Chapter 42 – Death to the Fake Archbishop – 2

The sun that had risen high in the sky was slowly setting. The moment the sun lowered its head and touched the ridge, thick blood flowed and the whole sky was dyed red.

“Death to the Archbishop!”

“Come out! Archbishop!”

Quite a bit of time passed, but the heat of the citizens still did not know how to cool down. Rather, it only got hotter as time went on. In the meantime, the virgins who had to devote themselves to the church and the parents who had their daughters taken away in the name of priestly education. Even the priests, who had been dissatisfied with the behavior of the church, joined the protesters, and the crowd surrounding the cathedral continued to grow in size.

One two. As more people joined in, the amount of anger the crowd harbored grew. Now people were bringing those who had been victimized by Archbishop Bobby to the front to confess his crimes. In fact, the trial was already underway and it seemed that Bobby’s punishment had been finalized.

“Bobby is late.”

“I see. The other priests seem to be leaving the inside. I wonder how many will remain inside.”

“How many do you think there are?”

“I think there are about 10 people left. I don’t know.”

“At most dozens.”

“Maybe less than that. Even if I count the number of priests gathered there, I think it’ll be three digits. Of course, including those who have already had their heads cut off.”

Looking up at Vanessa’s words, I saw a place where priests who wanted to join the protesters were gathered. There, too, the trial was held. Good priests were released according to the testimony of the citizens, but the number was extremely small. Rather, there were far more people who were being punished in various ways for their sins.

“It’s getting dark soon. I wonder if he’s going to wait until night.”

“No. I’ll probably do something before that. At night, people will light torches, and when you hold a light, people get excited for no reason. And I’m guessing that Bobby was on the ground four hours ago.”

“How do you know?”

“Because the priests didn’t come out from four hours ago.”

“I’d like to think it’s because all the people who come out come out.”

“It could be, but the number of defectors didn’t gradually decrease, but at that point, they disappeared altogether. I can only think of one thing if it’s such a drastic change.”

Inside me there is a barbie Of course, it’s just a guess, but I’m strangely certain.

Vanessa too looked towards his door with bloodshot eyes. And whispered to me again

“Then why aren’t you going in now?”

“Because it will stand out.”

“Hey there. Focus. Does this look like a joke?”

Then the captain of the guard passed us and frowned. Looking at his face, I answered simply.

“I will focus.”

He passed in front of us with a displeased look on his face. I pretended to be calm, but every step I took was full of tension. I looked at him and corrected the slipping pitch.

After Rachel’s speech, I left the plaza alone and after dealing with several guards running towards me, I gathered their armor and waited for Vanessa. And with her, who successfully made her way through the crowd, dressed as a guard, headed to the square ahead of the demonstrators. When I asked how she was going to hide her legs, she responded by cutting off one of the guards’ legs, inserting a broken blade into it, and fixing it to her own severed leg.

Perhaps thanks to her efforts, we mingled among the guards and faced the protesters without any suspicion. While waiting, the innocent citizens and some priests who were inside the cathedral all escaped, and now only those who deserved to die were left. At least, by my standards it was.

I met eyes with angry citizens. The years of oppression and the emotions that had been endured sent sizzling eyes. Just like me, their eyes looking at the body of a single person were very similar to those I saw in Erendel.

At the time, I forgot that there were many people who harbored resentment toward them as much as I did. Suddenly, a strange sensation like a pounding heart ran through my fingertips and vibrated on my skin. I didn’t feel these feelings at the time. While I was wandering, not knowing why, I heard Vanessa’s voice.

“The detective lady is doing very well. If she had acted clumsily, the citizens would have come all the way inside. Quite good for a fake saint.”

“In fact, it makes me wonder if this is the real thing.”

“Still, fakes are fakes. Come to think of it, there are a lot of fakes here. Fake saints, fake archbishops, even fake priests. Well, there is at least one real one, though.”

Without even asking what it was, she turned her gaze to me. I said quietly, ignoring her gaze.

“No.”

“I think you’re right. A real warrior.”

“This isn’t the time to talk about that, Vanessa.”

I flatly denied it, but Vanessa said with a faint smile.

“Even if you deny it, the time will come when you will have to admit it. Whether intentionally or not, you are saving the Empire from danger.”

“No.”

“Saving a city from a corrupt baron, and now expelling a false archbishop to save the faith of his followers. And maybe even the heart of this battered priest. Whatever the process or intent, it sounds like a heroic feat.”

I shut my mouth and leaned my head against the wall. Along with the dull touch, many emotions leaked into my head. I closed my eyes, focusing on the sound coming from behind the wall.

“Stop.”

“Okay. We’ll talk about this later.”

“It’s not like that.”

I opened my eyes again. Then he turned his eyes and looked towards the door.

“Someone is coming out.”

Thud.

