Ipsilas sat on a chair in the middle of a dark room. In front of him sat two masked people. They both wore the same-colored coat to conceal their bodies. The only thing that differentiated them was the mask on their face. The shorter person wore a dog mask, while the taller one wore a bird mask. They both seemed to be looking at Ipsilas silently, while Ipsilas did the same to them.

  “What’s our next move?” asked the Bird.

  “You mean what’s my next move?” Ipsilas replied with a smile.

  “Rrr, everry relevant parrticipant's alrready gatherrred in one place! What’s next?!” the Dog said as his voice growled and hot air filled the inside of his mask.

  “We— I mean I—kill them, of course,” Ipsilas said as he lifted his hand in disbelief. “What’s so confusing about this plan? It’s simple and precise.”

  “Killing all the Saints, the Cardinal, and the Inquisitor?” the Bird replied in a mocking tone. “We could kill them without needing to wait here.”

  “Ah yes, but you’ll lose the... what’s it called…?” Ipsilas said while snapping his fingers. “The magic, the wonder, and the experience of watching them struggle.”

  “Rrr, why botherrr with all of that?! Don’t you want your futurrrre plan to come soonerrr ratherrr than laterrr?”

  “You both just don’t understand. This is all part of the plan. Why hold a banquet if you don’t invite the participants to dance?”

  “They don’t even know where this place is. How can they reach us in the first place?”

  “Oh, they’ll know. And they’ll arrive at this place,” Ipsilas said with a grin. “That’s the beauty of this plan. It’ll succeed no matter what.”

  The Dog growled and let out a laugh like a hyena. “Rrr, you’re farrr too confident, ‘Prophet.’ Rememberrr Isildus and what it took frrrom you. Don’t let the same mistake happen twice.”

  Ipsilas let out a long, winded sigh. He opened his hand and saw the Heart of Fear pulsing with a purple light. He looked at it briefly before putting it back into his pocket.

  “This is no fun. It’s boring,” Ipsilas said with a disappointed look. “They all need to come here quickly, or I might die of boredom.”

  *

  The war room was packed with people. The Saints stood on the left side of Faust, while the Inquisitors stood at the right. The atmosphere was thick and tense. Every guard and regular person could feel the air choking their lungs. They would rather be outside than remain in that room for another second.

  Sebastian kept looking at the Inquisitor in front of him. The bloodlust he emitted was apparent, and the sharp gaze he gave felt deadly. Everyone felt like he would pounce and start swinging his hammer at any moment. Sebastian had already promised himself—and God—that he would keep his anger in check, but this time, he thought he might break that promise. Depending on what these Inquisitors said, Sebastian was ready for battle if they showed even a glimpse of treachery or their usual deceitful nature.

  Constantia, on the other hand, felt like she was walking on a strand of hair. One wrong move and everything would fall apart. She needed to convince everyone to open the inner-city gate, because she believed Ipsilas wouldn’t come out unless Sebastian appeared on the front line. However, seeing how angry Sebastian was now, she wasn’t sure if he would believe anything she said.

  She was torn between telling half the truth or just blatantly lying. The truth was out of the question. Everyone in that room would kill them in a second if it came out.

  “I came here with a proposal on how to crush these heretics,” Constantia said as she laid her hands on the table. “We need to massacre all of them at the gate entrance. We can’t split our forces or attempt any maneuvering because of how low on manpower we are right now.”

  “Do my ears deceive me?” Faust retorted with a frown. “You want to open the inner-city gate? That’s your proposal?”

  Sebastian immediately swung his hammer at Constantia, but Marcus and Antonius blocked the attack swiftly. The sound of clashing steel rang across the room. Even with a hammer just inches away from hitting her, Constantia looked calm and composed. She knew Sebastian had become even more powerful. Seeing the speed and power of his attack, Constantia estimated that he could qualify as an agent of their order. He was on par with a Longinus initiate—or a standard Inquisitor agent—and that was a terrifying rate of growth.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Constantia couldn’t imagine how strong he’d become if he had a teacher or time to mature. Sebastian was dangerous. He was irrational and bore hatred toward her order. She needed to report this to the Grandmaster. He must find a way to chain Sebastian down—or at least leash him.

  “The so-called ‘Reformist’ has around five thousand active combatants,” Constantia said as she gazed at Faust. “Albeit they’re all low-ranking soldiers. That number still far exceeds the guards in the inner city.”

  “I know that. So why in God's name would I want to open the gate?” Faust responded mockingly.

  “We’ll make a killing funnel, and the inner-city gate is our best chance for that,” Constantia said as she looked between Faust and Sebastian. “The gate provides a narrow path we can use to massacre them. Fortify the towers, put archers at the top. Place obstacles at the entrance to slow their advance and rain arrows on them. On the ground, we position shield troopers behind fortifications. We can’t engage in full frontal assault, but we can grind them into paste. This is our best option right now.”

