Chapter 28
28. Heretic-Hunting Mad Dog
The doctor was deeply concerned about Liana's health, but she stubbornly insisted she was fine, so he eventually gave up.
"The fever is still there, but I think she's past the worst of it."
At the doctor's words, Shed stared intently at Liana.
His gaze was filled with suspicion, and her light green eyes darted away.
His sharp eyes seemed to see through all the secrets she was hiding.
"Then, I'll leave the rest to you."
His low, heavy voice fell indifferently.
Duke Leicester glanced at her once and left the room.
The old door closed behind him.
Only then did Liana release the breath that had been stuck in her chest.
Thud. His broad back leaned against the wall.
'Damn it.'
Shed Lester dryly wiped his face.
Liana had woken up.
It was as if the ropes that had bound his whole body had snapped, and his tense muscles relaxed.
It had only been three days. She had only been unconscious for three days, but he felt as drained as if he had been on the battlefield for a week.
While she was hovering between life and death, he hadn't slept a wink.
It was as if she had stolen even the sleep he was supposed to have, and he couldn't even close his eyes.
With bloodshot eyes, he thought countless times. If she never woke up, he would...
'Shit.'
She was truly a clever devil.
The moment she threw herself in front of the sword, the tower of reason he had painstakingly built, and the blade of revenge he had honed for so long, all crumbled and shattered.
He wanted her to die more than anyone else, yet he felt such relief that she had woken up.
His calloused fist clenched tightly.
The image of Liana receiving treatment wouldn't leave his mind.
Clots of dark red blood dripped from her wound, and she barely managed to sit up, her body staggering with weakness.
The sight of Liana biting her pale lips, enduring the pain as if it were a habit, tore at his insides.
Her cold hands trembled, and the cold sweat that soaked her body caused a stir within him.
Compassion? Did he feel compassion for her?
Compassion for the daughter of the enemy who killed his brothers and comrades?
Did he feel sorry for her, who had betrayed his dedication and trust?
All his emotions and thoughts were mixed up, and he couldn't get a grip on them.
But he wanted to ask.
Why. Why did she jump in to save him?
"My Lord."
At that moment, the knight Carlisle approached from down the hallway.
Shed straightened up from the wall and shook off his tangled thoughts.
"The repairs to the detached palace are mostly complete. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but that attack was definitely..."
Carlisle knew who was responsible for the commotion that had just occurred.
Shed nodded, pinching his throbbing temples.
Carlisle glanced back and forth between Shed and the closed door, then carefully parted his lips.
"Has that woman woken up?"
Shed nodded once more.
"What about the Cleric?"
"He's putting up a Guardian Barrier, but it doesn't seem to be complete yet. Some of the barrier was destroyed by the attack just now."
To allow an intrusion like this because he couldn't even put up a proper Guardian Barrier.
He knew he was incompetent, but this was beyond what he expected.
"The High Priest should arrive soon."
Carlisle had no choice but to acknowledge the Cleric's incompetence.
No, everyone had already lost faith in him long ago.
"Hasn't the High Priest sent a messenger yet?"
There were only a handful of people in the empire who had received the title of High Priest.
And Shed wanted to avoid exactly two of them.
"There's been no clear communication. We have no choice but to wait until the Cleric arrives..."
"I understand. Go back."
"Yes, My Lord."
"...Thank you for your hard work as always."
At Shed's words, a faint smile flickered across Carlisle's face, which had been stiff.
He bowed loyally and left.
"I, Ideana... It's been a long time..."
The silver-haired Cleric took off his white robe and gazed at the old, dilapidated mansion in the distance.
The mansion, faded and stained with ivy and dirt, had an eerie atmosphere.
There were noticeable parts that had been damaged and collapsed without being repaired.
It wouldn't be strange if ghosts or Demon Beasts lived there.
But as he approached the entrance of the mansion, a bright energy greeted him instead of a chilling gloom.
"High Priest Dietrich!"
The people who had come out to greet him stretched out their hands to welcome him.
The faces of the people looking at him were filled with relief and hope.
The Cleric who had accompanied Shed to Ideana had a face that looked like he was about to cry and bowed deeply.
"May the Divine Power be with you! We have been eagerly waiting for you, High Priest."
"O-oh, I, it's been a while since I've received such a welcome..."
Dietrich saw the sparkling, emotional eyes directed at him.
As a High Priest, he had been greeted with grand welcoming ceremonies in various places, but this was the first time he had received such a sincere welcome.
