Chapter 42: Who says I represent justice?

With Green’s appearance, the entire mine plunged into an eerie, deathly silence.

Countless eyes fixed on the grotesque human head lying in the snow.

The First Truth Knight… is dead?

Though few had ever glimpsed the legendary figure’s true face, the First Truth Knight was a household name throughout the human world.

People were intimately familiar with his exploits. He was the embodiment of justice and light, a warrior who had fought alongside the High Priest to lead humanity toward a bright future.

Such a paragon of virtue and heroism…

Dead?

People could hardly believe it.

But…

Shff shff shff.

Countless gazes focused on the bishop’s ashen face.

All was silent, as if someone had severed every sound—no noise, not even a whisper.

“No, impossible!!!”

At last, the bishop’s agitated cry shattered the suffocating silence.

“It’s an illusion, yes, it must be an illusion!” The bishop looked to the dazed Lord Martin at his side and issued a command to the newly-promoted Truth Knight: “Lord Martin, as the Thirteenth Truth Knight, I order you to eradicate this menace who harbors a witch!”

“But, but…”

Lord Martin was no longer the proud man he’d been before. Now, like most others, he was so stunned he seemed to have lost his soul, completely at a loss.

“No buts, Lord Martin!” The bishop swiftly grabbed Lord Martin by the collar, roaring, “Do you really think that ignorant, good-for-nothing young lord truly had the power to kill the First Knight?”

“That guy, that guy must have used some trick to escape.”

Taking a deep breath, the bishop gradually regained his composure and immediately made a logical deduction. “I see now!”

The bishop, as if both announcing to the crowd and convincing himself, raised his arms and exclaimed excitedly: “That Green fellow, somehow he got word that our Church’s righteous judgment was coming, so he abandoned his territory and underlings and ran off!”

The bishop’s voice rang with fervor. “As for this head… hmph, it’s nothing but a trick to fool us. People of the God of Light, our faith must not be shaken!”

“For a pure future for all humanity!”

It was as if he’d cast a spell.

No sooner had the bishop finished speaking than the townsfolk, who had only just begun to regain their senses, started murmuring and shouting again.

“Yes, yes, honestly, the lord went too far, just for that witch…”

“Ah, actually I did think Miss Sophie was different, but the bishop is right, a witch is a witch.”

“Didn’t you see the fate of those before us? Sure, a witch’s inventions might help us for a time, but in the end, their motives are never pure!”

“Don’t forget, they’re even the source of disasters—like the Long Winter, like the Drought!”

Faced with the overwhelming accusations, the relentless denunciations, faced with those who had once believed in her now turning once more, Sophie, at the eye of the storm…

Had only a deep, unshakable smile on her face.

She paid no mind to the townsfolk’s abuse, her gaze instead locked onto a familiar figure nearby.

“Hey, Green.” Sophie reached out and pinched Green’s ear affectionately. “You dare show up late? You promised you’d come pick up Mary! Look, things almost turned into a disaster!”

“Ahem, ahem!”

Green pointed indignantly at the severed head on the ground. “How’s it not the fault of those lunatics from the Church of Light? As soon as this guy arrived in town, he kept shouting about how he was going to Purify all of Fallen Leaf Town…”

Purification.

A ceremony in the Gospel symbolizing the cleansing of all sins, but to Sophie the witch, it held another meaning.

Death.

Sophie was no stranger to Purification. Many of her kin had perished in the so-called “Purification” rituals of the Church. Worse still, each time, the scope of Purification extended far beyond the witch herself.

Anyone close to her, anyone who hadn’t betrayed her, would meet the same fate.

Thus witches could only live in solitude; they were destined to be alone, like the wandering spirits Green had spoken of—never able to truly “live.”

“Sorry, Mary.” Faced with Sophie’s aggressive accusations, Green’s eyes flickered and he quickly had an idea. He squatted down, beaming at Mary. “Mary, you’re a good girl, right? You wouldn’t be mad at big brother, would you?”

“Once big brother takes care of the bad people here, we’ll go home to Fallen Leaf Town together, and I’ll buy you candy, all right?”

“Okay! Mary is a good girl!”

Mary nodded vigorously, then, as if to boast, raised her arm and pointed to a hideous scar.

“Lord, did you see this scar? Those bad people hurt Mary just now, but I never gave in!”

Mary’s bright, childish voice reached Green’s ears.

But the smile that never seemed to change on his face—the one that would stay even if the sky collapsed—suddenly shattered when he saw that wound.

“…”

Green’s gaze flickered.

“Mary, you’ve suffered so much.” He gently caressed Mary’s scar, his eyes no longer calm.

