Heretics and witches.
These were words that could never be overlooked.
Reflecting on history and the horrific acts they committed only emphasized this further.
They were beings who worshipped something evil, despite the existence of a god who created the world.
Under the guise of faith, they harmed the children of the Father, tortured, and consumed them—beings one could barely call human.
When did they first appear?
Though pinpointing an exact time is impossible, scholars often said, “Since the beginning of creation.”
Indeed, even the earliest kingdoms, whose records are now faint, and the age of birth, when today’s Saintess was both queen and priestess, marked them as enemies of the faith.
They were reminiscent of cockroaches.
No matter how many were killed and disposed of, they always emerged again from somewhere.
As if by some natural law, they would brazenly sow chaos in the world.
There were times when such blasphemous acts reached their peak.
This was when the “witches,” the saintesses of heretics, appeared.
Take, for instance, the earliest kingdom. If one were to say that it was the witches who brought an end to that age of birth, would it convey just how terrifying they were?
“At first, I was suspicious. As always, I was traveling the continent to hunt heretics, and I stumbled upon a massive underground tomb. Isn’t that strange? Those creatures, who were always so compartmentalized, had gathered more than 500 strong.”
Halia smiled coldly as she continued.
“There were too many to simply call it the flourishing of a faction. Creating a stronghold itself went against their nature. Yet they did it. It was strange. So strange that I couldn’t stand it! So, I stormed in. And that’s how I found this!”
She gestured at the unidentified object she had brought.
“Do you recognize it?”
At her words, Usher narrowed his eyes and closely examined the object again.
Moments later, his eyes widened as if they would tear apart.
“…A stigmata?”
“Oh, Bersia! As expected, you’re the first to recognize it!”
Halia beamed.
However, Usher’s expression grew even more grave.
He immediately recognized the difference between this and other unidentified entities because he had faced them before.
He could compare how it differed from those he had encountered thus far.
‘Unidentified entities cannot maintain their form after death.’
The only exception was when stigmata were imbued within them.
His realization came late due to his shock.
Meanwhile, Halia continued.
“That’s right! A stigmata! A fragment of the power bestowed by the god of heresy!”
The Father God influences this world through revelations.
The God of heresy, however, was different. It granted its power directly to individuals, causing immediate chaos.
At the pinnacle of this power was the authority bestowed, and those who received it were witches.
The stigmata were symbols of witches.
Usher immediately grasped the severity of the situation.
The appearance of a witch signified the uprising of heretics.
It meant hundreds of heretics across the land would gather, producing such wicked beings in succession.
In other words,
“A great chaos, or even war, is coming!”
Innocent people would fall victim to such abominations or die at their hands in madness.
Not only Usher but also Judith and Rubena seemed to realize this, their expressions hardening as they stared at the unidentified object.
Rubena was the first to speak, her voice trembling miserably.
“So… what are we supposed to do?”
It wasn’t a question born out of resolute responsibility.
If it were, her complexion wouldn’t have been so utterly pale.
Usher furrowed his brow.
Meanwhile, Halia clapped her hands and exclaimed, “Hmm! A good question!” as she continued.
“First, we must…”
Her explanation followed.
Usher’s heart pounded with unease.
The meeting concluded with several items of information conveyed.
Usher briskly crossed the cathedral with urgency.
He was searching for Bersia.
This situation required her input.
Dragging her out from where she had been idly lounging in the barracks, he brought her to a private garden and relayed everything.
Her response?
“Ah, so Lady Halia was off on another hunting game after disappearing for a while?”
“This is no time for such leisurely remarks!”
Thud!
Usher struck the table.
His deeply serious expression conveyed how gravely he viewed the matter.
Yet Bersia, resting her chin on her hand and crossing her legs, simply smiled serenely, showing no trace of concern.
“Knight.”
“Yes!”
“Let’s calm down for a moment, shall we?”
“In this situation, how could I possibly calm—!”
“And if you can’t, what exactly can you do?”
“…What?”
“I’m asking, what can you do right now?”
Usher flinched, his shoulders shrinking slightly.
It wasn’t fear—it was the chill he felt from her tone.
But just as quickly as it had appeared, that chill vanished.
“Now, let’s think this through slowly.”
Bersia pulled her chair closer.
Wrapping her arm around Usher’s shoulders, she gently patted him.
Oddly, at that moment, Usher felt reassured.
He briefly wondered why he had tensed up, but the thought didn’t linger.
Bersia began speaking.
“Until we’re ready, we’re on standby, aren’t we?”
“Yes…”
“First, the saintesses must secretly travel across the continent. However, since we don’t know what might happen, the rule is for them to work in pairs. The focus will be on investigating areas where heretic activity is suspected.”
