Chapter 565: Chapter 552: Trouble
[Realm: Álfheimr]
[Location: Heart Kingdom]
[Pulchritudo]
The pounding against the church doors did not cease.
If anything, it only became more violent.
Each blow reverberated through the old space, rattling the wooden pews and sending flakes of dust drifting from the beams above. The peaceful silence that had settled over the church only moments earlier had been utterly shattered.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Catherine’s composure cracked first.
She turned sharply towards Mikoto and Robert, urgency replacing the gentle warmth she had carried throughout the afternoon.
"You two, quickly." Her voice remained controlled, but only barely. "We have some rather unpleasant visitors." She glanced towards a narrow passage branching off from the main sanctuary. "If you leave through that corridor, you’ll find another exit at the back of the church. Please, go now before they see you."
Nicholas had already begun moving towards the entrance.
His pace was calm, yet every step carried the posture of someone who already knew what waited beyond those doors.
Neither he nor Catherine stopped to see whether the two visitors intended to obey.
They simply continued forward together.
Mikoto watched them for a brief moment.
Then, without saying a word, he rose from the pew.
Robert looked at him.
"We’re actually leaving?" Robert whispered.
Instead of answering, Mikoto casually lifted one of his heavy gauntleted hands and rested it upon Robert’s shoulder. The touch was light, far lighter than someone wearing thick plate armor should have been capable of. A small ripple spread through the air.
Robert blinked.
His own hand, he could see straight through it. His body had become translucent, like a ghost standing inside the world.
His emerald eyes widened.
"What..." He turned sharply towards Mikoto. "I thought you said those wards blanketing the city made using magic impossible."
Mikoto rolled his eyes.
"I said they make it annoying." His voice remained quiet, carrying the smallest hint of smugness. "There’s a difference."
He flexed his fingers once.
The distortion surrounding them steadied.
"The city’s wards force people to work harder if they don’t want to be noticed." A small snort escaped him. "For someone like me..." His rosy lips curved into a small, self-assured smile. "...that’s hardly much of an obstacle." His red eyes drifted towards the church entrance. "They won’t see us. They won’t hear us. They won’t even catch our scent."
He folded his armored arms.
"So..." His smile faded into its usual indifference. "...let’s watch."
Robert studied him for another second.
Sometimes...
Mikoto said extraordinary things with such confidence that it became difficult to remember just how abnormal he truly was.
Eventually Robert let out a quiet sigh.
"I suppose arguing now won’t accomplish much." His attention shifted back towards the front of the church.
Nicholas reached the entrance first.
His aged hand rested upon the worn wooden handle; he hesitated. Only for a heartbeat, then slowly he pulled the heavy door inward. He barely managed to open it; its boot slammed against the opposite side.
The old door burst fully open.
Nicholas staggered backwards as three armored figures forced their way inside without invitation. Had Catherine not immediately caught his arm, the elderly pastor would almost certainly have fallen onto the stone floor.
She steadied him quickly before lifting her gaze towards the intruders. For perhaps the first time since Mikoto had entered the church a hint of anger crossed her otherwise gentle features.
Robert quietly exhaled.
"Of course." His words carried little surprise, only disappointment.
Heart Kingdom soldiers.
Three of them.
Each wore the kingdom’s standard black armor accented with deep red. A red diamond emblem sat prominently upon every breastplate, immediately identifying their allegiance.
The first was lean, with long dark hair hanging carelessly around his face. A lazy grin rested upon his lips, one that suggested he found amusement in making others uncomfortable. The second possessed slicked-back brown hair and a jagged scar cutting across one cheek. His expression was sharper, more impatient.
Standing between them was the apparent leader.
A broad, bald man whose thick frame filled much of the doorway.
Unlike the others...
He smiled.
That somehow made him appear even less pleasant.
He slowly looked around the church; his gaze lingered upon the cracked walls, the worn pews and the patched windows.
His smile widened.
"Bloody hell..." His voice echoed through the sanctuary. "Took you long enough to answer the door." He dusted an invisible speck from one gauntlet. "We were beginning to think you’d forgotten your manners."
The long-haired soldier laughed, a dry, unpleasant sound.
"Easy there." He swept an exaggerated glance across the ageing church. "If you kept knocking much harder..." he chuckled again. "...this old place might collapse before we’re finished."
His eyes wandered over the room with open mockery.
"Though..." He spread his hands theatrically. "I suppose repairs aren’t exactly within the budget around here."
The scarred soldier smirked.
The bald man raised one hand without looking at him.
"Oh, don’t be rude." His tone was almost friendly. "Our hosts have always tried their best."
He slowly stepped further inside.
"It’s simply been far too long since our last visit." His smile remained fixed upon Nicholas and Catherine. "And I must admit I’m rather disappointed."
He looked around theatrically.
"No welcome or refreshments." He sighed as though genuinely wounded. "What has become of your hospitality?"
Catherine instinctively stepped besides Nicholas.
Her hands clenched slightly beneath her sleeves.
"W-we..." She steadied herself. "...have nothing prepared for visitors today." Her voice remained polite despite the obvious strain. "I’m afraid we have nothing to offer."
