Chapter 92 - I absolve you of your sins (3)

In the back alleys that had burned through the heat of the night, only shabby remnants remained.

It was the time when both those who had worked and those who had enjoyed themselves were fast asleep, seeking out a shadow somewhere.

At that hour, before the sun had even risen, there were those who stormed in bearing the flag of the church.

"Everyone halt!"

Soldiers moved, trampling over the trash of the messy back alley.

The place they stopped was the inn run by Madam Marcella. It was Rose's Smiles.

"We are the people sent by the Bishop of Soara, Bishop Pierre! Owner of this place, open the door!"

The knight Vlad had ignored the indulgence issued by Bishop Pierre.

This was no different from ignoring the will of God, a grave matter that could be considered blasphemy.

And here at Rose's Smiles were the people who had killed an innocent person alongside him.

"If you do not open the door right now, we will treat those of you inside as the profane as well!"

The holy knight's voice echoed through the quiet back alley.

It was the will of God reaching the place most in need of salvation, but that will was not a warm smile, only a cold judgment.

"... Drag out the sinners in this place!"

Despite the holy knight's stern command, Rose's Smiles did not budge.

Standing beneath the holy flag, the holy knight nodded as if it were for the best.

CLANG.

CLATTER.

The bishop's soldiers each drew their weapons and raised them toward the boy's nest.

God's embrace is merciful, but his will is cold, so let all humans bow their heads to him.

"Break down the door!"

Vlad had grasped a shining star, but that light was still too faint to protect not only himself but the people around him.

The hardships that strike in life are like typhoons, and they cannot be stopped by merely holding up two hands.

CREAK.

That is why people must live leaning on each other's shoulders.

Just like right now.

"You lot sure are impatient."

A man walked out from within Rose's Smiles, where not a single candle was lit.

With a striking scar carved over his buzz-cut head, the man clad in gleaming plate armor looked like an extraordinary figure to anyone's eyes.

"... Who are you."

A man with an aura that did not waver in the slightest even as he walked out toward dozens of soldiers.

"I am Joseph's knight, Maksim."

In this city, there would be no one who wouldn't step aside upon hearing the bishop's orders.

Except for the mayor of Soara, Joseph, that is.

"I am sorry, but we are currently investigating Rose's Smiles first."

If the two powers were so equal that it was hard to compare them, then justification would ultimately take priority.

And the one who had exercised jurisdiction over Rose's Smiles first was not the bishop's holy knight, but Joseph's knight, Maksim.

"The individuals in this place are suspected of the sin of blasphemy."

"They're also the ones suspected of murder."

There is a line between the nobles and the church that they must not cross with one another.

However, the one who broke that line first was Bishop Pierre, so Joseph would have no reason to keep the implicit rules maintained until now either.

"From now on, we will blockade Rose's Smiles. If you want to enter, get the mayor's permission and come back."

Along with Maksim's words, Joseph's soldiers began to pour out from within Rose's Smiles.

Holding the superior justification, Joseph's soldiers did not hesitate to shove the bishop's soldiers aside, slowly beginning to expand their territory.

"... You will regret this."

The holy knight's anger at losing his prey was fierce, but Maksim merely smiled warmly.

Joseph's knight, Maksim.

He was one of the two knights who had been defeated by the woman weeping black tears alongside Cade.

Regret is something you can only feel when you are alive.

If it hadn't been for Vlad that day, Maksim wouldn't even be standing here right now.

"I can't help it since I'm in his debt, too."

It was the authority of the church, something difficult for a mere knight to handle, but Maksim had volunteered to do it himself.

Because he thought he had to do at least this much to repay the price of his life.

* * *

The prison located in the basement of City Hall.

Even though it was a place where one could still feel the outside air through a small window, Vlad's expression was only dark.

"I believe I told you to always prepare for the next step?"

"..."

At Jager's words coming from outside the bars, Vlad had no excuses to offer, even if he had ten mouths.

"In the end, Joseph has been burdened with cleaning up all of your messes. You foolish brat."

