Chapter 590

Ellen and Ludwig escaped from the burning temple.

"If the Temple Knights find out that I went in there, they won't be able to touch me, but they might try to silence you."

"...."

"For the time being, don't come out of the temple."

"....Okay."

Ludwig was absent-minded.

While helping with Rowen's work, Ludwig had discovered a glimmer of hope that he could do something himself.

But Rowen was actually an inquisitor, gathering information in the refugee village and kidnapping and torturing heretics. And for some reason, she deliberately approached him.

Rowen didn't need Ludwig's protection in the first place. She tried to use him in any way she could, and she did.

Only then did Ludwig understand Rowen's strange attitude when she saw the heretics. Because she was an inquisitor.

It may have been a lie from the beginning that they had carried out a purification operation.

"It took a long time."

"Yes."

Ellen and Ludwig joined Heinrich and Louise, who were waiting in the alley.

"...I can tell from your expressions that you know something you shouldn't."

Even though it might be different for Heinrich, Louise was the commander of the Kernstadt army and the first heir to the Kernstadt throne. Ellen hesitated for a moment whether to tell her something that could be considered a clue to the Temple Knights, but she felt strange that she was the one hesitating.

She knew that she was inevitably involved in all political matters, but she was not interested in such things. She knew that responsibility came with position, but wasn't being too neutral in itself political? And Louise was someone who knew the importance of her position better than Ellen, and she came here not as the commander of Kernstadt, but simply to help Ludwig.

So Ellen told Louise and Heinrich what she had learned at the temple. It was a heretical interrogation disguised as a shabby temple, with a huge underground prison and torture chamber, and everyone inside was dead.

"Heretical interrogation?"

Heinrich was shocked to hear the story.

"I think they were catching people and torturing them."

And Ellen said one more important thing.

There was a document with a picture of Ludwig in what looked like Rowen's office.

"Why did she deliberately...? Why?"

"I don't know that yet."

Rowen is an inquisitor. And she deliberately approached Ludwig to use him in any way she could.

Heinrich couldn't help but feel disgusted as he looked at the absent-minded Ludwig. He had been getting better for the past few days, but if this happened, he would be even more shocked than before. He was being used, but he didn't even realize it and was happy that he could still do something. Even Rowen was going around the refugee camp with Ludwig, capturing and torturing heretics. Louise questioned the connection between heresy interrogation and using Ludwig. Ludwig had asked about Ellen, and even asked if she knew what kind of existence the demon king was. Ellen wondered if Rowen had approached her through Ludwig. If Ellen died, the private faith of the Order of the Knights would disappear. They loved hope, not Ellen. Ludwig said that Ellen seemed to be a victim of all this. "I don't know what it is, but it felt like he was mocking me as if what I know is true and different...” Ellen forgot what she was going to say at Ludwig's words. Louise watched her as she opened her eyes as if she had heard something shocking. * * * Other people didn't notice, but Ellen realized one truth through the brief conversation between Ludwig and Rowen. 'He knew why and how the Gate incident happened.' That's why he laughed when Ludwig said she was a victim. Ellen had never seen Rowen's face, but Ludwig, who knew the truth that Rowen knew and could meet her anytime, didn't. That's why he said that. "He might have approached Ellen to get rid of the Order of the Knights... It seems to be true." At Heinrich's words, Ellen wanted to bite her tongue. 'No... No way.' She couldn't say it out loud, but she felt like she knew what Rowen was thinking. 'He wanted revenge... on me.' It would have been disgusting and hateful to see the Order of the Knights, who were responsible for the Gate incident and blamed everything on the Demon King, being praised as heroes and treating those who believed in the Five Great Gods as sinners. The disappearance of the Order of the Knights with Ellen's death would have been a secondary matter. Rowen also asked about the Demon King, which means that if he knew the truth, he might even support the Demon King. She is a priestess of Tu'an. So if she knew that the Demon King, the owner of Tiamat, did not want the Gate incident and even warned about it, she would naturally have to support the Demon King. She would have to hate and resent Ellen, who was the opposite. Ellen, who knew that, could not open her mouth freely, frozen like a stone. When Ludwig realized that Rowen might have approached Ellen through him, he was even more shocked. He realized that just being close to a special existence could make him a special existence, and that he could be used regardless of his own value. "Since both the heresy interrogator Rowen and his subordinate heresy interrogators are dead, it's impossible to achieve whatever their goal was... But that doesn't mean everything is resolved." Louise looks at Ellen. "Who attacked that temple in the first place? Can we just let that go without revealing it?" There were too many uneasy parts to just pass it off as everything being resolved because Rowen's intentions were unclear and she was dead. Even if it was just speculation that Rowen tried to kill Ellen. "Is there something strange about it?" "What does torturing and kidnapping the Order of Knights have to do with you?"

