Chapter 41. A lie

Unsurprisingly, the crowd gasped in horror at the bloody display as the five guards dropped their shields and weapons and kneeled on the ground, expecting similar judgment, no doubt.

Thinking of something, Michael walked forward and approached Helen. He wasn't worried she would kill the guards as she was smart enough not to injure Wanderers who spent their lives protecting the people of Kyovashad.

To interfere in the matter now would be to undermine her authority as Captain, and even if they had a one-night stand so far, Michael didn't have the right.

"Captain Helen, my apologies for interfering, but would you mind if I asked a couple of questions?"

[...go ahead.](Helen)

Seeing her pretty eyes curiously peering at him, Michael did his best not to chuckle and maintain his prestige as a wannabe Wanderer.

Still, he had to formulate his questions carefully so that nobody blamed Helen for favoritism later on.

"I would like to know exactly what this man called Leotar told the guards to force them to arrest Mister Milo here. Contrary to the heresy accusations, I believe this man is a devout member of the Church of Light. The entire crowd can attest to that."

Immediately after the question was thrown, the crowd started murmuring, and Helen directed a thankful look his way.

By pinning the entire fault on the priest and making the guards not look like accomplices but rather tools forced to act, he would absolve them of any crimes in the eyes of the public.

As for whatever punishment they would incur after facing Helen, that was not his place to interfere.

[May I know what the meaning of this is, Captain Helen? Why is Priest Leotar dismembered and fainted due to blood loss?](?)

A calm, neutral voice stopped the crowd's murmurings as they parted and gave way to a bald black lady in her late twenties, maybe early thirties.

She was dressed in simple white clothes, unlike the flashy, dumb Leotar, who fainted due to pain. The woman had a strange air about her, and Michael was surprised to see her walking barefoot toward the almost-dead priest.

[*Tsk* That's Prava, the head of the Church of Light in Kyovashad.](Helen)

"Is there a problem with her? You don't seem to like her very much."

[I don't know. Something about her rubs me the wrong way. She's more of a fanatic than any other member of the Church. In some cases, nobles and their progeny join the Church of Light for the political power they gain from doing that. This woman doesn't care about political gains or power struggles. She's a true believer in Inarius, as he apparently saved her life. Through direct intervention.](Helen)

Michael's face also changed when hearing that. From his experience with religion back on Earth, most of the 'devout believers' in positions of power were there for political and monetary gains more than faith.

If the head of the Church were a greedy and power-hungry person, that would be fine as he had ways to talk it out and not escalate the situation further. If she was a fanatic, on the other hand...

'Fuck... I might've interfered and made matters worse. If this lunatic of a woman decides to rock the boat now when demons and Lilith threaten the Sanctuary, fuck knows what's going to happen.'

[That's exactly what I would also love to know, Prava. Since when do the people of the Church have the authority to order my guardsmen? As for that lunatic there, he actually dared to accuse me of heresy and tried to pin some demon conspiracy charges on me, so I punished him lightly.](Helen)

Hearing the word 'lightly,' Michael swallowed and decided to smartly look to the side.

'Mother' Prava raised an eyebrow upon hearing the words, and she clasped her hands as if praying.

[It seems that the situation is quite complicated. I would also like to hear the priest's side of the story, if you don't mind.](Prava)

Helen snorted but didn't say no to the proposal. Just then, a pillar of light descended from the skies and engulfed the dismembered Leotar.

What happened next went beyond magic and science as the cut members of the man rejoined the body alongside the blood that already seeped into the ground.

Moments later, the man opened his eyes and prayed alongside Prava, making Michael grimace.

'Sure enough, the watching crowd has been awed into submission. After such a display, if Prava was to claim that their God declared both him and Helen as heretics, I do not doubt that the crowd would start throwing stones at us.'

The light pillar disappeared, and Leotar turned to Prava and thanked her for saving his life. Not even a second later, the same shrill voice followed.

