Chapter 1153
Ibinta was just as shocked, but his thoughts were slightly different.
'This method... is actually producing results!'
It might have made sense in the west, but they were still only on the road to the north.
And yet it was already having this much of an effect. It was impossible to believe.
Just how badly had the criminals been shaken for them to spread rumors and exchange information to this extent?
Despite this miracle, however, Lee Han reacted indifferently.
“And why should I trust you?”
No matter how much they had come from Einroguard, when criminals had arrived ready to offer up both their livers and gallbladders, a response like that would normally provoke them.
There was nothing the mercenaries who wandered the back alleys of the Empire lacked more than patience.
But the mercenaries who had come here today displayed deep patience like gentle lambs.
“We prepared a confession potion ourselves in anticipation of you saying that. Once you verify the ingredients, we will drink it and testify immediately. There will be no trickery or concealment.”
“Hmph. You may have erased your memories before coming.”
“We prepared for that in advance as well. Would you please look at this mirror? It is a memory-verification artifact we purchased at great expense. If you examine this artifact, you will see that our memories have not been damaged in any way...”
The fierce exchange between the mercenaries struggling to survive and the mage overflowing with suspicion was truly evenly matched.
Giselle, watching from the side, was so dumbfounded that she could not say anything.
'What in the world is this?'
There were criminals who surrendered while begging for mercy, but this was the first time she had seen criminals prepare so thoroughly before surrendering.
If they had the ability to prepare this meticulously, could they not simply take legitimate commissions instead of committing crimes?
“Whew. I have no choice but to acknowledge it.”
And astonishingly, the mercenaries won.
Their desperate determination to survive had brought them victory.
Against an Einroguard mage, no less!
-Are you truly certain?
“We are under a time limit, so we cannot deliberately waste time. If the information is reliable, I will accept it.”
“You have made a wise decision!”
The mercenaries applauded with the happiest expressions in the Empire. Watching them, Ibinta thought to himself,
'Compared to them, I suppose I am fortunate.'
Thinking that this was what the supposedly bloodless and merciless mercenaries had been reduced to left him feeling nothing but miserable.
***
The priest with a thorn pattern engraved on the forehead bestowed a blessing upon the people gathered in the alley and spoke.
“Everyone, pray. Pray to the great Immortal Regenerator. Pray to that endless vitality and perfect flesh.”
“Ooh...”
“O great god of life.”
Recently, rumors had been spreading through the city’s back alleys about a powerful priest capable of healing any injury.
From refugees displaced by the disaster in the west to the waves of monsters that had broken out across the north.
No matter how powerful the Empire’s infrastructure was, there were inevitably people who were neglected and wounded.
And what resonated most strongly with such people was the doctrine of evil-god worshipers.
The priest with the thorn pattern waved an arm with empty eyes. It meant that today’s gathering was over.
“What? Is that it?”
The remnants of the anti-magic faction emerged from behind.
After the faction they belonged to had collapsed in an unforeseen accident, they had wandered around until they happened to encounter a priest of the Frahgal Order.
The words evil-god worshiper might sound unsettling, but some experienced and capable villains knew how to make use of evil-god worshipers instead.
They might be insane fanatics, but it remained true that they possessed faith. If that part was stimulated, they could be exploited as much as one wished.
These remnants of the anti-magic faction also possessed knowledge and information in that regard.
When they approached the priest with the thorn pattern and said they were interested in Frahgal, the priest allowed them to stay without asking or questioning anything.
“That is correct.”
“You gathered this many people, and that is all? Can we not use them to do something more? I saw that there was even a servant employed by a noble house. We could approach the noble house, or swallow an entire merchant company...”
The remnants here were suffering from a shortage of supplies and funds.
Whether they abandoned anti-magic ideology and began again as a new gang, or rebuilt their organization and contacted others, they needed gold coins.
“Hmm...”
The priest with the thorn pattern closed the eyes.
It looked as though the priest were conversing with the god.
“The time has not yet come.”
“......”
Displeasure rose on the anti-magic faction members’ faces.
Bold enough to exploit an evil-god priest, they also knew a certain amount about the structure of faith.
A god was not a delicate enough being to issue detailed orders about what to do and what not to do. If the priest had heard the god’s voice, it was highly likely that the priest had merely felt that way because that was what the priest wanted to believe.
“Tsk.”
“This is why lunatics are...”
The anti-magic faction members withdrew for the time being. However, their eyes were already gleaming ominously.
It was a kind of threat. If the priest continued ignoring their demands, there was no telling what price would have to be paid.
Once the gathered people had withdrawn and the anti-magic faction members had also left, only the priest with the thorn pattern remained.
The priest pushed an arm deep into the mouth. It should have been an impossible posture, but the priest’s body stretched inward as though there were no bones.
As the priest’s body twisted strangely like a snake swallowing its own tail, a dimensional rift formed within it.
Report.
Astonishingly, the one on the other side was a bishop of the order!
The countless dimensions adjacent to the material world served as assistants to mages’ knowledge and aspirations, but they also served as hiding places for criminals.
Those who committed grave crimes on the continent either fled beyond the sea entirely or secretly concealed themselves in this manner.
A local dimension that could be accessed by using the bodies of worshipers as keys was a troublesome place that even an ordinary mage would find difficult to detect.
Still twisted, the priest opened the mouth.
“I acted as you instructed. The number of believers is increasing.”
And the remnants?
“They show not even a fragment of faith.”
