Chapter 6
We are back this time with a semi-decent waiting time! Hopefully, I'll be able to post the next chapter within this month or at least the next one! In the meantime. Merry Christmas and enjoy!
I want to thank my beta reader Lorenzo the Maelstrom
Rìs Mindòn
Rem watched as the merchants began loading the villagers on their carriages, ready to bring them to Sanctuary to be evacuated. At first, the people were reluctant, but as soon as they heard that it was a request of Lady Emilia and Lord Mairon, they packed their things and left without any other complaint.
Under Lord Mairon's dispositions, she had paid for the merchants' goods in exchange for their services...but there was a thing that was bothering her to no end.
Among these merchants, one was reeking of the Witch's smell to the point that she could feel it from afar. It was a man in his fifties with short brown hair, who is currently removing his goods from the back of his carriage.
When he was done, he began to move toward her and once he reached her he crossed his arms as he stared at her "I unloaded with my stuff but I still haven't seen a single coin! No money no ride!"
Rem smiled sweetly as she pretended to reach for something on her hips "Oh, Forgive me. I left your payment at the outpost. If you will be so kind as to follow me?"
"Bah! I guess that competence is an option around here!" The merchant replied angrily.
"I am very sorry." Rem replied before beginning to walk towards the knight's outpost.
The man followed her into the building and into the commander's office where she turned around and stared at him.
"Uhm? What now? Don't tell me you left the money at the mansion." The man grumbled.
"No." Rem dropped all pretense of courtesy. "There is no money for filth like you."
As she said this, two knights entered the room, both charging at the man. Soon they grabbed onto his arms and tackled him to the ground.
"W-What?! UNHAND ME YOU BASTARDS!" The man shouted, thrashing his body to remove himself from their grasp.
Rem kicked him in the face, sending teeth flying, as her expression turned into a cold snarl. "SILENCE! YOU THINK THAT I WILL FALL FOR THIS? I CAN SMELL THE WITCH'S SCENT ON YOU!"
The man turned silent, before beginning to laugh hysterically "YOU THINK HAVING CAPTURED ME WILL SAVE YOU? WE ARE MANY! WE ARE DILIGENT! WE WILL SACRIFICE YOU AND ALL OF THE OTHERS TO RECEIVE THE LOVE OF SATELLA!"
The Oni's expression turned into one of disgust as she began to kick the man's face sending blood across the floor. The man kept laughing with each kick.
"Bring him to Orod Gùr..." Rem ordered as the knights lifted the man and dragged him out of the commander's office.
The Inquisitor Maid grabbed a small towel and began cleaning the blood drops that fell on her face and armour.
"Uhm...H-Hello?" Someone muttered from the door.
She quickly turned her gaze towards the voice and saw a rather young man dressed all in green with grey hair topped with a forest green merchant's hat.
"I-I'm Otto Suwen...I came with the other merchants...I was told to see you for the payment..." He said trembling under her gaze "I-I-I-I swear I am not a member of the Witch Cult..."
Rem walked behind the desk and grabbed a bag of coins before approaching him and handing it to him "I know, Mister Suwen. You do not have the witch's smell on you."
"Thank you..." Otto muttered as he reached for the bag.
Rem didn't let go of the bag. "Mister Suwen, I do not wish to spread panic about the fact that we caught a member of the witch cult within our midst. So, I hope that you will stay silent about the arrest you just saw."
"O-Of course!" Otto replied as he finally managed to get the bag. "W-With your permission!" He excused himself walking out of the building rapidly
'Scary Scary Scary…'
Flugel Tree
The cheers of the soldiers filled the battlefield. The beast that had haunted the country for so long was finally dead.
Mairon crossed his arms as he watched his allies celebrate along with Emilia. Some of them were sitting on the ground, shaking, still trembling from the whole ordeal. Meanwhile, others were kicking the whale's corpse while cursing it. Of course, there were also those who contemplated their victory in silence.
Emilia let out a sigh of relief before looking at Mairon. "We did it."
"We are far from over..." Mairon replied before placing his armoured hand on Emilia's head and patting her. "But yes, we killed the whale."
