A Plea to the Heretics

“Ark.”

Reyn, who had been engrossed in his work, suddenly lifted his head, only to be met with silence.

He looked around the deserted study, where he was now the sole occupant, a puzzled expression on his face. Ark should have been on duty by this hour.

The study door suddenly swung open. Ark, running late, strode in with a grave expression, his voice deep. “Patriarch, the Enforcers led by Louise, and the Blackwing Knights led by Commander John, entered a casino last night and have not emerged since. This morning, the servant I sent in to gather information also vanished after entering.”

Reyn’s expression slowly hardened. “What is the background of that casino?”

“Its proprietor is Karl Rogers, the president of the Golden Toad Merchant Guild. I immediately investigated his past; he was entirely unknown before the age of forty, from three generations of fishermen. Yet, twenty years ago, after returning from the sea, he somehow amassed a vast fortune, which he used to open a casino. Rumor has it he discovered the Piercing Grand Duke’s treasure.”

Reyn’s pupils contracted slightly. The Piercing Grand Duke was a duke from the Empire’s dark ages, and the first host of an A-rank Heretic Blood Fiend. He was later annihilated by the personal guard of the Holy Church’s first Pope. However, his descendants reportedly escaped to the boundless sea with an immense fortune he had accumulated, their whereabouts unknown.

Reyn tapped his index finger twice on the desktop, speaking in a low voice. “If he truly found the Piercing Grand Duke’s treasure, how could my father have possibly overlooked it?”

“That brings us to the second rumor: he didn’t find the Piercing Grand Duke’s treasure, but rather a gift from the Abyssal Lord.”

Reyn’s gaze shifted. The Abyssal Lord?

That was the first Heretic to descend upon this world. It now slumbered in a deep-sea kingdom, poised to return at any moment.

Reyn furrowed his brow, asking, “If that’s the case, why hasn’t the Holy Church dealt with him before? Or is this also just a rumor?”

“He donates a substantial sum to the Church every year. Even Bishop Carlos has offered prayers for him.”

Reyn narrowed his eyes. Setting aside the lowest-ranking Enforcers, Bishop Carlos, having received the Holy Light’s blessing, would never risk incurring the wrath of the Holy Light, which held zero tolerance for Heretics. This implied that Karl Rogers was not problematic in that regard.

However, both the Enforcers and the Blackwing Knights possessed abilities at D-rank or above; ordinary individuals simply couldn’t be their match. Even accounting for magic, how could a mere merchant possibly employ mages capable of confronting Enforcers and Blackwing Knights?

This was truly a major problem.

Reyn was deeply troubled. After the swarm of parasites in the Security Bureau fled into the Dream Realm when the tide turned, he had been relying solely on the Blackwing Knights to maintain order in this territory through sheer force. Now, with the Blackwing Knights trapped and the allied Enforcers similarly ensnared, if this news spread widely, the Lower City, which he had just purged, would undoubtedly erupt into chaos.

Had he been too complacent in his actions?

Reyn sighed softly. He had always acted according to his own thoughts, but perhaps he had never truly understood this world. The lack of information had now plunged him into an intractable dilemma.

He gently tapped the table, his voice grave. “What is Karl Rogers’s relationship with the Mage Tower?”

Ark shook his head. “I haven’t found any connection between Karl Rogers and the Mage Tower, Patriarch. Do you suspect the Mage Tower’s involvement?”

“The Mage Tower itself wouldn’t intervene, but mages from the Mage Tower are a different story. They, after all, are nobles.”

“If Karl Rogers only recently allied himself with a mage from the Mage Tower, it would be very difficult for us to uncover anything.”

Reyn fell into a long silence. The intelligence at hand was far too scarce, but now was not the time to dwell on such matters. The immediate priority was to resolve the manpower issue as quickly as possible.

“Ark, accompany me to the Lower City.”

****

The Rheinhebo family’s carriage rumbled majestically into the muddy streets, coming to a halt before an aged wooden house.

Accompanied by Ark, Reyn pushed open the mildewed wooden door. The entire interior was filled with the pungent scent of herbs.

“Oh? What a rare guest. Is the esteemed Count here to consult me?”

