Chapter 1: The Captive Saint, Midnight Recapture Drama
Part 1
In the Kingdom of Henrient, the church has more authority than any other noble family.
The reason for this is because there is a sacred mountain in the eastern part of Henrient where the god who created the world is said to be sleeping, and most of the people in this world believe in that god.
That's why even the king couldn't make the church obey his will., and as a result, even if the heroes, me and Fairis, are accused of heresy, He can't do anything about it.
The reason why I'm a heretic in the first place is because even though I'm a magician and they think I'm trying to get an elf as a wife.
In this world, magic is performed by praying to the gods, and the more powerful you are, the more religious you are considered to be. In other words, a magician who can perform strong magic is considered to be a devout believer.
However, this is only true for humans, and other races such as elves, even if they are excellent magicians, are not considered devotees of God unless they have proof of devotion.
As was the case in Leshiana, elves who do not belong to the human nation basically believe in their own gods and spirits.
As a result, elves who believe in spirits are recognized as pagans by humans, but that does not mean that they are heretics. The church sees them as pathetic people who don't have faith in the true God.
The problem was me, who was thought to be engaged to a pagan. In the teachings of the Church of the Kingdom, it is considered heresy to marry a pagan, so the Church suspects that I am a heretic, as I am rumored to be fond of welcoming elves into my home.
Incidentally, Fairis is suspected of being in close contact with me, a heretic. Protecting a heretic is also a crime in itself.
The other heroes are trying not to get involved with me to protect themselves, which is probably wise. I'd rather not have the church staring at me.
Fortunately, I am currently hiding in a hidden room in the garden of the mansion, but Fairis has been captured by the church people and is being held somewhere.
I asked Tia, and she told me that Fairis went back to the church to ask the bishop about my visit, but the church guards caught her as if they were waiting for her.
Fairis said he could be trusted, but at this rate, Bishop Philpot must be on the enemy side.
「Did you find out anything about the bishop?」
「Yes, he doesn't seem to be the kind of person that people talk about. I've heard he's a bit ambitious.」
「If he tried me and Fearis for heresy, for example, would it improve his reputation?」
「I don't think so. He wasn't the one who suggested that Master was a heretic, and he's already retired from the Inquisition, so he's not a part of it.」
「That would be troublesome. I don't know if it's an order from above or if there are other people connected to him, but it's hard not to know who you're dealing with. ......」
If there are other collaborators, there is no way to deal with the bishop, as it could turn into a lizard's tail. In fact, the enemy might capture me, so I can't move carelessly.
But why this timing? If they want to accuse me of heresy, they should have hung me when I brought Elle, just like Dian.
The only people who would be troubled by an alliance with Leshiana would be the Demon Empire, and if they hated me for taking credit for it, they would have to make it harder on Alec first.
And I'm sorry, but I can't think of anyone else who would benefit from tricking me and Fairis. Even if I were to think along the lines of Dian and Barkfield's revenge, I don't think there's anyone involved with them who still has enough power to have their hands inside the church, and there's no need to involve Fairis, who is known as the saint.
The most likely scenario is that it's a Demon Empire, but if the bishop is meeting with spies from other countries, Tia must have noticed. I don't think that a simple bishop can evade Tia's surveillance. She is now a maid in my mansion, but she used to be an excellent secret agent.
「Speaking of which, how are the people at the mansion doing?」
「Nothing much has changed, but I've told them to keep Elmaire-sama and Natalia-sama out of their rooms just in case.」
「I see. Well, they'll be fine while they're in this house, but it's necessary just in case.」
Aside from Natalia, I don't think Elle will be captured by the church people, but just in case. The servants won't be captured because they won't become hostages, and the people in the mansion will be fine for now.
Now I want to know what's going on with Fairis, but even if I try to contact her, I can't even recognize the location of the bracelet I gave her, as if she's trapped inside a ward.
I am indebted to her for being Elle's confidante, and I want to get her out of there before they do something to her, but I guess I'll just have to go find her on my own.
「Master, umm ......」
As I was making plans to sneak into the church, Tia called out to me. Her voice sounded somewhat flirtatious, and when I looked at her face to see what was going on, I saw that she looked as if she was expecting something. Apparently, she wanted a reward.
I pulled her into my arms and she leaned her body against my chest without resistance. I hadn't been able to take care of her while I was at Leshiana. I just kissed her on the mouth, as I would love her at night.
