CH 592

Ellen had heard from someone on the High Command side that the Holy Knights' graveyard had been plundered. Naturally, she also knew that the leader of the Holy Knights and the high-ranking knights had returned to investigate the matter.

Since a considerable amount of military power was concentrated in the Allied Forces, it was inevitable that the security of the Holy Knights' mausoleum would become vulnerable. The occurrence of the plundering itself was not considered impossible.

However, she didn't know that the stolen items were human remains.

"Why…?"

Ellen couldn't understand it.

"I don't know either. But many of the graves were destroyed, and the remains inside had all disappeared."

Eleion Bolton was just as puzzled.

"It's natural that Archbishop Rowan would want to investigate this. But I never thought her method would involve capturing and torturing heretics."

Eleion Bolton stared quietly at the table.

"I also returned to the Imperial Capital and continued to look into the matter. It could be a dissatisfied faction within, or something I'm unaware of, so I'm being cautious in my actions."

Who had secretly entered the saints' graveyard and stolen the remains? The reason, the method, and the culprit were all unknown.

And it was clear that the leader of the Holy Knights couldn't properly get to the bottom of the incident because he couldn't trust those who had remained in the Imperial Capital.

"What does this have to do with the people in the refugee camp?"

"If you think that the Inquisitors' job is to arrest, torture, and kill innocent people, then it can't be helped. But the Inquisitors are the ones who see the most manifestations of the cursed rituals performed by heretics."

"…"

They had witnessed countless demonic deeds performed by heretics and the impure miracles they caused.

So it was an occupational hazard to think that heretics were the cause of such problems.

"One cannot absolutely rule out the possibility that the heretics' curses and prayers have defiled the saints' tombs."

The leader of the Holy Knights couldn't say for sure that the heretic rituals in the refugee camp were not the cause.

In reality, a massive refugee camp had formed in the Imperial Capital, and many of them were followers of the Hero Religion or believed in a distorted form of the religion. It was impossible to say that none of their impure rituals or prayers had brought impurity to the saints' mausoleums.

"Is such a thing really possible?"

At Ellen's question, Eleion Bolton neither nodded nor shook his head.

"It could be possible."

The leader of the Holy Knights didn't know what Rowan had been doing so far.

But he knew that Rowan had been looking into the graveyard robbery because of the situation in the Holy Knights.

Then came an even stranger question.

'Why on earth would Ludwig…?'

Ellen thought that Rowan might have approached Ludwig to get close to her.

But what did Ludwig have to do with it if Rowan was investigating the graveyard robbery?

If Ludwig's involvement and the purpose of the graveyard robbery were different, it could be possible.

But was that really the case?

And there was another problem.

"Did Rowan know why the Gate incident happened?"

Judging by the circumstances and recalling what she had said to Ludwig, Rowan seemed to know the reason behind the Gate incident.

Upon Ellen's inquiry, Eleion Bolton gazed silently at her.

"Do you remember that day?"

Of course, Ellen knew which day he was referring to.

The day the sky opened, and meteors rained down.

The day this entire nightmare began.

"Do you remember the people who were there?"

"...Yes."

Many people had gathered at that place.

The last moment when they questioned the Demon King about his intentions and desires.

The Demon King spoke there.

He said he loved humans and wanted to save them.

But they did not trust him, and it was already too late, so he told them about the events that would unfold.

The people who had gathered to interrogate the Demon King that day.

The Emperor and the Crown Prince.

Ellen and Saviolin Turner, the leader of the Holy Knights, and the popes of the five major churches.

And those who had gathered to prepare for any contingencies.

The Royal Mage Corps.

Shanafel.

The high-ranking holy knights of the Holy Knight Order.

"Archbishop Rowan was there too."

Rowan was one of the people present when the Demon King made his final plea.

He had given up on everything and surrendered.

He said he loved humans and wanted peace, but they did not believe him.

Rowan was a witness to the Demon King's despair as he made his confession with a miserable expression, having given up on everything.

Archbishop Rowan, the leader of the inquisitors, had watched as the apostle of Tu'an, in despair, fell apart before her eyes.

Rowan had been a priestess of Tu'an.

------

On the day the sky opened, many people had gathered in the great hall. There were royal mages, knights from Shanafel, and high-ranking holy knights of the Holy Knight Order.

Many of them had become unwelcome guests after the Gate incident, but there were survivors. Rowan was one of them.

