Section Thirty: Commissioner Cummings and the Religious Reformer (Part Two)

When Helen rushed closer, she saw that the place where Mr. Martin had been giving his speech had become a scene of slaughter. Four grim-faced figures in robes were carrying out a massacre. Three wore gray robes, and one was clad in white trimmed with silver, bearing on his chest the emblem of the Rising Flame of Light. At least seven or eight of the commoners who had come to support Martin lay on the ground, but the true targets of the robed men were not them. The robed men aimed to kill Mr. Martin, and some impassioned citizens tried to stop them, which led to this tragedy. These four were professional executioners of the highest order—those who had fallen by their hands were enough to terrify anyone, including many labeled as Defiers of the Gods, some of whom were prominent figures of the continent. Occasionally, they were even dispatched to eliminate creatures from other realms, or to hunt down traitors within the Church itself.

Yes, these were the dreaded Adjudicators of the Tribunal, feared even within their own ranks. They had no authority to interfere directly in Church affairs unless a Church leader was proven to have violated doctrine or committed some transgression; yet, their power was immense. Above them was only His Excellency the High Inquisitor, who answered directly to the Pope. Not even the Cardinals of the Sacred College could command or interfere with the six enforcement squads of the Tribunal.

The Raven arrived a moment too late. By the time he got there, the four Tribunal squad members were already close to Martin. Though the Raven tried desperately to intervene, these four—three Enforcers and one Adjudicator—were formidable. Above them only stand the Inquisitors, and above even them, His Excellency the High Inquisitor.

The attackers belonged to the Third Enforcement Squad of the Tribunal, which had originally been dispatched to investigate a revolutionary group recently emerging in the southwest. There were reports the group harbored Defiers of the Gods, given their strange behavior, so the squad came to Randia for a brief rest before heading southwest to begin their investigation. If the reports proved true, they would take action. At this time, Archbishop Child was already troubled by Mr. Martin and knew he could not rely on Warrenheit to resolve the problem—at best, he would be ignored. So the Church mobilized its own forces, from bribed thugs to church enforcers who handled underground affairs, and even knights in disguise sent by Child himself—all efforts failed. Short of donning a mask and taking action himself, Child had done everything he could.

It was only then that he realized how troublesome the piece Warrenheit had set on the board truly was. Clearly, the other side intended to make a grand issue of this, and every day Martin remained was a threat to him. So, when the Third Enforcement Squad arrived, Child immediately reported Mr. Martin to the squad’s Inquisitor.

The experienced Adjudicator led the operation. When the Raven appeared, he instantly recognized him as the one who had recently disrupted the Church’s attempts to expel or assassinate Martin. The Enforcement Squad’s methods were very different from those of the Paladins. If Paladins, like Albert or perhaps Lind, encountered such a situation, they might consider confronting the opposition directly before moving to end Martin’s life. The Enforcement Squad, however, would always prioritize eliminating their target.

Thus, the Adjudicator immediately ordered two Enforcers to kill Martin, while he and another Enforcer moved to intercept the Raven.

When the Raven forced his way through, Martin was already lying in a pool of blood. Thankfully, a few passionate youths had used their own lives to momentarily hold off the Enforcers, so Martin was not yet dead. However, the silver scythe in the Enforcer’s hand had torn a massive wound in his chest, and blood poured out, quickly draining the color from his face.

At this point, the Enforcers’ brazen act of violence had alerted the city’s guards. In fact, Warrenheit had secretly instructed the guard to keep an eye on the area, but the Executioners had struck too swiftly.

The Third Enforcement Squad retreated quickly, but during their withdrawal, one Enforcer was unfortunately wounded by Helen’s furious water blade. He lagged behind and was riddled with bullets from the city guard’s muskets, yet his comrades still managed to carry his body away.

Before the operation, Archbishop Child had informed the Inquisitor that they were currently carrying out a special mission from the Pope, and that relations with Randia were extremely delicate. The Third Enforcement Squad had permission to execute Defiers of the Gods, but under no circumstances were they to jeopardize negotiations between the Church and Randia—otherwise, Child would appeal directly to His Holiness.

The Tribunal, of course, had no obligation to heed Child. Not only was he merely an Archbishop, but even Cardinals had no authority over the Tribunal, who answered only to the Pope or the High Inquisitor. Still, if the Pope’s special mission was at stake, they could not entirely ignore his warning.

The Raven watched Martin, who was hemorrhaging heavily, with a calm gaze. The scythe had clearly injured his heart—a grave wound. The Raven’s own healing magic could only reach the sixth tier—the boundary between intermediate and advanced magic. Yet the difference between the two was vast: Greater Healing was a seventh-tier white magic.

Nevertheless, the Raven used his intermediate healing spell. He knew it was unlikely to suffice, but he could not simply stand by and let Martin die—especially after Warrenheit’s request.

As expected, though Martin’s bleeding slowed, it could not be stopped. They could only watch his life ebb away, as angry and sorrowful people gathered around, calling Martin’s name.

The young reformer lay amidst corpses and blood, his lips turning pale, yet he slowly clenched his fist, parted his lips, and spoke softly: “Do not mourn for me. The more brutal and savage they become, the more it proves their weakness and fear. Believe me, I will not die. I am a true believer in the Lord of Radiance. I believe the Divine sees all things and will cast those who have sullied His truth into the fire!”

Martin’s words inspired everyone. The people raised their right hands and cheered. At this moment, the Church’s anger had reached its peak.

The Raven quietly cast another healing spell on Martin, but the effect was still minimal. At this rate, Martin would certainly die of heart failure within ten minutes.

“Try again!” a woman’s voice called.

The Raven recognized Helen’s voice and recalled her innate talent for water control. A thought struck him, and he concentrated once more, channeling white magic. This time, a miracle occurred. From behind him, another healing spell—imbued with similar energy—was cast. The two spells converged midair, merging into a stronger healing effect, pouring onto Martin’s wound.

This was not Greater Healing. It was the Raven’s most powerful intermediate healing spell, merged with Helen’s water-based healing magic, forcibly combined by her extraordinary talent for water manipulation. Though still not as effective as true Greater Healing, it was enough to temporarily halt Martin’s loss of life.

Only then did the Raven breathe a slight sigh of relief. The life of the religious reformer had been preserved—at least for now.