Chapter 134: Revealing The True Identity (2)
Why leave them be?
Are you saying we should just let such heretics go unpunished?
Is the Saint in his right mind? How can a Saint tell us not to punish heretics!
Saint, how can you say such a thing?
The leader of the country showed no excitement toward the Pope.
He simply looked at Ray, seemingly baffled.
He turned to the Pope and said,
If we punish them now, we will only make Proxia wary. To completely eradicate the heresy, the Pope must wait.
At Rays words, the Pope lapsed into thought.
Then he shook his head.
Thats unacceptable. How can those who follow the merciful Gaia ignore heretics? I will defeat them one by one. This will please Gaia more.
Rays face tightened slightly.
If things had gone according to plan, they could have completely wiped out Proxia, but that damned faith began to interfere.
He had forgotten that this was a holy nation.
A place where people chose faith over simple and efficient methods.
It was improbable that the leader of such a nation would easily consent.
There was nothing Ray could do if the Pope refused.
In times of war, the Popes power was immense.
With the Pope being so resolute, the last option had disappeared.
A person with such fanatical faith wouldnt alter their stance, even with a sword at their throat.
Ah this is troublesome.
Ray sighed softly and nodded.
Understood. Do as you wish, Your Holiness. But be wary of the neighboring countries. Im not sure what exactly Proxia is, but its clear its not a solitary force.
The Pope replied with a grave expression.
I will do so.
Ray had first mentioned the neighboring countries to the Pope as a warning not to trust them overly.
If an unknown force invaded the holy nation and the closest allies failed to provide support, it would be quite suspicious.
He had approached the Pope because he felt his own power was slightly lacking, but the Pope had decided to confront them on his own.
Perhaps it would have been better not to have brought it up at all.
If the Pope began to interfere with the spies in the holy nation of Proxia, noticing the movement, they would start to withdraw from the front lines.
Then Ray sending the Seven Heavenly Messengers to neighboring countries would have been in vain.
The situation would revert to a month earlier when Proxia first invaded.
But now there was no other choice.
Not even knowing who the leaders were, and now with the Pope refusing his suggestion.
I should not have said anything.
Even so, as the leader of a country, he believed he would make a different choice than merely following faith.
He did not think they would follow only faith while their people died and their troops diminished.
But their faith was far greater than Ray had expected.
Even with the fate of the nation at stake, they prioritized faith.
Ray bowed to the Pope again and left the audience room.
He had hoped to gain more than what he came with but left with nothing.
The Seven Heavenly Messengers were moving to another country.
Their speed was like the wind.
Jeokyeong asked as he passed by,
I did investigate as the Saint ordered, but I never thought even the Gehel Sanctuary would be involved.
It means the Holy Nation is no longer what it used to be.
Jeokyeong laughed at Hyulyeongs response.
How interesting. Now, when there are two saints for the first time in history, its the decline of the Holy Nation.
They were speechless for a moment.
The Seven Heavenly Messengers were also part of the Holy Nation.
Their faith couldnt be small.
But seeing the Holy Nation heading toward ruin, they felt anger and a sense of something breaking.
The fear of losing the place they had lived in and could live in.
It weighed heavily on their minds.
They moved as per the command, but the thought didnt completely disappear.
Everywhere they went, they saw corpses left unattended and people wailing over them.
Unspeakable scenes unfolded in the dusty ruins.
The streets that once overflowed with happiness were now smeared with bloodstains.
What sin had these people committed to deserve such a fate?
To reduce even one more sorrow, eradicating Proxia as soon as possible was the only answer.
Hongyeong carried the sleeping Soyeong, quickening their pace.
Ray returned straight to his mansion.
I really cant understand. The country is falling apart, what are they thinking?
How could they do such inefficient things without knowing what would happen?
As a believer, it might be the highest mindset, but as a leader, it was the worst choice.
Ultimately, it was the people who would suffer from the Popes decision.
Ray began to worry, clutching his head.