“Don’t worry, big brother will teach those bad people a lesson for you. Not one of them will get away.”

Turning back, Green fixed his gaze on the enemy before him.

But this time, there was no warmth left in his eyes.

The swirling snow, for once, could not bring any chill.

Hiss—

Steam billowed and dispersed.

“Ha!” Yet seeing Green’s expression, the newly-promoted Thirteenth Truth Knight, Lord Martin, didn’t show the slightest fear. Quite the opposite, he seemed to take Green’s grim face as proof of the bishop’s deduction, and his smile grew even more arrogant.

“Mr. Green, what’s that look for?”

Lord Martin strode towards Green. “Oh, is it because your disguise has been seen through by the bishop, and now you’re panicking, not knowing what to do?”

“Alas, what a pitiful young master, seduced by a witch and ruining your own bright future…”

Raising his great axe, Lord Martin intoned, “But since you’ve colluded with a witch, your crime is unforgivable!”

Swish—

The gleaming axe shone even more dazzlingly in the sunset, the deadly blade about to cleave Green in two.

Before the giant axe, Green’s figure looked so small, so powerless.

“Die…”

Boom!!!

Truly worthy of the name Truth Knight.

Even newly promoted, under the blessing of divine grace, the power of a ninth-rank legend was still enough to set the wild mountains trembling.

The earth shook.

Thick smoke and snow swirled into a silvery storm.

Centered on Lord Martin, the entire abandoned mine was shrouded in the stench of death.

“Hahaha.” Lord Martin, triumphant, turned to the bishop. “My lord, I’ve taken care of the pitiful young master. When the First Knight arrives, we’ll deal with the witch together!”

Whoosh—

The wind died down.

But what awaited Lord Martin was not the bishop’s praise.

“Ahem.”

Hm?

What’s going on?

A fit of coughing sounded, oddly out of place in the dead silence.

That casual cough, as if mocking him—the majesty of a Truth Knight.

Who could be so bold…

“Is that it?”

The same lazy voice continued, “Sigh…”

The long sigh was full of disappointment.

“So.” Green looked at the frozen Truth Knight with a face full of regret. “Are all you Truth Knights this pathetic?”

Green’s flippant question, paired with Lord Martin’s theatrical look, only made the mockery worse.

“You, you… you!” Lord Martin stammered, unable to speak.

“What do you mean, ‘you’?”

Crash!

The Lord of Fallen Leaf Town moved.

No earth-shaking aura, no dazzling display.

Green’s sword strike was utterly ordinary.

But no one—not even the bewildered witch Sophie—could see its trajectory. It was as if his sword vanished into thin air.

But Green’s strike had not vanished.

Splurt…

Scattered into pieces.

A moment ago, he was still full of confidence and pride—a ninth-rank legend blessed by divine grace…

Plop, plop.

Now nothing but rotting, stinking chunks of flesh.

Brains spilled everywhere.

Green stepped on the corpse in disgust.

“All right, now it’s your turn, Your Excellency Bishop?”

Green raised his head.

“No, don’t come any closer!”

Buzzzz—

A dazzling light flared up.

Mysterious runes emerged from the abandoned mine, enveloping all the hostages who had been seized not long ago.

“Damn you, Green!” The bishop frantically pointed at the terrified crowd beside him. “If you come any closer, I’ll kill them—I’ll kill all the people you care about most!”

“Wait, didn’t you just say you wanted to give humanity a bright future?”

Green asked, genuinely puzzled. “And now you’re using your fellow humans as hostages?”

“For the God of Light, what does individual gain or loss matter?” the bishop proclaimed righteously. “I believe any devout believer would willingly make that choice.”

“That so.”

Green nodded. “All right, do as you please.”

The bishop froze completely.

He—the lord whom intelligence reported cared deeply for his people, that fool Green—how, how could he be so indifferent to these hostages?

“Come to think of it, your so-called First Knight tried the same trick after losing to me.”

Green shrugged indifferently.

“But I think you of the Church of Light misunderstand me greatly.”

A mocking look appeared on Green’s face.

“What made you think I cared so much about these townsfolk? Just because I tried to improve their lives?”

“Please, you lot don’t understand: when you’re raising pigs, you have to fatten them up to get the most lard.”

Green patted his chest. “Anyway, what I do has nothing to do with them.”

Seeing the bishop’s dumbfounded expression, Green smiled even wider.

“Don’t tell me you thought I was one of those benevolent rulers from the Gospel?”

Green sighed again.

“Please, I’m the evil lord who broke church law to shelter a witch. Where did you get the confidence to think I represent justice?”

Faced with Green’s question, the bishop was left utterly speechless.