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After checking that there were no people around, Jamie went out and soared into the sky.
Even though it was summer, the breeze was cool.
He felt refreshed since he finally went out after staying cooped in the mansion.
“Woah- so nice!”
Although the mansion was wide, moving in a limited space and flying in the sky were different things.
Jamie was happy as he flew towards the Pyro Church.
However, the flight didn’t last long.
Jamie stopped mumbling.
“Wait! Where is the Pyro church?”
Apton is the largest city in the northwestern part of the kingdom.
It wasn't easy to locate a church.
Jamie wandered around a bit more and landed roughly in a closeby city.
If he didn’t know, he could just ask people.
“Black. Change my hair color.”
Kik!
Black dyed Jamie’s hair black, and the emerald eyes too turned cloudy.
“Aren't the clothes too luxurious?”
Anyone would know that the kid was from a noble family.
Thus, the clothes turned into moderate-looking ones.
Black was the one who changed them. It knew what its master was trying to say.
“Good job.”
Kiik!
Jamie walked out onto the main road, but he could hardly see any people in the city.
They were all walking around too cautiously, all with dark expressions on their faces.
‘What is this weird feeling?’
Jamie frowned at the eerie atmosphere.
He didn’t know what was happening, but for him, his purpose was the most important.
He asked an old woman passing by.
“Excuse me. How should I go to Pyro?”
“Uh? Well, that, go down that road. And be careful.”
The woman didn’t even look at Jamie and spoke.
Jamie couldn’t understand her reaction.
He caught the woman who was about to move again.
“Excuse me.”
“What now?”
The woman was visibly annoyed.
Jamie looked at how her eyes were shaking. She was sweating like a person who committed a crime.
“Nothing.”
He couldn’t think of anything to say, so he put the hood back on and let the woman go.
It wasn’t just her.
Everyone on the streets was moving the same way. They were all avoiding eye contact.
It was when Jamie was thinking.
“M-murder!”
People walking down the street went stiff at the cry.
Murder in broad daylight?
Jamie frowned and ran towards the place where the sound came from.
Many people had gathered, but he couldn't understand how the number of people on the street increased.
Jamie squeezed between them.
And found the body.
‘heart…’
There was a round hole in the chest of a dead man.
Jamie couldn’t see the heart inside the chest.
“Everyone get out of the way.”
“Out of the way everyone!”
Two officers pushed inside.
And Jamie slid back.
The officers standing in front of the corpse, talked in a small voice.
Normal people couldn’t have heard it, but since Jamie’s body was enhanced because of the Orb, he could hear it.
“This is the third one already.”
“We need to report it to the Marquis. Let’s go.”
“Fine. When the team arrives, I will explain it to them.”
Third?
There were two more murders?
And then he heard the voices of the people behind.
“It looks to be the work of [Daemon].”
“How can th… will I suffer too?”
“Stop that crazy talk. Stop it. Please…”
‘[Daemon]?!’
When the word ‘Daemon’ was mentioned, Jamie’s face turned white.
He looked at the body again.
A corpse with an empty heart.
It reminded him of the ‘Portsmouth Garden’ which happened 50 years ago.
The incident in which Ispil Bell, the former Marquis, killed the leader of [Daemon]. The problem was that it wasn’t a case that was executed and closed.
He had read a lot about it inside the library.
For example, the heart was needed for the ‘Demon Lord Summoning Ritual’.
Because [Daemon] was involved, the situation was serious.
Jamie’s eyes narrowed.
‘Is their purpose the resurrection of the demon lord?’
No.
If the resurrection was the goal, they would aim for the small estates.
Apton was huge, and the Bells were high nobles in the kingdom. If the [Daemon] wanted to rise back, they wouldn’t risk dealing with them.
Then, no matter what he thought, there was only one explanation he could come to.
‘Vengeance.’
The revenge on the people who were their enemies, the ones who disrupted them and disintegrated them 50 years ago.
‘for this to happen right when I am here.’
Jamie felt annoyed.
If the real [Daemon] were coming out, the Pyro church would be in an emergency.
Jamie moved away from the crowd.
“Let’s get going now.”
He knew the directions now.
Jamie headed to the church with a stiff face.
Jamie saw a high rocky mountain.
At the top, there was an unflattering green light, trees covering the view, and a building painted in white.
“This cannot be seen from heaven.”
The trees covered the Pyro church on the mountain.
Jamie groaned and walked.
