Messai walked past the courtyard before the chapel. She became speechless when she saw the inquisitors on the ground.
“Lady Messai, we’ve checked. There are no survivors.”
The templars that followed Messai over were quietly waiting for their commanding officer’s instructions.
“Bring their bodies behind the chapel for burial. Request for the nuns to recite the prayer for the dead.” Messai instructed her subordinates.
In this world, they believed in souls too.
In order to not have the corpses of the templars that died on the battlefield be used by those wicked necromancers, the nuns or the priests that accompanied the templars would always recite prayers to send off the dead.
This will ensure their souls would return to God’s side. Then, their corpses would be cremated.
“There’s no need for that. Knight Messai... you are to return to the Holy City with me.”
Inquisition leader Shackles stopped Messai. He picked up the black originium crystal that filthy vampire threw toward his foot.
He was no deaf. Instead, he had destroyed his own eardrums the instant he learned that someone was using the Howling Banshees to disturb the mind of the inquisitors. To inquisitors, having one’s eardrums destroyed was a small injury that could be easily healed.
But, when he arrived, he did not see any Howling Banshees at all. All the noises that disturbed their mind came from a mere originium crystal!
To the inquisitors, that was no good news at all. Mental attacks were their weakness. With that originium crystal, even a clumsy peasant would be able to use that sort of mental attack with only a small amount of magic power.
“At least allow the nuns to send them a prayer so that their souls could...”
Messai had no idea why that inquisition leader was so cold toward his own subordinates.
“They’ve already given their souls to the great God. Knight Messai... or perhaps I should say traitor Messai, you should stop wasting time.”
Inquisition leader Shackles said those words as he brushed past Messai.
He knew very well what Messai did in the tavern.
The assassination mission had truly broadened Shackles horizons. He had no idea how a mere demon would be able to receive the assistance from all those mages.
But, it was an undeniable truth that they, the inquisitors from the Heresy Tribunal, had failed their mission. Nevertheless, Shackles received an even more useful piece of information.
That is, the Frost Elf Race did not go extinct. One Frost Elf was staying in the tavern. Furthermore, she had the World Tree.
That was the piece of news most shocking to this inquisition leader. He must quickly return to the Holy Church to report it to the Heresy Tribunal.
“Traitor? What did Lady Messai did?”
Messai’s subordinates were immediately unable to remain idle the moment they heard how Shackles addressed Messai. They walked toward the inquisition leader with the intention of demanding an explanation.
“Stop! Muk, you are in charge while I’m back in the Holy City... All of you, do not forget your mission.”
Messai stopped her subordinates. She followed the inquisition leader and entered the chapel.
She was prepared to be tried. The moment Messai stepped into the chapel, her adjutant was waiting for her.
“Lady Messai.”
The adjutant avoided the inquisition leader Shackles and arrived before Messai. He had heard the conversation between Messai and Shackles. He knew that they were planning to use the teleportation formation to return back to the Holy City.
“What’s the matter?”
Messai looked at the young adjutant. Even though the things this adjutant has been doing was growing further and further away from his job as a missionary, he was, at the very least, a reliable clergyman.
“If you’re planning to return to the Holy City...”
As the adjutant’s words reached this point, he took a glance behind him. He confirmed that the inquisition leader had entered deep into the chapel and did not linger in the hall. Only then did he lowered his voice and said to Messai, “Please bring this to Lady Saintess. This is what Lady Saintess entrusted me to bring her.”
The adjutant took out a purely white originium crystal and handed it to Messai. Messai recognized that originium crystal. Once one has crushed it with one’s hand, one will be able to gain the privilege to join the magic network.
But, it would also give one runes from the Order System, something Messai was displeased by. It took Messai a while to get used to the new system of runes in her head.
As the god from the Order System and the god from the Holy Light System could be said to be the two most upright gods in this world, Messai held respect toward the Order System’s God Lloyd and was able to successfully integrate the Order System.
“Why does Lady Saintess need this?”
Messai held the originium crystal handed to her by the adjutant. Being stationed outside the Holy City all the time, Messai rarely has any interaction with the Saintess.
But, in the Holy Church, the Saintess Herolia was the person closest to god. To the believers of the God of Holy Light, the Saintess Herolia was akin to an angel.
Messai does not believe that she would have the chance to get in contact with such a sacred existence.
“When I returned to the Holy City, I reported what happened in Norland. Lady Saintess learned about the existence of the magic network and became very curious in it.”
The adjutant told Messai what happened truthfully.
“But, the magic network will lose effect once one leaves Norland.” Messai had read through the usage manual for the magic network. This included the section about ‘network connection.’
“I know. Lady Saintess ordered me to seek out a way to connect with the magic network even in the Holy City. But... I was unable to find out the way how. Please bring the originium crystal back to Lady Saintess and inform her that I will continue to seek out the method to connect to the magic network in the Holy City.”
The adjutant was not somewhat so shallow as to work so hard for the mere wealth that was given to him. He believed that as long as he completes the mission, he would be able to obtain even greater status within the church.
But, in order to do that, he must first make some achievements for the Saintess Herolia to see.
“The magic network is something created by that Chaos Demon...” Messai was feeling conflicted. She did not wish for the Saintess, the symbol of purity and holiness, to interact with the magic network.
“Lady Saintess said that it’s a world where everyone’s equal.”
The adjutant stared Messai in the eyes and repeated what Herolia said to him. He continued to stare at Messai for several seconds before Messai finally accepted and placed away the originium crystal he handed her.
“I will do my best to hand this originium crystal to Lady Saintess.”
Messai does not believe that she would return to the Holy City as a glorious knight. Instead, she will be the prisoner brought back by an inquisition leader.
She found it very difficult to imagine that she, with that identity, would be able to approach the Saintess.
That said, Messai also had something she wanted to entrust the adjutant with.
“There’s a sack of gold coins in the chest under my bed. Find an opportunity to hand those gold coins to a person called Cher... no, I should say Skotan Nun instead. This is the last mission I have for you.”
Messai believed in the adjutant’s moral standing. That was why she asked him to deliver her remaining wealth to Cheryl.
Even though Cheryl was standing in opposition of Messai, Messai was not someone who would easily betray her promises. She intended to return the card packs she owed Cheryl with gold coins instead.
“Lady Messai, I understand.”
The adjutant had already guessed why Messai was returning to the Holy City through her conversation with the inquisition leader Shackles earlier. In the end, the adjutant watched as the female knight walked deeper into the chapel. In the end, she turned a corner and disappeared into the hallway.