The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 119

“Aaaah, aaaaaaah!”

Hearing Cecilia’s painful scream, Ra-El swallowed hard.

If one had to pick the most important figure in the Order right now, everyone would choose Cecilia.

The Saintess of the Order, appearing after several hundred years, held such a position.

If she were to be in danger, the entire Order might be shaken.

“…Everyone, it’s a misunderstanding.”

Knowing this, Ra-El raised both hands, looking at the Silver Cross Knights surrounding him.

He understood that the current situation was ripe for misunderstanding.

But Ra-El had done nothing wrong.

Even the Silver Cross Knights, who knew that he usually behaved well, looked unsure of what to do.

“Ra-El, hyung-nim [older brother/respected friend]?”

At that moment, a trustworthy voice was heard from among the Silver Cross Knights.

Ra-El immediately looked at him and smiled.

“Hey, hey. Carlson. No, Sir Carlson! The Saintess suddenly started suffering… I didn’t do anything. You know that, right?”

“Of course. There’s no way hyung-nim would do anything strange to the Saintess. Hey! You there! Lower your swords and bring another Archbishop!”

“Yes, yes! Understood!”

At Carlson’s words, several Silver Cross Knights ran out of the room.

Ra-El watched them go, letting out a sigh of relief.

He had never felt this guy was so reliable as he did today.

“…What is going on?”

At that moment, a man walked into the room.

The knights who saw the Cardinal insignia on his chest simultaneously made the sign of the cross.

“Cardinal Angelo?”

“Sir Ra-El. It’s been a while. I heard a piercing scream from the Saintess’s private room. What happened?”

“I don’t know either. She suddenly started suffering…”

“Hmm. Did this happen when you were alone with Sir Ra-El?”

Angelo looked around.

There were no traces of anyone else having been in the room.

“That’s right.”

“I see. Then we must follow the Order’s regulations. I will have to detain Sir Ra-El for a while.”

“Excuse me? Cardinal! What are you talking about!”

It was Carlson who responded to Cardinal Angelo’s words.

However, Cardinal Angelo shook his head with a firm expression.

“Since a problem has occurred in the Order’s headquarters, we must follow the rules.”

“Cardinal! Sir Ra-El is an honorary knight of the Silver Cross Knights!”

“Sir Carlson. I am only following the rules. Silver Cross Knights, move.”

At Angelo’s words, the knights looked at each other and slowly moved.

They knew that Carlson and Ra-El were not bad people, but they could not disobey the Cardinal’s orders.

“Stop.”

At that moment, the Silver Cross Knights’ movements stopped at the low voice that echoed through the room.

Thud. Thud.

A holy knight exuding a powerful presence just by revealing himself.

The man with the massive battle-axe on his back was Marco, the commander of the Silver Cross Knights.

He frowned as he looked at the knights surrounding Ra-El.

“The Silver Cross Knights trying to detain an honorary knight! Does that even make sense!”

Marco scolded the knights, then turned his head.

He glared at Angelo with an unpleasant look.

“Cardinal Angelo. Isn’t this not the time to detain and interrogate Ra-El? Shouldn’t we check on the Saintess’s condition first?”

“I was only following the Order’s rules. An incident occurred within the Order’s headquarters, and if a person involved is suspected, detaining them comes first.”

“Ra-El is not resisting at all. What reason is there to detain him?”

Marco stared at Angelo for a moment, then turned to check on the Saintess.

“Ugh, ugh… Ah, ah…”

The Saintess was still clutching her head, enduring the pain.

Marco raised his hand towards her.

Whoosh-!

Light began to emanate from Marco’s body, pouring out tremendous divine power.

The light that spread throughout the room in an instant enveloped Cecilia’s body.

With it, her expression began to ease little by little.

“Holy Domain…”

One of the knights muttered.

The Holy Domain that strengthens holy knights just by touching the light.

It also had tremendous effects on treating the injured.

“Ugh…”

“Saintess. Are you alright?”

Marco looked at the Saintess as she slowly opened her eyes.

She blinked and turned her head, looking around.

“Ah, ah… what just happened?”

Cecilia looked at the knights surrounding her and turned her head, seemingly flustered.

‘While you were talking alone with Sir Ra-El in the room, the Saintess’s scream was suddenly heard. When I arrived in the room, the Saintess was screaming in pain. Did Sir Ra-El do anything to harm the Saintess?’

“Oh, no. Sir Ra-El didn’t do anything to me. Maybe the scream was… um, I’ve had a headache for a while now. I think that’s the cause.”

“…Is that so.”

Hearing the Saintess’s words, Marco stared intently at Angelo.

Only then did Angelo make the sign of the cross and bow his head.

“Gaia Men [God’s Will]. I apologize. Sir Ra-El. I made a mistake.”

“…It’s alright. Cardinal Angelo.”

Ra-El looked at Angelo and felt a strange sense of awkwardness.

“I was only following the rules, so I hope you won’t hold it against me.”

Angelo apologized several times and left the room.

Commander Marco watched him until his figure disappeared.

