"No, because even though you said you lost, you looked very happy, so I wondered if you gained something."
"...That's right. Yes, you're right."
I see. Since I finally got what I wanted most, perhaps that's not wrong.
Ross deeply agreed with this statement and smiled even happier.
As they walked and chatted, the church they were heading for came into view. This might be the last time Rolls saw this outstanding young man.
After all, Ross planned to flee the Kingdom of God with his family. First, he would take the three people staying at the church, and then take his two eldest sons at the headquarters. Lycoris and her family were devout and would probably refuse. But they had to be taken away from this country no matter what. If they still refused after all his persuasion, then he could only respect their personal judgment. Therefore—
"Ryan Hyde. You must always follow your own will. After you see what I'm about to do, you must also make your own judgment on what to do."
"Lord Royce? What do you mean—"
Rolls didn't answer and walked into the church. His son must be praying for his safety inside. Rolls was about to hug him tightly, but -
"You're finally here, Ross Byrne."
Ross held his breath. It was as if a basin of ice water had been poured over his head, and his hair stood on end.
Impossible, how could this happen? I saw it, I saw you being destroyed with my own eyes—
"Apostle of God...why are you here!?"
Indeed, the figure before Ross, though dressed in nun's attire, was undoubtedly the 'Apostle of God' who had been eliminated long ago. She stood leisurely before the solemn altar and stained glass windows.
"Why do you ask that? I've been here since the beginning."
"How is that possible! You should have been eliminated by Meredith Lessen!"
Behind him, Ryanhead looked bewildered, but Royce was too distracted to notice. The apostle tilted his head like a broken toy, then suddenly realized something and let out an "Ahhh!"
"That's 'Ahat', right? I should have said I was Aine from the beginning."
“…No way? No, I see. You really are a puppet—”
"Let me tell you, my real name is 'Ester', and I'm the number one apostle."
It was like a nightmare. Such a powerful being could be a mass-produced creation.
The trembling made him break out in a cold sweat, and he couldn't help but take a few steps back. The apostle continued as if nothing had happened:
"Well, Ros Byrne. Although you've just returned from the previous war, I have something for you to do."
Has my rebellious intention been discovered? I haven't taken any concrete action yet. At most, I've just left my work and run home. That's still within the scope of my excuse. But why would an "Apostle of God" appear before me? Why would he appear in a church like this, where ordinary people also go? Is he really here to arrest me? If so, it would be terrible. Can I really resist the apostles and take my family away alone? Should I first adopt a submissive attitude and wait for an opportunity to escape?
Ross instantly thought of all the possibilities and strategies in his mind. His palms sweating, he asked in a calm tone:
"What do you want me to do?"
"There is a poor child who has been unable to successfully receive the 'blessing'. I hope you can tell that child about the noble teachings of God."
The "blessing" the church refers to is the use of magic to instill faith into the body, used to brainwash "those who may question God's teachings." This is different from the ordinary way of instilling values through words.
If it relied on Rouse's soul magic, it might indeed be possible. This magic was of a different level from the inherent magic and dark magic possessed by specialized archbishops. However, he had just returned from his defeat when the apostle appeared here, seemingly waiting for him. This meant...
Ross suddenly felt goose bumps on his back. The ominous premonition in his heart seemed to be standing right behind him, and a strong chill came over him.
“This is God’s will.”
The apostle's disgusting voice rang out, slowly reaching Rolls' ears. Rolls began to tremble with an ominous premonition.
"God said that we must first decide on the placement of the chess pieces in preparation for the next game."
Ross no longer had time to confirm the meaning of her words.
──Hurry up and move forward!
──You are the shame of the Byrne family!
A familiar voice came. He felt a familiar soul.
"Ji--" The door deep inside the altar opened with an ominous sound.
Then, from the door emerged...
"Sharon!"
That was his beloved son. However, Sharon's hands were held by two knights, his body covered in bruises, and he looked exhausted. He seemed unable to resist and was dragged forward by the two knights. His eyes were surprisingly empty. And with Sharon came——
"You...what are you doing?"
