Hero’s Downfall Report

40 – Devotion with a Sword (15)

The nun’s steps were cautious, as if walking on a thorny path. She didn’t have a candle in her hand, let alone a single sword. But she must not have opened the lock with her bare hands.

Just then, the nun turned her body towards the bookshelf. As expected, the edge of her nun’s robe was torn.

It was from the right hip to the knee, revealing smooth yet firm muscles. It seemed perfect for climbing over fences or ambushing someone.

It wasn’t bare legs. Like a harness, two leather straps were tightly fastened.

One was near the hip, and the other was in the middle of the thigh. Between the two straps, various shapes of knives, lock-picking tools made of metal plates, and ice-breaking picks were visible.

Not extending the stride seemed to be because of that harness. If the equipment collided, it could make noise.

Above all, the positioning was exquisite. It was a position where the hand would naturally fall when the arm was dropped. It meant that it could be quickly and comfortably drawn at any time.

Footsteps. The condition of the equipment. The speed of picking locks. A professional.

‘If I were to face them…’

The nun’s habit was loose, undoubtedly a burden for her. If one could exploit the element of surprise and the discomfort of the nun’s attire, it would be possible to subdue her in an instant.

However, it was a bit uncertain whether to strike immediately.

It was clear that the nun was looking for something. She meticulously scanned through each page, from top to bottom.

Judging by her incredibly leisurely demeanor, she seemed to be aware that no patrol would pass through here.

Well, she had boldly unlocked and entered through the door in the corridor. This implied a familiarity with the internal affairs and geography of this place.

The timing was well chosen. It seemed to be a time when the guards’ vigilance and the focus of investigations were likely to be low. Moreover, assuming she was an insider, it made sense for her to enter on this particular ‘day.’

The fact that the Pope was destroying evidence. The news of Haspel’s death. Haspel being dispatched to investigate the Paladin of Purity on the scene.

The only individuals privy to all three pieces of information were the high-ranking inquisitors who had gathered in Heinrich’s office.

Therefore, that nun must be the subordinate of one of them.

‘But what information is she searching for? What does she intend to do with what she finds?’

If she opposes the Pope, she would likely try to conceal it. If she is a follower of the Pope, she might attempt to eliminate evidence ahead of formal investigations. Or, perhaps, send it to the Pope before a proper inquiry takes place.

Cain decided to observe a little longer. The element of surprise could be employed at any moment. If the nun found something, he could rush in at that moment.

The nun moved to the adjacent bookshelf. When a creaking sound was heard, she stopped. After cautiously stepping on the wooden floor again, she bent her body. As if forming a circle with her body,

“…Let there be light,” she whispered.

As soon as she snapped her fingers, a flickering mass of flame, about the size of a candle, wavered. It seemed she, too, knew how to perform miracles.

Perhaps feeling uneasy about the light seeping outside, she carefully covered it with the hem of her garment. Fumbling, she inserted a knife into a crack and lifted it.

“Hmm.”

The nun tilted her head. It seemed to bother her that the supposedly storage space was empty.

Snapping her fingers, she extinguished the flame. The nun, who had suddenly stood up, walked towards the desk. Cain rolled his body to move into a blind spot.

The nun, making a clinking sound, unlocked and opened the desk lock. It creaked, and something rustled. Either she didn’t find what she wanted, or it quickly closed because there was nothing of interest.

She sighed as if returning to the bookshelf, but then returned to the desk.

Dragging the chair, she lowered her body. A backpack. A backpack with a diary was discovered.

Cain rushed in like a snake.

In an instant, he turned behind the nun and clasped his hands around her neck. Applying strength to his arms, the nun’s head bowed deeply.

After confirming the slowed heartbeat, Cain laid the nun on the floor.

“Sorry.”

It was time to leave. He tightly secured the backpack to his body.

By hanging a rope on the upper balcony and repeating the climb, he could escape. Cain untied the rope coiled around his waist.

– Kneel!

The shadow screamed. Cain reflexively bent his knees. Swish, the knife flew over his head. In a moment, the nun was standing.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

The voice was eerie. If a tree could speak, it would sound like that.

She was groaning, but it wasn’t the same graceful movement as before. It seemed like a person groaning under the influence of alcohol.

“Why did you dare to touch my daughter? Did you think the one who touched the daughter of the willow tree could live peacefully?”

Under the wooden mask, the shadow was flowing from below.

The nun grabbed an ice-breaking dagger from her thigh. It was called ‘Mercy,’ a weapon that bestowed ‘mercy’ to those with incurable wounds by giving them rest if stabbed properly.

The nun rushed in and swung the dagger down. Cain blocked the dagger with the club. With a loud noise, he pierced the club straight through. When he threw the club, the dagger also slid away into a corner.

