Chapter 855

【 “MARTYRS” 】

“Seize that heretic who is misleading all these people!”

The black-robed priest looked coldly at Cypher and ordered the Inquisitorial Knights:

“Arrest him!”

The slum residents present immediately became agitated.

Led by the old man who had once been an Expert, many of them stepped forward and deliberately shielded Cypher, glaring furiously at the Inquisitorial Knights who had stormed into the chapel.

At the same time, Cypher could vaguely hear someone curse:

“Bah! Hounds of the Eternal Church!”

Seeing the slum residents’ actions, Cypher was slightly taken aback. An indescribable feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.

He had never imagined that these slum residents, most of whom were not even Experts, would actually stand in front of him at this moment. They were clearly frightened by the overwhelming strength of the Inquisitorial Knights, yet none of them were willing to step aside and let him face them alone.

Then, a faint voice came from behind him:

“Lord Cypher, please come with me. The Eternal Church is arresting any Church of Life missionaries who preach within the Empire. I know of a hidden path behind the chapel. Please, hurry and follow me. You can escape through the back door!”

It was a frail-looking young boy.

Hiding the fear in his eyes, the boy bravely grabbed the hem of Cypher’s clothes and pointed toward the back of the chapel.

Cypher’s expression became even more complicated.

He looked around at the slum residents and noticed that many of them were signaling with their eyes for him to escape quickly. Some even deliberately shifted their bodies, once again placing themselves between him and the Inquisitorial Knights.

Seeing the slum residents’ actions, the black-robed priest’s expression darkened as he spoke coldly:

“Hmph. Anyone who obstructs the church’s enforcers will be arrested and taken away as well! Those who resist… kill them on the spot!”

Hearing this, the commotion among the crowd grew even louder.

Fear and anger spread through the chapel, but despite the priest’s threat, the slum residents still refused to retreat.

At the same time, the Inquisitorial Knights drew their longswords, pointing their blades directly at the slum residents shielding Cypher.

They were expressionless and imposing. When their auras fully erupted, even Cypher’s pupils contracted sharply.

These Inquisitorial Knights… were all Gold-ranked Experts!

The terrifying pressure caused the slum residents’ faces to pale, and some unconsciously clenched their fists.

Yet still, not a single person left.

They were afraid, but they remained where they were, silently standing between Cypher and the blades of the Inquisitorial Knights.

The black-robed priest’s expression became even uglier.

He gave the order for the Inquisitorial Knights to attack. However, just as the knights took a step forward, a loud voice suddenly rang out from the crowd:

“Wait!”

It was Cypher.

Ignoring the anxious looks the slum residents were giving him, he gently pushed their hands aside and stepped out from among them.

His expression remained calm, without the slightest trace of panic.

“I’ll go with you. Just don’t hurt these civilians.”

“Lord Cypher!”

The slum residents cried out in alarm.

Some of them instinctively tried to stop him, but Cypher merely raised a hand, signaling for them to remain where they were.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

With that, he turned around and smiled gently at everyone.

“Everyone, don’t act rashly. And always remember, as long as there is light within your hearts, there will always be hope for the future.”

His voice was gentle but firm, carrying a quiet conviction that caused the agitated crowd to gradually fall silent.

After saying this, he calmly extended his hands toward the Inquisitorial Knights and surrendered himself.

“Bind him!”

The black-robed priest immediately gave the order.

The Inquisitorial Knights swarmed forward and bound Cypher tightly with anti-magic chains. The chains clinked against one another as they were wrapped around his wrists and body, sealing away the possibility of him using his abilities.

“Lord Cypher!”

The slum residents behind him became agitated once again.

Several people instinctively stepped forward, but Cypher immediately turned his head and gave them a reassuring smile before shaking it gently.

He was clearly telling them not to interfere.

“Take him away!”

The black-robed priest waved his hand impatiently.

With that, the Inquisitorial Knights roughly seized Cypher by the arms and dragged him toward the chapel doors.

Cypher did not resist.

He simply looked back one last time at the people standing inside the chapel, silently engraving their worried faces into his memory.

As he was dragged outside, the sound of the slum residents calling his name continued to echo behind him…

And amid their worried cries, Cypher’s expression remained calm.

