Snap! Snap!
The cold iron chains scraped against the bluestone floor, producing crisp sounds.
Evan was led into the Inquisition’s prison, his hands bound with specially crafted shackles.
“Such a young brat!”
“Hehehe!”
“I bet he won’t survive a single day here!”
“Give him to me! Give him to me!”
…
Numerous filthy black hands stretched out from behind the iron bars, as many prisoners cackled together.
Even though Evan had mentally prepared himself for such a situation, he still couldn’t help but feel a chill in his heart.
“Hey! Kid, what crime did you commit?”
A prisoner asked with a wink.
“I have committed no crime. I am a paladin of our Lord!”
Evan replied loudly.
“A paladin… Hehe…”
One of the black-robed priests escorting him suddenly sneered: “Do you think being a paladin is so rare? Let me tell you, the Inquisition has judged no fewer than a dozen paladins, not to mention many more priests! The people locked up here might be just like you.”
“What?”
Previously, Evan had only heard and seen the bright side of the Church. Now, suddenly exposed to the darkness within the Inquisition, he felt a profound inner shock: “Oh, my Lord…”
“God is great; He has no time to concern Himself with worldly affairs…”
Another priest laughed indifferently beside him: “In fact, some paladins and priests retained their divine blessings right up until they were sent to the stake, still servants of our Lord. But what did it matter? They were still secretly executed.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a tight grip on his wrist.
Evan had grabbed his wrist, his eyes burning like flames: “To distort the teachings of the faith and persecute other divinely favored individuals—don’t you fear divine punishment?”
“Divine punishment?”
The black-cloaked priest smiled: “Ever since the previous Church fled into the divine realm during the End Times, we believers remaining in the mortal world have already been abandoned!”
“So that’s what you truly believe!”
Evan seemed to understand something: “Although the Church has left, the true God has not forsaken us. The appearance of paladins and priests now proves this very point, doesn’t it?”
“Hehe, what a faithful paladin you are! I hope you can still be so bold after you’re sent to the stake!”
The black-cloaked priest gazed at him pityingly: “Daring to harm Lord Duward…”
“Haha! Kid, you’ve got guts!”
A hearty laugh suddenly echoed from inside the prison nearby: “Too bad you didn’t put in a bit more effort and just kill him outright…”
“I swear, next time I definitely will!”
Evan gritted his teeth.
“You still think there will be a next time?”
The black-cloaked priest sneered coldly, pushed Evan into a cell, and slammed the heavy door shut.
Bang!
The iron door closed tightly. The surroundings were dimly lit, filled with a foul stench and dampness, making it extremely difficult to endure.
In such an environment, an ordinary person might fall ill after just a few nights, and few could survive half a year.
Even though Evan was already a paladin, his body having been transformed by divine power, he still felt weak and uncomfortable.
After all, the Inquisition, which judged paladins and priests, surely had measures prepared against them.
Evan’s cell was specially designed. A hidden array beneath it activated automatically, suppressing supernatural powers. At his meager paladin level, Evan was barely better than an ordinary person at this moment.
“Judgment? The stake?”
At this point, no matter how well-prepared Evan had been, he couldn’t help feeling some inner panic.
“God of Redemption, forgive my fear!”
He knelt down involuntarily and began to pray: “Even if I die by fire, my soul shall journey to my Lord’s domain and attain eternal life…”
“Hehe! Kid, it’s rare to see a paladin like you these days!”
Just then, the cheerful voice from the neighboring cell spoke again: “And even rarer to see a rookie like you—just promoted?”
“Who are you?”
Evan approached the iron door, trying hard to peer through the viewing window, but saw nothing.
“Me… I was once a paladin myself!”
The voice sighed: “After successfully advancing, I joined the Church and lived quite well for a while. Unfortunately, the current Pope Jay is too ambitious. I merely expressed slight dissatisfaction with his alterations to the doctrines, grumbled a bit, and ended up locked away here…”
“I see…”
In Evan’s heart, if the Inquisition were all villains, then those imprisoned here should be the good guys, right? Especially considering the speaker had been a paladin, albeit a former one…
“Wait… former?”
Evan asked incredulously.
“That’s right…”
The voice carried bitterness: “Ever since I was imprisoned here, I began to question the God of Redemption. You can see the result yourself…”
For priests and paladins, wavering faith was a serious threat to their very foundation.