“Yes, that’s correct. I’m glad you understand, but…”
“Yes, I understand it better than you, Sir Knight.”
Doubt flickered in Usher’s eyes.
Bersia chuckled softly and continued.
“You’re worried about this, aren’t you? Why send saintesses, such valuable assets, into the field? And why in a covert manner where they can’t even be protected by military forces?”
“Well, yes, but…”
Halia’s orders seemed strange and dangerous.
Saintesses were irreplaceable resources.
In a crisis like this, they should have been kept in the most secure locations. Instead, they were being sent out into the field.
Bersia then gave Usher an answer he hadn’t anticipated.
“To be precise, Lady Halia doesn’t actually need the saintesses.”
“What do you mean?”
“She needs a different resource that’s always stuck right beside the saintesses.”
At that moment, Usher let out a long sigh.
“…Ah!”
“A First-Class Knight. An elite resource like you, Sir Knight.”
“Elite… am I?”
“Of course! You’re one of the finest knights, one of fewer than fifteen across all branches of the Continental Church. The Church’s ultimate weapon, a one-man army.”
Usher, unaccustomed to such praise, momentarily forgot his earlier embarrassment and flushed red.
He struggled to suppress the grin creeping onto his lips and answered in a low, hesitant voice.
“I… I wouldn’t go that far…”
“Oh, but you are. No need to be modest. Anyway, back to the main point—First-Class Knights. In a situation where all the elites need to be mobilized, oh?”
Bersia tilted her head, her eyes glimmering mischievously.
Usher avoided her gaze.
“Yet these useless saintesses are employing these precious First-Class Knights as mere attendants?”
“That’s a bit…”
“It’s true. Take RUbena, for instance. She insults Sir Heisenberg, once so great, calling him bald while using him as a porter. Or Judith—she drags her’s along for live experiments…”
“What?!”
“…Oh, was I not supposed to mention that? Is it a secret?”
“Live experiments?! What on earth are you—wait, hold on!”
“Well, they did get his consent, so let’s move on. Anyway, Lady Halia is probably the one who uses her knights the most efficiently. No, wait—Lady Halia herself is a First-Class Knight, so perhaps she doesn’t count as part of the deployed forces?”
Usher felt as though he’d overheard something he wasn’t supposed to.
He recalled who Judith’s escort was.
It was someone he knew.
“Oh, cadets! Eat well while you’re growing strong!”
That senior had once cheered him on as a new cadet, sneaking bread past the instructors to encourage them.
Suddenly, Usher wondered—was that “consent” forced?
Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen that senior in over three years. Was he even still alive?
Was he still the same person Usher remembered?
Bersia snapped him out of his thoughts.
“In any case, that’s how it is. The emergence of witches is reason enough to summon every First-Class Knight, but to exclude them under the guise of saintess escorts? Isn’t that wasteful?”
“Well… yes. But…”
“And besides, it’s hard for the saintesses to be in real danger, right? They travel in pairs, and each pair has two First-Class Knights with them. It’s unlikely anything major could happen.”
“That’s true, but we…”
“If it comes to it, you can just wipe them out with combat prayers or something. You’re sturdy enough to survive, after all.”
Bersia said this while patting Usher’s head.
It was then that Usher realized why Bersia could remain so calm.
She has extraordinary insight.
As he marveled at her, a sheepish laugh escaped him.
‘Well, maybe it’s a relief.’
Usher didn’t want to run away from the threat of witches simply because his body had changed.
At his core, he was still a holy knight, and he wanted to confront the danger head-on and be of help.
As Bersia said, if necessary, he could resort to combat prayers.
As long as there were no allies nearby, he was confident he could handle it.
Now that his head had cooled, Usher spoke awkwardly.
“Apologies… for my earlier excitement. I understand now.”
“Oh my, a nervous trout—”
“Hey!”
“It was just to ease the tension.”
“Don’t lie! I’m not falling for it anymore! And stop touching my hair! How long are you going to keep petting it?!”
“It’s mine now, isn’t it? This is my body right now, after all. So technically—”
“Aah!!! I haven’t even said anything yet! Hands off! That’s a warning!!!”
In the end, it followed the same pattern.
Bersia wrapped up the conversation in her usual playful manner.
When her hand crept toward the waistband of his trousers, Usher grabbed her wrist tightly and, seeing no sign of her stopping, bit down on it.
His desperate resistance succeeded.
Well, he only managed to stop her hand, nothing more.
“So, how did the issue go? Were you able to handle it without being caught?”
“Don’t even bring it up! It was terrifying…!”
Perhaps due to the relief, he let slip unnecessary words.
“Pffft…!”
Bersia burst out laughing.
“A nervous trout—oh! Cursed, I mean…”
“Stop laughing!”
Usher glared at Bersia, irritated.
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