Although it was daytime, there were few people on the city streets. Only Inquisitorial Knights clad in silver armor and the black-robed priest from the Eternal Church could be seen moving back and forth, apparently searching for something.

From time to time, the sounds of battles accompanied by curses, the cries of children, and the screams of women could be heard echoing through the streets.

Farther away, Cypher could also see several figures who had been shackled like him.

They were likewise being escorted by Inquisitorial Knights, and when their eyes met, they exchanged silent glances but looking up, Cypher easily noticed that everyone here that was captured had bright green names hovering above their heads.

Cypher: “…”

As expected…

These ‘missionaries’ were players like him.

The Eternal Church had probably finally had enough of them stirring up trouble and spreading the Church of Life’s influence throughout the empire during this period. As a result, they had begun a large-scale citywide crackdown on any missionaries they considered to be causing trouble.

Before long, players preaching throughout various parts of the city were arrested one after another and shackled.

The Inquisitorial Knights roughly pushed them forward and escorted them toward the city square.

Throughout the entire process, very few players resisted.

Cypher was among them.

Well, it couldn’t be helped…

These Knights were simply too powerful, and with Cypher’s current strength, escape was pretty much impossible.

Moreover, if they fought back, the slum residents would undoubtedly be caught in the conflict.

Most of the slum residents had already become followers of the Goddess of Life. As one of the Goddess’s Chosen Ones, he had both the responsibility and the duty to protect them.

Being arrested was nothing more than being killed. At worst, he would simply die and would be revived once again later on.

Thinking about it, perhaps being made a martyr would even earn him a few more fanatical believers…

Hmm…

—No, on second thought, this method of gaining believers was a little too shameless.

Remembering the worried looks on those slum residents’ faces earlier, Cypher felt somewhat ashamed of himself.

He had been willing to accept death so readily because he knew he could simply resurrect after a short while. But to the people who had chosen to protect him, his death would be very real and final.

However, judging from the expressions of these players being escorted alongside him, Cypher strongly suspected that they too were probably thinking along the same lines…

After all, none of them seemed particularly worried about their impending deaths.

If anything, some of them even looked strangely excited.

There were a little over twenty missionaries who had been arrested.

They were also all the players who had chosen to preach in this city.

In the city square, a series of stakes had already been prepared.

The moment Cypher saw the stakes, he immediately knew what fate awaited them.

However, when he could not help looking at the other players, he found that after a brief moment of blankness, their expressions quickly became strange, before transforming into solemn looks of righteous determination…

Many of them puffed out their chests and raised their heads, looking proud and fearless, just like heroes marching willingly toward their deaths.

Cypher: “…”

Tsk.

What a bunch of drama queens.

Cypher was rather thin-skinned. He instinctively wanted to cover his face in embarrassment, but quickly realized that he was bound and could not move.

The next moment, the Inquisitorial Knights roughly bound him to one of the stakes.

Before long, More than twenty players were tied up, while an equal number of Inquisitorial Knights stood behind them.

Each knight held a torch, with a barrel of translucent liquid placed in front of them.

A pungent smell wafted over.

Cypher recognized it. The liquid was an extremely flammable high-energy magical material refined by alchemists in Elven Kingdom, known as magical fuel.

Soon, amid a series of curses, the Inquisitorial Knights brought one civilian after another to the square.

Cypher’s gaze sharpened when he saw several of the slum residents to whom he had preached among them.

However, the Inquisitorial Knights did not harm them. Instead, they merely forcibly brought them to the execution ground and made them watch.

Not long afterwards, more and more civilians gathered, filling the square.

They glared furiously at the Inquisitorial Knights, but although they were filled with anger, they dared not speak.

At the same time, Cypher noticed many familiar gazes falling upon him.

“Lord Cypher!”

Worried cries from his followers came from the crowd.

Meeting their anxious gazes, Cypher sighed softly and gave them a warm, reassuring smile.

At that moment, the black-robed priest stepped onto the wooden platform in the square.