Emilia smiled before looking in the direction of the Mathers domain. "Now we have to deal with the cult..."
"If I may..." Wilhelm said walking up to them and bowing "Please let me help you."
The half-elf blinked a few times. "Sir Wilhelm I-"
"Wouldn't have been for Lord Mairon's sight and your actions, my wife's death would still be unavenged...I am forever indebted to you so please allow me to aid you."
"Raise your head, Sir Wilhelm," Emilia slowly nodded "If that is what you wish then I'll accept your request."
"Of course, if your mistress has nothing against it," Mairon added as the duchess approached them.
Crusch smiled as she shook her head "Quite the opposite, I too wish to help you in your efforts. However, I also have to tend to my losses...if you need anything else, let me know."
"That is very kind of you, my lady," Mairon replied with a small bow. "Then, I would take you up on your offer."
Emilia mentally frowned as she wondered what would Mairon want from Crusch.
"I'm all ears." Crush replied with a serious expression.
"I would like to have one of those," Mairon said as he pointed at one of the mana-crystal cannons.
That piece of artillery was something that apparently was only in the hands of Lugnica's army. From what he had seen, those would be able to break his silver knights with a direct hit, not outright kill them as they were spirits but if the armour is destroyed they would be unable to reform. Once in his hands, he would study it and of course, improve it and then give the improved version to the Silver Army.
Crusch nodded "It's yours."
"Thank you, my lady." Mairon replied looking at the fort that was being taken down "Our winged knights will take the whale's body to the capital; I take it you'll head there too?"
"Yeah, seeing that body will cause quite the ruckus and I'll have to handle the fallout." Crusch turned to see the Silver Knights that were tearing down the fort and using its wood to make a platform for the whale's body to lay on as they fly it to the capital. "To think that you thought that far ahead, you are truly a pragmatic man Lord Mairon."
"I live by the idea that nothing should be wasted and act accordingly." He replied calmly as the Silver Knights brought back his horse. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have some filth to clean up."
Crusch nodded and looked at Emilia with a knowing smirk "Today you've shown me that you are not to be taken lightly and while we're allies for now, I will not go easy on you during the Selection."
Emilia returned the smirk as she offered her a handshake. "Good, I would be offended if you did."
Crusch shook her hand firmly. "Good luck on your hunt."
With that, the two of them turned around each of them going in a different direction. Wilhelm and Mairon followed Emilia rallying the troops to her. They were about to depart when they saw Anastasia's mercenaries approaching them.
"OI OI! Don't leave us behind!" Ricardo said as he placed himself by Mairon's side.
"Is something wrong?" Emilia asked, frowning in confusion
"We are coming with you." The mercenary captain said smirking.
"Why is that?" The Half-Elf asked, now concerned.
"Our Lady wants us to see how your city is establishing itself. After all, she is investing in it." A familiar voice said as another mercenary company approached the group.
Emilia turned to face her new interlocutor and was surprised to see Julius smiling at her. "Julius, you are here too?"
"No, I am Juli, the knight Julius Juukulius would never officially take part in a mercenary company." Julius replied smiling
"I see," Emilia said chuckling light-heartedly. "Very well then, Juli."
Julius looked at Mairon. "Lord Mairon, this is the first time we talk directly, isn't it?"
"No, I never talked with the knight Julius." Mairon replied as they both chuckled "I take you were instructed to follow our orders? Otherwise, things would get very chaotic with two commanders."
"Indeed, Lady Hoshin offered our services as an incentive to our relationships," Julius replied nodding.
Emilia nodded in agreement. "Very well, then we ride west. Hopefully, we'll get there before the Cult attacks."
With that, the Silver Army began marching towards the Mathers territories. Of course, the soldiers on foot wouldn't be able to make it in time but the cavalry could. Emilia and Mairon led the army back to Rìs Mindòn. Having departed an hour after sunrise, they arrived at midday.
Mairon noticed that there was no apparent sign of battle and so he guessed that the Witch Cult hadn't made their move yet. The Silver Knight Army all rode into the village's main square where Rem's Black Knights greeted them.
"Where is your commander?" Mairon asked from his horse as the knight kneeled before him.