At the same time as that word fell, the tightly closed door opened. Even the citizens who had shouted in anger at that moment shut their mouths and finally looked inside the open door. I, too, threw my gaze toward the inside as if I was being sucked in.

Thud. Thud.

The sound of heavy footsteps echoes. Dull, heavy, familiar.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The regular ringing sound came too slowly. Just like that day, as I heard the shaking in my ears, I felt my blood run cold. Even though he hasn’t come yet, it seems like he’s already in front of my eyes. Chunks of flesh flowing down. A disgusting smile and thick fingers. And even the bright red eyes.

I look at his face that comes to mind and think. It’s similar to the idea I had when I went to visit Rick and Nadia that day, but it’s a slightly different idea.

Please. I hope he has changed somewhere.

“Archbishop!!!”

At that moment, someone in the crowd shouted. And according to the sound, a man who once ruled the sanctuary of the god appeared.

He was barbie

Maybe no more modifiers are needed. He was just Barbie. Just like the guy in my memory, he was Bobby, approaching with a massive body and a hateful smile.

Bobby. A good bobby. The only healer in our party, that Barbie who always gave off a warm impression.

In an instant, I met his eyes. His eyes were so buried in his face that he could hardly see his pupils because of his flesh, but I could look at his pupils, which remained clear in my memory. He was clearly smiling, but his eyes, which seemed to be somewhat nervous, were pitch-black, just as I remembered.

It wasn’t red, it was black.

…

Rachel said so. She said that if she forced herself to smile, she might even forget how to smile.

I guess that’s true

It’s because I’m not happy at all, but the corners of my mouth keep going up.

“Bobby!!!”

“Receive the judgment quietly, Archbishop!”

The moment they saw his face, the crowd went crazy. As they looked at the image of Bobby left in their memories, they threw rocks they were holding, spit and screamed. But me and Vanessa were surprisingly calm. I opened my mouth while keeping my eyes fixed on Bobby.

“What do you think about it?”

“It’s Barbie.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Of course not.”

“How long do you think it took?”

“At least four hours. It’s attached to a certain degree perfectly. Probably several people rushed at it.”

She answered briefly and then turned her head toward me.

“Did you expect it?”

“Because Barbie would do that.”

Bobby’s weapon has always been lies and deceit. A kind-hearted uncle, a hero who saved the world, and an ascended saint. Whether it’s a crisis or an opportunity, he has always relied on lies to achieve his goals and keep his life.

And in this extreme moment, the weapon he would choose was also a lie.

Vanessa smiled and nodded his head. And he asked again.

“How far did you intend?”

“I just hoped so.”

I answered as I looked at the thronging crowd. Those who had been looking at the cathedral door with bloodshot eyes were already focused on the fake Barbie. At this moment, even if the Ennesic goddesses came, they would not be able to catch their attention.

In a way, it was like Rick and Nadia. All I wanted was a place for me and them to be isolated. There was only one. At that time, it was my first time, so I overlooked the fact that if I paved the way, people with as much grudge as I would follow. So the crowd, the hindrances, intervened. This time too, there were too many guards to go ahead by killing everyone, and the risk of citizens intervening again was high. The infiltration was close to impossible due to an unexpected situation.

So this time I decided to make two roads. One is the way to fake Barbie for the crowd. And the other one is the path towards becoming a real Barbie that I am going to take now. They will torture the fake barbie outside and prevent anyone from leaving or entering the cathedral. Of course, I can’t be a fence for that long, but that’s enough for me to find another place.

And above all. I wanted to confirm one fact.

Doesn’t Bobby die even if his body is ripped off, just like Sarah and Vanessa did?

Is he, who deserves to be abandoned by the goddess Ennesic, still receiving her blessing?

If it had failed, it would have been the body of a dead real Barbie instead of a fake Barbie. That side should be enough to calm the crowd. However, it seems that he is still loved by the goddess Ennesic.

This time, I thought it was fortunate that God was not on my side, but on his side.

“Die Archbishop!!!”

Then someone in the crowd pounced on the fake Bobby with a knife hidden in his pocket. Then the surrounding guards quickly moved towards the man. However, it became a kind of flare and made the crowd even more angry.

“What the fuck, what are you doing you idiots! Go stop it!”

Seeing this, the guard captain gathered all the guards around him and put them near Bobby. At that moment, Vanessa and I looked at each other, nodded, and slowly headed back.

When all eyes were on the fake Barbie, we approached the front door. Suddenly, Vanessa laughed out loud from the side.

“Thank you, Mr. Luca.”

“Why?”

“Just. For bringing me.”

“Because I need it.”

I answered her briefly. Vanessa must have accumulated a lot from Bobby. To me, she was the best tool.

“Are you ready?”

“I don’t care if it doesn’t work.”

I opened the door without hesitation. Even though I was surrounded by so many people, there was no one to stop me. I drew a cool sword from the fence of vengeance filled with anger and deceit.