Especially after being stripped of divine favor as a priest or paladin, it essentially meant they had abandoned their faith.
“Quite ironic, isn’t it?”
The voice continued: “When they were first captured, these priests and paladins were innocent. But once their faith wavered and their divine powers were stripped away, the Inquisition’s accusations against them became justified!”
“Therefore, this place is also known as the ‘graveyard of faith.’ I sincerely hope you can endure it…”
…
“Graveyard of faith?”
Evan immediately understood.
Humans are fickle, especially in despair. Non-believers can become devout followers, and devout followers can likewise abandon their faith when faced with hopelessness.
Once these priests and paladins actually did so, the Inquisition would have no qualms about judging them.
“If that’s the case, then, Uncle, you…”
“I’ve held on until now, but controlling one’s mind is extremely difficult, especially in this environment…”
The other person answered bitterly: “Perhaps tonight, I’ll be heading to the stake alongside you!”
“The stake…”
At the mention of this, Evan felt no confidence at all.
Initially, he was confident that Sir Robin would come to rescue him, and his offense wasn’t considered a major crime.
But since entering this prison, he realized he had been too naive.
To those in power, did the severity of his crime really matter?
Look at all these paladins and priests—weren’t they also executed after having false charges fabricated against them?
A deep sense of despair immediately enveloped Evan’s heart.
Now he finally began to understand why this prison was called the “graveyard of faith.”
“Dinner time!”
As the outside light dimmed, a hoarse voice echoed outside the prison.
The iron door opened slightly, and a few roasted ginseng roots and a cup of water were pushed inside.
“Enjoy your last meal, kid!”
The jailer’s voice was mocking, and his footsteps gradually faded away.
Evan looked at the murky water, filled with suspicious floating matter, and the ginseng roots, which were blackened and half-burnt, emitting a foul stench. He had no appetite at all.
“Damn it!”
A feeling of irritation overtook his mind, causing him to grab the ginseng root and hurl it furiously against the door.
Plop!
The roasted ginseng root shattered, revealing a small slip of paper inside.
“Hmm?”
Evan picked it up and discovered a line of tiny writing: “Pure faith, I will come to rescue you!”
“It must be Sir Robin!”
At that moment, Evan was so grateful that tears streamed down his face, and he felt ashamed of his earlier wavering faith.
The interrogation came unusually early.
Almost immediately after dinner, Evan was escorted out by two solemn-faced black-cloaked priests and brought to a temple.
“Judge Gandolf, Commander Robin, and… the Pope?”
When Evan saw these people, his heart sank.
Regardless, using such an imposing lineup against him was clearly overkill.
“Your Holiness!”
He saluted Pope Jay.
“You are Evan, recently become a paladin of our Lord, yet on the very same day you injured many innocent mortals and abused the divine power granted by our Lord?”
Pope Jay asked in a calm voice: “Is that correct?”
“No!”
Evan stood up abruptly, straightening his back: “Your Holiness, please hear my explanation! It was all caused by Duward—he harmed my family…”
“Even so, you should not have violated the paladin’s code and struck ordinary believers!”
Pope Jay frowned: “According to the code, how should he be punished?”
“He should expose his body before the divine statue and receive a hundred lashes with a cane as penance!”
Judge Gandolf answered in a rigid tone.
“Huh?”
Evan raised his head in surprise, finding it hard to believe he would be let off so easily.
“But what Evan the paladin is involved in is not just this one matter!”
Gandolf continued: “He is suspected of participating in a heretical organization, plotting to overthrow the current Church’s rule!”
“No, I didn’t…”
The moment had come! Evan immediately protested loudly, knowing he absolutely could not admit to this charge, or he would truly be bound to the stake and burned alive.
“Then how do you explain this?”
Gandolf raised his hand, and a small slip of paper appeared—it was the very same one hidden in the ginseng root during dinner: “Before the eyes of God, all lies shall be revealed!”
“This… this was given to me by Sir Robin…”
Evan said weakly, only to notice a flicker of confusion on Sir Robin’s face, his heart suddenly sinking as he realized he had fallen into a trap.
“I see…”
Judge Gandolf smiled smugly: “Sir Robin, perhaps you should give us and the Pope an explanation?”
“Was all of this a trap, with the real target not being me, but Robin?!”
Evan immediately understood everything, but it was already too late.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage