Hero’s Downfall Report

36 – Devotion to the Sword (11)

It had been quite some time since Cain and Lily had returned to the streets. The sun was setting beyond the city of Magdeburg. Cain walked a step ahead of Lily.

Lily didn’t ask where they were going. She simply followed Cain’s lead. The story they had heard from Inquisitor Malachia was so bizarre that it was hard to accept, and today had been filled with too much complexity. The day had been too long. So, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to walk and organize their thoughts.

Touring the city of Magdeburg was an added bonus.

The more they walked, the more different it felt from the capital. This place was like a massive amusement park. Every street was a bustling commercial district, overflowing with happiness, love, and laughter.

The buildings were tall, and the people were lively. Every street was a parade or festival. Perhaps because the people here were so happy, they were also generous to others. Like well-fed and warm-hearted individuals becoming elegant.

Even the buildings were much taller than in the capital.

This city was where money made more money. The people of Magdeburg wanted to build taller and more magnificent buildings. Both the empire and the church wanted the same. After all, you couldn’t endlessly expand a city built on flat land.

But there was one rule that couldn’t be broken: they couldn’t build buildings taller than the city hall tower. So, the empire and the church solved the problem by building a grand city hall on a high hill above the city.

Thanks to that, there was another advantage. The chimes that told the current time echoed clearly and melodiously throughout the entire city.

Again. The arms swung, tick-tock.

Another procession passed by their side. But it was different from the previous parade. It resembled a procession carrying sinners. A procession of penance. A procession of punishment. Public humiliation.

Their eyes were covered with blindfolds, their clothes were stripped off, and their bodies were bound to chairs. Yet they were still carried on a palanquin by people wearing armor and helmets.

“I am a sinner!”

The bound man screamed.

“I am the treasurer of the Magdeburg Court. A month ago, I embezzled precious taxes. With the embezzled money, I paid for my mother’s medical expenses and cured my lung disease. I am a sinner!”

Boos filled the air. Regardless of the reason, he was indeed a sinner. Boys and girls carrying a basket moved through the crowd with innocent smiles. The basket contained rotten tomatoes and eggs.

“You disgusting scum! Stealing money that’s like someone else’s blood!”

People playfully laughed and threw garbage. Some threw chunks of wood, while others even hurled pebbles. The guards accompanying the prisoner seemed to be prepared for grenades.

“Got him! I hit him! Look, I told you I could do it!”

There were also people celebrating. They were well-dressed officials who would be welcomed at any party. Servants quickly wiped their hands.

The basket came in front of Lily. She tilted her head. The boy shrugged and quickly ran away. Someone pulled on Lily’s shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

It was Cain.

They turned at the intersection. It wasn’t exactly a back alley, but still part of the bustling street. However, this street had no parade. It was relatively quiet.

“Learn from me, gain wisdom from me! I am a sinner, so do not commit the same sins as me!”

The punished ones proclaimed their sins to the world and found salvation and ecstasy in doing so. The world’s condemnation became a response that confirmed their confession.

Wasn’t the punishment imposed on those who considered themselves sinners a firm affirmation of their own identity?

Even though they were a bit far from the procession, Lily did not separate from Cain. Actually, it wasn’t a big deal. They were still disguised as a glamorous merchant couple. Their fine clothes remained the same.

“Some beggars have no dignity,” some people sneered, but no one openly stared. There were too many passersby, and there was plenty of interesting things to see.

There was also a practical reason.

Since they left the cathedral, they had been followed by pursuers. It was a fact that should be expected. If someone blindly followed the Pope’s will, they might find it strange, but if they had a legitimate investigation team like Heinrich, it wouldn’t be difficult to assign someone to track them.

That’s why the two of them didn’t return to the guild.

Lily hadn’t told him yet, but Cain had a different plan. Booking a nice hotel. A fancy and glamorous hotel, if possible, and slipping away secretly.

Such hotels were often frequented by nouns, and nouns had their own separate escorts. There was no better place to shake off pursuers.

But the hotel Cain was looking for seemed a bit special. They had already passed more than ten fancy hotels. In the end, Lily couldn’t resist her curiosity.

“Where are we going?”

“I think we need to go a little further.”

