"Tsk, you have neither noble status nor a pretty face. Stop spouting nonsense and just wait for your punishment."
Bishop William said so and raised his hand. A young cleric standing beside him placed a goblet of wine in his hand. Perhaps reflecting the bishop's tastes, all the attendants were young and beautiful youths.
Bishop William liked young and beautiful people. As a result, despite being fully qualified to become the executive knight of the church, he dismissed Zebeck, who was in his thirties, and instead filled the executive positions with young men and women from prestigious families, who, while lacking experience, possessed outstanding beauty.
Because of this, Zebeck suffered the humiliation of being overtaken by his own disciple, Meiya. And now, yet again, something had occurred that could tarnish the bishop's prestige, and the one who handled the situation was none other than Zebeck…
From the bishop's perspective, another reason had just been added to the list of why he despised Zebeck.
"It would be best to ensure that no unnecessary words leak out. If the count is involved in black magic, it is a matter of the king's church's prestige."
"Yes, I understand."
Zebeck responded as such, but he felt dizzy at the bishop's words.
It was clear that the count had engaged in black magic. And yet, the bishop was choosing to frame it as an issue of the king's church's prestige and cover up the incident? Was he saying he intended to fabricate the truth?
Covering up and fabricating the case would only make things worse. The commoners, the servants, the soldiers, the knights—everyone would be curious and spread rumors…
If they tried to suppress those rumors, there was no telling how far things could escalate. He didn't even want to imagine it.
"Then, as for your punishment—"
At that moment, the doors of the bishop's office burst open. A knight clad in golden armor strode inside.
"Greetings, Bishop."
"Gasp?"
The bishop, upon seeing the figure, trembled like a leaf in the wind.
"Ah, Sir Zebeck, you are here as well. I hear you've recently had an experience worthy of becoming a penitent knight?"
The knight addressed Zebeck freely, even in the bishop's presence.
"Yes, Sir Zekt."
"Then, you shall become my assistant and undergo the training of a penitent knight."
Zekt said this as he removed his helmet. Those with strong blood ties to the Yaegas Divine Clan typically had silver hair, but Zekt's golden locks had only a small streak of silver at the front.
His narrow eyes, always slightly squinted as if the world were too bright for him, gave the impression of a perpetual smile as he alternated his gaze between Zebeck and the bishop.
"Will you grant my request, Bishop?"
"Ah, w-well, of course. Who would dare refuse the request of Judge Zekt?"
The bishop, trembling, nodded at Zebeck.
"T-then, you may take your leave together."
"I am honored."
With a smile, Zekt withdrew from the bishop's presence.
***
The church's inquisitors—among them, the Judges—were a high-ranking group, with only sixteen in the entire king's church.
By church law, holy knights did not involve themselves in politics or policy; they were solely responsible for enforcing the will of the clergy through force. However, the Judges, who stood at the pinnacle of the Inquisitors, had the authority to intervene in the church's internal conflicts under the pretext of rooting out heretics or infiltrating cultists.
As those with the power to investigate the organization from within, they were the very core of authority within the holy knight order. And now, a man of such high rank, Zekt, had acknowledged Zebeck's efforts.
"You must have a hard time serving such a fool, Sir Zebeck."
"N-not at all."
Zebeck was deeply moved that Zekt remembered him. When he had first joined the king's church, he had learned holy magic under Zekt's tutelage.
The holy knights of the king's church preferred to rapidly elevate their combat ability by mastering a single, highly effective holy magic rather than spreading their focus across multiple spells. Among them, Zebeck had been recognized for his deep understanding of holy magic.
However, due to his humble origins, his mana capacity was weak, and he was ultimately expelled from training after just two weeks. Yet in those two weeks, Zekt had remembered him and even made the effort to memorize his name. For Zebeck, this was deeply moving.
"But what brings you here?"
"I heard that a drought has struck Salasma and that monsters are running rampant, so I came to investigate. I also encountered something interesting along the way."
"Pardon?"
As Zebeck stepped outside the church, he spotted a cart. It was loaded with corpses.
"Sir Gazrek?"
Gazrek and his trainee knights lay as corpses, piled onto the cart. They had been dead for some time, their rotting bodies exuding a foul stench, but since the entirety of Salasma was already thick with the stench of decay, a few more decomposing bodies hardly made a difference.
"You recognize them? Their corpses are quite decomposed, yet you seem to know them well."
"Ah, I merely recognized Sir Gazrek's sword and armor."
"I see. The one who killed these knights did not loot their weapons or armor. Perhaps because they belonged to holy knights… but still."
Standing beside the cart were the sergeants and soldiers accompanying Zekt. They were holding captive several farmers and children—the survivors of the massacre perpetrated by Gazrek's group.
"At first, the ones who killed the holy knights did not plunder them but buried them instead. However, these people were caught trying to dig up their graves. After some interrogation, I received testimony that the ones who killed them were the Emperor's heralds."
"…Excuse me?"
