TBR CH43

Bishop Edwin was carrying out his weekly parish visit.

The coachman, a volunteer serving the church, tightened the reins in his hands. The black horse stomped its hooves twice before coming to a steady stop.

The bishop stepped down from the carriage, his meticulously fastened deep purple robe buttoned up to the collar, looking completely out of place in the noisy surroundings.

Chaos and disorder—these were the defining traits of the Wadding District. It was like a tattered patch on the royal capital, clashing sharply with the bright and orderly lives of the wealthy. Here, drunkards and gamblers blocked the road in welcome, while slums and illicit businesses thrived in the backstreets.

The authorities merely turned a blind eye.

There were always people who fell into poverty for all sorts of reasons—who would truly reach into their own pockets to improve their lives?

Most people, upon seeing the bishop’s scepter, quickly lowered their heads and hurried past him. Order here was well defined, with status determined by strength.

The church Edwin had come to inspect was on the western side of Wadding District. It could hardly be called thriving, but it wasn’t in complete ruin either.

Clerics could wield light magic to protect themselves—or to threaten others. That alone ensured their standard of living remained above most.

Perhaps that wasn’t exactly a good thing. Even the coachman was reluctant to come here. As a volunteer serving the church, he was at least from the middle class or higher, and thus held greater respect for the bishop’s work.

Yet, in places like these, Archbishop Edwin treated all equally, spreading the word of God among them.

The coachman rubbed his eyes as he sighed, feeling as though something wasn’t quite right.

Right behind the bishop, his assistant had jumped down from the carriage as well—someone the coachman was certain he had never seen before.

The assistant wore the church’s garb and lifted his gaze slightly to glance at him. For a brief moment, the coachman thought he saw a flicker of red in his eyes. And then, just like that, his previous thoughts vanished without a trace.

“Keep up,” Edwin said, striding toward the church entrance not far ahead.

The priests here were an ineffectual bunch—there was little risk of them seeing through Tal’s disguise.

Yet, as the demon stepped through the black iron doors of the church, he hesitated for just a fraction of a second.

It was barely noticeable, and soon his expression returned to its usual calm.

But did Edwin truly not notice?

The bishop stopped a little ahead, waiting for him to catch up. The welcoming priests quickly approached, and the local bishop promptly invited Edwin inside for a discussion.

As an assistant, Tal’s only duty was to record their conversation.

In reality, there was little worth recording—just the usual platitudes about the blessings of the God of Light. Edwin hadn’t expected him to actually write anything down either.

As the meticulous discussion went on, the god of darkness grew bored and began looking for amusement.

Edwin sat at the farthest end of the room, with Tal positioned directly behind him. Silently, the demon reached out and poked the bishop’s back.

No reaction—not even a change in tone.

The others in the room, obstructed by the bishop’s figure, did not notice what his assistant was doing behind him.

So Tal grew bolder. He touched Edwin’s robe. The fabric was of fine silk, smooth and cool to the touch.

Edwin was already steering the conversation toward its conclusion. The local bishop nodded submissively, responding with words that felt like a waste of time—but such was the nature of his duties.

Then, he felt it—the demon’s finger poking his back.

Not just that. Maintaining his outward composure, Edwin keenly sensed the demon beginning to write on his back.

No one had ever been this close to him before, making his sense of touch far more heightened than he had expected.

Tal’s script was an elegant flourish of cursive, each stroke tracing smooth arcs across his back. The sensation sent an electric tingle rippling through his muscles, strung tight like a bowstring poised to release.

Even so, Edwin remained composed, his gaze steady upon his conversation partner. Perhaps the gray in his eyes had deepened slightly, but no one would notice. His voice was as level as ever, as if everything remained firmly within his grasp.

As he spoke his formal, lofty words, his mind pieced together the letters the demon traced on his back:

“I’m so bored.”

I shouldn’t have brought him. Edwin thought.

As Tal’s final stroke landed, Edwin finally spoke the parting words to the local bishop:

“That will be all. Thank you for your cooperation. I would like to tour the church now, so I shall not trouble you further.”

With that, he turned his gaze toward the demon.

