Chapter 75: Praise the Black Saint (2)

“So… are you saying no one has been able to reach Cardinal Caron since yesterday?”

Dominic asked, clearly flustered.

It was a question he threw out in passing while they were all heading towards the grand cathedral. He had been somewhat concerned that Cardinal Caron hadn’t responded to his messages, but the answer he received was quite strange.

Not a single person among them had been able to contact Cardinal Caron.

‘Does that even make sense?’

Dominic could somewhat understand if Caron hadn’t responded to him personally. For some reason, the Cardinal had been keeping his distance from Dominic lately, and besides, with the Black Fangs incident, he probably had a lot on his plate.

But to ignore everyone’s calls?

There were over twenty people here. That seemed odd, no matter how he looked at it.

“Now that you mention it, I also haven’t been able to get in touch with a colleague who works here. I just assumed they were busy with work…”

To make matters worse, more stories like this began to surface.

It wasn’t just Cardinal Caron. Even personal acquaintances of some of the archbishops hadn’t responded.

The murmuring grew louder.

Everyone was reaching out to those inside the grand cathedral, but no one was getting a response.

Even emergency signals were met with silence.

The atmosphere became increasingly unsettled.

Everyone was beginning to realize something strange was happening.

And soon, someone was the first to speak aloud what everyone else had been thinking.

“Could it be the Black Fangs...?”

It was a thought everyone had, but no one dared to voice.

The topic, which everyone had been reluctant to bring up, was now on the table. Instantly, the faces of everyone present, including Dominic’s, turned serious.

‘Could something really have happened to Cardinal Caron?’

The thought flashed through Dominic’s mind, but it didn’t make sense.

Cardinal Caron was a genius among geniuses.

If Dominic had to name the person most loved by God, he wouldn’t hesitate to say Caron’s name.

Wasn’t it obvious just by looking at his stigmata?

It was said that his divine blessing could save anyone, as long as they hadn’t already died. Even the Holy Father, who had mysteriously disappeared, didn’t possess such a powerful stigmata.

And his divine power... it was beyond comparison. It was power that no mere human should possess.

As foolish as it might sound, every time Dominic saw Cardinal Caron, it felt like he was looking at hundreds of believers gathered into one.

How deep must his faith have been to achieve such miracles? It was beyond Dominic’s comprehension.

And yet, they were suggesting that someone like that had been killed overnight?

That everyone inside the cathedral had been massacred, and that’s why no one could reach them?

It was an absurd assumption.

But no one dared to say it out loud. Not even Dominic, who simply kept walking in silence.

The Black Fangs.

The weight of that name.

It was impossible to declare such a thing couldn’t happen. The Black Fangs’ power was far too great for anyone to dismiss the possibility so easily.

And so, for a long time, a heavy silence hung over the group.

Until it was broken by…

“...Wh-what is this?!”

A startled cry from someone in the group was echod.

In an instant, the man’s face turned pale, his expression stricken with fear. Beads of cold sweat trickled down his neck.

But Cardinal Dominic didn’t bother to ask why the man reacted that way.

He didn’t need to.

This man was ranked as the fifth strongest in the Holy Church.

There was no way he hadn’t felt it.

The distant grand cathedral.

The immense power radiating from it.

The overwhelming divine energy that defied comprehension.

Had some sort of experiment gone wrong?

Was there a malfunction with the relic, which would explain the sudden loss of communication?

A whirlwind of thoughts clouded his mind.

What exactly was happening over there? He didn’t have a single clue.

But one thing was clear.

In this situation, there was only one course of action they could take.

Without exchanging a word, they all sprinted toward the grand cathedral.

And what awaited them was...

A white-haired man gently cradling a blood-stained girl in his arms.

*****

A headache pounded in my temples. This was all so absurd, I felt like I might go crazy at any moment.

‘Why the hell are these people coming out of here?’

Even absurdity has its limits.

If what I saw before me had been a random civilian out for a stroll, I might have accepted it.

But no. These people were wearing clerical robes.

