The Former Holy Knight. Having Lost My Job and Childhood Friend, I Decided to Start a Dark Guild - Chapter 71

On a night when the moon was obscured, I stood on a hill with a clear view, looking down upon the Marell Plains bathed in a white glow. Below me, the long-standing conflict with the Capone family was reaching its climax.

My gaze fixed on a single point: the beast Spino, a Capone executive who had transformed into a cyclops-like monster. While I chanted holy spells, the elite of the First Holy Knights continued to wield their swords, enduring Spino’s fierce attacks.

On this starless night, the Marell Plains’ grasslands were brightly illuminated by a giant orb of light in the sky, the most challenging of holy spells, the Star of Bethlehem.

When I finished chanting the holy words, the orb of light plummeted towards the giant beast, like a great comet recorded only in ancient texts.

When the beast’s cry shook the earth, it marked the end of the conflict with Capone. Now, at last, we could mourn the Holy Knights slain by Grittz.

Despite repeated advisories from Prince Raymond to cease the conflict, as it could disrupt the balance of power in the royal capital, I managed to push through by lobbying the LeBlanc family and the Papal Office.

Thanks to this, we were able to break a corner of the Capone family’s executive ranks. Capone would now have to focus on restructuring. It was the perfect time to find Leon and bring him back to the Holy Knights. That was my only wish.

After the bloody Spino reverted from beast to man and was captured, I sheathed my beloved twin swords and signaled that the Holy Knights were waiting to return to the royal capital.

Upon returning to the royal capital for the first time in two weeks, a massive amount of reports awaited me. Among them, I naturally wanted to know about the aftermath of the Duke LeBlanc attack and the Holy Knights’ rebellion.

The interrogation of the rebelling Holy Knights had concluded, but the reports indicated no progress.

It was understood that the Holy Knights did not attack the LeBlanc family of their own volition but were manipulated by some heretical skill. They all testified to feeling as if they were in a dream—a power unheard of in any known heretic.

After hearing the interim deputy captain’s report, I went to the captain’s office, where stacks of reports awaited me.

While quickly scanning the documents, I received a notification from Lilith, who had stayed in the capital during my campaign, asking me to review a certain heresy inquisition record.

Surprisingly, the subject of the inquisition was a familiar person: Lily Ludwig, the only daughter of a merchant family. Before joining the Holy Knights, Leon and I, having escaped from our respective homes, had found a lost and crying Lily in the city and brought her back to the Ludwig merchant house.

Lily’s father had been so grateful that he gave us plenty of sweets. I still vividly remember watching the royal capital from the giant clock tower where Leon used to sleep and eat those sweets.

There was a follow-up story where Lily developed a crush on Leon and saw me as a rival, but now it was a fond memory.

Yet I was unaware that Lily had manifested a heretical skill and had been sentenced to death. The Inquisitor Torquemada had led the inquisition.

What exactly did Lilith want me to review? I wished I could ask her directly, but Lilith had left the royal capital on another mission just as I returned. I also wanted to verify the unlikely rumors that Lilith had been seen dining with Leon in a diner…

As I pondered these thoughts, the name of Lily’s manifested heretical skill caught my eye: “Dream Manipulation.” It was a mental manipulation skill, but no details were recorded in the inquisition records.

Feeling something troubling about that skill name, I reread the heresy inquisition records but still found nothing unusual.

Soon, Prince Raymond will host a party celebrating Duke LeBlanc’s recovery. It might be an excellent opportunity to ask Inquisitor Torquemada about Lily’s abilities.

The following document I picked up bore a troublesome name. The sender was Don Michino. Throughout my campaign, thoughts of that man, who continually showed me disrespect, had repeatedly crossed my mind, filling me with an indescribable irritation. Yet, strangely, I found myself wanting to talk to him again.

Regardless, it wouldn’t be strange to receive a report about Leon soon, I thought as I opened the letter. As I read, I muttered to myself in disbelief.

“Can I not understand what this man is thinking?”

The letter from the Michino Company marked with a cat stamp, contained just one sentence: “I will attend the party.” It was an unusually terse message for someone in my position as commander of the Holy Knights.

Yet, the more I read it, the more the thought captured me that this brief message held another intent.