Lucy gazed at the video playing before her with a serious expression.

As always, she was fulfilling the patrol duties in place of her senior when a dark ripple suddenly appeared by the roadside.

The moment she touched it, the video started playing.

Normally, in such situations, the protocol would be to quickly report any abnormalities.

But of course, that was impossible.

Because the video featured what appeared to be the leader of the Black Fangs.

His face was obscured enough that it was hard to tell if he was actually the leader of the Black Fangs or not.

However, this method was all too familiar.

It was a common tactic used by the Black Fangs’ leader.

Most likely… it was the real deal.

At just the right moment, Lucy thought she was lucky to stumble upon a clue about the Black Fangs and continued to watch the video.

And then…

Her expression suddenly stiffened.

Perhaps it was only natural.

The video revealed the ugly truths of the Holy Church.

All sorts of horrific acts appeared before Lucy’s eyes as evidence.

Cold sweat trickled down her back.

A bad feeling stirred within her.

-…Damn. If it’s that great, why don’t you take care of it yourself?

Her senior’s words flashed through her mind.

The task was to guide those in need to the Holy Church.

Every time she mentioned how her seniors weren’t fulfilling their duties and were slacking off, she got the same response.

Using the authority of a knight to prey on the very citizens they were supposed to protect.

Her seniors had tossed aside all sense of duty expected of a person.

So she had assumed they simply couldn’t be bothered with the important task of saving children.

But what if…

What if that wasn’t the case at all?

If the words of the Black Fangs’ leader were true, what on earth was the Holy Church doing with those children?

A group that was so obsessed with money.

A group indifferent to human life, even if it meant someone would die for money.

Why on earth were they involved in saving children?

What purpose were the children being “used” for?

Her head spun.

The memory of telling people that she just wanted to help and then leading siblings to the Holy Church replayed in her mind.

The image of a child waving goodbye with a bright smile, promising to see her again, lingered in her thoughts.

No matter how hard she tried, ominous images wouldn’t leave her head.

There was only one thing she needed to do now.

She had to find out.

By any means necessary.

Lucy quickly moved her feet, praying that it was all just an overblown worry on her part.

*

Karon tried to calm himself and assess the situation.

‘What impact will this video have?’

It was massive.

An impact that could not be ignored.

High-quality production.

The structure perfectly designed for anyone to understand the situation.

If such a video spread throughout the Empire… no, if it even reached other countries…

The damage would be astronomical.

The trust the Holy Church had built up would come crashing down in an instant. Even if they managed to handle it well, they could only minimize the damage.

They couldn’t stop losing trust.

…However.

There was something even more crucial at stake.

‘What does the Black Fangs’ leader know?’

That video was certainly significant.

It possessed the potential to dismantle everything the Holy Church had painstakingly constructed.

Yet, compared to that, there was a much smaller, more trivial matter.

‘If all he knows is what’s in that video, then it’s a relief… but…’

Could it really be that simple?

It was clear that the video contained the dark truths of the Holy Church.

The Black Fangs had surely kept a close watch on the Holy Church, preparing a coordinated attack for a while now.

So… was that really all?

Had the “Black Fangs” only discovered that much about the Holy Church’s secrets?

There was no way he could believe that.

If the corruption shown in the video were to be brushed off as simply some priests’ degradation…

But what if the Black Fangs were hiding an ace up their sleeve?

‘The main ingredient for the Holy Grail, the corpse of the former hero, the whereabouts of his daughter.’

Even exposing any one of those three would spell doom.

This wasn’t just about losing the Holy Church’s trust.

As the leader of the Black Fangs announced quite arrogantly, the Holy Church would be completely shattered.

A decision was needed.

It was time to take action before the Black Fangs could start spewing nonsense and set their next plan into motion.

“I-I’m sorry, Cardinal.”

One of his subordinates fidgeted, glancing nervously at Karon. Which was only to be expected.

In such a public setting, playing that kind of video was bound to raise eyebrows.

If his underlings weren’t uneasy, that would’ve been stranger.

Karon forced a soft smile and spoke.

“Stay steady. We know our faith better than anyone.”

His words, seemingly benevolent at first glance, had a hidden edge.

However, the faces of those around him turned pale with fright.

This was only natural.

Such a smile was a clear indication of his true fury.

The individuals displayed in that video were now considered apostates.

No matter how much they cried that they were just unlucky and that they were only caught because of a twist of fate—they were dead.

It wasn’t just them; their entire families would be executed.

Of course, torture would follow.

‘It’s hard to see them clearly because of the blur.’

To Karon, it didn’t matter if he could identify them or not.

He could just grab anyone and kill them.

This was simply a warning.

By publicly executing those who failed to do their job and got caught, it would serve as a lesson that this sort of thing should never happen again.

As long as they made an example of them in a horrific manner, so everyone else would think, “I definitely don’t want to end up like that.”

It didn’t matter who fell under the axe.

For Karon, every human being was merely a tool to be used. As long as he could improve productivity, individual lives didn’t matter.

While thinking those thoughts internally, Karon maintained his gentle smile as he spoke again.

“It’s truly tragic. Such a cunning ploy. To whisper poisonous words into the ears of devout believers.”

He would portray the video as a cunning trick played by the horrific demon known as the leader of the Black Fangs.

A demon that distorted the evidence to shake the faith of the faithful.

With all of the Holy Church’s power at his disposal, he needed to control the narrative and prevent this video from spreading.

A few of his subordinates who understood the hidden orders behind his words hurriedly took action.

While he didn’t like assigning this significant task to his underlings, this time he had no choice.

Karon had a job that took precedence over controlling public opinion.

“The leader of the heretics seduces the lambs with lies. Surely, even God must be saddened.”

“Indeed, that is a wise observation!”

The remaining officials hurriedly agreed with Karon’s words. Their eagerness to appease him was almost comically pathetic.

Watching them, Karon feigned a smile and continued speaking.

“It’s truly embarrassing for one who swore to devote this life to God.”

It was a sentiment he didn’t mean.

He had no intention of following God’s will. Karon didn’t honor God—he used Him.

What brought him to this position wasn’t reverence for God, but a clever manipulation of His name.

For him, making someone devoid of will while making them memorize prayers and locking them away was far more efficient than being acknowledged by God through genuine faith.

There were already more than enough priests capable of healing wounds.

They would simply have to cut off children’s limbs, split open their insides, extract whatever was inside, and endlessly torture them while forcing them to praise God.

Repeating that process would generate pure and powerful divine energy.

Sure, there were side effects of “creating” something “dirty” during the production process, but even so, it was undeniably highly efficient.

“I won’t be able to tolerate this behavior any longer.”

All eyes turned toward Karon.

He put on his gentle smile once again, speaking in a friendly tone.

“I will purify the mind of that wicked demon personally.”

At those words, the expressions of the people stiffened.

Which was only natural.

No one in that place could fail to grasp the true meaning behind Karon’s words.

Everyone hurried around.

Preparing for what was to come.

This was why the Holy Church maintained its hold on power.

The ritual that invaded the minds of others.

Watching that scene unfold, Karon smiled.

It was a truly gruesome smile that came from deep within, far removed from his previous false facades.

‘…Black Fangs.’

By now, they likely felt like they owned the world. They were probably overconfident, believing everything was in their grasp.

However, they would soon learn.

There are certain entities that should never be provoked.