* * *
The cult incident that occurred in Baron Bennet’s estate was thus temporarily concluded.
The reason why the preacher John had ordered the attack remained a mystery, but that was something that could be directly questioned once the preacher John was captured.
Since he had fled without being able to properly prepare, he wouldn’t have gotten far.
The Crown Prince instructed the 4th Knights to closely monitor the tenants until Count Grey’s backup forces arrived, and ordered Robert to go to the next room and rest.
“Now, you may all withdraw. Ah, Abe, you stay for a moment.”
“Yes.”
Robert still had suspicious feelings about the preacher John’s identity, but since it was obvious that his future would be difficult if the Crown Prince labeled him as an ignorant person who believed in superstitions, he had no choice but to leave the room with a sour expression.
As everyone except Knight Commander Abe withdrew, Joel’s bedroom became silent as a mouse.
The Crown Prince lowered the lamp so Joel could rest peacefully and sat down next to Joel.
The sight of him anxiously checking Joel’s condition looked, to use a vulgar expression, like a dog that needed to relieve itself.
In fact, Crown Prince Carlyle’s mind was entirely filled with worry for Joel.
The reason he had roughly concluded the situation despite the lingering questions about the preacher John’s identity and the attack was that he simply didn’t have the capacity to think about anything else.
“Poor Joel, he hasn’t eaten for a whole day already…”
The Crown Prince muttered, gently stroking Joel’s cheek.
Abe couldn’t hide his look of bewilderment.
Honestly, he wondered if this was the time to be acting so carelessly.
The Crown Prince had entered the headquarters of a cult without even having proper escort troops, and now he was too busy worrying about the seemingly fine Joel to pay much attention to understanding the situation.
Joel was breathing deeply and evenly, clearly looking like he was sleeping peacefully.
Considering the occasional nom nom sound of him smacking his lips, he was definitely dreaming of eating something.
Robert had also reported that Joel’s condition was stable, and honestly, that level of injury would be nothing to Joel, who was famously known for his thick head, but the Crown Prince’s reaction was overly sensitive.
For a while after that, the Crown Prince remained immersed in his world with Joel.
When Abe, who had been waiting for a long time, couldn’t endure it anymore and asked, “Do you have any other instructions for me?” the Crown Prince finally turned around as if he just remembered.
“Ah, I have something I want to ask you.”
“Please ask.”
“Abe, do you happen to know how to kill a demon?”
“…I take it that even Your Highness now agrees that the preacher John is no ordinary cult leader.”
Abe, who had been mocked by the Crown Prince for believing such things when he reported before they left for Baron Bennet’s estate that the preacher John had performed the miracle of making a cripple stand up in front of over a hundred tenants, replied with a slight feeling of resentment.
“Agreement? I am merely keeping possibilities open. Given the fact that the man named Tom walked, there are still some suspicious aspects.”
Not only the fact that Tom walked, but the attackers last night shouting, “That man is the Crown Prince!” was also suspicious.
This meant they knew who they were attacking, and ordinary cult groups would normally try their best to conceal their identity from an inspection team.
Daring to attack an inspection team, especially one led by the Crown Prince, was impossible with ordinary thinking.
Although he thought it unlikely, he kept having doubts whether the preacher John was truly human.
When thinking of a being with supernatural power, it was common to think of a demon or a sorcerer who followed a demon.
In particular, the fact that the preacher John demanded a “soul” from the tenants in exchange for the contract in every contract added weight to such suspicion.
The belief that demons demanded souls as payment when proposing a contract to humans was a widely spread superstition.
“In fact, as the commander of the 4th Knights, I mainly deal with cult issues, so I have asked the Archbishop what should be done if we truly encounter a demon. He replied that humans cannot kill a demon, so wielding a sword is futile.”
“So, physical force cannot inflict any damage?”
