TBR CH43

Chapter 43: A Promising Future

Bishop Edwin was conducting his weekly parish visit.

The coachman was a volunteer serving the Holy See. He tightened the reins in his hands, and the black horses stomped their hooves twice heavily before coming to a steady stop.

The Bishop descended from the carriage, his deep purple, impeccable robe buttoned up to the collar, looking out of place with the noisy surroundings.

Noisy and chaotic, this was the signature characteristic of the Vadin District. It was like a shabby patch in the capital, clashing with the bright and clean lives of the wealthy around it. Drunkards and gamblers blocked the road in welcome, and the slums and black streets operating illegal businesses were its special attractions.

The people in power turned a blind eye to this scene.

There were always people destitute for various reasons. Were they really going to open their wallets to improve the lives of the poor?

Most people, upon seeing the scepter in the Bishop’s hand, quickly lowered their heads and hurried past him. The order here was clear, with status determined by strength.

The church Edwin had come to inspect this time was located on the west side of the Vadin District. Its development couldn’t be called good, but it wasn’t too terrible either.

Priests could use Light magic to protect themselves, or threaten others. This point alone could guarantee the quality of life for clergy was above that of most people.

It couldn’t be called a good thing. Even the coachman was not very willing to come here. Volunteers who could serve the Holy See were more or less from the middle class and above, so they respected the Bishop’s work even more.

Even in a place like this, Great Archbishop Edwin treated everyone equally, spreading the will of God to the people here—

Sighing with emotion, the coachman rubbed his eyes, always feeling that something was not quite right.

Right behind the Bishop, the assistant who jumped down from the carriage after him, he seemed to have never seen him before…

The assistant was also wearing church attire. At this moment, he raised his eyes and glanced at him. The coachman only felt in a daze as if he saw a trace of red light flash across his eyes, and then he forgot the thoughts he had just had completely.

“Keep up,” Edwin said, then walked towards the church gate not far away.

The priests here were all incompetent fellows. There was no need to worry much about them seeing through Tar’s disguise.

When the demon stepped through the black iron gate of the church, he inexplicably hesitated for a moment.

It wasn’t very obvious. Soon, his expression returned to calm. However, did Edwin really not notice?

The Bishop stopped his steps a little ahead, waiting for him to catch up. And the priests who came to receive them also came forward one after another. The parish bishop quickly invited Edwin into a room for a talk.

As an assistant, Tar’s only duty was to record the content of their conversation.

In reality, there was no meaning in recording it. It was all clichés like “God of Light bless you,” and Edwin didn’t expect him to really take notes. In this meticulous process, the Dark God felt bored and started to want to find some fun.

Edwin sat in the innermost part of the room, with Tar right behind him. The demon silently reached out behind the Bishop and poked his back.

No reaction, not even a change in tone.

The other people in the room did not notice what the assistant hidden behind the Great Archbishop was doing.

So Tar started to be bolder. He touched Edwin’s robe. The texture was very good, made of fine silk, and felt slightly cool to the touch.

Edwin was currently leading the topic to a close. The parish bishop opposite him was subservient, and every word he said to him was a waste of time, but in most cases, his duty was to say such words.

Then, he felt his back being poked by the demon. Not only that, while maintaining a calm exterior, Edwin keenly sensed the demon starting to write on his back.

No one had ever been so close to him before, so his sense of touch was far more sensitive than he had imagined.

Tar’s handwriting was a flamboyant script. When writing many letters, his slender fingers drew rounded arcs on his back, connecting into a whole patch of tingling numbness. He could feel the muscles in his back tense up from nervousness, like a taut lyre string.

Even so, Edwin still calmly looked straight at the person he was talking to. The gray in his eyes might have deepened a little, but no one could tell, and his voice was still so steady, as if everything was under his control.

While his mouth spoke those high-sounding words, he outlined in his mind the words the demon was writing on his back: “I’m so bored.”

I shouldn’t have brought him out, Edwin thought. As the demon’s last stroke landed on his back, he finally said his farewell words to the parish bishop formally, “That will be all for now. Thank you for your cooperation. Next, I would like to tour the church, so I won’t disturb you any longer.”

Saying that, he turned his head to look at the demon, “Tar, organize your notes, and then follow me.”