"At Orod Gùr, my lord." The knight replied, "This morning we captured a member of the witch cult in disguise among the merchants. Inquisitor Rem is interrogating him."
Mairon nodded, but knew very well that Rem was not interrogating the cultist, or at least not effectively "The civilians?"
"They are on their way to Sanctuary."
Mairon looked at the mercenaries and the Silver Knights. "You can stay here for now."
With that he began to ride to Orod Gùr with Emilia. As soon as they got in they could hear the hysteric laughter of what they guessed was Rem's prisoner.
Emilia could feel her skin crawl hearing that laughter. She looked at Mairon to see if he had a similar reaction but he seemed to be calm.
"Stay here Emilia." Mairon said calmly as he began to head down towards his forge.
"No...It's my duty to see..." Emilia replied following him.
"It's too soon for you to learn this side of commanding an army." Mairon replied calmly "What's down there...will never leave your mind."
Emilia didn't leave, her expression clearly fearful but laced with a determined discipline.
"Very well." With that said, the two of them descended into the forge and then into the various warehouses before stopping in front of the one that was the source of the sickening laughter.
Mairon opened the door revealing the terrible sight to Emilia.
A man covered in blood. His face was too swollen and mutilated to be recognizable. His body was covered in cuts and ice burns. His arms are chained, hanging from the ceiling. yet despite all those wounds, the man was laughing hysterically, calling for the Witch's love. As soon as he saw Emilia he began to howl the witch's name much to Emilia's discomfort.
Rem widened her eyes as she saw Mairon walking in, the previous fury that was leading her as she tortured the man disappearing immediately, replaced by shame. Rem knelt in front of Mairon. "My Lord I..."
"Rem." Mairon said looking at her work."This won't do."
The maid bit her lip "I let my rage blind me..."
"I can see that." He replied "This work is sloppy at best and the subject of said work cannot be broken this way. As you can see, physical pain led you to nothing as he craves for it."
Rem frowned. "My Lord...?"
Even Emilia was shocked to hear him say that.
"I've been in many wars before, gathering information through torture is nothing new to me." Mairon said calmly placing his hand on the man's head causing him to die "We'll work on that at a later date" He stopped talking gazing to seemingly blank wall.
Little did everyone know that he was looking at the memories of the cultist he just ended. He was a bit surprised to see that the cultists weren't led by the Archbishop of Gluttony but by the one of Sloth...He did wonder why, after all, the whale followed the commands of Gluttony. Perhaps the Witch Cult had Gluttony move the Hakugei but the assault on Rìs Mindon would have been led by Sloth. This would mean that the cult was way more organized than he had initially thought.
"The carriage," He broke his silence "There is a bag full of fire gems, enough to destroy the village and a good chunk of the fortifications. The cult had planned to use him to plant the gems and clear the path to the mansion. It's using the forest to hide its camps and a cave is being used to house the Archbishop."
"We must destroy them at once," Rem said, her voice filled with burning hatred "Attack them before they have a chance to understand their mole is dead."
Mairon nodded "Bring me a map and I'll tell you where they are hiding. However, first, bring me the bag of fire gems so that I may keep them from exploding."
Rem bowed and immediately walked out to comply with her master's orders. Meanwhile, Emilia had turned away from the cultist's body placing her hand on her mouth perhaps to keep herself from throwing up.
Seeing her like that caused Mairon to sigh as he gently placed his arms on her shoulders as he led her outside.
"How can you stand such a thing...?" She muttered after regaining her composure.
"I don't...I just accept it as an ugly truth," He told her with a stoic expression "A truth that you will not find in any book but that is always present. A truth that is left out to paint a better picture of the people books are written for."
"Is there not another way?" The Half-Elf asked looking up at her mentor with hopeful eyes.
Mairon faked being mortified as he shook his head "No...especially with the likes of the cultists."
Emilia closed her eyes a single tear falling down her cheek as she nodded.
Mairon grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and dried the girl's tears "You shed pure tears even for your enemies..."