*

Cecilia decided to rest in the Order’s infirmary to check for any possible abnormalities in her body, and Ra-El and Carlson followed Commander Marco to the headquarters of the Silver Cross Knights.

“Ra-El hyung-nim. What on earth is going on?”

“Haa… I’m telling you.”

Ra-El looked at Carlson and sighed.

He had only briefly touched Cecilia’s divine power to check the brainwashing, but an enormous reaction had come back.

‘It must be a device to prevent the brainwashing from being detected.’

Ra-El recalled the divine power of another person within Cecilia’s body.

If that was the brainwashing placed on Cecilia, and there was a trigger that made her suffer when it was discovered, then everything made sense.

‘The culprit must be close enough to fix the brainwashing as soon as a problem arises.’

This incident revealed that there was a culprit within the Order.

If they could approach the Saintess at will, the culprit would be narrowed down to a handful of people.

“Ra-El.”

At that moment, Marco called out to Ra-El, who was deep in thought.

“…Commander Marco.”

“I apologize on behalf of the Order. I’m sorry this happened. Have a cup of tea and calm down. Carlson, I brought one for you too.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you!”

Ra-El took the tea that Marco gave him and took a deep breath.

Every day was becoming unnecessarily complicated, and it was giving him a headache.

“Ra-El, I told you before, if you need my help, I will help you with anything.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“It seems like that time has come. I will help you with anything I can.”

Marco looked at Ra-El and Carlson.

The two of them, trusting each other, were the future of the Silver Cross Knights.

Marco had to protect them for the sake of the Order.

‘Cardinal Angelo…’

Marco recalled Cardinal Angelo’s appearance a moment ago.

Unlike Cardinal Bernardo, he was a person who worked hard for the development of the Order.

That’s why Marco respected him as a person, but the demeanor he had shown just now was different from usual.

Instead of taking care of the suffering Saintess first, he tried to detain Ra-El, who had no intention of resisting.

If it had been the original him, he would have clearly considered the order of things calmly before detaining Ra-El.

That kind of attitude was not like Angelo.

“I don’t know what happened with the Saintess, but if there’s a problem, I’ll help you.”

Ra-El nodded at Marco’s serious face.

Ra-El put the teacup on the table and looked at Marco.

“Please keep the story you are about to hear a secret.”

Ra-El slowly began to speak.

It was the story of the brainwashing that the Saintess had been subjected to.

The question was whether he could trust Commander Marco, but he was basically a good person.

That was the case in the original work, and he was a good person based on Ra-El’s actual experience.

‘Even if he’s a trustworthy person, that doesn’t mean I should trust him right away…’

But he couldn’t suspect everyone.

If he had to suspect everyone, he couldn’t trust Lucas or Carlson, let alone Ghent or Reina.

All Ra-El could do was trust Marco, who had shown trust first, and observe his reaction.

Ra-El continued to speak while watching Marco.

He focused on natural reactions, gaze, and breathing that he wouldn’t be able to recognize.

“Brain, brainwashing?”

Carlson swallowed at the sudden words.

For the Saintess, of all people, to be brainwashed, this was a serious incident.

“…Brainwashing, you say?”

Crack.

Marco, who had heard Ra-El’s story, also bit his lip.

The teacup he was holding shattered into powder.

Marco’s face turned red as he waited for Ra-El’s next words.

“Yes. The Saintess made remarks that disregarded commoners. She became strange right after becoming a Saintess.”

“I know the Saintess’s correct values well. If there had been any disqualifications in that area, she wouldn’t have been appointed as a Saintess so quickly.”

Marco respected the Saintess.

She, who gave equal love to everyone, was truly the one who would become the future of the Gaia Order.

“Before the Saintess’s appointment ceremony begins, I will go directly to see His Holiness the Pope.”

Marco said as if making a vow after hearing Ra-El’s story.

Only His Holiness the Pope had contacted the Saintess after she finished her long prayers.

Moreover, Cardinal Angelo, who had shown strange behavior today, was the cardinal closest to the Pope.

“Excuse me? But… I can’t be sure who the culprit is either.”

“Yes. That’s why I have to go myself.”

Marco gripped his battle-axe tightly.

As the commander of the Silver Cross Knights, it was not difficult for him to face the Pope alone.

“Ra-El. Come find me again in two days. If my condition is strange at that time, you will be able to recognize the culprit. If I seem to be brainwashed, request a sparring match with me. Using the Holy Domain will erase all brainwashing.”

Marco said that, but he hoped that nothing would happen.

He loved the Gaia Order so much.

“…Yes. I understand.”

Ra-El nodded.

But for some reason, he had a bad feeling.

*

The slum in District 5.

Zenith leisurely looked at the newspaper and lifted his teacup.

“Is this peace?”

After the Yongbong Guild, which had made the Empire noisy, ended, it was the first time in a long time that he felt peace.

He had lived fiercely, growing the Beggars organization, and now it was time to rest.

‘Even if I’m just a figurehead… I should be satisfied with that much.’

When he thought about it, being able to drink tea so leisurely was a great development.

Just a few months ago, the slum was really a place where beggars gathered.