Naturally.
The bishop, the “Undying One,” had become a being in whom almost no trace of human form could be found.
The creature looked as though enormous serpents had been grafted onto its head and limbs and then swollen. It writhed as it sank into thought.
The position of bishop in an ordinary Imperial order and the position of bishop in an evil-god order differed in weight from the very beginning.
Unlike the continent’s large orders, where the title of bishop could also be granted for administrative or honorary purposes, only monsters who had truly proven their power could occupy the position of bishop in an evil-god order.
If the one seated above them seemed unreliable or insufficiently devout, the rule among evil-god worshipers was to immediately devour that person and take the position for themselves.
The few bishops in the order were the core that kept the evil-god order functioning, as well as powerful beings seeking to surpass their own limits by merging with an evil god.
The extortionists have recently shown themselves again. Perhaps becoming reckless after being destroyed once, they acted without considering the consequences. Foolish though they are, have they not taught us a lesson?
“Extortionists” was the term other evil-god worshipers used to mock the Sanguros Order.
In the bishop’s view, the revived order was unlikely to last long.
With so many of its powerful combatants gone, it was arrogantly raising its head again. Whoever led those extortionists, ordinary skill would not be enough to escape the consequences.
“Do you wish us to swallow them?”
No. This is not the time. We have lost much, so we must focus on recovering. Increase the number of believers and deepen their faith. The power of our Authority must become roughly twice as strong as it is now. There is no need to make contact with those fools.
“I will remember.”
Even now, anger welled up at the thought of the resources another bishop of the order had wasted through reckless actions.
With deep patience, the Undying One breathed out air mixed with poison. To evil-god worshipers, everything in the world was an enemy.
Subordinates and fellow bishops alike were little different from rivals.
Did you feed the insects to the remnants?
“Yes.”
Then the time has come to begin.
The remnants of the anti-magic faction were mistaken about one thing.
They had been able to exploit the evil-god worshiper only because the evil-god worshiper had possessed little interest in them.
The moment an evil-god worshiper took an interest in them, their fate could only become cursed.
The priest with the thorn pattern had already secretly fed the remnants insects of Authority.
These insects amplified their hosts’ lives with powerful vitality, but at the same time scattered a terrible curse in every direction.
Soon, the remnants would become walking spreaders of disease, and people would come to depend on the god of life.
“There is one more matter to report.”
What is it?
“Recently, the number of people searching for the extortionists has increased greatly. According to rumor, several powerful mages also appear to be searching for them.”
Idiots. It is only natural. There is nothing to worry about. If properly controlled, they will serve as our shield against the arrows.
The Undying One was not particularly worried.
Even among evil-god worshipers, the differences between orders could be severe.
Unlike the Sanguros Order, whose appearance inevitably led to blood-soaked sacrifices, whenever the Frahgal Order appeared, the citizens of the Empire would hide them.
Even if pursuit attached itself to their trail, only those fools would be caught.
***
“You wicked bandits! To occupy the Imperial road and collect tolls as you please. This cannot be forgiven!”
“Mages like us are the ones who repair the roads, and you dare collect money from them?!”
Thanks to criminals who reported anyone suspicious first and asked questions later, Lee Han’s group quickly achieved results.
After subjugating the bandit groups hiding near the road and capturing human traffickers who had fled from the south, the White Tiger Tower students felt sincerely proud.
“Wardanaz! Thank you for the support. Without your magic... Wait, what is wrong with Wardanaz?”
“I think it is because none of the people we captured were evil-god worshipers.”
“N-No. Evil-god worshipers cannot possibly appear that commonly. Are they not like rare mage cards?”
“That comparison is irritating, but it is fairly accurate.”
Petty criminals were one thing, but evil-god worshipers were not easily encountered.
Of course, knowing that this was only natural did not make Lee Han feel any better. With a dejected expression, Lee Han poked the fallen bandits over and over.
“Student Lee Han. Student Lee Han.”
“Yes?”
At Professor Garcia’s call, Lee Han stopped poking the fallen bandits with his staff.
The bandits who had been pretending to be dead breathed sighs of relief. Seeing the mage who had fired magic like a madman earlier behaving like that was truly terrifying.
“I heard that a plague is spreading through the city of Marheim. From the symptoms, it seems to be some kind of curse-based plague.”
“Did someone disturb an ancient ruin?”
“I am not sure... In any case, it would be best to prepare in advance. I am going to make potions. Will you help me?”
“I will help as well, Professor.”
Caten spoke with shining eyes. Professor Garcia hurriedly answered.
“Ah, Student Caten! That bandit over there is untying the rope and trying to attack the juniors!”
“???!”
The bandit who had been writhing in pain froze in horror.
It was an accusation the bandit had never expected.
“Student Lee Han?”
When Lee Han suddenly fell silent and sank into thought, Professor Garcia asked in a worried voice.
Usually, whenever this student became lost in thought like that, he often did something strange...
“Professor. May I offer a suggestion?”
“Of course! Is there something you would like to suggest regarding the potion?”
Professor Garcia did not doubt the student’s alchemical ability.
Had they not both been oddballs who had taken courses from every school?
“Rather than making potions and distributing them to people, how about I simply absorb it quickly with soul-devouring magic and bring the situation to an end?”
“...Professor! Professor!! Could you come over here for a moment?!”
Professor Garcia quickly called for Professor Kirmin.
Professor Garcia was not confident in being able to persuade this student alone.