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After Bernardo activated the [Lighthouse of Dispelling Evil], most of the vampires panicked and fled. The aftershock of the overwhelming holy power was one thing, but more importantly, if the [Lighthouse of Dispelling Evil] had struck Strigon directly, then his bloodline, the other vampires, wouldn't have escaped unscathed either.
Just then, dawn broke.
Bernardo thought everything had ended well. The damage was severe, yes, but in the end, hadn't he saved the people from the vampires?
Relieved at last, Bernardo descended the spire with his heavy, exhausted body.
But what he was met with was this scene.
"We don't know who might be a servant! Arrest them all and interrogate them! If we leave even one alive, the vampires could strike again!"
The one directing the scene was none other than the bishop, who had remained holed up in his quarters throughout the vampire attack. Now, he was leading the holy knights and guards, dragging out anyone who might even remotely have been affected by the vampires' presence.
Pale with shock, Bernardo hurried to block the bishop's path.
"Stop this at once. What in the world do you think you're doing?!"
"And just what do you think you're doing?"
The bishop, clearly irritated, tried to walk past Bernardo. But Bernardo stood firmly in his way, speaking his mind.
"This is nothing but a massacre! These people are innocent-"
"A massacre? Watch your words."
The bishop flinched and warned Bernardo sternly. Clicking his tongue, he spoke dismissively, as if Bernardo were a nuisance.
"I'm merely rooting out any rats that might still be hiding. You know as well as I do, when you want to rid yourself of bedbugs, you have to burn the whole haystack. If we don't clean up every last trace of the vampires, everything we've done will have been for nothing."
"So you're just going to kill all of them? If you do that, Noctiluca will be left completely empty!"
"That doesn't matter. New people will come to fill the gaps. After all, doesn't our Noctiluca have the Lighthouse of Dispelling Evil? Now that the Menorah has revealed itself, people will flock to this city where the relic resides. You agree with me, don't you?"
"What do you even think people are!?"
Infuriated by the bishop's words, Bernardo reached out to grab him by the collar.
But before he could, the holy knights swiftly pulled him away from the bishop.
Under normal circumstances, a few knights wouldn't have been able to overpower him. But after having used up all of his divine power, Bernardo was pushed back like a paper doll.
"Kugh!"
Forced to his knees, Bernardo glared up at the bishop.
When Bernardo had demanded permission to use the Lighthouse of Dispelling Evil, threatening the bishop into compliance, it had been an utterly humiliating experience for the man.
And now, seeing this same Bernardo, born into a prestigious noble family, chosen to become a Lapis Ignarius, brought low and kneeling helplessly before him…
The bishop found it immensely satisfying.
The bishop, now basking in the reversal of power, leaned in and whispered into Bernardo's ear, his voice low enough for only him to hear.
"People? Of course they're offerings. Donations."
"What…?!"
"I was wondering how we'd recover the cost of using the Lighthouse of Dispelling Evil... but as always, the Holy Dragon shows us a way. And if we can purify Noctiluca in the process, isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"
It had long been customary to seize the property of heretics or vampire collaborators after executing them. The bishop was simply... taking things a step further.
What caught the bishop's eye next was one of Noctiluca's most infamous districts, a place known for its nightlife and entertainment. It was wild, noisy, and riddled with vice, essentially a den of depravity and, to the bishop, a stain on Noctiluca's image.
Other bishops from major cities would often mock him, saying his donations came from brothel earnings. He had long considered that district an eyesore, and now, finally, he had a legitimate excuse to "cleanse" it.
Realizing at last why the bishop was so intent on wiping out even the innocent, Bernardo tried to rise to his feet.
"Ggh—!"
But his struggling was effortlessly suppressed by the holy knights.
The bishop straightened up slowly, the mocking sneer vanishing from his face. In its place, he wore the gentle, benevolent expression of a man of the cloth, his eyes filled with feigned pity as he looked down at Bernardo.
"We can't possibly treat the hero who brought light to Noctiluca so harshly. Release him."
