Chapter 61

"Damn it, who would've thought the Knight Order would raid us? To think that we, who were separated by the Bishop, would become the remaining forces."

"...Maybe the Bishop separated us with this in mind. It's painful, but the Knight Order doesn't kill people anyway, right? We can always rescue those imprisoned later."

A staircase made of stone bricks.

There, several troops wearing armor with unique patterns were quietly walking up the path.

They wore sorrowful expressions, as if lamenting.

"The Bishop was eventually captured too. What should we do now?"

"There's no need to despair yet."

However, the two knights who seemed to be their temporary leaders spoke while guiding the tearful believers.

"...We just need to manifest the Torturer in this world. Then our harsh lives will end."

"...Right, we shouldn't give up yet. If worst comes to worst, we can ask for help from another Bishop."

Thus, they quietly murmured as they left the underground space, promising themselves that they would surely achieve their goal next time.

***

While White Mask and I were watching them, Muyeon volunteered to run to the Knight Order and report everything.

Under the Vice Captain's orders, about 20 knights came down and started loading the numerous people collapsed on the floor into peculiarly shaped carts.

The wheels had quite large spikes, and there was a flat wooden board on the opposite side of the handle.

"Hmm? This is a design I haven't seen before. Trying to pull a normal cart on stairs would be hell, wouldn't it? That's why Rondan's stairs are standardized from the start, and the wheels are made accordingly."

Ah, I see.

Now that I think about it, the stairs did all look the same.

I hadn't been conscious of it while walking on the stairs, but I learned an interesting piece of information.

As we watched the knights loading or escorting the heretics for a while, we noticed the collapsed girl.

"...What should we do with her?"

"We should escort her like the others. Leaving her alone won't solve the problem."

If I had my way, I'd like to take her myself.

Well, if it comes down to it, I could volunteer to interrogate her, so it should be fine, right?

For now, I grabbed her wrist to help carry her on my back.

"...!"

But the girl I thought was unconscious suddenly shook off my hand and distanced herself from me.

Could she have been pretending to be unconscious?

To look for a chance to escape?

I was breaking out in a cold sweat at the thought that I had let the most important person slip away due to carelessness.

But White Mask and I were both shocked by the girl's next action.

"...Wait!"

Despite my shout, the girl acted without hesitation.

She started mercilessly striking her own wrist with her fist.

The part the girl was hitting.

There was a strange-looking mark there.

I tried to run to the girl to stop her action, but by the time I prevented her action, the mark was already bruised and distorted.

Psshwook.

Then, with a sound like air escaping from a balloon, the girl's body started to scatter like dust, beginning from her head.

"What the."

White Mask also voiced her confusion at seeing this.

Even when I reached out to try to grab the girl's body that was already disappearing, my hand just passed through her body, unable to do anything.

The reason why the girls Agartha mentioned suddenly disappeared.

We could understand it here and now.

"...I didn't know there would be such an extreme cult."

White Mask said that and went to help the knights.

But seeing this, I had a rather unpleasant thought, and felt like I needed to confirm something immediately.

"Master, would it be alright if I leave first? Something came up."

"Do as you see fit. I'll call for you later if needed."

After getting permission from White Mask, I ran like hell to the branch office.

This girl had too many similarities with Asti.

Being related to Lesser Outer Gods like Ria.

The red aura at the altar.

And above all, the pale-skinned Torturer that was half-manifested.

I had to see with my own eyes right now.

Otherwise, I felt like my anxiety would grow too much.

As soon as I arrived at the branch office in an instant, I ran straight to my room.

I opened the door, panting.

"Welcome back, Master."

Asti was standing there, unharmed.

But maybe because her image overlapped with that girl from earlier, for a moment my brain started to depict Asti disappearing in the same way.

I shook my head to dispel the hallucination and quickly ran to Asti, grabbing her arm.

"Uh."

Asti made a surprised sound, probably because my action was rough.

I hurriedly checked both of her wrists, and even rolled up her sleeves to check if there were any such marks on her arm joints.

When I finally finished checking her entire arm area, I realized.

...There's nothing.

Unlike that girl, Asti didn't have any such marks.

I thought maybe there might be marks on other parts of her body, but I couldn't check that.

Still, I felt relieved that there was nothing immediately visible, and my legs gave out.

"Master, you look troubled."

