Chapter 39: The Villain

Amidst a burst of cheers, Bishop Mof of the Patto City Holy Church Alliance strode up to the temporarily erected altar, lifted the monster's head brought back by Dave high into the air, and smiled. "Praise the Gods!"

After a brief moment of silence, overwhelming cheers erupted from all directions. The citizens were utterly beside themselves with excitement at this moment. After all, the rumors of a man-eating monster outside the city had kept them in terror and dread for several nights. And right now, one of the monsters that had cruelly murdered four young students was reduced to nothing more than a head, held high in the hands of the revered Bishop!

This was undoubtedly a massive boost of morale for the townspeople.

Furthermore, Dave had personally confirmed that apart from those two Ridge-backed Beasts whose heads had already been taken, there were no other threats outside the city. This was quite simply the best news possible!

"Praise the Gods!"
"Praise the Gods!"
……

The influence of the Holy Church Alliance in this small town was undoubtedly immense. Not to mention how popular the holy servants, who dedicated their lives year-round to healing the wounded and saving lives, were here, even the Knight Academy everyone was so proud of had been established with the help of the Holy Church Alliance. Therefore, nearly one hundred percent of the people here were believers of the Holy Church's deities, and praising the glory of the gods at this moment was naturally only fitting.

No one noticed what kind of sarcasm was hidden in the smile of Lord Ron, who stood quietly behind the City Lord, nor did anyone notice the puddle of water slowly seeping into the ground near his feet.

Of course, even if they had seen it, people would probably have assumed that some Internal Affairs Chief had peed himself on the spot from excessive excitement, and turned it into a topic of conversation to pass the time in the days to come.

At least no one would have guessed that it was the Water of the Gods originally meant to baptize the "hero"……

"There is a young man~" Bishop Mof spoke to the crowd as if chatting familiarly. "He lost a happy family since childhood and grew up alone in the church. Although accompanied by many pious souls, for a child, this could hardly be called a very happy childhood."

The crowd gradually quieted down.

"Praise the Gods, past tragedies did not leave indelible shadows on this child." Mof smiled and glanced at Dave. "He still grew up healthy and strong."

A few individuals quietly shed a few tears of uncertain sincerity.

"His name is Dave, Dave Sager." The Bishop reached out his hand toward Dave beneath the altar. "Once, he was a second-year student at the Pading Knight Academy, and a devout believer of the God of Courage and Justice. Yesterday, he was bestowed the title of Temporary Temple Knight and traveled alone outside the city to face that cruel murderer. Come forward, child, and let everyone take a good look at you."

With a shy smile on his face, Dave walked to the side of Bishop Mof.

"And today!" The Bishop grasped Dave's right hand. "He is one favored by the gods. His character and faith have won the recognition of everyone, and he deserves to be rewarded!"

"He is our hero!!" City Lord Naji shouted loudly, then scratched his neck in some confusion, grinning foolishly at the citizens who were enthusiastically echoing him.

The Bishop's expression turned stern, and he said softly to Dave, "Your god is watching you. Kneel, child."

Dave obediently knelt on one knee.

"What you have done is worthy of your own conscience, worthy of the gods, and worthy of those companions who took their leave before you," Mof smiled. "So I think you should be able to shoulder a heavier glory. Are you willing?"

"I am willing." Dave nodded firmly. "To prevent more tragedies from happening, for all the innocent, and for my own faith."

A sturdily built minor priest lumbered over with heavy steps, respectfully presenting a crystal bottle to Bishop Mof, while muttering softly under his breath, "Gods above, I'm damn well jealous."

About half the people in the square heard it……

However, the Bishop simply acted as if he were deaf, smilingly accepted this bottle of 'Water of the Gods', and proclaimed loudly, "Then…… I shall bestow upon you……"

Clang!! Clang!! Clang!!

Deafening bell chimes rang out suddenly, accompanied by a burst of laughter full of sarcasm and mockery.

"You shall bestow upon him the glory of a Holy Church Knight!" A voice came from not far away in midair, "And make this beast, suspected of premeditated murder, laugh frantically in his heart at the blind gods~~~"

Boom!

An uproar broke out at the scene. Everyone froze in place, and a huge wave of noise instantly erupted. Everyone wanted to know who had the audacity to slander their newly appointed 'hero' and the gods in heaven in such a manner!

"Who!" Bishop Mof shouted with a livid expression, "Who on earth dares to blaspheme the gods in public!"

