“All right...”
Whether I was manipulating the Hero or assassinating him, there was no time to waste. I hadn’t wanted to stay here long in the first place.
This was Arshelm, the World’s End. Here on the border, even the air felt heavy and oppressive, and the people’s faces were rougher and grimmer than I was used to seeing in the central cities.
From the moment I arrived, I’d felt the gazes of passersby prickling uncomfortably at my skin. More than caution, it felt like revulsion—people here didn’t seem to trust the Church much.
“What a pain in the ass...”
Gritting my teeth and bearing it, I made my way to a nearby inn. Even here, on a main street, there was a group of rough-looking men clustered around the doorway, blatantly whistling the moment they saw me. It made me sick, but I’d let it slide—dealing with these assholes wasn’t part of my job.
Inside, the tavern was packed with men who were already completely wasted at midday. Most of them were mercenaries or similarly seedy types. They were unpleasant just to look at, but there weren’t any knights around to defend border cities like this one; without these guys, demons would start making their way farther inland. Basically, they were trash, but too useful to throw away completely.
I’d never set foot in a place like this if I could avoid it; but—be it a brothel or a torture chamber—wherever I was ordered to go, I went. That was my role as an enforcer and my burden as an inquisitor.
As I made my way farther in, the background noise around me turned into excited chatter. Mostly appraisal, from the sound of it. I ignored it and continued toward the back, heading over to the innkeeper I’d read about in the reports.
A bald-headed man stood behind the bar, filling glasses with booze. His bronzed skin was covered in scars, and his build was heavyset. From the sharp, hard-edged look in his eyes, he was clearly a shady character; he looked more like a bandit chief than a bartender.
“Might I have a moment of your time, please?” I took my bible out from its holder and set it on the bar to make clear I was here on official Church business. The innkeeper glanced at it briefly, without a hint of surprise.
“What business does a bride of the Holy Church have in here?”
“I’ve been informed that the Hero is staying here in Arshelm, and I’ve traveled here to pay him my regards.”
I could tell I was on the money. The moment I said that name, there was a subtle shift in the bar’s atmosphere. I kept talking while gauging the other men’s reactions in my peripheral vision. “I’m told that men who make their living on the battlefield often frequent this inn. Would you happen to know where I can find him, by any chance?”
“Mmm, lemme think...” the barkeep stalled. He picked up a glass and started wiping it with a rag, closing his eyes in thought. “Feel like I might’ve seen a guy like that, or he might’ve gotten killed someplace... I get a lotta people in and out of here. Ain’t like I remember all their faces.”
I got the message—there was obviously no love lost for the Church here. How bothersome.
“I believe every child of the Gods has a sacred duty to aid the Church as the representatives of the Gods; do they not?” I asked.
“So what? Still can’t tell you stuff I don’t remember.” He obviously knew, though.
I let the silence hang for a moment.
“Very well. A glass of your finest, then.” I took a seat and held out a silver coin. I could force the information out of him, but it seemed like a bad idea to start a fight where the Hero might see me.
“Thought the Gods didn’t allow drinking.”
“If they watched over us at all times, even the Gods would surely grow tired.” I had no intention of actually drinking, obviously. But I’d just look ridiculous waiting for the Hero with a glass of milk in my hand. “Or do you have no liquor to serve to a bride of the Gods?”
“Oh, I do. Everyone’s equal ’fore the Gods; least, that’s how it is in this bar.” He grabbed a bottle with a worn-off label from the shelf behind him and poured me a glass. “So this here is the drink of the Gods, see?”
The drink he held out to me was deep red, like a melted-down ruby. Even the rich, full-bodied aroma was enough to make my head spin.
I stared at it, fascinated. “It certainly is.”
“Ain’t it?”
Liquor, too, was a gift from the Gods. As a bride of the Gods, I wasn’t allowed to indulge. My cardinal kept buying all kinds of booze, though, despite having absolute garbage taste. So, over time, I’d naturally picked up a sense for good liquor, and this glass truly held a drink fit for the Gods themselves. This was the good stuff, no mistaking it.
It really is a shame I can’t drink it, I pondered to myself as I rested my elbows on the bar, enjoying the fragrance and tracing my fingers along the cover of my bible.
As the barkeep stepped away, I sensed a group of men coming up behind me. I counted the rough thuds of heavy footsteps: one, two...three pairs.
“You havin’ a good time there, missy?” one of them slurred.
“I suppose so,” I replied calmly.
They absolutely stank of booze... But, well, I wanted to avoid starting any fights, etc. The drink in front of me had put me in a decent mood; I could get through this. Besides, even if I helped reform these guys, it wasn’t like there’d be any reward in it for me.
“Ain’t seen your face ’round here before. You ain’t from the church up here, are you? Come from down south?”
From the corner of my eye, I glared at the set of fingers that were unrestrainedly making their way around my waist, and I pointedly thumped the corner of my bible on the bar. “I must warn you, this body is promised to the Gods. If you continue your jests any further, it could constitute an act of sacrilege.”
“So that’s the deal, huh? You got a sweet face, but you get around, don’tcha, missy? Just how many ‘Gods’ have you slept with? Hmm?”
La la la, I don’t hear anything. Do you hear anything?
“C’mon, loosen up,” he continued. “We don’t get pretty things like you out here that often. To sin is human, or whatever, right, babe?”
“Hmm, was that the saying?” As I spoke, I pushed down on the man’s fingers with my left hand, stopping their advance up toward my chest. I absolutely wanted to avoid any killing that wasn’t part of my job. I wanted to avoid it.
“Eh, who cares, you’re gonna be keepin’ that fuckin’ cardinal company tonight anyway, ain’tcha? So why don’tcha have some fun with us first, huh?”
The swaggering idiot picked up my glass and downed it in one gulp.
My glass, the one I’d been planning to sneak a drink of later.
While I seethed, I shot the barkeep a look, but he simply closed his eyes. Ah, that’s right. Everyone’s equal in here, even the Gods, was that it?
Even as I pushed down, the fingers were still trying to creep their way up; I stopped them once again, with a firm grip this time.
“Please allow me to impart to you some of the teachings of the Gods,” I announced, with the most beatific smile I could manage.
“Huh...?”
Snap. Just as the man’s stupid face scrunched up in confusion, the sound of his fingers breaking echoed through the bar.
“Wh-Wha— Gaaaaaah!”