"But…"
"Tut-tut."
Smiling kindly, the bishop turned to the knights. Under his gaze, they had no choice but to back off, though they shot Bernardo sharp, resentful glares as they did so.
In truth, no one without strong divine power should have been able to claim the bishopric of Noctiluca. But this bishop clearly had other gifts, namely, extraordinary political instincts and acting skills.
He was a master manipulator, able to twist any situation to his advantage, gaining loyalty from his subordinates and favor from those above him.
Soon after, the bishop spread word through his network that Bernardo was an arrogant noble brat who had abused his divine power to pressure a humble bishop.
<He can't even activate the Lighthouse of Dispelling Evil on his own, and yet he dares wag his finger at the bishop like that? Even I felt embarrassed just watching it. But the bishop only praised him…>
<What could I do if he was telling the truth? It's only natural that a young and gifted hero would find an old man like me unsatisfactory. Those chosen by the divine rarely understand the suffering of those who are not.>
<But the bishop had been consecrating silver arrows the whole time! That's why he was low on strength… I'm sure that Lapis Ignarius only passed that 'menial job' onto him because he wanted all the glory of activating the Lighthouse of Dispelling Evil for himself.>
<Watch your words! Menial job, you say? Do you even realize how many knights survived last night thanks to that consecration? As long as I could save them, I don't care what people say about me.>
The bishop and his aides put on an excellent show, one that worked exactly as intended.
Normally, a Lapis Ignarius would be admired by the holy knights. But swayed by the bishop's scheme, the knights began to look at Bernardo with suspicion.
<While we were on the front lines fighting vampires, that so-called Lapis Ignarius just stood there with his arms crossed, watching us risk our lives.>
<And now he acts all high and mighty just because he activated a relic, and even dares to threaten the bishop?>
'Hero? Yeah, right!'
Despite the burning hostility in the holy knights' gazes, Bernardo's attention was fixed on the people still being thrown into the fire. He had no room to be concerned about anything else.
The moment he was free to move, Bernardo tried once again to lunge at the bishop. But the knights had merely stepped back, not let down their guard, and quickly blocked him again.
No matter how hard he tried, Bernardo couldn't take a single step closer to the bishop. And behind him, the bishop walked away, his steps light and carefree.
"Ah, one more thing."
The bishop stopped mid-stride, as if suddenly remembering something, and turned to look back at Bernardo.
Behind him, flames danced in the air. Screams continued to echo, raw, anguished cries of people burning alive. But even in the midst of such horror, the bishop's gently upturned eyes remained twisted in a disturbingly serene smile.
"Thank you. At first, I was worried when you activated the Lighthouse of Dispelling Evil, but after thinking it over… I realized the credit for saving Noctiluca could just as easily be mine."
Cardinal Ginsel, a major power in the Holy Nation, had no intention of letting Bernardo rise as a hero.
If they couldn't ignore the fact that Bernardo had activated the Lighthouse and defeated Menorah, the next best thing would be to share that credit, to ensure he couldn't claim it all for himself.
So the story would be, the bishop ordered Bernardo to activate the Lighthouse.
"Thanks to you, I'll climb even higher in the Church... And this round of 'donations' will be the perfect stepping stone. So really, how could I not be grateful?"
The bishop let out a hearty laugh and resumed walking.
Leaving Bernardo behind, alone.
"Damn it…!"
Bernardo struggled desperately to save the people, but the guards surrounding the burning stake wouldn't budge. He waved his arms helplessly, unable to break through, and was thrown back. The guards scolded him as though he were a nuisance.
"Please stop this, sir! You're making it difficult for us!"
Though he had saved the town by activating the Lighthouse of Dispelling Evil, Bernardo hadn't actually fought the vampires in the public's view. As such, no one realized that they owed their lives to him.
And so, subdued and powerless, Bernardo could only watch in a daze, as people burned alive before his eyes.
'Where did it all go wrong? Where… where did it start to fall apart?'
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