Lily didn’t object. If Cain said so, then so be it. Instead, she grabbed onto his collar. Cain let out a dry laugh. It reminded him of when she used to grab his collar in front of Malachia.

“That was good earlier. But…”

But it was a bit ambiguous. Lily had played her part well. She would have appeared as a superior to Cain in front of the interrogators. But it was also true that she kept interrupting Cain’s flow.

“Of all times, it had to be when I was already furious.”

So it was also a way to prevent him from making mistakes. Should she get angry about exceeding the topic of recovery? Or should she praise him for doing well? It was a difficult problem.

“…But you don’t need to grab my collar all the way here. Let’s just walk around like an ordinary couple. But why did you grab it earlier? When I was talking to myself.”

Is it praise? Is it a reprimand? It’s difficult. For now, he decided to give her a reprieve.

“Did I mess up?”

If he had been an arrogant guy like Godfrey, he would have said, “Yes, you idiot,” and slapped her on the head. But Cain wasn’t someone who distorted the truth to assert his pride.

“No. It wasn’t like that. It was actually quite timely. Thanks to you, I was able to restrain my anger and get additional information from Malachia.

But… I didn’t send any signals back then. In a way, it was your impulsive action. I’m asking why you did that.”

“Because you looked hurt and sad.”

Lily answered, looking straight ahead. Cain lowered his head. Indeed, Lily was too kind to become an agent.

“There’s no need to sympathize with that old judge. It was a choice and decision she made for herself. Of course, it’s close to being commendable, a courageous act to try to pass on information to us by force. But even if I say to use your discretion, it’s still just words.”

The response he received was unexpected.

“No.”

Lily looked at Cain silently. Cain couldn’t grasp the meaning in Lily’s eyes. When the realization, belated by half a beat, struck him, he couldn’t walk any further.

“…What do you mean? Did I really do that?”

“It didn’t show much, but I saw it in your eyes. You seemed hurt and in pain. That’s why I did it. I wanted to offer even a small support.”

“Lily…” Fortunately, there was no one passing by right next to them. Despite being in a lively area, it seemed quiet, and everyone appeared engrossed in their own affairs.

“This is not right. You shouldn’t have done this. Why did you interfere with my emotions so recklessly and step forward?”

“It seemed necessary.”

Not a word of explanation. He knew she was stubborn, but he didn’t expect it to be to this extent.

And why he couldn’t sternly scold her, Cain couldn’t understand.

“When you saw the aspiring knight collapse at the monastery. When you got angry with me. When you saw the pitiful viscountess at the trial. The expressions were the same each time. And each time, you gradually lost your composure, to the point where it was noticeable even outwardly. If reviving your attention was my mistake, if it was irrelevant, I won’t do it again.”

Only then did Cain realize why he hadn’t been angry with Lily. It wasn’t that he chose not to be angry; it was because he lacked the integrity to be angry.

It was purely his fault. Instead, it was Cain himself who lost his composure and fell apart. Lily simply pointed it out calmly. And like those who get defensive when they hit the mark, Cain chose to blame Lily rather than reflect on himself.

“Idiot.” Cain blamed himself. “Now I’m even caught by an apprentice?”

It wasn’t even a shadow of criticism. Even Cain, thinking about it himself, found it pathetic.

“Deciding to retire was the right decision after all…”

“Please. Stop it.”

Lily grabbed his arm tightly.

“What are you doing right now?”

“I apologize for interrupting.” Lily lowered her gaze but didn’t turn away. “But that statement. Please don’t say it again. It hurts too much for me.”

“So, I had this expression.” Cain understood. A face that was both angry and sad.

But he couldn’t just pass over Lily’s reaction. This was a clear mistake. As an agent. As an attitude toward a superior.

“Lily. You can’t act on your emotions. This is wrong. If you do this again, I will really get angry. You can’t let your emotions show. You’ll be seen through if you act on your emotions. You’ll be exposed. Later, when you’re in danger, when the enemy tries to manipulate your emotions. If you go along with it then, you’ll be in danger.”

“Rubbish. Weren’t you the one who taught that it’s the one who’s seen through that’s at fault? What’s the one being criticized by the supervisor criticizing?”

Cain ignored the inner voice.

