I tied up the two people, who turned out to be church members, and pushed them into a corner. Then Verita used her divine power to heal the two men, who were seriously injured.
I was surprised twice. First, by her audacity—healing them after nearly killing them. Second, by the fact that a church member could wield divine power at all.
Of course, I was the only one who knew the second reason. Most of the heroes simply stared in shock at Verita, who had both inflicted and healed the wounds.
Verita completed the treatment, smiled, and even offered advice. "The treatment is over. But in your case, Sir Peron, I recommend revisiting the Seventy-Two Churches in the future. The eyeball is a complex organ. You might go blind, but that is also a trial from the gods. Please do not be discouraged."
Peron's lips twisted into a cold scoff. Bandages covered part of his eyes, but he glared at her with his exposed eye. Resentment and hatred surged like waves from that single remaining eye. His expression carried none of the noble bearing one would expect from a knight.
Verita, as always, seemed unfazed and entirely absorbed in her own rhythm.
The scholar stepped forward. "Hey, nun."
"Yes. Speak, Ms. Anna."
"What if they aren't church members?"
Verita tilted her head. "That is a strange question. Haven't they already confessed?"
Anna countered, "A confession obtained through intimidation isn't valid. It's a well-known imperial law. Don't you know it?"
Verita replied calmly, "I apologize, but imperial law is not written in the scriptures. It is not the word of the gods."
Anna sneered.
I realized then that Verita possessed a subtle skill for making enemies without uttering a single curse. Just minutes ago, everyone here had looked at her with trust and belief. Now, only murky, overwhelmingly negative emotions—distrust, fear, hatred, and resentment—were directed at her.
"That woman seems dangerous," Lorcan whispered to me.
Why has he been acting as if we are close? Despite that, I agreed—Verita was dangerous.
Still, something gnawed at me. I approached the two half-bound church members and asked, "Are you really church members?"
Erudi answered, "That's right."
"Really?" I fixed my gaze on Erudi.
He stubbornly pressed his lips together, his eyes rigid and unyielding. He had a strong-willed nature, and whether or not he truly belonged to the church, I doubted I could extract an answer easily. Even torture wouldn't make him speak lightly.
On the other hand, the knight continued to glare at Verita with unbridled anger. I didn't want to judge hastily, but could he really be a free knight? Compared to imperial knights, he seemed far less disciplined. In other words, he was exactly the type to provoke.
I approached Peron, crouched in front of him, and said, "Church member... No, to be precise, you're a former church member. Which faction did you belong to?"
Peron stayed silent.
"Shall I guess? The old man here is quiet, reserved—like someone from the Black Swamp side. You, though, look rough, shallow, impatient. Golden Horn, right?"
I spoke without thinking too deeply, but if I was right, today would be monumental. I had clashed with the Black Swamp, Green Tongue, and Blood Moon factions. Today, I finally encountered the Golden Horn and Colorless believers. The only faction I hadn't yet faced was the Great Disaster Behemoth.
If Leone truly was the Dark Pope, then I had already come face-to-face with one of the Colorless Demon King's top followers. In other words, I had accomplished the rare feat of encountering all six factions of the Dark Church. Few in the Hero Society could claim the same.
"Shut up," Peron snapped.
His sharp retort was expected, yet oddly welcome.
I kept pressing him. "By the way, what kind of wealth or glory does a former church member expect to gain by joining the Hero Society? It doesn't seem like you betrayed the church out of some sudden pang of guilt.
"Was the Hero Society's offer that tempting? Did they promise to clean up your identity? I've heard the Dark Church rarely forgives its followers, so it seems unlikely you'd directly clash with them...
"Ah, now I understand. You participate in promotion trials like this—or in the Origin—as a former church member, right? Your knowledge of the church's structure makes you perfect for creating real-life training scenarios. You don't have to take on any overly dangerous tasks, so it's a win-win."
"Kid, you talk too much." Peron's glare was sharp. "A chatterbox like you won't live long. Haven't you heard the warning that you have to risk your life in the promotion trial?"
"Of course I've heard it," I replied. "However, can an imprisoned knight even touch one of my strands of hair?"
"Wait and see."
Peron's sneer turned my doubt into certainty. As expected, locating these two men didn't mean the test was over.
I rose from my crouch and approached Lorcan. "Lorcan, I need your help."
"With what?"
"You must've brought a weapon, right?"
"Of course," Lorcan said, tapping his waistband.
His trademark chain scythe hung there. "Can you hook it over the door? Like tying a chain to a doorknob to block entry."
"Possible, yes. But why?"
"You'll understand soon. There's no time, so please do it quickly."
Lorcan's gaze hardened, but he sighed. "I will comply this time."
I moved to the spot where the chain scythe would hang, ensured the door was blocked, and drew the Seven Sins Sword. I intended to rely on it in the Hero Society unless a crisis arose. White Sun Eclipse was my trump card; I had no intention of revealing it in a place like this.
Anna, who had been watching me closely, called out, "What are you going to do?"
She seemed the only one who talked. The others—the nobleman, the merchant, the mage—remained silent. The mage, in particular, never moved her lips, as if mute.
"I'm going to do this," I said, tossing the sword toward the corner.
The sword froze in midair.
"What?"
"What on earth?"
For a brief moment, the air where the sword hovered shimmered like a mirage. Then a spurt of blood appeared, and a figure emerged, a thief dressed entirely in black.
"W-who is he?"
Gasps spread among the onlookers as the hidden thief yanked the Seven Sins Sword from his shoulder and threw it to the ground, then sprinted toward the door.
However, Lorcan was already waiting. The only entrance had been sealed.
His eyes darkened as he studied the thief, who had come so far. The moment the thief entered his range, Lorcan's outstretched hand clamped around his neck. The thief struggled, but every movement only sent more blood spurting from his wounded shoulder.
