Taming the Dark Lord - Chapter 37

Chapter 37 – The Escapee (2)

The Church was a fortress that is blessed by the God of Light. It should not be invaded at any cost, especially the Bishop’s room, which was right next to the statue of the deity. It was the spot where the Light element was at its strongest, being in such close proximity with the divine sculpture.

However, the dark element enveloping the room was so vivid it dyed the atmosphere gray, almost dulling it from view.

A middle-aged man in pajamas was laid face down on the ground. A large gaping slash was stretched over his waist circling his abdomen, where a stream of blood flowed steadily as it stained the white floor red. His body was already stiff and gray, and no one knew how long he’d been dead.

The saints stood aghast, but Debra snapped her eyes out from the slain bishop and grabbed the crying maid towards her. “Call the cavaliers guarding nearby, along with the knights we brought with us. Now!” She ordered sternly.

The severity of Debra’s tone left no room for argument as the maid nodded weakly. Her legs trembled beneath her shakily, and ran out of the Church. Her cries grew smaller and smaller as she disappeared into the corner.

The room reeked of fresh blood. Amelia covered her nose from the pungent smell as she glanced at the corpse lying on the ground, and looked at the iron cage situated at the corner of the room.

The cage was fabricated using pure iron.  And inside, there was water and food bowls, as well as a broken bed.

After a few minutes, people poured inside the room one after the other. Amelia avoided the mess of blood as she went to the cage and squatted down, and she immediately saw a faded hair bow lying inside.

Behind her, Debra took the reins, assigning specific tasks to the crowd standing before her. “Tell the mayor to come here, and tell him to seal all the exits. No one is allowed to go outside the city. All residents are required to write their two day plans onto a paper and submit it to the authorities.”

Rita bunched her skirt together, preventing it from getting smeared by the bloody mess and she came closer to Amelia. She saw the bow Amelia was clutching on, and asked. “Is anyone else living here? A woman perhaps?”

Amelia shook her head. “I’m not sure, but I bet she’s been trapped in the cage for a long time, until today. Look.” Amelia turned her head towards the side of the cage where a dirty-looking potty sat on the corner. The smell it exuded was disgustingly foul, the contents recently soiled by excrement.

After giving the knights detailed instructions, Debra came to the spot where Amelia and Rita were standing on. “Woman again, I see. Do you think the two witches have anything to do with this? We came here because of them, and the Bishop was killed as soon as we set foot. I don’t think it’s a mere coincidence.”

Rita fiddled with her chin as she thought over Debra’s words. “That’s possible.”

Amelia on the other hand, knew that those two girls were not witches, at least not at that time. She let the bow fall from her hand dazedly, and saw the ribbon slowly turned red from the pool of blood.

When the three walked out of the Bishop’s chambers, they were greeted by a fat middle-aged mayor hastily walking towards them, stomach bouncing at the hurried pace.

“My Lords, I have done everything as instructed. No one is permitted to go outside the city. I also displaced two groups of knights at certain areas to patrol the perimeters. They should be back soon.” The mayor said pantingly, sweat covering most of his face as he leaned his head down, hands on knees while catching his breath. That, and he was avoiding the saints’ grim expressions.

All officials were under the Light cult’s jurisdiction. Since the saints represented the cult, their orders were to be taken seriously. Their role in the society was so powerful they could strip anyone’s rights off, and they could dismiss anyone from their positions.

A bishop died in his territory. And as soon as the mayor heard the news, he quickly jumped out of his bed and ran to the bishop’s place in panic. He was anxiety-ridden, thinking that he would be undoubtedly removed from office.

Fortunately for him, the three saints paid him no mind as they walked past him, ignoring his explanation and fear-stricken face altogether.

“Let’s start with the non-residents first.”

“No one is to be excused, since the witch may pose as someone else.”

The mayor closed his eyes as he heaved a sigh of relief. He wiped the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand before following the saints in small steps.

The knights were divided into groups: some left to their designated posts, others stayed in place to guard the Church and the remaining knights escorted the saints’ carriage.

Little did they know that standing a few meters away from the Church was a woman draped in black. She was hiding at the corner of a dark alley, eyes following the back of the carriage closely. She didn’t want to forget how it looked like, engraving the sight deep into her soul.

When the carriage set off and disappeared from view, she pulled the hood over her head and left.