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The sun is going down, so it's time to get moving. It's dark and there's almost no light, but I use my <Hide> as an insurance policy so that I won't be caught by any detection of presence or magic.
I tried to use the <Advanced-Transfer> to get to the church where Bishop Philpot was said to be, but the church itself was warded and I couldn't choose where to transfer to, so I had to jump to the nearest church and walk there.
With the people already gone, there was no one around, and I was able to approach the church with ease. The solid stone building towering above me was intimidating, like a castle.
Even if you look closely at the situation, I could only see the guards at the main gate. This way, I would not be spotted. The wards around the church were also effective in blocking magic from the outside, so I was able to pass through normally.
Once inside, I could feel my magical reaction. It was probably a reaction to the bracelet I had given to Fairis. I sent a telepathy message to Fairis to test it out, and it connected. It seems that she's trapped in here.
（Fairis-dono, can you hear me? This is Yard Rath Werner.)
(Is that you, Yard-sama? I'm sorry, I tried to plead your innocence, but I've been captured as well. I'm so sorry I couldn't help you.)
(Don't worry about it. If you know where the bishop is, let me know.)
(Bishop it is? I think he's probably back in his room.)
(I see, then tell me where his room is.)
After I managed to figure out the location of the bishop's room with her vague explanation, I thanked Fairis and hung up the telepathic. There's a good chance that the bishop is in the room at the end of the second floor, so I'll head there as soon as possible.
As far as I could tell, Fairis didn't seem too distraught, but I guess she was overwhelmed. Her words indicated that she was a little tired. I'll have to hurry this up a bit.
I walked through the church, which was only occasionally patrolled by people. The inside was more intricate than I had expected, and I often hit dead ends, but I proceeded cautiously, hiding in the shadows, and came to the room I wanted. I opened the door a little and looked inside to see a man in his forties. That's Philpot, isn't it?
He was working at his desk. He didn't seem to notice me, so I leaned forward just in time to get into the area of effect of the technique, and used the <Mind Steal>.
(......It can't be helped, I had only just captured her. The worst that can happen is that once we've established the facts, the rest is ours. More importantly, now I have to figure out how to get that guy. ......)
As I read his thoughts, I realized that he was thinking about something disturbing again. That guy is probably me. It was no use, as I was a little too far away to use <Memory Reading>, and if I got any closer I might be on the edge of his vision. I closed the door once and sent a telepathic to Fairis again.
(Fairis-dono, I have one question for you. What did you and the bishop talk about?)
(That talk is it? ...... I was just given the means to prove my innocence.)
(Fumu, some kind of deal?)
(No, I was told that to prove that I am not intimate with heretics, I should get married to someone from the Church, namely the Bishop. He said that if two pious people could marry each other, the suspicion of heresy would be cleared.)
I had a headache from the unexpected talk. I can't believe that he caused this incident for such a trivial reason.
He's so stupid that even that Dian looks sane. Why should I be involved in such a trivial case? If you want to get married, just confess it on your own.
(...... So, did you accept his proposal there?)
(No way. I can't be so shameless as to enter into a marriage to clear myself of suspicion of heresy.)
(Well, of course not. But the bishop doesn't seem to have given up on you, you know?)
(Is that so? ...... sigh ......)
Fairis looked so tired that I could tell even through telepathy. It's true that if someone twice your age asks you to marry them, it would just be weird unless you both like each other. In addition, the bishop's proposal seems to have an ulterior motive, or rather, only an ulterior motive.
I think it would be better to let her our as soon as possible, but I don't know what room she's in. Maybe it's because of the warding, but I can't pinpoint the exact location of the bracelet I gave her.
Even if I continue to search around, it's more likely that the church people will find me. Just as I was about to go outside to rethink my plan, I heard someone coming out of the bishop's room.
I hurriedly turned off the telepathic and hid in the corner of the corridor, and the bishop came out from inside. He looked around like a suspicious person and headed in the direction of where I had seen the reaction to the bracelet. He was probably going to Fairis' place.
Based on the fact that he was heading to the women's room at night and his earlier thoughts, I could somehow guess the bishop's purpose. I can't bear to abandon Fairis in this situation. Fortunately, he seems to be moving out of sight, and it saves me the trouble of looking for her, so I decided to follow behind the bishop.
However, there were not many shields in the church, and I could barely keep up with him while hiding, and within a few moments of losing sight of the bishop, he had disappeared. As usual, there were no people around, no rooms that I could enter, and no shields. Unless he had been transferred, there was probably a hidden room. That's where Fairis would be.
