Chapter 14. Traitor (3) Part-2

After his meeting with Salem, he had been dragged away by a Holy Knight to be interrogated for heresy. The charge was for having embezzled donations. His purification began with him being locked inside a humid and cramped jail cell. When he wasn't in there, he was being tortured.

After forcing Faron's feet into a pot of boiling water, a masked interrogator began to mercilessly burn his body with a heated piece of metal.

"Speak! Who told you to do it!"

"Uwaaaagh!"

"Speak! I said speak!"

"I-I told you! I did it! Forgive me…!"

"No, you're lying! Speak the truth! Go on!"

A Holy Knight standing to the side poured a bucket of Holy Water over Faron, while at the same time a priest began casting healing magic on him. After his injuries had healed, they immediately moved on to the next punishment. The iron maiden, A steel statue that was hollowed out like a cage. What set it apart from a simple cage were the countless, sharp spikes which lined its interior.

Faron struggled in vain before being thrown into the iron maiden. The door shut violently behind him, sending sharp spikes stabbing into his body. He cried out in vain, his voice simply echoing around inside the metal device.

There was a hole at the top of the iron maiden which his torturers periodically opened to pour Holy Water through so that he wouldn't die. The pain from the spikes piercing his body was mind-numbing, but even those wounds would eventually be healed.

"Uwaaaak!"

"Speak! I said speak!" the masked interrogator yelled. "Who told you to do this! Who!"

"I said, I did it! You fucking crazy monster!" Faron shouted with all his strength, but no one paid any mind to his words.

Seeing that they were getting nowhere, his torturers decided to subject him to one of the worst punishments possible. Sweet honey was poured through the hole at the top of the iron maiden. Faron—who had already been starved for several days—didn't pay any mind to the sharp needles piercing his flesh and greedily lapped up the honey as it dripped down. However, no matter how much he consumed, more honey was poured in, until it filled the lower part of the iron maiden. Suddenly, something new began falling in from above. Looking closer with what little light entered through the hole above, Faron realized that what they were pouring in now were maggots—thousands of them. A day passed, and another, and then another… Eventually his cage was filled with filth and flies. The maggots squirmed about and dug into his leathery flesh to eat while the flies lay their eggs in his skin.

"Uwaaak! Stop! It hurts! Please…! Just kill me instead! I said kill me! Please! Just kill me-!"

After several days had passed, the interrogator held his ear to the iron maiden before nodding and opening the door. Filth and maggots poured out, and flies buzzed noisily around the room. Faron fell out like a corpse, without even the strength to stand. His body trembled and convulsed, the monk finding it difficult to even breathe properly.

The interrogator who had tortured him for so long retreated with a frown, holding his nose at the stench.

"Ah…ah…Ahhhh!"

Faron began dragging himself forward out of the filth and muck. He flailed wildly as he tried to rid himself of the pain from the maggots digging into his flesh by forcefully ripping them out. Being so consumed by his current state, Faron never noticed that someone had approached him.

"My, my…"

It was Salem Gotteschuranche. He looked at the flies buzzing about and frowned while waving them away with his hand.

"The donations. Who stole them? Could it be…" Salem crouched down close to Faron. "Did Brother Thoma tell you to do it?"

Hearing that question, Faron realized something. All Salem wanted was for him to say that single phrase, 'Thoma told me to'. Everything that he had suffered through was for little more than a mere confession.

Still, Faron shook his head while trembling.

"Hm? No? Is that right? I see." Salem stood back up. "The purification. It looks like it's still lacking. Well then, Brother Faron. I bid you farewell. Have a pleasant time."

Faron reached out and desperately grabbed Salem's ankle.

"P-please. Please… stop… this. I-I don't want it anymore… T-this kind of pain, so… please.."

He began to sob while Salem smiled.

