Four Split Personalities

"Dispose of her?"

The hunched and gaunt figure crouched next to the stretcher, suddenly turned back to look at the preceptor sitting at the head of the long table, and asked blankly, "Why?"

"This is not a pleasant question."

The latter gently tilted his head and countered, "But then again, why not?"

The person who had brought Dora here fell silent for two seconds, his voice trembling as he said, "Because Knight Dora has already told us everything she knows, and before you also..."

"Also what?"

The unnamed preceptor lightly knocked on the table twice, asking with interest, "Did I promise her something?"

"This..."

"Dora Hika is a devout believer, and she has done her best. For this, I express my sincere gratitude." The preceptor stared at the vague face under the other’s hood and spoke unhurriedly, "But we should not invest substantial resources to heal her. It’s not that the ’minority’ lacks the ability, but with the same costs, we can save the severely wounded and dying Dora Hika, allowing her to revert back to a Common Holy Knight with limited Talents, or we could save any Knight Commander with similar injuries. You might want to do a simple calculation to figure out which would be more cost-effective."

The woman with the charming voice stretched her body and let out a light laugh at just the right moment, "Moreover, from the moment we chose to join the ’current minority,’ we should have been clear about the path we’ve chosen. Inevitable sacrifices will have to be made, such as conscience, such as principles. For our supreme God, we’re even willing to go against His will. Even the adorable newbies who have only attended a couple of meetings should understand this, right?"

"Dora Hika shouldn’t survive, but there will be a place for her in our Lord’s Divine Country."

The preceptor stood up from the table, speaking unequivocally, "This honorable knight has already suffered a great deal of pain and Torment. It’s time for her liberation, so..."

"I understand."

The hunched attendee hung his head deeply, then used Divine Arts to make the stretcher bearing Dora float again, and walked slowly outwards, "I will... handle it properly."

"Make it quick, we have many more important matters to discuss."

The preceptor said pointedly to his retreating figure.

"Yes..."

The other paused slightly in his step, then without turning his head, whispered, "I understand."

...

Two minutes later

"Your Excellency Preceptor, I don’t quite understand..."

A refined-voiced, somewhat perplexed male sitting on the left side of the long table asked, "Even though what you just said is correct, we are not without alternatives to killing Dora Hika. While we might not be able to heal her completely, merely stabilizing her condition wouldn’t be too difficult. Why must we do this?"

His question was pointed, considering the power possessed by those present. They could easily replenish what Dora had lost and wipe part of her memory without any cost at all.

"That’s a good question."

The preceptor seemed to chuckle softly, speaking slowly, "Of course, we could make Knight Dora Hika feel she had never been here. Opting for our new friend to dispose of her is simply a little test, a test to see to what extent he can live up to his choices."

"What if Dora is indeed disposed of?"

The previous woman asked with a smile.

The preceptor replied without a hint of emotion, "Then I will trust him unreservedly."

"And if he tries to spare that knight’s life?"

A small figure seated on the chair back tightened his cloak and said ominously.

"If that happens, we’ll have to be reserved in our future dealings with him..."

The preceptor tapped the table lightly, saying with an unrippled expression, "There might be some leeway in ’whether Dora Hika can survive,’ but soon we’ll face many moments with no other choice. I believe everyone present has firm resolve, but our new partner may not yet be aware, and that’s why we have this ’test.’"

The entirely cloaked small figure snickered coldly and nodded, "The life of a Low Rank Knight, compared to the weight of this ’test,’ is indeed cost-effective."

"We cannot lose that ’partner.’ His role will be irreplaceable."

The preceptor leaned back in his chair and said lightly, "And that is precisely why I must know his bottom line, to what extent he can go, so I can judge what he can know and what he should not. I must admit, using an innocent’s life as a probe is not a glorious act, but such sacrifices are essential for our greater good. If any of you are troubled by this, I would like to apologize in advance."

The refined-voiced male on the left side of the long table shook his head with a bitter smile and shrugged his shoulders, "If we were troubled, you wouldn’t have spoken so openly..."

He sighed and traced a God’s Badge in front of his chest, "For the glory of our Lord."

"For the glory of our Lord..."

...

At the same time

Chapel, underground sewer

Dora Hika on the stretcher opened her eyes groggily, and saw a warm and bright flame.