  “That’s absurd. We could just turtle up here and let them disperse.” Carlos said as he sat on a chair. “Cardinal Faust still controls the port. Supplies would still flow to this city.”

  “That’s absurd. We could just turtle up here and wait for them to disperse,” Carlos said from his seat. “Cardinal Faust still controls the port. Supplies will continue to flow into the city.”

  Constantia looked at Carlos with pity.

  “Have you not encountered any of their infiltrators?” she asked mockingly. “There’s a small hole somewhere, and we don’t know where. Instead of letting it grow, we could end it all here. And think of the worst outcome if we let them spread.”

  “They’ll recruit more people from neighboring cities,” Dalia responded.

  “Exactly. This plan ends the heresy here, before it spreads. Some might escape, but we’ll kill the majority. The rest will be hunted down by our order and other Diocese agents. I propose this plan because it’s the right thing to do.”

  “The right thing to do? Don’t make me laugh,” Sebastian replied, pressing his hammer down. “What scheme are you playing at now? You’d sacrifice a city for one of your insane missions.”

  Marcus and Antonius seem surprised by the pressure Sebastian puts on them. Just how much stronger he is right now?

  “I don’t have any ‘game’ or ‘scheme’ here.” Constantia said as she stared at Sebastian's eyes. “Just as I said, we’re here because of a coincidence and we decided to help. It’s our obligation and duty as church members to help our brother in faith.”

  Hearing that almost made Faust laugh. He knew really well what kind of Order the Inquisitor is. They’re all schemers and master manipulators. He doesn’t want to trust any word that Constantia spouts. But there’s nothing more hilarious than to watch Sebastian getting more frustrated. That twerp insults him during the banquet and has the gall to call him out in front of his guest. This plan might sound insane, but with the help from his captain and bodyguards, this might be possible to pull.

  “I see. Is there no other way?” Faust said, keeping his poker face.

  “Do you want to let this whole city become a heretic breeding ground and fortress?” Constantia said while staring at Faust eyes. “If not, then my plan is the only way out to save this city. We won’t even fight the full force of their army. Once they saw the massacre we did, most of these low rank soldiers would flee in terror and that’s when we would hunt them all until extinction.”

  Faust was amused. Watching Constantia desperately pitch her plan while Sebastian fumed filled him with joy.

  “I’ll agree—on one condition,” Faust replied, covering his mouth. “You three Inquisitors will be on the front line. Spearheading the massacre. Of course, my own forces won’t be far behind.”

  “As you wish,” Constantia replied. Now she just needed Sebastian to take the bait.

  “I’ll be on the front line too!” Sebastian exclaimed. “I’ll make sure these people don’t run or pull any tricks!”

  Got you.

  “What?! Are you insane?! Why would you go to the front line?!” Carlos yelled.

  “Just shut up! I know these people—they’ll try something if we don’t watch them!”

  “Dalia, please talk sense into this muscle-headed, battle-junkie, trouble-making friend of yours!” Carlos said, pointing at Sebastian. “We’re here as diplomats! Why are you involving yourself in this?!”

  “So I should’ve backed down when we fought that monster in the forest?! That’s what you're saying?!”

  “That’s a completely different matter, you idiot! Why are you like this?!”

  “PLEASE SHUT THE FU—”

  “ENOUGH!” Dalia yelled, slamming the table with all her strength. “WHY DO YOU TWO KEEP ARGUING AND ARGUING AND ARGUING LIKE THIS?! CAN YOU JUST—”

  Dalia stopped and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath to calm herself. “Can you two please stop arguing every chance you get?”

  The room fell silent. This is the first time anyone ever sees Dalia get angry. She used to be the voice of calmness and reason, but now she looked red in the face and mouth closed tightly like she was holding something. This is also the first time Carlos ever heard Dalia raising her voice. He immediately closes his mouth and turns his face away. He felt ashamed that he pushed Dalia this much into anger and frustration.

  “Alright. So, Saint Sebastian will be on the front line with the Inquisitor agents. The rest of us will be on the back line providing support,” Faust said calmly.

  Constantia looked at Sebastian. There was no hesitation in his expression.

  “Yes. We will protect Saint Sebastian on the front line.”

  “Splendid. Now let’s begin preparations. We have much to do,” Faust said, clapping his hands to summon his servants.

  Faust hurryingly exited the war room. He just can’t hold back the laughter inside his body anymore. That idiot volunteered himself to the frontline. What a perfect opportunity for him. Even if Sebastian died in the frontline, there will be no one blaming him for that accident. Many people witnessed what Sebastian said, even the other saint was there as witnesses. Faust smiles as he thinks about the possibility of doing something to Sebastian, he will teach him an expensive lesson that he’ll not forget anytime soon.