"The image of you covered in filth is truly… filthy, but your heart is still clean. I do not like that. Yes." Salem pat Faron's head, who was still clutching his leg. His hand was stained with filth that caked Faron, but Salem didn't mind it. "I prefer things that are clean on the outside, but dirty on the inside."

When Salem gestured with his finger, two Holy Knights brought out a box and placed it before Faron. When they opened the box, Faron thought he was going to be blinded by the light that filled his eyes. The box was full of sparkling lumps of gold.

Seeing this, Faron stared at Salem with a stiff expression. Salem smirked at Faron's reaction—thoroughly amused—like a tamer watching an animal become trained.

"If this is lacking I can provide more, Brother Faron."

"N-no…" Faron spoke hesitantly, "that is…"

"Ah, one more thing. I will provide you with a new position. You will be an Archbishop."

It was widely known that there were only 7 Archbishops beneath the pope. The Archbishopric was a position that no one could ever rise to, regardless of effort. The Pope was offering such a position to him all too easily.

"How about it, Brother Faron. Who told you to do it?"

Faron was split. Would he tell the truth to help Thoma, or speak lies to save himself…! As time passed and Faron remained silent, Salem's eyes grew cold.

"I see. Then, enjoy your stay."

Faron grew stiff as the interrogators behind him let out a horrible laughter.

"W-wait! Wait! Your Holiness…! P-please…"

As soon as he cried out, Salem smiled and helped Faron up, supporting his body.

"Yes, let's… stop."

And with that, Faron's interrogation came to an end. The very next day, he was gifted with an abundance of extreme 'pleasures'. He came to possess dozens of massive rooms within the palace and innumerable lumps of gold were given to him. Beautiful women visited his room every night. Servants, maids, and even other highly ranked priests lowered their heads and praised him. He had access to anything he desired, including drugs and other banned substances. He had escaped the mud only to fall into a thicker swamp, so to speak. Pleasure and authority, wealth and honor. All these things were now within his grasp. Comparing his old self with his current circumstances…

"Ah, my past self… was truly dumb!"

***

"Sir H-hero… no, Brother Thoma…"

Faron raised his head, laughing and revealing a cruel smile. It was a rapturous laughter, containing all of his desires. He could rise to the top, escape his loneliness, and find endless pleasure using his position of authority! All he had to do was abandon that thing called dignity to obtain whatever it was he wanted.

"… stole the donations! He used the money to buy drugs. He also abused the children and threatened these people! That devilish bastard!"

Thoma felt faint upon hearing those words, unable to believe what was happening.

"For the crime of threatening those serving god and for the crime of dirtying the holy title you held, you deserve a thousand deaths. Despite this, his Holiness, the Pope, has granted you the mercy of being purified. You will undergo interrogation for heresy."

When the word Pope passed the commander's lips, Thoma's eyes grew wide. Salem Gattschuranche. All of this had been part of his scheme.

"Why? Why-!"

Thoma was barely able to shout before the Holy Knights surrounding him thrust their spears into him, forcing the former hero to the ground. The commander of the Holy Knights spoke after seeing Thoma had been restrained.

"Take the heretic away!"

The Holy Knights started dragging Thoma along once more. It wasn't just the Holy Knights and Thoma who were leaving the abbey though, everyone was. Even the children had to follow behind the Holy Knights, still completely clueless as to what was going on.

Ellin watched all of this happen from within the forest, though she was unable to do anything other than nervously fidget.

"Ellie…! Ellie…! What should I do? What should I do?! Ellie!"

***

"… He has been brought in. We plan to interrogate him today."

Salem, who had been enjoying the banquet with Prince Pygni, smiled with satisfaction while listening to the report from the Holy Knights.

"Ah, is that right? Good. He's a truly bad man, so please perform the purification ritual properly. But, no matter what, you cannot kill him. He is a friend, after all."

The priest nodded at his words.

"You know, this is truly a pleasant banquet we're having today…"

Salem drank his wine and licked his lips.

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