“Unfortunately, among all the rats, which included some Eclipses, more than half of them, after only one use of ‘Emperor’s Crest’, some went completely mad, some burst into Tainted corpses, and some even more miserable, exploded halfway through their transformation. But now it’s different, the Light Bringer told me that the young man can perfectly utilize the power of ‘Emperor’s Crest’, that enviable and damned talent! But”
“It doesn’t matter, it’s mine now!” The priest extended a hand and clenched it into a fist forcefully.
“The young man’s talent and power will be taken by me and the Light Bringer. From now on, it’s not just the ‘Emperor’s Crest’, but all the legendary ‘Emperor’s Relics’ that we will be able to wield their power, hahahaha!”
The priest let out a maniacal laugh, echoing in the sanctified Archive room of the church, a place symbolizing the “Hall of Knowledge”, the irony of it all.
And looking at Durin, this once “rebellious” and “thorn in the side” knight, whose eyes are now utterly devoid of light, turned murky and dim, the priest felt an incomparable thrill.
This is why, even though Durin’s little actions are inconsequential now, he still had to come here, ruthlessly expose Durin, then lay out his grand plan in its entirety.
Greatness requires witnesses, it needs an audience.
That’s why Gralon won’t kill Durin.
He even spared the captain of the knights.
After all, no matter what Durin does, he can’t change the outcome now, so why not let himself continue to enjoy a little longer, this wonderful feeling of bestowing despair?
“Alright, get up, Captain Durin, rest assured, you are the finest knight under my command, how could I bear to see you leave the stage, only, as a punishment for your restlessness…”
The priest pulled out a small vial from his bosom and threw it in front of Durin.
“The medicine for your wife this month, cut by half, if there’s a next time, just watch her turn into a Tainted corpse!”
Having done all this, the priest walked away, heading toward the Archive room’s underground entrance, ready to meet up with Maria, ready to welcome his “rebirth”.
And Durin, distraught on the ground, hadn’t even managed to get up when a rapid ringtone sounded from his pocket.
When Durin answered the phone in a panic, it was Tamic’s anxious voice that came through.
“Captain! The mistress’s illness has suddenly worsened again! Where are you, hurry back!”
…
….
Dawnlight Hospital.
This is the largest and best hospital that can be found in the Blackhole Plains, established by the church.
Sitting at the entrance of the emergency room, Durin had his hands clasped around his head. His fingers were buried deep in his hair, and a heavy sense of self-blame emanated from him. The young knight who accompanied him, Tamic, tried to offer words of comfort several times but ultimately remained silent by his side.
Finally…
The lights in the emergency room went out, and several Church physicians emerged from inside. Facing Captain Durin, the doctor nodded, indicating that the rescue had been successful, and the person was temporarily stable.
However…
“Captain Durin, your wife’s condition is something we’ve never seen before. I suspect it’s a chronic illness caused by Tainted Miasma. We can’t predict when the next attack will occur or how severe it will be. We…” .
Durin signaled the doctor to stop. There was no need to say more. He knew more about Susan’s illness than anyone else. He tightly gripped the vial of medicine that the priest had given him in his sleeve.
“Captain, this is fantastic news! I knew Sister Susan would pull through!” Tamic approached and, after struggling for a while, finally managed to offer a comforting word.
However, Durin completely ignored Tamic.
He leaned against the door window of the hospital room. In the eyes of this knight captain, the entire world had narrowed down to the patient lying on the hospital bed, a golden-haired woman who had just undergone surgery and was now peacefully asleep.
After a silence that lasted a short while, the two men began to speak.
Tamic knew that Durin must be going through a lot right now and probably didn’t have the energy to think about anything else. However…
“Captain, I have some very important information to report to you. According to my investigation, it’s highly likely that there was a Tainted item with a contamination rank of at least C-grade inside Callewa factory last night. However, after our search throughout the night, up until now, the Knight Order still hasn’t been able to find that Tainted item. So, I suspect… there’s a high probability that the young couple took it from the factory!”
“That’s a Tainted item of C-grade or higher, and if it erupts… the consequences would be unimaginable! Half of the people in Blackhole could be affected! Captain, we can’t just sit idly by, we can’t let the people of the gathering place be exposed to such a Tainted crisis! So… Captain! I request permission to contact Mr. Renji again! I implore him to tell me what happened last night, and I implore him, for the sake of the people of Blackhole, to hand over the Tainted item to our Church.”
“ENOUGH!”
The young knight’s report was interrupted by an angry shout. .𝒎
Durin finally moved away from the hospital room’s door, staring at Tamic across from him. He recalled the young man’s words and a nameless anger welled up from within him.
“Last night’s events end here. Let all the members of the Knight Order withdraw and come back! No one is allowed to continue investigating this matter, including you. Do you understand? If you do, then get the hell out of here!”
However, Tamic, who had always followed Durin’s orders without question, chose to stand his ground this time, and he shook his head firmly.
“Captain, I find it difficult to comply with this order!”
This seemed to completely ignite Durin’s anger. He even started to lose his composure and let out a scream filled with frustration.
“Difficult to comply? Hahaha! Tamic, let me tell you, what annoys me the most is brats like you who think you’re so smart, who dare to refuse my orders. What makes you think you can defy my command? Do you think you’re so damn great? Do you think you know more than me? What do you know?”
“Tell me, what the f#ck do you know?!”
——————-
Amidst Durin’s raging shouts, Tamic didn’t back down, nor did he get angry. He simply stood there, listening, and then gave Durin his response.
“Captain, I know that compared to you, and compared to many members of the Knight Order, I’m still very weak and have a lot to learn. I do admit that there are many things I don’t understand. But the one thing I do understand is…”
“As a Knight, I must faithfully follow the teachings of the Goddess, and I must take Lady Suthia as my role model. I must protect those weaker than myself, I must prevent the spread and havoc of Tainted Miasma, and I must uphold my faith!”
“That’s what I believe!”
The young knight stood tall, and the silver-gray Holy Cross on his Knight uniform seemed to faintly shimmer in the light, as if resonating.
Unfortunately…
“Hehehe, the Goddess? Teachings? Let me warn you, don’t f#cking mention the word ‘Goddess’ in front of me! There is no Goddess in this world anymore! Even if the Goddess does exist, she has long fallen and f#cking mingled with the darkness!”
“In my heart, the Goddess of the Holy Kingdom from five hundred years ago is already dead. And on this land today, there is no more faith. The teachings and sayings you spout from Lady Suthia are nothing but a joke, you understand? A joke!”
Durin let out a hoarse and forceful yell, his entire face turning red. In the past, he had held onto hope, even if it was faint. He had imagined that Blackhole was only in its current state because it was remote, allowing that priest to exploit it. He believed that one day, the evildoer would face judgment and receive the punishment he deserved!
However, the result?
The result was that today, the priest had fiercely slapped his face, and even the direct followers of the Goddess, the “Light Bringers,” had chosen to stand with that crazy sadist priest, all for the power of the “Relics,” abandoning their faith.
At that moment, Durin truly felt like something in his heart had shattered.
Even the highest echelons of the Church had fallen so far.
Then what were these small fry like them still holding onto?
“Durin, I need you to apologize to Lady Suthia for your words just now!”
It was the first time Tamic had called Durin’s name without adding “Captain” afterward.
A rare flash of anger appeared on the young knight’s face. For Durin, for his captain, Tamic could endure anything, except for Durin’s blasphemy against the Goddess, an insult to his faith.
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