The demon withdrew his hand faster than a falling star. When the parish bishop’s gaze fell on Tar following Edwin’s words, what was before his eyes was just a young and ordinary Holy See scribe, his gaze a little rushed, as if flustered by the Bishop’s sudden order.

“No rush, no rush,” he couldn’t help but say comfortingly, sighing in his heart, it must be very difficult to work under Bishop Edwin.

“Then I’ll have a priest under me show you around…”

Edwin politely waited for him to finish speaking, then smiled and refused the proposal, “I also worked in this church back then, so I’m somewhat familiar with this place. I just need to walk around the church with my assistant. You can probably understand, reminiscing about old times. Please don’t specially assign someone to follow.”

Although Edwin’s attitude could be considered gentle and polite, the parish bishop still clearly felt the pressure from a superior coming from the Great Archbishop.

He had no room to object. After all, his ability to obtain the power to manage the Vadin District church at his old age was due to a lot of help from Edwin back then.

Great Archbishop Edwin had once worked as a high-ranking priest in this district for a period of time, before he was officially appointed here. This past event was like the most insignificant starting point on his road to promotion, which even the current parish bishop had almost forgotten. He was so young, yet already in such a high position.

“You…” Walking out of the room, Edwin turned his head to say something to Tar, but felt that anything he could say was a bit powerless.

After coming into contact with the fresh outdoor air, the demon instantly washed away the reluctance he had felt while being punished indoors. His pupils instantly changed to a rose-red color in the soft evening glow, then he looked at the Bishop innocently with the black eyes of an ordinary person.

He was holding a crumpled piece of parchment in his hand, and it was unclear whether he had actually written anything down.

Edwin finally added a solemn statement, “Don’t touch me casually.”

“Oh,” Tar unexpectedly did not refute, accepting the request without any objection. “Where are we going now, Bishop? You didn’t bring me here today to go shopping, did you?”

Of course not.

Edwin’s pace quickened a lot. He walked through the church, looking truly familiar with the place. Soon, his range of activity went directly from the area open to tourists to deep behind the entire church.

The sky darkened further. If there were any conspiracies, this was the right time for them to happen.

There were no more priests to be seen around them. Behind this magnificent building, Edwin stopped by a dusty little door.

This door looked dirty and frequently used. Tar heard the gurgling sound of boiling water coming from inside.

Edwin unhurriedly reached out and knocked on the door a few times.

His were the hands of a pampered person. Even when using Light magic, he used a scepter, unlike those knights who developed thick calluses. Using such a pair of hands to knock on such a door made the demon feel it was a bit of a waste of a precious thing.

The door was opened quickly. The one who opened it was a gray-haired man with a hunched back. He looked like an enlarged version of a mouse, with a hint of a shifty-eyed look.

Completely not expecting the person he saw after opening the door to be Edwin, the man was extremely flustered and was about to close the door again almost immediately.

Edwin did not act, but Tar did. The demon reached out to hold the door, tilted his head, and smiled at him friendly. “Hello,” he said. “Our Bishop is looking for you. I think closing the door now is not very polite.”

So the door did not move an inch.

Seeing that he could not block the two through the door, the gray-haired man frantically ran into the room.

Tar turned his head to look at Edwin. Seeing his look of being certain of victory, he understood that the man had no power to resist and was just making a last-ditch struggle.

The Bishop lowered his eyes and walked into this messy room. His gold-threaded boots also seemed out of place in this place.

He walked very lightly and slowly. Tar released his hand from the door frame and also followed him in.

The demon first noticed the boiling water on the fire. He casually helped the man lift the kettle from the rack and place it on the table, then extinguished the fire, because he highly doubted this man would have the chance to complete this task.

In the process of putting down the kettle, he noticed something on the table that did not match the dilapidated and messy surroundings at all, such as… a bag of shining gold coins.

The man cowered in the corner at the end of the room, looking extremely terrified, like a sinner suddenly facing judgment. Edwin also noticed the gold coins on the table. He let out a light laugh, it was unclear whether it was at himself or at others. “Is this the price for betraying me?”

“I don’t understand,” the gray-haired man shouted, somewhat hysterically. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about!”

“I already know,” there was a strange magic in the Bishop’s words, compelling the listener to involuntarily focus on his speech. “You were also there back then. I can’t believe I never noticed. This was a mistake I made.”

