Let There Be Light in Deharem Mansion (3)

Fear was one thing. Giving in to it was another.

Landis had come to Deharem Mansion believing its master to be a terrible evil. After marching all this way, he could not simply retreat.

He clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes.

“If you thought the possibility of injury would make us leave, you're mistaken, Viscount Theorad. The red belts my brothers and I wear are a sign of the blood we are prepared to shed.”

His gaze hardened.

“Even if it costs us our lives, we will fight.”

Those were no empty words. The knights of the Holy See had set aside the ordinary pursuits of life to devote themselves to destroying demons.

At their commander's declaration, the paladins straightened. Their faces showed the determination of men willing to die for their faith.

Theorad looked from one to another, then nodded with evident resignation.

“I see. You really do know everything.”

The calm reply only made Landis angrier.

He steadied his breath before speaking.

“If I didn't know the danger, I would never have come.”

“Of course. They say you're the right hand of Karatias, the God of Light. Your reputation certainly isn't exaggerated.”

Is he mocking me?

A vein stood out on Landis's forehead.

“Do not speak the name of the God of Light. Someone like you has no right to utter it.”

“What? I only meant…”

Theorad could not understand the objection. Priests and ordinary believers invoked the deity's name all the time. As far as he knew, none of the divine commandments forbade it.

People at the Holy See can be remarkably strict.

He had no idea Landis regarded him as a servant of evil.

Still, the man was a holy knight and commander. There was no point arguing over a form of address.

“You're right. I spoke too lightly. Returning to the problem, then… Sir Landis, you've come to resolve what's happening in my mansion?”

“Yes. Even if I must give my life.”

“I suppose I can't stop you if you're that determined.”

Theorad pushed back his chair and stood.

Landis leaped to his feet as well, one hand flying to the scabbard at his side.

He was preparing for an unexpected attack.

Theorad stared at him, bewildered.

What on earth is he doing?

He could think of no reason, but decided not to interfere. Another objection would only make the conversation more awkward.

He cleared his throat.

“Sir Beynon!”

Beynon, still leaning against the wall, straightened.

The formal address sounded strange in Theorad's mouth. He seldom used his household knight's title in private. Beynon seemed to find it faintly amusing, but his answer was proper enough.

“Yes, my lord.”

“I'm going to take the paladins into the courtyard to carry out their duty. Guard this room while we're gone.”

“Guard the room?”

“Keep an eye on the servants. Don't let anyone come outside.”

“What?”

Beynon couldn't see the sense in it.

When trouble threatened a lord, a household knight was supposed to stay at his side. Yet Theorad was sending him away from the very people who might pose a danger.

“You want me to stay here and protect the staff?”

“It's an order.”

There was nothing Beynon could say to that.

He scratched his cheek, sighed, and nodded. Whatever misunderstanding had brought the paladins here, the young master evidently intended to deal with it himself.

“Understood. I'll make sure no one leaves the drawing room.”

“Thank you. Now, Sir Landis…”

Theorad turned with an easy smile.

Landis's unease deepened. He kept his sword sheathed, however. The other party had suggested changing locations, and his sense of chivalry told him to hear the proposal out.

“If you wouldn't mind following me, I can show you what you've come for.”

“What we've come for…?”

“Yes. But please be careful if it comes to fighting. There's no need to establish who's stronger. I'd much rather resolve this through discussion.”

Landis couldn't make sense of the warning.

Nevertheless, he nodded. Learning what Theorad intended was more important than arguing with him here.

---

“There she is.”

Theorad whispered from behind a column in the corridor.

Landis and his paladins followed the direction of his pointing hand.

There was an elf in the courtyard.

Her silver hair fell to her waist. Her lashes were long and neat, and her clear eyes glittered like jewels. She was crouching beside the flower garden, watching butterflies with the absent interest of a child.

What is he trying to show us?

Landis frowned.

Theorad seemed to take his silence as understanding.

“I'll go first. Follow me. And please remember—don't start a fight. I want to settle this by talking.”

Why would anyone need to fight such a delicate-looking elf?

Landis watched Theorad walk toward her, his doubts only multiplying.