[They must be conspirators of the demons! The Necromancer defended the heretic, and that crazy woman actually dared try to kill me! They must be burned at the pyre!](Leotar)

Seeing the veins popping up on Helen's hands as well as the twitch of her fingers, Michael wondered if she would go bonkers and simply cut both the raving lunatic and Prava in her anger.

Sighing and wondering when he had become the voice of reason, Michael stepped forward.

"I would kindly ask Sir not to malign us so foolishly. Please remember that this didn't happen in private but rather in front of a huge crowd, all witnessing your raving lunacy. Both myself and Captain Helen asked for the reason behind the arrest of this poor man. A very unlawful arrest, if I might add."

[How dare...](Leotar)

[Shush, child. You must be Michael, the young Necromancer Lorath wrote to me about. We were awaiting your arrival.](Prava)

"I was planning to visit tomorrow since Lorath mentioned that you could become strong allies against the forces of evil, but seeing the current situation paints you in a very bad light."

[May I ask, how so?](Prava)

"Well, from the looks of it, your little priest over there somehow strongarmed these five guards to arrest Mister Milo here. If I might ask you, does your Church hold the power of judge, jury, and executioner? Because if that's the case, doesn't it mean that you can simply accuse any random person of being a heretic without presenting any evidence and kill them as you please?"

The murmurs of the crowd began anew, with a much higher intensity than before. Michael knew that most clergy members were normal people, and their power was the power of the common folk, who were more numerous than the Wanderers.

It's not like a Level 10 Wanderer couldn't kill over 50 common people by himself, but rather the fact that Wanderers also had their own families at the end of the day, which were predominantly common people.

That's why, since the major power of decision remained with the more numerous common folk, if he wanted to help Milo, he had to interfere with the way the people saw the Church.

After all, if Milo was put in this situation without rhyme and reason, doesn't that mean that any of them could become a victim at the whims of the Church?

[The Cathedral holds no such power. We are simply messengers of the Light, willingly spreading the words of the Father in this world.](Prava)

"My apologies, Miss Prava, but from how Leotar over there acts, it seems a bit different than your ideology description. Rather than bothering with empty words, why don't we resolve the situation at hand?"

[What does Sir suggest?](Prava)

"Simple. Since both Captain Helen and Miss Prava are here to represent both the City Guards and the Church, we can ask both parties how this situation came into being."

Pondering for a moment, the priestess nodded her head and acquiescence, though the looks she gave Michael made his hair stand on its ends.

"*Cough* Very well. Let's start with the accused, then."

[And why should that be the case, Sir?](Prava)

"Because it's his life at stake. It's only fair to give the man accused the right to defend himself and his actions. From what I've heard from the people of the crowd, he's quite a devout believer in the Light. So, I'm sure that everyone is curious to see how such a person turned into a heretic seemingly overnight."

A seamless pressure appeared to be emanating from 'Mother' Prava, making Michael tremble slightly.

Fortunately, Helen moved a step closer to him and smiled at the priestess, dissipating the said pressure.

'Fucking hell. That woman's a lunatic. Fanatic or not, she wasn't even willing to let this poor fucker go first? What's the sudden attack for?'

[*Scoff* Go ahead, Michael.](Helen)

"Hmm? Yeah... Mister Milo. Sir, could you please explain to us what happened? How did you end up in this situation?"

The man's eyes glowed as if a fire burned inside his soul, only to be extinguished a moment later. Despondency and desperation filled his body and seemed to pour out of his very being.

Helen furrowed her brows.

[I...I'm a heretic, Sir. Please don't bother with me.](Milo)

Hearing the declaration, the crowd gasped, and both Gonk and Helen were surprised. Glancing at Leotar, Michael saw a threatening look turn into a smirk covering his entire face.

Shaking his head at the stupid priest, Michael conjured a Bone Splinter that whistled through the air and punctured through Leotar's right arm, drawing a sound similar to a pig being slaughtered.

