A tranquil garden lay nestled within the Great Church in the heart of the Royal Capital. In this beautiful sanctuary, where flowers of every hue bloomed in profusion, Saint Seraphina was offering her prayers.
She was performing the "Prayer to Absolute God Zenos."
The prayer was a staple of the Kingdom Festival, a customary event where the faithful gathered to offer their gratitude to the heavens. A crowd of devotees had assembled to listen to Seraphina’s melodic voice. While Church Knights patrolled the perimeter, there was little tension in their posture; it was impossible not to be swayed by the relaxed, festive atmosphere of the day.
Yet, a subtle malice was beginning to coil around Seraphina.
The members of the "Dual-Eye Faction" were filtering into the garden, their numbers swelling bit by bit. Among them was Maximilian, the man who had approached Albert only days prior.
Watching the Saint, Maximilian trembled with an inner, feverish joy.
Oh! The time has come to make a blood sacrifice of that Saint and herald our doctrine to the world!
The thought sent a thrill down his spine. Their core tenet was simple: Absolute God Zenos possessed heterochromia.
To them, the appearance of the Divine was a matter of absolute truth that could not be doubted or misinterpreted, and the rift between them and the mainstream church ran deep.
Those insolent fools refuse to listen to our opinions simply because we are the minority...!
His resentment flared into a righteous fury.
To mistake the form of God is an unforgivable sin for any person of faith! I can no longer stand by while they perpetuate this blasphemy!
For that reason, he had chosen this day to act.
Maximilian knew that for a marginalized group to make its mark, sensationalism was vital. The public execution of the beloved and high-ranking Saint Seraphina would provide more than enough shock value. He knew many spectators would be caught in the crossfire, but he didn't care. In fact, he and his fellow believers had no intention of returning alive. They would all become martyrs, further magnifying the impact of their message.
Ah, Lord Zenos! For the honor of revealing Your true form, I offer my life! This is the supreme joy! My very soul is shaking!
The moment finally arrived.
The leader of the sect bellowed a command that drowned out Seraphina’s prayer.
"We are the Dual-Eye Faction! We have come to fulfill our mission and reveal the true form of God!"
That declaration was the signal. The hidden followers of the Dual-Eye Faction moved as one, surging toward Saint Seraphina at the center of the garden.
"The eyes of God are odd eyes! Asymmetry is supreme!"
"The beauty of mismatched eyes is the only form fitting for the Divine!"
"Divine judgment upon the fools who paint the face of God with lies!"
"Saint Seraphina, we grant you the honor of becoming a martyr!"
Screams erupted as the crowd scrambled to flee the sudden disruption. The cultists used the chaos to weave through the panicked masses, narrowing the gap between themselves and the Saint. The Church Knights struggled to respond, paralyzed by the confusion and the inability to distinguish the assassins from the innocent civilians.
Maximilian pressed forward, his eyes fixed on Seraphina as she ceased her prayer.
Being held up as the Saint of the mainstream—that is your sin! I shall allow you to atone by serving as the foundation upon which our teachings are built!
Clutching the dagger hidden in his clothes, Maximilian charged, fueled by fanatical excitement.
One of the guarding Church Knights spoke urgently to Seraphina. "Saint-sama, it’s dangerous here! Please, get inside the Great Church!"
"No, I will stay," Seraphina replied calmly.
"B-but—"
"It is all right. There is nothing to fear, for we are already sheltered by God’s grace."
As they spoke, two members of the Dual-Eye Faction reached them.
"You bastards!" the knight shouted, trying to restrain them. He managed to tackle one, but while he was occupied, the other slipped past.
"Oh no! Run, Saint-sama!"
"Die! Die, Saintttttttt!"
The cultist lunged, brandishing his dagger.
Seraphina didn't flinch. Suddenly, a man with his head obscured by a hood stepped into the attacker's path. Without a word, the hooded man drew the sword at his waist.
A flash.
A silver trail streaked through the air, cutting the fanatic down in an instant. The man collapsed to the ground, spraying a fountain of blood across the grass.