"I know I shouldn't, but I-"
"I am not scolding you," He interrupted her smiling gently. "Your tears fall because you know that every life is precious despite what they have done. You also know that there are some things that must be done. Not everyone can claim to be able to do that. It is a virtue you must cherish, never look at what you have just seen as 'normal'. Just because it is necessary it does mean you have to like it because, at the end of the day, a life was lost. A life that could have accomplished great things was wasted...and maybe you'll be able to find a way to avoid this."
Emilia gave him a bittersweet smile and nodded slowly. After a few moments, she fully regained her composure "So what do we do with the cultists?"
"I had hoped to strike them during the night but I don't think we can wait that long, soon they will figure out their mole is dead and will launch the attack," He explained calmly "If we want to surprise them we must do it immediately..."
"Wouldn't they see us coming?" Emilia asked.
"Not if I can help it..." Mairon replied cryptically "You will stay here and lead the defence, I will deal with them and face the Archbishop."
Emilia nodded "Stay safe, Mairon..."
He nodded and left her side heading towards where the dragons were nestled...
2 hours later
A pair of cultists were guarding one of the many camps the Witch Cult had set up in the forest. There was a certain feeling of uneasiness in the air but no one could put a finger on what was causing it. Perhaps it was the weather, as it went from a clear sky to a raging storm. The sky had completely darkened and since then it hadn't stopped raining. Everything was covered in darkness only lit up by the occasional lightning.
Some swore that at some point they even heard a voice in the wind...
Suddenly both of the cultists brought their hands to their chests as they began sweating bullets and felt their chests getting tighter and tighter with each passing second. Their heart was getting faster and faster as they began to feel a dreadful presence. They scanned their surroundings, panicking, trying to look for the source of such feeling.
Then they saw them...Eight figures were approaching them with swords drawn. They knew they should have screamed and alerted the others but they were completely paralyzed by fear, their voice dying down before they could get a single word out.
The Eight swung their swords at them decapitating both of the guards cleanly before letting out their terrible screech. The other cult members got on their feet, the bravest launched themselves at the eight or threw their daggers but it was all useless. The Eights were cutting through them like a hot knife through butter as they advanced into the camp.
The screams last a while and then an eerie silence fell upon the forest. The few remaining cultists that were too scared to attack were on their knees mumbling under their breaths, begging to be spared.
One of them dared to look at one of the Eight and froze in fear when he saw the blood-covered knight standing with his sword raised...The Nazgul killed the surrendering enemies before moving to the next camp...
This was the fate that all the cultists faced. No exception made. The luckiest camps would have been raided by Ricardo and his forces or by Wilhelm's, but the unfortunate bunch would have died to the hands of their silent killers. The Silver Knights. No matter how many times the cultists stabbed them or hit them with their magic, the Silver Knights would have just shrugged it off and continued to reap through their ranks with silent merciless efficiency.
But of course, those who died at the hands of the Nazgul were the ones who had it worse. In their last moments, they were engulfed by absolute terror and dread to the point they could barely resist their attackers, not knowing that the more they hoped to survive the stronger the grip of the wraiths on their hearts would get.
There was only one place left to be raided, the cave used by the Archbishop of sin to hide in. At the moment he was outside with his men drawn out by the screams coming from the forest. So far, the attacks have been conducted using a coordinated ambush but not this time...
The Archbishop and his cultists could hear the metallic footsteps getting closer and closer. They could hear the clinging of the metal plates hitting each other as they moved. But they could not see them as darkness had swallowed the entire area. Then the sound stopped, replaced by an eerie silence, the only sound that was able to be heard was the one of rain.
The cultists came to realize that they preferred hearing those loud footsteps instead of this silence. Lightning struck one of the trees of the forest in front of them, setting it on fire and revealing the terrible truth with its light. The hideout was surrounded from all directions by the Silver Knights Army and in front of them, He stood tall, towering over everything and everyone, his shadow instilling pure dread into those who laid eyes upon it.
"Such an entrance! Such a figure! You must be Pride! Were you also brought here to finalize the return of beloved witch?!" The Archbishop of Sloth cackled, his sunken face revealing a greenish-dead skin, that clung to the bones underneath his skin. His eyes, bulged out of their sockets, although around it was markings that looked as if it bled for a long time. His body looked normal, but he contorted himself with a pointed finger, and a crooked smile.
