"That's the archbishop!"
"What happened to the archbishop?"
"Who did this?"
No one answered them. Red rode straight for the Lord's Manor, followed by fewer than sixty cavalrymen.
They had arrived with a hundred men. Now nearly half were gone, and that was only because Netero and the others had held back.
Bazel was already waiting at the entrance to the Lord's Manor.
He wore a dark robe, with the same gold rings still on his fingers.
Bazel's expression changed when he saw Ansel on Red's horse.
You can't die on my turf!
"Quick, carry him inside!" he told the servants beside him.
Two servants hurried over, lifted Ansel off the horse, and carried him briskly into the Lord's Manor.
Red dismounted and tossed the reins to a nearby guard.
He followed them inside, dried blood still staining his plate armor. It was the archbishop's.
In the hall, Ansel was laid on a long table. His eyes were half-open, his pupils unfocused.
Bazel stood beside the table, looking down at him. "Archbishop! Archbishop!"
Ansel's lips moved a few times, his voice barely audible.
Bazel leaned closer.
"The pope... tell the pope..." Ansel said. "Here... there are heretics... demigods... elven demigods..."
Bazel raised his head and looked at Red.
Ignoring Bazel, Red took out a communication crystal and contacted the Holy See.
"This is Red," he said. "I have an emergency to report to the Holy See."
A steady voice came from the crystal. "Speak."
"We discovered an elven settlement on the edge of the Magical Beast Forest. They have a demigod-level fighter who repelled the avatar of the God of Light summoned by Archbishop Ansel."
The crystal fell silent for a few seconds.
"The God of Light's avatar was repelled?" the voice repeated.
"Yes," Red said. "The archbishop was gravely