A week later. Inside Norland’s chapel.
Messai was kneeling before the statue of God and praying sincerely with her palms together. The moonlight entered through the chapel’s window and landed on the status and the female knight’s shoulder-length golden hair.
Messai was not praying for anything from God this time around. Instead, she was repenting.
Since coming to Norland, Messai had spent a large amount of time in the Hearthstone Tavern.
At the beginning, she regrets spending a large amount of wealth purchasing those unsubstantial cards. But now, she had grown accustomed to buying a card pack or two everyday without feeling any burden in her mind.
Messai had grown accustomed to her life as a ‘Hearthstone Player.’ But, she was perplexed by the Hearthstone Tavern itself.
Today was the day the Holy Church’s inquisitors will act. The templars stationed in the chapel will become the guide to the church’s executioners and lead them to the Hearthstone Tavern.
At that moment, the entire Hearthstone Tavern will definitely be burned down completely by an unknown flame.
Because of that... Messai was hesitating.
Even though the Hearthstone Tavern was built by a Chaos Demon, the tavern itself was a place for people to let loose and relax...
“How long are you going to pray there, Knight Messai?! Are you planning to wait till those stupid dwarves all run away?”
A gloomy voice interrupted Messai’s prayer. Messai stood up and looked behind her. It was an inquisitor covered in a pitch-black robe.
“I’d urge you to not underestimate Norland’s dwarves...”
Messai’s gaze as she stared at that inquisitor was not friendly in the slightest. This place was the prayer room, the place where one will reveal one’s thoughts to God. To make a loud clamor at a place like this was akin to blaspheming God.
“Of course not. But, if that demon thinks he will be able to escape the upcoming calamity by hiding in a cave with a bunch of dwarves, he’s simply too naive.”
“...”
Messai did not give any response. Not long after, that inquisitor disappeared from the prayer room’s entrance.
The knights of the Ecclesiastical Templars were never fond of working together with these inquisitors. In the past, Messai had only believed them to be on the edge all the time...
It was only a week ago when she received the ability to enter the ‘magic network’ with the help of a mage at the Hearthstone Tavern, opened the Mage Forum and entered the Motionless Library sub-forum did she saw the ‘Diary of an Inquisitor’ at the top of the sub-forum.
There were already over five thousand replies to ‘Diary of an Inquisitor.’ One of the replies was made by her.
Messai admits that the magic network and the Mage Forum was akin to a miracle sort of magic to her. She felt like she had entered a new world using it.
But, ‘Diary of an Inquisitor’ revealed to her some of the most filthy things in her world.
That diary clearly narrated some of the atrocities committed by the Heresy Tribunal. For example, during assassinations, most inquisitors will not only take away the lives of their targets. For the sake of completing their mission, they will act unscrupulously.
One of the things that Messai was unable to accept the most from the diary was how it listed that, for certain cruel inquisitors, the choir’s hymns were no longer capable of suppressing the voices in their hearts. Instead, they were satisfied by the joy brought upon by blood and flesh...
Before reading that diary, Messai cannot imagine how there was such darkness hazing below the radiance of the Holy City.
But, Messai was unable to believe in the diary completely either. After all, the writer of that diary was a traitor to the Holy Church. She was also her friend Cheryl.
“Oh Lord... please guide me.”
Messai closed her eyes again and uttered her final prayer. Then, she got up and walked toward the exit. Nine fully-armed templars were already waiting for her out in the chapel’s main hall.
“Knight Messai.”
The nine templars gave a simple salute to Messai.
“Lady...Lady Messai... are... are we really going to... going to attack that tavern today?”
Messai’s adjutant walked over to her side. He asked Messai with a tone of uncertainty.
“Of... course.”
Messai hesitated with her reply. But, she recalled how she was a templar and what her duty was. Those thoughts allowed her to forcibly calm herself.
“This is truly a pity. Tonight was the night of release of the new card expansion too.”
The adjutant mumbled those words with a very quiet voice.
Ten templars and fourteen inquisitors. No matter how many dwarves there might be in the tavern, they would not be able to ward off such an attack.
The disguises of the inquisitors were not something that the dwarves could see through. As long as the inquisitors disguised themselves as normal people to infiltrate the tavern, no one will know how the demon in the tavern died.
“Wait... what did you say?”
The adjutant’s mumbles were heard by Messai.
When the adjutant tried to walk away, Messai extended her hand and grabbed his lapel. Like a powerless pigeon, the adjutant was dragged over to Messai.
“The...the new expansion for Hearthstone, ‘Goblins vs Gnomes’ will be released for sale tonight. That’s being spread throughout the Mage Forum and the Voice of Norland today. I heard that the first hundred people to purchase the new expansion will even... even receive some sort of commemorative card back.”
Perhaps because the adjutant’s main profession was a missionary, what he said in the moment of desperation sounded more like a propaganda speech. It was like he was urging for Messai to go and purchase Hearthstone cards.
“New card expansion?”
Ever since Messai read the ‘Diary of an Inquisitor,’ she had not been to the Hearthstone Tavern for an entire week.
She didn’t know how to face the traitor Cheryl...
Messai never expected that, in the short week she wasn’t there, a new expansion for Hearthstone would be released tonight.
“So... that game had a new expansion?”
That was Messai’s initial reaction to the news. She had thought that once she collected all the cards from the Classic pack, she would’ve gathered all the cards from Hearthstone.
To her surprise, that cunning demon actually launched a new expansion!
“Knight Messai, what are you all talking about?”
An inquisition leader quietly approached Messai. Because of that, Messai let go of the adjutant’s lapel.
“Tonight... might not be suited for the crusade.”
Upon learning of the new expansion’s release, Messai had an urge to check out the Hearthstone Tavern.
But, she had a mission to do right now and cannot leave for the tavern.
However, that was not the same for the other mages...
“I’m the one who decides whether tonight is suited for the crusade or not. Knight Messai, do not be afraid of those dwarves. You merely need to stand to the side and stand guard with your battle companions. We will be the ones who’ll purify that demon.”
The inquisition leader’s voice was neither fast nor slow. His voice had a special sort of magic power. Messai’s adjutant was affected by his voice. But, Messai was not.
“But...”
Messai wanted to tell him that the dwarves would not be the only ones in the Hearthstone Tavern tonight.
“No but. I am the director of this mission. Your job is to carry out my orders. Please obey my command, Knight Messai.”
The inquisition leader interrupted Messai. Then, he turned around and started walking out the chapel.