“Don’t call them ‘prisoners of war.’ They have no souls—no consciences to worship the Gods and strive for justice. They are simply vermin, nothing more.”
That was why the Church was capturing, breaking, and brainwashing them—because they were beasts, not people like us.
“You are well aware of their foul and contemptible nature, are you not, Sir Hero? Their utterly inhuman cruelty?”
“I... Yeah, but...”
Cion’s voice was hesitant and faltering. It wasn’t hard to imagine why—our conversation with the Golden Lion was still fresh in her mind, and now she could see demons being treated like objects right before our eyes.
“We must exterminate them utterly. That is what the Gods wish of us as well—that is why They have entrusted me with this task. They have instructed me on how to create Their legions, Their divine soldiers, that we might slaughter the demons—that we might destroy them! The Gods have granted this knowledge to me, and me alone!”
Unsatisfied with Cion’s response, the archbishop whipped himself up into a frenzy as he preached. He probably believed every word of what he was saying from the bottom of his heart, but to me it all sounded like a pathetic joke.
“They are going to attack this temple, Your Excellency. They want to rescue their comrades.”
I knew I was getting a little out of line again, but instead of scolding me for my insolence, the archbishop just clutched his head in his hands with a look of despair.
“Quite so. The situation is grave... The Gods granted me a prophecy this morning, saying much the same. ‘The forces of the demons shall come with tomorrow’s dawn to rob Us of Our treasure,’ They tell me. And indeed, the scouts I dispatched have returned to report that a horde of demons is approaching. Our circumstances are dire indeed... The worst is at hand!”
But even as he said those words, there was a hint of excitement in his tone.
“However...” he continued, “the Gods told me this as well: ‘Fear not, for he who cleaves away the darkness, the Hero who bears Our sacred light, shall hasten to Our aid’! And lo and behold, it has come to pass! Just as the Gods ordained, the Hero Elcyon has hastened to us! O mighty Hero, I beseech you, drive back these vile shadows that beset us!”
The archbishop’s eyes were bloodshot as he ranted and raved. I knew that excessive faith could drive people to act in bizarre ways, but this guy was a different flavor of creepy from the psychotic zealot I was used to dealing with.
“Y-Your Excellency? Surely this is too great a task to demand of the Hero all on his own...?”
“It is not! The Gods have proclaimed it! ‘The Hero alone shall suffice,’ They say! ‘You shall watch over the birthplace of Our divine soldiers, and the Hero alone shall defend you’! It’s all right, Sister Alicia. The Gods speak only truth!”
As I stared into his wide-blown pupils, I realized that nothing we could say would make him see reason.
Seriously, what the hell kind of God gave this idiot a ridiculous prophecy like that?
“Unless, Sir Elcyon...” the archbishop said slowly. “Are you not the Hero the Gods spoke of?”
“I, uh...”
Now it was practically a threat. As long as this guy held up the name of the Hero as a shield, Cion was utterly powerless to refuse.
“Please, Sir Hero, secure us the time we require to complete our divine soldiers! Fight back the darkness, just as that Hero of the past defended our kingdom’s capital from the forces of evil! Just like the mighty Veiss Volg!”
I heard a small noise from the back of Cion’s throat, and her face instantly darkened.
“Y-Your Excellency, if you could please refrain from discussing Sir Veiss right now—”
We were still fresh in the wake of the previous night’s incident. This was the worst possible time to remind Cion of Veiss again; I couldn’t just stand there and let it happen. My hands clenched into fists, but without even a glance my way, the idiot kept on going.
“No, let me speak, Sister. After all, I was there that day—I witnessed it with my own eyes! I saw the devil that set the capital ablaze, and I saw the champion who ran it down and vanquished it—the living embodiment of divine justice!”
He wasn’t going to listen to a word I said. At this point, I was seriously thinking about just killing the guy, but I was more worried by Cion’s total lack of response.
“Did you know?” the archbishop asked. “That mighty champion, Veiss Volg, was the sole survivor of the Second Expeditionary Force!”
I hadn’t known, and I didn’t care. I looked at Cion, but with her face hidden beneath her hood, I couldn’t gauge her expression at all.
“Truly a champion of legend! Truly a Hero of myth itself!” The archbishop was in full swing now, heedless of our reactions. “Half of the kingdom’s royal knights were wiped out, but he alone returned alive, and the Holy Church declared him the Hero in recognition of his triumph! After a relative of the king lost her life in the attack on the capital, Veiss was stripped of his title and banished... But nevertheless, he was a true Hero and a champion!”
I was starting to get the picture—basically, this guy worshipped Veiss. His eyes were shining like a little kid’s. But that sort of enthusiasm was only for innocent young children. When an over-the-hill old man prattled on gleefully like this, it was nothing but obnoxious.
“And you wish for Sir Elcyon to perform the same feats as that champion of legend, Your Excellency?” I asked with a hint of exasperation.
The dumbass nodded emphatically, his cheeks flushed with excitement. “There are those who say that you studied the blade under Veiss himself! And although it was kept from the public, you fought alongside him during the White Wolf’s attack on Clastreach as well, did you not? Please, wield that power once more as you defend ussss!”
The crazed zealot—or maybe idiotic nuisance would be more accurate—clutched at Cion’s shoulders and peered at her face beneath her hood, but she stayed calm and composed.
“I’ll protect everyone. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt either.” She spoke matter-of-factly, laying out the archbishop’s demands in simple terms as she brushed away his hands. “But to do that, I am going to need the mercenaries fighting alongside me. I don’t know if I can handle all the demons on my own.”