He swept his cold gaze across the crowd, then took out a sheet of parchment and read aloud:

“By the Holy Decree of His Holiness the Pope: These followers of the Goddess of Life have misled the people, disrupted order, and spread heretical doctrines…”

“The name of the Eternal Lord shall not be profaned, and the majesty of our Lord shall not be challenged. By decree of the Holy See, these followers of the Goddess of Life, these heretical sinners, shall be judged accordingly…”

“Death!”

As soon as his voice fell, he waved his hand toward the Inquisitorial Knights.

The knights immediately poured the magical fuel from the barrels over the players, drenching their clothes and soaking them from head to toe.

The surrounding crowd erupted into another wave of cries, calling out the players’ names.

The order at the scene immediately descended into chaos.

Facing those familiar gazes, Cypher gathered his courage and thickened his skin. Like the other players, he raised his head and puffed out his chest, preparing himself to face death without fear…

But he soon realized that his skin was still too thin.

Several players beside him suddenly raised their heads high and shouted proudly:

“Death is nothing to fear! As long as our faith remains true, even if you manage to kill us today, many others will still rise up to take our place!”

“Everyone will die eventually. Some deaths are lighter than a feather, while others are heavier than Mount Tai!”

“My death will nourish our faith. Even in death, I shall be honored!”

“Though our bodies may perish, our convictions shall endure! For justice, for freedom, for a better future!”

“Praise be to nature! Praise be to life! Praise be to the great Goddess Evé!”

“Uraaa!”

Listening to the burning missionaries’ impassioned cries, the surrounding crowd grew increasingly agitated, and many people even shed tears of emotion.

They clenched their fists and gritted their teeth, their faces filled with sorrow as they looked upon the players who were about to be burned alive.

Cypher: “…”

Ah…

After hearing what the other players were saying, all he wanted now was to die as quickly as possible.

Ah, dammit. He could almost see this moment being included in the next opening cinematic again…

And knowing the game’s developers, they would probably make the scene as dramatic as possible.

The flames were lit.

Amid the blazing light and overwhelming embarrassment, Cypher’s vision slowly sank into darkness…

༺⟐༻

Autumn, Year 1072 of the Eternal Era.

The Eternal Church launched a large-scale campaign to hunt down any Church of Life missionaries preaching within its territories. As a result, every missionary who had been captured for illegally preaching was tied to a stake and burned alive.

For a time, countless players who had traveled to the Holy Maniya Empire and the Aries Kingdom to complete priest quests got to experience the sensation of being burned alive…

During the arrests, the Inquisitorial Knights encountered fierce resistance from large numbers of human believers, most of whom were former slum residents who had been converted.

Some desperately tried to protect the missionaries, while others openly denounced the Eternal Church and shouted the teachings of the Goddess of Life in the streets.

However, after several bloody suppressions, the unrest gradually died down.

Yet although the heretical disturbances had been suppressed, an undercurrent had already begun to surge quietly throughout the various cities of the human kingdoms…

In those cities where temples dedicated to the Eternal Lord stood everywhere, the number of believers entering the Eternal Church to pray each day did not increase.

Instead, it continued to dwindle.

Some believers simply stopped attending church entirely.

Others began secretly reading the teachings of the Goddess of Life, while some had even started questioning the doctrines they had once accepted without hesitation.

The change was subtle at first, almost impossible to notice.

But as time passed, the cracks beneath the seemingly peaceful surface gradually widened.

At the same time, a group of mercenaries arrived in Larona, the capital of the Northern Territory.

“This is Larona, one of the few cities in the entire empire where followers of other religions are permitted to preach freely.”

“In fact, the Church of Life’s famous missionary, Saint John, preaches here. Large numbers of believers come to visit him every day…”

“Especially after the Eternal Church began persecuting Church of Life missionaries, more and more believers of the Goddess of Life have been fleeing here.”

“Oh, Sir Knight, you probably don’t know Lord John yet, do you? Many people call him Saint John nowadays. He arrived here several months ago and has been helping the poor, healing the sick and wounded, and preaching the faith of the Goddess of Life. He has become extremely respected here in Larona…”

The young guide explained enthusiastically as he led the group through the streets.

Frank, who was riding a white horse, nodded lightly before asking curiously:

“I’ve heard a little about him. It seems that many people here respect him greatly. Perhaps… I’ll pay him a visit in a few days.”

