Survive as a Prison Guard in the Game

Chapter 151
Holy Empire (5)

Redin hid his shadow alter ego away and cut the connection.

He peeked around and scanned the surroundings.

When creating the alter ego, he used the power of purification to prevent the leakage of demonic energy, so he wasn’t worried about being exposed.

Just in case.

A quick glance at the Archbishop, Priests, and Saint Candidates showed that they didn’t seem to notice.

With a breath of relief, he compiled his thoughts.

Manuel and Elsia, as seen through the eyes of the shadow, were chained and imprisoned together in a cell.

Below where he was currently standing.

It wasn’t just a matter of being on a lower floor like basement level 1 or 2, it was a place so deep that others wouldn’t be able to find it.

Wondering who.

Who had imprisoned Manuel and Elsia in such a place, and what kind of place was it?

“O Great Goddess Veronica.”

Archbishop Dyke raised his hands toward the candidates at the center of the altar. He was the most suspicious of the group at the moment.

The only archbishop who has yet to be checked.

“Here are two children awaiting your choice. Please answer their call.”

*Whoosh!*

The divine power emanating from Archbishop Dyke’s hands flowed into the candidates for Saint.

The setting of this game was clear.

Demon Cultists are unable to use Divine Power.

Those who used divine power could fall into corruption and become followers of the Demon God, but it was impossible for those who used demonic energy to wield divine power.

And yet, Archbishop Dyke was clearly using divine power.

“…..”

However, that didn’t erase his suspicion.

Considering that members of the Magnes organization have used items containing holy power before.

There is a possibility that the Demon God Church may have found a way to use divine power.

‘Hmm…….’

Sorting through the information in his head, he made up his mind on what to do. There were two things he could do right now.

Wait for the test to end and see if Archbishop Dyke was the traitor.

Save Manuel and Elsia now, and then combine their information to find the traitor.

Now that it’s all sorted out, it was easier to decide what to do next.

“With this, we conclude the first part of the ceremony and proceed to the second part. Everyone except the archbishops and chief priests, please wait outside the chapel.”

Fortunately, there’s an opportunity to leave at this moment.

He exited the chapel and moved to a secluded area. After using the invisibility artifact, he reconnected with his shadow alter ego.

Using the linked shadow alter ego, he scanned the surroundings.

Manuel and Elsia were nowhere to be seen. Looking at the floor, he saw traces of them being dragged along.

He followed the trail.

An iron-barred window wide open.

Moving the shadow slowly, he escaped through the bars of the window, finding a path made of earthen ground outside. On either side of the path were numerous iron-barred cells like the one before.

The scene looked like the one he had seen in the Demon God Church’s laboratory.

The only difference was that the inmates were not monsters or other races, but pure humans.

They had one distinguishing characteristic.

They were clad in armor or robes adorned with symbols representing the Holy Empire.

“Aaarrrgghhh!”

“Gahhhhh!”

The screams of both a man and a woman were heard simultaneously.

Redin steered the shadow toward the source. There was a chamber at the end of a long hallway, and inside the chamber were several people.

Men in black priests’ robes were laughing and chattering, and before them, Manuel and Elsia were tied to a cross.

*Oooooohh!!*

A large amount of divine power emanated from the crucified pair. The men in black priests’ robes collected the energy and stored it in a bracelet-like artifact.

“Are you feeling despair and fear? Call upon your Goddess whom you believe in more fervently. Perhaps then you might survive.”

“Will that work? Veronica has probably perished long ago.”

“Ugh… Insulting the Goddess….”

Manuel’s face flushed as if blood vessels were about to burst. He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, but the black priests only sneered in response.

“So pray. If Veronica is alive, she will save you.”

“Aarrgghhh!”

The angrier Manuel became, the stronger the divine power emanated from him, to the extent that the black priests standing around frowned.

“What a bastard. How did the Archbishop manage to take him down?”

“They said he drugged him when they were eating together. If he were going to investigate, he should have been suspicious until the end. Tsk tsk.”

Redin had a general idea of the situation.

Using shadow movement, he sneaked behind one of the black priests. He unsheathed the sword at his waist and struck the one in front of him.

*Thud!*

Seeing their comrade dead, the two Black Priests stretched out their arms. Their robes swished and demonic energy flowed from them.

A black magic circle formed, and arrows made of magic surged forth.

He created a shadow alter ego, which swallowed the arrows and sent it forward.

The shadow alter ego dashed forward, subduing the two black priests.

“Kkeuaaag!”

“Get off me!”

After restraining them both.

He approached Manuel and Elsia, who were tied to the cross. Forming an Aura Blade, he cut the chains that bound them.

They fell to the ground, their bodies drained of any remaining strength.

Using his shadow alter ego, he laid them on the ground, making sure they were unharmed, and pulled a potion from his subspace pouch.

Feeding them each a vial, he waited for it to take effect.

Manuel was the first to wake up.

Quickly rising from his position, he surveyed the surroundings before his gaze fell upon the fallen black priests, before his eyes snapped to him.

“Who are you?”

“It’s me.”

He undid the Mask of the Dead, displaying his original face.

“Sir Redin?”

“It’s been a long time, Manuel.”