The Doctor, a blonde woman, was busy with a medicine pot. Upon seeing Reyn, a faint smile graced her lips.

Reyn settled down comfortably, meeting her gaze, and said softly, “Regarding the proposal I made last time, it’s been long enough for a reply, hasn’t it?”

The Doctor’s lips twitched. “I apologize, but my companions would never trust a noble.”

Reyn was unsurprised by her refusal. He said softly, “What if I were a doctor too?”

Ark, who was accompanying him, instantly blanched. The Doctor was so stunned that she didn’t even notice the medicine pot slipping from her grasp and shattering on the floor. Her cerulean eyes stared in disbelief at the astonishing words Reyn had uttered.

She couldn’t comprehend it, nor could she imagine what trap might lie within. A high-ranking noble willingly associating with Heretics? Was the Holy Church’s blessing not good enough?

‘Oh, right. He’s already fallen out with the Holy Church.’

But even so, he had no reason to associate with Heretics; it was an unforgivable sin, one that even assassinating the Emperor couldn’t compare to.

The Doctor gazed deeply at Reyn, then slowly spoke. “Once the ritual is performed, it cannot be undone. The Holy Church’s hounds have very keen senses.”

Reyn shrugged noncommittally. He said gently, “Let me witness it, then—the power of the Heretics.”

The Doctor rose from her seat and retrieved a pile of bizarre items from the bedroom. Before Reyn, she drew an eerie array on the ground with cinnabar, simultaneously placing thirteen sandalwood incense sticks around its periphery.

“Count Reyn, please sit cross-legged in the center of the array.”

“Is that all I need to do?”

The Doctor nodded slightly, observing Reyn, who was already seated. “Yes, you only need to await the descent of the divine.”

The thirteen sandalwood incense sticks at the array’s edge suddenly ignited simultaneously. The atmosphere within the house grew eerily oppressive, as if some colossal entity was descending through an unknown channel.

A blurry phantom appeared above Reyn’s head. It vaguely resembled an elderly sage, its eyes seemingly open, looking down indifferently at the ants below.

The thirteen incense sticks suddenly extinguished all at once. The Doctor’s face instantly changed, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at Reyn within the array.

Those thirteen incense sticks symbolized humanity’s seven emotions and six desires. Each one that extinguished represented an emotion or desire consumed by the Old Man in the Mountain. The more emotions or desires consumed, the stronger the bestowed blessing.

Yet, since the Old Man in the Mountain’s descent, no doctor had ever had all seven emotions and six desires consumed at once from the very beginning.

In the next moment, the incense sticks, which should have remained extinguished, simultaneously reignited, only to quickly go out again, repeating the cycle.

The Doctor stared blankly at the constantly igniting and extinguishing incense sticks, unable to resist casting a bewildered glance at the phantom.

But she saw that its eyes, too, were filled with confusion, as if unable to make a judgment.

It hesitated for a long time, then cautiously extended a hand towards Reyn’s body, effortlessly passing into him without any obstruction.

Subsequently, its phantom trembled violently, as if desperately trying to withdraw its hand from Reyn’s body, yet it gradually drew closer to Reyn, eventually merging completely into him.

The thirteen incense sticks vanished into ash in an instant. Reyn slowly lifted his eyelids, looking at The Doctor with a blank expression. “Are you sure this is effective?”

The Doctor forced a strained smile onto her pale face. “Perhaps… it’s not quite suitable for you.”

Reyn rose from the ground with a look of regret. His actions were not merely to gain the doctors’ trust, but also to acquire new power.

However, it seemed that the Heretic did not favor him. Could it be that his current predicament was so dire that even a Heretic was unwilling to get involved?

He looked at The Doctor, saying softly, “Since you are unwilling to participate, I will respect your decision.”

The Doctor’s body trembled violently, and she answered with eagerness. “No! I will contact my companions. Give me half a month… no, five days!”

Reyn paused, looking at The Doctor with considerable confusion. “I wouldn’t threaten you over something like this.”

The Doctor forced a resolute smile onto her face. “I merely wish to offer my humble assistance to the Count. Please, do not refuse me!”

Reyn’s expression brightened at her words. “Is that so? It’s truly wonderful that you’ve come around!”