Chapter 211 – The Two PrisonersConia was in her cell, sitting on her shabby bed and staring at her hands, hands that always held a sword. Power was necessary in order to protect someone, and so at a very young age, she started studying the ways of the sword. Gilbert also inspired her, of course. But more than that, her parents taught her when she was a kid that swords were meant to protect people.
Her father was a high-ranking priest, governing multiple regional churches, while also managing several orphanages. Conia grew up watching her father extend a helping hand to the weak and her mother supporting his efforts.
「Was what I did wrong?」
She had lived her life in accordance to her beliefs. She didn"t think for one second that her way of life was wrong. If she did, that would mean that her parents lived their lives the wrong way too.
Right now, however, she was locked up in a cell, a decision from none other than the Church itself.
A pebble wrapped with a piece of paper rolled into the corner of her cell. Surprised, Conia looked up and realized it came from the little window on the upper portion of the iron door. She didn"t sense anyone outside. Eyeing the paper suspiciously, she tore it off and read its contents.
『I want to talk to you. I"ll be using a magic item so the guard doesn"t notice, and for that I need you to stick your hand out through the meal tray slot.』
The meal tray slot was a small opening on the lower part of the door used to pa.s.s food through. Kids could probably get out from there, but not adults.
Is this some kind of a prank? Conia thought. No one could blame her for being suspicious. The guard had an un.o.bstructed view of the corridor. He would notice if someone was there.
Or maybe the guard knows about this? Someone powerful enough to make him look the other way is here? They have to be someone from high up. Like a Purple Aristocrat, or His Holiness himself…
Conia stuck her hand out gingerly through the slot.
「Eeek!」
She felt a cold hand touch hers.
「Ssh. They shouldn"t be able to hear us anymore. Just make sure you don"t let go.」
「Wh-What? I thought you were using a magic item.」
The voice belonged to a boy, deep and mumbling, as though he didn"t want to let her know who he was.
「We don"t have much time, so let"s get this over quick. What do you want to do?」
「…What?」Conia froze at the unexpected question.「Wh-What do you mean?」
「You saw the slums outside, right? The Pope mobilized soldiers to get rid of them. Shouldn"t knights follow his orders, then?」
People who couldn"t continue living inside the beautiful white city of Agiapole and street urchins formed settlements called the slums. The Pope, however, wouldn"t allow such foul places to exist within the walls. As a result, the slums were moved outside.
Father Gravey, a priest, was expelled from the Tower. He then pretended to leave Agiapole, but instead entered the slums. He believed that people there needed guidance too.
「I-I didn"t know such a place existed near Agiapole. 」
「The Pope hates filth. I"m sure he doesn"t want a glimpse of the slums. The settlement survived up until now because of its location, but it wasn"t gonna take long before it was discovered.」
He"s right, Conia thought. The first time the Blue Knight saw the slums, she was shocked. The others, however—Red Priests, Gray Deacons, temple knights, and soldiers—didn"t seem to care and proceeded to demolish the shacks. Residents scurried away, screaming. Children cried. Then Father Gravey appeared.
「Is Father Gravey… Is everyone all right?」
There were Red Priests present who knew Father Gravey, but they didn"t listen to what he had to say.
「We"re eliminating the filth.」was all they said.
Conia knew about Father Gravey as he was friends with her parents. She had heard he was travelling in the countryside to preach, but she didn"t expect him to find him in the slums. He refused to back down in front of the Red Priests, prompting a soldier to draw his sword.
「You"re more worried about them than yourself?」
The next thing she knew, Conia had lunged at the soldier, sending him flying. As she brandished her sword to protect Gravey, the Red Priests ordered the temple knights and soldiers to attack her. Eventually, she was overpowered and arrested.
「Of course. My purpose is to protect the weak. It"s only natural… that I"m worried about them.」
Conia gritted her teeth in frustration. Protect the weak? Yeah, right. All this time, she was unaware of the people that needed help outside the walls.
「They"re fine. Gilbert apparently managed to let them escape.」
Right after Conia was arrested, Gilbert jumped into the fray and began helping Father Gravey and the residents escape.
Why did he help them? Conia wondered. He kicked a helpless kid to the ground. He said he became a Blue Knight for the money and power.
「Gilbert secretly supported the slum.」the person beyond the door said, as though reading her mind.「Did you know that he went out at night whenever he received payment?」
「Yes.」
「That was camouflage. He made it look like he was dead drunk in a brothel. Then a woman, a friend of his, takes his money to provide food for the slum.」
「What?!」
「Ssh. Keep it down.」
「S-Sorry. I just… wasn"t aware of that.」
Oblivious to the truth, she questioned Gilbert, doubted him. He said he didn"t care about the duties of a Blue Knight as long as he kept his status. Deep down, she even despised him.
「I ask you again, Conia Mercury. What do you want to do?」
Hikaru knew Gilbert was secretly helping the slum. He followed the man one night and witnessed him enter a place called Blue b.u.t.terfly. Afterwards, a woman named Kyankyan left the brothel with his money.
「What the… I"m out. Did I really spend that much?」
He left the brothel mumbling those words, noticing that someone was watching him.
After that, Hikaru followed Kyankyan. The money was pa.s.sed on from one person to another until it turned into food for the slums. That was all Hikaru needed to see.
Gilbert kicked that one kid for a good reason. If he didn"t do anything, the temple knight would"ve come up with any excuse to cut the boy down. The man in fact saved the boy by kicking him. Hikaru knew nothing about this incident, however.
After talking to Conia, Hikaru went to Gilbert to hear his side, using the same Group Obfuscation so the guard wouldn"t notice. He had some reservations about holding hands with a guy, but there was no other option.
For a moment, Gilbert was surprised at how much Hikaru knew.
「Ah, well. No point in lying if you already know that much. You"ll help, right?」
「I have a question first. Why did you lie to the secretary?」
「What are you talking about?」
「That huge hole underground. Rocks come out if you kill that black thing—」
Sensing danger, Hikaru quickly pulled his hand back. He could feel the murderous vibe coming from Gilbert.
「How much do you really know?」the knight asked.
His voice was low enough that even without using Obfuscation, no one but Hikaru could hear it. Yet the aura coming from the man was enough to make Hikaru extremely cautious. A vicious urge to kill directed only at Hikaru, like a sharp master-crafted blade was at his throat.
「I could ask you the same thing. What do you know? Why did you help the slums? Why did you lie to the secretary… no, the Pope? What"s beyond that door?」