"I have made up my mind."
Sylvester expectantly awaited for the man to say what he wanted to hear. But he didn't keep his hopes up as it was impossible to read the necromancer's face.
"I will only join you as a member of the crusade supervision team, not as a member of your permanent arrangement as Sanctum Inspector. When the crusade ends, I shall be on my way… if I believe that's the right thing to do. If I feel that due to me, your image is suffering, I shall leave." Bishop Lazark frankly spoke his terms.
Sylvester chuckled, put his arm around the man's shoulder, and walked along. "Lazark, do you think your necromancy can hurt my image? On the contrary, I'd rather say that my image will uplift the image of necromancers around the world. My light shines brighter than any darkness; I've said this in many of my hymns."
Bishop Lazark nodded, feeling grateful and excited in the heart. This was going to be the first time he would work alongside those he considered friends. Friends with whom he can talk about anything, who don't care if he has an undead cat.
"Now, the first thing we need to do is get you some better robes. I know you like black, and I'm not changing it. But let's add some flavour to it… and not have them scream that you're a dark wizard. Remember, common people believe what they see as they are not taught to be critical thinkers. They are taught to be sheeps.
"So, if you're good-looking and kind to talk to, then they will automatically see you in a better light." Sylvester walked with him towards where Lady Aurora was.
Bishop Lazark didn't ignore Sylvester's suggestions as he knew by now that Sylvester had a godly charm and a way of talking that attracted people to him naturally. "I will let you prepare that as you wish."
Sylvester nodded and focused on Lady Aurora. She seemed to have her jaw still wide open for some reason. "Lady Aurora? What happened?"
"What? How did you do that? That beam of light was much stronger than the one you used to fight the Shadow Knight. How?" She barked in questions.
Sylvester stole his gaze and looked away. "Well, we all need to improve with time, don't we? To be clear, I was not even using all my strength back then. My goal was to survive and prolong my stay. Here, I was just focusing on destruction."
"I wish to fight you!" She demanded.
'That's what I was going to ask anyway.' Sylvester thought. He wished to use Lady Aurora's overpowering strengths to push himself to rank up. It was better to be beaten bloody by an ally than against an enemy in a fight.
"I will be glad to do so, Lady Aurora. But first, let's return to Raftel County. We still have that murder case to solve. We must find the sick bastard cutting women's chests for whatever sickly reasons."
"Cutting the chests?" Bishop Lazark exclaimed all of a sudden.
"You know something about it?" Sylvester smelled a hint of surprise.
Bishop nodded before starting. "I do, but I don't know if it's related. Before coming here, I was in the south, in the Riveria Kingdom, near the border of Gracia. I heard that a local lord had his daughter kidnapped, killed with her breast chopped off."
Sylvester instantly fell into thought. "Can you tell me the exact location?"
"Near the Bamboo forest. The Baron lives there."
'Hmm, if it's related, then this matter goes way beyond just the two counts. This would clearly mean they are not the ones who attacked each other. I need to find out more about this.'
"Thank you for that information, Bishop. This means we need to hurry quickly. Lady Aurora, you come with me. We shall take the same boat we took to come here. As for you, Bishop Lazark, please bring the crusaders to Raftel County. We shall disband them there to head to other regions." He ordered quickly.
"Lord Bard!" A knight came up to them. "The bodies have been gathered and put on a pyre. We await your prayers."
Sylvester solemnly nodded and walked behind the Knight. He soon arrived near the riverside where the pyres were set. There were fifty in total, ready to be burnt.
'Not that big of a sacrifice. If this were an actual battlefield, hundreds more would have died.' Sylvester thought to himself and walked to stand in the direction from which he was facing the sun.
"I didn't know their names. But they died giving their lives in the ultimate sacrifice—they died serving the lord. I'm sure their souls are receiving the warmth of Solis as they prepare for what's to come after. But here, in honour and with their memories in mind, we give them a last goodbye. May the holy light enlighten their souls to the right path." Sylvester nodded at the knights standing beside Pyres with magic torches.
Woosh!
Instantly, all of them were left to burn while the rest watched in silence. In the hearts of the crusaders, it was a scene that inflicted fear on them. But at the same time, their minds told them how lucky they were to be saved by Sylvester, or else they could have been one of those lying on the fire.
