Screams broke out and onlookers retreated in fear. Seeing the men he was after trying to escape, the Holy Knight gestured with his finger. The soldiers he'd brought lined up and brandished their crossbows in an orderly fashion before aiming them at the criminals.
"They are criminals involved in the distribution of illegal narcotics," the Holy Knight shouted above the commotion. "Heretics that have gone against the teachings of our Lord Arrtark! Their lives are forfeit. Fire!"
Once the order was given, the soldiers fired their crossbows with no regard for the people around them. Bolts flew about wildly, piercing through the arms, legs, and bodies of innocent bystanders and lawbreakers alike.
One of the criminals grabbed a female employee and held a dagger to her neck. "Shit! Don't you guys care if she dies?! Back off…! Make way, I say!"
The employee screamed in fright. "Kyaa-!"
Oskal began to stand in order to intervene when he suddenly slapped his forehead, remembering something quite problematic.
"Shit… I came here on a diplomatic mission. It'll be a problem if I cause a scene. Akareal?"
"… It'll be a problem for me as well. Magic is forbidden within the capital."
The pair looked at Thoma.
"Ah, I got it. I'll try to do some…"
When Thoma tried to stand, he dizzily collapsed back onto his seat.
'… I can't put any strength into my legs.'
Thoma reached for the table to push himself up but instead lost his balance, falling alongside the table as it tipped over.
"What's wrong?!"
"Are you okay?!"
Oskal stood in a panic while Akareal rushed to support him. The Holy Knight sent a glance toward Thoma's party before turning his attention back to the captive woman.
"…Hey, Miss Employee."
The female staff member stared at the Holy Knight, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Do you believe in our Lord and Savior, Lord Arrtark?" he asked.
She didn't understand why she was being asked such a question, but there was nothing more she could do other than fervently nod her head in response.
"Yes! I am a believer! So please… save me!" she begged in between sobs.
"I see. So you claim to be a faithful believer. If that's the case… fire."
The soldiers fired without hesitation. Both the criminal and the woman he held hostage were turned into human pincushions almost instantaneously. A tense silence fell over the bar as the onlookers all stared at the bodies strewn about. Meanwhile, Oskal, Akareal, and Thoma stood frozen, shocked by what they'd witnessed.
The Holy Knight approached the dying woman.
She struggled to speak through her dying breaths. "J-just w-why…?"
"If you are truly a believer of Lord Arrtark, you will go to heaven. Go there and be reborn under his blessing." The Holy Knight placed the point of his blade against the woman's neck. "So… go peacefully."
His blade pierced her neck in one swift motion. A gurgling sound could be heard across the silent bar as blood spilled from her mouth. Everyone watched as the barmaid spent her final moments choking on her own blood. Once she had passed, the Holy Knight poured a bottle of Holy Water over the woman's corpse and gave a short prayer. He then turned to face the criminals that were still alive, having been rounded up by the soldiers.
"Now, wait a minute…! Let us repent!"
"W-we also believe in Lord Arrtark!"
"Please purify us!"
They all knelt down with their heads lowered, offering money or other valuables to the knight. The Holy Knight looked down toward the men groveling at his feet.
"Repentance? You want me to perform the ceremony of purification?" he asked.
The men answered immediately.
"Y-yes, that's right!"
"Praise Lord Arrtark!"
The Holy Knight accepted their offering amidst their proclamations.
"Fine. However, you will have to undergo a Trial of Heresy. Pain brings regret, and regret shall guide you down the path of righteousness."
"W-we are grateful!" one of the criminals exclaimed.
The Holy Knight turned away and motioned toward the men he'd brought. "Arrest them."
The soldiers rushed past him to cuff the criminals. Despite having been captured, the criminals wore content smiles as they were dragged away.
After they left, Oskal clenched his teeth before clicking his tongue in revulsion.
"Crazy bastards…! All the innocents he killed will go to heaven? The criminals will be saved with money? Fucking crazy bastards…! He would have killed her even if that woman said she wasn't a believer!"
"Oskal, just leave it at that," Akareal insisted. "Insulting a Holy Knight will bring trouble, even for you."
She looked at the dead woman and closed her eyes to avoid the gruesome scene.
"Thoma! You bastard, since when did this kingdom become such a revolting place?"
