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Hamel looked down at the old man. Even though the iron bars had been opened and people had entered, the man did not move an inch. Upon closer inspection, his appearance was barely human. The old man, who seemed to have suffered through every imaginable torture, appeared to be almost entirely blind and deaf. His fingernails and toenails had been pulled out and regrown so many times they were deformed and twisted. His skin was a patchwork of rags, peeling and regenerating in an endless cycle.

What kind of sin could he have committed to be suffering such agony in a place like this? Hamel lowered himself to meet the man’s gaze.

“Greetings.”

“…….”

The old man offered no response.

“Greetings. I am an Exorcist of the Church.”

Hamel spoke repeatedly. Eventually, he even placed a hand on the man’s shoulder and shook him gently. Still, there was only silence. The old man showed no reaction, as if he were already no longer a resident of this world.

‘……This is problematic.’

Hamel grew slightly anxious. Time was running out.

‘If the Archbishop’s body is discovered……’

Disaster would surely follow. He had to wrap things up and escape the Inquisition before that happened.

“What should we do……?”

As Hamel deliberated, Daniel spoke up abruptly.

“Hamel, why don’t we just take this old man with us?”

“But the guards outside—”

The moment Hamel began to shake his head in response:

Grip.

Suddenly, the old man’s arm, which had looked like a piece of deadwood, moved and seized Hamel. He raised his grey, unfocused eyes and stared at Hamel.

“……!”

Startled, Hamel looked back at him. The old man’s mouth opened and closed repeatedly, like someone who had forgotten how to speak. After a long moment:

“Ha… mel.”

“……?”

“Is… is your name… Hamel?”

The old man, who hadn’t reacted to anything else, responded to Hamel’s name. Was it a coincidence? Hamel felt a strange sensation and nodded.

“Yes, I am Hamel Gilmore.”

“…….”

The old man didn’t reply immediately. Instead, his body trembled slightly. After another pause, he nodded and asked:

“What brings you here?”

“I came to find you. There are a few things I wish to ask.”

“……Ask.”

The old man nodded slowly. Even that simple movement seemed to take immense effort. Hamel had many questions, but he started with the most vital one.

“Who are you?”

The old man remained silent for a moment before speaking with difficulty.

“I am a priest. One who serves Lord Ehursika.”

“Why are you in a place like this?”

“I was captured long ago along with my comrades. We were framed, branded as heretics, and everyone was killed. I am all that remains.”

Framed? For what? Just as Hamel wondered this, the old man spoke again.

“You are here because he told you to come, aren’t you?”

“Who are you referring to?”

“The Apostle of Marvas, the Lord of Black Cries and Prophet of the Three-Inch Tongue.”

“……!”

Hamel immediately realized what the old man meant. The form of a crow. The name of that Evil God was Marvas. And his apostle was…

“Are you talking about Leo Benedictus?”

Hamel uttered the name in a low voice. The old man nodded.

“Leo… Leo, was it? Perhaps he went by that name this time.”

“This time……?”

Hamel asked reflexively. The man’s phrasing was odd. The old man replied calmly:

“He had a different name when I was brought here. He was the one who is currently the Archbishop.”

“What does that……”

Shocked, Hamel was momentarily speechless. The old man stared into the void and said tonelessly:

“He has lived for a very long time in that manner. Moving from body to body like shedding skin. The current Archbishop is nothing more than an empty shell—a fake.”

“That means……”

Hamel turned to look at Daniel. Daniel’s face was deathly pale. It was him. Leo Benedictus. The person who had slaughtered Daniel’s family was that very man. He had simply been using the body of the Archbishop at the time. Everything from the past had finally connected to the present.

“It wasn’t… over yet. My revenge isn’t finished.”

Daniel ground his teeth. The fact that he hadn’t known his enemy was right in front of him—the fact that he had been thoroughly used—made his blood boil. While everyone was silent from the shock, Hamel spoke.

“How can we reveal the truth?”

Hamel asked the old man how to expose the secret. If they could prove that the Archbishop had been the apostle of an Evil God, they could clear Daniel’s name for the killing. Only then could they resume the hunt for Leo Benedictus.

The old man fell silent for a moment before opening his mouth.

“If you are asking how to reveal the Archbishop’s true identity, there is only one way.”

“……What is it?”

“The deceased Archbishop must receive a benediction from the Pope.”

“……!”

Hamel couldn’t respond. The method mentioned was far too absurd. As if reading Hamel’s thoughts, the old man continued:

“It won’t be easy. We tried everything, but it was impossible. That is the only way.”

“…….”

Hamel thought to himself: What if it were me? He had the Blue Flame. With that power, perhaps he could reveal the truth…

“It is impossible. Even with the Blue Flame, you cannot reveal his identity.”

“……!”

The old man spoke as if he had read Hamel’s mind. But that couldn’t be. If he had the power to read minds, he wouldn’t have asked what Hamel’s questions were. That left only one answer.