In the end, it was no different from when he was a squire.

Because all the responsibility for him in this matter had fallen upon his lord, Joseph.

"I apologize."

"..."

Seeing Vlad bowing his head inside the bars and saying he was sorry, Jager felt like his insides were burning up with rage.

Still, the reason he couldn't scold him too harshly was likely because this was a trap rather than a mistake.

'You foolish brat.'

He was a smart kid, so Jager knew that if his perspective had been just a little broader, he wouldn't have committed such an act.

However, the boy still lacked an understanding of the world of nobles, not to mention the broader world that included the church.

Bishop Pierre had chosen a truly suitable target.

"... You will be heading out to the church to testify soon. Be prepared for that time."

Since the justification was on their side, he ultimately had to go to the church and explain himself.

Bishop Pierre, a former inquisitor, had risen to the position of bishop through his outstanding interrogation skills, so it was obvious that it would be a harsh trial.

"..."

Vlad watched Jager's retreating figure as it grew further away from within the bars for a long time.

["Do not blame yourself. You did what you had to do."]

Despite the voice's comfort, Vlad could not easily shake off his gloomy feelings.

It was definitely the right thing to do, and even now, locked in prison, he did not think what he did back then was wrong, but it had ended up like this anyway.

"It is indeed my fault."

The world of the back alleys and the world of knights are different.

Unlike the back alleys, where one must retaliate on the spot to avoid being looked down upon, a knight's anger must be like thick magma that can bide its time for the future.

A sword must be heavy precisely because it is sharp.

And Vlad felt like he finally understood what it meant to be heavy.

* * *

"Is this why he stubbornly held out for a week?"

Bishop Pierre stood by the window, looking down at the sight below.

Down there, a blonde knight with both hands bound was crossing the plaza below, walking toward the church like a sinner.

Joseph had been continuously ignoring his demands and shielding Vlad all this time, but he probably couldn't hold out any longer.

This was a battle of justification, and even for Joseph, taking on any more burden than this would have been impossible.

"Quite plausible."

However, the soldiers guarding him were not the only ones by Vlad's side as he was escorted to the church.

"A bastard like that deserves to die! I heard he sold pregnant women!"

"He did what he had to do, so why are you treating him like a sinner!"

"Do not insult our knight!"

Vlad of Soara.

A figure who was like a symbol of a self-made man, having been born and raised in the city of Soara and clawed his way up from the back alleys.

The knight named Vlad, who had already made a name for himself at a young age, was undoubtedly an existence that brought pride to the citizens of Soara.

"We cannot accept a bishop sent by the Vatican! This is the North!"

"We want a bishop with the blood of the North!"

It wasn't just support for Vlad, but also the dissatisfaction toward Bishop Pierre that sporadically burst out from among the people.

As Vlad's march slowed down, the voices echoing from everywhere made the streets of Soara ring loudly.

"Trying so hard."

Watching the sight, Bishop Pierre turned away from the window with a cold sneer.

To dare try and shake him through the public sentiment of Soara.

As expected, those who inherited the blood of the Bayezid Family were not beings to be taken lightly.

"Are the inquisitors all prepared?"

"We are prepared."

But no matter how much effort they put in, it was nothing more than a petty trick.

In the end, all of these were merely trivial gimmicks that would tuck their tails before the true name.

* * *

Despite the tense situation, Vlad did not neglect looking around and assessing his surroundings.

"..."

The surrounding sights he observed in this manner instilled an unnecessary sense of pressure in him, even without the burden of the upcoming trial.

'To think I'd come here like this.'

Even though he had lived his entire life in Soara, it was a place he had never visited before.

Because the church was a place with far too high a threshold for those living without anything.

"Knight Vlad, step forward."

The church's courtroom, built in the shape of a semicircle.

The spot where the judge, Bishop Pierre, and the accused, Vlad, were to stand was at the very center of the courtroom, while Joseph and other involved parties, along with the city's influential figures specially invited by the church, were seated above, looking down on them.

