Episode 15: Judgment at the Chapel (Part 1)

Fiene headed towards the entrance to see off Oz, who was leaving for work.

As she waved goodbye when he boarded the carriage, for some reason, Oz descended from the carriage today.

“Oz?”

Oz vigorously hugs Fiene, who tilts her head in wonder. Surprised by the sudden turn of events and embarrassed by the presence of the surrounding servants, Fiene was flustered.

“W-What’s happening?!”

“It’s an important job today, so I thought I’d recharge with Fiene before going.”

“I see… Well…”

“──!”

Fiene wrapped her arms around Oz’s back, hugging him with a force stronger than what she received, closing her eyes, and pouring out her feelings.

After holding each other tightly for a while, she raised her head and smiled at Oz.

“I don’t know if I can be of any help, but I put all my encouragement into it. How about it…?”

“──! Geez! This girl!!”

Instinctively, Oz hugged her back, his affection for her exploding. Somehow, he felt like he could never win against her for a lifetime. With that thought, Oz reluctantly let go and boarded the carriage, heading to work.

At the church where Oz was heading, there were his close aide, Rolf, and the guards who joined them.

Everyone had a serious expression, as if heading to a battlefield.

Understandably so.

They had finally gathered evidence of various wrongdoings by the priest of this chapel, primarily involving tax collection and human trafficking, and the time to judge the sins had come.

(Oz will judge this church that tormented Fiene… and the priest…)

Having resolved himself, Oz signaled Rolf and the guards to enter.

Having information that the priest was in the chapel at this time, they swiftly entered based on that information. There, as expected, the priest was offering prayers, accompanied by a novice saint.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?! Lord Erze…!!”

“Long time, no see. How have you been?”

“Why are you here…?”

“Why don’t you think about it carefully and put your hand on your heart?”

While the priest and Oz conversed in this manner, the assertive-looking novice saint, noticing something, tried to slip away quietly, but the guards stopped her.

“Hehe, you won’t escape. You’re also guilty, and above all, you are the one who falsely accused Fiene that night, aren’t you?”

“──!”

“Did you think no one knew? Actually, there was a witness that night. Someone talked to Fiene when she went to fetch water during the fire. They testified. It seems you hinted at revealing her weakness to silence her.”

The novice saintess, upon hearing this, clicked her tongue and wore a frustrated expression. Oz, despite directing a cold gaze at her, had decided to pass judgment on her as well.

“If a priest becomes a priest, are apprentices also apprentices? Priest, you were using this child to traffic in people and steal money and goods, weren’t you?”

“I haven’t done such a thing.”

“No, the investigation is complete. You sold the children here to nobles and arranged for this girl to be taken into a noble’s house to steal money. Moreover, you ensured that she was taken in by a noble who possessed the dirty money obtained through corruption, making it impossible to report to the kingdom.”

“As someone who has devoted himself to God, I would never do such a thing.”

Oz continues to pursue the priest, who has a calm expression on his face, and the apprentice, who seems relieved to see this.

“I have come this far to deliver judgment like this. Do you think I wouldn’t have evidence? Testimonies from multiple nobles, identification of the owner of the human trafficking ship, and numerous irregularities in the church’s embezzlement records, including the flow of money, My aide Rolf has thoroughly reviewed all the documents and found inconsistencies.”

“Ugh…”

“Furthermore, the owner of the ship for human trafficking meticulously kept a diary, and we were able to confirm it. The name matches that of the girl who was here. It’s quite a sloppy job, and the flaws were apparent.”

Saying that, Oz received the documents from Rolf and showed them to the priest and the novice saint.

Both of them gritted their teeth in frustration and collapsed on the spot.

“Father, you shall atone for your sins in prison.”

After saying this in a low voice to the priest, Oz addressed the apprentice, who stared at the floor with a frustrated expression.

“Your words changed Fiene’s fate and life. You made someone unhappy with your lies. Atone for that sin properly.”

“Hmph.”

To her expression that seemed dissatisfied, Oz raised his voice involuntarily.

“Do you know how much Fiene suffered in the underground dungeon? You don’t deserve salvation if you don’t sincerely repent.”

Saying that, he took a spear from one of the guards and pointed it at her.

“W-Wait! Are you really going to kill someone?! Stop it! I’ll do anything! Please!”

Seeing her tearfully plead, Oz, without hesitation, pointed the spear firmly beside her and walked towards the exit.

“Rest assured, you’ll spend your life in prison too.”

Saying this, he tried to leave the chapel.

The guards moved to restrain the priests, a moment too late.

Due to the Molotov cocktail thrown by the priest, the chapel was engulfed in flames──