A Calculated Release

Deep beneath the church lay a lightless dungeon, a grim place primarily used to imprison those who colluded with heretics. On rare occasions, it served to temporarily suppress heretics themselves, but today, a special guest had arrived within its confines.

North gazed with pity at the former captain within the cell. Macaven, once so arrogant, now lay disheveled and cowering in a corner.

The Holy Light had withdrawn its blessing. Macaven, once a Holy Knight, was now nothing more than a sinner who had colluded with heretics.

‘Was it merely for contacting Reyn Rheinhebo?’ North wondered, a frown creasing his brow. That illegitimate son had repeatedly done the unexpected, and now, they were burdened with the task of escorting the Blood Demon.

He turned and walked toward the next cell, his gaze falling upon the frail youth imprisoned within.

The boy possessed golden hair and wore only a coarse, gray hemp tunic, patched in many places. His face was as pale as death, and a pair of blood-red eyes stared blankly at the muddy ground.

An A-rank heretic: the Blood Demon.

The Voice of the Deceased, an entity that maintained a humanity not truly its own through the memories of the deceased. The Blood Demon, similarly, had chosen this youth as its vessel to sustain a humanity that did not inherently belong to it.

These heretics, alien to this world, craved a humanity not their own. No one understood why, yet all heretics were alike in this, without exception.

North watched the dying boy, his brows gradually knitting together. The youth’s body was on the verge of collapse; without a sufficient replenishment of blood, he would perish instantly. What would follow, then, would be a heretic devoid of all humanity.

They had intended to keep the boy alive here with fresh blood, but they had never anticipated that the count of this territory would prove to be so troublesome.

“It seems his condition won’t last for more than a few days.”

Bishop Carlos’s voice resonated then. The elderly former Holy Knight was well aware of the predicament facing this squad of Holy Knights.

A heretic stripped of humanity would unleash their true power. Should the boy, their vessel, die, they would face an absolutely insurmountable foe.

North looked earnestly at Bishop Carlos. “Bishop Carlos, do you believe that Reyn can fail to notice someone missing from his territory?”

Bishop Carlos observed North in silence. After a long moment, he slowly spoke. “That is indeed a good question. So, do you truly believe an individual whom even the Holy Light refuses to touch would fail to notice the small actions you’ve taken in his domain?”

North’s expression progressively darkened. His eyes, cold and stern, fixed on the boy for a moment before he spoke in a low voice. “Regrettable as it is, it seems we can only return empty-handed this time.”

Upon hearing this, Bishop Carlos’s face changed. He stared at North with grave concern. “Are you mad? Letting a heretic escape would severely tarnish the Holy Church’s reputation!”

“At least we won’t die!” North retorted coldly.

Bishop Carlos roared, his emotions running high. “You cannot do this! This will ruin my branch church!”

North’s gaze was indifferent as he looked at Bishop Carlos. “Then, before I do, Bishop Carlos, do you have a better idea?”

Bishop Carlos frowned, glancing at the boy in the cell. He slowly began, “Reyn Rheinhebo applied to the Holy Church for asylum. I rejected him previously, but now it seems we can bypass the usual procedures.”

North raised an eyebrow, immediately grasping Bishop Carlos’s intent. “Are you suggesting we toss this hot potato to him, disguised as the Holy Church’s asylum?”

Bishop Carlos cast North a blank look. “Holy Knight North, how could a heretic possibly be the Holy Church’s asylum?”

North merely tugged at the corner of his mouth, unfazed. “I understand. We only need Reyn Rheinhebo to believe it’s the Holy Church’s asylum. As for the outside world, the Holy Church has never granted asylum to Count Reyn Rheinhebo.”

However, Bishop Carlos shook his head, stating coldly, “Do you think such a clumsy lie could deceive him? Just last night, that man used the Voice of the Deceased to slaughter several of his great-uncles.”

North looked puzzled. “Then, what exactly do you mean?”

Bishop Carlos quietly shifted his gaze to the boy. “The Gluttony Witch, the Voice of the Deceased – the heretics connected to Reyn Rheinhebo are not singular. So, what if there’s one more Blood Demon? Holy Knight North, what if we simply allow him to eat something first?”

North’s eyes gradually brightened as he began to comprehend Bishop Carlos’s subtle hint.

Simply “releasing” the Blood Demon would lead it to seek blood. They could then use the pretext of Holy Church asylum to re-suppress the Blood Demon. Even if a few more people “died” in the process, who would ever know?

North grinned. “An excellent idea. But why use the pretext of Holy Church asylum? Even without it, couldn’t we still act? According to imperial law, the Holy Church has the primary right of action during periods of combating heretics. Any obstruction of the Holy Church’s efforts against heretics is considered collusion with them. Even nobles are not exempt from the Holy Church’s judgment.”

Bishop Carlos stared at North with astonishment. “So, how do you intend to judge Reyn Rheinhebo? Like your predecessor?”

North frowned, realizing he had fallen into a serious logical trap. Yet, no one had ever imagined the Holy Light would refuse to interact with a specific individual.

Bishop Carlos then spoke to North with profound earnestness. “The Voice of the Deceased has lost its humanity, a phenomenon unprecedented in history, with no prior records. Therefore, is it not unsurprising, no matter what kind of victims emerge?”

North’s eyes lit up. He nodded solemnly. “Bishop Carlos, I understand your meaning.”

Reyn Rheinhebo had applied for the Holy Church’s asylum, and as Holy Knights, they naturally possessed the authority to grant it. With the inhuman Voice of the Deceased rampant in this city-state, they naturally could not overlook it. However, the number of casualties in this process was beyond their control; they could only offer condolences to the victims.

Everything seemed perfectly logical. Even if Reyn Rheinhebo were to realize their intentions, the time required for their operation would not be long. By the time he caught on, they would have already departed the city-state by ship.

As for the Voice of the Deceased? That was indeed a regrettable matter, but the Holy Light Knights were not anyone’s exclusive bodyguards. If Reyn Rheinhebo believed the asylum period was too short, then he could simply apply again. As for whether it would be approved? Who could say?