That power can sometimes hear the voices of the dead, imbue itself with the power of the dead, or bring about influences that even the heart cannot resist, and...

Under certain conditions, it can even resurrect the dead, a magic that can be said to have entered the realm of God.

Of course, the Byrne family was overjoyed because the next head of the family was chosen by God.

The same is true for the church. The birth of users of divine magic by famous families is precisely God's blessing.

This was proof that God responded to their piety, and of course, it also made their faith even more devout.

However, for Rouse...

The church's almost superstitious indoctrination had no effect on him.

Because Rolls noticed the contradiction between the church's words and thoughts.

He questioned the existence of doctrine and the church.

Because no one can interfere with Laws' soul and will, yes, not even God.

But Rouse did not object.

Because he is very smart.

Even raising objections is meaningless and will only lead to unnecessary disputes and cause the church to harbor a fatal distrust of itself.

Family, companions, and now his subordinates, they are all people that Ross must protect.

In this case, if I were to fight against the world of the Church alone, what would be the outcome?

It will only lead to misfortune.

To hold on to the overwhelming majority opinion is to hold on to the greatest happiness.

Then the few cries of grief should be ignored.

All you have to do is execute the orders.

You can't resist.

No objections can be raised.

Don't harbor doubts.

Just a chess piece of God.

Give up feelings.

Give up thinking.

"...Eliminating one more element of free will will bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people."

Ross frowned, pursed his lips, and pondered the reason for his stern face.

That was the teaching of Laws Byrne, which Laws had reminded himself countless times to this day.

Ross's brow furrowed even deeper.

Suddenly, Royce looked down at the Divine Capital. He didn't know why he did that. He just saw the darkness of the Divine Capital from the corner of his eye. When he came to his senses, he had already stopped.

"..."

Ross said nothing, staring at a deserted alley on the outskirts of Shendu.

Then his mind flashed through his only time - resistance.

"How is she...doing now?"

That is the oracle priestess abandoned by God.

——If one day, humans can live under free will...

It was by chance that Royce saw the witch standing on the balcony and heard her say this.

Perhaps it was because of that coincidence that Ross was driven by an impulse that he himself did not understand.

The witch was thrown into a cave used to punish heretics who could not withstand torture.

When he regained consciousness, he was already holding the dying witch, desperately using first aid magic while rushing towards the capital.

When he suddenly came to his senses, he thought he was doomed.

If he overturned God's decision, he would undoubtedly be regarded as a heretic, no, that would be rebellion.

Laus prepared himself for being abandoned and executed and returned to the palace.

However, in the end, he did not suffer divine retribution, and he has never spoken of what happened to anyone.

(Maybe God isn’t omniscient… Or maybe God just let me off the hook…)

Ross sighed slightly and shook his head, thinking that it was useless to think about it.

At this moment——

"Lord Royce! So you're here!"

One of his subordinates, clutching a massive staff, rushed from the sky corridor.

"The airship is ready and can launch at any time."

The male subordinate said, and respectfully handed the staff to Rouse.

Ross accepted it silently, then swung his hand. With just one swing, there was a roar of wind, and the impact was unleashed.

"This time, our mission is to annihilate a large-scale group of heretics. This is the moment for God's will to manifest. I can't wait."

"……Yeah?"

Excitement gleamed in the subordinate's eyes; he was also one of the people that Ross had to protect.

But Ross looked away. He just couldn't look directly at the people he had to protect, whose eyes were shining with crazy joy.

Instead, Rouse gazed at the setting sun on the horizon.

The fiery sunset gradually loses its power and the night deepens. This scene seems to symbolize the gradual fading of someone's hope.

Overlapping with the sun, which was emitting the last rays of the day, a huge object floated up from directly below.

In a word, it was a ship. A massive Galien-class airship.

This is one of the Church's displays of authority - the Templar Knights' flying warship that hunts heretics.

The warship shook the air, stopped in front of Laws, and lowered the gangway to the sky corridor.

Ross naturally boarded the airship.

On the deck, the fully armed Knights of the Temple lined up in an orderly manner to welcome the leader, Ross.

Ross stood at the bow and looked at the setting sun for a while.

Then, when the faint light disappeared on the other side of the horizon, he put on a cold mask and shouted loudly:

"The Pope has ordered us to annihilate the heretics wreaking havoc in the West Sea! Everyone! Knights of God! —The time of divine retribution has arrived!!"

Then, a deafening cry erupted. The frantic cry seemed to resonate throughout the entire divine capital, and the cries for divine punishment and annihilation shook the very sky of the divine capital.

Ross raised his staff high, then pointed it towards the west and swung it down in one breath.

"White Light Knights, attack!!"

Following this command, the White Light Knights, one of the strongest forces of the church, began to set out for the West Sea.

Support from the people of Shendu also came.

