Chapter 54: Salvation Church

“You truly are amazing.”

Tap, tap.

Lien, having buried the sword, patted down the excavated ground with her hands, inwardly impressed. She was recalling Deon when he infiltrated the Salvation Church.

The acting he pulled off for the infiltration!

Falling and scraping along the ground, he reached the woman, looking like a starving beggar whose legs had given out after days without food.

She hadn’t seen him go inside, but he definitely did. There was no reason to doubt it.

The problem was what would happen when he revealed the robe inside…

“The Count will take care of that himself.”

He was the Count, after all. Surely he would have prepared for something like that.

With unwavering faith in Deon, Lien lightly dismissed the significant problem and picked up a small rock nearby, placing it on top of where she’d buried the sword.

With this, there was no need to worry about losing the sword.

Now, all that was left was to enter the Salvation Church and meet the Count…

“Oh my, I’m sorry. It’s difficult for us to accept new followers today…”

“…Yes?”

“You’re probably here for bread and water, right? Here you go, please come back later. I’m so sorry.”

“….”

This was deliberate. She was definitely not letting her in on purpose.

Having inadvertently received the bread and water, Lien blankly stared at the woman in front of her.

The woman wearing an apologetic expression was definitely the same one standing in front of the Count when he fell.

But why was the Count treated differently from me? Did she notice something? Or is this discrimination? Well, the Count is handsome… no, he was wearing a robe, wasn’t he?

It didn’t make sense, but standing here idly would only invite suspicion, so Lien had no choice but to turn away.

“I should wait nearby.”

She would apologize to the Count for her incompetence in failing even this simple infiltration once he came out.

***

‘Did you think I’d let you in?’

Keep waiting forever. There’s no way I’m letting you in.

Sareen, the face and de facto manager of the Salvation Church, watched Lien’s retreating figure with a bright smile.

There was a reason she let the man in earlier but turned this woman away.

“That woman knows how to use a sword.”

Her gait belonged to someone trained in swordsmanship. Controlled, powerful, and excessively rhythmic.

Even if she assumed the woman was a fallen knight turned beggar, it didn’t add up.

A beggar, starved for days and desperate, wouldn’t walk with such force.

“On the other hand, the man I let in earlier had an ordinary way of walking.”

He even lost his footing and fell.

When he got up, the movement of one of his arms was unnatural. His arm must be injured.

“And then there’s the blood.”

That wasn’t the kind of thing you could fake.

It’s inappropriate to use such a person as an operative.

To steal important information, one needed the skill to sneak out ledgers, but how could a man with a bloody illness, a crippled arm, and legs weakened by starvation sneak into the center and steal ledgers?

Therefore, the probability of that man being a spy was close to zero.

“I might as well add another follower.”

Sareen, unaware that the man she let in, Deon Hart, had learned swordsmanship on the battlefield without any formal training, didn’t suspect a thing and went back inside the building to see him.

***

“Here, have some tea.”

“Ah, thank you.”

He reached out and took the offered teacup. Of course, he didn’t gulp it down without suspicion. Who knew what was in it?

Quietly and naturally, he started to smell it, and the woman smiled knowingly, as if she’d anticipated it.

“It’s just cheap tea you can find anywhere. I didn’t add anything, so please don’t worry and drink it.”

“…Yes.”

It certainly didn’t smell like any drugs… Oh well, even from the woman’s perspective, there was nothing to gain from killing a mere beggar like him.

He carefully brought the tea to his lips and swallowed. A warm sensation spread through his body, easing his tension.

If it were winter, the effect would have been twice as good, a little disappointing. Tea was best in winter.

“By the way, aren’t you feeling stuffy?”

“…Ah.”

He reflexively adjusted his robe’s hood. He almost flinched backward, but barely managed to stop himself.

Was it his imagination? It felt like the woman’s eyes flashed for a moment.

No, he didn’t have time to worry about that now.

‘What should I say?’

If he took off the robe, his identity might be exposed. Fortunately, he rarely went to social gatherings, so his face wasn’t widely known yet, but his red eyes were his trademark…

What should he say?

“…It’s alright. I look unsightly…”

“Really? If that’s the reason, then you should feel even more comfortable taking it off. No one here judges by appearance.”

“Ah…!”

The sturdy hood that concealed his face was pulled off in an instant.

He quickly fixed his gaze downwards. He wanted to cover his face with both hands or bow his head deeply, but that would be too much of an overreaction, so this was the best he could do.

…Damn it.

He clearly saw the woman’s hand reaching towards him, yet he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

Refusing would definitely raise suspicion.

The robe came off, revealing his dull, dirt-covered hair.

The woman’s soft voice fell from above.

“It’s alright, please raise your head.”

“….”

After a moment of hesitation, her beautiful hand reached out without delay. His cheeks were gently cupped, and his head was lifted.

His red eyes met the woman’s eyes, which feigned kindness.

And at the same time, the suspicion in the woman’s eyes visibly grew on his retina.

“Your eyes… they’re red?”

“…Well…”

Even though he was prepared, seeing her suspicion so clearly made him speechless.

His mind went blank, as if all thoughts had been erased.