The nun’s hand aimed for his right thigh. Cain swept it away with the side where the weapon was tied. Taking advantage of the imbalance, he kicked her abdomen with his foot. Naturally, the nun blocked it with her left arm.

He struck her face with a fist. With a crack, the mask split open. The nun covered her face and stepped back. The shadow spilled onto the floor like pouring rain and scattered into the darkness.

“…You!”

The nun assumed a stance. Annoyingly, it was the same dignified posture as before. Gripping a dagger, she smoothly sliced through the nun’s robe from top to bottom.

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

The discarded staff couldn’t be retrieved. Cain slyly pulled the chair leg, hooking it around his ankle.

“Ha!”

The nun lunged forward, tumbling with hands on the floor. Her weight and the recoil propelled a swift kick towards Cain. He pushed the dragged chair away.

It was futile. The nun gracefully bent her arms and, like a spring, effortlessly leaped over the chair.

Then, another sharp kick. Cain was pushed towards the wall. The nun, tilting her head slightly, screamed and attacked.

It felt like fighting a human-sized spider. When you thought you blocked a kick to the side, a sword flew towards the opposite shoulder.

Barely managing to push away the abdomen, what he felt was the distinctive sensation of the hard leather armor. It seemed like she wore a leather suit snugly beneath the nun’s robe.

Underestimating the interference of the nun’s attire was a mistake. Fluttering fabric and fringes obstructed the view. It was a street brawl, sophisticated yet absurd.

“I’m falling behind like this.”

Lowering his stance, he raised his fist. Unfortunately, it barely grazed the chin, but without hesitation, he pushed with his shoulder. The nun’s balance wavered. He pushed her leg back.

The nun fell backward. Even in the midst of it, she attempted to rise by giving recoil to her waist.

Cain quickly ascended over the nun. When he pressed down with his legs, the nun extended her right arm towards Cain’s face.

Clank.

– Knock it away!

Simultaneously with the shout, Cain raised his left arm, deflecting the nun’s right arm. The blade protruding from the back of the hand gleamed.

It was a simple mechanism attached to the wrist—a device with a spring that released the blade with a click when a switch was pressed or the arm was twisted to a specific angle.

Considered weak in durability, but a tool that could catch the unaware.

“Who are you supposed to be?”

The nun gasped for breath, her entire body feeling pressed and suffocated, making even resistance seem difficult.

Cain raised his head. He had no idea where, or how many more weapons she was hiding.

“Did you hire an assassin from the East? Almost the only place where a wrist blade is used in combat. How did you know and stop it?”

“I have no intention to harm you. If I really wanted to kill you, I would have slit your throat when I attacked earlier.”

“Oh, how noble. Tying up a helpless nun and rendering her unable to move?”

Cain closed his mouth. Light footsteps could be heard from the other end of the corridor.

He couldn’t cause any more commotion. There was no time to persuade the nun, no time to delay. If he screamed, Cain would be the one in trouble.

Cain choked the nun’s neck with his right hand. Skillfully moving his thumb, he cut off her airway while pressing down on the spot where she would lose consciousness.

Unlike before, this time he hoped she would faint properly. The nun trembled and then collapsed again. Her eyes rolled back.

“…Greed conceives sin and gives birth to it.”

Once again, the eerie voice. A sound as if forcibly squeezing out words.

The nun slammed her left hand down on the ground with a thud. It seemed as if she was trying to hit the floor, not Cain. Choking her neck again had no meaning. It felt like choking the neck of a wooden doll.

“…Sin grows and begets death. You greedy thing. Take your fruits.”

The nun swung her fist down again with a thud. Blood trickled down, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air as she drew strange characters on the floor. Shadows slowly crawled up the nun’s body.

– “Kairos.”

Cain was startled. It wasn’t the nun he was choking. It was his deceased fiancee. Naked, with her throat slit, Beatrice Dandolo looked down at him.

– “Kairos. I wanted to see you.”

Fire surged. A faint, scorching flame. It didn’t even singe the flesh, let alone burn a single thread. It didn’t stick to the floor or illuminate the surroundings.

Yet it devoured Beatrice’s body and clung to Cain’s.

It was cold. But it ignited life, extinguished breath, and froze the heart. Beatrice regurgitated a faint red liquid. It was a bubbling mass of blood.

– “Kairos. My beloved Kairos… Let our lips meet. Quickly. You said you love me. You said we would be together in life and death.

Your heart is my heart, and my heart is yours. Whether happy or sad, we will always be one.

Did you forget our engagement vow? Can’t you remember? Or… could it be that you’ve found another woman?”

Her heart burned. It froze from her fingertips. Cain, no, Kairos merely shook his head. Beatrice pulled Kairos’ hand to her exposed chest. She touched the heart that had sunk and cooled like a hand in a muddy pond.

