Chapter 41

The Medieval-Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset 41

41. The Will to Kill Without Fail

This is how I saw Yubas.

Ruthless in nature, unscrupulous in their methods, but only to the extent that they could handle. And my life was no longer within the limits that Yubas could handle.

The one who passed the Miracle Examination and received the Stigma was me.

This Miracle Examination had much stronger authority than I had imagined. Even Yubas, who had committed all sorts of atrocities because they had a powerful army, could not easily ignore it.

In front of the campfire at the campsite, I was able to hear this fact from the group gathered around.

According to the head of the Examination Team, Bonichego.

“As soon as the Miracle Examination is conducted, the local bishops are obligated to announce the fact. Even in remote churches, they must be informed that a new Stigmata Bearer has appeared.”

The Church, which had the most dense and systematic organization in this era, was openly promoting it. Because it was living proof that Lux Stella was still with mankind.

“Even if they neglect their duty, it doesn’t matter.”

Bonichego began to stare into the distance with eyes that blazed even more fiercely than the campfire.

“The will of Lux Stella and His Holiness will surely be carried out.”

Vice-captain Marcello looked at the fiery Bonichego and smiled wryly.

“That’s why His Holiness sent Brother Bonichego. …He said that what supports broken bones is not soft cloth but hard wooden planks.”

“I understand.”

I got a rough estimate of Bonichego. He was an ultra-hardliner who was known for tenaciously pursuing principles and doctrines even within the Holy See. He was a stubborn mule that was impossible to persuade with gentle words.

They were a tiring group of people to live with, but I could trust them at times like this. However, it did not mean that all my doubts were dispelled.

“Rather than that, why do you keep calling me Lord Bishop? The Fowys Diocese is not ruled by an independent ecclesiastical prince, is it?”

I wonder if he was going to give me an independent position because I sold the right to invest. No matter what, there were morals, and this was an act of extreme filial impiety.

It was like dividing my father’s territory in half and eating it up. However, instead of giving a clear answer to this question, Bonichego and Marcello either kept their mouths shut or gave dubious smiles. S~eaʀᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“Hmm.”

“hahahaha, you will know when you are ordained, Lord Bishop.”

I guess he didn’t intend to tell me yet. I had to let it go for now. I silently, unable to hide my nervousness.

Either way, they were my strong backing and my most powerful force. They were the Knights of the Capital, who even Terbear, who prided himself on being the strongest knight in the duchy, showed great respect for.

However, it was a complacent thought.

On the way back to Fowys, the moment I encountered a group of bandits who looked like they had been hired by someone, I realized that it was not Yubas who was crazy, but the Knights of the Capital.

“Five of you in a group! Disperse!”

“Brothers, let’s join forces!”

If you have ever received formal training, you will be amazed. The Knights of the Capital freely dispersed and regrouped. Even more astonishing were the formations, tactics, and amazing teamwork they displayed.

The Examination Team dispersed, judging that they could not withstand the mass of bandits who were charging at them all at once. Instead, they formed groups of five and each rose to the top.

While the three in front confronted the enemy one-on-one and killed them one by one, the two remaining took care of the attacks from the sides and rear. Sometimes, when their postures became unstable or their momentum was pushed back by the enemy’s fierce attacks, they would naturally switch between the front and rear rows to prevent exhaustion.

As this was being repeated, the bandits were being whittled away.

As a result, the bandits who had attacked with a force of about a hundred were almost instantly reduced by half after the clash. The first words out of the mouths of those who had swung their swords without so much as a greeting were of bewilderment.

“H-hey, big brother! Something seems strange!”

“Big brother, these bastards don’t get tired!!!”

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I guess they thought they could just overwhelm us with numbers. No matter how great a knight may be, they’re still human. They thought that since they were facing priests in plain clothes, and not even wearing armor, that they could just drag this out.

If they had known about the Stigmata, they never would have done this. I could understand a little why the Church tries to hide miracles. It’s not just the Church.

I finally understood the martial arts novel’s maxim that one should hide some of their strength. I realized this as I forced one of the bandits to his knees, making him bleed profusely.

“Y-you… what the hell were you doing with that swordsmanship?”

“Beware the old man, the woman, and the child. You die for making light of a cliché.”

“What the f… To think I’d die to these guys who talk nonsense…”

The bandit’s last words were filled with hatred for the world. I pitied him, so I twisted my wrist to flick the blood off my sword. I gave him back the blood that I had taken, but it was too late for him to drink it .

After all, he was a guy who had lived off of sucking the lifeblood of others, so he should have spat it out even as he died.

As I was nodding my head in appreciation, the sound of swords clashing that had been coming from all around had already stopped. The Inquisition led by Bonifacio and Marcello had slaughtered them all.

They shook off their shoulder mantles, which had become heavy with blood, and spoke in different voices.

