"Lord Hel, am I to understand that you are threatening the Church?"
Bishop Milton was the first to lose his composure. It wasn't just because the Heim territory fell under his jurisdiction as part of the Sacrifice Kingdom — it was because he knew exactly what it meant when Hel mentioned that Hobert had been sent to the Kingdom of Honesty.
That nation had another name known throughout the Empire — the Imperial Tribunal.
It was where the Supreme Military Court of the Knight Empire and a branch of the Holy Inquisition were both stationed.
Even a high archbishop from the Imperial Church would receive no special favor there.
And of all the people in this room, Milton was the one who least wanted the Orad affair to spread.
After all, Orad had been his subordinate — if this scandal broke out, his own career would be ruined.
"Threaten you? How could I?" Hel said, shaking her head, her expression calm and upright.
"I'm simply doing what any faithful believer should: showing no mercy to heretics — not even if they are kings or bishops.
Isn't that what your Church preaches?"
Her tone was perfectly serene, but every word was a dagger.
The truth was, the matter had already spread beyond control.
Any senior Church leader with half a brain would know that now was not the time to move against Hel, this little countess.
What they needed to do was contain the damage, not create more.
In fact, to calm public outrage, the Church would likely reward her instead of punishing her.
Unfortunately, Bishop Milton was not among those "half-brained" individuals.
He knew too well that if this went public, he would be the scapegoat the Church threw to the wolves.
And so, backed into a corner, he decided to lash out — eyes locked on Hel, spiritual energy flickering dangerously around him.
He was this close to striking — until he noticed Vivian, standing by Hel's side, her eyes cold and sharp as blades.
That alone made him hesitate, his killing intent fading.
"Bishop Milton," the nun said quickly, stepping between them before the tension exploded,
"Lord Hel has done nothing wrong."
Her voice was calm, yet carried a holy weight.
"We follow the teachings of the Lord of Light — we must lead by example.
Our Lord teaches us not to abuse our power, and to have the courage to admit our faults.
This incident with Bishop Orad was our Church's mistake.
The Church has existed for centuries — corruption and temptation are bound to infect some of our own.
We must not deny that truth.
If we try to conceal Orad's sins, we will not protect the Church's honor — we will destroy it."
It was clear the nun had taken Hel's side.
Of course, Hel also knew the real reason — the nun was doing this for Vivian's sake.
Milton's fists clenched tight. After one last venomous glare at Hel, he finally sat back down, seething in silence.
But the knight, Anderson, remained standing.
She didn't speak, didn't sit — simply stood there, motionless.
And then —
Hel's pupils contracted sharply.
Without a moment's hesitation, she seized Vivian's hand and yanked her backward.
Her System feed had just flashed a new tag over the knight's body:
Puppet of Imshy (Black):
Your body has been seized by a hidden reveler lurking in the shadows.
When her will descends, you will become her puppet entirely.
"Imshy…" Hel's mind raced.
She'd seen that name before — on Morigan, the Third Blood-Robed Bishop of the Cult of Divine Return.
Back then, the tag had read: Fragment of Imshy.
That was why Hel had reacted instantly.
If this was the same Imshy — a figure from the Cult of Divine Return — then things were about to get very, very bad.
And right as Hel pulled back, the knight moved.
She slowly drew the longsword from her hip, the steel glinting coldly, and pointed it straight at Hel.
Her voice was low, flat, yet carried unnatural hostility:
"The honor of the Holy Church cannot be defiled.
Any who insult the Holy Faith — are my enemies."
She raised her sword in a combat stance.
"Knight Anderson!"
Bishop Milton slammed the table and rose, shouting angrily:
"Watch your conduct! We are the Church, not a band of thugs!
Don't tarnish our image because of your personal temper!"
Despite everything, Milton still didn't want to make an enemy of Vivian's companion.
He needed to appear righteous in front of her — after all, the scandal was already out.
Better to win favor with the angel's closest ally than to lose everything.
But the knight turned her helmeted head slowly toward him.
"Bishop Milton… are you trying to shield this heretic who defies the Lord of Light?"
Her voice had grown even colder, mechanical.
"Then there's nothing left to discuss."
With that, she twisted her sword — and thrust it toward the bishop.
Milton froze — he never imagined his fellow Church knight would attack him!
He barely managed to cast a mid-tier instant spell, deflecting the blade slightly —
but the sword still drove deep into his abdomen, nailing him to his chair.
"Anderson! Are you betraying the Church?!" he roared, clutching his wound.
He raised his hand, channeling holy energy, and blasted out a ray of Light Magic.
The knight tilted her head slightly — the beam missed.
"I told you," she said coldly, "everything I do… is for the Church."
"For the Church?" Hel's mocking voice drifted from across the room.
"Or perhaps — for the Supreme Church?"
Her tone turned cuttingly sharp.
"The Heim territory gave birth to an angel.
Do you really think the Beastmen wouldn't react?
Maybe they've already sent someone — disguised as an Inquisitor — to carry out an assassination."
"What?!"
The nun and bishop both cried out at once.
Milton's reaction was quicker — he grabbed his wand, muttering an incantation under his breath.
But he'd forgotten one small detail — the sword was still lodged in his gut.
The knight flicked her wrist.
The blade lifted, slicing upward — and split the bishop in half from the waist.
Blood and holy light sprayed across the floor.
The nun screamed.
Milton's last words were a strangled gasp:
"Impossible… You—how can you use the Holy Light—"