Chapter 859: Shifting the Focus
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"...You have not found him yet?"
At the moment, in the government hall of Worchester, the atmosphere was as deathly still as a frozen lake. Grant stood above, asking the question as he fixed his gaze upon the people below him, who remained quiet.
Amongst the people below were priests, Holy Knight, and some local government officers. Everyone, however, had their heads bowed. Not a single one of them dared to make a sound.
"Tell me, how much more time do you need to be able to find him." Grant’s voice still seemed to be calm, but it was enough to send another bout of shiver through the hearts of the people below him.
"Your Highness the Pope, such things... should not be rushed." The priest who stood at the forefront had no choice but to steel himself and speak. "We have already sealed up the entire city. He definitely can’t run out. Moreover, as long as we burn them, five at a time, he will not be able to resist it, and come out one day."
Grant did not say anything. He merely stared, expressionless, at the priest.
"Your Majesty..." cold sweat began to form on the forehead of the priest.
"Since he is so adept at hiding, what about the King? This is a mere city. Why have you not been able to find even the King?" Grant suddenly spoke.
"This... He must be keeping His Majesty the King by his side, and have gone into hiding in some corner after putting on disguises." The priest hurriedly explained. "Your Majesty the Pope, please do not worry, we... we will surely find him."
"Surely? What if they aren’t even in Worchester? What if they’ve already escaped?" Grant immediately shot back with another question. "What proof do you have to be sure?"
"We have definite intelligence that they are, indeed, in Worchester." the Priest lowered his head, speaking. "Moreover... Moreover, we’ve already read the memories of those rebels. That man had still been in contact with them last night."
Hearing that, Grant gave a cold snort, and did not ask any further questions.
However, it was right at this moment that the doors to the government hall were suddenly pushed opened. A few Holy Knights hurriedly dashed in and stopped in front of Grant, and got down on one knee.
"Y-Your Majesty the Pope, the latest news..."
Grant frowned. "What news is it?"
"In three cities up north, the local churches have been attacked, one after another. None of the priests stationed there were spared!" the voice of the Holy Knight shook slightly. "And... and based on the descriptions given by the local people, someone had seen figures flying in the sky when the murders took place, and also... also, every priest who was attacked, had been frozen to death while they were alive, by magic."
"..."
The entire hall immediately fell silent at that moment.
The priest, who still had the courage to speak moments ago, stood rooted to the ground right then, his entire person looking as though he had just been struck by lightning. Cold sweat drenched the long robe on his back.
A silence. It was a very long silence. Not a single soul dared to open their mouths and speak, and even more so, none of them dared to lift their heads and look at the expression on Grant’s face.
"...Is this your so-called ’surely’?" After god knew how long, Grant’s voice drifted above their heads. In their ears, it made them feel as though their souls had left their bodies.
"Your Majesty, I... I..."
He began to stammer, but his mind was completely blank. He had no explanation whatsoever.
In the next second, there was a cry of pain sounded out from the government hall. The guards outside the door heard it, and trembled. They hurriedly stood upright, not daring to cast another glance inside.
Meanwhile, Benjamin had just left the fifth church.
"Oh, oh my god... Honorable priest, what on earth has happened?" astonished cries from the city below rang out. However, flying in the air, he could not care less; he merely brought the King and the two siblings with him, flying higher and higher towards the next target city.
In just half an hour, more than ten priests had already died at his hands.
The two siblings and the King were slightly shocked. Right then, they were following Benjamin from behind, with some awe in their eyes. It was not that they were truly frightened, only that Benjamin’s usual easygoing demeanor was in an unusually stark contrast compared to how he was right now.
Especially the King. In actual fact, this was his first time seeing Benjamin fight. Those priests were like paper dolls that could barely last half a second before him, turning into ice sculptures in the blink of an eye. And yet, his expression looked almost as though he had just stepped on an ant.
...No. If he had accidentally stepped on an ant, he would probably still frown. Faced with the priests, however, he had not even batted an eye.
The King had heard about many of Benjamin’s deeds in the past, but it was only right now that he truly understood why the Church, who had never feared anything, had treated Benjamin’s name with such abhorrence.
"...Mage Benjamin, do you plan to douse all the churches in a bloodbath at least once?" the King could not help but ask.
"What? No, how is that possible?" Benjamin turned his head, shrugging, "Even if I wanted to do that, the Church wouldn’t let me strike as I please. After I kill another three to recoup our losses, I’m prepared to stop."
Compared to the beginning, his tone of voice had relaxed a lot more. It was probably because he had vented enough of his anger, having killed so many people. Listening to him from behind, the King felt that the familiar Benjamin was back again, and the burden on his heart lifted considerably.
Only... Recoup their losses?
The King felt as though it sounded very rational, but there still seemed to be something a bit odd about it.
"Those priests don’t look very strong, we could actually separate. We can deal with a few churches too." the young girl had come back to her senses, and spoke, feeling her hands itch slightly.
Hearing that, Benjamin shook his head.
"If you were to strike as well, the trail would be messed up," he spoke slowly, "if we want to lure Grant here, it is necessary for him to realize clearly that I’m the one doing all this, and also that the next city I’d go to is a certain location."
"...Alright."
In actual fact, two hours ago, Benjamin had calmed down while standing outside of Worchester. He soon realized that this was his only option.
It was impossible for him to rush in and rescue anyone; that would be playing straight into the enemy’s’ hands. At that point of time, the only thing he could use to his advantage had been the Church’s misunderstanding; the Church had thought that he had also been stuck within the city, and wanted to force him to come out. That was why they had concentrated all their energy upon Worchester, leaving all other places unprotected.
That had given him an opportunity.
(You killed my people, so I shall kill yours.) While he vented his anger, he could also shift the attention of the Church over. He wasn’t sure whether doing this would save the members of the Black Nightmare Society, but at least... this could rescue the members that had not yet been caught.
"Director, sir, they are starting to cease the search and capture!" very soon, the latest news rang out from the transmission woodpiece. "The city has not yet been unsealed, but there’s news that a majority of the Church’s forces have left Worchester, and are now on the trail towards the north."
Hearing that, Benjamin gave a sigh of relief in his heart.
"...Too bad, I won’t be able to slaughter the remaining three."
He suddenly stopped, and began to descend with the King and the two siblings, quickly hiding into the forest below them. In the pitch black night, the woods were quiet. Hiding inside, there was nothing for them to do but patiently wait.
After approximately half an hour, the shadows of priests, in large groups, suddenly appeared in the skies.