Read Novel Full Chapter 36, Calogero Condemns Edward
Chapter 36, Calogero Condemns Edward
Translator: Lizz
“Edward, I need to talk to you.”
When Calogero called out to him, Edward considered ignoring it but slowly turned around.
“…As you know, the recent bandit attack has kept me extremely busy. After all, I am the only one left who can fight.”
Edward wanted to curse him.
The bandits were assassins from a neighboring country, targeting Calogero. Edward had fought them off almost entirely on his own, and a dear friend had been gravely injured and unconscious. He felt like kicking Calogero out of the fortress, wrapping him up, and delivering him straight to the bandits.
However, Gina’s treatment required the holy spell [Heal], and Calogero was more skilled in magic than the High Priest. That was the only reason Edward held himself back from acting on his fury.
Calogero, for his part, glared at Edward as if to say that it was all his fault.
“…I have never regretted more the fact that I did not choose the path of justice. But that is irrelevant. I condemn you.”
“Hah!”
Edward scoffed at Calogero’s words.
“Don’t tell me you’re saying that killing those bandits was a crime? Then you should have just let them kill you! That way, Gina wouldn’t have had to suffer like this!!!”
Edward shouted angrily.
The nearby servants stopped in surprise, staring at the two men locked in confrontation.
Calogero glanced at the servants upon hearing Edward’s outburst. As a priest, he knew it was improper to publicly expose someone’s sins, but he was too emotional to care.
With a chillingly beautiful smirk of disdain, he spoke.
“I do not think that at all. What I question are your past sins, and your present ones.”
Edward’s cheek twitched ever so slightly.
“You were once a royal guard. Yet, you were imprisoned for the crime of attempting to harm the royal family, expelled from the knights, and even removed from your family records.”
At Calogero’s words, Edward gave a bitter smile.
“…Ah, that’s the official story. And you, blindly accepting that announcement, think you can condemn me like a hero brandishing a sacred sword against the demon king?”
Calogero’s smile faded, his brows furrowing.
Edward showed no remorse, hinting at something hidden beneath the surface. Yet, he had no intention of explaining himself to Calogero.
Whether it was true or not- no, Calogero reconsidered. It must be true. Because when Edward heard his condemnation, he looked almost relieved. That was not his sin.
But his sins had grown even heavier. The mark of his sins was now an even deeper, dripping red.
He was aware of his guilt.
“As a mere priest who has remained in this town, my limited connections only allowed me to uncover this much. However… I understand. You have committed even more sins. And now, one more.”
Edward’s cheek twitched slightly.
“This is a fortress. No matter how skilled the assassins were, it should not have been so easy for them to infiltrate. In fact, the town gates and checkpoints are well-managed. If suspicious bandits attempted to pass through, word would spread instantly. And yet, they entered with ease. …Someone guided them.”
Calogero fixed his gaze on Edward, pointing directly at him.
“…It was you, Edward!”
Edward opened and closed his mouth.
It would have been easy to offer an explanation, but he had no intention of justifying himself to Calogero.
Besides… in the end, Calogero was right.
“Did you really want to get rid of me that badly!? Then why resort to such an extreme and reckless method as bringing bandits into the fortress!? Because of that, Gina suffered terrible injuries! Did you think someone as kind as her could ever abandon people!? And… what would you have done if something had happened to Lady Sylvia!?”
As Calogero pressed him, Edward’s face twisted for the first time, as if he had been struck in a sore spot.
Then, without a word, he turned on his heel.
“Wait! Edward, the conversation isn’t over!”
Calogero shouted, but Edward walked away without looking back.
Edward entered the room where Gina was resting and whispered into her ears.
“…I’m sorry.”
Then, he gently stroked Sylvia’s hair as she slept beside her.
“…Even without me, stay strong. Just because you have magic doesn’t mean you should overuse it. Don’t forget what I told you, Lady Sylvia-”
Edward placed a light kiss on Sylvia’s hair and left the room.
From that moment on, Edward vanished.