They didn't know much about the Demon King, but they had witnessed firsthand his prediction of the Gate incident and his discussion of how to stop it.

All of them harbored secrets about the truth that must not be revealed, but in the end, they were all human.

They couldn't help but agonize and suffer over why these things had to happen and what the problem was.

Upon hearing that the murdered Rowan had been one of the people present that day, Ellen could only stand there, dumbfounded.

She had been close to the Demon King at that gathering.

Rowan would have watched the scene from a distance. She was one of the holy knights guarding the area in case of an attack.

She had heard the Demon King's confession.

Many people believed that the Gate incident was an act perpetrated by the Demon King to exterminate humanity.

People hated Tu'an for choosing such a Demon King.

They hated the priests who believed in Tu'an.

They hated the followers who obeyed those priests.

And those who believed in the Hero Religion prospered.

How resentful, sad, and hateful it must have been for those who did not know the truth to spew their hatred and anger.

Ellen realized how natural it was for Rowan to loathe and despise her so fiercely.

But Rowan was dead, regardless of what she wanted or investigated.

It was impossible to know who had killed her.

She didn't even know why she had approached Ludwig.

Louise had told Ellen.

Your mission is for the sake of humanity.

Then, are all matters concerning humanity the responsibility of the hero?

Ellen couldn't help but think that she was responsible not only for suspecting Rowan but also for everything she had gone through.

"Who was it that killed her... you're saying you don't know?"

"…Yes."

The commander of the Holy Knights could only guess at what Rowan had been investigating. He genuinely didn't know what Rowan had intended to do or who had killed her.

It was impossible to trust everything that Eleion Bolton said. There was always a chance that he was withholding information, caught between ignorance, lies, and truth.

"Do you think Rowan was killed while investigating the tomb-raiding incident?"

"Most likely, yes."

The tomb of the saints beneath the Holy Knights' Cathedral had been raided.

Rowan had been investigating the incident and was killed as a result.

That was the only conclusion they could draw at the moment.

------

Eleion Bolton's claim that he didn't know what Rowan had been doing wasn't entirely without credibility. However, there was no guarantee that everything Eleion Bolton said was true.

In the first place, there was no way Ellen, an outsider—even as a hero—would be welcomed meddling in internal affairs. It was only natural that something would be hidden.

The Holy Knights were more concerned with covering up what had happened in the church than with destroying evidence at the scene. That's why the bodies in the temple's basement remained.

The Holy Knights were in a hurry from the start.

Their plan was to conceal the scene first, then deal with the heretic interrogators and their facilities later.

Naturally, there was no reason for the empire to interfere in the affairs of the Holy Knights.

If Ellen hadn't suddenly burst into the scene, the incident would have been wrapped up as a robbery and arson attack by bandits on the church.

It was the Holy Knights, following Eleion Bolton's orders, who had concealed the scene.

But Eleion Bolton claimed that he had never ordered Rowan to interrogate heretics. The truth of that claim aside, it wasn't entirely unbelievable.

Eleion Bolton had no way of knowing the situation in the Imperial Capital until he returned. It was clear that he was also spending time assessing the situation.

Ellen pondered.

Did Eleion Bolton know that Rowan had intentionally approached Ludwig?

Looking at the situation, Eleion Bolton seemed to be focused on concealing the scene.

It was clear that he hadn't checked the contents of the documents in the church or known that Rowan had intentionally approached Ludwig.

He had likely planned to learn about that matter step by step during the cover-up and cleanup process.

And Ellen now had the document with Ludwig's face on it.

Wondering whether to reveal this information, Ellen soon made a decision.

Eleion Bolton could not yet be trusted.

And he wouldn't trust Ellen either, so they were on equal footing in their mutual distrust.

"May I look into this matter myself?"

If he insisted that she shouldn't interfere, it would arouse Ellen's suspicions.

Ellen didn't have explicitly stated powers, like the authority to investigate.

However, because it wasn't explicitly stated, Ellen could interfere in any matter.

Her ability to meddle in the affairs of the Holy Knights—which even the emperor couldn't touch—was proof of that.

In a way, Ellen possessed the most transcendent power. She didn't know what Eleion Bolton was thinking.

All she knew was that he couldn't refuse her.

"I’ll cooperate fully, within the limits of the authority of the Holy Knights' Commander."

