of the Prince, he is cool!"
Even big-built friends were wet with emotion and holding hands.
"The Prince has rewritten the history of the Empire."
"We should emulate the Prince and devote ourselves more to magic."
"In that sense, how about visiting the House of the Undead during the next outing week?"
Not only them, but the first-year students in the lounge also had somewhat impressed faces.
Edward, seeing the reaction of the first-year friends, approached Armandy and whispered.
"Don't you think the Prince's popularity will go up more with this?"
Armandy, who was quietly watching the situation, made a bewildered expression at Edward's words as he suddenly approached.
"Well... probably?"
"Since the Prince isn't here, I'm saying this just between us... How about actively placing 'Blue Rose' with this article all over the Academy."
No, but why is this guy saying this to me?
Armandy felt a complex and subtle feeling seeing Edward treating him as a follower of Radel before he knew it.
'Does he mistakenly think we are close because we have the same Transmutation Magic major?'
Even while thinking that, he answered faithfully.
"...That's a decent idea."
"Right? Then let's go to the main building together after the major lecture ends."
Armandy ended up taking steps worthy of an 8th Prince follower unwittingly.
* * *
CLANK!
Bishop Taylor barely regained consciousness at the sound of the door locking.
'Am I alive?'
Even though he stabbed the knife like that, his belly skin was fine.
'The priests of the Supreme Deity Order must have cast Heal repeatedly.'
Like this, there was no point in even offering his life.
That he was here meant the summoning magic opening the Demon World had ultimately failed.
'...No. Although I lost consciousness, I definitely succeeded.'
He intended to take at least the lives of the reformist bishops and the 8th Prince there with him.
Since he was going to die anyway, he didn't want to die alone.
Fitting for an insider of the Black Order, his disposition was nasty.
It was in a way natural that he, who had a lot of greed for a clergyman, became an executive of the Black Order.
The money he received and pocketed without the Order knowing and the believers he touched were countless.
Whenever a problem arose, he had lived by resolving it somehow with the authority and money he had.
There was no such thing as guilt.
If he could be a bishop of the Supreme Deity Order in life and the devil's right arm in death, wouldn't that also be a decent life?
But for the end to be a torture chamber like this!
Bishop Taylor shouted out of spite.
"Mmph!"
However, only weird noises flowed out from his mouth, which was gagged with cloth lest he bite his tongue.
"Mmph mmph! (This makes no sense!)"
Just a little more!
If he just did a little more, he could have overturned the public opinion of the reformist bishops and achieved his will.
Not long ago, he even obtained the key sealing Asmodeus, acknowledged by the Black Order.
If he had the power of this key, corrupting the bishops wouldn't have been difficult.
Then he intended to really put the Supreme Deity Order in his grasp and manipulate it!
That key.
If he had just one more of that key!
'Come to think of it... where did the Key of Seal go?'
It was the moment Bishop Taylor's thoughts reached the lost key.
KNOCK KNOCK.
CLICK.
Someone entered the torture chamber.
It was the 8th Prince.
In his hand was the Necklace of Joy.
Bishop Taylor's face turned completely white.
Because he knew how the heretics who wore that lost their minds.
When Bishop Taylor turned pale seeing the Necklace of Joy, the 8th Prince smiled broadly.
"Ah, you must be looking for this, not the necklace."
And he took out another necklace.
The object he was desperately looking for, with a green key attached.
Bishop Taylor felt his blood running cold.
His true hell was starting from now.