The momentum of the strike caused the defender's hood to fall back, revealing a handsome boy with light brown hair. His expression, however, was devoid of any spirit or elation.
Maximilian didn't know him, but this was Hero Leon. He had been standing by as Seraphina’s personal shadow.
The appearance of an unexpected interloper didn't stop the Dual-Eye Faction. They had gone too far to turn back. This was a battle where they would either execute the Saint or be wiped out.
"Push through! Kill them all!"
Three more fanatics leaped forward.
Leon didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow. With an expressionless face, he swung his sword, harvesting lives one after another. He moved with the cold, mechanical precision of a machine—as if he were merely pulling weeds from a garden.
But he wasn't killing weeds; he was killing people.
No matter how much they were enemies, it was chilling to see someone kill so disinterestedly. It is human nature for emotions to be stirred by the sight of blood or the sound of death rattles, yet Leon showed nothing. No guilt, no thrill, no fear.
He was a human-shaped execution platform.
W-what is that thing...?
Maximilian felt a cold dread crawl up his spine. He wasn't afraid of death; he was terrified because he couldn't comprehend the creature standing before the Saint. This was no longer a human being. Something essential to humanity was missing.
However, Maximilian refused to flee. This was his divine mission. Even if he died in vain, he believed that by stepping over his corpse, someone else would eventually reach Seraphina. He would gladly be the stepping stone.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Maximilian broke through the crowd and lunged at Seraphina.
Leon reacted.
A silver flash sang through the air, and Maximilian’s right hand—still clutching the dagger—was severed, flying through the sky. Before he could even register the pain, a returning strike slashed him diagonally across the chest.
"Guh...!"
Blood spilled onto the dirt. As his consciousness began to flicker, Maximilian looked up at the mysterious boy.
"Who... are you...? What made you... this way...?"
"I am Leon," the boy replied. "For the sake of my mission, I have ceased to be human. If something did command me to be this way, it was likely God."
"...God has two eyes... left and right. What color... are your God’s eyes...?"
"I have no interest."
Leon delivered the finishing blow. Maximilian became a martyr, sinking into a pool of his own blood.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
The battle subsided shortly thereafter.
The Dual-Eye Faction no longer had enough numbers to be considered a threat, and the Church Knights had begun the grim work of mopping up the survivors. They had likely realized that as long as Leon was there, the Saint was safe.
Leon stood by Seraphina’s side, his gaze vacant as he looked over the pile of twenty corpses he had created. He felt nothing. Thanks to the emotion-calming effect of the "Bracelet of Saint Agatha," his heart did not waver.
"Impressive, Leon. I didn't realize you'd grown so strong," a voice called out from the side.
Leon turned to see Luna standing there. She was their childhood friend, a girl who had once trained alongside them, but she had since distanced herself to join Albert’s faction. Leon felt no nostalgia; her history surfaced in his mind as mere data.
"Luna. Why are you here?"
"Because Lord Albert asked me to," she explained. "He said Seraphina would be attacked here today and told me to repel them. It seems my trip was a waste of time, though."
"...He knew about the attack?"
"So it seems. Lord Albert sees through everything. That man is truly incredible," Luna said, a look of ecstasy crossing her face.
Leon’s heart remained still. "I see."
"Leon, I’m happy you’ve become this strong. I look forward to the day we can defeat the Demon King together."
"...? Are you not staying with Albert?"
"If Lord Albert intends to slay the Demon King, then I will stay. But if he doesn't... then I will kill the Demon King alone. I do not forgive evil, and I will destroy the root of it. That is my dream and my goal."
Leon remembered the fury Luna harbored for the loss of her family. It seemed those flames of rage were still burning as fiercely as ever.
"If you're aiming for that same goal, our paths will eventually cross. When that time comes, let’s fight together. See you."
With that, Luna turned on her heel and departed.
The prospect of fighting alongside his childhood friend again might have brought the old Leon joy, but to the current Leon, the conversation was entirely meaningless.