["Inquisitors. The crystal balls they are holding do not look ordinary."]

"..."

Vlad turned his head and looked at the inquisitors surrounding him.

A total of eight inquisitors.

All of them were holding crystal balls the size of a human head with both hands.

"... There are eight of them in total."

"Even a witch hunt wouldn't go this far. This has crossed the line."

Joseph frowned, tasting a bitter flavor rising from within.

'I will have to account for the worst.'

While holding out for a week, they had devised many methods to lead this trial favorably, but in the end, time had run short.

Now, he had to be ready to prepare his next move, anticipating the worst outcome.

"Place your hand upon the Bible containing the word of God and answer that you will speak only the truth, Sir Vlad."

Inside the church built in the name of God, Vlad placed his hand on the Bible.

"I will speak only the truth."

An oath is something spoken with the mouth and kept with one's conscience, but in the current situation, it would be expressed a little differently.

Because the incantations filled with complex letters on the floor of the courtroom would extinguish the light of the crystal balls the moment Vlad told a lie.

"..."

With quietly burning eyes, Joseph looked at Bishop Pierre standing before him.

However, only an expressionless chill lingered on Bishop Pierre as their eyes met.

"From now on, the trial of Sir Vlad, a knight of the Bayezid Family, shall begin."

It was a statement signaling the beginning, but perhaps it was already over.

Because the current trial was nothing more than a formality to reach a predetermined outcome.

And that outcome would not be a welcome sight for Vlad.

"Knight Vlad murdered a man named Black Bear who held an indulgence. Is this statement the truth?"

Hearing the bishop's question, Joseph ended up clenching his hands into fists without realizing it.

Right now, Bishop Pierre was framing Vlad for a crime through a ridiculous leading question.

"That is correct."

"You admit that you yourself defied the word of God."

"... What does that mean?"

It was merely an answer stating that he had killed Black Bear, but according to Bishop Pierre's interpretation, the boy had become someone who ignored the will of God.

"I did not defy the word of God...!"

"Next question."

One question, one answer.

Along with Vlad's answer, one inquisitor stepped out of the circle.

"Does Knight Vlad believe he has always made just and correct decisions every time he has killed a person, much like this recent incident?"

"... I do."

He was in the place he needed to be, so he did what he had to do.

Black Bear was a foul man who sold pregnant women, and no matter if it was an indulgence, it could not hide his wrongdoings.

"It is a lie."

However, at Vlad's answer, one of the crystal balls held by an inquisitor lost its light.

"...!"

No one can make only the right decisions all the time in life.

However, Bishop Pierre forced a lie upon Vlad by hiding hard-to-reach standards like 'always,' 'at all times,' and 'the very best attitude' within his questions.

"This is!"

"Next question."

With just that question, Vlad had become a liar.

It had been only two questions, but the veteran Bishop Pierre was definitely stabbing at Vlad's weak points.

"There was a report of a boy who was struck by black lightning in the back alleys of Soara a year ago. Is that boy you?"

By distorting his intentions and throwing trick-like questions, Bishop Pierre began to tailor the person named Vlad according to his own will.

His next question was aimed at chipping away at the reputation Vlad had built by casting baseless suspicion.

"..."

However, the question Bishop Pierre prepared caused a bigger ripple in Vlad than expected.

Because it was true that a voice of unknown identity resided within the boy's soul.

"... It is true."

"You have been accompanied by an ominous omen."

With his third answer, Vlad had become a knight marked by an ominous omen.

From now on, all the monumental achievements he had built up would be suspected.

"By any chance, after being struck by that lightning, did you hear a certain voice? Was there a revelation from some unknown entity?"

Bishop Pierre's grayish-white eyes were glinting.

It didn't matter if he said no.

No matter what answer he gave to this question, Vlad's scarred and blemished reputation would not shine as brightly as it did now.

"..."

At Bishop Pierre's echoing question, Vlad could not easily answer.

Faced with a new form of malice he had never experienced before, Vlad felt like his mind was growing hazy.

"Why are you not answering?"