Asti said that and sat down to meet my eyes.

As she did so, she faced me while stroking my cheek with her hand.

Yes.

It was a very painful moment.

A very painful moment when I thought someone might leave me again.

"If you're in so much pain, I'll do it for you."

Yes, I was in too much pain...

Huh?

Wait, what is she going to do...

"He, hey hey hey! Stop!"

"Yes?"

If I had been lost in my own world for just a bit longer, I might have seen something I shouldn't.

She was suddenly trying to undo her clothes!

"What are you doing!"

"...You forcibly grabbed me, and then looked dejected while lifting my clothes, so I thought maybe you wanted this."

"Th-that was a situation prone to misunderstanding, but anyway, that's not it!"

...What kind of education does a young child need to receive to think like this?

Right, it must be because of someone who made this young child think this way.

"Phew."

I put my hand on Asti's head and stroked it as she looked at me with a puzzled expression.

That girl must have ended up doing such a thing due to the influence of the Outer God called the Torturer.

But Asti had a difference from that girl.

While that girl seemed to be willing to give her life to fulfill her duty,

There was still a slight feeling of resistance.

The fact that she didn't control Ria when she first attacked me was proof of that.

"Master, have you eaten?"

"No, I haven't."

"Shall I prepare a meal then?"

"That would be appreciated."

Although she was speaking normally, I could see the expressionless but sorrowful look she had shown during the battle with the Dragon Slayer.

I was about to say something while looking at that expression, but I decided to just smile and let it go.

As long as you're okay.

That's what I thought.

***

After finishing my meal and going to the Knight Order headquarters, it seemed the people to be escorted had already been sorted out, as except for a few heretic women throwing tantrums, the knights were chatting casually around the area.

Feeling sorry for not being able to help much, I was walking around the area to see if there was anything left unfinished.

"Hey! Who do we have here! Isn't this Senior Tanton who crushed the heretics this time?!"

"The hero has arrived!"

But what I got in return were praises and cheers from the surrounding knights.

I was utterly bewildered by their sudden reaction.

"Salute to Senior Tanton!"

And then they even saluted, which made me feel dizzy.

"Stop, stop!"

I shouted out of embarrassment, but as they say, it's only human to feel good when you're recognized.

I felt my self-esteem rising at the fact that now other knights, not just the Vice Captain, White Mask, and Muyeon, were acknowledging me.

"You're here."

Then I could see the Vice Captain and the Knight Commander walking around outside.

I approached them and immediately saluted, and the Vice Captain returned the salute with a welcoming expression.

"Yes, Vice Captain. I feel bad that I couldn't help as it seems the work is already done."

"No, you've already done a great job by solving this incident."

"But Ms. Muyeon and White Mask..."

"I told Muyeon to go back, and White Mask said she was going to look at the railroad on her own."

"?"

As expected of a railroad enthusiast, she just went straight there.

As I was naturally conversing with the Vice Captain, I noticed that the Knight Commander was holding something.

Wait, is that...

"Oh, is this edible?"

"Commander, if you touch that..."

The Vice Captain tried to stop the Knight Commander, but he had already peeked inside with one eye.

"Kyaang."

"Commander!!!!"

...He "died" from the organic strong mental attack of the Lesser Outer Gods.

Of all things, he had to look inside that gourd bottle.

The Vice Captain carried the Knight Commander on his back in panic and said to me.

"Tanton, for now, the Imperial Princess is looking forward to meeting you. There's still time left, so how about going up?"

"The, the Imperial Princess?"

Again?

I'm starting to wonder what kind of request she's going to make this time.

"Well, it's nothing else. She said she wants to bestow a reward on you."

"A reward..."

Maybe she was concerned that I had been refusing compensation all this time.

...I didn't even want to imagine what would happen if I defied an imperial order, so it seemed I would have to accept it this time.

"I understand. I'll go up right away."

"Alright, I need to calm down the Commander first."

...I shook my head looking at the Knight Commander who was still missing a screw.

I wonder what kind of dementia one needs to end up like that.

Okay, I have to go up again.

This time, it seemed I would have to walk this path alone, as the people who guided me last time looked busy.

***

And after entering the Imperial Princess's room like that.

"...?"

I found myself sitting on a soft sofa with the Imperial Princess leaning on my shoulder.

...Why am I in this situation?