Thoma looked back at Oskal with his mouth shut.
'Since when did the Holy Knights start using such aggressive tactics?'
Even he had never seen anything quite like this before.
'… Something about this place has become twisted.'
Looking around, Thoma could see that even the other patrons of the bar were still shaken up.
"W-what was that? Why did the Holy Knight suddenly…"
"A-ah, it must be because of that drug."
"What drug?"
"It's some new kind of narcotic. It started getting popular around a year ago. I've heard it makes you hallucinate."
"I don't know much about it," someone else chimed in, "but I've heard that the Kingdom is harsh on anyone that so much as touches the stuff."
Thoma frowned upon hearing this information. 'A narcotic?'
"I have things to do tomorrow, but this just makes me nervous!" Oskal complained. "What in the hell are they doing? Oh right, Thoma. Do you have any extra room in your abbey?"
"Room…?" Thoma thought for a moment. "There are some guest rooms, but…"
Before he could finish speaking, Oskal moved closer and patted him on the back. "Then I'll be in your care for the night."
"Huh?"
Noticing Thoma's uncertainty, Oskal pointed toward the entrance of the bar.
"I'm supposed to stay at the Palace, but how can I get any rest being in the same place as those bastards from earlier?"
Akareal rubbed her temples and shook her head. "…Oskal, you always manage to say the most dangerous things."
"Well, in that case, you're welcome to stay." Thoma said.
Seeing that he had relented, Akareal thought it a good time to test her luck as well. "Then, I can join in on your offer?"
"Hm? I don't mind, but… the rooms will be quite a mess."
Akareal spoke with a smile. "That's fine. I'll grab my things from the inn and come by later."
"Ah, take your time," Thoma replied. "You know how to get to the abbey on your own, right?"
Akareal nodded with a bright smile.
***
"Ah, I can see it now." Oskal announced, the pair finally in sight of the abbey. "While we're on the topic, isn't this abbey a bit too far from the capital? Sure, you don't have to deal with the rampant crime like in Lania, but what if some demon attacks?"
Oskal evaluated the abbey in the distance. This place was more than two hours from the capital by foot. Rather than travel all the way out here, people were more likely to just make their donations and pray at the church in the city..
"Crazy. It's crazy. Are you guys even making enough money to feed yourselves?"
Thoma laughed awkwardly at his question. This was a touchy topic for him. Now that even the elderly no longer made their way here, it was only a matter of time before his abbey would be closed by order from the capital. If that came to pass, all the monks and nuns would be transferred to the church within the capital, leaving Thoma and the children without a home.
"Well, there's still a bit of money left."
The two walked in silence for a short time, before Oskal peeked over at Thoma and finally asked what had been on his mind.
"… Your health… what happened to you?"
Thoma's expression turned bitter. It seemed that the reason for his tumble at the bar hadn't gone unnoticed. He must have looked like some sick, elderly man who fell from just trying to stand.
'How should I tell him?'
Thoma knew there was no point in telling him some half-assed lie.
"… My body's been deteriorating with age."
"You're still using your age as an excuse? I'm at least 10 years older…"
"And now I have some kind of disease."
Oskal's eyes widened at the news.
"According to a pharmacist I visited, I should have had half a year left at best… It's been a little more than a year since I got that diagnosis and I'm still walking around fine. But lately, I've been hallucinating and hearing things. Occasionally, I start feeling dizzy and if I try to get up, my body gets stiff."
Thoma faced Oskal with an unexpectedly bright smile, considering the topic.
"Want to place a bet?" he joked. "How much longer do you think I'll live for?"
"… What about magic? Have you tried healing yourself with Holy Magic?"
"I was still a Hero once, you know. I received this diagnosis through an expert I'm close with. I was told that it's an incurable disease, similar to a curse that hardens your body irreversibly."
"A curse?"
"He said the scary thing about this illness is that it kills you slowly over a long period of time, and it's been quite a long time. It's been 10 years… no, 20 years now. It might be… the curse of the Demon Lord."
"Did… the Demon Lord really curse you?" Oskal asked in disbelief.
"As if… But, it might be easier just to think of it that way." Thoma looked at Oskal sullenly. "Do you think… Akareal knows?"