< 90. Hell of Disbelief (18) >
***
Elder Dragon, Callieter frowned as she watched the back of the fat dragon flying through the night sky. It was not surprising that someone mistook it for a flying elephant. She lamented.
‘It’s so hard to keep your eyes open.’
That’s what happens when you put a lowly human soul into the body of a great dragon. If it were the soul of a noble compatriot, it would never have been allowed to grow fat like that. In reality, there was no such dragon.
‘Anyway, they are a lowly race.’
Even if he were given a body stronger than that of some ancient race, he would ruin it like that. He grumbled and changed his mind.
She recalled the details of her deal with Minjun.
There were two things he asked of the Elder Dragon through his retinue. One was to drive out the prisoners who were ‘without reason’ persecuting a certain poor dragon, and the other was…
– I would like to know the details of the sponsorship agreement you have with the Dreamland Church.
Of course, there was no reason to tell Minjun. But what he offered in return caught her attention.
– It was you who leaked information about Christophe to the church, right?
When Minjun arrived in this country, all the other German prisoners had been summoned by Goryong. So how was it that only Christoph was able to escape and move on his own?
Because the dragon permitted it.
And why did the sect find out less than 24 hours after he was given the special mission?
Thanks to the informant who leaked the information to them.
So how did the informer manage to closely track the movements of the inmate who was under the command of the dragon?
The answer is that the informer was a dragon.
‘I don’t know if you have any basis for your claims or if you’re just making claims based on circumstantial evidence…’
A strange light appears in Callieter’s eyes. He replays the rest of the message Minjun sent.
– The reason why the prisoners suddenly wanted to leave the scene of the crime was obvious. They must have realized that the committee had given them a surprise mission with a big reward. That’s why they allowed only the most stupid and incompetent of the prisoners to leave and then chased after them.
Even before contacting the information dealer in Frankfurt, Christoph had been following Joachim’s movements through several avenues. During this process, Callieter had noticed that he was tracking the Dreamland priest.
And he informed the church in Frankfurt of this fact.
– But, is it really because of the sponsorship contract that you leaked the information? To save Joachim? It’s strange to think of it that way. If it was a strong contract that required you to take the bishop’s side even in this situation, you would have personally stepped forward to protect him instead of taking a passive approach like leaking the information.
Minjun concluded as follows.
– In the end, you just wanted to shake things up a bit, didn’t you? If Joachim was caught too quickly, the committee would never know why they were after him. But once they let him escape and watched him, they thought they might get some clues.
That was correct.
– If the committee finds out about this, you’ll be in big trouble. You’ll end up interfering with their work. But if you accept my deal, I’ll erase this incident from my memory. And I’ll erase my debt from the Oslo School operation.
If a normal person or a prisoner tried to make a deal like this, she would either laugh it off or get angry. What’s more, Min-jun’s words were mostly speculation, and he didn’t mention that he had any evidence.
But the opponent was no ordinary prisoner.
‘There’s no need to gamble for no reason.’
She knows. That agent is the object of extraordinary favor from the Dragon Lord of Earth. He sends invitations to all sorts of events, big and small. As everyone agrees, the old dragon does many strange things, but none of them are without reason.
Also, although he (in her opinion) did not have the authority and power of a high-ranking dragon, he was a man of considerable talent. So, he had a small debt from the Oslo School operation, and this was a good opportunity to pay it off.
That’s why the dragon accepted the deal.
‘In the end, the bishop will fall into the hands of the committee.’
Through the investigation so far, we have found a clue as to why the committee is after him.
The old dragon turned his head and looked at the city of Bremenharn. Everywhere was engulfed in flames, belching thick smoke.
A pandemonium broke out right in front of Rare, but she had no intention of intervening.
It’s not like there’s a war going on, so it’s just a matter of a few lowly races dying. It’s also something that happened on land, not in the sea, and anyway, if we wait a little, it’ll be sorted out by Minjun’s hands.
Moreover···.
‘A widespread psychic attack that drives lower races mad.’
That was why, in her opinion, the committee was after the bishop.
Although I am greedy, based on my research so far, it is not a power that can be taken away by going against the committee.
‘Still, I guess I’ll have to mention it at least at the next Dragon Clan meeting. When on earth does the Lord plan on going back to work?’
***
Ha Eun-seong looked down at the city from the sky and was astonished.
‘No, what the hell is going on?’
The dragon’s gaze, which could see through the darkness as clearly as day, captured the entire horrific scene.
There are miserable massacres everywhere. Those who lead them run around with a weapon in their hand, injuring and killing anyone they see. People run away screaming. Naturally, the police come out, but the problem is that there are some crazy people among them. Even those with supernatural powers.
Ha Eun-seong hadn’t realized it yet, but those who had fallen into madness had one thing in common: they were those who had already fallen asleep and were suffering from nightmares before waking up again.