"Where is he! On the bell tower!"

Someone with sharp eyes in the crowd had already spotted that snow-white figure.

Everyone looked up simultaneously.

"Good afternoon, everyone." Standing on the bell tower adjacent to the grand square and built right in the center of Patto City, Mo Han tipped his hat to everyone below, even though he wasn't wearing one. "I am very glad to be able to liven things up for everyone here~"

Mof looked at him coldly. "In the name of the gods, do you know what you are saying?"

"Of course~" Mo Han rested his chin on his right hand. The snow-white glove bore a magic rune inscribed by Leiluo with an amplification spell, and he answered with keen interest, "Those gods you always use various pretexts to flatter will thank me, after all, I'm about to ruin a heretic with a bright future~"

Dave abruptly looked up and shouted angrily, "Who are you calling a heretic!?"

"Uh, it seems you like to chat with people while kneeling." Mo Han spread his hands, his eyes filled with malice and chill. "Of course I'm talking about you~ Student Sager. After all, personally murdering companions from the same academy somewhat violates your identity as a believer of the God of Courage and Justice, doesn't it?"

Everyone was dumbfounded. What was this somewhat unhinged-looking fellow talking about?

Murdering companions from the same academy?

Dave Sager?
What the hell!?

"Utter nonsense!" Dave stood up with a livid face and shouted angrily, "You are questioning the noble faith of someone who has dedicated everything to the gods!"

"No, no, no~" Mo Han shook his head. "I am merely questioning whether your brain has ever suffered a heavy blow from some hard object. As for your faith, I don't question it—though that will be a topic for a moment from now. Right now……"

Standing high atop the bell tower, his white robe fluttering gently in the breeze, he said with a wicked smile, "Let's talk about how you drove those two cute pets to kill Rona Moonbright, personally pierced Rada Dona's heart, and presumed to have killed Cole Schulte and the Holy Church Alliance's holy servant Ai Fanye~"

These four names, which had become so familiar to the ear recently, undoubtedly stirred up a massive wave among the crowd. Everyone knew they were members of the Warm Sun Squad, and also the driving force behind Dave going alone to avenge himself on those two monsters!

What was that person saying?
It was Dave…… who murdered them!?

"Absolute nonsense!" Bishop Mof was so angry his mustache quivered. "Templars! Get him for me—"

"Wait!" To everyone's surprise, the target of the 'malicious rumors and slander' suddenly spoke up, "I am willing to confront him!"

[It really is him!!]

However, the righteous Dave still looked somewhat pale. He was now almost certain that this fellow was the person who had encountered him in the forest last time. Naturally, he had reported this to Ron immediately upon his return. Yet, after questioning the dialogue between the two in detail, the Chief of Internal Affairs—whose political acumen far surpassed that of student Dave—had already devised several backup plans for him, never expecting they would actually come in handy!

"I would like to know, do you have any evidence for slandering me like this?" Dave looked up at Mo Han and said in a deep voice, "If this is merely a prank, I am willing to forgive you on a personal level right now. But you must still bear the consequences of speaking disrespectfully to the deity, and engage in a one-on-one duel with me!"

Well done! A true man!
The onlookers went wild on the spot, and the Bishop also revealed a trace of a gratified smile.

After all, unlike Dave, they had no idea of the depth of Mo Han's strength.

However……

"Evidence?" Mo Han nodded. "I have it. Didn't I just say, of the four people you intended to murder, two are still alive and happened to be rescued by me. As for the prank part……"

He turned around, presenting his back to Dave, and crossed his arms behind him.

*Puff!* A loud fart echoed!

The explosive sound produced by the small air sac squeezed in his sleeve echoed across the entire square under the effect of the amplification runes.

"That was the prank~" Mo Han turned around, grinned, and wagged his finger. "Just now wasn't one."

An eerie silence lasted for several seconds……

"You fellow!" Dave finally managed to regulate his breathing. "If my companions were really saved by you, then where are they?"

If Ron's judgment was correct, this fellow had previously said those two were more or less as good as dead and shouldn't be able to come out to testify for a while. Once today passed, everything would be settled, and whatever followed could be handled easily!

Sure enough……

"They aren't quite ready to come out yet." Mo Han chuckled lightly. "So you intend to deny it to the end, then?"