Seeing Vlad begin to hesitate, unable to answer easily, even the people in the gallery started to murmur little by little.

To be exact, it was a commotion that started with the city's influential figures who shared the bishop's views.

"If you are asking whether I heard a voice..."

If he said yes, he would become an evil entity, and if he said no, he would be telling a lie.

It was a dilemma where no matter what he said, there was no turning back.

["Say yes."]

The voice spoke as it watched the hesitating Vlad.

The voice had noticed that telling a lie in this case would be more fatal.

It would be better to make an excuse that he had briefly lost his mind as an aftereffect of being struck by the lightning.

'But...'

["If you say no, it becomes a lie. If that happens, you won't even have the chance to make an excuse."]

The worst-case scenario would be if the voice's identity was revealed in front of everyone watching.

However, the voice had already steeled its resolve the moment it entered the courtroom.

["Do not worry and say yes. I will absolutely make sure my identity is not revealed."]

"..."

The inquisitors suspecting him and the bishop forcing an answer.

Caught in a dilemma, Vlad had to offer some kind of answer.

BANG!

"Stop!"

The moment Vlad was about to open his mouth, a loud shout came from the entrance of the courtroom.

From the entrance, which had been thrown wide open as violently as it was opened, the cold winter wind began to blow in fiercely.

"Stop the trial!"

The people standing at the open door.

A panting old priest and an acolyte who had yet to shed his boyish look.

And even Gregory, letting out a sigh of relief behind them.

"This trial is not fair!"

The people who were late but not too late had finally arrived here.

"Those without permission may not enter!"

The guards blocked the man who had suddenly intruded, but they ended up flustered upon seeing the white vestment he was wearing.

Because the clothes he was wearing indicated that he was a faithful servant of God.

"With what authority do you dare speak of the qualifications of a trial before me!"

Having his flow cut off by the sudden interruption, Bishop Pierre glared at the man who had intruded into the courtroom with glinting eyes.

However, the man who had just entered was someone with more than enough authority to say that the current trial was unfair.

"I am the person who guaranteed the name of Knight Vlad!"

Vlad of Soara.

There was a person who had carefully picked up that name rolling in the dirt without anyone knowing and placed it before the name of God.

"If there was suspicion attached to his name, naturally, you should have come through me first!"

Upon hearing the words about his guarantor, Vlad turned his head and looked toward the entrance.

There, a man was hurriedly walking toward the courtroom, not even having brushed off the clumps of snow still clinging to his beard.

Supported by the young acolyte, he took one exhausted step at a time like that.

"Priest..."

"Do not say another word from now on."

Still panting for breath, Andreas stood by Vlad's side.

A cold chill still lingered in every single one of his breaths.

"Because I will speak in your stead."

It was an unfair courtroom, and it was a slanted trial.

However, a counterweight for the boy had just been added, so the trial began to find a new balance once again.

"... In the end, you came here."

The face of the person he least wanted to see right now entered Bishop Pierre's grayish-white eyes.

He was the boy's guarantor and a faithful priest acknowledged by all the people of the North.

"It has been a while. Bishop Pierre."

The man who had pierced through the severe cold of the north wind following the knight's guidance.

"Priest Andreas. I offer my greetings."

Priest Andreas.

He was a man resolved to step onto the scales himself for the sake of the boy he had guaranteed.

Now is the time to stand on his own

The sorrow of becoming an orphan did not simply end with the grief of losing one's parents.

"You thieving little rat!"

"I told you I didn't steal it!"

The fact that there was no longer anyone to say 'no' on the boy's behalf.

The reality that he could not lean on anyone constantly exhausted the young Vlad.

"What bad luck! This is why kids without parents are no good!"

The world trapped Vlad inside prejudice, and eventually, the young boy had no choice but to adapt to the life of a back-alley orphan by crumpling himself up.

In that way, Vlad had lived a life where he had to look only one step ahead with some part of himself remaining crumpled.

But now, there was one person telling him it was not his fault for the sake of the boy standing alone in the courtroom.