Proxia has suffered losses in Gehel. Will they start to retreat? Or will they attack Selonia again?
With so little information, he couldnt predict.
Perhaps this loss of troops meant nothing to Proxia.
They had at least six known Sword Masters, enough power to destroy a medium-sized kingdom.
If they still had similar forces, it could be an unexpected variable.
For example, if they gave up advancing to the Holy Nation and targeted other kingdoms.
If so, other kingdoms would have no choice but to succumb to Proxia.
Except for a powerful nation like the Lecian Empire, no kingdom could stand against them as a single force.
If they continued to eliminate kingdoms one by one, their power would only grow.
He didnt know how big they could get, but in the worst case, even he might not be able to stop them.
Now was the perfect time to strike, but with the Pope opposing, he couldnt act alone.
Even as a Saint, he couldnt move the entire Holy Nation with just military force and war contributions.
After sitting, standing, and aimlessly repeating squats, Ray finally shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
Ah Cant help it. Ill find out something by asking the Necromancer.
He thought that even if the Necromancer was a black magician shunned by the continent, he would be moved by Rays sincere concern for the people and reveal the truth.
If not, Ray was fully prepared to force compliance.
First, Ray headed to Eclairs mansion.
He needed to pick up a few things there.
Upon his arrival at the heavily guarded underground dungeon, the gatekeepers recognized him and gasped.
Huh! Greetings, Saint!
Greetings, Saint! You have awakened!
Ahaha. I must have slept too much, right?
Not at all.
Everyone already knew of the struggles he had endured for the Holy Nation.
No one criticized him for merely sleeping for a month.
Ray addressed the guards.
May I speak with the Necromancer for a moment, is that possible?
Actually, Eclair instructed us to open the door immediately if you came.
Eclair did?
Yes. He said he wanted you to interrogate him.
The guard opened the large door as he spoke.
He is on the lowest floor. That area is beyond my authority, so please forgive me for not escorting you.
Thats fine. Thank you for your efforts.
Ray, clutching a leather bag, stepped into the dungeon.
From the dungeons entrance, the miserable state of the prisoners was evident.
This place housed only the most vicious criminals.
From fallen nobles to heretics, one could see they were all there upon closer inspection.
As Ray, dressed in clean robes, walked past, they reached out to him.
I am innocent! I dont belong in a place like this!
Please let me out! Let me leave this place!
Ray looked at them with indifference.
Being here meant they had definitely committed crimes.
Honestly, in any other prison, there might be innocent people, but not here.
If their guilt wasnt certain, they wouldnt be in this dungeon.
Some had stabbed others in the heart, some had killed.
The screams of those who destroyed everything others had built did not concern him.
After passing the first floor and descending to the third basement, the noise subsided.
This was the lowest floor of Selonia prison.
An eerie silence pervaded the area.
In the most secluded corner of this floor, Ray sensed a presence.
He approached and spoke to an old man who lay as if collapsed.
Its been a while?
The old man stirred at his voice.
Kekeke. I wondered when you would come
The old man, previously lying on his back, sat up to face Ray.
Their eyes met, filled with venom.
So has the situation in the Holy Nation worsened?
Yeah. Its a complete mess because of Proxia or whatever.
Hehehehe. Thats pleasantly surprising news.
Thats why Im here to ask you a few things.
The Necromancer merely sneered at his casual tone.
Do you think this old man will speak so easily?
No. I dont think so.
Ray replied with a sly smile.
Please dont speak easily. I have plenty of time right now. Hehehe.
As he spoke, he opened his leather bag.
Inside, various medical tools were visible.
There was an unidentified liquid and blades that made ones legs cramp just by looking at them.
Ray rummaged through the bag and pulled out a book.
It was a medical textbook.
He had visited Eclairs lab to gather the book and tools.
Honestly, it would be more accurate to say he had come for a medical experiment rather than to interrogate the Necromancer.
His eyes, contemplating what to use first, gleamed devilishly.
The old man, who had withstood all forms of torture without speaking, sensed something terribly amiss.
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