Reiss Buried Alive

The blue crystal slowly ascended, Yexi’s Ki flowing into it, tracing the intricate path dictated by the activation phrase. A Orchid of Love blossomed within its core. The crystal itself, like a budding flower, suddenly bloomed. Its crystalline walls unfolded into petals of pure azure, spiraling open into the shape of the sacred orchid.

A pillar of light shot forth from the flower’s heart, piercing the heavens. In the blood-red night sky, a massive magic circle bloomed, its central sigil a glowing Orchid of Love.

With a chorus of neighs that echoed across the sky, a legion of knights, mounted on magnificent white pegasi with brilliant wings, flew forth from the magic circle in perfect formation, their gaze sweeping over the land below. The last to emerge was a proud knight on a golden pegasus, his features sharp and stern. A greatsword was sheathed on the pegasus’s back, and he watched over his troops with solemn gravity.

Taylor and Hicks both stopped fighting, their faces turning grim at the sight.

“The Sanctum’s own Pegasus Royal Guard?” Taylor ground out, his voice laced with venom. “Led by a Templar Knight. Hmph. We’re leaving!”

The moment the Sanctum’s teleportation crystal had activated, Taylor knew they had lost. Unless the Order was prepared to launch an all-out war right here, right now, the losses would be too great.

Reiss and Seleu, both heavily wounded, sat back-to-back on the ground, watching as Taylor and Hicks dissolved into a black mist and vanished into the night.

Reiss’s trembling hand managed to light a cigarette. He exhaled a plume of smoke, which earned him a sharp glare from Seleu.

“If you don’t want me to run you through, put that out,” she said, her voice dangerously cold.

Hearing her vicious threat, Reiss reluctantly crushed the cigarette on the ground. “Honestly, I barely managed to survive, and a man can’t even have a smoke? Fine, fine. Those two certainly retreated decisively. They didn’t even try to put up a fight.”

“It is strange,” Seleu agreed. “A Cardinal’s rank in the Krass Order is equivalent to a Templar Knight’s in the Grand Holy Church. To deploy at least two for this operation and then abandon it so easily… something feels wrong.”

Reiss sighed. “It seems there’s no rest for the wicked. I wonder how things are going back in Pekoin.”

In Pekoin City, the Sanctum’s barrier that had been resisting the Blood Moon Sacrifice had completely failed. The guards were all fighting while enduring the draining effects of the ritual. The cultists were no longer just sending beasts; fanatical zealots were now mixed in their ranks, inflicting heavy casualties on the city’s defenders.

The Marquis had been struck in the shoulder by a poisoned arrow. The wound bled ceaselessly, but he ignored his son’s pleas and remained on the wall, directing the battle. His presence was the reason the soldiers were still fighting with such desperate courage.

The Orchid of Love teleportation circle, stark against the blood-red moon, was a beacon of hope. The Marquis’s eyes lit up. “Soldiers!” he roared, his voice carrying across the battlements. “Reinforcements from the Sanctum have arrived! Hold your ground!”

His words were passed down the line by messengers, reaching the ears of every soldier, and their morale surged.

The cultist commander, temporarily appointed by Taylor, panicked at the sight. But without orders to retreat, he dared not flee, and could only grit his teeth and continue the assault. He had no idea that Taylor and Hicks had already abandoned them, leaving them as sacrificial pawns to draw the attention of the Pegasus Knights.

The commander of the Pegasus Knights, after his troops had assembled, immediately ordered an attack, a hunt for the unrepentant heretics below. After his troops departed, the commander, a Templar Knight of the Sanctum, descended to where Yexi and Ard stood.

He dismounted from his golden pegasus with fluid grace, placed a fist over his chest in a military salute, and bowed his head slightly to Yexi and Ard. “I am Alva Thomas, Commander of the Grand Holy Church’s Pegasus Knights,” he said, his voice serious and formal. “You may call me Thomas. Thank you both for your assistance in this mission. On behalf of the Sanctum, I express my gratitude.”

Yexi was, as usual, unfazed. Ard, however, was taken aback. This man, who was clearly a high-ranking figure in the Grand Holy Church judging by his appearance and aura, was saluting a small-fry like him. Whether it was mere courtesy or not, Ard’s first impression of the knight was overwhelmingly positive. Having lived two lives, he knew all too well how cruel this world could be to the weak and powerless.

After the knight had spoken, Ard expected Yexi to offer a polite response, but she remained silent. Not wanting the atmosphere to become awkward, Ard spoke up. “Commander Thomas, you are too kind. The Sanctum has come to the aid of Pekoin City. It is we who should be expressing our thanks.”

“Thank you, Commander,” Yexi finally added, her voice cold and even.

Ard suddenly remembered Reiss and Seleu. “Commander!” he said urgently. “Father Reiss and Sister Seleu are in danger! Please, you must save them! I heard them say something about their opponents being Cardinals.”

“Cardinals?!” Thomas’s expression changed slightly. “Please, show me the way,” he said decisively. The Knight Commander immediately mounted his golden pegasus and, with a quick “Pardon me,” pulled Ard up onto the magnificent beast behind him.