‘Why are you guys like that? Why have you suddenly gone crazy?’
Meanwhile, flames and smoke are rising from various places, as if a fire had been set.
Ha Eun-seong continued to fly in confusion until she found Min-jun. Their eyes met.
=Agent! This neighborhood is a total mess right now… GASP!=
The most horrific sight he had ever seen unfolded before him. Yong looked at Minjun, whose entire body was covered in blood. And rolling at his feet…
=Ugh… Whew!=
In addition to learning that dragons shed tears when they yawn, Ha Eun-seong gained another piece of knowledge: that dragons can vomit for reasons other than overeating.
After a long time of vomiting, he spoke with tears in his eyes.
=These, these people···.=
Minjun said bluntly.
“Don’t worry. I’m alive.”
Shadows grew beneath the cut section of his forearm, replacing the flesh and bone that had spattered onto his clothes and skin, sucking up the blood that had splattered on him. Most of it belonged to the four prisoners who had attacked him.
And they are all lying on the floor, their bodies twisted and horribly twisted. Contrary to appearances, not a single one of them is dead. Just as Minjun had promised.
The commission rarely prosecutes people for property damage unless their tools are completely damaged or permanently rendered inoperable.
Furthermore, Minjun limited the curse to a maximum of a week, because if the incapacity lasted too long, it would be considered an obstruction of the payment of the survival tax. Although no inmates had yet been indicted for the latter reason, it would not hurt to be careful.
“Ugh… krrrrr…!”
Ha Eun-seong looked at Asif-1,319,552 with fear. He was groaning, with a handful of reddish-brown mushroom clusters growing from the gaps between his eyeballs and eye sockets, his nostrils, his mouth, and his ear holes. He didn’t even want to imagine what was going on inside that body.
“Okay, let’s go. Take me to where the alien head was.”
——————
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=······Yes.=
The prisoner and the dragon flew straight to the house where Joachim was hiding.
however.
“!”
The agent’s eyes sharpen as he looks outside the house.
‘Traces of breaking the barrier and then coming back again!’
The spell made with her lips licking at the loose barrier cracks. Those who broke it didn’t seem to have time to rebuild it elaborately.
The scenery inside was formed on his retina, and he saw the uninvited guests inside who had arrived before him.
‘Damn, I’m a step too late!’
There are three people of the same race as the patriarch he killed, now in that house.
‘They are the heretic inquisitors!’
It was just a hair’s breadth too late.
I thought it was a disaster, but while observing without the people inside noticing, I realized something strange.
‘What? Why don’t you just arrest them and have a peaceful conversation?’
Minjun, who was thinking about going in right away, changed his mind and recited the spell once more. Then he started eavesdropping on the conversation going on inside.
And soon his eyes grew wide.
***
=Please don’t do this, Bishop Joachim.=
Joachim glared at the intruders while clutching his unconscious adoptive father’s head.
The identities of the alien race that had broken through the barrier he had created could be known just by looking at their appearance. They were heresy judges sent from the hometown of the Patriarch, the dimension where the religious order’s headquarters is located.
The bishop also noted the scars on their necks. They were almost identical to the ones under their adoptive father’s chin. They were scars from piercings. They did not appear to be congenital. Perhaps they too had some religious significance. A significance unknown to the Earthlings.
He declares in a sharp voice.
“If you come any closer, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
A divine light shimmered in his hand holding the severed head. It was a gesture as if he was ready to smash the head if he got the number wrong.
Even as he spat out those words in embarrassment, he was blaming himself inside.
Will such a tactical threat work? Will the man who has been desperately running away with his head held high believe that he will kill his adoptive father again?
But the response was unexpected.
=Please calm down. Let’s put our heads down and talk.=
The fight has continued ever since.
Joachim kept rolling his eyes and trying to find a way to escape, but it wasn’t easy. What’s more, those guys…
‘Immense divine power!’
They were people with powers that surpassed what the Patriarch had shown during his lifetime. Furthermore, the divine grace flowing from the scabbards worn on each of their waists was also overwhelming. It was clear that they were great holy relics.
But the fact that he couldn’t even guess the identity of the object made Yohaim even more angry. How many secrets do the Earth believers not know? If it’s a sacred object of that level, they should know its existence. Even if it’s not on Earth!
=Priest, give us the head.=
Joachim shakes his head.
“I can’t trust you anymore.”
And when he listed one by one the facts that the headquarters had lied to the Earthlings until now, a look of bewilderment appeared on the aliens’ faces.
=······.=
A heavy silence continued.
With difficulty, one of the inquisitors opened his mouth.
=I see. That’s what ‘that guy’ said.=
“Yes! I told you everything!”
=If you’ve heard that far, we can’t just keep our mouths shut. Listen. The reason we hid some of the doctrine from the Earthlings was to protect you.=
Joachim felt his balls twist.