"do what?"
"That's a strange question, Father."
The two eldest sons, Kaim and Shem, who had been recruited by headquarters many years ago, along with Lykolis and Deborah. No, not just them, even Darion, the leader of the Knights of the Guardian of Light, had come.
"Sharon has finally been allowed to become a servant of God and has been recruited by headquarters."
"He's already eight years old. I'm worried that he hasn't been drafted yet after all this time. However—"
Twelve-year-old Kaim, the eldest brother, and ten-year-old Shem. They were not much older than Sharon, but their behavior and speech were anything but childish. Furthermore, their faces had changed drastically, far different from what Roth remembered. Their eyes, when they looked at Sharon, held a deep sense of disdain.
"As a child of the Byrne family, you actually rejected God's noble teachings... How shameful!"
Being recruited by headquarters was the highest honor for the people of God. Deborah's gaze no longer resembled that of a grandson. Instead, it was as if she were looking at an incomprehensible alien—like a heretic. Her eyes clearly revealed the anger and humiliation she felt at the insult to the Byrne family's honor. To quell this anger and humiliation, she even considered executing Sharon.
"My dear! Please teach Sharon true faith! He actually resisted the 'blessing'... He's really not like my child!"
Perhaps because she was a mother, she hadn't considered executing Sharon. Even so, Sharon, hearing her mother's heartless words, reacted with a blank look in his eyes, muttering, "Mother..." Lycoris, upon hearing his voice, turned and glared at him, as if he were an object of dirt, striking him without hesitation. She looked anything but Sharon's mother.
“That’s enough! Stop it!!”
Ross clenched his fists tightly, blood dripping from between his fingers. Anger made his vision flicker.
Is this what family members should do? He is abusing the wife he should love, the mother he respects, the children he adores, the people he should cherish, his family, and his youngest child.
What on earth is going on? He wondered, "It's like being in a nightmare."
However, he also believed that this was his own fault. He was the head of the Byrne family, the husband of Lyklis, the son of Deborah, and the father of Kaim and Shem.
I should have resisted long ago! My family lives by a single set of values. As a husband, a son, and a father, I should have communicated with them sooner! But I gave up and didn't try to convince them. This is the result of my negligence!
Laws was angrier at himself than at anyone or anything else, and it was driving his mind crazy.
However, if he ran away with Sharon in a fit of rage, what would happen to the rest of his family?
Kaim and Shem, direct descendants of the Byrne family, might be okay, but Lykolis and Deborah...
He wanted to take everyone with him and start over. Even if it took a long time, it didn't matter. He had held onto hope that if he could take Lykoris and the others, who only knew the capital, to see the vast world, there might be a chance for change.
However, with Esther and Darion present, taking all the family members away has become a nearly impossible task.
"Let's begin, Lord Bairn."
Esther urged Ross in a cold, emotionless tone, her eyes so cold they made him sick. Darion leaned against a nearby pillar, his eyes closed, his arms folded.
There was nothing she could do. She could only cast soul magic on her son and make him fall in love with God.
For now, I can only be submissive and patient... When the time comes, I must undo my son's brainwashing... Then, one day, I will be able to save all my family...
Although Ross knew clearly that he should do this, his love for Sharon made him hesitate and stop.
"I'll leave it to you. Look—"
Esther suddenly walked over to Sharon, grabbed Sharon's hair and lifted his face up so that his eyes met his.
At this time──
“Ugh, ah, ahhhhhhhhhhh!”
"Sharon!"
"He can even resist my 『Charm (Blessing)』."
An eight-year-old child was resisting the brainwashing of the "Apostle of God." He screamed, shaking his head in desperation. How could he do that? Sharon clearly had no inherent magic.
The answer is──
"No, don't. I am my father's son. I am Sharon...Byrne. I don't want to change. Don't tie me down... Don't kill me!"
