East Road Quest

Chapter 62: Hallucination

Deolon, the Angel Chief, sensed the situation as soon as he saw the empty chapel.

‘These quick-witted ones have fled. Could it be…?’

He rushed to the sacristy in a panic, only to find the door shattered.

Deolon braced himself for the tragedy he feared would follow.

‘Please, not that.’

He opened the reliquary within the sacristy. There were signs that the secret compartment in the floor had been accessed. Upon opening it, he found the jewel case and boxes had been tampered with.

‘It’s over.’

Deolon clenched his eyes shut.

The box had contained the gold coins collected from the bounties of assassinations and secret missions, as well as offerings from the villagers of Fairbang. And there was also the golden chalice.

That golden chalice was an artifact from the church he had served in the past.

A merchant, who had killed his wife and was on the run, confessed his sins to Deolon, revealing that he had melted all his gold to create the chalice. He planned to sell it in the eastern kingdom and start anew.

After murdering the merchant, Deolon buried him along with the chalice in the backyard. He lived untroubled in that church for years before naturally taking charge of the Fairbang church and bringing the chalice with him.

It was worth enough to buy the entire village. Yet, the chalice and the gold coins were untouched.

‘Did I see wrong?’

Puzzled, Deolon checked the poison cabinet. One bottle was out of place from the order he kept them in.

‘No, it’s been touched! They did touch it. But they left it behind.’

He pocketed the bottle of poison and closed the cabinet.

Back in the sacristy, he noticed a single gold coin on the table.

Deolon held the coin, lost in thought.

‘What kind of trickery is this? To leave the gold coin in plain sight… They’re not fools who don’t know the value of gold…

But upon closer inspection, it seemed that only a few loaves of bread and pieces of cheese had been stolen.

“Father Deolon?”

Alisa called from the doorway of the sacristy.

Deolon quickly closed the door to the reliquary and replied.

“It seems that Jade and her companions have already fled.”

She nodded and asked.

“Is there any sign left in this room?”

“Nothing of the sort, but I’ve checked what those scoundrels might have stolen.”

“What was in that room?”

She gestured towards the side door Deolon was next to and asked.

“Relics are stored there.”

All those relics were fakes. But the villagers firmly believed they were genuine, and that belief was enough for Deolon. If the Holy See of Rome or Cardinal Lorenzo raised any issues, he could simply claim ignorance.

Realizing his wealth was safe, Deolon was once again haunted by the regret of losing ‘Poe.’

He humbly said to Alisa.

“The situation has become complicated. I’m not sure what to do.”

“Just wait. I’ve stationed my men at every gate, so we should have a report soon.”

As she finished speaking, the sound of the cathedral door opening was heard. She immediately went on alert.

As someone entered through the cathedral door, they collapsed. Alisa and her men rushed over.

Deolon followed suit, making sure the bottle in his pocket didn’t shake loose as he ran.

Alisa knelt beside the fallen man, who whispered something inaudible to Deolon.

She nodded and stood up.

Deolon asked with a hint of anxiety.

“Is there… a problem?”

“They’ve escaped through the north gate. What’s to the north of Fairbang?”

Alisa inquired.

“As you know, to the north is only the Kuman Steppe. If the rumors of demons living in the steppe are true, then there are demons too.”

Alisa stared at Deolon quietly.

‘I don’t like the look in her eyes. It’s as if she can see right through me.’

Deolon was about to speak with a pained smile when Alisa sharply interjected.

“Father, you’ve lied to me.”

“What? What lie have I told…?”

Deolon feigned timidity and confusion, asking in an exaggerated tone.

“Oh, if it’s about the demon story, I did mention it was just a rumor… If that offended you, I apologize.”

“That’s not what I’m referring to. Didn’t you say the group consisted of a frail priest, a young girl, and a boy of about fifteen?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And none of them were warriors.”

“That’s how it appeared, indeed.”

Amidst the chaos, one stood out – the master of stealth among them had been reduced to this state.

Alisa pointed to the man lying unconscious before her and continued, “…And he wielded a weapon like a long chain. Did you not say he was unarmed?”

“There was no weapon. I may not be well-versed in such matters, and it’s possible I didn’t recognize it even if I saw it. My observational skills aren’t the sharpest, but I swear to God, I did not lie,” Deolon asserted, placing his hand on the star-crossed pendant over his chest, his smile gentle.

Alisa nodded stiffly, her smile rigid. “You swore by God, so I shall trust you,” she said. Deolon clasped his hands together as if to pray in gratitude. But Alisa cut in with a voice tinged with anger, “So, I’ll give you a chance to correct the lie you told earlier.”

Her eyes shone in the darkness.

Deolon, thinking it was a trick of the light, asked, “What lie are you referring to?”

“Where did you hear that Father Jade was going to search for the Holy Grail?”

“From Duke Drake, of course.”

“The Duke merely mentioned ‘someone with the Grail,’ but you pointed directly to Father Jade.”

Deolon’s smile faded, replaced by a look of displeasure. “Haven’t I told you I have my own methods of deduction? Do you think I would sell information about Parens, Glitton, and Rome to the Duke for a high price without such a head?”

“I’m aware. That’s why the Duke sent a letter, and I wasted days trusting the priest. So I ask you, is there someone else who wants Father Jade captured? Who might that be?”

