Chapter 411

Bang!

A dark space where the sound of air tearing apart echoes here and there.

When the whip is swung, it generates a sonic boom that breaks the sound barrier and tears apart the air. The sound itself is threatening, but those who receive it are plagued by even greater threats to their lives.

Those who are hit by the whip that tears flesh apart cannot even scream if the pain is severe enough.

People who have collapsed after torture.

Looking at the state of those who cannot tell whether they are alive or dead, Olivia saw that some of the people hanging from the iron bars were already dead.

"This way."

Olivia was led by a person wearing the clothes of a heretical interrogator and headed somewhere.

Under the headquarters of the Holy Knights.

There were more people than usual in the huge torture chamber.

Olivia had been here a few times, and she had even been thrown in here by the hands of a priest.

But now, Olivia was here as a special heretical interrogator.

"Why were they all arrested?"

At Olivia's question, one of the interrogators in charge hesitated.

"Strange beliefs and idol worship, not only of the Masin religion but also of bizarre folk magic, are occurring here and there due to the suspicious times. Some believe in the existence of legends passed down in each region, or worship heresies that they have never heard of before......"

"Are there any warrior cults who believe in Lagan Artorius?"

"They are the biggest problem. They are definitely heretics, but......"

"It's a difficult problem to touch."

"Yes, I don't know if a conclusion has been reached after the Pope's meeting, but that side is still...... in a situation where they cannot be touched."

Anxiety and fear are spreading not only among the warrior cults and the Masin religion, but also among numerous folk beliefs.

The warrior cult is the largest heresy among them, and they must act quickly, but if they touch them wrongly, a large-scale massacre of civilians could occur.

If that happens, not only must they consider a conflict with the Empire, but the people may turn their backs on the Holy Knights.

The name of Lagan Artorius is very heavy and huge. Even if it is said that he did not actually save humanity and ascend to the throne of the gods, who can confidently claim that?

If they are not careful, the situation could become so serious that the religious sect could become the enemy of humanity.

Therefore, small heresies are arrested and demanded to repent and reveal information about their cults before they spread, but the warrior cults, which anyone can see when they go out on the streets, are still in a situation where they cannot be arrested.

Olivia found this situation ridiculous.

After the outbreak of the Demon World War, the Five Great Divine Sects, including the Holy Knights, formed a united military force.

It was quite good to have an institution representing their guns, which were originally symbiotic, but it became a total capital of the faithful, whose influence, power, and influence became five times, or even more, than before.

Even the commander of the Holy Knights had the level of influence and power equivalent to that of each Pope of the Five Great Divine Sects.

It was created under the pretext of defeating the Demon King, but now that the Demon King has disappeared, it should disappear, but it has not. Therefore, the former commander of the Holy Knights, Leberia Lanche, had even planned to establish a sacred nation. However, the situation was reversed due to the reappearance of the Demon King. The people who were terrified of the Demon King created a fictional faith called the Warrior Cult, which is now a threat to the Five Great Divine Sects. The situation has become so serious that the religious sect could become the enemy of humanity if they are not careful. The Warrior Cult's influence is expanding like a wildfire, and it could become a pandemic that covers the continent. Olivia decides to protect Reinhardt, even if it means becoming a monster. They arrive at a large prison cell with numerous magic and protection runes, where important heretics are held. The interrogator opens the cell, revealing a heretic who has already lost consciousness. Olivia questions if the heretic is genuine, as she has seen innocent victims being framed by the priests and people trying to hang non-Masindogos in the provinces. "I'm sure. He's a priest who can use the power of Masin, not just a resident's conspiracy. However, he doesn't speak. As a priest, he seems to have received some special training." Olivia could tell that the usual methods were not used just by looking at the traces of torture. It was clear that he had a strong resistance not only to anti-magic but also to mental magic. "Okay, let's all leave." When Olivia gave her calm instructions, the stone door closed and darkness filled the cell. When Olivia waved her hand, a light appeared and illuminated the cell. The interrogation of heretics by the Inquisitors was not something ordinary people could endure. The priests' torture did not come from the pain they were in, but from the power of recovery they could use. Even if they felt like they were losing their minds, their limbs were being severed, or they were about to go into hemorrhagic shock, the priests would restore their bodies to their original state and start the torture again from the beginning. That's why most of them end up confessing to what the Inquisitors want, whether it's true or false. However, the priest of Masin-gyo, who did not confess until the end. Olivia sat down on a chair opposite the Masin-gyo follower who did not respond, with her arms crossed. "If you're awake, you'll look up, right?" The other person did not respond. "I have no talent or skill for torture. If a torturer catches me, I might die." At Olivia's fresh but harsh words, the heretic who had been bowing his head spoke in a broken voice. "Kill me..." It was a simple answer. Even death is not free here. It is very difficult to take one's own life, and even if one tries to die, those priests forcibly recover them. Torture where even death is not allowed. That's the difference between the fake heresy interrogation that happened in Lajien and the real heresy interrogation. "How badly did you get tortured to say such things so easily? Poor thing." Olivia looked at the heretic who bowed his head. "But still, I'm a little different from the interrogators who have come to see me so far." In the light, Olivia held out her right hand in front of the heretic who was bowing his head. "I know how to handle the power of Masin. And I'm pretty good at it." In Olivia's right hand, there was a dark and eerie energy that was different from the white light floating in the room. "We're on the same side." The heretic who raised his head in disbelief looked at Olivia. "The fundamental power of Masin and Jushin is the same. Olivia was saddened by the countless conflicts, pains, and deaths that arise from not knowing or not wanting to admit it. Olivia will use that power. She is both a priest of Tu'an and a priest of Kier. So, if they are not allies, she can open any mouth that would never open. 'Now, are you ready to talk?' Olivia, who illuminated the room with the power of purity, stared at the heretic who was covered in the power of corruption. 'Oh... Lord...' In the eyes of the heretic, it would have appeared as the image of God."