I tried sending her a telepathic, but she didn't respond at all. You don't respond to telepathic when you're asleep, or when you're focused on something else, or when you're disoriented.
I don't know what's going on in there, but something must be going on that's not good for Fairis. Just as I thought this, I heard a faint scream.
I checked the wall in the direction of the voice, but at first glance, it looked like a normal wall. I tried tapping and pushing on it, but there was no response, so I was out of luck.
「...... one, someone please help me! Yard-samaaa!」
This time, I heard a voice clearly. It was undoubtedly Fairis's voice, but there was no room where her voice come from, and I could sense that she was about to be attacked. There seemed to be no more time to search for the hidden door, so I decided to use the last resort.
I quickly drew up two magic circles and first released <Disintegrate> against the wall. In an instant, the thick wall turned to dust and a hidden room appeared behind it.
In that room, which was warded in some way, there was Fairis, her clothes ripped off and in the middle of being attacked, and the bishop, half-naked and looking like a pervert, laying on top of her and pressing his own thing against her secret parts.
I guess they didn't really expect me to show up. Both of them froze in surprise as the wall suddenly disappeared. It's a pretty dumb sight, although I feel bad for Fairis who is being attacked.
Anyway, I launch another magic circle at the bishop who is full of gaps. The <Suffocation> was triggered, and the bishop, now in an oxygen-free state, instantly let go of his consciousness.
I could have used <Fear>, but I took into account the possibility that the warding of this room would block the telepathic system. However, there was a possibility that this technique would leave an aftereffect on the brain. Well, I wouldn't feel guilty if it happened to someone who would do something like this.
I kicked the bishop, who had fallen on top of Fairis, off of her and saw her bare white skin through the gap in her torn clothes.
Her clothes are usually hard to see, but surprisingly, she has a model figure. She was tall, but her breasts were not that big. Still, her breasts were as big as anyone else's, but most of the women around me had big breasts, so she looked relatively poor.
I observed her body for a little while, but I guess she hadn't caught up with what was happening, because she didn't pay attention to my gaze and just looked at the kicked-off bishop and my face with a stunned expression.
After looking at her body for a while, I tried to find some clothes for her to wear, but it seemed that the room was really empty and there seemed to be no replacement clothes for her.
I had no choice but to put my robe on the still stunned Fairis, and she began to cry as if her understanding had finally caught up with the fact that she had been saved.
「Thank you very much, Y-Yard-sama. ......」
「You can thank me later. Let's hurry up and get out of here before someone comes.」
「Y-yes.」
I put an <Hide> on her as well so that the guards wouldn't find her, and then I used the <Memory Extraction> on the bishop to extract the events here. Now they won't know I'm infiltrated here.
I take Fairis' hand and hurry to escape. The disassembled wall is repaired, at least in appearance. The wall is too thick to be completely repaired, but it looks perfectly normal, so it will work as a disguise.
I didn't have to worry about anyone finding us on the way back to the house. We escaped until we were outside of the wards that had been placed around the entire church, and then I used the <Advanced-Transfer> to get back to the mansion.
※
I succeeded in getting Fairis out of the church, but I couldn't just let her go home, since we hadn't solved anything yet. I brought her to a hidden room in the basement as a place to hide for the time being. The chances of being found here are quite low.
「Yard-sama, where am I?」
「It's a hiding place in my mansion. The church won't even be able to find us here.」
「I see. It looks like you have a lot of magic tools here, so you were prepared for any emergencies.」
When Fairis said that, she looked around the room curiously. There are indeed enough lights installed to make it as bright as daytime, but this alone would normally cost an unbelievable amount of money. In fact, it's all self-made, so the only cost is for materials other than the magic stones.
「Faeris-dono, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to stay hidden here until the heat dies down.」
「Sure, that's fine. Until the Church clears up our misunderstanding, I have no choice.」
「On a more unfortunate note, this is the only safe house we have. That means you'll be sharing a room with me if that's okay with you.」
「Huh? Oh, that's right. ...... I-I'm fine. ......」
She responded as if my words were unexpected. She didn't sound okay in the slightest, but since it was safe for her to hide here, I pretended not to notice.
「Well, you must be tired today. We'll talk about the details tomorrow, and for now, go to sleep.」
「Ah, yes. I'll do that then.」
I brought out the cot that I had prepared for just in case, and Fairis laid down on it. I'm in the room with her and judging from her reaction earlier, I'm wondering if she's really going to fall asleep.
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