Loki hadn’t even fully recovered from the soft, cotton-like impact when an untimely knock echoed through the living room.
He frowned in confusion and glanced at Selulu, only to find her head lowered as well, her amethyst eyes shimmering with puzzlement.
Now was definitely not the time for a normal visitor to show up.
The house had been a gift from Christine, the bathroom had no leaks, and Selulu certainly wouldn’t stoop to throwing things off the balcony. The pushy salesman for trashy goods wouldn’t be working overtime this late, either.
A friend?
But Loki wasn’t close enough to anyone to have his home address known. If Christine were coming, she would have sent a message beforehand.
As their eyes met, both Loki and Selulu understood instantly—the person outside could hardly be called a guest.
“I’ll go open the door.”
Struggling free from the girl’s embrace, Loki got up, stepped into his slippers, and walked to the entrance, opening the door on his own.
Standing there was a fully armed knight, flanked by two city defense soldiers.
The knight wore the Empire’s standard armor, resembling a giant two-meter-tall tin can. On the white-gray pauldrons was the emblem of the Caesania Knights Order, along with a sword insignia indicating the knight’s rank.
With only one insignia, he was a third-class knight—the lowest rank—but even so, he held status far above ordinary people and soldiers.
Most knights seen patrolling and guarding at the Caesania Knights Order headquarters in the morning were of this rank.
As for Christine… she was a Champion Knight, bound only by imperial law and the emperor’s commands, stationed in Caesania by coincidence.
On the knight’s back was a special mechanism for storing weapons—three slots in total, customizable by preference.
This particular knight carried a spear, a “Attacker Type II” rifle, and an intricately carved longsword.
In contrast, the two city defense soldiers looked much simpler, their armor consisting mostly of chest plates and helmets, wielding only short swords and outdated rifles. Yet their morale was high; thanks to the army’s importance in this world, they naturally enjoyed privileges.
It seemed that because gods existed here, concepts like honor, ancestors, and faith—things that were worthless in his previous life—had become great forces that shaped one’s soul, will, and body.
Of course, the faith here referred to religious belief.
“Citizen.”
The knight spoke slowly.
His voice was perfectly controlled, giving off a calm and emotionless feeling.
“From tonight onward, martial law will be enforced throughout Caesania City. Unless under special circumstances, please refrain from going out after nine o’clock. Of course, you may also apply for special permission during the day at the nearest Sentry Post or church by carrying the necessary documents.”
Martial law…
So the Knights Order had finally begun taking action.
When large groups of desecrators or cultists were discovered in the city, martial law was the most basic measure, followed by rigorous joint inspections and interrogations.
Only during this phase would the Church and Knights temporarily cooperate. Once the purge of desecrators began, the Church took the lead, while the Knights maintained order, suppressed riots, and assisted the Church’s efforts.
But even so, this alone could never eradicate desecrators and cult beliefs. Like insect eggs, they would lie dormant, waiting for the right time to sprout again.
…Ah, speaking of which, Loki realized he had forgotten to tell Christine about the intelligence he’d gotten from Ina in the afternoon.
It was all Selulu’s fault for constantly distracting him.
Though Loki wanted to say this, if he used it as an excuse in front of Christine, he would probably lose an arm without mercy.
“I understand.”
“Mm.”
The knight nodded without further delay, waved to the city defense soldiers, and left with them to knock on the next door.
Only after the towering figures moved away did Loki notice another figure among the group—a cleric from the Church.
Not just any cleric.
He wore a pointed hood, his face hidden behind a skull-shaped metal mask, exposing only his eyes and mouth. His half-armored clerical white robe was adorned with various tools hanging from his waist—potions, handcuffs, daggers—a dazzling array signaling he was not someone ordinary people dared to provoke.
“Inquisitor…”
Loki closed the door and peeked through the crack, watching the figure cautiously.
If the inquisitor discovered a “soulless” being here, he would probably go berserk—if he saw Selulu behind Loki, he’d likely view the Saintess as fallen and include her among those needing thorough purification.
Even within the Church system, inquisitors were a group of “special” freaks. It was hard to imagine any sane human being liking them.
Yet Loki felt… something was off about this inquisitor.
Thinking so, Loki pressed his ear against the door and began to eavesdrop on the sounds in the corridor.
“What’s wrong?”
Selulu came over to Loki’s side.
She had sensibly hidden in the knight’s blind spot when the door was opened.
Naturally, she overheard the conversation between Loki and the knight earlier.
“They’re just here to announce martial law, right? Or do you think something’s strange?”
“…The knight isn’t the strange one.”
Loki whispered.
“There’s an inquisitor in the corridor.”
“Oh, so it’s those disgusting guys.”
Selulu lightly elbowed Loki’s waist, teasing him.
“You know, besides boring scriptures, they’re the ones who’ve memorized the contents of the ‘Sinners’ Codex’ the best. It’s all about the so-called ‘Enemies of God’… I sneaked a look, and your name and picture were there. Lucky they didn’t notice you, or he’d be breaking down the door to scratch up your face right now.”
Suddenly realizing something, her tone shifted.
“Then why are you eavesdropping? Do you think there could be an interesting conversation between a stuffy knight and a crazy cleric?”
“No, I just feel like this inquisitor is different from the ones I’ve seen before.”
“…Because of the clothes?”
“No. It’s a feeling.”
“Hmm…”
Selulu tilted her head in confusion.
“A feeling… hehe, that doesn’t sound like something you’d say. Fine, let me listen too~”
“Hey…”
Selulu forcefully squeezed into the narrow gap between Loki and the doorframe, assuming the same position and pressing her ear against the door.
She bent her slender waist, arching her full, round hips high as if to show off her flexibility, leaving Loki momentarily breathless.
“W-what are you doing? No, is that really necessary?!”
“Hmm, your heartbeat’s picking up, isn’t it? I can hear the ‘thump, thump, thump’!”
“…Huh?”
There was no denying it—Loki’s heartbeat had indeed sped up.
But that was just a moment of shock—after all, even he had heard the same sound as the girl.
But the sound wasn’t coming from their bodies. It was more like something hitting the wall.
Loki reached out and pulled Selulu close to his side, grabbed a coat from the nearby coat rack, draped it over her, and then suddenly flung open the door.