He claimed to be Sharon Byrne, the son of Rouse Byrne. "God's teachings" would alter Sharon's personality, bind him with the chains of faith, and destroy the very essence of what made him who he was.
That would no longer be me. Accepting "God's Teachings" would mean that my current self would die. This was what Sharon was crying out.
It was truly astonishing. At only eight years old, Sharon possessed enough 'self-respect' to resist the power of the Apostles. And this was—
"Father……"
It was given to him by his beloved father. It was cultivated by watching his father's back.
Therefore, in this extreme situation, even though his family called him a "shameful guy" and told him to "accept it quickly", even though the pain made his expression distorted, he still fought hard, believing that someone would come to save him... That's right, the "invincible hero" in Sharon's mind, "father", would come to save him.
“Help!!”
He firmly believed that someone would come to rescue him.
Then, a voice sounded.
"The eighth limit──"
The two knights holding Sharon, as well as Lycoris and the others, suddenly turned their attention to that place.
“Breakthrough ahhhhhhhhhh!!”
The magic of the dark night erupted, and the heroic fighting spirit instantly filled the vast church.
In an instant, there was a loud noise.
Esther raised a pair of greatswords in cross defense, but her body still crashed into the stained glass behind her.
Seeing Rouse swing his Holy Hammer, Darion drew his Holy Spear and attacked from the side. Rouse defended himself with the Holy Hammer while using the soul magic "Appearance" to release the ghost body.
His soul left his body and approached the two knights who had captured Sharon. He then activated the soul magic "Purification" and extracted his soul from the two knights' bodies.
Just as Dallion was about to unleash his second attack, Rouse used Soul Charge to temporarily halt his movements, then immediately released Apparition. Returning to his physical form, he unleashed a shockwave from his Holy Hammer, sending Dallion stumbling. Simultaneously, he unleashed Light Chain, catching Sharon in his arms.
With a force powerful enough to shatter the floor, Ross leaped back in one breath, returning to his original position, and used the soul magic "Soul Calming" to restore Sharon's spirit.
All of this is done in under three seconds.
"Uh, ah... Father?"
"Yes, it's me. I'm here to save you."
Sharon burst into tears. At the same time, the stained glass window flew up as if blown up, and Esther, dressed in combat gear, appeared floating in the air.
Seeing this scene, Lycoris and others who were stunned by Ross's unexpected behavior before seemed to have forgotten everything and looked at Esther in a trance.
Darion glanced at the knight, who lay facedown, his eyes drooping. He drew his holy sword from his waist and advanced, spear and sword in hand. Ross also sensed several resilient souls deep within the church—knights rushing toward him. They must have heard the commotion.
"Sorry, Sharon."
"Father?"
Sharon was confused for a moment as to why her father was apologizing. Royce apologized because he felt he was too weak to take Sharon's mother, grandmother, and brothers with him. That's why he apologized for only taking Sharon.
"Ryan Hyde."
This incredible series of events made it difficult for the young knight to follow, and he could only stand there in shock. Rouse called out his name.
"Youngster, I'm leaving my son in your care."
“──!”
This sentence means that he is betraying the church and becoming a heretic.
This is too chaotic. Ryan Hyde is a Knight Temple, and most people would not accept Rouse's request.
So, what was going on? Why had things turned out like this? Ryanhead couldn't understand it at all. However...
──At all times, you must follow your own will.
“Ugh! [Sky Flash]!”
Lionhead drew his knight's sword. The slash of light swung toward Ross—but it evaded his body and bared its fangs at Darion, who charged in his direction. At this moment, Esther also rushed over. Ross first threw Sharon backward, then blocked the two greatswords with his holy hammer.
"Master Sharon! Let's go!"
"Eh? Ah, but, Father!"
Ryan Hyde caught Sharon, held him in one arm and started running.
"Sorry. No, thank you, Ryanhead."
"Hmm! May your military fortune flourish, Lord Rouse!"
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