BVBFW-Chapter 16 – Unwelcome Guests

Chapter 16: Unwelcome Guests

Anne was in a very good mood.

‘I’m so glad I went to the lake every day!’

Since receiving a new life from that being, Anne had gone to the lake without missing a single day.

She desperately wanted to see it just one more time. She prayed that she could convey her words of gratitude.

Every day she spent time in that empty place. It was a series of long waits without any promise.

However, Anne never missed a single day. Always at that time. She matched the moment when she had met that being. She hoped that someday she could encounter it again.

‘It was a god. It really was a god…!’

Suddenly the moment of their first meeting came to mind.

The time when she mistook it for a monster and begged for her life. She had just curled up her body and trembled.

Her parents who had left the world first came to mind. Her younger sibling who would be left alone filled her head. The despair of wanting to live but being unable to was terrible.

Looking back now, it’s embarrassing.

How flustered it must have been. It might have been angry. To call a god a monster. She’s fortunate not to have received divine punishment.

“Sister! Welcome back!”

Rone, who had stayed home, warmly welcomed his sister. Anne, who had put down her luggage, suddenly sniffed around.

“What’s this smell, Rone?”

“This! The lady next door shared some stew and left!”

“My goodness. She always takes care of us.”

Anne, who had been thinking for a moment, picked up two fish.

She had received help from the lady next door in various ways. This couldn’t repay everything, but it would be a small part of it.

“I’ll be back in a moment, so keep an eye on the stew. Don’t let the fire go out, okay?!”

“I know that much too!”

She left the house laughing at Rone’s playful punches. Then she knocked on the next door and waited for the lady.

“Who is it?”

“Ma’am! It’s me, Anne!”

“Oh my. Come in, dear. What’s this all of a sudden… What is this?”

“Please take it. I caught a lot today!”

When she handed over the fish with a smile, the middle-aged woman smiled. She had just been wondering what to make for dinner tonight, so it worked out well.

“You look especially happy today?”

“Huh? Oh! Well, I caught a lot of fish!”

“There have been many good things lately. I even saw His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, something you might not see once in a lifetime. My goodness. I never imagined I’d receive a gift from His Imperial Majesty.”

“The red… Ahem! I think it’s because God is watching over us all!”

Certainly. This was all thanks to The Red Bird. Anne believed this fact without doubt.

“Ah, right. Come to think of it, Anne wouldn’t know.”

“What?”

“A little while ago, more guests came to the village.”

Guests? Could it be that Delfin came back again?

“From their appearance, they looked like priests. White robes and they were even making holy signs.”

“Wow. This is my first time seeing priests too!”

“There have been many guests lately. The village is growing too. It’s a good thing.”

Those who appeared to be priests. Guests who came from The Order. Anne became very curious about that story.

Could they also be those who witnessed the same miracle as herself? Had they come to worship the great Red Bird? There would be no other reason for priests to appear here!

Originally, she had planned to just stop by next door and return immediately. But hearing about priests sparked her curiosity. She also felt a sense of kinship that they might be like herself.

‘Should I just take a quick look at where they are?’

It wouldn’t take long. At most 10 minutes. Rone would scold her, but she could endure it.

“…No.”

Anne shook her head. Then she returned home.

In the past, she would have sought God and prayed before the priests. But this girl no longer felt the need to do so.

‘Because I have The Red Bird.’

There was a being more great and benevolent than any god. With that being by her side, there was no need to seek God from afar.

***

“…And so God finally drove out the demon and brought light and goodness to this land.”

The woman covered in a white robe spread her arms wide. When the story ended, the children around clapped.

“Wooow…!”

“So God won?!”

“Of course. The omnipotent one could never be defeated. Dear young brothers and sisters.”

But, you know. The woman smiled gently.

“We humans are not gods, so we cannot always win.”

“Do, do we lose to demons?”

“Yes. We may be defeated.”

“Uuuu…”

“However, as long as we don’t collapse, we can achieve victory at any time. That’s why we always offer prayers to God and plead for divine protection.”

So we must all offer prayers every day. When the woman finished with this summary, the children answered “Yes!”

“Now then, dear young brothers and sisters. It’s almost dinner time, so please return to your homes now. Listening well to your parents’ words is also something God likes.”