“…I’ll let it go this time. There won’t be a next time. Don’t do this again.”

It was embarrassing, but she couldn’t show it. She shouldn’t act on her emotions. At least she had to keep the words she had just spoken.

“I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

“And. I’m sorry.”

Lily looked blankly at Cain.

“I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Unable to bear the embarrassment, Cain turned his head. He saw a bench to sit on.

“…Tired? Let’s rest for a bit and then go.”

Lily moved without a word. The two sat on the bench. Lily raised her head slightly and looked up at the sky. Cain looked at her profile and then, before he knew it, looked at the same place.

To think that such a clear and beautiful sky somewhere had been marred by something so sinister.

* * * * *

Judge Malachia told a very eerie story. It was a story about Arius, the head of the monastery of the Apostle of Moderation.

Malachia himself had not seen it directly, but said he was only passing on a story he heard at a secret meeting.

Six months ago. That night. Off the coast of Beneventia, the capital of the Eastern Union Republic.

Since it was dark that night, the boats sailing in the night sea had to have their lights on brightly. Even the fishing boat with three fishermen did the same.

However, a pleasure boat suddenly cut in front of them. They said that the fishing boat was small and easy to maneuver, otherwise it would have been a head-on collision.

The pleasure boat had all its lights off, but in the meantime, they said that the sound of chanting spread from the deck. The excited three men climbed up the net and rope ladder at

And I saw it.

Instead of sailcloth, what hung were people with stripped leather. They hung like bats, their flesh exposed, men and women alike.

Yet, they chanted solemnly. ‘Holy, holy, holy!’

Two had already lost their minds. The remaining one struggled to cope with them. In the midst of it, Arius, the apostle of moderation, faced them.

Arius hung instead of the bowsprit. Despite missing his jaw, he muttered with a wagging tongue and flickering eyes, and his words were clearly heard.

‘Enjoy it more. The revelry begins now.’

Arius burst into laughter. How someone with a missing lower jaw could laugh is unknown. Perhaps the fisherman who conveyed those words, already half out of his mind, laughed.

Anyway, the fisherman leaped from the ship into the sea. Fortunately, the sea was calm, so he could climb back onto the fishing boat.

And he saw it. Countless hands extending from the bow, hands like Genie’s, swaying through the sea like sails, floating across the night sky toward the northwest.

In Venice, the northwest leads to the desolate land of the demon king.

“…The bowsprit was dressed in monk’s attire, and the cloak was embroidered with silver thread. Scales. It symbolizes the moderation monastery, and being adorned with silver thread means he is the monastery’s leader.

And it was undoubtedly people from the moderation monastery who chartered the pleasure ship. I don’t know why he borrowed a place where all kinds of unrestrained revelry were possible with just money.

But… anyway. According to the testimony, he and the people on his ship merged with the boat and flew into the night sky like a ghost ship.

I thought it was insane. If it wasn’t a secret society, it would have been dismissed as nonsense. Moreover, even the fisherman, after giving his testimony, lost his mind, so his credibility was questionable.

But this was something that couldn’t be ignored.”

“What is it?”

“At the night streets of Venice, strange sightings have not ceased. Just before complete darkness fell, a horse ran across the rooftop of a building, and on it rode a black knight holding something blunt like a wooden sword. So, no matter how much you inspect the rooftops of Venice buildings, you couldn’t find horseshoes or anything like broken tiles.”

Malachia scratched his temple.

“But if, let’s say, that wooden sword-shaped shadow was a scabbard…”

On the bench, Cain pondered Malachia’s words two, three times.

A commonality emerges between the two incidents.

Every other night. A knight wielding a dark blade. Whether it’s someone borrowing the power of the demon king or the demon king himself, they attack the heroes.

Whether it’s every two months or every month, he doesn’t know. However, the fact that the demon king’s aura strengthens every other night has already been proven in the 5th Crusade.

To block or to find.

But among the remaining five, it’s uncertain who will be attacked. Especially now, with the organization systematically erasing and eliminating the heroes’ activities.

Clues must be grasped. To do that, he must search Haspel’s office. The banner is still in his hands. Heinrich was deeply saddened, but he accepted the persuasion when Cain handed over the relics he had gathered at the monastery.

“Supplies.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s share a room today.”