"Ah...."

Ellen was shocked at the possibility that Rowen might know the truth and didn't even think about what had already happened.

"Not all fanatics or crazy people are fools. You can't deny that you have nothing to do with the Gate incident. Were there clear signs of torture?"

"There was a torture chamber, and there were signs of torture on the body."

Louise nodded slowly at Ellen's words.

"Torture can be done simply to inflict pain, but it's primarily done to obtain information."

"If you've never seen someone before in your life, or at most seen them from a distance, how can you get any information about them by torturing them?"

That's clearly strange.

If Rowen approached Ludwig to kill Ellen, there's a high possibility that the torture of the Order of Knights was also done for that purpose.

But no matter how much they torture the Order of Knights, they can't find out anything about Ellen. They couldn't have been unaware of that fact.

"He might have tried to convert them...."

"Youngest. It's impossible to convert all the Order of Knights through torture."

"Well, that's true...."

"He might have thought that killing a knight was the only way to end the Order of Knights. But in this situation, it's crazy to try to kill a knight.... I don't know."

Whether it was just the crazy actions of a fanatic or had some other intention, they ultimately fell into a labyrinth.

It's possible to infer Rowen's intentions through clues, but it's impossible to know what's certain.

This was originally Ludwig's job.

But as they investigated the incident, the possibility that it was Ellen's job became very high.

Rowen's true intentions are still unknown. They don't even know who attacked the temple.

But if Ellen delves deeper into this, it will inevitably become a dangerous situation.

"The Order of Knights or the Temple of the Five Gods. Either way, those people must know about this. It's not something a single priest could have done. And I can't be sure if that person really tried to kill me. It's just a possibility."

"That's true."

Ellen said calmly.

"From here on out, I'll handle it alone. It's my problem."

It's a political and dangerous issue.

Louise, Heinrich, and Ludwig can't help.

Louise looked at Ellen with a stern expression.

A person who had to bear too much at a young age and didn't even have a place to lean on.

The victim of everything, as Ludwig said.

And the attitude of trying to bear everything alone, no matter what's in front of her.

Louise knows that she can no longer intervene in this matter.

But that attitude of having to bear everything, whether she has the will to do so or not, is heartbreaking.

A problem that only she can handle.

Louise laughs bitterly at Ellen's sad words. "Even if it may seem trivial, the burden of one's responsibilities can be related to many things. It's not just about the royals or the heirs. In a situation where the death of a knight could mean the end of humanity, they still risk their lives for dangerous situations. 'Your problem is a problem for all of humanity.' If we assume that Ellen's death would cause everything in the world to fall apart, then the things Louise carries on her shoulders become insignificant in front of Ellen's life. Ellen couldn't breathe at the thought of Louise's willingness to help until the end. * * * Even if he is a heretic interrogator, he is still part of the Order of Knights or the Five Great Divine Sects. That's why the place Ellen needs to go to learn more about Rowen is already decided. It's the main temple of the Order of Knights. Louise, as well as Heinrich and Ludwig, moved with Ellen. Ludwig originally asked Ellen to help uncover Rowen's unjust death, but in reality, Rowen was the one who caused countless unjust deaths. So, in fact, the attackers who killed Rowen might have done a just act. Rowen is not an innocent person. Ludwig had not even suspected Rowen's mask until now. No, he had been seeing suspicious behavior all along. However, he may not have suspected anything because he thought he could do something just by being with Rowen. He wanted to see the end of this matter, even if he didn't know what to do. Where does this matter lead to? Where are the roots of this matter? What exactly is happening? Like Ellen, Ludwig also wanted to know. Even if he knew, he knew it would only make him more frustrated rather than relieved. Did Rowen really try to kill Ellen? Why did he torture the knights? Does the Order of Knights know about this matter? Just as Ellen was able to push her way into the attack site guarded by the knights, the main temple of the Order of Knights was no different. 'I want to meet the leader of the Order of Knights.' That one sentence was enough."