“This is why we have no choice but to be humble. I thought our names were somewhat well-known.”

“It’s a good thing. Thanks to this, we were able to catch some vermin that were sucking the blood of the innocent. Bishop, please go on ahead. We will clean up and follow.”

They were surprisingly calm for people who had just been attacked. Even the coward John was unusually calm. When I got into the carriage, I could see that John was leaning against the back and dozing off.

“Aren’t you even a little worried?”

“Huh? Have you killed them all already?”

“Yes.”

If John, the human alarm, wasn’t freaking out, then the difference in our abilities must have been significant. Thanks to that, I was able to turn my suspicions into certainty. This attack was not the work of Yubas, at least.

“Our Bishop seems to be quite scared.”

Then John wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and asked a stupid question.

“But isn’t the Bishop a Duke?”

“I said yes, didn’t I? Just shut your mouth and sleep.”

***

This attack was a turning point.

From the moment it became impossible to stop them with force, my journey faster than a car speeding down the highway. Of course, it wasn’t completely without interference. Sometimes soldiers with unclear intentions would appear and block our path.

Whenever that happened, the conversation we had would be something like this:

“Halt! This is the domain of Count Towerd. Those without permission…”

“Inquisition of the Holy See’s Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. We are escorting the newly appointed Archbishop.”

“P-pass! Please proceed!”

It didn’t matter how imposing or confident they appeared.

As soon as the soldiers heard the words ‘Inquisition,’ they would turn pale and quickly part ways. In fact, most of them would turn white as soon as they heard the words ‘Holy See.’

Our group sped through numerous estates and counties like that.

However, there were some who did not back down even after we said we were the Inquisition. There were a few who were very strong and stubborn.

“We have not heard of this. You must wait until we can confirm it.”

“Hmm. Is this the current Bishop’s doing?”

“I do not know.”

They were trying to buy time by pretending to be ignorant of the fact that we were from the Holy See. I stepped forward here. I wanted to give them a lifeline before Bonifacio stepped forward and showed them our fangs.

“Narva Orn Stregos Glorio Powys, Third Prince of Powys, the Duke of Athelston. I have returned with the help of my elder brother, Sir Terbear, to restore my tarnished honor.”

“Hmm…!”

Although Duke Athelston has considerably lost his influence, it is only in the aristocranic society.

In the minds of the ordinary soldiers and civilians, Duke Athelston still holds his place. When his name was mentioned, along with the title of the strongest knight in the duchy, they showed visible agitation.

Nevertheless, another knight put his hand on his colleague’s shoulder who hesitated to make a decision.

“That’s enough. Didn’t the lord say that he would just pretend to do something to save Sir Etheldred’s face?”

“Sir Etheldred?”

I was startled to hear a familiar name. When I asked if my guess was correct, the knights seemed to change their minds and silent their heads.

“Sir Etheldred persuaded the neighboring lords. He said that His Majesty the Duke is working hard to establish relations with the Papacy, so please do not meddle too much in the power struggle within the Church.”

“…”

“He also added that if you don’t want to face Sir Terbear’s visit.”

Only then did I understand the situation. It seemed that Terbear, who had fled from Yubas’ army, had gone to his eldest son, Etheldred.

After hearing the whole story, Etheldred must have taken the initiative to prevent the current bishop and the lords from interfering with my return. At that moment, I felt a great emotion without realizing it.

[Fantasy Monarch].

In this cursed game, blood relatives were all people who had to be killed. They were worse than enemies, constantly nagging for land and inheritance, and causing rebellions.

So, I used to play with the mindset of kicking out all my family.

“My Lord Bishop, why are you suddenly like this?”

“Family… is such a warm existence.”

Sadly, the emotion I felt was not easily shared by others.

“Servant, does the Lord Bishop often act like that?”

“What do you think? Of course he does.”

Anyway, we were not alone.

The strong backing of the Papacy and Etheldred, who was unknowingly helping us behind the scenes. Thanks to these two entities, the people blocking our way quickly dwindled.

So much so that we arrived at the cathedral of the Diocese of Powys in just six days.

***

And in front of the cathedral, in the luxurious square paved with mosaic tiles, there was an interesting sight.

“Allow this old man to step down from his position before his greed blinds him!!!”

An old man with a sagging and obese body was lying face down, naked.

From the situation, he was the Bishop of Powys who had set up a trap to kill me. Now that all his tricks had failed, he was trying to save his precious life or at least his illegitimate child by begging for mercy.

It was a cheap trick to gain sympathy by looking as miserable as possible. It seemed like he was trying to sway public opinion…

But he picked the wrong opponent.

“How dare you show me your wrinkled flesh, covered in mushrooms, without any filter? You really want to die!”

The moment I saw the prostrated bishop, I was able to cast away all my hesitation.