Lipton was dragged before the Lord.
At this moment, the room was filled not only with the Lord but also with the Archbishop, who governed the city, and everyone he had schemed against, labeling them as heretics, was present without exception.
“This trash of a person…”
“My Lord! Please, punish this scoundrel with the harshest penalty immediately!”
Their voices trembled with rage.
In response, the Lord coldly fixed his gaze on Lipton and spoke.
“It has all been revealed about the crimes you committed. How dare you commit such monstrous acts in the name of God!”
“What monstrous acts!? You misunderstand! I merely acted legitimately as the Inquisition’s agent to punish heretics!”
Even in this dire situation, Lipton boldly expressed his opinions. After all, until now, anyone could be executed under the pretext of being a heretic, and no one could question it.
Yet now, he thought it impossible for them to use this issue to bind him. Consequently, he raised his voice, not intimidated at all.
However, his reaction only fueled the anger of those present.
“Heresy? Ha! So, you think of us as heretics, do you?”
“How dare you blaspheme our faith like that!”
“Archbishop! We can no longer bear this! Our sins have all been revealed, and you dare act this way!”
“It would be right to punish him immediately!”
The people showed no signs of backing down from their statements. Simultaneously, it seemed the Lord, along with the Archbishop, shared their sentiments, and it was then that Lipton began to sense something was fundamentally amiss.
“C-Can it be? No… that can’t be. Up until now, any accusation of heresy was accepted by the Lord or anyone else without question. But… why is this happening…?”
As he started to feel intense doubts and rising dread about the current situation, Lipton’s gaze turned to the Archbishop standing in front of him.
The very person who had been his strongest support and had always looked the other way while accepting bribes from him.
However, the Archbishop, who should have protected him in this setting, spoke to the accused heretics with a voice filled with deep anxiety.
“I… I truly regret what has transpired until now. As the representative of the Church, I must apologize to everyone present.”
“Y-Your Excellency the Archbishop…?”
He bowed his head, showing a submissive posture.
At this, Lipton’s face began to reflect bewilderment, and then the Lord coldly addressed Lipton.
“… It seems you still do not grasp the situation. Bring it here.”
“Yes.”
“Bring forth the ‘evidence.’”
“Understood.”
A servant slowly handed over a bundle of documents at the Lord’s command. The servant dropped it right before Lipton, whose face began to harden immediately.
“This… How… How is this possible?”
It was a document detailing everything that had occurred during this affair, including the list of individuals to be labeled as heretics and methods for mobilizing people for that purpose. It was a complete plan detailed step by step.
And it concluded with a note indicating its owner—Cazerose, who had taken the document, promising to inform should any issues arise right after the plan began.
If Lipton had been in his right mind, he would have been cautious or at least suspicious about such critical information being handed over, even if it were from a collaborator.
However, at that moment, he was utterly blinded by the sight of 1000 talents in cash sitting in front of him.
He couldn’t think normally and made the absurd mistake of carelessly handing over that information, forgetting about it while solely focusing on finishing the project afterward.
As a result…
The meaning of those documents now being in the hands of the Lord hit Lipton hard as he finally comprehended the situation clearly.
‘W-Wait… Could it be… C-Cazerose… has truly backstabbed me?’
Unexpected treachery from someone he had never anticipated.
Before Lipton could even feel rage about this betrayal, the Lord’s words began to mercilessly drive him into despair.
“Just so you know, the person who handed this over demanded punishment for the innocent citizens you have falsely accused of heresy and allowed to be slaughtered. Furthermore… the Gajigeos faction, who suffered substantial losses because of this incident, and these individuals here who lent you building documents, have all reported you.”
“Th-This can’t be…”
As the realization sunk in that his actions had been laid bare for all to see, Lipton’s body began to tremble.
Before him, the Archbishop bowed his head, speaking to the Lord.
“I am truly… sorry. I never imagined a son of a devil like this would exist to falsely accuse innocent believers of heresy… I believe we must make an example of him to ensure this never happens again.”
