Chapter 21: The Awakening of the Evil God

Chapter 21: The Evil God's Awakening

The deputy captain was drenched in sweat: "That red-haired inquisitor is a superhuman. His ability seems to be creating invisible blades. We're no match for him…"

Captain Prew gritted his teeth so hard they nearly cracked. "Then we'll just deal with Aether Orolan!"

"What if he's also a superhuman…"

"Of course he is, you idiot." Captain Prew said sinisterly. "I checked with the Warden. Though I don't know exactly what his supernatural ability is, I'm sure it's not a combat type. If we can get him alone, he's dead meat!"

He unclasped a necklace from his neck, a key dangling from the end. He used the key to open a drawer in his office and took out a wooden box about a forearm's length.

In the box lay a pale purple dagger, resting quietly. The blade was twisted, resembling a withered finger.

"I want him to go and never come back! After he's dead, I'll kill that little bastard Eric Mavo. And also his two friends—the one with glasses and the silver-haired one. What were their names again?"

Deputy Captain Slavin thought it over: "That prisoner is new—locked up in the black cell. The Inquisitor seems to be keeping a close eye on him because he's a heretic."

"Then he's even more dead! Anyone connected to Eric Mavo or the inquisitor—I want to see them dead!"

As Captain Prew finished speaking, he caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye.

"…Who's there?!"

He grabbed the ink bottle and chucked it at the windowsill. A sharp "squeak!" rang out as a silver-gray mouse darted into the curtains and disappeared.

"Just a mouse. Scared myself over nothing." Captain Prew let out a cold laugh, turning to the deputy captain. "Starting tomorrow, take a few men you trust and set traps in the forest. Then…"

***

"…Then we can claim the inquisitor died in a hunting accident?"

In the black cell, Lyman cradled the little mouse Dandelion.

"Can these help you, Mr. Lyman?" the little mouse asked. It was amazed at its own potential—it had managed to remember all that in one go!

"You did great," Lyman said, rubbing the mouse's little noggin. "Tomorrow I'll bring you a big hunk of bread, for sure!"

Dandelion squeaked excitedly.

Lyman leaned back against the wall, lost in thought.

Captain Prew was absolutely out of his mind—not only plotting to murder the Church's inquisitor, but even planning to kill Eric, the scholar, and himself!

Lyman sure as hell wasn't going to sit around and wait to die!

There were many ways to stop Prew's conspiracy, and the simplest was to report it to the inquisitors.

Lyman could have Dandelion fetch paper and a pen, write an anonymous letter, and slip it to the inquisitor secretly. With those two's skills, they'd surely see through Captain Prew's scheme.

But knowing Aether, he'd do things by the book and hand that beast over to the law. Inquisitors have to follow procedure—they can't just arrest Prew on the spot over an anonymous letter. They'd have to go back to the Holy City, report to the Holy See, and only then "legally" nail Prew.

And the moment they left the prison island, Prew would strike at Eric, Lyman, and the scholar!

No, just reporting him won't cut it.

Know your enemy and know yourself, and you'll win a hundred battles. To deal with Prew, the more he knew about him, the better off he'd be.

Lyman moved to the wall of his cell, bent his fingers, and knocked.

Knock, knock, knock.

After a long pause, Lunast's voice came through the stone: "What now? Don't you ever sleep?"

"I'm about to die—how the hell can I sleep? At my age, how am I supposed to rest?" Lyman retorted. "I wanted to ask about Captain Prew. What do you know about him?"

"Hmm, in what way?"

"I heard he likes hunting. Any info on that?"

Lunast mused: "That's way too broad. From what I know, he's definitely a skilled fighter—way better than most guards, but probably not as tough as those two inquisitors."

"He's not a superhuman, right?"

"No, but he's got a relic on him."

Lyman frowned: "A relic is an item with supernatural power, right? Is it something like the 'Mouth of Truth'?"

"Ha!" Luna snorted. "It's way stronger than that useless statue! It's a seriously powerful weapon, originally from the Church's treasury. The Preacher General specifically 'lent' it to his nephew for protection. 'Lent,' my ass—he basically gave it to him."

"Is the Preacher General that powerful? He can just grab stuff from the Church's treasury and hand it to his relatives?"

"Why else would so many people kill each other for that position? Your little friend Eric Mavo—his uncle, Archbishop Mavo, was once a rival of Prew's uncle. They were both gunning for the Preacher General position. But Archbishop Mavo lost out. The first thing Prew's uncle did after taking power was to wipe out his political enemies. All of Mavo's family were hit with trumped-up charges—exiled or locked up."

"So that's how Eric got thrown in prison." Lyman gained a new understanding of the Holy Nation's political infighting. "But I heard Archbishop Mavo was a good man—he even loosened the Seminary's admission requirements and stuff. How could he lose to Prew's uncle in the race?"