And they didn’t seem like ordinary priests either. The aura they gave off was anything but normal. Their ranks must be high.

So why, of all times, were these people showing up here, right now, in front of me?

‘Weren’t all the Holy Church members supposed to be dead? Didn’t Lucy kill them?’

Were there stragglers that hadn’t been dealt with? Or had reinforcements finally arrived for the ones we killed?

Transformation will occur in 10 seconds. To reduce the pain during the change, the system will momentarily block the user’s senses.


As if my head wasn’t already in enough of a mess, the system decided to attack my sanity by flashing a message across my vision.

The bright blue message window appeared out of nowhere, hurting my eyes and worsening my mood, before disappearing as abruptly as it had come.

I could feel a string of curses rising to my throat.

‘…But this isn’t the time for that.’

I swallowed them down with superhuman patience.

Now was not the time to worry about why that annoying notification had appeared again.

If I had time to waste on that, I’d be better off finding a way out of this mess.

‘If I call for reinforcements right now…’

The first thing that came to mind was calling Siel or Lien. I hadn’t used the talisman Siel had given me yet.

I could summon them anytime by tearing it.

But the problem was…

The powers these people wielded were the worst possible match for our allies.

One was a half-formed Demon Lord, and the other had made a pact with demons.

It was hard to guarantee victory when factoring in the disadvantage in both matchups and numbers.

Even if we did win, it would likely come with significant losses, and that was far from an ideal solution.

So, the best plan I could choose right now… was to win without fighting.

Leave this place without a battle.

If possible, that would be the best outcome.

‘…But how the hell do I even do that?!’

My head was spinning.

I’m not some kind of strategist.

How could I quickly come up with a brilliant plan in this tense standoff with the enemy?

The only ideas popping into my head right now were laughably pathetic at best.

Ridiculous notions like intimidating them with something like “killing intent” to paralyze them, just like in a novel or comic.

Of course, that kind of thing wasn’t going to work in real life…

‘…Wait a minute.’

Is that really impossible?

Sure, I can’t physically overwhelm them with killing intent, but…

If I could give off enough of an intimidating aura, maybe I could pull it off.

If I make them believe I’m an overwhelming force, one that they wouldn’t even dare to fight, that could work.

Even these people must value their lives.

If they’re convinced that fighting me would end with their utter annihilation, then we can avoid conflict entirely.

And I already had a rough idea of how to do it.

Let’s think about the situation again.

These people are almost certainly from the Holy Church.

And behind me is a scene of utter carnage.

So, what would they think I am?

I didn’t even have to think about it. The answer was obvious.

They think I’m the leader of the Black Fangs.

The very same leader who declared the destruction of the Holy Church and committed this massacre.

They must be seeing this situation through that lens.

If that’s the case…

There was only one thing for me to do.

And it wasn’t even that hard.

After all, I’ve practically become an expert at pretending to be the Black Fangs’ leader.

With all the clergy gathered before me, their eyes on me, I slowly descended the stairs.

I was now close enough to reach out and touch them.

Yet, there wasn’t a trace of hesitation on my face.

I met their gazes with a calm, collected expression, as if I’d seen everything the world had to offer.

And then… one of them finally spoke.

“W-Who are you?”

For some reason, the man asking the question wasn’t looking directly at me. His gaze seemed fixated on something behind me.

But… what could possibly be behind me?

I pushed aside any pointless thoughts and opened my mouth to respond.

“That’s something you already know better than I do.”

My strategy seemed to be working—everyone’s faces paled. A very good sign.

“I’ve been watching you all. Watching your vile, wretched behavior.”

I pressed on, riding the momentum.

With a serious expression and a voice lowered to a near whisper, I declared:

“I’m here… to judge you.”

Here to deliver punishment in the name of the Black Fangs’ leader.

And then…

Doubt started creeping into my mind.

It made sense, really.

The scene unfolding before my eyes...

The reaction was something I hadn’t anticipated at all.

‘…Why the hell are they crying?’

Why were they suddenly praying to me?

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