Suffice it to say that Helen and Gonk were stupefied while the crowd was shocked. Before the priestess managed to get a word in, Michael took the initiative.

"I would ask Miss Prava to control your little priest. The next time he threatens Mister Milo, the Bone Splinters will go through his head. As wonderful as the Father might be, I'm pretty sure he can't resurrect the dead. I should know, as I am a Necromancer myself."

A healing light covered the would of the squealing priest, and Prava turned to Michael and asked with a calm face.

[Exactly how did he threaten Sir Milo? I was next to him and didn't hear anything.](Prava)

"Sometimes, a look is enough."

[Sir Michael, don't you think you are abusing my patience here? A look? You attacked a priest of the Church of Light because of a look?](Prava)

"Indeed."

The crowd was sent astir once more as Michael held his ground against the pressure from Prava, which kept climbing.

Ignoring the priestess, Michael turned to Helen and whispered something to her. Shocked, she looked in surprise at the old man, and then a murderous air began wafting from her swords while looking at Leotar.

"Helen! Priorities."

[...Fine. You five surround the crowd. Nobody gets to move out of the plaza without my order. Everyone is to stay put. I'm using my authority as Captain to invoke a Level 2 emergency state. Whoever moves from their place will be judged a criminal and killed on the spot.](Helen)

The crowd was shocked, and the five guards were stunned. Nevertheless, they moved according to their orders and covered the five exits. Helen closed her eyes, ignoring the crowd and the suspicious Prava.

She walked closer to the Waypoint, climbing on the platform that gave her a better view of the plaza.

[What's the meaning of this, Sir?](Prava)

"Taking some precautions, Miss Prava. From the looks of it, your little priest over there hasn't been keeping his hands clean."

[Sir, can you please stop with the word games? What exactly is going on?](Prava)

Realizing that he'd been indeed acting a bit too crazy, Michael coughed and turned to look at Milo again.

The old man was both confused and panicking, further confirming Michael's theory.

"Mister Milo, I heard that you turned to the Church of Light after your wife died. The people of Kyovashad see you as quite the devout man. Yet, you claim to be a heretic. Can you explain exactly what you did to be worthy of such a dark title?"

The man was surprised at first but shook his head fiercely and beggingly looked at Michael as if asking him not to cause any further trouble.

"Don't worry, Sir. All you need to do is tell us exactly how you became a heretic. After that, all will be concluded."

[I...I colluded with demons!](Milo)

The crowd gasped at the bold declaration, temporarily forgetting the guards surrounding them.

Michael smiled calmly and looked into the man's eyes.

"Can you be more precise, Sir? How exactly did you collude with the demons?"

[Please, Sir! Leave the matter be... I'm begging you.](Milo)

"I'm afraid that's not possible, Sir. As you can see, the situation escalated quite a bit by now, and it doesn't affect only you at this point anymore. So, if you don't mind, how exactly did you collude with demons? When did that happen? Where did that happen? What are the names of the demons? What is the general plan?"

After the rapid-fire questions that stumped the old man, the crowd finally discovered some strange points.

Looking at the brewer known for working from dawn to midnight, they wondered exactly when he had time to collude with the awful demons outside the city.

Talking among each other, they realized that most people saw him working day in and out and hadn't left his workplace in well over a year. Did the demons visit his brewery to hatch the horrible plans instead?

"*Sigh* You see, Sir, it's quite easy to unravel a lie in the absence of well-prepared props to hold it up. Now, the only question is, why would you, a devout believer, claim to be a heretic? For someone that takes comfort in the Light to claim that he is working with the demons is quite a sudden change, don't you think?"

[Please... Sir...](Milo)

"Don't worry. I only have one question left. From my knowledge, there are a few reasons for which a parent would claim to commit a crime they didn't. The most apt one is usually protecting their young. So, if you don't mind me asking, mister Milo... where is your daughter?"