Meanwhile, Sylvester's mind was empty. In both his lives, all he had known was to kill people for the greater good—for selfish desires. So letting a few crusaders die to earn the loyalty of others was a worthy sacrifice.
'When in Rome, do as the Romans do. In this cruel world, cruelty is the only path to survival.' He told himself in silence.
Since it was a magical fire, the burning of bodies didn't take more than half an hour. After that, Sylvester commanded all men to work and restore the river's natural flow by removing the dams.
First, they removed the second dam, and then they slowly started to fill the tunnels they made to alter the current. In the meantime, Bishop Lazark removed his undead from the dam. The crusaders watched him do it this time and didn't try to ridicule him.
Sylvester had sowed the seed of doubt over their prejudice. They were forced to question why a necromancer would be a Bishop if he were not accepted by the faith—and Solis already.
By afternoon, they were done with all their tasks and cleaned themselves. Sylvester was in a hurry, however. So he gathered the men and commanded them.
"Men of the holy crusade! As per my order, you all are to head south to Raftel County and rest there. You shall receive your further orders from the Holy Land there. You shall march under the command of Bishop Lazark Kul Mizar. If any of you break the order and reject his command, I won't do anything… I will just be utterly disappointed in you as a fellow man of faith." Sylvester made a sad face, enough to make a grown man feel ashamed.
Sylvester then spoke with Bishop a little and headed straight towards the County in the same boat. This time their journey was even faster since they were going downstream.
…
Green City, Capital of the Gracia Kingdom.
Sir Dolorem had just arrived in the city to find some information about the Knight, Sir Kenworth. The man made continuous trips to the Jartel county months before the murder of the Countess. All the clues pointed out that this was the man who did the deed, even more so since Lady Melinda, the wife of Count Raftel, personally instructed the rough sketch.
Sir Dolorem was a very resourceful man and had dozens of contacts all over the Kingdom. He had been in the service for so many years, after all. Many of the strong inquisitors that he had served with over the years had been promoted into various departments and positions. They were placed around the world and were still loyal to the order of Inquisitors—for that was what their brotherhood preached.
He was on his way to meet one of the bishops in the massive Green City monastery, where the most senior Cardinal Suprima in the Kingdom worked.
Woosh!
"Ugh!" Suddenly, Sir Dolorem fell from his horse with a loud thud. He looked to his shoulder and frowned, as what happened to him was impossible to occur inside the royal capital, the supposedly safest part of the Kingdom. "How di-"
Before he could even make the following words in his mind, his eyes fell heavy, and soon his body became limp. He lost consciousness right in the middle of the city's busy roads. The people, some cried, and some stood nearby to see. But none helped, for the world was not as kind as it used to be.
"Move!"
Not long after, the guards arrived to scatter the crowd. But once they reached the centre, they lost all colours from their faces as there lay a man of clergy—with an arrow plunged in the shoulder.
"Fuck! I'm losing my job today! Quick! Take him to the sick bay and pray he lives—or we're losing our heads." The head guard shouted orders while looking at the various terraces on the sides.
The buildings were at least four stories high, and the attacker had most likely fled. But the guard wasted no time rushing to the guard post and calling for the city-wide lockdown.
Ting! Ting!
Shortly after, bells started to ring madly around the Green City.
…
Raftel County
Sylvester and Lady Aurora disembarked the boat at the port of Raftel County and quickly headed west. But, to their confusion, they found the entire port was empty and the nearby town too.
"What's happening?" the helmsman wondered in confusion.
Sylvester could still hear the voices from inside a few houses. And that was a sign that made his face go pale. A strong and highly unfavourable possibility rose in his mind.
"I'm afraid… Archpriest..." Lady Aurora also reached the same conclusion once she realised the people were hiding in their houses.
Sylvester frowned, took a horse tied in front of a house, and rushed to the two counties' border. "Fuck! This doesn't make any sense! Why would they start the war?"
400 GT = 1 Bonus chapter.
1 Super Gift = 1 Bonus chapter.
APE TOGETHER STRONG!
