IBWMD 124

~Chapter 124~

Wooong—

The eerie sound of wind echoed through the underground temple.

It came from the vents that were built for storing holy relics.

Splash, splash.

But today, instead of the usual scent of temple oils and wine, another smell spread through the air.

The smell of a cold winter lake.

“Hhh, hhh.”

A Holy Knight staggered down the hallway, his armor half-removed and dragging.

Splash, splash, splash.

It was strange.
There was no reason for water from the lake to still be clinging to him.

Yet he felt like a dark puddle was following at his ankles.
In his ears rang the screams of dying comrades and the bubbling sound of bodies sinking into water.

“Hhh… please… please…”

Every step he took, golden light flashed inside his head.
It was the sound of demons punishing them for staining a place humans should never have touched.

‘Save me!’

‘I can’t swim! This water is strange!’

‘It’s not water, it’s a swamp!’

The lake, once beautifully frozen, had melted the moment they stepped onto it.
It turned instantly into a hell from the demon realm.

‘Aaagh!’
‘High Priest!’
‘God!’

The high priest, who had run toward the dragon first, had already sunk deep down.
Then his comrades disappeared one by one beneath the black waters.

Fear filled the air.

‘I don’t want to die!’

By instinct, he had climbed onto a struggling mage, pushing him under.

‘Gkk…!’
‘I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die!’

That was when he saw it.
The mage’s hand, holding a magic orb.

Inside it shone something sharp and black—
a fragment of a demon’s scale.

‘Divine punishment! This is divine punishment… gkk!’

The Holy Knight beside him sank without finishing his words.

“Divine punishment…?” the man thought.
If this wasn’t a demon’s curse but a punishment from God,
then perhaps he could be forgiven.

‘As promised…’

If he returned with this scale as promised,
then the agent of God would forgive him.
He would be saved from this endless sin and this hell.

Clutching the orb, he pressed down his comrades and crawled out of the water.

The screams of those he drowned still echoed in his ears.

He had no courage left to look into the faces of the few survivors.

“Hhh…”

He didn’t even remember how he reached the capital.
Only the thought of giving the scale to God’s representative and being forgiven kept him moving.

“Forgive… save me…”

At last, he reached the door at the end of the hallway.
Priests stood on each side, their eyes glowing strangely.

Rumble—

The door opened.

Beyond it stretched a massive underground hall.
The young knight collapsed to his knees.

“Forgive me, mercy…”

Even now, when he closed his eyes, burning golden light flickered behind his eyelids.

To erase that light, he lifted the orb high and banged his forehead to the floor.

“Yes.”

A kind voice spoke above his head.

“I will give you mercy.”

When he raised his head, a radiant halo shone behind an old man’s head.

If the knight had any sense left, he would have realized—
the light wasn’t from the old man, but from a giant crystal door behind him.
The old man’s bald head was merely reflecting it.

But the knight had left his reason back in the lake.

“Now rest, child.”

“W-wait, just say… forgive me…”

If only the old man would say those words…

But the chance never came.

“Khk!”

A priest came from behind and stabbed him with a dagger.
The knight fell, and the other priests dragged his body away.

The old man turned back, smiling kindly as always.

Inside the orb in his hand was the thing he and his predecessors had searched so hard for.

But unlike them, the old man’s purpose was slightly different.

“At last… demon flesh is in my hands.”

At the edge of the scale was a tiny piece of flesh.
The old man stared at it with greedy eyes before turning toward the crystal door.

The priest with the dagger followed him.

“…Your Holiness.”

Standing before the crystal door was a woman with long silver hair. She lowered her head and stepped back.

Her fingertips trembled as she watched.

The old man spoke gently:

“Do not fear. You are a saint.”

But the woman only turned her pale face away, eyes tightly shut.

The dagger priest congratulated the old man:

“Congratulations, Your Holiness.”

He then looked at the crystal door.
At the top of the round arch, three hollows were carved.

In the center was a nearly worn-down bone fragment.

“You were worried, weren’t you?”

“…”

“That you wouldn’t find it before the bone vanished.”

“Yes.”

“But everything always falls into place in time. You are blessed, Your Holiness.”

“…”

“Even if those you sent failed…”

“That doesn’t matter.”

The old man smiled gently and stretched out his hand.

“There is another way.”

The scale floated up from his palm and clicked into the empty hollow to the left of the bone fragment.

Wooong—

A heavy sound rumbled from beyond the crystal door.

“Oooh!”

The dagger priest fell to his knees in awe.

The old man’s smile deepened.

Then he patted the silver-haired woman’s shoulder.

“There is something you must do for what comes next.”

“…Your Holiness, I…”

“With your ability, it is possible. Go and gain the Emperor’s trust.”

“I… I don’t want to…”

The moment she said it, the old man’s voice turned sharp.

“Will you defy the will of God?!”

The woman flinched.

The old man clicked his tongue as if at a foolish child.

“If I had not taken you in, would you even exist now?”

“…”

“Did you forget I saved you from that filthy place?”

“N-no…”

Her clasped hands turned white under the strain.

“God saved you through me. And you dare not follow His will?”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“It seems you need a lesson. I will tell those you cared for how wicked you truly are.”

“Your Holiness!”

She screamed.

At his signal, the dagger priest stepped forward, his blade dripping blood.

“Where are they now?”

“In the facility attached to the temple.”

“Then stop feeding the children, and put the old ones into the punishment cells—”

“Please, Your Holiness!”

The silver-haired woman snapped her head up.

“Please, don’t do that!”

“Do you understand your failing now?”

“Yes… I understand. I will do it.”

“What will you do?”

“Gain the Emperor’s trust…”

“Yes. You can do it. You can win anyone’s heart.”

This time the old man patted her shoulder kindly again.

A whip, then a carrot.

“Do your task. Wait for my call.”

“…Yes.”

The silver-haired woman nodded, cold sweat on her forehead, tears gathering in her eyes.

“Good. That’s the way.”

The old man, satisfied, turned back to the crystal door and whispered:

“Now, we only need to bring the demon’s blood here.”