"I mean the Emperor's followers. The Divine King Slayers, those who call themselves the Slayers of Sanctity. Well, I suppose it would take at least that level of opponent to bring down our church's holy knights."
"...."
At that moment, one of the captured young men coughed up blood and shouted.
"Don't make me laugh! That so-called holy knight murdered my father! He was out hunting and missed his shot, killing my family, then tried to silence us by massacring everyone on the farm!"
Zekt, with his ever-smiling face, glanced toward the sergeants. In response, a sergeant swung a riding crop across the young man's lips.
"Shut your mouth, you lowly filth!"
The whip lashed across his face, splitting his lips and tearing away bits of flesh.
"..."
Zebeck's face hardened at the sight. Opposite him, Executive Knight Meiya was watching the scene unfold.
Startled, she hurried over to the cart and examined the corpses before falling to her knees.
"T-this is…."
"And who might you be?"
"Ah! My apologies, Sir Zekt. I am…."
"She is Dame Meiya, the daughter of Sir Gazrek."
"Hmm? His daughter? A holy knight?"
Zekt questioned, then nodded in understanding.
"Well, I suppose that makes sense."
Just then, the captured young man scoffed.
"The butcher's daughter?!"
"Silence!"
The sergeant raised his whip to strike the young man again, but this time, Zebeck blocked it with his scabbard.
"People are watching. Such actions in a place like this will not sit well with the public."
"But we can't let this brat run his mouth…."
"Gag him and take him away."
Zebeck said, then turned to observe Meiya's expression. She was visibly shaken, staring at the ravaged corpse of her father in utter confusion.
"T-this… what do you mean my father was a butcher?"
"T-that is…."
"Ah, allow her access to the investigation records. As Sir Gazrek's daughter, she would naturally wish to know the truth."
Zekt instructed the sergeants to share the investigation details with Meiya, then turned to Zebeck.
"So, Sir Zebeck, I intend to restore order in Salasma. I require your assistance."
At those words, Meiya lowered her head before Zekt.
"Please, I beg you, allow me to serve under you as well."
As an executive knight, Meiya's duty was to guard the bishop and the parish. Though she could conduct investigations at the bishop's command and sometimes act independently, her superior was ultimately the bishop, whose orders she had to follow.
However, her desire to uncover the truth behind Gazrek's murder, her longing for revenge, drove her to action. The investigative report she had been given made no mention of the massacre of civilians.
Zekt and the sergeants moved to strengthen the authority of the holy knight order. Naturally, any scandal had to be buried.
"Hah, this is quite something."
Zekt chuckled at Meiya's plea.
"Let me be clear, we are not particularly interested in hunting down Sir Gazrek's killer. We are merely investigating the events in Salasma and devising countermeasures. Are you certain you can follow me without the bishop's permission?"
"T-that… I apologize. But still, I wish to follow you."
"Hmm, very well. Then, Sir Zebeck."
"Yes."
"Process the necessary formalities to transfer her under my command temporarily. I happen to need knights at the moment."
"Temporarily? Or permanently?"
"That depends… on her wishes and the bishop's decision, of course."
The position of an executive knight was comfortable, prestigious, and lucrative. On the other hand, becoming an inquisitor—especially following Judge Zekt—was an honor but also the most dangerous path for a knight.
Most knights would never abandon the safety of an executive knight position to become an inquisitor.
However, blinded by vengeance, Meiya wanted to transfer completely.
"I will become an inquisitor!"
"Splendid. Such enthusiasm should not be ignored."
Zekt accepted Meiya's request to transfer under him.
"Now then, may I take a look at the investigation report myself?"
At Zebeck's request, the sergeants handed him the investigation records.
"This is…."
Anyone could see that the report was fabricated. It stated that Gazrek and his men were resting at a farm when they were suddenly ambushed and killed by the treacherous heralds and the emperor's followers disguised as farmers.
But the young man's testimony did not seem to be false….
'Even after seeing this situation firsthand, does Dame Meiya truly believe this investigation report?'
Zebeck let out a bitter chuckle.
He knew who had killed Gazrek. It was Herald Azadin. If Azadin had laid hands on the holy knights, then the young farmer's testimony must have been true.
***
"Ugh."
Azadin opened his eyes in bed. A tearing pain spread through his entire body.
"Damn, I'm gonna die."
The moment he spoke, a groan escaped his lips. His muscles ached, his body was bruised all over, and he likely had a concussion along with some internal bleeding. Fortunately, he had no fractures.
With great difficulty, he turned his head to look around.
'If only I had the Emperor's Voice, I could've had it scan my condition for me. This is really inconvenient. I need to get my dismissal revoked and reclaim the Emperor's Voice as soon as possible….'
He deeply felt the absence of the Emperor's Voice as he surveyed his surroundings. It was the residence of Baroness Nord.
"Urgh. Ah, I'm so thirsty."
He reached for the water bowl on the bedside table but ended up knocking it over. His muscle pain was so severe that even such a simple action led to a mistake.