“Tal, organize the notes, then come with me.”

The demon retracted his hand—much faster than a falling meteor. As the district bishop’s gaze landed on Tal in response to Edwin’s words, all he saw before him was a young and unremarkable clerical scribe, his eyes slightly flustered, as if caught off guard by the bishop’s sudden command.

“No rush, no rush.”

He couldn’t help but offer some reassurance, sighing inwardly. Working under Bishop Edwin must not have been easy.

“In that case, I’ll have one of my clerics show you around…”

Edwin politely waited for him to finish speaking before smiling and declining the offer:

“I once worked at this church as well, so I’m quite familiar with it. I only need to take a brief walk through the church with my assistant. You can understand—I just want to reminisce a little. There’s no need to assign someone to accompany me.”

Though Edwin’s tone remained gentle and courteous, the district bishop could still feel the pressure of authority emanating from the archbishop.

He had no grounds to refuse. After all, as an aging man who had managed to secure control over the Wadin Church, he owed much of his position to Edwin’s past support.

Archbishop Edwin had once served as a high-ranking priest in this region, before he officially assumed his current position here.

That chapter of the past was like an insignificant starting point on his path to promotion, something even the current district bishop had nearly forgotten.

He was so young, yet already held such high office.

“You…”

Stepping out of the room, Edwin turned his head, intending to say something to Tal, but found himself at a loss.

The demon, upon stepping into the fresh outdoor air, immediately shook off the unwillingness he had shown while being made to stand inside. His pupils momentarily flickered into a deep rose-red under the soft evening glow before returning to the innocent black of a human’s as he looked at the bishop.

In his hand, he clutched a crumpled parchment, though it was unclear if he had actually written anything on it.

Edwin ultimately added a stern statement:

“Do not touch me without permission.”

“Oh.”

Unexpectedly, Tal did not argue, accepting the request without objection.

“So, where are we going now, Bishop? You didn’t come here just to take me sightseeing, did you?”

Of course not.

Edwin quickened his pace significantly. As he moved through the church, it became evident that he was truly familiar with the place. Soon, he led them beyond the public areas, venturing deeper into the church’s hidden recesses.

The sky darkened further. If there was any conspiracy at play, this was the perfect time for it.

By now, there were no clerics in sight. At the rear of the grand structure, Edwin stopped before a dull gray door.

The door was grimy, well-used. From inside, Tal could hear the bubbling sound of boiling water.

Edwin reached out unhurriedly and knocked a few times.

His hands were those of someone who lived in comfort. Even when using light magic, he relied on his staff, unlike knights whose palms were calloused from training. Using such hands to knock on such a door—it struck the demon as a waste.

The door swung open quickly. The man who answered was hunched, with gray hair and the appearance of an oversized rat, shifty-eyed and anxious.

The moment he saw Edwin, he panicked and almost slammed the door shut.

Edwin didn’t move, but Tal did. The demon reached out, holding the door open, tilting his head as he offered a friendly smile.

“Hello,” he said. “Our bishop is looking for you. It wouldn’t be very polite to close the door now, would it?”

The door didn’t budge.

Realizing he couldn’t shut them out, the gray-haired man turned and bolted into the room.

Tal glanced at Edwin and saw the certainty in his expression. He understood—this man had no real chance of escape. He was merely struggling in vain.

Lowering his eyes, the bishop stepped inside the cluttered room, his golden-threaded boots looking entirely out of place.

He walked lightly and deliberately. Tal released his grip on the doorframe and followed him in.

The demon’s first observation was the kettle nearly boiling over on the fire. He casually removed it, setting it on the table and extinguishing the flames—doubting whether the man would get the chance to do it himself.

As he placed the kettle down, he noticed a few things on the table that seemed out of place in the otherwise shabby room.

For instance—

A bag of gleaming gold coins.

In the farthest corner, the man curled up, trembling in terror, like a sinner suddenly confronted with judgment. Edwin, too, noticed the coins. He let out a soft chuckle—whether at himself or someone else was unclear.

“This is the price for betraying me?”

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

“I already know.”

The bishop’s voice carried an unnatural magnetism, compelling listeners to focus on his words.