Tar casually pulled a chair from the side of the table and sat down to watch the show.

The demon’s eyes were shining, having turned back to garnet red. This was the expression of seeing something interesting. Hearing the sound of the chair being dragged, Edwin turned his head and glanced at him. Tar’s figure was briefly reflected in his gray eyes, then he turned his head back.

“When was it?” The Bishop’s tone was still calm, but one could hear a bit of restrained cruelty. Edwin seemed to be seriously thinking about the problem in front of the wretched man. “I thought only the nun, the bishop, and the physician were there, but I forgot that you, a parasite living behind the church, might have gone to the holy hall at night to steal offerings… You must have seen everything, after I passed out.”

“No, no,” the man hugged his head. He wanted to argue, but could only deny it again and again, with tears and snot streaming down his face.

Edwin’s palm gently covered the Bishop’s scepter. The ruby instantly flowed, like a crystal condensed from pigeon’s blood.

The gray-haired man began to scream at the same time.

Unfortunately, the barrier released by Edwin kept all sounds within this room, and this place was obviously not a place where others would come, hidden in the most secluded corner of the church.

Without a doubt, the Bishop’s actions were a form of private punishment.

This was a violation of the kingdom’s laws.

But even the man who shouted out all sorts of pleas for mercy in extreme pain knew that the law was insignificant compared to the identity of the person before him. The gray-haired man was curled up in the dust of the room, his hair mottled with filthy dust.

He shrieked for mercy, “I’ll tell you everything! I’ll say everything! Please, Bishop, I saw it, I really saw it!”

“What did you see?”

Even now, the Bishop’s voice was still very calm. Tar watched the development of this scene with great interest, but suddenly received a look from Edwin.

Halfway through his words, Edwin suddenly turned his head and stared at the demon for a moment for no apparent reason.

The demon hesitated for a moment and gave him an encouraging smile.

The Bishop showed no particular reaction.

He turned his head back and lowered his eyes, continuing to look down at the man, and asked again, “What did you see?”

“I saw,” under extreme pain and fear, the gray-haired man stammered, eager to tell everything. “At that time, the nun and the bishop had the physician continue… continue to let your blood. I just wanted to go to the holy hall to get something. At that time, I, I went forward to stop them, Bishop, you must believe me.”

Although Tar couldn’t see the Bishop’s eyes from behind, he could imagine Edwin’s expression at this time.

“Oh?” The Bishop’s hand moved slightly away from the ruby. “You said you tried to stop them—”

The man on the ground was like he had found his only hope. He crawled towards Edwin regardless of everything, reaching out to try and tremblingly touch the tip of his shoe, seeming to want to humbly kiss it for forgiveness.

But he was easily dodged by the Bishop. “I only want testimony.”

“Yes, yes,” he said incoherently, echoing the Bishop’s words. “I was watching the bishop and the others let a boy’s blood. God, that scene looked just like an execution. The blood just flowed down like that, it couldn’t be stopped. The person was already unconscious, no, no, almost dead.”

Edwin didn’t speak. The gray-haired man guessed he probably had to say more. “You know, I, I was scared to death seeing this scene. Plus, the nun was right next to me. I couldn’t help but rush in and tell them they couldn’t let the blood flow anymore, otherwise someone would really die. I thought at the time that the parish bishop and the nun were good people, they would surely not watch someone die.”

This time the gray-haired man raised his eyes and glanced at the Bishop, then continued on his own. “Then, then they all turned to look at me. Can you imagine? That look was terrifying. The bishop told me all this was to wash away the sinful bloodline in this boy… This was a just and reasonable ritual…”

“So?” Edwin finally spoke. Tar had already guessed who the boy in the man’s words was. He looked at the Bishop’s back with some surprise. Even at this time, this person looked completely unshakable.

“I, I asked the bishop at that time, what if this child really died? And then he said…” The gray-haired man’s words broke off. He seemed afraid to continue, but Edwin’s unwavering expression at this time gave him some comfort. He repeated the original words he had heard back then, “It’s better if he dies. God’s eyes cannot tolerate a single flaw. This child’s death is not worth pitying.”

What a brilliant statement. Tar already felt this trip was more than worth it and was listening with great relish. Edwin, however, placed his hand on the ruby scepter again. A sudden pain made the gray-haired man collapse on the ground. “No need to say anymore,” the Bishop said softly. “I’ve heard all these words. I’m asking what you did.”

