"Corruption, corruption!"
"The Gods are crying out, demanding that we cleanse ourselves!"
"The dark, long winter is upon us, to wipe away the sins of this world!"
"The queen lives in the magnificent Red Keep, but where is the king?!"
"The queen has filled this place with fear, while the king uses our flesh and blood to glorify evil..."
At Cobbler's Square, the crowd gathered beneath the wooden platform to watch the excitement. Their astonishment turned to terror, and the air around them instantly froze.
Before long, an old septon hurried over with several Gold Cloaks, led by a few sharp-eyed boys and girls.
The people nearby hastily made way, seemingly afraid of being implicated by the man on the platform.
After passing through the crowd, the old septon pointed at the platform. "Heretic!"
The moment his words fell, the Gold Cloaks rushed up and roughly shackled the man.
"Corrupt... trai—"
Before he could shout again, a Gold Cloak's iron-gauntleted fist slammed into his mouth, spraying blood everywhere.
The Gold Cloaks led the criminal away, while the old septon took candies from his bag and kindly handed them to the children who had led the way. "May The Gods bless you..."
The surrounding crowd watched all this numbly, as though they had long grown accustomed to such scenes.
After handing out the last candy, the old septon's withered hand rubbed each child's fluffy little head in turn.
"Good. Very good, good children. The merciful Gods will bless you..."
The wind mussed the children's hair, only for the old septon's palm to smooth it down one by one, as if he had done so hundreds or thousands of times before.
Hearing the praise, the boys and girls giggled.
The old septon slowly straightened up, his aged and gentle voice rising. "The