“You were there that day. I never noticed it—an oversight on my part.”

Tal casually pulled up a chair beside the table and sat down to watch the scene unfold.

His eyes gleamed a pomegranate red—the look he had when he found something entertaining. Hearing the scrape of the chair, Edwin turned to glance at him. In the bishop’s gray eyes, Tal’s reflection appeared briefly before he turned away again.

“When was it, I wonder?”

Edwin’s voice remained calm, but there was a hint of restrained cruelty beneath it. He seemed to be seriously contemplating the question before the trembling man.

“I thought only the nun, the bishop, and the physician were present, but I forgot about you—a parasite living in the church’s shadows, sneaking into the sanctuary under the cover of night to steal offerings… You must have seen everything, didn’t you? After I lost consciousness.”

“No, no—”

The man clutched his head, trying to argue but managing only incoherent denials, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Edwin slowly placed his palm on the bishop’s staff, and the ruby embedded in it immediately came to life, glowing like crystallized pigeon’s blood.

At the same moment, the gray-haired man began to scream.

Unfortunately, Edwin’s barrier ensured that the sound would not leave this room. This secluded space, hidden deep within the church, was not a place where anyone would come.

Without a doubt, the bishop was using torture.

A private execution.

This violated the kingdom’s laws.

But even the man, crying out in agony, knew that compared to the identity of the person before him, the law was insignificant. He shrank into the dust-covered floor, his hair stained with dirt and grime.

He shrieked for mercy.

“I’ll tell you everything! I’ll tell you everything! Please, Bishop, I saw it—I really saw it!”

“What did you see?”

Even now, the bishop’s voice remained steady. Tal, fascinated by the unfolding scene, suddenly caught Edwin’s gaze.

Midway through speaking, Edwin unexpectedly turned and stared at the demon for a moment.

Tal hesitated before flashing him an encouraging smile.

The bishop showed no particular reaction.

He turned back, lowered his eyes again, and repeated his question:

“What did you see?”

“I saw…”

Under the unbearable pain and terror, the gray-haired man stammered, desperate to confess everything.

“At the time, the nun and the bishop ordered the physician to keep… keep draining your blood. I had only come to the sanctuary to take something, but when I saw it, I—I tried to stop them, Bishop, you have to believe me.”

Though Tal couldn’t see Edwin’s eyes from behind, he could imagine the bishop’s expression.

“Oh?”

The bishop’s hand lifted slightly from the ruby.

The man on the floor clung to the only hope he had left, crawling toward Edwin, reaching out in trembling desperation to touch the tip of his shoe, as if begging for forgiveness.

But the bishop easily stepped aside.

“I only want testimony.”

“Yes, yes,” the man babbled.

“I saw the bishop and the nun draining the blood of a boy… My god, it looked like an execution. The blood kept flowing, it wouldn’t stop—the boy had already passed out, no, he was nearly dead.”

Edwin remained silent.

The man hesitated before continuing.

“Then… then I asked the bishop, what if the boy actually died? And he said…”

The gray-haired man hesitantly interrupted his speech, as if afraid to continue? But Edwin’s still expressionless face gave him a bit of reassurance. He faithfully repeated the exact words he had heard back then:

“Better off dead. In the eyes of God? There is no room for even the slightest flaw. This child’s death is not worth mourning.”

What an absolutely brilliant statement. Tal already felt that this trip was more than worth it and was listening with great interest. Edwin, however, once again placed his hand on the ruby scepter. The sudden pain made the gray-haired man collapse to the ground.

“No need? to say? any more,” the bishop said softly. “I have heard all of this before. What I am asking is—what did you do?”

“I…”

The dim light in the room reflected off his murky eyes. His eyeballs rolled slightly as he endured the pain and flattered,

“Of course, I tried to stop them, but, as you know, that was the diocesan bishop. How could I have possibly—”

He sounded guilty, so much so that even Tal knew he was lying.

This man could never have gone against the will of a powerful authority figure. The role he actually played was probably that of an executioner assisting in murder. And now, Edwin had not died after all—he was standing right in front of him, alive and well.