Mairon couldn't describe how disappointed he was in finding out that the enemy in front of him was a madman. Sure, he already had found out by the captured cultist but seeing it in person was another thing.
He didn't entertain the man with a reply at first and instead had the knights point thei weapons at the group.
"I am Lord Mairon of Valinor, Knight of the Silver Queen, Lady Emilia. My task is to cleanse these lands from the likes of you as I have already done before coming here. None of your followers in the forest is left alive and before the sun sets, you will join them."
His words were absolute, proud, and most importantly a guarantee. There was no outcome where the archbishop would have come out of this encounter victorious, this was the end of the line.
The archbishop's previous look of awe was replaced by one of . slow, but maddening rage as he unnaturally tilted his head to the side, shouting, "MY…MY BRAIN TREMBLES!"
The archbishop wasted no time to pull out a book from his robes and began to read it, his expression turning into confused indignancy "NO, NO, NO! THIS IS NOT LIKE HOW IT WAS WRITTEN! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! MY LOVE FOR HER WILL BE REWARDED! I WILL NOT LET YOU RUIN ALL THIS! MY LOVE IS DILIGENT AND SHE IS PUTTING IT TO THE TEST! I WILL MAKE THINGS RIGHT AND SOON SHE WILL REWARD ME FOR MY DILIGENCE! I AM PETELGEUSE ROMANÈ-CONTI, LOYAL FOLLOWER OF SATELLA AND I WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN TO SERV HER!"
His cries of pure undignified madness were followed with him biting into his fingernails until he drew out blood.
Suddenly from behind the madman's back, countless black, ethereal and yet unnatural hands appeared. They all shot towards Mairon's body, wrapping around his armour, head, and began to squeeze in an attempt to crush him while Petelguese laughed.
"LOOK AT MY DILIGENCE! LOOK AT HER LOVE! GLANCE AT HER GIFTS! YOU WILL NEVER-"
The black hands all exploded into nothing revealing Mairon's armoured figure unscratched and intact, the One glowing with power.
'So that was the invisible hand...disappointing, to say the least.'
Mairon, of course, had done his research on Sloth's Authority and even in the books, the power was underwhelming compared to others.
"How...How...HOW?! HOW DARE YOU?! HOW DARE YOU HOW DARE YOU HOW DARE YOU HOW-"
Suddenly, the Archbishop was sent crashing against the stone wall behind him by an invisible force...
"Your voice irritates me." Mairon shook his head as he began to march towards the madman.
The couple of cultists that were left were impaled by javelins thrown by the line of silver knights before they had the chance to attack or flee from Mairon.
"Impossible...Impossible...Impossible...I am the only one who can call forth her love..." Petelguese muttered as he laid down on the ground. "How...How...HOW CAN YOU HAVE THE UNSEEN HAND! UNACCEPTABLE!"
He then shouted enraged even more hands appeared. "MY MIND TREMBLES!"
Of course, the madman launched them towards Mairon, but this time, The Lord of Mordor didn't even let them touch him as he destroyed them instantly with his powers and mace.
"YOU CAN SEE THEM?! AAAAAH! MY AUTHORITY! HER LOVE! YOU FILTHY KNIGHT! YOU WILL NOT STOP HER RETURN! I WILL NOT LET YOU!" The cultist shouted, this time opting to grab trees and boulders to throw at Mairon with his Unseen Hand.
The Dark Lord, on the other hand, had already enough of the man's ramblings and so he began to pry open his mind looking to extract as much info from him.
Petelguese immediately brought his hands to his head and began clawing at his face, drawing out blood and horrid scratch marks. "MY MIND MY MIND! WHAT ARE YOU DOOOOOOOOOOING!? NOOOOOO! GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OOOOOOOUUUUUUUT! THIS IS NOT HOW IT IS SUPPOSED TO BEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
The Unseen Hands began thrashing around throwing more objects at the Dark Lord while also trying to hit him. But Mairon was just able to destroy every object coming his way with his mace.