Deolon replied emphatically, “Duke Drake! He’s the only one!” Alisa rose from her seat.

“I gave you a chance, and you just missed it.”

The men in black also stood up. For a moment, Deolon thought they were approaching to threaten him, but instead, they stepped away from Alisa’s side.

‘Ah, I underestimated her because she’s a woman. If she commands such robust men, there must be something to her,’ Deolon thought. He was experienced in such matters and would not let pride get in the way when lives were at stake.

He spoke with a forced smile, “No, no, there seems to be some misunderstanding. Let’s have tea and talk this over slowly. I’ll explain everything.”

With a bottle of poison in his pocket, Deolon walked towards the sacristy, feigning cheerfulness and chattering away.

“Or perhaps the gentlemen would prefer not to? There’s fresh goat’s milk, and if you’d rather, I can bring beer. The tavern over there might be closed at this hour, but if I go, they’d open up in no time…”

Suddenly, Deolon was propelled forward by an unseen force, crashing nose-first to the ground. As he fell, his arm twisted at an odd angle, dislocating the joint, and the poison bottle shattered on the floor.

“Aaagh!”

Deolon screamed, clutching his injured shoulder. Blood poured from his nose, but the pain in his shoulder was so intense he couldn’t focus on it.

As he lay there, Alisa approached. Her hair fanned out like flames flickering in the wind, and the broom she carried on her back levitated on its own.

“Who is giving you orders?” she demanded, her eyes alight.

“This witch! My faith is not so weak that I would succumb to threats,” Deolon retorted, though fear was evident in his voice.

Alisa’s expression remained unchanged as if she had expected this. “Prove your faith then.”

She extended her hand.

At that moment, Deolon’s body stiffened.

He stared blankly into space for a while.

Then, suddenly, he began to thrash about, screaming. Unaware that his shoulder was dislocated, he tried to clutch his head with that hand, which dangled like the arm of a scarecrow hanging by a straw.

A name he should never have uttered escaped his lips.

“Lorenzo! Cardinal Lorenzo!”

Alisa lowered her hand.

Deolon blinked several times, then gasped for air, looking around frantically.

“Where, where did everyone go?”

He babbled in panic.

Alisa spoke, “I can show them to you again.”

With just a raise of her hand, Deolon, terrified, scooted backward.

“No, please… please…”

“You won’t have to see them again if you answer my question,” Alisa said.

Deolon nodded rapidly.

“Why is Cardinal Lorenzo involved with the Grail? Hasn’t the Vatican withdrawn?”

“I don’t know. I always receive letters with instructions to kill those searching for the Grail. This time, the name Jade was specifically mentioned,” Deolon answered meekly.

“Is your name Jade? Not Jayden?”

“Yes. Jade, a famous disciple of Father Daniel.”

“And the other two?”

“I swear to God, I do not know who they are.”

“Swear not to God, but to me.”

“I swear to you, Lady Alisa.”

“Then I’ll ask again. Who is that red-haired child? Who is currently Jade’s bodyguard?”

“I truly know nothing about them. I didn’t even realize they were bodyguards. I saw no chains, no weapons, nothing.”

“You didn’t see such long chains?”

“I really didn’t.”

“And the part about taking the woman?”

“That was just… because the woman…”

“Because she’s young and pretty?”

When Alisa asked with a mocking tone, Deolon reluctantly nodded.

“Honest, at least.”

The broom floating in mid-air descended beside Alisa.

She grabbed the broom with her hand and slung it over her shoulder, saying,

“Kill him comfortably.”

At Alisa’s command, her subordinate, who had been behind Deolon, slit his throat. Deolon didn’t have a chance to utter a word.

In the meantime, Alisa asked her subordinate, who had returned from inspecting the preparation room,

“Did he check anything in that room?”

“Nothing much. It seems he tried to hide gold coins and jewels. The gold we gave is still there. What should we do?”

“Leave it. If such a large sum is found in the ‘Burnt Cathedral,’ someone will surely cover up this incident for the sake of the money.”

The subordinate who killed Deolon approached, wiping the blood from his blade.

“Cardinal Lorenzo is involved, it seems. The situation could get complicated. Should we retreat?”

“No. We cannot back down any further.”

Alisa spoke as she quickly exited the Achilia Cathedral.

“You go inform Duke Drake of this matter. You handle Deolon’s corpse and, once the fainted one awakens, set fire to the cathedral and escape. The rest will come with me.”

One of her men quickly caught up to Alisa and said,

“The rumors of a demon on the Kuman Plains are true. Among the Kun people, it’s called ‘King of the Plains.’”

“Such a grand name. What kind of demon is it?”

“I haven’t seen it, so I can’t say for sure. But it’s rapidly expanding its dominion, so we may eventually come into contact…”

“Track it. Even if the ‘King of the Plains’ is the ‘Lord of the Prison,’ we cannot let it slip away after coming this far.”

“By the way, what did you show Deolon just now?”

“You’re always curious about my illusions.”

“They were particularly effective today. What did you show him?”

“As always, what he fears most. In this case, insects.”

“Insects? Was it a mantis? A spider?”

He asked, seemingly surprised.

“I just mixed several together,” Alisa replied with a faint smile.

“A lot of them.”