NOVEL NEXT Chapter 657
“Ugh!”
“What the heck!”
The poor people, who had been fighting among themselves, were suddenly shocked when someone dropped dead beside them.
But once they saw who did it, they quickly calmed their anger. After all, these were Temple Knights—people they couldn’t even dare to look at because of their status.
The fighting stopped, but the Temple Knights didn’t hold back and continued to slash at the poor people.
“P-please spare us!”
Faced with such cold-heartedness, the impoverished folks scattered and fled as if they hadn’t even been fighting in the first place. Those who were slow to react simply fell to the ground, slain.
Deneb watched the scene in horror and rushed forward.
“Stop it!
By now, the poor had all fled, and all that lay before her were cold corpses.
“H-how could this happen…”
With tears in her eyes, Deneb emanated her Divine Power. But it was impossible for the dead to rise again.
She searched desperately for those who were still alive and poured out her Divine Power. However, her strength was so weak that large wounds barely healed.
Injuries would heal only to open up again. Deneb, at a loss, just kept unleashing her Divine Power.
The Temple Knights simply stood by, watching the spectacle. Yulien and Kyle reached for their swords, tense with worry.
Kyle whispered to Yulien.
“Hey, what’s going on? What the hell is happening?”
“I don’t know.”
There were more than ten Temple Knights. Even if the two of them were exceptional, there was no guarantee they could win against them.
Even if they somehow did win, they’d be hunted for life. In this day and age, there was no way to stand against the Church.
Deneb was still sobbing and focused on healing the injured.
“Please, please get up.”
Ghislaine glanced at the Temple Knights and watched Deneb closely.
‘Just as I thought…’
It was as expected. There was a very slight change—hardly noticeable—but Deneb’s Divine Power had indeed increased, albeit a little.
‘But whether it’s due to her good deeds, I can’t be sure.’
Deneb had used her Divine Power tremendously over the last few days. As soon as she returned to the inn, she would collapse from exhaustion.
Given all that hardship, it was likely her Divine Power would increase. That possibility had to be considered too.
‘Well, I guess it doesn’t matter.’
Whether from good deeds or hardship, she had realized that Deneb’s Divine Power had slightly increased.
This was why she had stayed in the city, so she had achieved her purpose.
Ghislaine shifted her gaze to a thin-looking priest who approached slowly, lifting his chin arrogantly.
“I heard someone was using valuable Divine Power in this filthy pit, so I came to check it out… but it’s just a worthless acolyte.”
Disappointment laced the priest’s words as Deneb looked up.
“W-why would someone who serves the Goddess act this way?”
“What do you mean?”
The priest frowned in genuine confusion. To him, killing the poor was no issue at all.
Deneb’s face twisted in anger as she shouted, “You killed people! How can you, as a clergyman, act in a way that’s against the will of the Goddess?”
The priest paused for a moment, looking dumbfounded by her outburst. Then, he burst into incredulous laughter.
“How bold of you, acolyte. What’s wrong with killing off those pathetic insects?”
“W-what did you say?”
“They don’t even pay taxes and are leeching off the city. Killing them is for the good of the world. If left alone, they’ll only cause trouble!”
“W-what nonsense are you spouting?”
Deneb trembled.
Sure, the crime rate among the poor was high, but not all of them were criminals. If it were that much of a problem, the Lord would have already cleaned them out.
As difficult as things were, it was always better for them to be alive. They could be conscripted or pressed into hard labor during wars.
Above all, priests had no right to kill them.
But the priest maintained his arrogant smile as he said, “You blocked the path of a noble servant of the Divine. Isn’t that enough to deserve death?”
Deneb was in shock. To hear such words from a servant of the Divine was unbelievable.
She knew that the priests could be arrogant. But to think one could wield such power in even a modest city was mind-boggling for someone who had grown up in the countryside.
As tears welled in her eyes, she glared at the priest.
“Where are you from?”
“I hail from Baron Bied’s territory.”
“Ah, a complete country bumpkin. You must not know how the world works. I’ll let your impertinent attitude slide this time, being in the same church as me and all. Just play around a bit and then head back to the temple.”
“…Please, heal them.”
“What?”
