Chapter 146 - Rodwell's Secret (6)
Chapter 146
Rodwell’s Secret (6)
[The Quality of the Cursed Soul is High].
[You can read memories from any time period].
[Allows you to have more conversations].
Redin didn’t think he’d get this benefit. This will allow him to view memories more efficiently.
“When Rodwell entered the Main Temple.”
No sooner had Redin finished the sentence when his vision began to swirl. The landscape around him changed, as if he was being sucked into something.
That’s how Rodwell’s memory began.
*Clip-clop*
*Clip-clop*
The sound of hooves began to fill in the details of the surroundings.
Through his blurry vision, he could see a small window.
Something was covering his eyes, so he couldn’t see clearly, but he could recognize a forest based on all the green.
By the sound of the hoofbeats, he determined the number of horses to be two.
A carriage drawn by two horses moved quickly through the forest, going somewhere.
Rodwell was in the carriage.
Bandages covered his eyes and his arms and legs were cuffed together. On the other side of Rodwell is a Demon Church priest in a black hood.
‘When you see him, ask him no questions, and only answer what he asks you.’
The young man’s voice came from inside the hood.
Rodwell made no reply.
The priest of the Demon Church raised his hand and extended it toward Rodwell. He gathered demonic energy and channeled it toward Rodwell’s head.
‘Aaarghhh’
Rodwell writhed in pain as he gnashed his teeth. The priest sneered as he watched him shake violently and wheeze for air.
‘Answer.’
‘Yes…. I understand.’
‘Okay. If you answer his questions well, you won’t die.’
As the priest withdrew his spell, Rodwell collapsed to the floor of the carriage. Trembling and sputtering in the effects of the demonic energy.
It wasn’t a physical pain, but a mental one.
The priest looked down at Rodwell, then looked away, staring out of the carriage.
Seeing something, the priest grabbed Rodwell by the collar and pulled him to his feet. He set Rodwell in the opposite wagon and used his powers.
The black blotches on his face disappeared, and any traces of spit or dirt on his clothes were erased.
‘We’re here.’
‘….Okay.’
The carriage came to a stop and the door opened.
A group of black-hooded men, like the priest of the Demon Church, pulled Rodwell out of the carriage and undid the wrappings over his eyes.
The priest stepped out following closely on his tail.
Together they moved in a group.
When Rodwell looked up as they dragged him along, he saw a huge black temple.
A colossal statue of the Demon God that gave him chills just looking at it. Aside from its overwhelming size, the statue’s expression was quite menacing.
A Demon God looking down at everyone.
‘With the grace of the Demon God.’
‘With the grace of the Demon God.’
The black-hooded figures prostrated before the statue.
Rodwell stared blankly at the statue until a priest beside him knocked him to the ground and pushed him face down.
For the next 10 minutes, he remained on his stomach, while they chanted prayers.
When it was over, everyone stood up, and Rodwell followed the black hooded priest back to the main temple.
The Headquarters of the Demon Church.
A flag bearing a black inverted cross fluttered. Once again, black-hooded priests recited their prayers.
Then they entered the Black Marble Temple.
A spacious hall of worship was revealed.
A red carpet covered the floor and an altar rested on it. Behind it were twelve statues of the Demon God in various forms.
‘Your servants have arrived.’
A figure stretched out both hands toward the statues.
Immediately, the surrounding priests and cultists knelt down in front of him.
‘Apostle, I have brought you the test subject.’
At the priest’s words, the apostle in front of the Demon God statue turned.
From beneath the black hood of his cowl, a face was revealed.
He had a white beard and a slightly wrinkled appearance.
‘Come here.’
The voice was gravelly.
Rodwell kept his eyes focused, scanning the unusual features of the man who was called the Apostle.
One of the priests shoved Rodwell from behind.
‘Move.’
Rodwell swallowed hard, glanced at the Apostle, and started walking slowly.
Nearer by the second.
He could even see the corner of the Apostle’s mouth lifted slightly.
Even at this distance, his face was impossible to see under his deep black hood.
‘Do you have any wish?’
Rodwell answered the Apostle’s question.
‘Freedom…..’
‘Freedom? Be free….’
The Apostle stroked his beard, gave a small laugh, and patted Rodwell on the shoulder.
‘Right. I’ll give you your Freedom.’
“…..!”
‘But, freedom will be granted only after you have completed all that you must do.’
‘What do I have to do?’
‘Our domination of this world.’
As the Apostle chuckled and began raising demonic energy, Rodwell’s eyes lost focus.
And that was the end of the memory.
Out of focus, the world around him blurred, and Rodwell’s head turned toward Redin.
It was time to converse with the soul of the dead.
“Tell me everything you know about the identity of that Apostle.”
-Apostle of the Deception. As the 4th of the 12 Apostles, he oversees all matters pertaining to the Demon Church.
“What do you know about the other 12?”
-I’ve never met them.
It seems this is all the information Rodwell have on the Apostles.
“Do you know where the Apostle of Deception is?”
-In the Holy Empire. I have information that he is there.
“Tell me more about it.”
-The Apostle of Deception has entered the Holy Empire and is planning to take it down from within, and part of that plan is to eliminate the Saints.
Speaking of eliminating saints, Redin remembered something.
Tervis, the Necromancer he first captured when he joined the Special Task Force, and the Saint Candidate and Paladins he killed.