"From now on, I will answer on Sir Vlad's behalf."

Hiding the boy, who hesitated to answer, behind his back like that.

He was a person who believed that although it was a little late to smooth out the boy's crumpled soul, it wasn't too late.

* * *

"Naturally, all of his actions from now on will be accompanied by the voice. And I believe that voice originates from God above."

Bishop Pierre's questions were cornering Vlad into being someone marked by an ominous omen, but Andreas's answers depicted Vlad as someone who was blessed.

It was the same single person, but he looked so different depending on the perspective.

"He is of lowly birth, with a whore for a mother. Do you think God's blessing is something so trivial?"

God's blessing on a mere back-alley orphan.

If God's blessing had truly descended upon the person named Vlad, it would have had him born into a noble bloodline, not a filthy back alley.

"The Founding King of the Empire, Frausen, also suffered countless hardships at rock bottom as the child of a fallen noble house. But what of it? In the end, he was accompanied by God's blessing."

While the bishop of the church looked at the place where Vlad was born, the priest of the church was looking at the place where the boy would advance in the future.

Because Andreas was a person who believed that even if he was born in a lowly place, the boy had a brighter potential than anyone else.

"... Next question."

Only things made of metal are not the only sharp weapons.

Even though it was not a sword, there were people here at the Church of Soara thrusting and parrying while holding sharp weapons against each other.

"Knight Vlad has grown up in the back alleys of Soara and has lived his life committing numerous crimes up until now. Is this statement the truth?"

Stealing, taking, and sometimes killing.

Vlad had definitely lived his life committing sins.

"It was like a tragedy that he had no choice but to do in order to survive. His sins are akin to emergency relief for his own survival."

However, the boy had certainly moved a coffin and nailed it shut for the sake of a pitiful woman and child.

No one had approached out of fear of a curse, but only the boy had approached them with a compassionate heart.

The fact that he could not live according to his innate nature was certainly not entirely Vlad's fault.

"Knight Vlad defeated a wicked entity and killed a dragon in less than a year of picking up a sword! Is this something that makes sense through common sense!"

In less than a year, he had awakened aura, killed a dragon, and defeated a knight of the West.

The boy's growth rate, which could not be understood through common sense, was definitely something that would breed suspicion when viewed from the outside.

"..."

Before answering Bishop Pierre's question, Andreas recalled that day for a moment.

Even though he was a mere mercenary, the boy who had run across the pitch-black night road for the sake of his duty.

That day, Vlad's world that came running, splitting the night sky, was a dazzling white to anyone's eyes.

"... I am not the only one who saw Sir Vlad's shining world. Bishop."

And Andreas was not the only one who had seen Vlad's world.

"Here are the testimonies gathered from each family."

Andreas clutched the papers Joseph had given him and raised them high.

The crests of noble figures engraved on each piece of paper.

The names written there were all people who had clearly seen Vlad's potential.

"Duncan of Heinal, Justia of San Rosino, and even Volkov of Baranoff! All of them testify that his past achievements are all accomplishments the boy made!"

In the end, the only one who can protect yourself is you.

Andreas was pulling Vlad out of Bishop Pierre's dark trickery, but the single rope he had sent down was made of the facts the boy had built up until now.

Vlad was standing in a hellish suspicion, but he was ultimately saving himself.

"... The knights' testimonies. I have checked them."

Bishop Pierre's face hardened as he looked at the knights' testimonies Andreas had handed over.

Suspicion regarding his faith, the lowliness of his origins, shameful crimes, and even doubts about his fabricated potential.

Bishop Pierre had crafted a tight net to ensnare Vlad, but Priest Andreas's defense was tearing the net he had made to shreds.

The dagger of truth Andreas held was just that sharp.

"..."

Bishop Pierre looked at the inquisitors surrounding Vlad.

The crystal balls that had moved outside with every question Bishop Pierre threw.

However, not a single crystal ball had lost its light since Andreas's arrival, and now there was only one crystal ball left inside the circle.

'In the end, must I bring it out.'