"Because he was too good a man! He was too honest, so he had no money to buy votes—so of course he lost."

"I see. So because Eric's uncle was a former political rival, that's why Captain Prew hates him so much…"

Lyman's eyes grew a little darker. Prew and the Preacher General—they serve the God of Dawn. Yet this Church, which professes faith in light, is full of such filth. Scumbags rise to power while honest men rot in prison. The world's really turned upside down!

And they call me a cultist—whose church is more messed up, seriously?

Prew has powerful backing. As long as he's alive, I'll never be safe. He couldn't wait for the inquisitors to handle it "legally." Captain Prew has a big shot backing him—worst case, he gets a slap on the wrist and that's it. He won't face any real punishment!

So I have to do it myself—right here, on this prison island!

Prew plans to kill the inquisitor during the hunt. Can I turn his plan against him? He thinks he's the hunter, but really, he's the prey!

The events of the past few days flashed through his mind one by one. Lyman racked his brain, not missing a single detail. His gut told him the key to cracking it all was in there!

A lightbulb went off in his head. What was it Inquisitor Nashel said…

"Hey, Dandelion," Lyman asked, "can you talk to animals other than rats?"

The little mouse said, "Yeah, but not every kind of animal. Horses and dogs are pretty smart. Bugs and fish are idiots—they can't understand a thing I say."

Lyman thought it over, a plan slowly forming in his mind.

He asked Lunast, "Captain Prew's going hunting in a few days. I need to be in that hunting party. But I'm just a prisoner—how the hell do I get in?"

Lunast said, "They definitely won't bring prisoners on hunts, 'cause they're afraid they'll run off. But there are exceptions."

"Exceptions?"

"Besides the guards, the prison has 'support staff'—like cooks, stable hands, and carpenters. They take on some prisoners as assistants. Every time Captain Prew goes hunting, the stable hand and his assistant tag along to look after the horses and hounds."

Lyman recalled the sight of Captain Prew coming back from his hunts. "But I don't remember seeing the stable hand's assistant. If there'd been a prisoner among them, I'd have noticed."

Luna snickered: "That assistant's not there anymore, 'cause he doesn't have any 'hands' left. Guess why?"

—How could I possibly know! Riddler, get the hell out of Cape Prison!

As annoyed as he was, Lyman still got his brain working.

The assistant had no "hand"—did that mean it was severed? But how would he know which prisoners were missing a limb...

Wait, he actually did know one!

"On the day the Inquisitor arrived at Cape Prison, a prisoner awakened a Supernatural Ability and attempted to escape, but had an arm severed," he said, recalling. "So that's who it was?"

"That's right. He's now locked in a special cell, awaiting transfer to the Holy City. So, the stablemaster needs a new assistant."

To think that prisoner would cross paths with Lyman like this—what a strange twist of fate.

Come to think of it, Lunast had earlier suggested he find a way to work in the stables. Had he seen this coming all along?

"You've already got a way into the stables?" Lunast asked.

Lyman glanced at the squeaking little mouse, an idea already taking shape in his mind.

"I've got a plan," he said in a low voice.

"You've been asking about Captain Prew all this time... Could it be..." Lunast paused meaningfully, "...that you intend to kill him?"

"Why ask when you know the answer?"

"Can you defeat him? He's a skilled fighter, carries a powerful relic, and has a bunch of men with him. How do you plan to fight him?"

A nameless rage blazed up from Lyman's chest, burning in his lungs. His heart pounded like a battle drum, and his blood boiled with rage.

Why can't I take on Prew? He's got his "relic," and I've got the Book of the Evil God!

He's got the God of Dawn behind him—but I'm a god too; the Evil God is still a god! I'll fight him, fight him to the bitter end!

In an instant, his palm burned hot, as if something was about to burst out of his skin.

The Book of the Evil God appeared in his hand unsummoned, its pages turning on their own, flipping to the chapter that belonged to him.

[You have triggered a new mission: "Feast of Blood."]

"Description: The Evil God is eternally ravenous. Mortal food cannot fill your stomach; only blood can sate you. Slaughter is the banquet, death the meal, and there is but one diner—who shall claim this honor? You, or your enemy?"

"Objective: Eliminate the threat of Enoch Pry."

"Reward: Unlock a new chapter of the Book of the Evil God."

Lyman's eyes flickered. The cell was dim, yet his eyes gleamed with a ruby-like radiance in the darkness.

His fingers brushed over the rough pages, and a current-like thrill ran through his veins.

This was the excitement of the hunt, the craving for battle.

Eliminate Prew's threat? As long as he was dead, there would be no threat at all!