The Villain Carries the Holy Sword – Chapter 82.1

Chapter 82.1: Proof of Spring (4)

It was the time when the black sky of the night gradually receded, dyed indigo.

As expected of Mainus, where all the trains of Airian gathered, there were many shops brightly lit even in the middle of the night, with walls closing in.

Splashhhhhh━.

No, there were many.

Rain fell heavily through the night.

But gradually, even those lights went out.

Cain wasn’t used to the rain, as the Great Wall was a snowy field with constant snowfall. So he watched the brief shower for a while.

━I won’t just stand by and watch anymore.

The words Oleciren left behind as she boarded the train departing for the royal capital.

Sometimes, there are things you only realize after parting ways. Walking alone through the darkened streets of Mainus, Cain looked back at the Grand Central Station in the distance.

‘This is the first time I’ve walked alone like this.’

He had always been with someone else since coming to this timeline.

Vanderbilt, Abel, Oleciren…….

Cain, who had grown accustomed to being alone, now found it somewhat awkward.

However, walking through the city of darkness where he knew no one, he felt like he was regaining his past self.

Footstep━.

After walking for a long time like that.

He arrived in front of the grand cathedral, located in the heart of Mainus.

Unlike the city lights that were going out, the cathedral was lit up like a fortress.

Cain slightly raised his black umbrella, revealing his face to the two priests guarding the entrance of the cathedral.

“……!”

The eyes of the two, who stood silently as if guarding the cathedral from the encroaching night, widened.

Cain opened his mouth.

“I heard the door is always open.”

The information Barbetta possessed was important enough for him to come here instead of going to the royal capital Lindbloom with Oleciren.

“We’ve heard. Please come in.”

To them, ‘Cain Ethelred’ was an important person in many ways.

Cain looked up at the massive main gate as if a dragon had opened its jaws, then shook his head.

“No, thank you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Do I look like someone who would obediently enter without knowing what will happen to me inside?”

Cain’s cold words.

If you gather all the sanctity and worship of Airian in one place, this is it.

The eyes of the two priests narrowed, taking Cain’s words as blasphemy against their ‘light’.

Suppressing their emotions, they looked at each other for a moment before nodding.

The one on the right opened a small door next to the main gate and went inside.

Splashhhhhh━.

As the rain grew heavier and began to pierce through the black umbrella Cain was holding.

Creak, creak, creak━.

The massive main gate began to open.

From the gap, a light that seemed to turn even the night into day burst forth.

As Cain frowned and watched, an elderly man with a familiar face walked out.

“We are not a place without such cases.”

Archbishop of Airian, Nocho Barbetta.

The seasoned high priest who had summoned Cain, mentioning the inquisition.

He descended the 13 steps from the gate to the ground with a light step that belied his apparent age.

“I’ve heard as much.”

Hidden within Cain’s brief words was the implication that ‘I don’t know about that, though’. Archbishop Barbetta immediately picked up on it.

“If you’re uncomfortable coming inside, then let’s go outside.”

Step.

And the same ground as Cain, who had come down.

An old man and a young man.

After facing each other for a moment, the two headed towards the small three-story building that Cardinal Barbetta pointed to.

The lights were completely off, as befitting the late hour.

The first floor seemed to be used as a cafe and bakery, as the faint smell of baking bread and tea wafted in the air.

Click━.

With familiar movements, Archbishop Barbetta lifted a flowerpot placed next to the door. He then took out a small key and unlocked the door.

The interior was pitch black, as expected of the late hour.

Snap━!

But with a wave of his hand, the sparsely placed magic lamps and candles lit up all at once.

“My humble abode is not far from the cafe ahead, but what do you think?”

Cain looked around.

It seemed too well-used for a place that the Holy See would use as a puppet, but Barbetta’s actions seemed too natural for it to be a real cafe.

Sweep.

He pointed his finger at the empty seat in the middle.

Cain dusted off the rainwater from his shoes near the entrance and went inside.

“I don’t trust you, Archbishop.”

At Cain’s words, Barbetta, who was heading towards the counter where simple drinks could be made, let out a hearty laugh. Then, glancing sideways at Cain, he spoke in a playful voice.

“Just call me Barbetta or ‘Hey, Nocho!’”

“…….”

The Archbishop Barbetta he had seen at the Grand Central Station was a priest with firm convictions yet flexible when needed.

But the man he saw now seemed more like a kind, neighborhood grandpa who ran a cafe in front of his house.

As Cain remained silent at the stark contrast, Barbetta shrugged.

“The relationship between people stems from titles. If you call me Archbishop, I have to be the Archbishop, and if you call me Barbetta, I become Barbetta.”

“……Still, I don’t think ‘Hey, Nocho’ is appropriate.”

“That was a joke.”

Clatter━.

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