The Villain

Cheers rang out as Bishop Mofu of the Holy Church Coalition in Pato City strode onto the hastily erected altar. He raised the monster's head Dave had brought back and smiled. "Praise the gods!"

After a brief silence, cheers erupted from every direction. The townspeople could barely contain themselves. Rumors of a man-eating monster outside the city had kept them awake for nights, and now one of the creatures that had brutally killed four young students was nothing but a head, held aloft by their revered bishop.

It was a tremendous boost to the townspeople's spirits.

And Dave had personally confirmed that, apart from the two Crimson Ridge Beasts already slain, there were no other threats outside the city. The news could hardly have been better!

"Praise the gods!"

"Praise the gods!"

The Holy Church Coalition's influence in this small city was immense. Its clergy had spent years healing the sick and saving lives, and the knight academy everyone took pride in had been founded with its help. Nearly everyone here worshipped the gods of the Holy Church Coalition. Praising their glory now was only natural.

No one noticed the mockery lurking in Lange's smile as he stood quietly behind the city lord. Nor did anyone notice the puddle at his feet, slowly soaking into the ground.

Even if they had seen it, they would probably have assumed the chief steward had wet himself from excitement and made him the subject of gossip for days to come.

No one would have guessed it was the Waters of the Gods meant to baptize their "hero"...

"There was once a young man," Bishop Mofu began, speaking as casually as if he were chatting with neighbors. "He lost his happy home as a child and grew up alone in the church. Though many devout believers kept him company, you could hardly call it a joyful childhood."

The crowd gradually fell silent.

"Praise the gods. That tragedy left no lasting shadow over the boy." Moff smiled at Dave. "He grew up healthy and strong."

A few people quietly shed tears, though whether those tears were sincere was anyone's guess.

"His name is Dave. Dave Sager." The bishop extended a hand toward Dave below the altar. "He was a second-year student at Pading Knight Academy and a devout follower of the God of Courage and Justice. Yesterday, he was named a provisional temple knight and went alone beyond the city walls to face the vicious killers. Come here, my child. Let everyone see you."

Dave walked up beside Bishop Mofu with a bashful smile.

"And today!" The bishop took Dave's right hand. "He is God-Blessed. His character and faith have won everyone's recognition. He deserves to be honored!"

"He's our hero!" City Lord Naji bellowed. Then he scratched his neck in confusion and grinned foolishly at the townspeople cheering along with him.

The bishop grew solemn and spoke gently to Dave. "Your god is watching you. Kneel, my child."

Dave obediently knelt on one knee.

"What you have done honors your conscience, your god, and the companions who went before you," Moff said with a smile. "So I believe you can bear a greater honor. Will you accept it?"

"I will." Dave nodded firmly. "To prevent more tragedies, for every innocent person, and for my own faith."

A burly young priest came clanking over and respectfully presented a crystal vial to Bishop Mofu. Under his breath, he muttered, "By the gods, I'm fucking jealous."

About half the square heard him...

The bishop pretended he hadn't. Smiling, he accepted the vial of "Waters of the Gods" and declared, "Then I shall bestow upon you..."

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Deafening bells rang out, accompanied by laughter thick with mockery.

"You'll bestow on him the honor of a knight of the Holy Church!" a voice called from somewhere above, not far away. "And let this beast, suspected of premeditated murder, laugh his head off at those blind gods of yours!"

The square erupted. Everyone froze, then voices rose in a tremendous clamor. Who would dare slander their new "hero" and the gods above?

"Who?" Bishop Mofu shouted, his face dark. "Who dares blaspheme in public?"

"Over there! On the bell tower!"

Someone sharp-eyed had spotted a figure in white.

Everyone looked up.

"Good afternoon, everyone." Mo Tan stood atop the bell tower beside the great square, at the very center of Pato City. He swept off an imaginary hat in greeting. "Delighted to provide a little entertainment."

Moff stared at him coldly. "In the name of the gods, do you know what you're saying?"

"Of course." Mo Tan rested his chin on his right hand. A magical mark Ledo had placed on his white glove amplified his voice. "Those gods you're always flattering under one pretext or another will thank me. After all, I'm about to bring down a heretic with a bright future."

Dave snapped his head up and shouted, "Who are you calling a heretic?"

"Oh, so you like chatting on your knees." Mo Tan spread his hands, his eyes cold and vicious. "I mean you, of course, Sager. Getting your academy companions killed is rather at odds with being a follower of the God of Courage and Justice, isn't it?"

Everyone stared. What was this half-crazed man talking about?

Getting his academy companions killed?

Dave Sager?

What the hell?

"Nonsense!" Dave sprang up, his face livid. "You're questioning the sacred faith of a man who has devoted everything to his god!"

"No, no." Mo Tan shook his head. "I'm questioning whether someone hit you very hard on the head. I'm not questioning your faith, though we'll get to that later. For now..."

High on the bell tower, his white robe dancing in the breeze, he grinned wickedly. "Let's talk about how you sent your two adorable pets to kill Rona Moonshine, stabbed Lada Dona through the heart yourself, and thought you'd killed Cole Shulen and Ai Fanye, a cleric of the Holy Church Coalition."

The four names, now familiar to everyone, sent a shock through the crowd. They were members of the Warm Sun Squad—the very companions Dave had supposedly gone alone to avenge!

What was that man saying?

Dave had gotten them killed?

"Outrageous lies!" Bishop Mofu's beard bristled with anger. "Temple warriors! Seize him—"

"Wait!" To everyone's surprise, the man being smeared cut him off. "I'm willing to confront him!"

It really is him!