The cultist let out of screech of hatred and pain before, in his mind, a flaming eye appeared in the sky, its slitted eyelid pointed directly at him.
"You cannot hide...I see you."
The Archbishop fell to the ground holding his head as unholy screeches and chants he could not recognize plagued his mind. He could feel an invisible hand rummaging through his memories, his feelings, his everything...For the first time, he hated that his mind was trembling.
Mairon began to march to the madman writhing on the ground while muttering nonsense. More cultists came out of the cave probably trying to protect their leader. He was surprised that despite his presence they dared approach him...perhaps they were as crazy as their lord.
The first one charged directly at him and immediately met his end by Mairon's mace which killed them upon impact and sent the body crashing against a tree causing it to rip itself open.
A second tried to launch a fireball at the Dark Lord who simply caught it in his hand and absorbed it , before summoning spikes made of stone impaling the attacker.
Others tried to rush him but found themselves struck by javelins sent by the Silver Knights. Petelguese was now protected only by a woman with red hair.
She was holding onto her dagger for dear life but when the shadow of the dark lord eclipsed her figure, she understood that she was done for and despair grasped her heart. Mairon picked her up by her clothes and then incinerated her leaving only dust to the wind.
Mairon then kneeled in front of the archbishop and extended his arm as if reaching something into him. As his fingers were about to touch the man's body, a sort of skein made out of the invisible hand that the man was using came out and Mairon grabbed it...
Mairon knew what it was as it was the thing he wanted after all. The Witch Factor, in this case, of Sloth. He crushed it into his palm and absorbed it. He could feel the thing trying to push him away, rebel against his will. Mairon wasn't surprised, after all, he and Sloth were worlds apart. Yet if Petelguese was able to use it while being "diligent" then Mairon could too.
He began to impose his power and his will on the Witch Factor, The One began to glow and finally, the thing was subdued. He generated a couple of hands and then called them back.
His eyes shifted back to Petelguese. He had scanned through his memories, saw who were the other archbishops and the various safe-houses that the witch cult used. He unsheathed his sword ready to deliver the deadly blow to Archbishop but before he could do so, he frowned.
The mind plagued by madness was getting clearer and clearer and now he could something else...something far more hidden, something that Petelguese felt extreme shame for, something that haunted him.
He began to dig deeper much to the man's dismay...and found himself astonished at what he found out. Petelguese knew Emilia since childhood, he knew her and her caretaker, a woman named Fortuna. Mairon needed to know more and so he kept digging until he found out the truth or at least a part of it.
This was...enlightening. Mairon thanked his past self for not prying open Emilia's memories, the fallout of such a move would have been devastating for Emilia...and considering the mental state he had found her in, it could have lead to insanity.
Mairon then looked at Petelguese, putting his sword back into its sheath. He could kill him now...or he could use him, once Emilia's memories will be restored he could use Petelguese to support her even further.
He nodded to himself and placed his hand on the man's head and slowly began to repair the damage caused by the Witch Factor of Sloth...and his trauma but just like he did to Meili, he also fueled his anger and hatred for those who had ruined his life. In this case, the Sin Archbishop of Greed and the Witch of Vainglory Pandora and with them all the radical faction of the Witch Cult. He also took it upon himself to rejuvenate him.
Once he was done, he removed his hand and waited...Betelgeuse gasped for air and began to cough before realizing he was surrounded by the Silver Knights, who had taken control of the area, and by Mairon in his towering figure.
"Who...? Where...is..." He then seemed to able to recall that terrible moment...soon followed by all he did as the Archbishop of Sloth and began to throw up on the ground.
Mairon was keeping from falling into madness once again. He then placed his hand on his shoulder.
"Fortuna...Lady Emilia...what have I done...?" Petelguese asked himself as tears started crossing his face.
"You sacrificed yourself...unfortunately, the enemy you had to face was too much even with Witch Factor..." Mairon spoke calmly.
The man nodded slowly but still made a pained expression recalling when he...killed Fortuna and was then got pushed by Pandora to insanity... "I...have to speak with Lady Emilia..."
"You cannot" Mairon replied with a stoic tone "Emilia has no recollection of those events, her memories were sealed, and forcing them open would cause her greater pain..."