Now that Ra-El had reorganized the organization and the God of War he brought had developed the organization.

Now, the Beggars had become the Empire’s best information guild.

“This kind of life is enough for me.”

Fortunately, the God of War was considerate of Zenith, who was Ra-El’s friend.

Thanks to that, now that the huge event called the Yongbong Guild had ended, he was spending his time leisurely.

“I hope it will be like this in the future.”

Zenith smiled faintly and lifted the kettle to pour tea into his teacup.

Bang-!

And at that moment, Zenith’s door opened.

“Haa… annoying.”

Ra-El, who came into the room, immediately snatched Zenith’s teacup and poured it into his mouth.

He was just coming from the Order after meeting the Saintess and having a serious conversation with Marco.

If Marco became strange when he visited the Order in two days, he would feel terrible.

“Ra-El! Why are you being such a jerk as soon as you show your face after a long time!”

Zenith shouted, looking at the axis of evil that had shattered his peace.

“Zenith ajusshi [term of respect for an older man]. I’m screwed. Huh? I’m completely screwed, my golden lifeline is screwed!”

Ra-El slammed the table in anger.

Then the table, which was half cracked, creaked and screamed.

Zenith, who saw this, was startled and changed the subject.

“I heard you were at the Order… what happened? Did the Pope even revoke your honorary knighthood?”

“Pope! Right! Damn it. No, Cheonma [Demon God]! The Pope’s name is Cheonma! How can the Pope’s name be Cheonma!”

At Zenith’s words, Ra-El remembered the Pope’s name, which he had forgotten.

It was ridiculous for the Pope to use the name Cheonma.

“Ra-El. Cheonma is His Holiness the Pope’s name, and calling him Cheonma Seongha [Holy Cheonma] is ignorant. By the way, what’s wrong with His Holiness the Pope’s name? Why are you suddenly talking about something obvious…”

“Damn it! You knew that the Pope was Cheonma? You knew that and didn’t tell me?”

“Why, why are you doing this to me again!”

Ra-El grabbed Zenith by the collar and shook him back and forth.

He was already angry, but when he brought up the Pope’s story, his head ached even more.

“Y, you bastard. Chief of the Beggars! How could you do this!”

“His illness has relapsed again! Damn it!”

Zenith made a tearful face and shook his body back and forth.

When that crazy bastard called him the Chief of the Beggars, it was best to just leave him alone.

“…No. That’s not the problem. Let’s forget about the Pope’s name for now.”

Ra-El, who had finished venting his anger appropriately, threw Zenith aside and fell into thought.

Why had he come all the way here?

It was to entrust the investigation of the Order to him.

“Ajusshi. Please investigate something about the Order.”

“The Order? If it’s about Cardinal Bernardo’s scandals, there are quite a few…”

Zenith dusted off his clothes and sat back down.

“Not that kind of thing that everyone knows. Please summarize and bring me information mainly about the Pope Cheonma.”

The Pope Cheonma of the Gaia Order.

He would meet him at the Saintess’s appointment ceremony, so he had to find out information about him before that.

“The Pope? I don’t have much information, but… I’ll try.”

“Yes. And… could you investigate whether the Order has done anything strange in the past?”

“The past? What do you mean?”

“Not that long ago, maybe around 10 years. They must have done something strange that hasn’t been revealed to people.”

There were more than one or two things to investigate about the Order.

The brainwashed Saintess was an immediate problem, but before that, there was also the matter of the Demon King.

‘He definitely said that he smelled the Order from the Demon King.’

Ra-El did not forget that Vermeil III had smelled the Order from the Demon King.

Originally, he was going to ask the Saintess or Commander Marco directly, but it didn’t seem like a good idea to find information from within the Order right now.

‘If I give Cardinal Bernardo money, he might keep quiet… but that person doesn’t seem capable.’

He probably doesn’t know much either.

Even if Ra-El was the Pope, he wouldn’t entrust important matters to such a person.

“If it’s about the Order’s affairs that haven’t been revealed to people, I have a guess.”

At that time, a woman who had appeared from somewhere answered Ra-El’s words.

Ra-El turned his head towards the direction of the answer.

“Clara? Do you know something?”

The God of War, Clara.

She had somehow appeared in Zenith’s room.

“I heard it vaguely from a nobleman I used to be close with.”

She answered Ra-El’s words and sat next to Ra-El.

“A nobleman? Then can you find out more details?”

“Unfortunately, I can’t. He’s dead. To be exact, he was executed.”

“Executed?”

“Yeah. They say it was treason, but in my opinion, it was an absurd false charge. But they didn’t even give him a chance to properly explain and killed the entire family.”

At her words, Ra-El also recalled past memories.

When he was in the guard, he had heard that quite a few nobles had died for treason for a while.

“Before he died, I found out something through the curse of the God of War. It’s information that I’ve never told anyone because there’s no place in the Empire that opposes the Gaia Order.”

“…What is it?”

Ra-El unconsciously swallowed at Clara’s serious expression.

The words that came out of her mouth soon exceeded Ra-El’s imagination.

“Human experimentation targeting commoners.”