At this rate, he would face the worst possible outcome.

‘Get a grip!’

He couldn’t afford to lose his nerve here. He quickly darted his eyes around.

It seemed true that their numbers had increased recently; he could see the backs of guards standing at the entrance. Inside, several burly men holding weapons were also stationed.

‘…I should have just waited for Sir Lien.’

If even she were here, he would feel more secure.

Escape was impossible, and in this situation, the only thing he could freely use was his mouth. So, he had to speak.

‘What to say?’

What could he say to erase the suspicion that had already begun to form?

‘Think.’

When the woman urged him to take off his hood, what had he said to refuse?

The deadline for a natural response was approaching. Any longer silence would definitely seem suspicious.

Time passed. Just as the suspicion in the woman’s eyes was turning into certainty, he opened his mouth.

Not rushed at all, but slowly, even deliberately hesitant, lowering his head as if to hide his eyes.

“…Ye, as expected…”

“….”

“I look unsightly, don’t I…?”

“….”

A brief silence fell.

Did it work? He couldn’t see her expression with his head lowered, so he couldn’t tell.

Just waiting like this might yield a decent result, but judging by the situation, adding a few more words would be better.

Silence was a sign of wavering.

It was much better to tip the scales decisively than to be ambiguous.

“I knew you’d dislike it…”

He spoke, deliberately injecting misery, sadness, resignation, and injustice into his voice.

The acting wasn’t difficult. It contained genuine emotion, albeit only half of it.

“Who would like these eyes that even my own family abandoned?”

“Ah, no! They’re not unsightly at all!”

Success!

Her urgent yet kind voice continued.

“You know Deon Hart, right? The Empire’s hero, Deon Hart! They say he also has red eyes. Just like you.”

“Deon Hart… you mean him?”

“Yes! Of course, he also has a bad reputation as a vampire and a killer…!”

“….”

She didn’t need to mention that. It stung a little.

Well, at least she seemed to have dropped her suspicion, so that was good.

The woman, realizing her last words were a mistake, briefly closed her mouth before quickly changing the subject.

“Do you know what this place is?”

I know, but not the specifics. That’s why I came here.

Setting aside the fact that it wasn’t entirely his own will, he shook his head.

“No. I just heard that if you come here, they give you food…”

“Ah, many people come knowing that. It’s normal, so don’t be so self-conscious.”

He wasn’t being self-conscious. He was keeping his head down because he was worried she might recognize his face, which the woman seemed to have misinterpreted.

The woman smiled benevolently and opened her mouth softly, as if about to explain. He also pretended not to, but leaned forward, focusing intently on what she was about to say.

‘So, this is how they lure people in and make them followers. She must be a good speaker to have grown their numbers so much.’

Alright, try to persuade me too.

“This place is the Salvation Church.”

“Salvation Church…?”

“Yes, a religious organization created to save those suffering under the tyranny of Emperor Eudoard.”

Good heavens.

My esteemed Emperor, I didn’t say anything. I was just listening. No, I didn’t even listen. Actually, I have trouble hearing.

So please, spare me.

Is she crazy? Why is she making such dangerous remarks so casually? What if someone hears?

‘Control your expression, control your expression!’

He composed his crumbling expression.

Right now, he was a clueless beggar. A beggar easily swayed by a few words. So, how should he react?

“So, the bread is because of…”

“Yes, the reason you all live such difficult lives is because of the Emperor. If the Emperor governed properly, would you be living like this?”

“Oh… I see.”

My respected and revered Emperor! I didn’t say anything. Another version of me blurted that out on its own. I know nothing about this!

‘…But wouldn’t the Emperor kill me anyway, saying it was the same mouth and body that said it…?’

But what could he do? He couldn’t exactly shout at her not to slander His Majesty.

And why was this woman constantly dropping bombs? Didn’t she value her life?

Or had she perhaps realized his identity? And wanted to die together…?

It wasn’t an impossible scenario, which made it even scarier. But judging by the woman’s expression, that didn’t seem to be the case. It truly seemed like her goal was to incite people…

He sighed inwardly.

‘Her arguments are flimsy. So flimsy it’s almost absurd…’

The reason beggars exist is because the Emperor is a bad ruler? Relieving poverty is something no ruler in history has achieved.

She’ll probably blame the Emperor if she trips and falls.

“If you trip and get hurt, it’s because the Emperor didn’t pave the roads properly…”

She actually said it!

He buried his face in his hands to hide his expression. A faint sigh escaped.

Her claims were utterly ridiculous. But it would resonate differently with the poor.

What they needed wasn’t the truth, but a place to vent their resentment and anger at the unfairness they faced as beggars.

In simple terms, the woman had thrown a tempting bait in front of those who needed someone to blame and pulled them in.

Under the banner of an organization called ‘Salvation Church’.

Even amidst all this, the woman’s explanation didn’t stop.

“You might think it’s a pseudo-religion, but the Salvation Church is different from ordinary pseudo-religions. We don’t ask for money, and we believe in nothing but ‘salvation’.”

“…If you believe, will you really provide salvation?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Who?”

Ultimately, every question circled back to one thing.

‘Who?’

Who is it that provides salvation?