“There are still people alive. Please heal them. Your Divine Power would be so much better than mine!”
“Hah.”
The priest shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it.
“You dare to give orders to the chief priest of this city?”
“It’s a request. Following the words of the Goddess, I want to help the wounded…”
“This is your last warning. Don’t overstep your bounds before I begin the condemnation ritual.”
The condemnation ritual was the act of higher-ranking priests punishing lower priests.
According to the church’s laws, lower-ranking priests could never refuse this. Depending on the gravity of the offense, it could lead to exile or execution—terrifying laws.
The priest’s voice had turned furious. He had come out to watch casually, only to be insulted by some young acolyte.
But Deneb stood her ground, unafraid.
“If I’ve sinned, I’ll accept my punishment. But…”
Taking a deep breath, Deneb spoke firmly, “Help the injured according to your duty as a priest.”
“Kill her. She’s a heretic.”
The priest ordered without hesitation. Any charge would do. After all, killing an acolyte would cause no issues whatsoever.
Perhaps in the temple to which he belonged, they wouldn’t even notice she was gone. If they did find out, they wouldn’t care.
After all, if she were important, she wouldn’t be running around like this.
One of the Temple Knights approached casually and swung his sword. This was nothing new to him.
Clang!
But Yulien stepped in and blocked the knight’s sword. Realizing the strength of his opponent, the knight frowned.
“You little punk!”
Clang! Clang!
Yulien brilliantly blocked the knight’s sword and even began to push him back.
Eventually, the other knights moved as well, and Kyle even joined in, leading to a brawl.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two were already knights, holding their own against several Temple Knights.
But their numbers were too great to take them all on alone. A few Temple Knights, who had been left unoccupied, began to approach Deneb.
Deneb grabbed a mace, but it was impossible for her to fend off multiple Temple Knights with her skill.
At that moment, Ghislaine, who had just been watching, finally moved. He sighed and murmured, “This is where the foolery comes to a halt. It feels like a sweet potato stuck in my throat.”
Swish!
“Ugh?”
As he approached Deneb, a Temple Knight was suddenly struck from behind, foaming at the mouth before collapsing.
After that, Ghislaine moved like the wind.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
“Hah!”
“Who the hell is this guy!”
The Temple Knights were astounded by Ghislaine’s sudden appearance. He was too fast and too strong.
Crack!
With each swing of his staff, the arms and legs of the Temple Knights broke. Some even fell with their heads smashed.
Ghislaine didn’t kill the Temple Knights, he simply broke their arms and legs so they couldn’t move.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
In an instant, Ghislaine took down all of the Temple Knights. The priest, trembling in disbelief, stammered, “W-what? Who are you?”
“Ah, I’m from the Ruthania Kingdom… No, I’m just a passing adventurer.”
“Y-you think you can get away with this? How dare you touch the temple knights of the church…”
“What are you going to do about it?”
Ghislaine pointed his staff at the priest, who flinched. However, he soon realized that none of the Temple Knights were dead.
He probably hesitated to kill them out of fear of the consequences. Thinking the other was afraid, the priest said, “H-ha… You arrogant fool. Kneel and beg for forgiveness now, and I might let you serve as my guard.”
“What are you talking about?”
Swish!
“Ugh!”
As he grabbed the priest’s arm and twisted it, it looked like it was broken.
“Argh! How dare you!”
The priest gasped, raising his other arm. He intended to unleash his Divine Power to heal himself.
But before he could, Ghislaine’s staff moved faster.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Both of the priest’s other arm and leg were shattered. He fell, screaming.
“Gaaaah!”
Having grown up pampered and always living in comfort, this priest had never felt such pain.
He lay there, howling like a whale.
“You! I will not let this go! The knights of the church and the lord’s army will hunt you down! You devilish guy! I will unleash divine punishment upon you!”
Leaving the convulsing priest behind, Ghislaine said to the three.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Deneb, trembling, looked around at the scene.
“W-what about those people?”
Corpses lay all around, and the injured sprawled about. The few who were still conscious had vacant looks, alternating glances between the priest and Deneb.
But Ghislaine replied coolly, “It’s enough. Can’t you see? You’ve done all you could. There’s nothing more you can do here.”
