Running, running away.
　With a strong denial in his mind that this couldn't be happening, Father Blessed Ear just ran through the coruscating forest.

　The exit is far away.
　The end of the forest was still not in sight.
　A cold sweat that sends shivers down my spine mingles with the sweat that is flowing to release body heat.

　A strike force of elite men and women was assembled. The fact that it was eradicated without a care in the world left Father Fukumimi horrified as if he were having a nightmare.
　Fortunately, he hadn't come across the beast of the forest yet.
　But even the serenity of the forest landscape felt like a labyrinth trying to lure him into the abyss.

'That's ......, the devil,'

　A scorching white flame that swallowed up the maneuver in an instant.
　And it was multiple at the same time. It was not a human karma.

　And that wasn't all.
　The woman, who seems to be an ally of mine, also stood on equal footing with the elite of the Tria Army, and to top it all off, even the twins were using questionable karma.

''How can I help: ......

　This time it is the defeat of the elite from the churches in the kingdom.
　The only people left in the country are the priestly soldiers who guard the churches, and they are not as strong as the forces they led earlier.
　It is true that if there were only dozens of them, you could have dozens of times as many, but Father Blessed Sacrament knows that this is completely useless.
　But when it comes to requesting reinforcements from other countries' churches, it is indeed beyond Father Blumenfeld's authority.

''I've asked for the help of Father Dawlett, and the rest is--''

　He gasped for breath as he was about to say it.
　His feet stopped and the priest's eyes widened with fear on his face.

'Nah, why ......!'

　No wonder he was so shocked.
　This is because the one standing in front of him is a servant of the evil god.

　Father Fukumimi repeats in his mind the unanswerable question as to why the sorcerer of a thousand swords is standing in front of him, who had retreated and continued to run in a premature retreat while the forces he led were lost in the blink of an eye.
　The sorcerer boy standing in front of him, without regard to Father Fukumimi's confusion, slowly approached.

''Ku, don't come ......!

'That was my line, though. You don't have to say it in words, but you know that. You're the one who bothered to bother us when we were all quiet in the woods, aren't you?

　The sorcerer gives me a cold stare.

''There's no way you can ...... leave the followers of the evil gods unattended.

I don't think so.

　The sorcerer's face twisted.

''I could have just as quickly put it to rest right there, but I just wanted to make this clear.

　As he said this, the sorcerer thrust his sword at Father Blessed Ear's throat.

''Hee.''

'I don't know any evil gods, and of course I don't believe in them or worship them. You've given me a hell of a frame-up.

　Wondering what he was going to say, the sorcerer now began to defend himself.
　Understanding that he apparently wouldn't be cut down without question, Father Blessed Ear Priest countered in a subdued voice.

''What is it from someone who doesn't even have faith in the ...... female god?''

You can worship whoever you want, but why should I pander to them?　We can't be judged as evildoers just because we look the other way.

　There is only one God in this world.
　Then it is only natural for a man to dedicate himself to that one pillar.
　He who refuses to do so, that is, he is nothing more than an infidel.

　Forgetting the situation where he was being held by a sword, Father Fukumimi raised his voice.

'A person who turns his back on the one and only Goddess is bound to be enchanted by paganism!

That's ridiculous.

　The sorcerer glares at me with a face that looks like he's about to spit at me.

''You worship someone you don't even know well one way or the other and lift them up with a lore that may or may not even be true, and treat someone who is not good for them as an evil servant of the gods?　It's the kind of self-serving logic that's typical of that woman's followers.

"Evil people don't want to insult a goddess!　It's an unforgivable mortal sin to defile God with falsehoods!

'Delusional?　Oh, so you've seen this goddess in person?　Have you ever exchanged words with him?

Guh. ......

　Father Blessed Ear is at a loss for words.
　Indeed, the materials left in the church's archives record the fact that a goddess once descended to earth.
　There were also stories of the Cardinal of the time who gave her the word, and of an archbishop in a distant foreign country who, with the direct assistance of a distant foreign archbishop, sealed off a powerful demon.

　But all of this happened hundreds of years away from time.
　For the last two hundred years or so, there had been no descent of the goddess and no oracle had been sent down.
　It had been a long time since the last goddess had spoken to him.

　Of course, Father Blessed Sacred Heart had never heard or seen the goddess.
　But this was quite natural in these times.
　If he had the opportunity to have an audience with the goddess, it would definitely be an event worthy of being called a miracle.

'No, such a miracle would not be easy to achieve!

'How can you have so much blind faith in someone you've never seen or spoken to?

That's what faith is all about!