“I…” The dim yellow light in the room reflected his turbid eyes. His eyeballs rolled for a moment, and he said fawningly, enduring the pain, “I of course tried to stop them, but, you also know, that was the parish bishop. How could I have a way—”

He sounded very guilty. Even Tar knew he was lying.

This man would absolutely not go against the will of an authority figure. The role he really played was probably that of an executioner assisting in the murder. And now, Edwin had not died in the end and was standing alive before him.

“Bishop,” the gray-haired man was still trying to argue. “This matter has nothing to do with me at all. It can’t be counted on my head. I beg you…”

“I’m not here to kill you for this matter either.”

Edwin had been expressionless before, but now he suddenly smiled slightly. Tar, listening from behind, automatically put an emphasis on the word “kill.” The man must have also heard this word with its bloody taste.

He curled up on the ground in a wretched and painful state, a strong feeling of regret welling up in his heart.

Just a few days ago, a man in a black cloak had come looking for him.

At that time, he was gambling away his debts in the lowest-level casino in the Vadin District, and had once again lost all his stolen goods. Addicted for a moment, he was even about to lose his life.

With his life on the line, he naturally used all means, shouting loudly that he held the secret of the current Great Archbishop Edwin, although he had once determined to keep the secret in his heart forever.

The onlookers all sneered at his death throes. Only a man in a black robe and cloak suddenly came forward and cleared his gambling debts for him.

But that person told him that if what he said could not satisfy him, crushing him would be like crushing an ant.

He of course chose to tell everything about what had happened back then, and that man in the black robe had come to the church to find him once more after that. It was then that he asked him for more details and gave him a bag of gold coins as a reward.

How foolish.

The gray-haired man finally woke up as if from a dream. How could he have thought he could still live on smoothly? After Edwin had left the Vadin church, the parish bishop and the nun who had been responsible for cultivating him had died inexplicably, and that physician, his name was never heard again.

“Any last words?” The Bishop directly skipped the meaningless dialogue and asked him this question, looking down.

“I,” the mouse-like man finally realized he had nowhere to run. At the end of his life, he suddenly had a divine inspiration and thought of words that could threaten Edwin, so he shouted regardless of everything, “The man in the black robe, he… he will come again. He will definitely know it was you who killed me. And, and it’s meaningless for you to kill me now. It will only further confirm that the rumors about you are true!”

“At that time, you will have no room for defense, unless you leave me. I, I will testify for you, stand on your side.”

“Enough,” Edwin was tired of this person’s speech, Tar could tell.

The person was crawling on the ground in terror and suddenly saw him behind the Bishop. Tar’s current image was generally harmless, just that the color of his eyes was a little abnormal.

The dying man couldn’t care so much and tremblingly reached out to him for help. He had no other way out.

“Oh my,” the demon jumped down from the chair and walked to Edwin’s side.

The other’s inorganic gray eyes quietly looked at him. If not for the fact that Tar knew the Bishop couldn’t harm him under the effect of the contract, he almost felt that if Edwin went crazy at this moment, killing another one like himself wouldn’t be a problem.

The red in the demon’s eyes sizzled and melted in the light. His non-human beast pupils gradually appeared, and sharp horns grew on his head.

All of this was clearly reflected in the eyes of the person who had been trying to ask for his help just a second ago.

Tar saw the gray-haired man’s hand stiffen in an instant.

He spoke with an air of importance, “Are you asking me for help? Human, you have good eyes. Maybe it will be better for me to do it than our Great Archbishop.”

Edwin gave him a warning look.

“Unfortunately,” Tar knowingly and tactfully retreated behind the Bishop, not forgetting to say with a smile, “you probably don’t have that luck.”

Alright, everything had come to an end. Anyway, the Bishop had come here today to silence him.

His fingers caressed the ruby on the scepter a few times. The scepter, symbolizing the authority of the Holy See of the Church of Light, flowed with a dazzling light. This beam of light carried an unquestionable authority, and the metaphor behind it was glorious blood and the death that purifies all.

There was a saying on the continent that a person about to die, no matter how despicable their words and deeds were in daily life, could still say a few good words.

The gray-haired man was clearly not the object of such clever words. Death had almost touched the tip of his nose, and the last words he left in the world were a curse on Edwin.

