"Dang … Dang …"
The melodious sound of the bell reverberated in the sky. The entire Holy City was shrouded in the light of the setting sun. In the distance, petals could be seen falling in all directions and pegasus knights gliding across the sky. Of course, the most eye-catching thing was the giant metal warship that appeared and disappeared from time to time above the clouds.
"Sigh …"
A hunchbacked figure leaned on a chair. He raised his head and gazed at everything in front of him with a dazed expression. He let out a long sigh. His sigh contained infinite sorrow and frustration. Compared to the lively and joyous scene around him, this place seemed to be shrouded in shadows, a land of darkness that had been completely abandoned by God.
Just like him.
Brandt closed his eyes. The Paladin who had once enjoyed a great reputation in the Holy Cathedral had now become a completely different person. His blonde hair had turned yellow, like withered weeds in autumn. His meticulously groomed hair had also become messy, looking like a bird's nest. Although the clothes he was wearing were luxurious, it could be seen from the stains on them that they had not been washed for a long time.
For Brandt, his current life was like hell.
Ever since the nightmare last winter, Brand's life had been completely changed. His beloved daughter died tragically, and his holy sword and power were taken back by the Goddess. Not only that, but Brand was also placed under house arrest by the Holy Cathedral. After all, he had attacked an angel in public during the New Year's Festival and attempted to hurt a Saint Paladin. No matter what, the Holy Cathedral had to give an answer.
Although Brand had his reasons for doing what he did, this matter was too important. More importantly, the Holy Cathedral still had to see Fangzheng's attitude. Unfortunately, the Holy Cathedral just ran away, and the Holy Cathedral didn't even have a chance to use Brand as a token of loyalty.
In the end, under the Pope's order, the Holy Cathedral had to act impartially. They stripped Brand of his title as Paladin Captain and took back all the privileges they had given him. However, the Holy Cathedral did not go too far. Apart from moving Brand out of the Holy City, no one else took the opportunity to do anything else.
But even so, Bulat suffered a huge blow. Although the Holy Cathedral didn't charge Brand with the crime of 'colluding with heretics', Brand's reputation in the Holy City worsened as the various cults used this incident as a pretext to make a fuss. Although he had many good friends, when it came to matters of faith, everyone's standpoint was still very firm.
Besides, Brand's actions at that time were not entirely without problems. He used his power to oppress the Holy Cathedral, and he even tried to deal a heavy blow to Fangzheng. Everyone saw that with their own eyes, so the Holy Cathedral could not clear its name even if it wanted to. If it dared to say that Paladin Brand was just a little hot-tempered, but was actually a good person at heart … .well, the Goddess would probably show herself and tear down its nest.
The Holy Cathedral didn't know whether the Goddess would do that, but it was a fact that the Goddess had taken back the Blade of Justice and power she had given Brand. This also showed the Goddess' attitude. As the spokesperson of the Goddess, the Holy Cathedral couldn't possibly go against the Goddess!
Under such circumstances, Brand was like a monkey in a pinch. Almost all of his attendants and servants were devout believers. When they heard that Brand had been declared a heretic by the Holy Cathedral, they were so scared that they immediately ran away. In just a few days, all of them had left. Brand was also disheartened. He casually packed up some of his belongings, left his original home, and found a place to stay in the outer city.
After that, Brand spent almost every day drinking. He had been so dizzy that he didn't even know how much time had passed … .but he didn't care.
"Haa …."
Brandt reached out his hand to grab the bottle on the table and pour himself another glass. Perhaps because he had drunk too much, his hand trembled slightly, and the bottle began to shake as well. The wine poured out of the bottle and spilled onto the table. Brandt gripped the bottle tightly and tried to pour the wine into the glass. However, after several failed attempts, he let out a furious roar and threw the bottle at the wall.
However, that unlucky bottle didn't shatter into pieces. On the contrary, a hand emerged from the shadows and silently grabbed the bottle, gently placing it on the table. At the same time, a coquettish laughter emerged from the darkness.
"Look, how sad. The former Blade of Justice has now become an old man who can't even hold a bottle properly …."
"How many times have I told you to get out of my house!"
Brand glared fiercely at the figure. He stretched out his hand to grab at his side, trying to pull out his weapon. But when his hand missed, he realized that his weapon had already disappeared.
"Huhuhu …."
Seeing Brand's action, the figure chuckled again.
"You weren't like this in bed before, father …."
"Don't call me that!"
Brand's expression changed drastically. He stood up and staggered back. He leaned against the wall with an ashen face, as if he had seen a terrible monster.
"I'm really surprised too. I didn't expect the famous Blade of Justice to have such an interest in his own daughter. Is this the reason why you fell? It seems that the Goddess is really insightful. If I let a guy like you stay in the temple any longer, who knows when something bad will happen. What will become of the temple then? "
"Shut up …. It's not like that! It's you …. "
"Really? Father …. "
The slender figure came up to Brand, stretched out her hand, and caressed his face as if it were a lover.
"Is this really not what you want? If it's really not like that, why didn't you stop at that time? Father was really rough back then. You kept going in there …. You made my stomach bulge. I still remember what Father said at that time. Do you want me to repeat it again? "
"…. Shut up …."
"…. Oh, my dear daughter, I love you so much. I finally have you. You're mine. I love you. Let me take you to experience the joy of heaven …."
"…. Shut up!!"
Brandt roared in anger. This time, a turbulent wave of energy erupted from his body, forcing the black shadow to retreat. But the figure did not get angry. On the contrary, she laughed again.
"As expected of a former Knight Captain. Even after being deprived of holy power, your strength is still outstanding …."
"Stop mocking me. I've made up my mind."
This time, Brand let out a long sigh.
"I'll join. I'll join, okay? Damn it, I never thought that I would fall into hell one day …. So, if I join hell, can you really guarantee that you can bring Connie's soul back? "
"Of course."
The figure giggled.
"The power of the Lord is not something a paladin like you who only knows how to roll around on the Main Plane can imagine. It's your honour that the Lord has taken a fancy to you, paladin. Don't think you're so great just because you've worked hard for the Goddess. The battles in hell are far beyond your imagination. But before that, I need you to do one more thing … to prove your determination and will. "
"…. What is it?"
"It's simple."
As she spoke, the figure stretched out her hand and placed a dagger on the table. It was a dirty-looking dagger. The sheath was tangled with messy threads, and even the hilt looked like it had been corroded by some kind of flesh and blood, and had fused with the metal.
"You might know that the Holy Cathedral will be holding a banquet to celebrate their great victory in the North tonight, and the legendary savior will also appear. What I need you to do is to sneak into the banquet, then find a chance to pull this dagger out in front of him …. Don't worry, the Cathedral's detection spells won't be able to detect its existence with the Lord's mark. "
"… ….."
Brand looked at the dagger in front of him without saying a word. The figure pushed the dagger towards him.
"What's wrong? What are you hesitating for? Don't forget who caused you to fall into this state. Don't worry, our target is only him …. We can make a contract. You should know that we demons are very strict with our promises. "
"… I understand."
Hearing this, Brand reached out and grabbed the dagger.
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