Chapter 548: Chapter 547 Unsolved Historical Issues

“Ding… Ding…”

The melodious sound of bells echoed in the sky, with the whole Holy City enveloped in the glow of the setting sun. In the distance, one could see petals scattering in the wind, as well as Pegasus Knights sweeping across the air. Of course, the most eye-catching sight was that of the metal behemoth, appearing and disappearing atop the clouds.

“Ah…”

A hunched figure leaned on a chair, lifting his head with a perplexed look in his eyes as he gazed at everything before him, only to let out a long sigh. It was laden with infinite frustration and sorrow. Compared to the bustling and festive scene around, this place seemed to be shrouded in shadow, a dark land utterly abandoned by the gods.

Just like him.

Brand closed his eyes, the once highly esteemed Knight Captain in the Sanctuary, now completely transformed into another person. His full head of golden hair had turned dull and yellow, resembling the withering weeds of autumn, and his once meticulously kept hairstyle was now a messy tangle, looking much like a bird’s nest. Although the clothes he wore were still somewhat lavish, the stains on them revealed that they had not been washed in a long time.

For Brand, his current days were nothing short of hell.

Since that nightmarish winter last year, Brand’s life had been utterly changed: his daughter met a tragic death, and his Holy Sword and power had been revoked by the Goddess. Furthermore, following that event, Brand was placed under house arrest by the Sanctuary, after all, he had attacked an Angel in full view of everyone during the New Year’s festival and attempted to harm a Holy Spirit Knight. No matter what, the Sanctuary had to provide a resolution.

Although Brand’s actions were provoked, the matter was of great significance. What mattered more was the Sanctuary’s consideration of Fang Zheng’s attitude–regrettably, the master simply took off, preventing the Sanctuary from even having the chance to use Brand as a Letter of Credence to demonstrate loyalty.

In the end, under the Pope’s orders, the Sanctuary had to act impartially. They stripped Brand of his title as Knight Captain and withdrew all the privileges that came with it. However, the Sanctuary didn’t go to extremes: aside from making Brand move out of the inner district of the Holy City, nobody took the opportunity to do anything else to him.

Even so, Brand suffered a great blow. Although the Sanctuary didn’t charge him with “colluding with heresy,” the incident was exploited by various cults afterward, leading to Brand’s reputation steadily worsening within the Holy City. He had many friends, but when it came to faith, everyone’s stance was firm.

Moreover, Brand’s actions at the time weren’t entirely blameless; he had been overbearing and even tried to inflict serious harm on Fang Zheng. Everyone saw these things, and the Sanctuary couldn’t whitewash it even if they wanted to. If they dared to claim that Holy Knight Brand was just a bit hot-tempered but at heart still good… well, the Goddess might just manifest and tear down their abode.

Whether the Goddess would do that, the Sanctuary didn’t know, but it was an irrefutable fact that the Goddess had taken back the Blade of Justice and power she had bestowed upon Brand, which clearly indicated her stance. So the Sanctuary, as the spokesperson for the Goddess, couldn’t possibly go against her, could it?

In such a situation, it was as if when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter–Brand’s Attendants and household staff, nearly all devout Believers, ran off as soon as they heard that Brand had been branded a heretic by the Sanctuary. In just a few days, they were gone. Brand, disillusioned, packed up some of his belongings and left his former home, finding a place to stay in an outer district of the city at random.

Since then, Brand had spent each day drowning in wine. These days, he had been so groggy that he had no idea how much time had passed… Not that he cared.

“Haah…”

Brand reached out to pick up the wine bottle on the table to pour himself another glass, but perhaps because he had had too much to drink, his hand trembled slightly, causing the wine bottle to sway, and the wine to spill over the table. He gripped the bottle tightly, trying to pour the wine into the glass, but after several failed attempts, he roared in anger and hurled the bottle at the wall beside him.

But the unfortunate bottle didn’t shatter into pieces; instead, a hand that emerged from the dark shadows silently caught the bottle and gently placed it back on the table. At the same time, a giggling sound came from the darkness.

“Look at this, how pathetic. The once Blade of Justice is now nothing but an old man who can’t even hold a bottle steady…”

“I’ve told you so many times, get out of my house!”

Brand glared vehemently at that figure, reaching out to his side to draw his weapon. It was only after grasping at nothing did he remember that his weapon was long gone.

“Huhuhu…”

Watching Brand’s actions, the shadowy figure chuckled again.

“You weren’t like this in bed before, Father…”

“Don’t call me that!”

Upon hearing this, Brand’s face instantly turned pale, he stood up, stumbled backward, and leaned against the wall, his face ashen as if he had seen some terrible Demon Creature.

“I’m truly surprised as well,” Connie said. “I never expected the renowned Blade of Justice to have such thoughts and desires for his own daughter. Is this why you fell from grace? It seems the Goddess truly has an all-seeing eye. If we allow someone like you to remain in the Sanctuary, who knows when disaster might strike? What would the Sanctuary become then?”

“Stop, stop talking… Not like this! It’s you…”

“Really, Master Father…?”

The slender figure approached Brand, extending a hand to caress his face as though touching a lover.

“Are you sure this isn’t what you wanted? If it wasn’t, why didn’t you stop then? You were quite rough then, Master Father, so relentless… filling me up until my belly swelled. I remember exactly how you cried out then. Shall I repeat it for you?”

“…Shut up…”

“…Oh, my dear daughter, how I love you, I’ve finally possessed you, you’re mine, I love you, let me take you with me to experience the bliss of Heaven…”

“…Shut up!!”

Brand roared furiously, a surge of energy emanating from him, forcing the shadow to step back. However, the shadow did not show anger; instead, she laughed once again.

“Truly, you do not disappoint as a former Knight Captain; your strength is remarkable even though you’ve been stripped of your Holy Power…”

“Stop mocking me; I’ve made up my mind.”

This time, Brand let out a long sigh.

“I’ll join, all right? I’ll join. Damn it, I never thought I would see the day I’d fall into Hell… So, if I do join Hell, can you really guarantee to bring Connie’s soul back?”

“Of course.”

The shadow giggled.

“The might of my master is not something you, a mere Paladin confined to the Main Dimension, can fathom. It should be your honor that something like you caught my lord’s interest. Don’t think too highly of yourself just because you’ve served the Goddess. The battles in Hell are beyond your wildest imagination. Before that though, there’s something I need you to do… to prove your resolve and will.”

“…What is it?”

“Simple.”

While speaking, the shadow extended a hand, placing a dirty dagger on the table. The sheath was tangled with unruly threads, and even the hilt appeared as though corroded by flesh and fused with the metal.

“You might know that tonight the Sanctuary is hosting a banquet to celebrate their great victory in the Northlands, and the legendary Savior will attend. What I need you to do is to blend into the banquet and find an opportunity to draw this dagger in his presence… Don’t worry, it’s marked with my master’s seal, and the Temple’s detection spells won’t notice its presence.”

“…”

Staring at the dagger before him, Brand remained silent, while the shadow nudged the dagger closer toward him.

“What are you hesitating for? Don’t forget who brought you to this state. Trust me, we only target that one individual… We can enter into a contract; you should know we devils are very good at keeping our promises.”

“…I understand.”

Hearing this, Brand reached out and took the dagger.

“Leave this matter to me.”