“Bishop,”

The gray-haired man was still trying to argue,

“This has nothing to do with me. You can’t pin this on me, I beg you…”

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

Edwin had remained expressionless until now, but at this moment, he suddenly smiled slightly. Tal, listening behind him, automatically emphasized the word “kill” in his mind. That man must have heard the same blood-soaked emphasis.

He curled up on the ground, clutching his body in agony, as a deep sense of regret surged in his heart.

Just a few days ago, a man in a black cloak had approached him.

At the time, he was gambling away stolen goods in the lowest-level casino of Wadding District, once again losing everything he had stolen. He was so addicted that he was about to gamble away his own life.

At a moment of life and death, he had no choice but to resort to desperate measures, loudly proclaiming that he held a secret about the current Archbishop Edwin—though he had once sworn to keep that secret buried in his heart forever.

The bystanders sneered at his last-ditch struggle before death. Only one hooded man in a black robe stepped forward and paid off his gambling debts.

But that man told him that if his words failed to satisfy him, crushing him would be as easy as crushing an ant.

Of course, he chose to spill everything about what had happened back then. The black-robed man even came to the church later, asking him for more details and giving him a bag of gold coins as payment.

How foolish.

Only now did the gray-haired man finally wake up from his delusion. How had he ever thought he could simply walk away unscathed?

Ever since Edwin left Wadding Cathedral, the diocesan bishop and the nun who had once been responsible for his upbringing had both died under mysterious circumstances. And that doctor—his name had never been heard again.

“Any last words?”

The bishop skipped over all the meaningless chatter and looked down at him, asking the question directly.

“I…”

The rat-like man finally realized there was nowhere left to run. In the last moment of his life, as if suddenly enlightened by some divine inspiration, he thought of words that might threaten Edwin. Desperately, he shouted:

“That black-robed man, he… he will come back. He will definitely know that you were the one who killed me. And, and even if you kill me now, it won’t do you any good. Instead, it will only confirm that the rumors about you are true!”

“By then, you will have no room for denial—unless you keep me alive. I—I can testify for you, stand on your side.”

“Enough,”

Edwin had grown tired of his words—Tal could hear it.

That man, trembling in fear, suddenly saw him behind the bishop. Tal’s current appearance was relatively harmless, apart from the slightly unusual color of his eyes.

A man on the brink of death had no time to be picky. Shaking, he reached out a hand toward him for help, having run out of any other options.

“My, my,”

The demon jumped down from his chair and walked up to Edwin’s side.

The bishop’s inorganic gray eyes stared at him in silence. If not for the fact that Tal knew the bishop could not harm him due to their contract, he would have thought that Edwin might snap at any moment and kill him as well.

In the dim light, the red hue in the demon’s eyes swirled and melted. His inhuman beast-like pupils gradually emerged, and sharp horns sprouted from his head.

This entire transformation was reflected clearly in the terrified eyes of the man who had, just a second ago, been reaching out to him for help.

Tal saw the gray-haired man’s hand freeze instantly.

He spoke in a mock-serious tone:

“Are you asking me for help? Human, you’ve got sharp eyes. Who knows, maybe if I make a move, it would be less painful than what our dear bishop would do to you.”

Edwin shot him a warning look.

“How unfortunate,”

Tal knowingly stepped back behind the bishop but still smiled as he added,

“It seems you don’t have that kind of luck.”

Well, this was the end of the road. After all, the bishop had come here tonight to silence him.

His fingers traced over the ruby atop the scepter. The staff, symbolizing the Light Church’s authority, began to shine with dazzling brilliance. That light carried an undeniable sense of divine power, embodying both glorious bloodshed and the death that purified all.

There was a saying on the continent—that those who were about to die, no matter how vile their past words and deeds, could always utter a few good words before the end.

The gray-haired man was clearly not the type to speak eloquently. Death was already breathing down his neck, yet his final words to the world were a curse upon Edwin.

“They have found your real father,”

His face twisted as he pointed at Edwin’s emotionless gray eyes.

“Soon, the world will know that the revered Archbishop of Light actually has… the filthy bloodline of a lowly incubus!”