If there was a time to play his winning card, it was right now.

Bishop Pierre realized that a single question could not reduce Vlad to an unrecoverable state, so he decided to use the method he had prepared just in case.

Joseph and Bishop Pierre were people standing on opposite sides, but they still had one thing in common.

"Bring in what was prepared!"

That was preparing for the worst.

Following Bishop Pierre's orders, the holy knights were bringing a large sealed box into the courtroom.

An object of unknown identity carried directly by holy knights, not priests or laborers.

The large wooden box wrapped securely from all sides clearly indicated that what was inside was no ordinary thing.

"I, Pierre, the judge of this trial, still have one question left."

Bishop Pierre's grayish-white eyes were glaring at Andreas.

Things had become this bothersome because of that single priest daring to run wild before a bishop.

"And rather than throwing a question, I have decided to uncover his suspicion through direct action."

At Bishop Pierre's signal, the inquisitors began to unseal the large wooden box.

The people holding their breath and the tense inquisitors.

"My word..."

Upon seeing the object that finally revealed itself, Andreas had no choice but to let out a groan without realizing it.

"A mirror?"

"No, why a mirror all of a sudden?"

The object that came out of the large sealed box was a mirror.

And Andreas was well aware of this mirror.

"In place of my final question, I shall order an exorcism ritual to be performed on Knight Vlad."

The Mirror of Saint Marello.

An official holy relic designated by the Vatican, Marello's Mirror was a treasure known to reflect all truths of the person looking at it.

"If Sir Vlad is truly honorable, accept my proposal."

And there was only one instance when the inquisitors used holy relics.

It was when they wanted to discover an evil entity hiding inside a person's soul.

"This is ridiculous!"

There is a demon inside Vlad.

Bishop Pierre's exorcism ritual was an act that assumed exactly that.

"He has proven his innocence with truthful answers up until now, so why are you trying to proceed with an exorcism ritual on Sir Vlad!"

And the current exorcism ritual would be stamped onto Vlad like a brand, following him around like a symbol of dishonor.

"Priest Andreas. I am a person with the duty to uncover even the slightest shred of doubt."

However, Bishop Pierre hadn't brought out the Mirror of Saint Marello merely to blemish Vlad's honor.

Vlad, who had shown great hesitation at the question of whether he heard a voice.

The veteran Bishop Pierre did not miss the moment the witness wavered.

"But!"

"If his soul is truly clean, all he has to do is sit there, is he not."

Nothing he said was wrong, but it wasn't right either.

Because the act itself clearly placed a massive burden on Vlad's shoulders.

"..."

With an expression that said it couldn't be helped, Andreas had no choice but to look at the boy behind him.

Bishop Pierre's final method was like a desperate struggle, and even Andreas, who had defended him to the best of his ability, could not block this one thing.

"Do not worry. It is simply an object that uncovers wicked entities residing inside."

Because Andreas believed Vlad was a faithful person, he thought that if they just got past this attempt, the trial could end safely.

"..."

Andreas was one of the few people who had pierced through to the boy's true nature.

However, there was one aspect of Vlad he had not yet noticed.

The boy was not someone standing completely alone.

Because even now, an entity known as the voice, which had experienced trials and hardships with him, resided within his soul.

The Mirror of Saint Marello.

Vlad's eyes, looking at that mirror, were trembling.

"..."

With his fingers quietly interlaced, Bishop Pierre, who was observing the situation, was also watching Vlad's wavering eyes.

Perhaps he really was hiding something.

His inorganic eyes looking at Vlad were slowly glinting.

* * *

It was a moment of crisis where its identity might be revealed, but the voice that came through was calm.

Because the voice had been prepared since the moment this trial began.

["... It is fine. Go forward."]

The voice remembered.

The old blacksmith who had handed over his sword to the boy.

He had hoped his unseemly sword would not hold Vlad back, and even though they hadn't shared a single conversation, the voice often felt a deep sense of kinship with him.

'But.'

["I have taught you all there is to teach you thus far."]

