The Archbishop led Presippi to a room located deep in the church. It looked like a private room, as it was lavishly decorated and spacious – likely the archbishop's residence before the ceremony took place.
After leaving her alone, the archbishop apologized, saying he needed to meet the guards and priests.
“…”
Presibe sat in her chair, looking around with a nervous expression. The grandeur of the room did nothing to ease her anxiety.
Soon after, the archbishop returned, his face still as hard as stone. This was understandable, given that such a horrific event occurred in broad daylight.
“Mrs. Presby,” he began, his voice as stern as his expression.
“There are some questions I want to ask you directly.”
“I will answer your questions, but I swear I have nothing to do with this incident,” Precipe said hurriedly, her lips trembling.
“This is my first time visiting the church, and I have no reason to…”
“Yes, I understand that,” the archbishop interrupted.
“However, you were the first to witness the scene. I don’t know what happened, but you are the only person I can question now.”
“…”
“Did you see anything suspicious?”
Of course it was, but there was only one thing that came to her mind at that moment.
[Excuse me.]
This man.
With a heavy sigh, Preseppe mimicked the archbishop's previous actions and began to tell her story.
“I'll explain in order. First, I left the tower about ten minutes ago – it took me that long to get here on foot. My maid, Ella, was accompanying me.”
“And then?”
“After arriving at the church, I asked Ella to wait outside. I told her I wanted to pray alone. I went in alone and...”
“…?”
“I met a strange man.”
"Strange man? What do you mean by that?"
“I don't know who he was. He wasn't wearing priestly robes, so I assumed he was a knight.”
“Did you see him destroy the statue?”
Prisippi shook her head.
"I suddenly bumped into him, fell, and he helped me up. Then he left the church immediately. That's all."
The Archbishop remained silent for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed as if trying to understand her words. Finally, his facial expression turned to frustration as he spoke again.
“But it doesn't make sense.”
"pardon?"
"I questioned the guards, but none of them saw anyone suspicious. Moreover, the last priest to leave the church said he left moments before you arrived."
“…”
"If what you're saying is true, then this incident happened in less than five minutes. This doesn't make sense."
Even just looking at the broken pieces scattered on the ground, it was easy to imagine how massive the original statue was.
Frankly, the Archbishop was right. The statue was not made of glass, but of marble, and smashing it into small pieces in such a short time was almost impossible.
“Now that I think about it, he didn't have anything in his hands...”
Could he have done it with his bare hands? No human being can do such work.
But Precipe had no intention of getting further involved in the mess. She had done nothing wrong, and she felt it was unfair for her to be dragged into this mess. It was just bad luck that this happened on the same day I decided to visit the church.
“Mr. Archbishop, shouldn’t you ask the guards about this matter instead of me?” Precipie replied.
"I really don't know anything. All I saw was that suspicious man and the destroyed statue. What else am I supposed to say?"
“I understand your frustration, but I ask you to be patient. Given the seriousness of the situation, this matter must be handled with caution.”
“…”
“Please describe the man's appearance in as much detail as possible.”
"It was someone I had never seen before, wearing plain black clothes. His hair was blond and his eyes were blue."
Unfortunately, it was not uncommon to find someone with blonde hair and blue eyes. This was not a distinctive description that could help narrow things down.
This thought crossed Precipe's mind, but for some reason, the Archbishop's facial expression became more rigid.
“Blond hair and blue eyes...?”
“…Her Highness?”
“No, it's nothing.”
“…”
“But we must investigate all individuals matching this description who entered the royal palace.”
The Archbishop looked very disturbed. Although Presibe was able to understand his plight, she was in no position to sympathize with him. She was unwittingly drawn into this chaos without gaining any benefit from it.
She couldn't leave things as they were.
“This statue...” Prisippi hesitated before speaking again in a cautious tone. “What kind of statue was it?”
This must have been important. Statues placed in religious buildings usually carry an important meaning, and this statue was displayed in a prominent place in the center of the huge church.
“…Now that I think about it, you wouldn’t know it,” the archbishop said, as if he had decided it was okay to explain. “You mentioned that this was your first visit to church.”
“There is a legend that has been passed down from generation to generation in Atiluia. You must have learned it in school, it is something that common people learn too.”
"…no."
Prisippi shook her head.
“I only received a proper education when I was very young, and I barely remember it.”
After her mother's scandal – when it was revealed that Prisippi was not truly of imperial blood – she was expelled. Her mother was executed, leaving Presibe to fend for herself.
She may have received some form of education after her expulsion, but since this was not related to the game's story, the tutorial did not address it. Finding an excuse seemed like the safest option.
The Archbishop cleared his throat briefly before continuing his speech.
“A long time ago, there was an evil being inhabiting the western lands of Atiluia. This was long before we, or even our ancestors, existed on this earth.”
“An evil being?”
"It brought plagues, hurled curses like breath, and killed people as if they were mere vermin. Its very existence was the embodiment of misfortune. Thus, the empire that existed before Atiluia, and the empire that preceded it, tried to exterminate it. Thousands of warriors and soldiers, and tens of thousands of knights, relentlessly tried to subjugate it."
“…”
“In the end, a brave figure appeared who was blessed by the gods. But this being was so powerful that they could not destroy it. The best they could do was seal it.”
Precipe stared at the Archbishop silently, her expression unreadable.
"Although this happened long before Ateluia appeared, people thought it necessary to remember this ill-fated being. After all, he was not dead or gone; he could have returned at any time."
...This cursed game has a very huge world?
"Atiloia's focus on strengthening its knightly order, as well as its annual submission festivals, stem from this. It's all part of the same effort."
Presibe was familiar with the enslavement festival. It was a fixed event in the game, and players had to go through it regardless of which character they were chasing.
Other empires hosted hunting festivals, but Ateluia hosted slavery festivals. The concept was similar, except they were hunting monsters instead of animals.
"The statue was associated with this being. It depicted an unnamed hero fighting and defeating it."
“And what exactly is this being that deserves all this...?”
“Okay,” said the archbishop, in an uncertain tone. “There are many theories about his nature, but his true name and identity are still unknown. However, there is an address for him.”
“…”
“Demon King.”
“Oh, that's why.”
A piece of the statue engraved with the word “Demon King” crossed Presippi’s mind.
“Anyway… I have sent the maid Ella to inform His Majesty. We should receive a message soon.”
amazing. I am doomed before I enter an ice prison.
Precipi could not predict how Dietrich would react to this unprecedented situation, but she was sure that he would not leave her easily.
All she knew was that the madman might accuse her of conspiring with the intruder to escape from the palace.
Prisippi sighed deeply at the thought.
At that moment the Archbishop spoke.
“Oh, there she is.”
When she looked up, Presibe saw Ella entering the room, wearing a strange, unreadable expression.
“What did His Majesty say? I thought he would come right away...”
The Archbishop, who knew well Dietrich's obsessive and erratic behavior towards Preseppe, could not envisage any delay.
But the words that came out of Ella's mouth were something that neither Precipe nor the Archbishop expected.