Dave spoke with righteous conviction, but his face had gone pale. He was almost certain this was the man he had met in the woods. He had told Lange about that encounter as soon as he returned. After questioning Dave closely about their conversation, the chief steward—far more calculating than Dave—had prepared several backup plans. Dave hadn't expected to need them.

"I'd like to know what evidence you have for these accusations." Dave looked up at Mo Tan. "If this is merely a prank, I'm willing to forgive you personally. But you must still answer for insulting the gods. Face me in a duel, one on one!"

That's the spirit! A real man!

The onlookers were beside themselves, and even the bishop gave an approving smile.

Unlike Dave, none of them knew how strong Mo Tan was.

But...

"Evidence?" Mo Tan nodded. "I already told you. Two of the four people you tried to kill are still alive. I happened to save them. As for a prank..."

He turned his back on Dave and clasped his hands behind him.

Then he let out a loud fart.

The snap came from a tiny air bladder he had crushed in his sleeve, and the amplifying mark carried it across the entire square.

"That was a prank." Mo Tan turned back with a grin and wagged a finger. "What I said before wasn't."

An eerie silence lasted several seconds...

"You!" Dave finally caught his breath. "If you really saved my companions, where are they?"

If Lange was right, this man had said those two were as good as dead. They probably couldn't come forward to testify yet. Dave only had to get through today. Once everything was settled, whatever came later could be handled.

And sure enough...

"They're not well enough to come out yet," Mo Tan said with a soft laugh. "So you're going to deny everything?"

The crowd erupted again. People were already shouting things like "Kill him!"

Dave shook his head instead. "I have nothing to deny. Exposing your malice and lies won't be difficult."

He stepped forward and said to Bishop Mofu, "Please allow my baptism to take place early. His lies will fall apart at once!"

The bishop caught on immediately. Stroking his beard, he chuckled. "Very well. Let everyone bear witness alongside the gods."

Mo Tan, however, took half a step back and pointed at the crystal vial in Moff's hand. "Th-that's..."

"Waters of the Gods," Dave said grimly. "I follow the God of Courage and Justice. If I had truly committed the vile acts you describe, divine punishment should already have struck me down. At the very least, this baptism would punish me for coming before my god defiled. But if you're lying..."

He knelt before Bishop Mofu and closed his eyes. "Then once I become a true temple knight, I will punish you!"

"Wait!" Mo Tan cried, his face pale. "Wait! I... I haven't finished speaking!"

But no one was willing to wait for him...

Dave looked steady as a rock, though panic churned inside him. He lowered his head, signaling Moff to begin.

The sacred Waters of the Gods spilled from the crystal vial, soaking Dave's hair and running down his temples...

"My god will favor me..."

In the next instant, hymns seemed to sound. White light threaded with streaks of red flared around Dave—the divine radiance unique to Heimel, the God of Courage and Justice!

At the same time, a crimson emblem of a sword and scales appeared behind him. Seconds later, it sank into his body.

The bandages fell from his hand. His badly injured arm had healed completely, and even the scars still on his face began to fade...

God-Blessed!

A God-Blessed, the likes of whom appeared only once in a century!

Cheers exploded from every corner of the square. The crowd went wild. They felt as though they were witnessing history. No one had expected Dave's baptism to reveal every sign of the God-Blessed...

It was the sort of thing that happened only in stories!

"Praise the gods!" Bishop Mofu cried. "Praise all the gods!"

Dave smiled too, unable to contain his joy.

Lange smiled even more broadly. As he did, he watched the white-robed man on the bell tower like a snake eyeing a fool dancing onstage.

"No!" Mo Tan clutched his cheeks, looking utterly distraught. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this! I... I still have something to say! Yes... yes, I haven't finished!"

"Scoundrel!" the chief steward roared. "You've had your chance!"

Lange stepped onto the altar and addressed the square. "Forgive me for overstepping, my dear people, but what have you just witnessed?"

"God-Blessed!"

"Yes, God-Blessed!" Lange nodded. "And more than that. He eliminated the threat outside our city! He kept us safe! Am I right?"

"Yes!"

"That's right, Lord Lange!"

"Yes! Yes!"

The crowd answered with a roar.

"Even while still recovering from serious wounds, he thought only of avenging his companions with his own hands!" Lange declared, his voice ringing with emotion. "And he succeeded. The gods themselves have recognized him!"

Dave and Lange exchanged smiles.

"He is our hero! Pato City's hero, and a hero and example to countless students of Pading Knight Academy!" Lange shouted. "Am I right?"

"Yes!"

The townspeople answered in a frenzy.

More often than not, they were so easy to sway, so quick to change sides. So endearing. So... foolish...

"And our hero," Lange said mournfully, "is being slandered and hurt by a blasphemous villain. Can we forgive that man?"

"No!"

Mo Tan's face grew paler still...

"Soldiers!" Lange swept out an arm. "Seize him!"

"Temple warriors!" Bishop Mofu chimed in, unwilling to be left out. "Go!"

At once, seven or eight city guards and three temple warriors drew their weapons and rushed toward the bell tower, urged on by the crowd's roars. They meant to make the defeated villain pay.

But then...

Clang! Boom!

Two tremendous crashes burst from beneath the bell tower. The men at the front went flying back like kites with severed strings and slammed into the ground.

"What's the rush?" A disheveled middle-aged man in blood-red heavy armor strolled out from beneath the tower. "The man said he wasn't finished talking."

Two enormous hammers crashed to the ground, gouging pits in the thick salt-crystal paving.

"That's right..."

Mo Tan, whose face had been deathly pale a moment ago, suddenly flashed a wicked grin from the bell tower. "I haven't finished speaking."

He snapped his fingers.

"Little Ai! Give our 'hero' another wash."