Within the limits of the authority of the Holy Knights' Commander.

Ellen understood exactly what that meant.

------

After the meeting with the Holy Knights' Commander, Ellen returned to the place where her companions were waiting.

Ellen had received a promise that the Holy Knights' Commander would cooperate fully. However, he didn't mention the Princess of the Schwarz royal family at all.

Whether it meant to handle the matter on her own or that it would be fine if Louise got involved in the case, it was unclear.

The Holy Knights' Commander, however, had to resolve the graveyard robbery case.

Just as Rowan had solved the case in his own way, it wouldn't be bad if Ellen resolved it herself.

It was ambiguous whether Eleion Bolton genuinely didn't know or was deliberately withholding information.

Nonetheless, the claim that he had no choice but to be ignorant of the situation on the Imperial Capital was not unconvincing.

Ellen didn't explicitly mention that Rowan was one of the few who knew the truth about the Gate incident.

Guilt-ridden as she was, some truths had to be kept hidden.

Just as Eleion Bolton had crushed the path leading down to the inquisition facility in the underground church, Ellen was also someone who had no choice but to do similar things.

"The graveyard was robbed, and the missing items are the remains?"

"Yes."

"But why...?"

"I don't know either."

The three of them couldn't help but be surprised by what they had heard about the case Rowan was presumed to be investigating.

If treasures had disappeared, greed would have been the motive. However, if remains were missing, the likelihood of being involved in a malicious act increased.

That's why it was natural for Rowan, as an Inquisitor, to investigate heretics suspected of being involved in such evil deeds.

In the refugee camp, they had captured those who looked like heretics and interrogated them to determine if they were involved in the graveyard robbery case, and killed them.

Whether that was right or wrong, she had been faithful to her duties.

The missing remains.

Why had the saints' remains been stolen, and where had they gone?

Louise frowned, deep in thought.

"It seems that interrogating and killing the heretics was the only conclusion the priest could reach…"

"That being said, finding the suspected culprits and getting killed by them is a relatively likely scenario…"

"But are there really heretic forces in the refugee camp capable of such acts?"

It was impossible to say that such a thing could not happen.

However, if Rowan had indeed provoked a powerful heretic group in the refugee camp and suffered a massacre along with the other Inquisitors, there was one puzzle piece that didn't fit.

Everyone's gaze naturally turned towards Ludwig.

"Then why…"

Ludwig was also confused, unable to understand why Rowan had approached him.

"One thing is certain, she didn't need a bodyguard. She definitely approached you deliberately."

Rowan was more skilled than Ludwig; it was clear that she didn't need a bodyguard. She had only disguised her intentions as such; in reality, she had deliberately sought out Ludwig in his guard unit.

However, Ellen was starting to think that these two cases might not be separate incidents.

Rowan had been investigating the whereabouts of the missing remains.

And in order to destroy the Hero Religion, she had approached Ludwig to reach Ellen.

It was clear that the person despised heretics, so she might have pursued two completely separate matters.

Knowing that Rowan was somewhat aware of the truth behind the Gate incident, Ellen came to a different conclusion than the rest of the people in the room.

Ludwig's involvement was separate from the heretic and stolen remains cases.

The stolen remains case was an urgent matter that had come before Rowan's eyes. Thus, she had no choice but to investigate it.

Approaching Ellen through Ludwig would be an entirely different matter from Rowan's perspective, undertaken with a long-term view.

Circumstantially, Ellen was certain that Rowan had no choice but to hate her.

But ultimately, the problem returns to its starting point.

Who killed Rowan?

"Could there be a heretic force of that size in the refugee camp... capable of possessing the power to attack the Inquisitors' church?"

At Ellen's question, Louise fell silent, as if nothing came to mind.

Continuing to ponder but having nothing to say, Heinrich von Schwarz broke the silence.

"What about the Demon God Cult...?"

"The Demon God Cult?"

Not heretics, but real sects.

"Yeah, it's impossible for there to be no Demon God Cult in the refugee camp where heretics are rampant."

In reality, unlike the Hero Religion followers with their half-hearted faith, the Demon God Cult wielded the genuine power of demon gods.

The truly dangerous sect had always been the Demon God Cult.

"Yeah... I hadn't been considering that angle."

Louise slowly nodded her head.

Although the Demon God Cult in the refugee camp was not responsible for the stolen remains case, Heinrich's speculation was true in a broader context.