Seeing this, the middle-aged man was about to answer when a black barrier appeared, separating him from the other two.
We're done for.
The same thought flashed through the minds of all three people separated by the black barrier.
If their explanations did not match, they would certainly be dead.
For all their careful planning, they had never expected the archbishop to know these low-ranking cultists. Even they might not recognize those people without consulting the roster.
"Tell me, where are they?"
An utterly emotionless voice rang in their ears. Panic began to rise within all three, though they maintained respectful expressions.
After all, they had not been sentenced to death outright yet. If they guessed correctly, there might still be hope.
"They were executed for insubordination."
"They disappeared while gathering intelligence outside. Their bodies were never found."
"They were disloyal to My God, so they were refined to strengthen other cultists."
Three people, three different answers. The young man was now certain that something was wrong with all three. Even if they were not servants of an Outer God, they had certainly betrayed him in some way.
A group from the Corrupt Cult had sailed over from the Brizet Subcontinent some time ago. Although he had intercepted and killed some of them along the way, a few had escaped.
These three might have made contact with those outsiders. The cultists they had disposed of might have been connected to this matter.
Having reached a conclusion, the young man raised his hand and enveloped all three in purple mist without the slightest hesitation.
The middle-aged man, who had been waiting for the outcome, saw the purple mist spreading and was about to activate the contingency he had prepared, determined to spite the other man even in death, when his consciousness