Amid the people's cheers of support, Ross faced the West. His eyes were as if he was looking at the people in the West who had chosen to live under their own free will, and he murmured to them:

"...If you can resist, then give it a try."

The whisper, which no one heard, sounded like a plea.

Prequel 2 Chapter 3: Execution of Divine Punishment

Looking around, there is an endless sea.

There is an island in the middle of the ocean. However, it is not made of rock and soil.

It was an island made of wood, a large floating island formed by connecting countless Galien-class ships - Ship Island.

The boats are both new and old, and they seem to be firmly fixed together with metal rods. The gap in the middle is about several meters wide, and there is a ladder on the gap, forming a corridor between the boats.

At a glance, there were about twenty ships, arranged in a grid-like intersection.

There was no cloth at the original place where the sail was set, and the horizontal pole (boom) supporting the sail was modified to become a channel.

This is the aerial pathway that connects the masts together.

Washed clothes were hung on the ropes, fluttering in the sea breeze, and a large number of daily necessities full of life were placed on the deck.

On Ship Island, women chatted and did their housework, while men cleaned, repaired boats, or participated in training. On the observation deck, someone sat in a daze, smoking a pipe. Men, women, young and old, of all races, each went about their own lives.

That’s right, this floating village on the sea is the base of the Melkine Pirates.

Incidentally, Melkine means "Rider," a name taken from the name of the ship Mel's crew first captured. Pirate groups typically use the captain's family name, but the Sea People rarely adopt family names. So, after some deliberation, someone suggested, "Why not just use the ship's name?" And so the name was decided.

Well, although this is the peaceful Funajima Island, in fact, the outer edge of the island is currently mass-producing miserable and destitute men in the present tense, and the scene can be said to be full of corpses.

"Damn it! How dare you treat me like this!"

A battered man shouted with rage in his eyes. He picked up his fallen saber and charged like a demon.

Before his eyes was a woman who smiled gently even in the face of murderous intent—Mei'er.

"Oh my, it's no use just having momentum, you know?"

Then, Mei'er's right hand moved slightly. With just this movement, the water whip appeared instantly and lashed the man's face with great force.

“Phew!?”

The man let out a strange wail as he was forced to perform three and a half twists in the air. It was a truly graceful spin.

The man fell to the deck with a thud. This one-sided battle, like torture, had lasted since before dawn, and the man finally seemed to have succumbed.

Like a girl abandoned by her boyfriend, he knelt on the ground with his legs together and began to sob softly.

Mei'er said to the man with a loving expression:

"How shameful! You've only been crying since you got beaten this morning. Aren't you ashamed? You're crying like a pig, aren't you?"

“Wa ...

Hearing her speaking harsh words to him in a gentle and calm tone, the man finally burst into tears.

"...From this morning till now, for eight hours straight, no matter how many times I collapsed, I was forced to recover, and then I was beaten again. I think it's normal to cry."

Sitting on the circular observation platform above the mast, Meredith watched the entire process with a stiff expression on her face. Oscar, standing beside her, also said with a similarly stiff expression:

"At first glance, she seems like a vicious female pirate who enjoys torturing captured pirates. Mei's appearance and impression are so different from her words and actions..."

"She looks like a 'saint'... Women are so scary..."

"Hey, Na-chan. Don't lump Xiaomi, who is synonymous with 'cute', into the same category as Mei-nee."

"No, you're terrifying in every way."

Nizu made this comment with an indescribable expression, while Meredy angrily tried to argue with him.

Hearing the conversation between Meredith and the others, Chris, the vice-captain of the Melkine Pirates, gave a wry smile. He looked really handsome while smoking a cigarette.

"It's hard for me to deny it, but at least it's necessary. Don't be too scared, Mei'er."

Oscar pushed up his glasses and recalled what the other party had told him yesterday.

"A membership test? I finally understand why the pirates who were attacked by the ghost ship disappeared."

"That is, to capture pirates and strengthen the Melkine Pirates! Sister Mei, the captain, will thoroughly educate the superiors and subordinates and recruit them..."

That's right, the men lying on the deck now are the captured pirates of the Braed Pirates.

In order to incorporate these captives into the Melkine Pirates, Mel now seems to be training - no, correcting their personalities (?).

Of course, there are also hopeless villains among the pirates. Such people are simply released and sent back to the sea on a small boat. If they are lucky enough to drift to land, they may still have a chance to survive.

Mei'er and the others are neither public servants who crack down on criminals nor the Self-Defense Force.

Therefore, they would not specifically try the pirates for their crimes, but leave everything to the sea to decide.

"But with such tactics, it's a shame you can still get anyone. There's a good chance someone will appear obedient but secretly be waiting for an opportunity to seek revenge."

Natsu's concerns were justified, and Chris gestured with his chin to let them look at the scene below.

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