Chapter 603

Sabiolin Tana looks at Ellen with sad eyes, but they cannot communicate. Then, they both express that they do not want to hurt each other. They engage in a battle of pride, but ultimately cannot determine who is stronger. Heinrich worries about the situation and Ellen's arrogance, while Sabiolin Tana is surprised by Ellen's willingness to fight without using artifacts. Sabiolin Tana unleashes a powerful magic storm, knocking Ellen and Heinrich away. In this chapter, Sabiolin Tana and Ellen engage in a battle of pride, with neither wanting to hurt the other. Heinrich is concerned about Ellen's arrogance, while Sabiolin Tana is surprised by Ellen's willingness to fight without using artifacts. The battle ends abruptly when Emperor Berthus appears and puts a stop to it. He questions the group and ultimately accepts that Ellen has a duty to know what is going on. Berthus ultimately gives up trying to convince Ellen otherwise and accepts her determination to find out what is happening. Louise couldn't understand why Berthus was looking at her like that. "And, one more thing," Berthus said, looking at everyone. "I didn't kill Rowen." Everyone was shocked by this statement, which turned everything they thought they knew upside down. "It's hard to believe, but that's the truth." It was just a terrible coincidence that led Ellen to this point. The theft of the remains in the underground of the Holy Knight Order was an incident unrelated to the Empire. "Then who... killed the priest?" Ludwig's eyes widened at the absurdity of it all. If Berthus had nothing to do with Rowen's death, then this was not over yet. Who killed Rowen? "I don't know." No one could know the truth. * * * "Emergency meeting?" "Yes, the five archbishops have something urgent to discuss. They're gathering at the Altar of Alz." Illeon Bulton had left the headquarters of the Holy Knight Order and arrived at the Altar of Alz. There was only one altar for the Alz Archdiocese among the five archdioceses of the Divine Faith. Since the Holy Knight Order was a place where the power of the five archdioceses was concentrated, the four archbishops, except for the archbishop of Alz, who was the head of the Alz Archdiocese, were staying in the temples of each archdiocese, where their power was relatively high. In terms of location and situation, it was customary for the archbishop meeting of the Odeum Archdiocese to be held at the headquarters of the Holy Knight Order. There was no better place symbolically or meaningfully. But Illeon Bulton couldn't help feeling strange that the archbishops of the Odeum Archdiocese had called an emergency meeting and that the location was the Altar of Alz. Was there a reason to call him here? But strictly speaking, the commander of the Holy Knight Order was under the archbishops. It was Illeon Bulton's duty to go wherever he was called. Even without that, he was busy enough with his duties. He was also hesitant because he didn't know why the archbishops were gathering. It was an emergency meeting, so there were no attendants or servants. The prestige of the Tuan Archdiocese had also declined significantly, along with the Weise Archdiocese, but the altar was still an altar. Its overwhelming aura could not be helped, and there were no passersby pointing fingers at the altar. Illeon Bulton arrived alone at the Altar of Alz. The meeting room on the top floor of the Altar of Alz. "They... let everyone go," he heard as soon as he arrived at the top floor, where there were no priests or holy knights wandering around. What are they talking about? What are they planning? What should I do if something happens? Amidst countless worries, Illeon Bulton opened the door to the top floor meeting room, not too hastily or too quietly, like any other meeting room. As expected, there was a round table. Translation:

Of course, the five archbishops were sitting in the conference room. They stared at Illeon Bulton with a stern expression as he appeared. In a space where only five archbishops should be, there was one more person. Sitting in a chair, the person smiled at Illeon Bulton while looking at him. Illeon Bulton, who never panicked even in difficult situations, could not help but turn pale. "Illeon Bulton." "You...!" "It's been three years, probably." There was the demon king Reinhardt. The appearance of him disguised as a human. Reinhardt was sitting there casually. Reinhardt pointed to the chair in front of Illeon Bulton with his chin. "What are you doing? Sit down." It was an arrogant tone, as if he could be the owner of that seat.

* * *

The Death Knights we created. The Empire's Chimera Homunculus Undead. It was originally a similar direction. We had to replenish the Death Knights, so we needed a corpse. But at that point, we didn't know that the Empire was doing something similar. After replenishing the Death Knights at the Saints' Cemetery, I began to find out what the Empire was doing. There was a concern that the Holy Knights would accidentally find out what the Empire was doing while tracking this incident. After hearing the truth from Berthus, we briefly talked. "We're already tracking it. We're being careful, but we don't know what will happen." Of course, the Holy Knights tried to investigate what happened in their territory. There was no reason to cover up or hide the scene in the first place. What if they found out that it was my doing? But unexpectedly, the incident was bouncing in a direction where it could become a secret that the Empire should not know. We did it, but the Empire was the one who would be exposed. Soon, what I did could become a strange butterfly effect, and a bizarre situation could occur where the Empire would be caught. But there was nothing I could do there, so I decided to stay at the temple and watch the situation. And then Archbishop Rowen died. Originally, like Ludwig's claim, I didn't believe that the people of the refugee village killed Rowen. Like Ellen, I knew almost all the hidden truths behind it, unlike Ellen, who was taking the first step of the investigation. The death of Archbishop Rowen was likely not an ordinary event. Of course, the first person I went to was Berthus. I could easily meet him through Sarkergar and find the location. Berthus already knew about this matter. "It's not us?" "Yes, it's not us." Berthus said that the Empire did not do what happened in the temple. "I did think about whether to handle it or not." "...You thought about it?" "If it's the inquisitor, that person." Of course, Berthus already knew something I didn't. "I found out yesterday too, it seems like he intentionally approached Ludwig. He couldn't enter the temple, so he tried to use any means necessary... It's surprising for me too." Rowen was an inquisitor and was naturally investigating what happened in the Holy Knights. And after finding out that there was a connection between the missing temple body and the incident, he intentionally approached Ludwig to obtain his identity. Berthus was aware of the situation. The inquisitor who was trying to approach the truth that should not be known was trying to use Ludwig. But he suddenly died. Berthus was also surprised by the situation. I also thought it was highly likely that the Empire was responsible for Rowen's death. As long as Rowen was an inquisitor, investigating the incident and considering the temple, the Empire had enough reason to kill him to silence him. But the Empire is not the culprit. "I don't know the exact reason, but it could be punishment." "....What? Punishment?" It was a ridiculous statement. "Listen carefully, Reinhardt." Although the story I heard from Berthus was long, the content was simple. The Ode to the Divine Sect may have different intentions. To be precise, the popes of each sect. "What...are you talking about...?" I couldn't help but be shocked when I heard those words from Berthus. "Are they...preparing to side with me?" "Probably." From Berthus' perspective, it was betrayal. From my perspective, it was defection or desertion. "I don't know which side the dead priest was on, but now that the incident has occurred, we can't stop the flow." "...." "The sect and the Holy Knights may split, and a civil war may break out. Then the situation will become even more complicated." "Then what...what should we do?" "We have to stop it. Until the Gate incident is over, no one can shed blood for such a thing." It was something that Berthus couldn't do. It was something only I could do. "Do you know what you're talking about?" To my question, Berthus gave a bitter smile. "Of course not." "...." I couldn't say anything.