“And the young lady? Will you come as well?”

Yexi shook her head calmly. “My master’s situation is still unknown. I must go to him.”

“I see. Then, farewell.” Thomas looked slightly disappointed. He could sense an extraordinary power from Yexi; this maid was undoubtedly a master. Seeing her direct refusal, he didn’t press the matter and spurred his pegasus into the sky, flying toward Reiss’s location.

“Yexi, don’t forget to find me later!” Ard shouted as they departed. Yexi’s movements paused for a fraction of a second, and then she too sped off toward Pekoin City.

The golden pegasus flew with the speed of a comet. In less than ten breaths, they had reached their destination. Below, they saw Seleu, her nun’s habit stained with blood, using her chain-sword as a shovel, filling a deep pit with dirt.

From the air, Ard and Thomas could see clearly what was in the pit. It appeared to be Reiss’s ‘corpse’. He was lying face down as Seleu steadily shoveled dirt on top of him.

Ard’s heart sank. Could it be that Father Reiss…

Thomas landed the pegasus smoothly beside Seleu. She stopped her work and gave him the same military salute. “Commander Thomas. I see you led the reinforcements yourself.”

Thomas nodded. “Indeed. The situation was urgent, and my troops were the only ones that could be mobilized in time. Reiss, is he…”

Seleu replied without a moment’s hesitation, “Dead. I was just about to give him a proper burial. A hand would be appreciated.”

Ard nodded grimly. “It’s the least I can do. Though Father Reiss was a bit wild, I enjoyed our conversation. Let me help. May you rest in peace, Father Reiss.”

Commander Thomas glanced at Seleu but said nothing.

“Rest in peace my ass! Are you trying to aid and abet this cruel woman in burying me alive?!”

Reiss’s sudden shout made Ard jump.

“Holy crap, a zombie!”

“You’re one to talk!” Reiss grumbled, shaking the dirt from his clothes as he struggled to sit up in the pit. He looked pitifully at Seleu. “I just made one little comment about the two lumps of fat on your chest, and you’re this vicious? You really want to bury me alive huh! I asked for your help to heal me, not to be murdered!”

Seleu said coldly, “I was merely taking appropriate measures to eliminate a potential degenerate from the future ranks of the Sanctum.”

Even Thomas couldn’t maintain his serious demeanor. He explained to the still-confused Ard, “Father Reiss’s Blessing is the Aegis of Earth. One of its abilities is to accelerate healing by burying his body in soil rich with life energy.”

Ard finally understood. Reiss grumbled at Thomas, “If I’d known you were coming, I wouldn’t have had to go through this. I was almost suffocated by this insidious woman. I’m not just injured, I’m poisoned. I was hoping the Aegis of Earth would slow the poison’s spread. Since you’re here, you can help me get rid of it.”

“Of course.” Thomas leaped cleanly into the pit. He placed a hand on Reiss’s back, and a white light flowed from his palm into Reiss’s body. Wisps of black smoke began to drift from Reiss’s wounds.

“What is that?” Ard asked.

“Commander Thomas’s Blessing, ‘Purge Evil’, can remove most curses and toxins,” Seleu explained. “Reiss, you are being disrespectful to the Commander again. Commander Thomas, please allow me to humanely dispose of this creature who will sooner or later fall to hell, seduced by the demons of lust and greed.”

Reiss shouted, “Hey, hey, hey! You’re not even going to call me a person anymore?! Besides, I’m the one who trained Thomas! He wouldn’t be a Templar Knight or the Commander of the Pegasus Knights without my hard work! Isn’t that right, Thomas?”

“Yes, yes, of course, Father Reiss. Please don’t get excited. You’ll aggravate your wounds.”

Seleu ignored Reiss completely. Ard, amused by the antics of the duo, said with mock regret, “I was hoping I could get my hands on all of Father Reiss’s tea, since it seems Miss Seleu isn’t very interested in it.”

Seleu agreed immediately. “You can. Just go to the church and take it whenever you have time.”

“I’m not dead yet! Ouch~” yelped Reiss.

“Father Reiss, please be mindful of your injuries. Don’t get too emotional,” Thomas advised.

“But that’s my tea! I spent years cultivating and blending it! Ouch, ouch~”

“Father Reiss, if you keep this up, the poison will be gone, but you’ll have bled to death,” Thomas said, sighing as he saw the blood still flowing from Reiss’s wounds. “It seems we’ll have to bury you after all. I’ll send someone to dig you up tomorrow.”

With that, Thomas leaped out of the pit, drew the greatsword from his pegasus’s back, and with a single mighty swing, cleaved the earth, causing the ground to collapse and bury Reiss, giving him no chance to protest.

Ard looked at Reiss’s miserable, buried state. “Um, he won’t really suffocate, will he?”

Thomas said, “The Aegis of Earth allows him to breathe normally even while underground.”

“I see. That’s nice.”

Ard offered three minutes of silent mourning for Reiss. Even if he could breathe, being buried alive couldn’t possibly be a pleasant experience.