‘As I thought……’

This old man knew who he was. For some reason. Hamel asked bluntly:

“Do you know me?”

“……Yes.”

The old man nodded.

“Can you tell me more?”

“…….”

The old man shut his mouth tight, like a clam that would never open. Hamel didn’t push. The man had reacted to Hamel’s name, but since then, he hadn’t asked anything about Hamel. It felt like he was intentionally avoiding the topic. Even if he asked more, he wouldn’t get an answer.

“I understand. Then first, let us leave this place together.”

Hamel stood up and reached for the chains binding the old man. He intended to free him. The Archbishop was dead, but they couldn’t be at ease. There was no telling how deep the Inquisition’s involvement went. Leaving the old man here was too dangerous.

However.

“Stop.”

“……Excuse me?”

“Leave me and go. I have no intention of leaving this place.”

The old man was stubborn. It was the most resolute he had been since they arrived.

“Why?”

“For the sake of martyrdom, I must die here.”

“……What do you mean by that?”

Hamel couldn’t accept it. He tried to persuade the man a few more times, but the old man just shook his head. Eventually, he stopped responding altogether, as if he had nothing left to say.

“Hamel…….”

Daniel placed a hand on Hamel’s shoulder and shook his head. They couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

“I will go to the Pope. And I will certainly reveal the Archbishop’s true nature.”

“…….”

“And after that, I will come back to get you out of here.”

Even at these words, the old man remained silent. Hamel was forced to turn away from the unresponsive man. Just before he left the iron bars, Hamel remembered something he had been curious about and turned back to ask.

“That ‘frame-up’ you mentioned earlier… what was it?”

He didn’t expect an answer. It was just a question thrown out on a whim. But.

Twitch.

The old man’s motionless body began to tremble. He didn’t answer Hamel. Instead, he began to mutter continuously like a madman, repeating only one phrase:

“It was all for the Good Gods.”

“Is your business concluded?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Hamel thanked the dungeon guard and left. Fortunately, the disaster he feared hadn’t happened yet. The interior of the Inquisition was peaceful.

“It hasn’t been discovered yet, it seems.”

“Not much time has passed, after all.”

Thanks to Elizabeth’s help, things had gone smoother than expected. There was still plenty of time before the meal with the Emperor that the Bishop had mentioned. They needed to get as far away as possible in the meantime. Just as Hamel and his companions were leaving the building:

“Excuse me……!”

Someone called out to Hamel. He turned his head tensely and saw a boy. He was a seminarian who hadn’t even become a subdeacon yet—clearly a student aiming to be an Inquisitor. The student held something out with a nervous expression.

“C-could I get an autograph?”

“…….”

What the boy held out was a white handkerchief and a quill dipped in ink. Hamel and his group, who had been on edge, looked deflated. After a moment, Hamel took the items, signed them, and handed them back. He figured it was better to sign quickly and leave rather than draw attention by refusing.

“Wow! Thank you so much!”

The boy received it with a bright smile. And at that moment, a small commotion broke out nearby.

“Whoa, he actually got it?”

“Wait, let me find something to get signed too……”

‘……?’

The atmosphere was turning strange. Amidst the voices of envy directed at the boy, Hamel heard some worrying murmurs. Then, an entirely unexpected situation unfolded. Several people who had been stealing glances at Hamel began to approach him and strike up conversation.

“Ahem, hello, I am Lucas, from the Inquisition……”

“I-I was here first! I am……”

“…….”

How did it end up like this? As Hamel looked bewildered, his companions stared at him with slightly incredulous expressions.

“……is dead!”

“Close the doors……!”

At that moment, a faint commotion echoed from the top floor of the Inquisition. It meant only one thing.

‘Caught.’

Fortunately, it seemed no one but Hamel had heard the sound yet. But the news would spread in an instant. There was no time. Hamel’s expression turned stone-cold.

“……Oh. D-did we make a mistake?”

The people who had crowded around him flinched and stepped back. Hamel shook his head but spoke in a low, urgent voice:

“I have urgent business. Could you please step aside?”

“Ah, yes, yes! Of course! Certainly!”

The people scrambled to clear a path. Hamel quickly exited the building. The rest of the party, sensing something was wrong, followed closely in silence.

“Is it……?”

At Daniel’s hushed question, Hamel nodded.

“We must hurry.”

“Damn. That was faster than expected.”

They didn’t know why. Perhaps the Bishop’s patience had run thin while waiting for the Archbishop, or perhaps someone else had entered the prayer room. Whatever the cause, the situation had erupted.

“Elizabeth. We must leave the Holy City and head for the Church. We need to move as fast as possible without drawing attention. Can you help us?”

Elizabeth nodded with a grim face.

“I will lead you through a path no one else knows.”

“Please do.”

With that, the group increased their pace. The commotion within the Inquisition grew louder by the second. Leaving the chaos behind him, Hamel simply moved forward.