“For now…”

He turned to the paladins awaiting his orders.

“Let's do as he asks.”

The knights followed him into the courtyard.

“…Yes. The chief chamberlain looked exhausted, so I helped him back to his room…”

The elf was speaking with Theorad when she noticed their approach.

At the sight of their bright armor and swords imbued with divine power, her expression soured.

The Pope's hounds.

She had crossed paths with paladins long ago, during the wars against the Church, and killed many of them. The memory left her with little affection for their kind.

In those days, they had been fanatics who demanded blood in the name of a faith she considered false.

She had hoped to avoid dealing with them again.

Instead, here they were, standing in the middle of Deharem Mansion.

“Master, we have visitors.”

She dusted off her skirt and rose.

Her red eyes narrowed as she studied the armored men. Landis, unaware of who she really was, thought the suspicious look almost charming.

He rested a hand on his sword hilt and turned to Theorad.

“Well? What did you want to say?”

“…What do you mean?”

Theorad's face clouded.

Hadn't Landis said he understood everything about the elf?

“Didn't you tell me you knew all about the matter?”

“Of course I do.”

“That's why I brought you here. I was hoping your strength might allow me to speak with her on equal terms.”

Landis went still.

He wants to use us against this elf?

Everything he'd heard suggested that Theorad was the source of the evil in the mansion. Now the young noble appeared to be casting the blame on a helpless slave.

How dare he make fools of the Knights of Balance!

Landis drew his sword.

“THEORAD DEHAREM!”

His roar filled the courtyard. Taking it as their signal, the other paladins unsheathed their weapons and assumed fighting stances.

“The Holy See has declared you a heretic! Did you think you could escape judgment by blaming someone else?”

“H-Heresy?”

Theorad stared in shock.

All his life he had tried to live by the commandments of the God of Light. How could the Holy See consider him a heretic?

“Please, calm down. There's been some misunderstanding…”

“There is no misunderstanding! By order of the Holy See, confess your sins and prostrate yourself!”

Cold sweat broke out on Theorad's face. He could find no words that made sense of the accusation.

Beside him, the elf watched the exchange with a growing headache.

Why have they declared Theorad a heretic?

She considered the matter and remembered Leviham, the parish bishop she had tormented before sending him away.

Perhaps he'd returned to his parish badly shaken. Another priest might have noticed something amiss and reported it to higher authorities.

If those authorities had extracted Leviham's memories and forwarded them to the Holy See, the misunderstanding would make perfect sense.

How troublesome.

She should have dealt with the loose end more carefully.

But what could she do about the paladins now?

Kill them?

It wouldn't be particularly difficult, although the effort would be tiresome. Theorad, however, would be horrified.

Frighten them into leaving?

That wasn't much better. Her treatment of the bishop and the inquisitor had probably created this problem in the first place.

If she sent these knights home terrified, the Holy See might examine their memories as well. Theorad would face even more suspicion.

In the worst case, the Church itself might become an enemy, sending high-ranking clergy and the full strength of its holy knights against Deharem Mansion.

Hmm.

Only one option remained.

I didn't want to imitate anyone else…

The elf sighed and snapped her fingers.

Light fell into the courtyard like a meteor and burst outward.

“—!”

Landis and the paladins squeezed their eyes shut.

The light was too brilliant to look at. It filled the courtyard, drowning out every familiar shape.

“What—!”

“What is this?”

“Oh, God…!”

Cries rang out from every direction.

Only when the brightness began to fade could Landis raise his head.

He gasped.

The sight before him scarcely belonged to the world he knew.

The elf floated above the ground. Behind her back, vast wings made of light unfurled and moved gently. A ring of radiance hovered over her head, and her whole figure shone against a brilliant halo.

A miracle…?

Landis could do nothing but stare.

“It's been a long time.”

Her voice rang across the courtyard, majestic enough to confirm his growing suspicion.

One by one, the paladins lowered their weapons and fell to their knees.

The elf hovered above them with her hands clasped before her chest. She opened her eyes slowly.

They had changed from red to gold.

Looking down on the kneeling knights, she prepared to speak as though she were the God of Light herself.

“My apostles.”