“How did you manage to find this place?”

He explained everything that had happened to Manuel, from the existence of Lordwell to the traitors planted within the Holy Empire by the Demon Church.

Manuel bit his lip as he listened to the story.

“Archbishop Dyke is the traitor, he imprisoned the priests and knights in this place and has been using that particular bracelet to channel divine power.”

Racking his memory, Redin recalled when Archbishop Dyke had spread his arms. He was definitely wearing a bracelet on his left hand.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have proof?”

“I saw Archbishop Dyke’s face with them when I was locked up. If we send them to the inquisitors, they’ll prove it.”

To handle it with such certainty.

Many people must know this.

He raised his head and looked at the stone ceiling. A long way up there was the Chapel.

Where the Archbishop, chief priests, and candidates for sainthood were having their tests.

If they can bore a hole through there, everyone will come to know about this place.

Since they possess divine power, there shouldn’t be any harm in just falling here.

*Whiiirrr*

He charged his sword with mana and got into a stance.

Swinging the aura blade against the ceiling.

A half-moon-shaped aura blade cleaved through the ceiling.

*CRAASSSSHHH!!*

Once wasn’t enough.

Twice, three times….

He kept throwing half moon slash at it to get it to where he wanted it, and eventually got it to the underside of the chapel.

*Crack!*

The ground started cracking on its own as the foundation weakened. Turning to Manuel, he addressed him.

“Let’s go up.”

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The Pope of the Holy Empire.

He is only mentioned in the game when discussing the past, and his name and face are never truly known.

-The Pope died defending the Holy Empire until the end.

In the game, the Holy Empire was the first kingdom to fall.

The criminals who had made deals with the Demon Church grew in power and turned against the Holy Empire, and when the Necromancer invaded with an army of hundreds of thousands.

The damage was irreparable.

At that time, the Pope, who defended the Holy Empire, lost his life, and with the lack of a Saint at the Ordination Ceremony, the Holy Empire collapsed.

This was the future of the Holy Empire as he had originally known it.

A future that would never come.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Berthos, the Pope in charge of the Holy Empire.”

An old man with a friendly, neighborly face from a cartoon extends his hand.

He shook the gloved hand of the Pope.

“I’m Redin, from Burning Hell.”

“Redin, thanks to you, we’ve avoided a great danger. I am very grateful.”

Showing respect regardless of age.

Such gestures made him seem caring rather than imposing.

“I was just doing what I had to do.”

“Brother Manuel, and Saint Candidate Elsia, they were vital to our Holy Empire, and I thank you for saving their lives.”

“I have one question about that.”

“You may ask me anything.”

“Did His Holiness not sense anything at all?”

The Pope pursed his lips and gave a small shake of his head.

“When the time for the selection of the saint arrives, whoever holds the position of the Pope must remain in solitary confinement until the end of the selection ceremony. This is because the saint must be chosen solely under the guidance of the Creator.”

“……”

“It’s all my fault. I should have been more thorough before going in…..”

“No, I think I asked a rude question because I don’t know the rituals of the Holy Empire.”

The Pope smiled faintly.

“So what do you intend to do next, our young guard?”

“I plan to return to Burning Hell.”

“Ah. Then how about attending the selection ceremony of the saint with the delegation that will arrive shortly and returning together?”

“The delegation is….”

“Redin, I’m sure you’re aware that the Demon Church has begun to make its presence known throughout the continent?”

“Yes.”

“This time, the Kings of the Crane and Ravino Kingdoms have gone missing, and there have been many other reports of their brutal atrocities, so we’ve decided to organize a war against them, centered around the new Saint.”

“Ah…..”

“The delegation will probably arrive sometime this evening.”

“I understand.”

After finishing the conversation with the Pope, he stepped outside.

A delegation.

It didn’t seem like a bad idea to listen to the gossip they would have in the gathering.

*Bam!*

*Thump!*

He passed by the knights who were repairing the collapsed chapel and headed towards Manuel’s office.

*Knock* *Knock*

“Who is it?”

“It’s Redin.”

“Come in.”

He entered the room to find a tired-looking Manuel drinking coffee.

Shortly after being rescued last night.

He’d taken Archbishop Dyke to the inquisitor himself, then traveled to the Neutral Zone to collect evidence.

“What was the result?”

“He denies everything, but evidence related to the Demon Church has been found at his office.”

Complete Denial.

“Can I have a chat with Archbishop Dyke?”

“Yes, of course.”

He follows Manuel to where Archbishop Dyke is being held. Holy Knights guarded the perimeter of the cell.

Archbishop Dyke, now reduced to a sickly state, lies collapsed inside the cell.

“Unlock the door, please.”

*Creak!*

He stepped inside the cell and placed his hand on Archbishop Dyke’s body, accessing the status window.

As soon as he checked the skills rising up, his forehead involuntarily furrowed.

‘What the hell?’

Not a single one of the skills was related to the Demon Church.

-A burn mark on his right wrist.

Divine power or potions can heal wounds, but they do not erase any signs of scarring.

Upon examining Archbishop Dyke’s right wrist, there was no burn mark.

“……Manuel, let’s go back to your office.”