Chapter 28: Distrust
The Church could have gotten him killed, but no matter how hard Adrian thought about it, he couldn't come up with a reason for the Church to target him.
Yes, they were often at odds, but Adrian had learned his lesson from his time on Earth and didn't challenge the Church's authority. Instead, he always turned a blind eye to matters that didn't concern him.
Unbeknownst to Adrian, all the thoughts about betrayal made the transplanted mana core within him go rampant. Feeling a sudden pressure coming from him, the people around him began to retreat, eyeing him suspiciously.
Even one of the paladins noticed the situation and walked in Adrian's direction to confront him. However, before the man could reach him, a series of explosions went off, shaking the entire courtyard. Chaos erupted as debris flew in all directions.
Paladins, clad in their traditional armour, rushed to shield the Pope. One yelled, "Protect His Holiness! Form a barrier!"
Without delay, the Paladins covered the Pope with shields, pushed him inside the Church and locked the premises for the safety of his holiness.
Amidst the smoke and confusion, heroes attending the funeral unsheathed their weapons while scanning the crowd. Healers and mages began casting barrier magic to protect their respective teams.
"Who dares to attack the Church when the Paladins and all the heroes are present here?" Rowan, a royal elf, yelled over the chaos.
"Do you need to ask?" Vincent scoffed; given his rivalry with Rowan, he spared no time taking shots at his half-brother. "Of course, it's those Nether bastards-"