Are you saying that now? Is that a lie that doesn’t even make sense?!
“Stop talking nonsense!”
=Even if there are parts you don’t understand, please listen to the end. Some of our secrets contain information that would put the entire sect in danger if revealed to the committee. That’s why missionaries sent to these worlds are instructed to spread the doctrine in a limited way. It can’t be helped.=
Joachim was puzzled by the strange words contained in his opponent’s mental wave.
Committee? Why aren’t they mentioned here all of a sudden?
=That’s why some of the content in the manuscript of ‘Book of Asif’ you received was deleted! It’s a confidential document that cannot be handled carelessly unless the security is as strict as our own. The moment it falls into the hands of the committee, we’re all finished!=
“You’ve been talking nonsense since a while ago···.”
=Again, we made that choice to protect you and the people of this dimension. We came today to eliminate the danger that would befall you!=
“What did you say?”
=That head! We have to retrieve it quickly. The soul in it has absorbed too much! It is unable to control its powers and continues to run wild. Since his resurrection, the scale and speed of the killers’ rampage has increased. Even in this city alone, there are screams and the smell of smoke everywhere. As long as that head is on Earth, things will only get worse. So we will retrieve it and deal with it.=
Joachim couldn’t believe it. He shook his head again with a stern expression.
=Priest, please!=
He let out a laugh.
“You are trying to deceive me with sweet words. Are you treating those who have been branded heretics with the title of priest just to get through this moment?”
At that moment, a strange expression appeared on the faces of the heretic inquisitors. The emotions contained in the following mental wave puzzled Joachim.
Guilt.
=Sorry, we lied to you again.=
It wasn’t funny anymore. Joachim spits out poisonous words.
“Now that it’s like this, let me make up a bunch of ridiculous excuses.”
The other race laments. No matter what they say, the other party is already unwilling to listen.
=The seeds of distrust toward us have ultimately turned your heart into hell. It’s all our fault. Sins committed in lies can only be washed away with truth.=
And then he said with a determined expression.
=No one is a heretic until the Inquisitor has pronounced him. And we have not yet pronounced you. And we will not do so in the future.=
“What the heck is that?”
It was an incomprehensible statement.
=We asked the committee for permission to jump after you had already disappeared. So the committee thought you were the one they wanted to excommunicate. That was a misunderstanding on our part, and fortunately the rumor spread that way. Most Earthlings will think you have already become a heretic priest. We also asked the German government to hand you over. They wouldn’t have complied since there is no extradition treaty in place.=
But there is something that other Earthlings don’t know.
Despite this, he has not yet been formally notified of his excommunication.
The Frankfurt church simply assumed that the inquisitor had not yet arrived on the scene, and that it was only a matter of time before Joachim would eventually be excommunicated.
“If there was no need for a heresy trial, why did it come to you and not some other organization···”
=No, the trial will proceed. And there will be an excommunication.=
As he was about to shout that the words were inconsistent, the foreigner raised his finger and pointed. Joachim followed in that direction, and his face turned pale.
“no way?!”
The inquisitor was pointing to the unconscious head of the patriarch.
=That’s right. We came not to you, Bishop Joachim, but to arrest and judge the Archbishop of the Earth Diocese who is accused of heresy.=
“Didn’t you say you would make your father a saint?!”
=We needed an excuse to the committee about our purpose of going to Earth. So we lied that he was from a noble family and was now a saint, so he had to be brought to our dimension. In fact, neither of those things were true. We did that because we couldn’t explain why he was accused of heresy and we didn’t want to make people guess.=
Joachim could no longer tell how much of what the man was saying was true and how much was false.
“Do you think I would believe such nonsense? What is my father’s crime? Being mad and murdering priests?!”
=That’s included too. But that guy committed a greater sin dead than alive.=
He hesitates, but eventually opens his mouth again.
I concluded that there was no way to persuade the other person unless I told them the truth.
=You’ve probably heard of the currency called talent.=
“?!”
=The committee has been going through the same thing every year so far. The amount they got was probably a little less than the total amount of talent they estimated to have mined. But it was within the margin of error, so they let it slide. It’s always been like that.=
The Earthling bishop felt dizzy because the direction of the story was going in a completely different direction than expected.
“What is that now?”
=Listen to the end. Why would they have perceived it that way? Because so many years have passed and they have come to take it for granted. But what happens if you suspect that it might not be so? The moment you assume that someone could touch the talent that has not yet been mined, everything becomes dangerous.=
And the inquisitor said this:
=Yes, we know how they mine the Talant. And we know how to sneak deep into the mines. Beyond the lines that even the Ancients are afraid to enter.=
“A mine?”
=I said it to help you understand, but the word ‘mining site’ is actually a very blasphemous word. You already know the real name of that place, which even the committee doesn’t know.=
The heterodox said.
=Ellah-Prague.=
< 90. Hell of Disbelief (18) > End