“B-but…”
“If you stay here any longer, you’ll all die—both you and those people. Those misguided good deeds will only lead to trouble.”
At Ghislaine’s cold words, Deneb bowed her head deeply, unable to rebut.
She had tried to do good, but the people were too busy fighting each other. Even the priest callously killed those who were struggling.
No one cared about respecting or considering one another. They only thought about themselves and their gain.
She had known the world was harsh. But witnessing it firsthand like this was entirely different from just hearing rumors.
The place they had come from might be stingy, but it was nothing this brutal.
Yulien took hold of Deneb’s arm, who was hesitating.
“Let’s go. Ghislaine is right.”
The longer they stayed, the more likely they would be caught and killed by the city guards or other Temple Knights. It was clear that would be their fate.
As they were leaving, Kyle asked Ghislaine, “Can we just leave like this? They’ll definitely come after us.”
Kyle’s eyes were already filled with murder.
The Temple Knights were incapacitated. It was better to kill them now and bury them.
Being in the poor district, disposing of the bodies would be easy. If they shared the loot, the poor might even help them out for the time being.
Even if they talked later, it would be long after. They could slip away before anyone caught up to them.
Ghislaine chuckled. After all, Kyle had made the most realistic judgment.
But for now, there was no need for them to dirty their hands. There were others who held grudges against them.
Taking a glance back, Ghislaine said, “It’s fine. We don’t need to get involved.”
So, they packed their things and left the city.
The priest, lying there with broken arms and legs, screamed.
“What are you all doing? Send someone to the temple! I will have those bastards caught and killed!”
The priest tried to summon his Divine Power to heal his broken arms while continuing to shout.
“You filthy scum! Hurry and send someone to the temple and bring the knights!”
But none of the poor moved. They only exchanged dark glances between the priest and the Temple Knights.
The first to pick up arms were the poor who had lost their families to the knights. Others followed suit, holding weapons with greedy eyes.
Only then did the priest sense the unusual atmosphere.
“W-what? What are you fools thinking…”
Swish!
A rusted blade pierced the priest’s neck. The poor stabbed the priest without hesitation.
With a gurgling sound, he spat out blood. His eyes lost their light and quickly clouded over.
While the priests witnessed this, the Temple Knights tried to rise, but the poor were quicker.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
They battered the heads of the Temple Knights mercilessly. Unable to move, they all ended up dead with shattered skulls.
“Hey, let’s clean this up quickly.”
“Let’s bury the bodies and take the loot.”
As a few spoke up, the poor unceremoniously stripped the priests and Temple Knights of their armor. They snatched up anything of value.
The bodies were dragged away by a few. Having finished their cleanup, they began to talk before starting to fight again.
They had obtained not only the items left by Ghislaine and the others but also the armor of the Temple Knights and the priests’ accessories.
Now, their minds were clouded with a desire to fight over every last trinket.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
“Die! You bastard!”
“This is mine!”
The poor screamed and fought. The image of Deneb’s benevolence had long since faded from their minds.
The belongings she had given out, the Divine Power she had used to help the injured—if they hadn’t been fighting each other, they could have all received those.
But they lost it all to greed and selfishness. Unaware of what they had lost.
Until now, Deneb had believed the world was turning into hell. She thought the long fight against the demonic realm had hardened people, making them cruel.
But that was her delusion.
The world was already hell.
* * *
Yulien and Deneb said nothing, just walking quietly ahead.
Kyle was the only one complaining loudly about how rotten the world had become.
Once they had moved a decent distance from the city, Ghislaine finally spoke.
“Let’s stop this foolish good deed business. I won’t mind if you occasionally help a little as you pass by. But doing this kind of pathetic nonsense has to stop for a while.”
…
Deneb lowered her head deeply. There were no arguments left to make after trying to help and watching so many get hurt and die.
Ghislaine continued, as if scolding her.
“If you really want to help, get strong enough that no one can touch you before you act.”
…
Deneb had been training hard and striving to get stronger, but it wasn’t as easy as she’d hoped.
At that moment, Ghislaine dropped a surprising statement.
“Now we’re going to form a mercenary group.”
The unexpected declaration made all three of them wide-eyed.