“Of course. Furthermore, I hope there will be no more of this heresy nonsense stirring up trouble. Until now, I have tolerated it as a believer of the Lord… but such an incident could happen again. If there is any further disturbance regarding heresy, I will not let it slide!”
“I-I will keep that in mind.”
While he had overlooked the matter out of concern for the Church’s image, the Lord couldn’t have a situation where merchants were suffering and public sentiment was destabilized due to heresy. All the losses would ultimately fall back on him in terms of tax losses and population declines.
Now that he had a legitimate excuse, he actively discussed this issue, and the Archbishop had no choice but to accept the Lord’s words without any rebuttal.
He understood that the justification for the Inquisition had been weakened significantly because of this incident.
Moreover, he knew that if he said anything strange here, the victims present wouldn’t let it pass, and he had to relinquish this “business,” which had provided him with a hefty income.
“Now then, let’s proceed with this matter and move directly to the trial of the accused.”
With that statement, all eyes in the room turned towards Lipton.
Filled with resentment, anger, and murderous intent.
No matter how brazen Lipton might be, facing such hostility left him utterly speechless.
And, directed at him, the Lord delivered the final judgment.
“Lipton has mercilessly murdered innocent believers under the guise of economic gain by labeling them heretics. He has caused unrest among citizens and inflicted financial damage. Therefore, I, Lord Obsidian, sentence Lipton to hang for his crimes.”
Effectively, Lipton was being held accountable for all the sins that had occurred due to the Inquisition.
With fear of death and despair settling in, his face began to twist in horror, and he started to scream.
“Oh… No! I can’t die like this! I’m innocent! I only followed God’s will!”
“Take him away! And make sure to catch everyone who supported him! I will firmly make an example of those who stir up conflict under the pretext of heresy!”
“Noooo!!”
With his screams trailing off, Lipton was dragged out…
Soon, he was completely silenced.
*
“… It’s over.”
“Yeah?”
“Heh. It’s nothing.”
About 30 km away from Münhel, in an inn, Cazerose, I, and the newly joined woman…
Polena was taking a moment to rest.
In an instant, she seemed to have a refreshing expression on her face.
I thought her cheerful demeanor wouldn’t last long after our previous experience, so I paid it no mind.
No… technically, I couldn’t pay it any mind.
The reason was… Polena, who had been sticking to me like glue since leaving Münhel, and Cazerose, who watched us with an uncomfortable expression.
“Well then, Master, you must be a bit hungry, so I will go get something.”
Polena spoke with unusual energy, and I felt uneasy about her calling me ‘Master’ and said to her.
“No… I mean… that Master thing is a bit…”
“If you’re uncomfortable with ‘Master,’ what should I call you? ‘My lord’? ‘Daenerys’? Or perhaps… ‘Darling’?”
-Clink!-
Suddenly, I heard a thin sound.
I felt rather flustered and said to Polena.
“Uh… just… call me Master…”
“Yes! Master! I, Polena, will serve You, Mr. Santana, forever! Please use my body and heart as You wish; I am ready to serve You right this moment for the night…”
“Guh…!”
At her words, Cazerose’s face turned instantly red with anger.
I felt myself getting anxious and quickly urged Polena.
“N-No! You don’t need to do any of that; just order some food.”
Though I had somewhat expected this from her, she was overflowing with energy.
Seeing this, while it was a bit burdensome, at least I thought that I wouldn’t find myself bored in the near future.
“That being said… we’ve made it this far to the Bohemia region.”
I could see a small hill coming into view.
Once we crossed that, the first destination would be the Bohemia region, and from there, crossing into the Rhapsody region would take us straight into the Dragona Empire.
“The problem is… that there will likely be a rebellion there soon… I still think it’s best to pass through quickly.”
Thus, hoping to avoid getting tangled in troublesome matters this time, I tightly held Cazerose’s hand, which was inching closer to me with a worried expression.