"Late at night, after finishing a small dinner with the four of them, Hae-ri returned to her room, dried her hair, and sat on the bed. She couldn't hate Reinhardt more than she loved him. It felt like she was going to be the last one standing. She knew that her heart, her relationships, and her position were deeper and that she had to revolve around others. Should she interfere and endure misery forever? Talking to Reinhardt casually and eating something was enjoyable. It was so pleasant, comfortable, and happy that she didn't feel the swamp of depression that she used to fall asleep alone in. But when she returned to the dormitory room like this, she found herself becoming miserable again. Is this right? Is it right to accumulate the current feelings that say it's fun, comfortable, and happy, but will cause greater wounds later? Wouldn't it be better to hurt a lot now? Then, it won't hurt later. If she endures this pain, it will eventually become a scar. After it becomes a scar, it won't hurt at least. Isn't that the right thing to do? But tomorrow, Reinhardt will talk to her casually as he always has. Isn't it funny to tell her not to act friendly with Reinhardt, who has a fairly deep relationship with Charlotte, even though she doesn't know the specifics? Reinhardt had risked his life to save Charlotte before. Ellen and Reinhardt had fought together in Darkland and had spent the most time together. In Olivia's case, Reinhardt had used his wits to rescue her from confinement and threats by her father. In this respect, he was also a savior of life. Reinhardt had had significant events with everyone except himself. 'It's too trivial. No matter how much I think about it...' Even to herself. It's sad and unfair that she keeps getting pushed away. Seriously thinking about it, she was objectively a bystander." Of course, it's not like going through difficult things is a good thing, but Hae-ri wondered if the fact that she hadn't experienced such things was working against her in a strange way. She couldn't even call herself a commoner anymore, being the Lady of the Grand Duchy of Saengtu'an and all. Reinhardt is undoubtedly Alz's champion. What about today? In reality, nothing happened, but just thinking about how she trembled and almost collapsed in front of Reinhardt like she was being stalked made her feel so embarrassed that she wanted to die. They didn't even have a proper conversation and ended up like this. Hae-ri couldn't believe that she had reconciled with Reinhardt over something so trivial that made her scared. Isn't even the event of returning to their original relationship too contrived? The next morning, "Lady of Saengtu'an, we need your cooperation for a moment." Two magicians who introduced themselves as imperial magic investigators came to her dormitory before dawn. She was clearly thinking that there was no way they were fake. Then they wouldn't have been able to enter the temple in the first place. "Why me...?" "There was a murder in the imperial magic research room last night. You need to be investigated as an important witness." "Yes... what?!" Murder. Hearing that word made Hae-ri's head spin, and at the same time, she was engulfed in an inexplicable sense of fear. Even if she hadn't done anything wrong, even if she was the Lady of Saengtu'an with a high status, she couldn't help but freeze at the word "crime." And it was even a murder case that happened in the palace. Looking at the polite but oppressive investigators, Hae-ri was pale. It was a time when her classmates would be sleeping because it was dawn. However, for those who were training at dawn, it was also a time to wake up. "W-what's going on?" For example, Reinhardt.