Sebastian sat, staring at the campfire in the middle of the soldiers' encampment. He had spent the whole day looking for a way into the church but had found no weak points or way to break in. The soldiers around Sebastian looked at him strangely, noticing the young man in the middle of the chaos. They knew Sebastian was not part of the city's army, and they also knew that he was the one responsible for the chaos earlier that afternoon. Many soldiers thought that the monsters had returned when Sebastian unleashed the Divine Hammer technique. Several soldiers woke from their rest and began running around in panic, thinking they were under attack.

  Alexi approached Sebastian. He still seemed upset by Sebastian’s words, but he couldn’t blame him for what happened earlier that day. Sebastian’s anger was certainly fueled by something, but Alexi also thought that Sebastian was wrong to place all the blame on Edward. Alexi sat directly across from Sebastian, but the latter didn’t acknowledge him at all.

  “You’d better go to Ferara City. It’s no use staying here for long,” Alexi said.

  Sebastian didn’t answer. He simply stared coldly at Alexi and then turned his gaze back to the fire that was dancing before him. Despite the silence, Sebastian’s mind was consumed with thoughts on how to break into the church, but he also considered how to deal with Valentinus’s guards. Cain was too strong for him, and Sebastian knew that, but he at least had to kill Valentinus before he died, taking others with him into the realm of death.

  “Captain Edward saved my life; I owe him... I am the reason he lost his legs. When the stampede happened two months ago, I was trapped far behind enemy lines, and I thought I was going to die right then. But Captain Edward came out from behind the trees and saved me. However, as a result of his actions, a monster managed to slip through and attacked him from the shadows, tearing off both of his legs. Other soldiers came and managed to repel the monsters, but Captain Edward was unconscious on the ground, and the medical team began to swarm around him.”

  Alexi looked at Sebastian, but there was no reaction. He spoke again, “After he lost his legs, he was unconscious for a week. Afterward, Edward fell into depression, and no one could console him. For weeks, he locked himself away in his tent, and the other soldiers began whispering about replacing Edward. But fortunately, Marshal Ipsilas still saw the quality and contributions Captain Edward made, and he visited his tent one night. After the Marshal’s visit, Captain Edward seemed to come back to life; he became much more energetic than before, but I know he still carries the weight of his burden.”

  Alexi looked for some response from Sebastian but didn’t get one. Sebastian remained silent, as though there was no soul behind the young man’s body. His hand remained tightly gripping his black hammer, and in his mind, he thought only of one thing: to kill Valentinus by any means necessary.

  Alexi stood up, knowing that speaking with Sebastian would only be a waste of time. But before he left, he said one final thing, “Apollonia and you, Sebastian, that’s all he ever talked about. You lost your mother, of course, but now Edward has lost the wife he loved and possibly you, his only son, whom he loved most. Think about that.”

  Alexi left Sebastian alone. No soldier dared sit near him at that moment, either out of hatred or fear of what he might do. Ipsilas appeared from the crowd and walked over to Sebastian, sitting in the spot Alexi had occupied with his signature grin on his face.

  “I didn’t know you were Captain Edward’s son. I thought you were just a little brat from this city stranded alone.”

  “What do you want?” Sebastian asked, irritated.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “I just want to know more about you, Golden Boy. Is there anything else you’re hiding?”

  “Nothing. What you see is what you know.”

  “If I may ask, why are you so obsessed with attacking that church?”

  Sebastian looked at Ipsilas and then said, “For the same reason you have.”

  The gaze between Ipsilas and Sebastian locked. Ipsilas wondered to himself if Sebastian truly knew what was happening, but how much did he know? On the other hand, Sebastian felt a little uneasy under Ipsilas’s gaze, as if a predator’s eye was now focused on him.

  “How much do you know?”

  “Enough to hate Valentinus and everyone in that church.”

  “So, you know about Valentinus’s involvement in the stampede that happened a few years ago?”

  “From his own mouth. I came here solely to take his life.”

  Ipsilas stroked his chin and seemed to be thinking about something. Then he said, “Four days ago, I worked with members of the diocese to capture Valentinus, but we failed because they predicted our movements. I haven’t heard from that diocese agent since yesterday; I wonder where he went now.”

  “Diocese member? Are there other members of the diocese in this city?”

  “Of course, but he’s retired, so not many people know about him, and even information about him is hard to come by.”

  “Wait a second, what’s the name of that diocese member?”

  “I guess it’s no longer useful to keep this a secret. The diocese agent’s name is Peter. Here in this city, he’s known as Father Daniel.”

  Sebastian seemed shocked by Ipsilas’s words. He hadn’t known that Father Daniel had been working with Ipsilas over the past few days, but what happened next? He had found Father Daniel in his house with horrific wounds. Sebastian concluded that Father Daniel must have been killed by members of the church. It was very strange for Father Daniel to be killed by the monsters roaming the village at the time, as he could have easily killed them all.

  “Father Daniel is gone. I buried him this morning.”

  Ipsilas seemed taken aback, then said, “Really?! No wonder I haven’t heard anything about him since yesterday! Looks like Valentinus’s agents managed to kill him. What a shame; he was the key to getting support from the Latinum Diocese.”

  “Getting support from the Latinum Diocese? What do you mean?”

  “He sent a letter four days ago to the Latinum Diocese requesting a sentence for Valentinus as a heretic. But he had to have solid evidence when the special agents of the diocese arrived with an army.”

  “That should be easy, right? We just need to drag Valentinus to the special agents and show the evidence directly.”

  “It’s not that simple, Golden Boy. The special agents will only accept evidence from Father Daniel, because this will be an internal diocese issue. Now, I have to figure out how to punish that bastard Valentinus. After all, he’s a diplomat; he can’t be tried in the Kingdom of Korsika and will be judged in Latinum. I’m sure that old fox has connections to escape punishment.”

  Sebastian thought for a moment, then said, “The special agent will listen to me. At least, they’ll consider my words.”

  Ipsilas chuckled, then said, “Why would a diocese agent listen to you, Golden Boy? Do you have direct connections with the Pope in Latinum?”

  “I’m a Saint.”

  Immediately, Ipsilas stood up. Sebastian couldn’t tell what expression appeared on Ipsilas’s face. It seemed like he was trying to smile but was also angry at the same time. Ipsilas wiped his face and tried to calm his thoughts, then took a deep breath and released it slowly. After he calmed down, Ipsilas looked back at Sebastian with a sharp gaze.

  “I hope you’re not lying, Golden Boy. Because if you are, I swear I’ll slap you so hard, your head will spin like a hurricane.”

  Sebastian showed the stigmata on his hand. Even though there was a wound there, the church symbol was still visible, albeit faintly. Ipsilas’s face lit up with joy. He immediately ran over to Sebastian, hugged him tightly, then lifted him high and spun around in delight.

  “ARE YOU CRAZY?! LET ME GO!”

  “YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY I AM RIGHT NOW!”

  After a while of spinning around in front of hundreds of soldiers watching, Ipsilas finally set Sebastian down by the campfire, his face still full of joy. Sebastian, on the other hand, felt a little dizzy and embarrassed. He couldn’t believe Ipsilas reacted like that, especially since now every soldier’s gaze was on him.

  “ONE PROBLEM SOLVED! NOW WE JUST NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET INTO THAT DAMN CHURCH!”

  Sebastian fell silent again, then suddenly remembered something. He smiled again, his grip on his black hammer tightening.

  “I know how we can get into that damn church.”