– “Why. Are you tired of a heart that doesn’t beat?”

Beatrice’s eyes gleamed with menace. In the meantime, her slender hand pierced through Kairos’ chest. It was cold and icy, as if an icicle had lodged itself in his heart.

– “Warm me. Kairos, give it to me too. Make my heart beat again. Just one kiss. Just one kiss from me. Then I can live. Quickly. Quickly… give it to me!”

Beatrice squeezed Kairos’ heart with both hands. Kairos let out a groan.

It’s a lie. This is a lie. But his body didn’t listen to reason. In pain, Kairos struggled.

– “Your heart is my heart! My heart is yours! We promised! We made a vow! Give it to me. Give it to me! It’s unfair. It’s unfair! Why should I burn alone in hell? Why? Why? Why should I suffer alone in this cold hellfire? Why… why…!”

Veins entwined around Kairos’ body like vines. Tendons clung tightly to Kairos’ body.

– “Why. Why are you doing this? Because I don’t hold you like I used to? Because we don’t share love like we used to? Is it because you’ve found another woman? It doesn’t matter if she’s dead! How could this happen? I waited only for you, I waited for you to come from the depths of hell!”

The door swung open. Kairos couldn’t turn around. The dead woman was pulling his body towards her. Their chests touched, their lips almost touched.

“Sin breeds torment.”

Flesh melted away from Beatrice’s face. The once vibrant body withered. The melting fiancée let out a piercing scream. An eerie light spread through the room.

“Torment begets regret.”

Like something discarded in the river of time, Beatrice’s body rapidly aged. Flesh melted into dust, bones decayed and became exposed. But her heart remained as fresh as a seed drained of moisture. If even a single drop of blood touched it, it would surely beat with a thump, thump.

“Regret carries the burden of atonement and embarks on a long journey.”

The hand of the inquisitor Heinrich rested on the nun and Cain’s bodies. The nun convulsed and twisted her body. The black flames extinguished. The coldness slowly receded from Cain’s body.

“You. Wanderer. Where will you turn your sighs today?”

“Uhhhhh….”

The nun let out a strange scream.

“Heinrich…! I curse you… I curse you!”

Heinrich’s tone changed in an instant.

“Disappear. Demon! You still think of the deeds of the living! The land of the living belongs to the living, and the land of the dead belongs to the dead! Vanish into the darkness to which you belong!”

The nun’s eyes returned. Cain stepped away from the nun. Despite staggering, he tried to stand upright.

“Ugh! Cough, cough!… Sister…”

“Shh. Shh. It’s okay. You’re okay.”

The nun murmured softly. She was still trembling. A small light emanated from Heinrich’s hand and melted into the nun’s wounds like water. The moonlight, shining down on them, revealed them.

Finally, Cain understood the nature of this eerie discomfort.

The nun’s gait was not normal. Heinrich and the nun resembled each other to a surprising degree. From their foreheads to their noses, they were almost identical. The age difference was also appropriate for a mother-son relationship.

“…I’m sorry.”

Cain slumped down. Heinrich’s hand emitted light. The nun relaxed. The demonic presence did not leap out like before.

“I didn’t expect you to come tonight. Agent.”

“I also… didn’t expect the nun to barge in.”

Cain roughly grabbed his mask. Heinrich reached out his hand to Cain as well. The warm light dispelled the cold chill.

“So, she’s your daughter. Is that right?”

“…Yes.”

Heinrich grabbed the nun’s neck. Fortunately, she seemed to have fainted.

“How can a nun use shadow magic?”

“…She resembles her mother.”

Cain looked at Heinrich. Heinrich nodded.

“Yes. This child is the daughter of the heretic interrogator and the witch. She is both a child born of sin and a beloved child.”

“Haspel said you could trust her.”

“Haspel knew. Tears streamed down Heinrich’s eyes.

“Only Haspel knew. My wife… she was Haspel’s younger sister. But Agent, time is running out. I came up for a short break from my night duty. Since the weather is not good, let’s meet tomorrow in front of the lion statue clock tower in Magdeburg. A little past three in the afternoon. How does that sound?”

Cain nodded.

The way back was torturous. Heinrich watched over the corridor, and they easily made it to the rooftop of the Inquisition building, but the freezing wind carrying the coldness of the dead kept haunting them.

Cain ran. Believing that darkness would cover darkness and coldness would wash away the coldness, he ran. Half relying on experience, half unconsciously.

Finally, when Cain sneaked into the undercover residence of the Guard, he was too exhausted to even take off his clothes.

After confirming that Lily was peacefully asleep, he leaned against the wall, hesitated, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

It was a cold and freezing sleep.