The man who gave Tervis information about the Saint Candidate, and who gave him information that could help him become a Lich.
“Apostle of Deception….”
He is the traitor to the Holy Empire that Manuel is searching for.
“Is there any way to identify the Apostle of Deception or a distinctive feature?”
-A burn mark on his right wrist.
“And do you have any idea how strong the Apostle is?”
-Don’t know.
“What was your last conversation with him?”
-It was about abandoning all plans for the Oberg Empire and returning to the Main Church.
‘Abandoning all plans?’
“What are the plans for the Oberg Empire?”
-The plan is to raise the Oberg Empire to distract the Six Kingdoms so that the Demon Church can operate more easily.
“What is the objective of that plan?”
-The pieces of Demon God’s flesh that the Six Kingdoms are holding.
“What are the various operations being carried out in each Kingdom?”
-For the Kingdom of Ravino, it’s to capture the first prince, and for the Kingdom of Adrian, it’s to kill the knight king and crown prince and put the second prince on the thro…
Rodwell’s speech gradually slowed, and the landscape around them returned to normal.
Redin controlled his breathing, processing everything.
Most of the questions he had were answered as the information merged with the bits and pieces he’d gotten from the game.
Still, there was plenty left to think about.
When would the Demon Gate open beneath Burning Hell, where were the other Twelve Apostles, and what was their level of skill?
But these questions could not be answered immediately.
In order to resolve them, Redin would have to find the Apostle of Deception hiding in the Holy Empire.
“I need to speak to Manuel.”
The rest would have to wait.
*Sigh*
Exhaling heavily, he pushed his thoughts away and stood up, dusting himself off and sheathing his weapons.
Rodwell’s body was long since reduced to powder.
No doubt the Demon Church had cast a spell on him, both to brainwash him and to ensure his silence.
He considered using Fabian to get more information.
“Tsk.”
Clicking his tongue, Redin looked around.
The Imperial Palace, which had marked the center of the capital, was gone, save for a few scorched marks on the ground.
The raging fires that consumed the capital still burned spectacularly.
Even the demons Rodwell had created still roamed the streets.
“Fabian.”
At his call, Fabian, who had been waiting in the distance, flew over. Blood bats flew in a swarm, coalescing into a human form.
“Yes.”
From his subspace pouch, Redin pulled out the blood contract he carried.
“As promised. The contract is over.”
Redin tore it open before Fabian’s eyes. He could feel the traces of magic that the blood pact had imprinted on his body fade away.
Fabian must have felt it too.
“Why….?”
“A promise should be honored.”
He looked at Fabian with a serious expression and held out his hand.
“I want to work with you on an equal footing, what do you say?”
“…..”
“If you don’t like it, just say so.”
“I don’t mind, but I’d like to hear about what your plan is going to be.”
“In the future….”
With a small nod of Fabian’s head, Redin continued.
“The Demon Church will open the Gate to the Demon Realm and summon the demons to take over the continent, and I intend to stop them.”
“Demons…..”
“Yes, demons. If they’re summoned here, all hell will break loose.”
After considering for a moment, Fabian gulped and took his hand.
“I’ll help.”
“Is that so? Then call in the vampires, clear out the demons in the Imperial Palace, and secure whatever funds Pierre or Hekan had.”
“Understood.”
” Then use this place as a base to reorganize your forces. Something far greater than the Bloods you have now.”
“You want me to rebuild the Empire?”
“The Empire is gone. I want you to create a faction of your own.”
Fabian nodded his head.
“And one more thing.”
The plans for the Oberg Empire, which the Demon Church had scrapped. But they weren’t about to give up on the Demon God’s flesh.
Perhaps.
It was more likely that they would personally infiltrate the six kingdoms and obtain the pieces themselves.
“Go to the Ravino Kingdom right now and make sure your father is safe.”
“Father…… Is he in any danger?”
“I don’t know for sure, but it’s possible that the Demon Church directly targeted him, so leave the field command to Vivian, and you should go to the Kingdom.”
“Understood.”
As Redin watched Fabian move quickly, he looked back at the burning capital once more.
He wondered what he could do with this situation.
After thinking for a moment, Redin came up with an idea and pulled out a conch shell. He brought it to his ear, tapped it, and soon heard Marek’s drowsy voice.
-Mmph…… Ugh. What’s going on at this hour of the morning.
“I have a rumor for you.”
-Rumor?
“Yes.”
-What kind of rumor?
“The rumor is that the Demon Church has destroyed the Oberg Empire.”
After a moment of silence, Marek replied in an incredulous voice.
-Demon Church? The Oberg Empire? W-what the hell do you mean?
“I’ll tell you all about the details later, but first, I need you to get some people out there and spread the word across the continent.”
-Alright. Is that all?
A rumor that the Demon Church has toppled the Empire.
That’ll make everyone on the continent wary of the Demon Church.
Some might even praise the Demon Church for wiping out a criminal organization.
Such a problem could be solved more easily than he thought.
“I’ll also ask you to tell them that the next target is the Six Kingdoms.”
-Oh, by the way. Your friend contacted me and asked if you could stop by to see him, as he’s finished solving the riddle.
‘Heather already solved the riddle on the Imperial Laboratory?’
“Okay.”
He’ll stop by the lab first.