Without hesitation, Lorcan hoisted him high and slammed him to the ground.
He was a mercenary with a reputation, trained not only in his primary weapon but also in hand-to-hand combat for emergencies. Of course, the outcome would have been different if the thief had been in perfect condition.
This thief had been the last church member I had been monitoring. I had noticed him hiding in the corner while surveying the small room, though I could not immediately tell whether he was a church member or an examiner. That uncertainty had led me to provoke Peron deliberately, drawing out the judgment that another church member remained.
Lorcan glanced between the thief and me. "Can I release him now? I'd rather tie him up than leave him by the door."
"Yes."
With my permission, Lorcan freed the chain from the doorknob and wound it around the thief's body instead.
"Dammit! Let go of me!" the thief shouted, twisting in a final struggle.
Unfortunately for him, Lorcan's chain was, as far as I knew, an artifact. Probably a replica, yet still far stronger than brute force could break.
Struggling, the thief shouted toward the two bound church members, "Peron! Erudi! What are you doing? You can still move! Are you just going to lie there? Don't you know completing this mission could shorten your contract by years?"
Contract? I became curious, but his shouting was too loud. I crept behind him and struck the back of his head with the handle of the Seven Sins Sword.
A loud crack echoed, and the thief collapsed face down.
The observing Anna let out a disbelieving sound. "What is going on here?"
The silent merchant murmured, "It was a double setup."
The noble beside him tilted his head. "What does that mean?"
"This test was designed with two layers of deception. At first, it seemed as if only one church member was hiding. Even when a second appeared, it was hard to believe another remained concealed. It's a bias effect—the satisfaction of solving the first layer clouds judgment," the merchant explained.
The nobleman nodded. "I see."
It wasn't particularly important right now, but the way the nobleman and merchant had stuck together during the test suggested they were familiar with each other.
I couldn't help thinking, T hey all said it was their first time meeting. There isn't a single person I can trust.
At that moment, the door swung open abruptly, and the examiner who had first guided me into the room appeared.
"It is as he said." The examiner's eyes swept across the room with cold detachment. "Now that you have found all the church members, you have passed the first test. Congratulations."
His voice carried no hint of actual congratulations.
He continued, "First, participants ranked below C-class are no longer at risk of demotion. Those who performed exceptionally in locating the church members will be recorded separately. You can look forward to the results of the performance evaluation at the end of the year."
The examiner's gaze lingered on Verita and me. It seemed to acknowledge that we had been the most active in finding the church members.
He didn't say anything else. Compared with Verita, my detection method had been rough and unrefined, yet the examiner ignored it. Perhaps results mattered more than methods.
Pragmatism, or a results-driven approach, seemed to define the Hero Society.
"The second test will begin immediately. Passing it will grant you C-class rank. However," he warned, "this next test will be far more dangerous than the first. If you wish to withdraw, speak now."
Ah, so that's the system. I understood how it worked. The first test was D-class, the second C-class, and the third B-class. Each success raised your rank by one level. Two more tests remained before I reached my goal.
At the examiner's words, Erudi raised his hand. "I'll stop here. My wound is severe, and I don't think I can continue."
Judging by his tone, even former church members were participants in the promotion trial. Perhaps their mission differed from ours, maybe involving the concealment of their true identities.
"Erudi, your withdrawal is noted. However, if you leave the test now as a B-class hero, you will be demoted to C-class. Is that acceptable?"
"Yes. I had been considering retirement anyway. I have honored my twenty-year contract with the Hero Society."
"Understood. I will report this to the higher-ups. Anyone else?"
No one answered.
"Then it is confirmed: the remaining nine will proceed to the second test." The examiner's eyes swept the room. "You have one hour to prepare. Gather again after that at the back gate of the Hero Society's headquarters."
***
There was nothing to do for an hour. I wasn't seriously injured or hungry, so I decided to head to the back gate first.
That's when I ran into Verita. Judging by her appearance, she must have come here immediately.
"Greetings, Brother! You arrived early. Your final move back there was most impressive. I hadn't noticed the hidden presence of that believer. If you hadn't been there, we all would've failed. To demonstrate that level of stealth, he must be part of the assassination faction, don't you think?" Verita said. "You look a bit pale. Are you okay?"
"My face always looks like this. More importantly, you handled your divine power quite well," I replied.
No one else seemed to be around, but this was the Hero Society. It wouldn't be strange if a presence beyond my perception lingered nearby.
Verita smiled, catching my meaning. It was a smile that balanced between a church member's devotion and a nun's serenity.
"Of course. It is through the grace of the gods."
"You seem to have many gods you believe in," I remarked.
As the name suggested, the Seventy-Two Churches were polytheistic. Of course, I wasn't referring to that.
"Brother, faith takes many forms, but none of mine are false. That is why my healing power should not surprise you," she replied.
"Ah, is that so?" I shifted the topic. "By the way, how did you know they were church members?"
"As I mentioned earlier, my eyes are a bit special. Even if they don't share my beliefs, I can discern their true nature at a glance."
Her casual answer left me speechless. She meant she could track a Dark Church believer across an entire city. Even if they weren't in her faction, she could identify their true nature just by seeing them.
Insane. The ability to detect church members so clearly was one any imperial family, the Hero Society, or the Sun Church would pay any price to obtain. The unfortunate part was that the wielder belonged to the Dark Church.
I shouldn't let Evan run into her. Aside from that, Verita could be invaluable if handled carefully, I thought while watching her smile. Honestly, I'm not confident enough to control this unpredictable woman.
"By the way, is the princess unharmed?"
I blinked in confusion. "Princess? What princess?"
"Pardon?" After blinking for a moment, Verita tilted her head and asked, "Didn't you meet Princess Leone?"