“But… are missionaries from other Churches really allowed to preach freely here? If I remember correctly, the Eternal Church’s Saint Adam lives in seclusion here. And this place is still under the empire’s jurisdiction…”

After saying this, he tossed the boy another silver coin.

“Thank you, Sir Knight!”

The boy excitedly accepted the silver coin and explained:

“Sir Knight, you’re from the north, so perhaps you don’t know the history of this place. Larona was once a city built jointly by dwarves and humans. In the past, the dominant faith here was that of the Dwarven Church.”

“Although it was later incorporated into the empire, the Dwarven Church remained the dominant faith here until it gradually declined… and the Eternal Church eventually became the dominant religion.”

“However, because this place is still nominally within the sphere of influence of the Dwarven Church, the Eternal Church never interfered with the local faith. The Dwarven Church has always been quite open-minded and does not care whether other churches preach here…”

The boy paused before adding:

“Besides, Larona has always been different from the other cities in the empire. People here are used to seeing followers of different races and religions living together. As long as they do not cause trouble, nobody really cares what god they worship.”

After hearing the boy’s explanation, Frank fell into thought.

Once they entered Larona and found the Eternal Church’s temple, the boy left.

Looking at the sparsely populated Eternal temple before him, Frank’s expression became somewhat contemplative.

Along the way, even without deliberately observing, he had noticed that the Eternal temples in seemingly every place had become increasingly deserted.

Frank dismounted and entered the temple accompanied by his personal guard, Roland, then presented his letter requesting an audience.

However, when the priest responsible for receiving visitors saw his name and introduction, his originally warm expression quickly turned cold.

“Frank? You’re that bastard son of the Lawson Household?”

Frank frowned slightly.

Suppressing his discomfort, he nodded.

“That’s right. But I no longer have any connection with the Lawson House.”

The priest shook his head.

“Leave. Lord Adam is very busy and is not currently in the church.”

“…I see. Then can I wait here? Or perhaps you could tell me when Lord Adam will return? I can come back another day…”

Frank asked politely.

The priest’s expression became increasingly impatient. He glanced at Frank and sneered.

“Do I really have to spell it out for you? A sinner who has been stripped of his noble title still thinks he can meet Lord Adam?”

“You!”

Roland glared angrily at the priest.

However, Frank quickly stopped him.

The smile on Frank’s face had also faded somewhat. He took a deep breath and said:

“I did not come here to visit as a noble. I came as a mercenary, or rather, as an ordinary citizen of the empire.”

“Then it’s even more impossible. Lord Adam is a very busy man. Aside from nobles who have made appointments in advance, he does not meet other guests, much less an insignificant commoner. You should leave.”

The priest shook his head.

Frank’s brows furrowed slightly, but he quickly concealed his displeasure.

“Is there really… no way for me to meet him?”

He raised his head and looked at the priest seriously.

The priest sneered.

“You used to be a noble yourself. I already told you that he won’t see you, yet you keep asking again and again. Where is your dignity?”

Frank fell silent.

For a moment, he simply stood there, his expression unreadable.

He had expected some difficulty in meeting Saint Adam, but he had not expected to be dismissed so casually.

After a moment, he let out a long sigh and nodded.

“I understand.”

“Roland, let’s go.”

With that, he turned around and walked back the way they had come.

However, he had barely taken a few steps when he heard the priest’s mocking laugh behind him, his tone filled with contempt.

“A sinner who has been stripped of his noble title still thinks he can meet Lord Adam? Tch… What wishful thinking…”

Frank’s body paused slightly.

Then he continued walking.

However, the fist that clenched and then slowly relaxed revealed that he was not nearly as calm as he appeared.

Roland turned around and glared fiercely at the priest. Only then did the priest hurriedly cover his mouth, looking away while pursing his lips.

Roland then looked at Frank and could not help asking:

“Lord Frank, should we still find another opportunity to meet that Saint of the Eternal Church, Lord Adam?”

Frank remained silent for a moment before sighing.

“Let’s go meet that rumored Saint of the Goddess of Life, Lord John, first…”

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