The next day...
Adrian left the motel early after a quick nightcap. Of course, his return from the shop wasn't as swift as he learned the news of the death of the thugs he had fought earlier.
Moreover, his little parkouring stunt hadn't gone unnoticed by the residents, which got him branded as the killer of seven thugs. Thankfully, his shabby gear had helped him a lot, as innumerable people looked like him, and no one could identify him to the Ravens.
Adrian wasn't worried about the allegation, but he was pissed. After all, he didn't even get exp points or anything from them, and yet he was being blamed for killing them. Had he known this would be the case, he would have killed the thugs just to get some benefit out of it.
Still, with a warrant on his deformed head, Adrian didn't want to take any chances and sought the pub owner's help. For another Radian shard, the pub owner got him a change of clothes along with a new set of light armour to wear under the clothes.
But Adrian's actions made his secrets irresistible to the pub owner as he sent two 'helpers' along with the dress just in case Adrian needed their help wearing clothes.
Unfortunately for the owner, Lily knew Adrian too well to try to fool him. Instead, she informed Adrian about the owner's plan, which Adrian was more or less already aware of.
Still, he paid the girls a couple of Lumen shards to keep their mouths shut and deceive the pub owner by giving him a glorified fake description of the 'mystery man'.
That way, the pub owner would stop causing trouble for Adrian while having false information about him. Also, even if the Ravens somehow managed to make the owner speak, he would give them the wrong information, indirectly helping take some heat off Adrian's shoulders.
"The clothes might have been worn out, but at least they were comfy, unlike this mess," Adrian mumbled as he walked towards the Church. "Anyway, better get moving if I don't want those Raven jerks tailing me."
While the slums were as chaotic as one could expect, the city's atmosphere was strangely different. The roads that were once filled with people were strangely empty.
Even the loud market remained quiet. As Adrian got closer to the Church, he began seeing people dressed in azure dress, the colour of mourning in Nexaria. Only then did Adrian realise that the Church, along with the empire, might have declared national mourning on his death.
"I had no idea I held so much importance for them," Adrian murmured with a touch of sarcasm.
Adrian knew very well how little he meant to those around him. Yes, he didn't have any skill that would make him a valuable soldier, but he more than compensated for it through other means.
The summoned heroes had a particularly negative image before Nexaria, thanks to those summoned before Adrian's batch. It was because of his leadership and work that the Nexarians changed their view when it came to heroes.
A bunch of heroes and Saintess also helped Adrian clean the tainted image of heroes. However, it was no secret that he did most of the heavy lifting and kept everyone in check whenever possible, limiting the crimes done by the heroes.
Still, in the end, the empire and most of the Church preferred other heroes like Vincent, who could defend their territory and were a puppet in their hands. Adrian didn't mind as all the glory he had worked for alongside his guild was handed over to their 'leader', Vincent.
But now, when he was 'dead', and they were putting on a show, Adrian slowly began to lose his cool. The Church and the Empire were only doing all the drama to get some sympathy points from the masses, as Adrian was the closest hero to them.
Shrugging off the negative thoughts, Adrian entered the Church's courtyard, where most of the city had gathered. Strangely enough, it seemed the Church was doing an open funeral for him where anyone could come and pay their respects to the fallen hero.
Adrian suspected it to be another attempt to gain more brownie points. Either way, the courtyard was already filling up despite the early hours. Pulling the hoodie closer to his face, Adrian could hear dozens of ongoing hushed conversations.
At the front of the chapel was a closed casket resting on a simple stand, flanked by two large urns filled with white flowers that Adrian had never seen before.
As beautiful as the flowers were, Adrian's eyes shifted to the row right in front of the empty casket, where a woman sat alone, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
'Sophia...'
The scene of watching a loved one crying was heartwrenching, even more so because she wasn't the only one like that. Standing behind Adrian's coffin was Seraphina, the only one from the Church that Adrian had ever respected.
It was rare to see a joyful soul like her to have tears in her eyes, but there she was, trying her best not to shed a tear. The only ones who looked annoyed were Vincent and Clara, which Adrian had expected.
'What are they doing here?' Adrian mumbled.
Adrian's eyes turned red with rage as he noticed the envoy bearing the flag of the Ravens standing next to Seraphina. However, the funeral began before Adrian could get a closer look, and a hush fell over the crowd.
The heroes spoke about their experience with Adrian and the 'jolly' and helpful soul he was. Sophia got up to say something, but then she couldn't and walked back to her seat, where Seraphina consoled her.
It wasn't until a figure Adrian had only seen once before stepped up to the podium that things began to make sense. It was the Pope of Goddess Aria's Church, a man thought to be more fearsome than the ruling monarch of Nexaria.
A burly figure with flowy silk robes and a crown... someone like him should be a king, but unfortunately for Nexarian, he was the Pope and a master of deceit.
"Hero Adrian was a man like no other, the perfect soldier to carry the burden of this rotten world," he declared, glancing over a parchment with little emotion. "But alas, he was taken away from us, and as unfortunate as that is, we must keep moving forward for the hero's sake!"
Hidden in the shadows, Adrian listened with simmering rage as the Pope continued, "His last efforts, though feeble, have served their purpose. The Ravens have joined forces with the Church to rid Nexaria of the foul creatures from the Nether. With their help, peace shall reign once and for all!"
Everyone was shocked to hear the Pope talk ill of their beloved hero, but the presence of the Paladins made them reluctant to oppose the Pope openly.
Meanwhile, Adrian's eyes burned with fury as the realisation hit him like a slap in the face. The Church's sudden alliance with the Ravens made it painfully clear.
The Church had played a hand in Adrian's death... the only question was why?