Chapter 857: Tragic Past
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"I had a sister who was very godly. Every morning, she would go to church with me for worship. But for some reason, after the worship sessions ended, the priest in the church liked to get her to stay back, alone, and brought her into his room to study the bible. My parents had even thought that she had god’s favor upon her, so the whole family was very happy, until one day... One day, she still had not returned although it had been past the usual hour. Everyone wasn’t bothered by it, thinking that praying for a while longer would make her seem more godly. So I secretly ran to the church and hid in the confessional. Not even a few minutes had passed when I saw... I saw my sister, her entire body covered in blood. She wasn’t even wearing clothes, and was carried out by that monster sneakily. Three days later, my sister’s body was found outside the village. Everyone said she had been attacked by wild beasts, only I... only I know what happened, but I didn’t dare to say anything."
"Ten years ago, I was a Holy Knight in training, stepping into the Church with unparalleled reverence. My heart’s only desire was to serve god. However, just on the third day after I’d joined the Church, I had to kill, with my bare hands, a family of commoners who had no ability to fight back. It was the Green family in the village of Coria, I can still remember each and every one of their faces. Their entire family had been accused of being mages because they had offended the local priest, but... I was the one who handled the matter, I am very certain that they didn’t even know what magic was! After that day, the holy light in my heart had been extinguished. I... I did a lot of dirty work for the Church. Until finally, one day, I couldn’t stand it, so I defected from the Church. Numerous ’Cleaners’ pursued me, wanting to kill me. Until now, my name is still on the Church’s wanted list. They say that I’ve been tempted by the devil, and had backslidden, but in my heart, I know who is truly the devil."
"It was three years ago. I had never thought that I’d be a mage, but..."
The stories of the members were so rich that even Benjamin felt astonished.
He had never imagined that the process of gathering the material for the first issue of the Truth News would be as such, and when it was over, even the air seemed to be heavy with some kind of smell. Behind the hatred that everyone felt for the Church were hidden many dark pasts. Until the end, some people had gotten more and more disturbed, and had even to wipe away some tears.
Benjamin could not help but remember his own experiences, feeling somewhat overwhelmed.
"...It’s only because everyone has made it until today despite our brush with death, that we have the possibility of fighting back." Until the end, everyone had become quiet. He cleared his throat and proceeded to speak slowly. "Just like before, when I escaped from the Kingdom of Helius, too many things had happened in the process, things that I do not wish to remember. Only... we cannot forever wallow in our grief."
The people lifted their heads; their sights were all set on Benjamin, in silence.
Benjamin continued to speak, "Bringing the Church down is our goal. I hope that everyone can turn this grief into a strong conviction towards our goal. Every time you remember the past, your heart will grow stronger. Because the truth is that, it’s not impossible to defeat the Church. Success is not far away, beckoning to us."
Hearing that, the members nodded vigorously.
"That’s right! Overturn the Church!"
"Such things should have not been allowed to exist a long time ago!"
The heavy atmosphere was swept away; everyone stood up from their chairs and raised their arms in unison, shouting and yelling as though they were swearing an oath. The light from the lamps was reflected in their eyes, lively and bright.
Thus, the Black Nightmare Society dispersed. Everyone hid into the ordinary setting of the city, and busied themselves once more.
For Benjamin, publishing a newspapers right then was not a difficult task. They had gathered a lot of material, and after the System had done a bit of organizing, he quickly sent it to the Academy. After a day and a half, the compilation of the first issue of the Truth News was finished, and the bulk printing began.
The title "Truth" was actually to express the truth that had been covered by the Church.
There was still some time before the newspapers would be printed and sent to the Kingdom of Helius, and so, Benjamin returned to Worchester, walking into the small room in the attic.
"...Your Majesty, my condolences to you."
He looked at the King who was sitting by the bed, and spoke.
During these few days, the two siblings had been accompanying the King, using psychic powers to ensure that he remained in a state of unconsciousness for long periods of time. However, it was very obvious that making him sleep like that was not a solution. If there was a problem, it would be better to solve it properly.
Because of that, he was ready to have a talk with the King today.
"My... My head feels a bit faint. What has happened these past few days?" the King held his head and asked, looking somewhat calm.
"Nothing much. Only, you got too worked up over the news, and slept for a few days." Benjamin consoled him, "The situation is the same as before. The Church has organized the funeral in Havenwright, and has laid Her Highness the Queen to rest."
Hearing that, the King was quiet for a long time, before he gave a sigh.
"...and my daughter?"
"According to the news, Her Highness the Princess is being protected very well in the palace, and the Church won’t be able to do anything to her. During the funeral, she was carried out by the nanny and shown to the public once."
The King turned his head and stared right at Benjamin. "Mage Benjamin. I want to see my daughter."
"This..." Benjamin had an awkward expression. "Right now, the security of the palace would definitely be unusually tight. It would be very difficult for even me to rush in, what more if I had to bring you... Your Majesty, Her Highness the Princess is the Church’s only bargaining chip now. They would not dare to do anything to her, you can be rest assured."
"I know she’s fine, but... I just want to see my daughter." the King was behaving very uncharacteristically. He was being so determined that it didn’t even seem like it was him, causing Benjamin to have a bit of a headache.
"Your Majesty, please be rational. Now is not the time."
"Do not call me Majesty!" the King took a deep breath, controlling his emotions as he spoke, "I... I am not speaking to you as the king now. I am a husband who has just lost his wife, and I want to see my four year old daughter. Is this... Is this wrong?"
Benjamin gave a sigh.
"I understand your feelings, but... Your Majesty, don’t you wish to avenge your wife?"
Hearing that, the King was immediately stunned.
Benjamin continued to speak. "Her Highness the Queen’s sudden death definitely involves the Church. It is highly likely that she was unable to withstand the threats of the Church, and chose to end her own life. But now, the Church is using the death of Her Highness to regain control over the city, and to suppress the momentum of the protests once again. Your Majesty, seeing the Church lording it like that, don’t you feel hatred in your heart?
"I... hate them!"
"Since that’s the case, then suppress the emotions in your heart for now, and avenge Her Highness!" Benjamin knelt down, bringing himself to eye level with the King. "Her Highness the Princess is being controlled by those people, and she’s waiting for Your Majesty to overturn the Church and rescue her!"
Hearing that, the King clenched his fists and shut his eyes tightly. His shoulders shook slightly from the overwhelming emotion.
Benjamin could not help but shake his head, as he watched.
Under such circumstances, he could actually get the two siblings to activate the spiritual imprint and influence the King to cover up those negative feelings as best as he could. However... for some reason, he did not really wish to do so.
Taking away his identity as the King, he was only a pitiful fellow with a broken family.
Thus, after struggling with his eyes closed for a long time, the King finally gave a deep breath and opened his eyes, speaking once more. "I... I want to see her tomb."
Benjamin furrowed his eyebrows.
"Mage Benjamin, just bring me there for a look." the King was even speaking in a begging tone of voice now. "The tombs of the royal family are usually located in the outskirts of the city, and there won’t be many people guarding the place. I just want a quick look, quietly. It’ll only take a few minutes, we won’t alarm anyone."
Hearing that, Benjamin could only sigh.
"...Alright."
The Queen had died too suddenly, so the tomb had not yet been completed. It was on the borders of Havenwright. It would, indeed, not be too troublesome to take a look from a distance.
Because of that, he nodded.
The evening of that same day, before the first issue of the Truth News had been completely printed out, Benjamin brought the King and the two siblings with him, setting off from Worchester and flying towards the capital once more.