“That is not the case. Whether or not physical damage can be inflicted on a demon depends on the situation and conditions, but killing them is impossible. Because demons are eternal beings. They are being punished, having to exist forever in the pain of being abandoned by God, as the price for abandoning God. Only God and the Archangels can annihilate them, and humans can only drive them out to Hell through faith. That is what is called exorcism.”
“Hmm…”
The Crown Prince stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Honestly, words like ‘demon’ and ‘exorcism’ were only things he had encountered in theology classes.
The Crown Prince, as a devout believer, did believe in the existence of demons, but since he had never seen one with his own eyes until now, his belief was not strong.
If the preacher John truly was a demon, he must be eliminated.
Though it was being handled as a top-secret matter, the Emperor, whose health had rapidly deteriorated due to an unknown illness recently, was hoping to abdicate his reign to the Crown Prince and finish his remaining years in a separate palace.
The emergence of a demon at this time, right before the new coronation, could cause social chaos.
“However, the Archbishop said that exorcism is only possible for trained clergy. If a situation arises where one must confront a demon, he said that the best a commoner like me can do is simply pray. In other words, if the preacher John truly is a demon, it is fortunate that he ran away. We would never have been able to defeat him with our own strength.”
“But Count Grey’s private army still hasn’t arrived, so we can’t be at ease. It wouldn’t hurt to be prepared for any eventuality. I heard that demons are weak to holy relics; I wonder if even a non-cleric who is unfamiliar with exorcism could drive out a demon by borrowing the power of a holy relic.”
The Crown Prince asked, fiddling with the small silver dagger at his waist.
According to legend, this treasured sword was presented to the first Emperor by an Archangel who descended from heaven along with a divine revelation during the founding battle.
Though its authenticity could not be verified, as it was a distant event 700 years ago.
“Since low-level evil spirits or imps are said to feel fear and flee just by hearing the name of an Archangel, if the opponent is such an insignificant being, that sword might be helpful, but… well. If the preacher John is a demon with such great power that he could make a cripple walk, wouldn’t he be a formidable opponent?”
“That is likely true…”
The situation was taking an unusual turn, but the Crown Prince could not leave Baron Bennet’s estate until Joel regained consciousness.
As the Crown Prince’s worries deepened, Abe once again reassured the Crown Prince, saying, “Still, Count Grey’s backup forces will arrive within three days, so please do not worry too much. I have requested that the monks and clergy of the territory be brought along as well, just in case.”
“I would be reassured if the clergy are mobilized, but… if there are too many eyes watching, rumors will spread uncontrollably. I worry about whether this incident will harm Joel’s reputation.”
At the nonsense the Crown Prince laid out with a serious face, Knight Commander Abe, who had been busy dealing with this matter since the morning, felt a stiffness in the back of his neck.
‘Is this really the time to be worrying about such things?’ and ‘Does Lord Joel’s reputation even have any further to fall?’
The impulse to scold him was strong, but his counterpart was the Crown Prince.
Abe showed amazing patience and bowed his head, saying, “I will ensure that the arriving personnel maintain strict confidentiality.”
Bright sunlight was pouring through the window. Joel woke up, shielding his eyes from the glare.
“Ugh.”
One side of his head was throbbing.
When he closed and opened his swollen eyes, the blurred vision in front of him became slightly clearer.
The pattern on the ceiling and the sound of birds chirping outside the window felt strangely familiar.
Joel, looking around foolishly, realized that he was lying in his old bedroom, which he had left long ago.
“Ah…”
As soon as he regained consciousness, past memories came flooding back one by one.
Joel recalled the last moments before he lost consciousness.
He distinctly remembered making eye contact with the man wielding the pitchfork last night.
He was clearly the son of a tenant he used to play with since childhood.
And in that split-second when their eyes met, the other person seemed to have recognized Joel as well.
The sudden look of panic on his face, and the fact that he immediately swung the pitchfork past Joel, was the evidence.
* * *
Oh yay thank goodness I checked for an update rn