He looked at the guards who were around the church.
‘I expected it, but the security is too tight.’
Since their people were killed, they were on alert.
There were a lot of people inside.
‘The place where it was stolen wasn’t here.’
The place where the holy relic was stolen wasn’t here, but the main shrine.
Of course, even though it wasn’t like the [Daemon] could hurt them after 50 years, it was understandable that so many sentries were deployed.
Apparently, getting inside was the tricky part.
It was then.
“Hm?”
The front door opened, and a group of people walked out.
Jamie’s eyes were filled with shock at the person who was standing ahead of the group.
‘That unbelievable holy power. The person is the Archbishop…’
He heard that there was one of the three Archbishops in the Pyro church located here.
Was it Sephira?
Indeed that person had holy power worthy of the title.
Just looking at the person made Jamie nervous.
‘And, Lars?’
A very familiar face stood next to the old man who was the supposed Archbishop.
He wasn’t recognizable with the blonde hair tucked back, and his dazzling armor.
Seeing him dressed like this, Jamie realized that he really was the Holy Executioner of the Pyro Church.
The two talked then Lars lowered his head and stepped back.
Jamie wondered what they were talking about, but no matter how strong his hearing was, they two were too far for Jamie to hear.
A group of people was standing around the Archbishop.
Are they planning to head out somewhere?
It was the moment when Jamie took a step ahead to get a closer look.
Wheik!
The Archbishop turned to where Jamie was.
“Hmm?”
“What is it?”
“Nothing. Must have been a squirrel.”
“We need to move. The Marquis will be waiting for us.”
“Yes.”
Archbishop Sephira moved ahead.
Hiding behind the tree, Jamie grabbed his heart.
‘What kind of intuition is that?’
Guess the Archbishop didn’t get the title for nothing.
Jamie gulped and tilted his head.
The Archbishop and the priests moved on the white horses.
‘The destination is the Marquis's mansion?’
The conversation between the Archbishop and the priests was faint, but it was slightly audible.
So this meant that the church was empty now.
‘Not completely empty.’
The Holy Knights in charge of the escorts formed a lime on either side of the Archbishop. They started the descent in safety and dignity.
‘But this much will be enough.’
Jamie cautiously descended from the tree, after making sure that the procession was nowhere close.
He secretly hid his presence and entered the church.
His movement was so smooth that no one noticed.
Milbuck was a soldier guarding the Pyro church.
Recently, as rumors of [Daemon] spread, the security inside the church had risen.
Therefore, he was guarding the hallways of the church, which was closed today. The word ‘guarding’ honestly felt too much when there was nothing to do.
“Huh.”
It would have been different with two men, but he started to feel drowsy now that he was alone.
Besides, today was the day when the Archbishop and the other priests would go to Marquis Bell.
There weren’t many soldiers left in the church because the Holy Knights had gone down as escorts.
So he had to be more alert.
‘Even the goddess won’t be able to stop my sleepiness.’
Milbuck leaned against the window and rubbed his eyes.
He couldn’t even think straight and kept yawning over and over.
To be honest, why would [Daemon] attack this place?
Even if they attacked, he wasn’t worried.
‘Come if you want. This body of mine will put a hole through your heads.’
50 years have passed, the fear caused by [Daemon] was largely forgotten.
And Milbuck was a young man in his 20s.
A boy who volunteered as a soldier to devote himself to the church. He shouldn’t sleep, but he was feeling sleepy.
‘I am sleepy…’
But couldn't sleep.
He should do his duty…
Thud!
Milbuck’s body fell to the ground.
And then started the snoring.
Someone quietly landed in front of him.
“Fell asleep.”
Jamie smiled while looking at the person.
From what he noticed, the man was guarding this area.
Hopefully, no sentries would come here.
He placed his hand on Milbuck’s head. The memories flowing in.
The structure of the church.
‘There is the statue of the goddess.’
The statue of the goddess was in the deepest part of the church.
Milbuck couldn’t go to the place where the statue was, but he knew where the entrance was.
It didn’t matter to Jamie. Since he found out his goal.
Jamie walked based on the memories he took from Milbuck.
And he sensed a presence.
“Haha.”
A boy laughing happily.
And a girl sitting next to him.
“Brother, is there anything funny?”
“Well. I thought of something fun. I am taking a break. I will be back soon.”
“Okay.”
The boy spoke to the younger sibling and went out.
“This is my front yard. You can’t hide.”
The boy walked with a smile.