The Villain Carries the Holy Sword – Chapter 72.1

Chapter 72.1: Spring Day in My Life (1)

Count Edmund Ethelred.

The one who doesn’t burn to death even when wielding the holy sword ‘Summer’.

For that reason alone, the clergy of the Holy See respected him.

However, there was a slight concern.

‘Wouldn’t a count from such an island nation be arrogant?’

It was essential for the dispatched clergy to have basic knowledge of their destination.

Compared to the continent, Airian had a rigid class system, and since he was a Sword Master, they were worried that he might act arrogantly with the Holy See behind him.

But that was a worry for nothing.

“Thank you.”

Edmund bowed his head lightly.

“Oh, no, you don’t have to!”

The young priest who brought the morning wash water was at a loss for words at his polite greeting, made the sign of the cross, and stepped back.

Edmund watched the child running away for a moment before starting to wash his face.

“He is a truly humble and taciturn man.”

Cardinal Mauro nodded his head as he watched him.

Next to him, the Archbishop of Airian, Nocho Barbetta, stroked his white beard.

“Indeed. Count Edmund is so rarely active unless it’s during the Northern Expedition, so this is our first time meeting him. Contrary to our worries, he seems to be a good person.”

A woman with rich blonde hair walked up behind the two standing side by side.

The two hurriedly greeted the Saint.

“All is with the light.”

Caterina bowed her head lightly and opened her mouth.

“The light is with us. He must be a good person. That’s why the holy sword ‘Summer’ doesn’t spew flames even in the hands of Lord Edmund.”

“As expected.”

Mauro nodded his head.

Wooong—.

However, Archbishop Barbetta, who had dedicated his entire life to the priesthood, drew a hand sign and created a barrier that prevented sound waves from escaping.

Then, turning his back on Edmund, he uttered a top-secret that only the Archbishop himself and his secretary could access.

“But, Saintess, you mustn’t trust Count Edmund too much.”

“…….”

Caterina’s expression turns cold.

From the perspective of someone who received a revelation from the Holy Crown ‘Autumn’ that Abel would become a hero and defeat the Demon King, and Cain would kill such Abel, she couldn’t look favorably on him who doubted the one chosen by ‘Summer’.

Barbeta had already anticipated the saint’s cold reaction when he spoke ill of Edmund, so he continued to speak resolutely.

“There are circumstances that suggest that Chloe, Count Edmund’s first wife, was a witch.”

“Archbishop Barbetta. Can you take responsibility for that?”

At Caterina’s words dripping with coldness, Barbetta shook his head.

“Since she was not judged by the witch trial, it is ‘circumstantial evidence’.”

“Then where is this woman named Chloe? If she’s near me, I can tell if she’s a witch, so I’ll check it myself.”

Archbishop Barbetta shook his head again and looked back. He looked at Edmund, who was washing his face alone, and said,

“She’s dead.”

“I’m disappointed that you would say such a thing when it cannot be verified.”

“But, no one has confirmed the body.”

“……?”

“We received an anonymous report that Chloe was a witch, and we were also troubled. How could we verify the wife of Edmund, a member of the seven noble families of Airia, and a Sword Master at that?”

As a Cardinal of the Holy Inquisition, Mauro nodded at Barbetta’s words.

Heretics were easier to deal with compared to witches.

No one knew how one became a witch, so even if they confidently went to catch a witch, they would hit a wall if the witch was strong or powerful.

“And there’s also Glumiêm in the North.”

Caterina also knew that the justice of the Holy See did not reach all corners of the world.

It was because they knew that if they were to subjugate Glumiêm right away, they would have to pay a huge price, and the direction of the Airian Kingdom would change completely, so they were just watching publicly.

Archbishop Barbetta continued speaking.

“That did not mean we could just sit back and watch. We secretly told Count Edmund that Chloe was suspected of being a witch and that I would visit her in person.”

Caterina and Mauro now realized why he was bringing this up.

It was not simply a matter of receiving an anonymous report that his first wife, Chloe, was a witch.

“The problem is that the next day, Count Edmund announced that Chloe had died. There was no funeral, and no body.”

It was circumstantial evidence in the truest sense of the word.

“You’re saying that Count Edmund might be harboring a witch.”

But it was a very suspicious circumstance.

Barbetta sighed deeply at Caterina’s words.

“Yes. I couldn’t bear to look any further, so I stopped right there.”

“Cardinal Mauro.”

“Yes, Saintess.”

“Were there any changes in the Airian region of the Lalangde Zodiac?”

In Henerali-fe, the capital of the Lateran Holy See, stood the grand, pure white Papal Palace.

And in the basement of the Papal Palace was the ‘Lalangde Zodiac’, which could track witches all over the world.

It was the twinkling of the Lalangde Zodiac that tracked the awakening of Oleciren.

It was the Holy Inquisition’s responsibility to track such changes.

Cardinal Mauro Senochok bowed his head.

“The Airian region is under the influence of the Elf Queen, so except for when a witch awakens, it doesn’t show up properly…….”

“I understand.”

Caterina turned her head slightly and looked past Barbeta’s shoulder at Edmund.

“Are there any children between this suspected witch and Edmund?”

Barbetta’s eyes sparkled.

This was the point he had been trying to get to by speaking in roundabout ways.

“Cain Ethelred, who is causing a stir in the Airian islands right now, is the son of Chloe and Edmund.”

On the other hand, Saintess Caterina’s eyes widened as if they would tear. It seemed she hadn’t expected to hear that name here, as she glared at Barbetta.

But she was able to regain her composure quickly as she remembered that he was Abel’s half-brother.

Then, after a moment of thought, she asked a question.

“Then if Lord Edmund hid the suspected witch, where is the most likely place?”

Barbetta pointed upwards.

Not to the sky, but to the North on the map.

“There is nowhere else but the forest of the northern elves. There is no way we would not have found out if it was anywhere else.”

Caterina turned her head towards Mauro.

“Saintess, the place Count Edmund is trying to go to is also the North.”

“Interesting.”

Caterina gave a cool smile that a marble sculpture might make.

She didn’t doubt the choice of the holy sword.

However, if he had been bewitched by a witch and was about to take a brief detour, it was her duty as a saint to correct him.

“We’ll find out once we go North.”

Barbetta and Mauro bowed their heads at the Saint’s decision.

Whooosh.

The wind blew.

Edmund glanced at the three of them and then walked in the opposite direction.

‘Did he hear?’

Caterina frowned at Edmund’s indifferent gaze that met hers for a moment.

She had clearly blocked the sound with a divine barrier of silence, but for some reason, his eyes seemed to know everything.

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