“They have already found your biological father,” his face twisted, pointing at Edwin’s emotionless gray eyes. “The world will soon know that the Bishop of Light they revere actually has… the filthy bloodline of a lowly succubus!”

The light had never been so intense, illuminating the entire room. It was the holy light that washed away all sins.

Then he died.

Until the very last moment, he still did not see the wavering in the Bishop’s eyes that he had expected.

“Wow,” Tar said, simply expressing his regret. But Edwin suddenly looked at him at this moment. The demon had just retreated a little to make room for him, but their distance was still very close, especially at a scene of murder and silencing.

Before the demon’s eyes was the Great Archbishop, whose buttons were buttoned up to his collar, almost completely covering every inch of his skin.

His eyes were indifferent, like a thick gray fog, and he was written with asceticism from head to toe.

He looked completely unrelated to the word “succubus.”

But it wasn’t as if he had just found out. On the night the soul contract was established, he had clearly seen Edwin’s bloodline with his divine power. His father was an ordinary human, his mother a succubus. Their union must have been a mess, and Edwin’s birth was not expected by anyone.

The Bishop was now staring intently at Tar, as if waiting for him to express some opinion.

“I think…” The demon retracted his sharp horns. He looked soft and harmless, standing at ease at the scene of a murder, close to the murderer, with an air of having nothing to fear. “Edwin, you are a very remarkable human.”

This was obviously not the answer the Bishop had expected.

His usually composed and calm pupils constricted slightly. He gripped the scepter in his hand tighter, his lips pressed into a straight line. He now looked a little more fragile than at any moment when he had heard all those words.

Tar thought, probably no one had shared this secret with him before. Those who knew were either already dead by the Great Archbishop’s hand, or on their way to being regarded by him as a mortal enemy who must be killed.

And he himself was barely considered a friendly character.

The Bishop had not anticipated what it would be like to share a secret with someone, especially since this secret was so unsightly, like a curse that followed him everywhere. If it were exposed, probably no one would stand on the same side as him.

He didn’t want to walk with anyone either, only temporary allies and eternal opponents.

And then his soul was bound to a demon. He was forced to live with a stranger day and night, and now his most embarrassing secret had been revealed. No one had taught Edwin how to react. For the first time, he chose to escape, just waiting for Tar to speak.

The demon’s words were as sweet as the rose fragrance on him. His beautiful eyes made Edwin feel a sense of frustration at not being able to see through him for the first time, yet he spoke words of appreciation. “Before meeting you, I never thought there would be a human like you… hmm, a half-demon? You have successfully deceived everyone. This is an achievement that even a great devil cannot accomplish. As for bloodline, probably only you humans care about it. I don’t see any problem.”

“You’ve only lived for twenty years,” Tar sighed with emotion. “I think you have a promising future.”

“Enough,” Edwin stopped him from continuing, although he didn’t know why he felt so terrified of the words that would follow.

The Bishop unconsciously tugged at his collar. He lowered his eyes and glanced at the corpse on the ground. There was no unsightly and miserable state. The body of a person killed by Light magic was clean. He hesitated for a moment, then drew a blade from inside his boot and stabbed it into the gray-haired man’s chest.

Although it was only a superficial cover-up, this way it looked like a physical wound rather than a death caused by magic.

“Let’s go,” Edwin said, walking past Tar in front of him. The demon shrugged and followed behind him. The door creaked and wouldn’t close properly. The smell of blood wafted out from the room, but was frozen in a small area by the cold of the night.

They met the parish bishop on their way out. The old man’s face showed some surprise when he saw Edwin. This old man probably thought Edwin had already left, but did not expect to see him in the church again.

And the Bishop’s gray gaze stabbed him like a blade. It was a cold and decisive look.

“You know what to do.”

The Great Archbishop left this sentence and walked out of the church gate with his attendant, stepping into the silvery-white moonlight.

The old man stood where he was, somewhat at a loss, unconsciously fiddling with the rosary on his chest. But he had lived for so many years after all. Edwin had supported him to his position back then and held too many of his cruel secrets.

He knew very well what a terrible person Edwin was. Rumors were just rumors. If anyone could be successful in the upcoming struggle, he was more inclined to believe it was the Bishop, and could only place his bet on him.

So… he chose to obey.

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