'Something must have happened.'
His clear blue eyes behind his glasses scanned Ideana.
A clumsy Guardian Barrier was erected around the mansion.
It was clear that the Cleric who had traveled with Shed had been struggling alone for days to create it.
'To be ordained as a formal Cleric while putting up a barrier like this. The standards of Clerics these days are too low... Is the Monastery getting greedy for money and giving out Cleric qualifications recklessly?'
Like an old man who looked askance at the young ones, Dietrich shook his head inwardly.
The formulas were a mess in places, the prayers were erratic, and the level of completion was sloppy.
With such a Guardian Barrier, even one or two large Demon Beasts could break through it.
At that moment, a tall man walked out from the middle of the line of people.
"High Priest Dietrich."
Dietrich recognized him and quickly lowered his head.
"Oh, it's been a while, Duke Leicester. May the Divine Power be with you..."
Shed Lester. The adopted son of the former Duke Leicester, Josef.
Josef and Dietrich were half-brothers with a large age difference, and in terms of family lineage, he was Shed's uncle.
However, he swallowed hard and tensed up whenever he met his younger nephew.
"I, I'm always at the Münher Temple, but, uh, it's hard to see your face."
Dietrich hid his nervousness and greeted his nephew, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
"It's thanks to my vassals taking good care of the territory even without me."
Shed spat out a commonplace answer as if reading a boring book.
"B-by the way, I rushed over as soon as the High Temple's message arrived, and, uh, I'm glad I did. Th-the situation doesn't seem very good..."
"There are many things to discuss. Let's go inside and talk."
Shed took High Priest Dietrich into the mansion.
Thanks to the servants diligently cleaning, the interior of the mansion was quite clean.
All the cobwebs and dust were gone, and the broken windows and old, broken railings had all been repaired.
However, footsteps and small sounds echoed through the empty mansion, where no furniture had been brought in.
Shed led Dietrich to the conference room with the fireplace.
The room with chairs, a large round table, a large map, and strategic pieces was well-equipped, as if it had been used as a strategy room by Shed and his knights.
"By the way, High Priest, you should be guarding the Münher Temple, so how did you come all the way to Ideana?"
Shed asked as he led him to his seat.
"H-h-happen to be displeased that I came?"
Shed shook his head at Dietrich's question.
'He is, though...'
Dietrich knew that Shed didn't welcome him very much. He didn't know why, but Shed had always kept his distance from him.
Did he find his passive personality ridiculous, or did he dislike the way he stuttered?
Dietrich had thought of various reasons, but he couldn't figure out Shed Lester's true feelings.
"I thought it would be difficult for High Priest Dietrich to leave his post as the main Cleric of the Münher Temple."
Shed said as he sat down.
"W-well, there's no one who knows as much about forbidden Ancient Spells as I do."
Eight years ago, Dietrich Lester was in charge of the aftermath of the Ideana rebellion for a year.
He was easily underestimated because of his timid, introverted, and stuttering speech, but he was a High Priest in name and reality.
In particular, High Priest Dietrich Lester's nickname was famous among Clerics.
Heretic-Hunting Mad Dog.
A crazy person who doesn't let go once he bites.
Even when he was training to be a Cleric at the Monastery, he had a knack for obsessively digging into one thing once he got his hands on it.
That tenacity was so great that the other monks and Clerics at the Monastery shook their heads and were horrified.
As such, Dietrich had a few outstanding qualities like an awl, one of which was his research on heresy.
He created a prayer-spell - also known as a formula or incantation - that was effective in purifying the contamination of Ideana, reducing the time it took to purify a wide area of land by half.
In addition, he made remarkable achievements in dealing with Heretics who were judged to be contaminated with Black Magic.
"High Priest Dietrich has no mercy for Heretics. It's known that Black Magic is stronger than Divine Power or Aura, but well, no Heretic can stand before the High Priest."
The Cleric standing behind Dietrich said.
The High Temple had dispatched three more ordinary Clerics in addition to Dietrich, all of whom had previously participated in the purification of Ideana and had deep faith in Dietrich's abilities.
Dietrich's ears turned red, as if he was embarrassed by the Clerics' praise.
"S-s-so... Everyone seems uneasy, but what happened?"
Dietrich asked, turning the embarrassing topic back to the main point.
"There are Heretics who use Black Magic left in this land. They attacked our party and even broke into the mansion."
"H-h-Heretics are left...?"
Dietrich's eyes widened in surprise, as if it couldn't be true.
