The Growth of a Titan

After a few breaths of time, the cries in the hall died down and Ro-Dune came up to Adalhard with his head bowed.

"I have carried out the Bishop's order."

Adalhard slowly turned around to look at the mutilated corpses of the people Ro-Dune once called friends.

"You made a wise choice to join our Church. As long as you make more contributions like this I and the Church will not mistreat you."

"Yes, Bishop!"

Adalhard then began walking toward the hall's exit, stepping over the dead bodies and bloodied floor. Ro-Dune and the others who looked slightly injured followed close behind him.

As Adalhard exit the hall, a child suddenly ran up to him and said worriedly.

"Ah! Bishop Adalhard, did you injure your hand?"

"Hm? Oh, this? It's not injured, I was just making hand paintings. Now head off to the temple, midday worship should be starting soon."

As Adalhard lied through his teeth, he raised his clearly bloodied hand and wipped a bit of the blood on the child's nose playfully.

The child not knowing the reality of the situation giggled before running off to the temple.

The warm smile never left Adalhard's face, but his words next were anything but.

"Gather the children in the temple and kill all the adults in the village. Naive children are easier to handle once they enter the Church than stubborn adults."

"Yes, Bishop Adalhard!"

Ro-Dune and the others all yelled before they left to carry out the order. Since the strongest warriors in the village were either dead or had betrayed the village, everyone who was peacefully enjoying the day didn't know the danger that was on the horizon.

However, before Ro-Dune left, he turned and ask Adalhard.

"Bishop Adalhard, what about that Han Min?"

With narrowed eyes, Adalhard said coldly.

"I will handle him. With the Village Chief's death I have no one to fight for the control of the village, now my Holy Power is unmatched. He will undoubtedly die when he returns."

Adalhard then turned in a certain direction and said once more.

"He has probably sensed the death of the village Chief since he is the acting Guardian of the village, he will be here soon."

Hearing this, Ro-Dune expression stiffing. He didn't fear anyone in the village, neither Fogon nor the village Chief, but he was afraid of Han Min.

'But he won't be able to win against the Bishop. Bastard Han Min, I'll finally get to watch you die a dog's death.'

Ro-Dune hid his nervousness and bowed to Adalhard before he went to leave. But Adalhard suddenly asked.

"Wait, tell me, is that man originally from this village?"

Adalhard had not dug into Han Min's background till now as it would have drawn suspicions, but now he truly wanted to know if his theory was right.

Ro-Dune turned and answered.

"Answering Bishop Adalhard, Han Min is not from our village. He came here several decades ago with his child and offer to become our village Guardian, our village Guardian had just died, and given his strength, the village Chief agreed."

Adalhard wore a thoughtful expression as he heard this. But his face suddenly changed as he asked once again.

"You said he came here several decades ago… with a child?"

Ro-Dune nodded.

"That's right, that child is his current son."

Adalhard's face changed even more.

"You're saying that his son is several decades old? But if my eyes are not deceiving me he resembles and acts very much like an adolescent child would, not some old man decades old."

"B-Bishop Adalhard, I am telling the truth. That child was merely an infant then, and even though Han Min kept his son out of sight, I'm confident it's the same child as now. I too thought this situation was weird when his son appeared in the open several years ago still as a small child, but the village Chief ordered us not to say anything about it."

"…"

After a moment of silence, Adalhard wave his hand and dismissed Ro-Dune. Ro-Dune bowed his head and then turned to leave.

At that moment, screams began to echo out in the village. The cleansing had begun, with the children having been trapped inside the temple not knowing their parents were being murdered outside.

While this chaos was unfolding, Adalhard muttered under his breath.

"That father and son are extremely suspicious. Did I really choose a village those bastards from the Eastern Region have already occupied?"

Adalhard's brows came together into a frown, but a moment later his face relaxed.

"It doesn't matter, our goal is not the resources in the Unholy Mountain but the chance to increase the size of our Church by incorporating these barbarian tribes. Soon, we'll be able to wield power surpassing the Beorhtric family and unite the Western Region. With that barrier coming undone, a war between the two Regions is inevitable."

As Adalhard spoke, he imagine his Seven Great Churches taking over the Western and Eastern Region before going on the conquer the world.

"We'll be able to share our God's blessing with so many people then. Everyone giving their lives to the Lord, what better world could there be than this? A wonderful paradise on earth."

A fanatic look was glimmering in Adalhard's eyes as he said that, while an excited grin was plastered on his face.

"However…"

The look of fanaticism suddenly dropped from Adalhard's face to be replaced with a grim look.

"…Anyone who refuses to repent and serve our Lord... deserves death!"

Adalhard looked at the massacre happening around him with a cold look on his face.

….

…

..

Han Min who was sitting cross-legged while his son 'chopped' wood from the nearby surrounding trees, had his eyes fly open. His head swiftly turned in the direction of the village and his gaze seem to penetrate past the countless trees between him and the village to observe the brutal scene unfolding.

"Solovin, continue gathering firewood, I'll return to the village. Don't stop until all the trees in a twenty-meter radius in chopped."

BANG!

Sol had just used his bear fist to destroy the base of a tree sixteen meters high and about two meters wide. He turned to his father and asked dumbfounded.

"But how am I going to carry back that much firewood? Are you coming back to help me?"

Han Min didn't answer his son but angrily said.

"You aren't getting any dinner if you don't do it!"

Han Min tried to act as he always did, but Sol realize something was wrong.

"Dad?" 𝙗𝒆𝒅𝒏𝙤𝒗𝒆𝙡．𝙤𝒓𝙜

Sol called out to his father, but he suddenly vanish from view.

Just before he left, Han Min gave Sol a look the boy couldn't understand.

"Dad! W-What's going on?"

Sol hesitated, but he eventually decided to gather up the woods from the trees he knocked down. After hefting up the carrier now full of wood, he hurriedly dashed off back to his village; Little Zeel having leaped onto the pile of wood as he ran.

A sinking feeling had slowly begun to grow in Sol's chest as he recalled his father's last look towards him. That sinking feeling eventually grew to panic as he caught a glimpse of smoke through the lessen canopy trees.

It was coming from his village's direction.

Sol's heart pounded against his chest loudly, but his pace did slow down and instead increased.

He was expecting the worse as he got closer, but what he would see as well as experience when he reached, would haunt him for the rest of his life.