　Even if no miracles occur, even if we cannot witness the object of our faith, the goddess is still a being worth believing in.
　Father Fukumimi's words were a natural answer for a priest in the priesthood, but the words the sorcerer uttered following them were unexpected.

'I've met this goddess you speak of,'

Is ......?

　Unable to understand the meaning of the words he heard, and his emotions temporarily flattened out, Father Blessed Ear stared at the sorcerer's face with a straight face.

''Born as the third daughter of a village chief in a remote rural village in the frontier of the Kingdom of Rhodelia, she was an accomplished man who long ago joined the kingdom's army as a soldier and rose to the rank of senior general at the age of twenty-six with a number of military achievements. Red Butterfly Nigeria

What? ......

　He tries to interrupt the sorcerer, who suddenly begins to say something unintelligible, but the other party continues to string words together without regard to him.

He is a tyrannical warlord who kills hundreds of armies with a single rider, slaughters his enemies by any means necessary, and silences both friend and foe with overwhelming force. His character is brutal and selfish. He is an outcast who loves to see other people's suffering more than anything else. He is an irredeemable maniac who makes many enemies by word and deed without considering people as human beings, and takes pleasure in subduing them with force. That's what you worship, the true nature of the lowest human being in the skin of a goddess.

　As soon as I understood what the sorcerer meant, a look of indignation flashed across Father Fukumimi's face again.

　The fact that he treated the goddess as a village girl and a madman for lack of a better word is truly an act that even God does not fear.
　It was an unforgivable blasphemy against the goddess who created this world and has lovingly guided and protected people.

"How dare you humiliate the goddess ......!

I'm not asking you to believe me. I'm not asking you to believe me, either. I just wanted to confront you with the truth. I just wanted to drive home the fact that this whole thing is a bunch of bollocks to your faith.

I'm not done!

That's all I have to say,

　The sorcerer, who had spoken in a one-sided, worldly manner, selfishly drew the tip of his sword with a refreshed expression.

　The blade just before it stabbed into his throat moved away, but that is by no means synonymous with Father Fukumimi's life being prolonged.
　Rather, it's the opposite.
　The sorcerer's sword is only a preliminary motion to reap the life of Father Blessed Sacrament once again.

''It's no use begging for your life now.

'Duh, who would do such a thing ......!　We, the proud followers of the Goddess, are not going to beg for our lives from the evil ones!

　The other party is a sorcerer with a mighty power worthy of the expression "demon".
　Despite his position as a priest, he is not the kind of opponent that Father Blessed Sacrament would ever be able to face on his own.
　But even so, there's no choice but to fight in order to get out of this predicament.

Oh, I see.

　In order to distance himself from the sorcerer who just uttered a reply that it didn't matter, Father Blessed Ear Priest kicked the ground and flew backwards.
　At the same time, he quickly grabbed the magic stone he had hidden in his pocket and tried to slam it towards his opponent's feet - and then he tried to slam it down.

　He realized that the tip of his own wrist was gone.

''Ah!''

　There was the sound of something falling with a botry.
　But Father Blessed Ear didn't have time to find out what it was.

　The intense pain that assaulted his body prevented him from thinking.
　The blood flowing out would not stop.
　The section of his wrist, which had been cleanly severed by a sharp blade, was stained red.

　Slowly, the sorcerer walks over.
　He took three steps forward and stopped, and the sword he held was caked with a slight red liquid.
　Understanding that he had been cut in that instant, Father Blessed Ear Priest contemplated that this was it.
　He didn't know if he would be able to escape even when he was in a state of five bodies, but there was no way that he, who was losing a lot of blood right now, would be able to escape from this demon.

　There was no longer anything that Father Blessed Ear could do.
　All that was left to do was wait for the demon in sorcerer's form to kill him.
　Father Fukumimi, who has regained his composure, opens his mouth as a final retaliation.

Even if you kill me here and now, don't expect me to escape from the hands of the Church in the future. The location of the hiding place is known to all who remain in the church. If you silence us all, a new strike force will be formed sooner or later. Those of you who have been declared heretics will no longer have a place in this continent, even if you escape.

　The sorcerer's face contorts slightly.
　He must have imagined the situation they would be in in the future.

　It would surely be days of being driven away with no peace of mind.
　If he was able to inflict even a small amount of hurt on the demon's heart with his words, it would be worth the pain and the smile.
　That's the only thing Father Blessed Ear can do now to fight back.

'For years to come, I'll be in a place where the sun doesn't shine, scared of d*mnation--'

　--Continue to be frightened of the d*mnation.

　As he was about to say this, his vision darkened.
　In the midst of his lost consciousness, Father Blessed Ear never doubted that his soul would reach the Goddess and be enveloped in eternal rest and joy.