In Aunt Elisa's narrow, cramped home—so small that just a wooden table and chairs made it difficult to move around—Lucian and John sat side by side, quietly discussing the recent cult extermination.
Meanwhile, Joel was still performing on the streets of the Administrative District, Evan was playing nearby with friends his own age, and Aunt Elisa was busy preparing dinner.
"Sir Vein told me that a knight of considerable rank may have leaked information. After we entered the sewers, we only found a large secret chamber that the devil worshippers had left behind—they'd actually constructed a devil's temple in there!" John said with a grave expression. "And every last one of the devil worshippers had disappeared."
Lucian wasn't particularly surprised by this outcome. After killing the old cultist, he had waited an entire night before going to tell John. That was plenty of time—if the cult's higher-ups still hadn't noticed their subordinates going missing, then with that kind of pitiful vigilance and intelligence, they'd be better off quitting the dangerous profession of cultism altogether and going home to grow oats. "What about the Allen Gang?"
"The Allen Gang, including Long Sang Allen, had their main leaders disappear as well. The ordinary thugs we caught knew absolutely nothing about the devil worshippers. The Tribunal judges' interrogation techniques, which blend Divine Arts, rarely miss their mark." John's golden eyebrows furrowed. "But those ordinary fellows have probably already been executed in secret."
When it came to cults and devils, the Church had always been this ruthless and merciless.
As for mages, Lucian felt the Church's attitude was somewhat gentler—for instance, he himself hadn't been secretly executed back then. Of course, that might also have had something to do with the Witch being merely a Magic Apprentice and not considered worth worrying about.
Among the religious books in the music library that Lucian had been reading these past two days, there was one called "The Mage's Hammer," written in the year 392 of the Holy Calendar—over four hundred and twenty-three years ago. It was a work by a famous Tribunal judge, primarily instructing mage hunters and Night Watch members on how to identify mages, track mages, and how to torture mages. It contained several passages that were both intriguing and cruel:
"When covert investigation using Divine Arts fails to provide certainty, how should one identify a mage?"
"If the suspect leads a reclusive, solitary life, this naturally proves he is a mage. If the suspect frequently attends banquets and appears enthusiastic and cheerful, he is clearly in disguise to divert suspicion."
"If, upon learning your identity as a mage hunter or Night Watch member, he shows fear, he is certainly a mage. If he remains calm, he is undoubtedly a mage, for mages are accustomed to shamelessly lying and concealing."
...
"When a suspect is captured and interrogated, if your Divine Arts cannot see through his true nature, try the following methods: if his eyes dart around while being tortured, it means he is searching for the source of his power with his eyes—namely, the devil. If his gaze is blank and motionless, it means he has already seen the devil. If he has the strength to endure the torture, it means the devil is sustaining him, so he must be tortured more severely. If he cannot bear it and dies under punishment, it means the devil let him die to prevent his confession and the leaking of secrets."
"When all methods fail to verify the truth, then entrust the final judgment to our righteous, just God who holds the Truth. Bind the person suspected of being a mage to the stake. If the Lord deems he is not an evil mage, he will emerge unharmed from the flames. If he is burned to ashes, he is undoubtedly an evil mage. This is the Lord's will!"
Comparing this religious classic from over four hundred years ago, Lucian felt incredibly fortunate to still be alive. "Perhaps after being powerful for so many years, the Church has now lowered its vigilance against mages? It seems they've shifted their main attention to the heretics in the north."
"What was found in the temple?" Lucian asked John with some curiosity.
John seemed to recall an unpleasant memory, his expression becoming very severe and filled with hatred. "We knight squires were only stationed outside the temple. The matters deeper inside were handled by Sir Vein, Count Verdi, and Cardinal Salvatore, who represented His
"Although I was guarding outside the devil's temple, I still saw the ground covered in a layer of blood, and those red hearts placed near the entrance—still beating, thump, thump, thump. I heard they were dug directly out of living people's chests."
"Before, I only knew of the brutality and terror of devils and evil gods through the tales of bards and Sir Vein's descriptions. I never felt any genuine hatred toward them. But after witnessing firsthand what they had created that day, I finally understood just how evil, bloody, cruel, and violent they truly are. It made me hate them from the bottom of my heart—wanting to kill them, wanting to eradicate them completely."
Seeing John's serious but powerful and purposeful tone, Lucian smiled. "John, have you found your own justice?"
John nodded, then shook his head. "Determining whether something truly constitutes your own justice requires years, even decades, of practice. But compared to my previous beliefs—protecting my home, protecting my friends—I now have an additional, very strong desire to eliminate devils, demons, and all manner of evil creatures along with their followers."
"I recall that among knights, there's a special occupation called 'devil hunters,' who walk in darkness year-round, risking their lives to eliminate evil creatures. Are you thinking of going in that direction, John?" Lucian teased him. "Oh, by the way—what is Sir Vein planning to reward you with?"
John's expression softened and he smiled. "Awakening bloodline power isn't that easy—just look at the number of knights across the entire principality. As for whether I'll join a knight order or become a 'devil hunter' in the future, that's all still far off."