Chapter 401: Ugly
"I’m telling you, Dominic, that woman felt stronger than the Holy Mother herself!"
Reinhardt had just finished recounting everything that happened to his fellow Paladin, but his sworn brother did not appear to be taking his words entirely seriously.
"You want me to believe that two women fell from the sky and created this crater," Dominic began slowly, "and that one of them was not only a Saint-level powerhouse supposedly stronger than the Holy Mother, but also a demon?"
"Yes!"
Reinhardt nodded hysterically.
After recovering his wits following the encounter, he had carefully gone over everything he knew about demons. There was no known race in this world with that distinctive sheen of blue skin other than the demons of old.
Dominic stared at him for a long moment.
"Do you realise how ridiculous you sound right now?"
The two Paladins stood at the edge of the crater, looking down into its scorched depths. Two days had passed since Zenith and Isla appeared in this world, and Reinhardt had rushed back to report the incident before returning with his partner to investigate.
There had to be two of them just in case something went wrong.
Dominic crouched slightly and studied the scorched markings spreading across the ground.
"Have you considered the possibility that she simply used a powerful intimidation technique to suppress you and prevent you from acting?" he asked. "A method designed to convince you that she was far stronger than she truly was?"
Reinhardt frowned.
Dominic continued before he could respond.
"The possibility that the woman was a demon is difficult to believe, but not impossible. Considering the destruction caused by her arrival, there is a chance she somehow escaped from the seal."
His gaze lifted toward the sky.
"That pillar of light descended from the heavens. Until we learn otherwise, we should assume that a demon is loose somewhere in this world."
Reinhardt nodded slowly.
"But I do not believe she is on par with the Holy Mother," Dominic added. "The only demon ever known to possess that level of strength was the Demon King himself, and as far as I am aware, the Demon King was a man."
Reinhardt remained quiet for a moment, giving his words some thought.
This was one of the reasons he enjoyed working with Dominic. The man was not only ranked fourth among the Divine Paladins, but also possessed a good head on his shoulders.
Unlike Reinhardt, who preferred to deal with most problems using his sword, Dominic had always been more cautious.
"We should proceed carefully," Dominic continued. "For now, we should assume that she possesses powerful mental suppression abilities capable of affecting even Sage Mages. Before we begin hunting for her, I suggest we ask the Holy Mother to grant us mind-protection talismans."
Reinhardt nodded.
"All right."
His gaze drifted back toward the crater.
"But why do you think she had a human woman with her?"
Dominic shrugged.
"Who knows? Perhaps she intends to kill her and consume her flesh, as all demons do."
The pair called over a small squad of lower-ranking Church officials they had brought with them and instructed them to establish a camp near the crater. Their task was simple: prevent civilians from approaching the area and keep watch in case more demons appeared.
There was an essential road nearby that led to the mining town of Westmere, and it would not be unusual if a curious traveller or two wandered here.
The group consisted of one Deacon and five Acolytes.
The Deacon, a High Mage named Thorian, wore the plain white robes of an ordained Church official. The five Acolytes beneath him were Advanced Mages dressed in simple grey robes.
Acolytes occupied the lowest rank within the Church’s official hierarchy. Most were relatively young Mages who had only recently entered its service, but even being considered for the position required talent. An applicant had to reach the early stages of the Advanced Mage realm at a relatively young age before the Church would accept them.
Deacons stood one step higher.
They were ordained officials who had managed to climb the hierarchy through years of service, and each of them had to be a High Mage at the very least. Many were assigned to assist the Divine Paladins directly, handling their basic affairs and carrying out basic tasks in their absence.
Thorian served beneath Dominic.
He was also something of an outcast among the ordained Deacons. Most of his peers considered him unusually ugly.
When Thorian received the Goddess’s blessing on the day of his ordination, his appearance had improved noticeably, as it did for most faithful servants of the Church who received the Goddess’s blessing. However, the blessing had failed to correct his crooked nose and several other unpleasant features.
His peers took that as a sign that his faith was lacking.
According to the rumours, the Goddess’s blessing had simply been less effective on him because he was not sufficiently devoted. As a result, Thorian almost always wore a sour expression.
"Take care of things here, Thorian," Dominic instructed as he mounted his white pegasus.
"Of course, my lord."
Thorian bowed deeply.
Dominic and Reinhardt guided their mounts into the air and swiftly disappeared into the distant sky.
Once they were gone, Thorian turned back toward the Acolytes beneath him. Three of them were already pitching tents and arranging the supplies required for their temporary camp.
The remaining two were newly ordained young women who had become distracted while watching the two handsome Paladins ascend into the heavens.
One of them leaned closer to her companion, "Have you heard that Deacon Thorian was cursed by the Goddess?" she whispered.
"Really?"
The other woman gasped softly in shock
"Is that why his face is so—"
"Shush!" one of the more experienced Acolytes hissed. "He will hear you!"
Unfortunately, the warning came too late. Thorian was already approaching them with a deep scowl on his face.
"Is there something you would like to say to me directly?" he asked coldly.
The two young women stiffened.
"No, Deacon Thorian!"
They answered in unison before hurriedly returning to work. Thorian stared at them for a long moment before looking toward the other three Acolytes.
"Filo. Drake. Vlad."
The two men and the singular woman straightened immediately.
"You will scout the perimeter," Thorian instructed. "It seems our new blood would prefer to remain behind and finish setting up the camp."
"Yes, Deacon."
The three Acolytes quickly departed, leaving the two frightened young women to handle the remainder of the work alone.
Thorian turned back toward them.
"Set up my tent first," he ordered. "You will also take turns cleaning my chamber pot throughout this little excursion."
Both women flinched. That was certainly not a part of their duties; however, neither of them dared to object.
Thorian gave them one final, disapproving glance before turning away and walking toward the crater.
’How dare they?’
If it were up to him, any Acolyte foolish enough to disrespect an ordained Deacon would be punished severely, perhaps even have them killed entirely!
Unfortunately, he knew Dominic would ask questions if something happened to the pair after his departure.
Thorian briefly considered claiming that they had been attacked while scouting the area, then silencing the others to ensure that no one contradicted his story.
But no, that was far too risky. He needed to keep his hands clean while quietly climbing the Church hierarchy.
As for the Deacons who spread those humiliating rumours behind his back, let them talk.
He would work harder. He would prove his devotion.
Then, once he earned his next ascension and received the Goddess’s blessing a second time, these ugly features would finally disappear.
After that, they would all pay. A crooked grin slowly spread across Thorian’s face as he approached the edge of the crater.
Below him, the last traces of fire still smouldered faintly across the blackened ground.
