Chapter 4: Crime and Punishment (1)

The gentle spring breeze of the temple's courtyard was cold today. The yellow petals of the coreopsis' had darkened, and the pink of the azaleas seemed to have taken on a shade of light red. The singing birds and the laughing squirrels were nowhere to be seen today.

Had the Goddess of Beauty, Ephis, seen the state of her church in Zarak, she would have winced in pain. Unfortunately, the members of the church did not share that thought. For today, a disrespect that none of them could let go of had occurred in the temple.

"Dear Reincarnators and Members of the Church…" The Head Priest's voice resounded in the courtyard. His white robes gently swayed as he held his hands behind his back and walked in an ellipse. The Head Priest's gaze remained to the ground as only the top of his forehead peeked out to the rows of clergy, templars, and students standing around in a semicircle.

Anyone could tell from the dozens of wrinkles on his forehead that the priest was splendidly pissed off. Had it not been for the sour moods of everyone else, they would have been shaking in their boots, but today, only their clenched fists and teeth shook in their shared rage.

"Last night," the priest continued. "A shameful, unforgivable incident occurred on the grounds of our very church. Yesterday, the statue of our Goddess Ephis. The Structure concocted with the God Stone and blessed with the great holy-power of the gods, the priceless relic that connected us with the goddess and was kept hidden away, was brutally smashed!"

Gasps and screams rang out from all over the courtyard.

"Which bastard!"

"Oh, Goddess! Forgive us! Forgive us for this sin!"

"The eyes of the gods were taken away! Only evil could do this!!"

The templars got on their knees and apologized to the heavens for their mistake while the priests and sisters openly flashed their fangs. Even General Volfram and his knights had large frowns on their faces as they heard the words of the head priest. The students of class 2-1, with Claude and Erika in front, shook their heads with nervous looks on their faces. They held their tongue and some covered their mouths in shock.

"As if that wasn't enough," the head priest continued, and the crowd came to an immediate silence. "The criminal tried to frame others!"

Another round of loud gasps spread in the courtyard.

The head priest stepped back, and General Volfram, the General of the Imperial Knights from the Empire took the front of the crowd.

"It is true. The person who broke the statue snapped it into two pieces from the center. The two halves of the statue were discovered this morning… One in my carriage, and the other in the Head Priest's room…"

"What!?"

"Which fool!"

Out of everyone the culprit could have tried to frame, the ones least likely to have done anything had the blame pinned on them. The Head Priest who was the one in the lead of the place, and though not a follower of Goddess Ephis, the General of the Empire, suspecting whom would lead to great repercussions.

It was a bad move by all means.

Even the students, who were not very familiar with the working of things were shocked at the stupidity the culprit displayed. It was so stupid, even, that they wondered if there was any ulterior motive behind it.

"One chance."

The head priest's voice rang like toiling bells.

"We will give the culprit one chance to come forward now, and we would be willing to listen to your reasoning. Just one chance."

Silence hung over the courtyard. Everyone swayed their gaze around, waiting for someone to come up to the front.

Claude and Erika looked back at their friends, then at the priests and the templars and the knights. Maybe they were too shocked, so none of them noticed Elric with his gaze averted as sweat dripped from his forehead like a waterfall.

"You won't?" The head priest's fists tightened. He sighed and walked closer to the group of students. With his eyebrows deeply furrowed, the head priest stepped up to the group of students with General Volfram following in tow. "Even though we found your hair on the statues, the dust of the statue in your room, and on your clothes?!"

The sweat dripping from Elric's face grew more and more as he even started whistling.

"The culprit of the incident…" the priest's hand flowed out of the robe. "Is you! Claude Almstedt!"

"W-Whaaaaoaoat!?!" Elric screamed as he stepped back while waving his around. He stopped after pulling the bottom of his shirt with one hand and the chest with another while his thighs were spread in a low stance.

The people had their attention detracted from Claude by Elric's extraneous actions. They processed it for a second.

"WHAAAT!?"

Then all of them screamed and stepped back.

Claude Almstedt.

The de-facto leader of the reincarnators.

The red-haired boy looked around with a shocked gaze. Everywhere his eyes went, the people standing around stepped back.

"No way… Claude…" Erika muttered.

"W-what… I-I didn't! I didn't do anything!"

At that time, the head priest stepped in front of Claude. His previously enraged expression turned into a pained frown. "Why, Sir Claude? We placed our hopes in you! The Oracle is on her way to meet you! How can you?! Please, tell me it was a mistake—"

"No, Head Priest," Volfram interrupted and pushed the priest away. "Your education wasn't lacking, especially not for him! There's only one explanation for taking away the god's eyes! He is trying to be a Devil worshipper!!"