This sentence instantly sparked an uproar. Many people had already started shouting things like 'beat him to death'……

Unexpectedly, Dave shook his head. "I have nothing to deny. Exposing your malice and lies doesn't need to be so troublesome."

He stepped forward, speaking in a deep voice to Bishop Mof, "Please allow me to request an early baptism for myself, so that this person's lies will instantly fall apart of their own accord!"

The Bishop reacted immediately, stroking his beard and smiling lightly. "Very well, then let everyone witness this together with the gods."

Yet Mo Han took half a step back, raised a hand to point at the crystal bottle in Mof's hand, and stammered, "Th-This is……"

"The Water of the Gods." Dave said in a deep voice, "I am a believer of the God of Courage and Justice. If I truly committed the despicable deeds you mentioned, not only should I have suffered divine punishment long ago, but at least during the baptism, I would certainly be disciplined for my blasphemous body. But if you are lying……"

He knelt gently before Bishop Mof and closed his eyes. "Then once I become a true Temple Knight, I will surely punish you!"

"Wait a minute!" Mo Han cried out in a pale-faced panic, "Wait! I…… I still have something to say!!"

But no one was willing to wait for him……

Dave looked as steady as a dog—no, Mount Tai—while panicking wildly on the inside as he lowered his head, signaling Mof that he could begin.

The holy Water of the Gods was sprinkled from the crystal bottle, wetting Dave's hair and sliding down his brow……

"The gods shall favor me……"

The next instant, as if a sacred hymn were echoing, a halo of pure white tinged with several wisps of crimson light erupted from Dave's body. This was the divine light unique to the God of Courage and Justice, Hemert!

Simultaneously, a crimson divine emblem composed of a longsword and scales lit up behind him, which then melted into Dave's body within a few seconds.

The bandages on his hands fell away, and Dave's severely injured arm miraculously recovered to perfect condition. Even a few unhealed scars on his face slowly faded away……

A God-favored One!!!
A once-in-a-century God-favored One!

Instantly, cheers erupted from countless corners of the square. The crowd was boiling with excitement, feeling as though they were witnessing history. No one had expected Dave to manifest all the characteristic traits of a God-favored One during this baptism.

This was supposed to be something found only in stories!

"Praise the Gods!" Bishop Mof shouted loudly. "Praise the Deities!"

Dave smiled too, smiling very happily.

Ron smiled too, smiling even more happily, and as he smiled, he glared like a venomous snake at the white-robed man standing on the bell tower like a buffoon.

"No!" Mo Han shouted, covering his face in despair, "It shouldn't be like this! I…… I still have things to say! Yes…… yes…… I still have things to say!"

"Scoundrel!" The Chief of Internal Affairs roared, "You have no chance!"

Ron stepped onto the altar and shouted loudly to the countless citizens in the square, "Forgive my presumption, but my dear citizens, what have you just witnessed?!"

"A God-favored One!!!"
"Yes, a God-favored One!" Ron nodded. "Not only that, he also stifled the threat outside the city for us! He safeguarded our safety! Am I right?"

"Right!"
"That's right, Lord Ron!"
"Absolutely!!"

The crowd responded in a roaring wave.

In the vast majority of cases, they were just this easy to incite, this easy to change their stance, this adorable, this…… foolish……

"And our hero……" Ron said with deep sorrow, "Is at this very moment being slandered and maligned by a blasphemous scoundrel! Can we forgive that person?!"

"Never!!!"

Mo Han's complexion grew even paler……

"Soldiers!" Ron waved his hand grandly. "Take him down!!"

"Templars!" Bishop Mof also opportunistically sought his own sense of presence. "Charge!!"

Immediately, seven or eight city guards and three Templars, amidst the roaring crowd, drew their weapons and charged toward the bell tower, determined to make the thoroughly discredited villain pay the due penalty.

Unexpectedly……

*Crash! Boom!*

Two deafening explosions erupted beneath the bell tower. The people in the lead flew backward like broken kites, crashing heavily to the ground.

"What's the rush……" A middle-aged man clad in blood-red heavy armor with messy hair strolled out leisurely from beneath the bell tower. "Didn't the fellow say he still had things to say~"

Two giant hammers slammed heavily onto the ground, actually gouging two craters into the thick salt-crystal pavement.

"That's right……"

The pale-faced Mo Han up on the bell tower suddenly flashed a mischievous smile. "I still have things to say~~"

He gently snapped his fingers……

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