Vlad's steps paused for a moment at the voice's sudden answer.

However, the fierce glares of the inquisitors did not forgive Vlad's hesitation.

["In order to not be reflected in that mirror, I must sink further into the Deep World."]

The voice had briefly sunk deeper into his inner self once before to avoid Andreas's gaze.

However, what was before him was a holy relic boasted by the Vatican.

In order to avoid the eyes of that incredible holy relic, it would have to sink into the Deep World to an extent that could not be compared to back then.

'If that happens...'

["A knight's world is as wide and deep as the sea. The world you have unfolded up until now has merely been at the level of dipping one foot in,"]

Rutiger flicked his sword, and Gregory stomped his foot.

The knight Pablo, who had guided Vlad's world, clashed his sword and shield together.

All of those actions were like keys to draw up one's world from a deeper place.

["The foundation has been laid, so now is the time to devote yourself toward higher places."]

Vlad had only just reached the world of knights, but there were still many stairs to climb.

However, from now on, it was not a path he could advance on just because he was taught.

The voice knew well that now was the exact time the boy had to stand on his own.

"Knight Vlad, open your eyes! And look at the mirror in front of you!"

"..."

Vlad had finally reached the mirror with heavy steps, but he could not easily face it.

Because he knew what would happen if he opened his eyes now.

'I am still lacking to reach that world.'

["Even so, you will reach it someday."]

'It will take a very long time. I might not be able to do it my whole life.'

He didn't know when he was just looking at it, but he could tell once he finally reached it.

What kind of world he was dreaming of, and how high of a wall he had to climb over to get to that world.

["I think it is now time for you to do it alone."]

However, the voice was prepared, and now was the moment it had to be done.

Just as the unadorned sword shattered after finishing its task, it was also time for the voice to step aside now.

["Farewell until then."]

The murmuring gallery.

The inquisitors' increasingly loud voices reciting prayers.

Yet even amidst that, Vlad heard it clearly.

The farewell the voice was sending.

"... Understood."

Standing before the mirror, Vlad ended up dropping his head.

Because it was a touching world, he could feel it.

That the world which had always protected him was sinking as if collapsing into that deep place.

"What are you doing right now."

Seeing the hesitating Vlad, Bishop Pierre's eyes began to glint.

Perhaps there really was something he had highly anticipated inside the boy.

"Open your eyes and look ahead! Vlad!"

It had sunk down there so much that he couldn't feel it anymore, but Vlad remembered.

What kind of world formed his roots.

The World of voices.

His world was one filled with storms, thunderstorms, and a vivid white.

"...!"

The Mirror of Saint Marello he finally faced.

Before it, Vlad proudly opened his eyes and looked at the remnants of the world that had been connected to him.

It was the white world the voice had left behind for him at the end.

"That is..."

"The mirror...is shining?"

The mirror facing the boy was shining.

Pure white, as if bursting out.

"Oh my God..."

The faithful priest standing up and the inquisitors at a loss for what to do.

And even Bishop Pierre, astonished by the unexpected result.

Starting from the holy relic of Saint Marello, the boy's world was pouring out as if the courtroom would explode.

"... It doesn't show a single thing I did wrong."

Lightning is formed in clouds and starts from the sky.

White is a noble color, and it is a color only those without a single spot of shame can possess.

The World of voices that formed the boy's roots started from the sky.

"... So why the fuck are you all messing with me like this."

Massive worlds had always crushed the boy.

In the past, he used to be crumpled without being able to let out a single scream, but if it was now, he could shout out loudly at least once.

"I'm telling you I did nothing wrong!"

KABOOM! CRASH!

Along with the boy's resentment, lightning began to strike down from the sky.

The white clouds that had gathered at some point dropped a bolt of lightning onto the highest point of the false church.

DONG! DOOONG! DONG!

The boy was not in the wrong.

He merely survived and did what he had to do.

And the final witness who proved his innocence was none other than the voice that had always been with Vlad.

In the city of Soara, the sound of the bell announcing Vlad's innocence began to ring out highly.