A benevolent voice. A warm smile. Truly the appearance of a devout priest. The children said they would and ran off to their respective homes.

“…”

The priest who had been watching them turned around and walked in the opposite direction. The smile that had been on her lips had completely disappeared at some point. What remained was only a coldness that didn’t seem human at all.

‘Nothing special.’

According to rumors, all sorts of things had happened in the north.

A year ago, the Demon Dragon had suddenly met its end. The Empire announced that this was accomplished by the Steel Knight.

But there were many suspicious aspects. The damage was too minimal for having defeated the Demon Dragon. They couldn’t even recover part of the Demon Dragon’s corpse.

Next, The Order’s subjugation force had come to this place. It was said to be a schedule accompanying The Empire’s investigation team. The reason was the appearance of some being that was difficult to explain. And most recently, The Emperor had suddenly visited. She didn’t know the details, but he had put aside all state affairs to come. For what reason. For what purpose had he come to this north.

‘All of that must be connected to that red being that appeared in the imperial territory.’

From what she heard, this village was the largest in Nosland. If so, there would be some story that had been passed down.

With this judgment, the female priest in white robes. No. Eida, a member of the Twelve Cardinals, had come all the way here.

“Have you come, Sister Eida.”

“How was it? Children might know something.”

The eleven Cardinals waiting at the destination. All wore the same attire. White robes.

The only difference permitted to them was their names alone. Other than that, they revealed nothing else to the world.

The reason was simple. They were the spears of The Order. Spears needed neither fame nor praise. They just needed to pierce evil and silence it forever.

“Sister Intianus. Unfortunately, your opinion seems to be wrong.”

“You mean you didn’t gain anything in particular.”

Children are inherently unaccustomed to lies. There are occasionally bad seeds, but that’s literally occasional. The rest will tell you themselves if you just shake them a little.

That’s why they had designated Eida among the Twelve Cardinals to send. She was terribly cold, but capable of changing herself. Above all, she was the youngest among the Cardinals, so children would like her.

“No. It’s not that we gained absolutely nothing.”

Quadro, the one with the second-best skills among the Twelve Cardinals, unfolded his arms and continued speaking.

“It’s confirmed that The Emperor of The Empire had visited this place. Quite urgently at that. Additionally, he distributed gifts to the people of this village.”

“What did you gain from that? Brother Quadro?”

“Rulers don’t distribute things carelessly. They’re different from our Order. If they distributed something, there’s a reason. Here, it would probably be to divert attention elsewhere.”

Our Order is different from what those rulers do. Quadro said this with his face full of faith. Intianus said “I suppose so” and made the holy sign. Some of the other Cardinals also recited prayers.

“Wait.”

Ventu. The one among the Twelve Cardinals who best read the aura of evil. He restrained his brothers and sisters and sniffed around.

“I smell something.”

“Have you finally caught the scent of evil? Brother Ventu?”

Intianus and the other Cardinals showed anticipation. Quadro gathered his Divine Power and prepared for battle.

“That’s not it. The scent of evil isn’t like this. But it’s not of The Order either. This is definitely, yes. It feels like heresy.”

“Was the rumor that the north relies on things other than God because it’s desolate true after all.”

Several Cardinals didn’t hide their discomfort. They were those with the most extreme religious views among the Twelve Cardinals. To them, heresy was no different from apostasy.

“Brothers and sisters. If they don’t believe in evil beings, the conclusion of the council 20 years ago was to embrace heresy as well.”

“Sister Eida. Are you taking the side of heretics now?”

“I merely stated the conclusion of the council.”

A subtle confrontation continued among the Cardinals. If someone hadn’t appeared, it would have led to a quarrel.

“There. Over there. The scent of heresy comes from over there.”

Ventu got up and pointed somewhere.

The outskirts of the village. A place where several houses stood. Among them, the smallest and most shabby house.

“Let’s go take a look.”

Finally, the Twelve Cardinals stood up. And they headed toward the small house.

“Sister. Is something wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your face is strangely glowing.”

“…This?! You’re teasing me about fish oil getting on it!”

“No! It’s real!!”

Toward the place where two sisters were laughing and chattering happily.