"How do you know...?" Petelguese asked.
"I had to go through your memories to bring you back from...your other self," Mairon said while sighing. "Your mind was absolute chaos, putting you back together was not an easy task..."
"Why did you even bother...I deserve to die..." The archbishop asked him.
"I was about to...I was searching your mind for more information on the cult's whereabouts and when I removed the Witch Factor, those memories surfaced and stopped my blade." Mairon explained.
The dark lord had to be honest in this situation, saying something along the lines of 'I knew there was some good in you' would have been disgustingly too good to be true. Mairon was indeed playing the part of the noble knight but that would have crossed the line between a realistic lie and an unrealistic one.
"Wait...you removed The Witch Factor?" The man stared up and down at him as if he was trying to check him.
"Indeed, do not worry for me though," Mairon replied calmly "I have lived for longer than anyone of these lands, the Factor tried to best me but I did. Now it can be put to good use."
The man seemed to be shocked by hearing that, but at the same time nodded "I see...I knew that I wasn't prepared for it when I absorbed it, but now I know that it is in capable hands...I don't know if I should thank you or beg you to end me..." Petelguese replied looking at his hands disgusted with himself "I cannot be forgiven..."
"Indeed you can't," Mairon got up offering his hand to get up "But you can try to earn that forgiveness by helping Emilia."
The man looked up to him "But you said I wouldn't be able to meet her..."
"Indeed. However, sooner or later she will have to face those memories and after that, she will need all the support she can get...until then, you will help me eradicate the rest of the cult." Mairon explained.
"Long ago, I founded the cult...now I have to help someone destroy it..." The Archbishop muttered chuckling at the irony.
"From what I've seen, the cult you lead before going insane was rather peaceful, you didn't conduct raids on villages, slaughtering everyone in them and ruining people's lives." Mairon replied before gesturing everything around him "But there's nothing left of it, we had to evacuate our villagers to keep them safe from you, one of the cultists had enough fire stones to eradicate the entire village...This has to stop. Emilia WANTS the suffering to end and so, as her knight, her caretaker, her teacher, and her friend, it is my duty to turn that wish into reality. You have fought to protect Lady Emilia and failed...but it is not too late to try again, Lady Emilia still needs help."
Petelguese looked at the hand Mairon was offering and understood that what was being offered was not an absolution...but a chance to make things right again and so he reached for it. Emilia's knight pulled him up and placed his hands and his shoulders giving him a nod.
"Bring this message to everyone, the threat of the Witch Cult has been dealt with, the Archbishop is dead and we have invaluable information. Bring me an armour that can fit our new friend." Mairon told one of the Silver Knights who immediately bowed and left.
The Dark Lord then looked at the former Archbishop "For now you will keep your identity hidden, if questioned you are Artano, I hope you understand the need for this secrecy."
"I do...thank you Lord Mairon..." Petelguese replied nodding.
After half an hour, the knight returned with the set of armor Mairon had requested and so Petelguese put it on before joining the ranks of the Silver Knights allowing him to go unnoticed. After all of this, the main force returned to the village bringing back the bodies of the cultists to be burned.
"Mairon!" Emilia called as she ran up to her knight as soon as he entered the area. "Is it over?"
Mairon returned to his normal form and smiled. "Victory is ours, my queen."
Emilia was clearly relieved at hearing those words and instinctively hugged her mentor "Thank you..."
The Maiar returned the hug and gave a few pats on the girl's back. While he had hoped to get his hands on the Witch Factor of Gluttony, Mairon was more than satisfied with the current outcome. He knew who were his enemies, he knew where they were, he knew their capabilities and now, he only needed to plan their downfall...after dealing with Roswaal's conspiracy of course. The 'redemption' of Petelguese was not something he was expecting but it will prove extremely useful once Emilia gets her memories back.
Eventually, Emilia broke the hug and smiled at him. "Shall we go home?"
Mairon nodded "Yes, by now Murazor has reached the capital with the whale's body. I wish to know how that is going and how Crusch is handling it..."
"Mairon..." The Half-Elf looked puzzled and tilted her head confused. "Who is Crusch?"