The light had never shone so intensely, illuminating the entire room. It was the holy radiance that washed away all sins.

Then he died.

Even in his final moment, he never saw any trace of hesitation in the bishop’s eyes.

“Wow,”

Tal said, purely as an exclamation, but Edwin suddenly turned his gaze toward him.

The demon had stepped back slightly to give him space earlier, but they were still very close—especially in this place, where a murder had just taken place.

Standing before him was the bishop, whose buttons were fastened all the way to his collar, covering almost every inch of his skin.

His eyes were indifferent, like dense gray fog, his entire being exuding an air of abstinence.

He looked entirely unrelated to the words “incubus.”

But Tal already knew. On the night they formed their soul contract, he had used divine power to clearly see Edwin’s bloodline. His father was an ordinary human, and his mother was a incubus. Their union must have been a complete mess, and Edwin’s birth was unwanted by anyone.

Now, the bishop was staring intently at Tal, as if waiting for his opinion.

“I think…”

The demon retracted his sharp horns, appearing soft and harmless as he stood at the crime scene, comfortably close to the murderer, exuding an air of unshakable confidence.

“Edwin, you are a remarkable human being.”

That was clearly not the response the bishop had been expecting.

His ever-composed pupils shrank slightly, his grip on the scepter tightening, and his lips pressing into a thin line. At this moment, he seemed more vulnerable than when he had heard all those words earlier.

Tal thought—perhaps no one had ever shared this secret with him before. Those who knew were either already dead by the bishop’s hand or on their way to becoming his sworn enemies.

And Tal, for now, was barely an ally.

The bishop had never imagined what it would be like to share his secret with someone. Especially a secret so shameful, like a curse that followed him everywhere. If it were exposed, no one would stand by his side.

He never wanted to stand beside anyone anyway—there were only temporary allies and eternal foes.

Then, he was bound by a soul contract to a demon, forced to live with a stranger day and night, and now, that stranger had uncovered his most disgraceful secret.

No one had taught Edwin how to react to this. For the first time, he chose to avoid it, waiting for Tal to speak.

The demon’s voice, like his rose-scented presence, was sweet and intoxicating. His beautiful eyes made Edwin feel, for the first time, an unreadable sense of defeat.

“In all my life, I never imagined there would be a human like you… or, well, a half-demon?” Tal mused. “You successfully deceived everyone. That is an achievement even the greatest devils cannot accomplish. As for bloodlines—only you humans care about that. I don’t see a problem at all.”

“You’re only twenty years old.”

Tal remarked. “I think you have a brilliant future ahead of you.”

“Enough.”

Edwin cut him off, though he himself didn’t understand why he felt so unsettled.

The bishop unconsciously tugged at his collar. Lowering his eyes, he glanced at the corpse on the ground. There was nothing gruesome about it—those killed by Light magic left behind clean, unblemished bodies. He hesitated for a moment, then pulled a blade from the inner side of his sleeve boot and stabbed it into the gray-haired man’s chest.

Though merely a superficial cover-up, this made it appear as if the wound was a physical injury rather than a death caused by magic.

“Let’s go,” Edwin said, stepping past Tal and heading out. The demon shrugged and followed behind him. The door creaked as it failed to close properly, and the scent of blood seeped into the air, only to be frozen in place by the chill of the night.

As they left, they encountered the district bishop. The elderly man’s face showed surprise upon seeing Edwin—he must have thought Edwin had long since departed and did not expect to see him again within the church.

Yet the archbishop’s gray eyes slashed across him like a blade, cold and resolute.

“You know what to do.”

Leaving behind these words, the archbishop walked past him with his attendant, stepping into the silver-white moonlight outside the church doors.

The old man stood frozen, at a loss, unconsciously rolling the prayer beads in his fingers. But he had lived long enough to understand. Edwin had once helped him rise to power and knew too many of his dark secrets.

He was well aware of how terrifying Edwin was. Rumors were just rumors, after all. If anyone could emerge victorious in the struggles ahead, he was inclined to believe it would be the archbishop. There was no other choice but to place his bet on him.

And so…

He chose to obey.