Chapter 112: The Cannon Fodder
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Benjamin has imagined multiple scenarios of himself being captured by the church.
It might be when he was meditating in his room when the bishop suddenly shows up and shines the holy light on his face; or it might be when he was walking around the streets in the outskirts when a group of people would suddenly rush out with their horses and capture him...
Benjamin understood the risk that came with his identity as a mage. The church could see through his lies at any moment. That was why he had mentally prepared himself for the day when he would finally clash with the church.
He could not possibly continue practicing magic under the eyes of the church forever.
What Benjamin did not imagine was the reason why he was currently being arrested by the church. Since the beginning, the church never did realize Benjamin’s identity as a mage, but now, he was assumed to be Grant by everyone just because of Mary. Benjamin was baffled by the predicament he was in.
How would it be possible for him to predict this?
Who.... Who the heck would even think about this happening?
This was a disaster that came without a warning. An unexpected calamity.
Mary’s sudden betrayal was already shocking enough for Benjamin. He never would have thought that Grant’s homosexuality was no longer a secret, and Accius, who found out about it, would report to the bishop and lead an army to capture him, right at this moment.
What else could he do?
Benjamin promptly started to explain and correct his identity after Accius’s claims. His efforts were in vain, however, since it was evident that Mary’s act of hugging his legs while bawling was a more convincing one. No one in the Lithur family was available to be the proof of his innocence: Claude was still tending to the fief, the madame was out drinking tea, Grant was probably hidden somewhere now by Mary, the servants were sent out for errands.... See, all of this happened so perfectly, it seemed like an uncanny coincidence.
This was not a freak occurrence. This was a carefully mediated conspiracy. One that was planned by Mary to protect Grant by sacrificing Benjamin.
Benjamin was surrounded by countless Holy Knights, with the bishop standing right beside and glaring at him. Under the immense pressure, Benjamin could do nothing but surrender his freedom.
If he fought, he would probably be cleansed on the spot.
Benjamin even suspected the church’s involvement in this whole scheme.
The fact that Accius exposed Grant’s secret was a confidential one; no one outside of the church could have known that beforehand. If the church did not order Mary to do so, it will be illogical to step ahead and misidentify Benjamin as Grant even before the people came in.
It was probably the church’s idea to let Benjamin be Grant’s cannon fodder.
With this, everything could be explained. Grant was the church’s pride, the one with outstanding talent in Divine Arts. It is a must for the church to nurture his talents and to protect him. How could they allow Grant to die in the middle of his cultivation?
If Grant cannot die, then Benjamin shall die.
With that thought, Benjamin could not help but laugh.
He raised his head and looked around. Bad lighting, moldy damp air, and the dead silence... The only thing he could see was the bars of steel that locked him in.
After the Holy Knights caught him, they threw him into the Cleansing Center of the church.
The Cleansing Area was actually a religious prison. The bars in the prison were specially enforced to be anti-mage as there had been incidences of prison breaks by the mages. Benjamin tried to sense it and found out that the magical elements around the steel bars were under some sort of disturbance and they were incredibly difficult to control. It was indeed impossible to use magic in here.
Apparently, after the Cleansing Center was built, no mage was able to escape the bars. Thus, this place was also aptly named as ‘the Doors of Hell’, as one would be near Hell if he ever came here.
The ones who went into the Cleansing Center never survived.
Of course, this was the least of Benjamin’s concern. Accius said that he would be tied to a cross and burnt alive tomorrow afternoon; he would not be scared no matter how terrifying the Cleansing Center sounded.
Was he really going to die?
Benjamin shut his eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to regain him composure.
"G-Grant?"
A call was heard from the cell beside him. Benjamin opened his eyes and found another young man in the cell, illuminated by the limited light in this place. The youth stood up, his hands gripped tightly onto the bars and looked at him, confused.
...Was this Grant’s lover?
Benjamin glanced at him indifferently and looked away, ignoring the youth. He had nothing else to say now.
"Wait, you... You’re not Grant! No, who are you? Why are you pretending to be Grant?" It did not take long for the youth to yell in surprise after he looked at Benjamin for some time.
Benjamin laughed sarcastically. He did not even want to look at that direction now.
Congratulations, your answer is accurate. You will be given a sponsored gift from the church - A burning cross.
Who would have thought? Grant was the star in the kingdom, hated and loved by numerous subjects. But at the end, only this youth was able to identify Grant with his first glance.
Such irony.
"Hey! Quick, someone please come here! You got the wrong guy, this is not Grant!" Unexpectedly, the boy shouted again after a brief pause, his voice was so loud it seemed like his soul was tearing from within. "Hey! Is anyone there? I want to see Duke Accius! This is not the real Grant! This is a dupe from the Lithurs! Do not believe this fake, quick, get the real Grant here!"
"...."
Although no one bothered to respond to the youth, Benjamin was still perplexed by his actions. He assumed that this boy could recognize him immediately because he loved Grant. However, his actions now indicate that what he really wanted was for Grant to die!
Did he love Grant so much that he hated him? Was he intending to die for love, and wanted to die alongside Grant to make up for the fact that they were not born together?
That probably was not it...
If that was the case, there was no need for him to shout for Sir Accius.
"Stop shouting. No one will bother to come," Benjamin spoke and stopped the boy, "Let me ask you this. What relationship do you have with Accius Fulner?"
The boy was stunned and soon barked fiercely, "Who are you, and who allowed you to utter Duke Accius’s full name?"
Ah, that was it...
Benjamin could not help but chuckle coldly. He shook his head and answered, "Ah, you seem to respect Accius Fulner so much that you’re willing to sacrifice your life to set a trap for him, huh?"
This whole matter was not as simple as it looks.
The boy was suddenly flustered, "W-What trap? I don’t understand what you’re saying!"
"Do you really need me to remind you what trap it is?" Benjamin’s tone was unfriendly and sharp as his mood deteriorated, "The trap where you seduced Grant, and became the witness for Accius to leak the secret to the bishop. The trap where you destroyed Grant indefinitely."