The long-haired soldier laughed under his breath.
"Oh..." His grin widened. "I wouldn’t say you’ve got nothing." His eyes wandered slowly around the sanctuary before returning to the two clergy. "I think there’s still plenty worth taking."
Nicholas quietly stepped forward.
Without a word...
He placed himself between Catherine and the soldiers; his shoulders remained straight despite his age.
"We fulfilled every demand placed upon this church." His eyes never wavered. "The compensation you required was paid. We have honored every condition forced upon us. There is no justification for you to be here today."
The scarred soldier gave a humourless laugh.
Then stepped forward until only a few paces separated them.
"You really thought..." He tilted his head slightly. "...one payment settled everything?" His smile disappeared entirely. "That’s not how this works."
Mikoto and Robert remained where they were, hidden behind the veil of Mikoto’s magic. The soldiers stood only a short distance away, their raised voices carrying through the old church.
Mikoto quietly watched for several moments before slowly shaking his head.
A small sigh escaped him.
"I suppose this isn’t anything unusual for them anymore." His red eyes remained fixed on the pastor and nun. "They barely looked surprised. More tired than frightened. " His fingers lightly tapped against the black alloy of his folded gauntlets. "That tells me these visits are routine." His expression remained unreadable. "A miserable thing to get used to."
Only then did he glance sideways at Robert.
"So..." A small trace of amusement tugged at one corner of his lips. "Where’s that heroic streak of yours?" he asked quietly. "No overwhelming urge to rush in, save the poor old priest and the kind-hearted nun, then ride off feeling righteous?" He tilted his head ever so slightly. "I’d have thought a man like you would’ve struggled to stay put by now."
Robert’s gaze never left the confrontation.
His answer came after a thoughtful silence.
"When I was younger..." A smile crossed his face, though there was little happiness in it. "...perhaps. I would’ve convinced myself that courage alone solved everything." His fingers absently rested against the worn grip of his bow. "I would’ve stepped forward because it would’ve felt like the right thing to do. But years have a habit of teaching lessons pride refuses to."
His emerald eyes narrowed slightly.
"If I intervene now, those three soldiers may indeed lose. I’ve little doubt about that." He let out a slow breath. "But then what? The next patrol comes looking. Questions get asked. The church becomes associated with outsiders." His eyes briefly drifted towards Nicholas. "They’re already viewed with suspicion, they shelter demi-humans and they follow a faith most people consider heresy."
He slowly shook his head.
"If soldiers disappear after entering this church, this place won’t simply be watched. It’ll be made an example of." He looked back towards Mikoto. "So no. I’ve reached the age where I understand that winning a fight doesn’t necessarily improve the lives of the people you’re trying to protect."
Silence settled briefly, then Mikoto gave a quiet snort.
"You’re a surprisingly clever carrot top." His tone remained as dry as ever. "I expected less."
Robert blinked.
"Thank you?" He frowned. "I think. I’m honestly not sure whether that was praise or an insult."
"It can be both," Mikoto answered without hesitation.
Robert sighed.
"Somehow, I expected that answer." He studied Mikoto for another moment. "Still with everything I’ve seen from you. You don’t strike me as the sort to simply stand back. You seem the type to usually decide when something annoys you, you remove it."
Mikoto’s gaze slowly drifted back towards the soldiers.
"I could." His answer came without hesitation. "So easily it wouldn’t even be worth calling effort." His voice remained disturbingly calm. "When they leave, I could erase every trace of them." He spoke as though discussing the weather. "No bodies, evidence or witnesses. The world would simply decide they died somewhere unfortunate."
His red eyes remained fixed ahead.
"I could make it look like an accident. A cave-in, a monster attack or a bridge collapse. People are remarkably willing to believe coincidence when it saves them from asking difficult questions." His expression never changed. "And there’d be nothing tying it back to this church."
He tapped one armored finger against the opposite gauntlet.
"Maybe I’ll do it." A pause followed. "Maybe I won’t." His eyes lowered slightly. "...Feels like the sort of thing I should do."
Robert looked at him carefully.
Something about that wording...
Should.
Not wanted or intended, the distinction lingered. His brows slowly furrowed. Before he could question it, Mikoto spoke again.
"But..." He fell silent, his rosy lips parted as though another word had almost escaped. "I want to see how far Fa—" He stopped himself immediately; a brief irritation crossed his porcelain features.
He clicked his tongue softly.
"...How far God’s presence actually reaches." His gaze returned to Nicholas and Catherine. "They preach, they believe and they endure. They would speak about hope as though it were something tangible." His voice remained level. "So I want to know whether that’s all faith is. A story people tell themselves so they can survive another miserable day or whether there’s actually something answering them."
The church grew quiet again; only the distant voices of the soldiers disturbed the silence.
Robert finally looked towards Mikoto.
For the first time since meeting him...
He struggled to decide whether the white-haired youth sounded cynical or genuinely curious.
Perhaps he was both.
"You can be a frightening person sometimes." Robert’s voice carried neither accusation nor fear.
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