To say Drale was having a terrible day would be an understatement.
Instead of having a day off as promised by Bishop, he had been pulled out of his vacation to go hunting for 'Heretics' that recently started popping up around Valar.
He exaggeratedly sighed, 'Did they need to pull me out of my vacation for this...'
He was not only a high-ranking member of the Church of Chrunus but also one of the soldiers of the 1st Legion.
By far not the strongest of course, but he was certainly not the weakest by any margin.
And despite that, he was supposed to hunt people who preached about some so-called almighty 'God', who, in their words, was more powerful than Chrunus.
It was heresy of the highest order, and yet why would a bishop order someone as powerful as Drale to be sent out to hunt them? It was a task for lower-ranking paladins.
No, he knew precisely why he was sent.
It wasn't only civilians that started preaching this heresy, but they said 'Princess of Fools' supported it, who was apparently backed by a monstrous paladin capable of turning people into dust with his mere presence.
Exaggeration, that he was sure of.
And yet bishop was most certainly paranoid about the heresy.
Why would he be so paranoid?
Drale did not get that. Princess of Fools had that nickname for a reason.
She was incompetent and incapable; anything backed by her never had any ground and would die on its own.
'Perhaps because of that, Paladin.' Drale groaned as his subordinates marched towards the temple of Chrunus to make a tribute.
He would be lying if he said he wasn't terrified. bishop was not one to be afraid of mere rumors, however, he also knew that exaggerations always crept their ugly tendrils in every nook and cranny.
Drale knew better than to believe it.
"Commander Drale, is something troubling you?" A younger Paladin approached him, concern plastered on his face.
He was one of the newer recruits, merely 2 months into his service.
Like many before him, he too believed in the heresy of Natura, and so he had been sent to the church of one true god to be cleansed of his false belief.
Many would have been executed for such a heretical belief, and yet he had so much potential that it was truly a waste to end his life.
Fortunately, they were right; it took a month, but his faith in Natura had been expunged and replaced by undying loyalty to Chrunus, the supreme god.
Drale shook his head, "No, I am just deep in thought."
His eyes darted over his men, they were clearly getting tired.
"Let's rest soon, tell others."
"Understood!" The Paladin separated from Drale, leaving him once again alone with his thoughts.
He shook his head once again, expelling his thoughts. 'There is no point in worrying, at most that Paladin is stronger than I.'
If they ran into the so-called monstrous paladin while hunting heretics, he was confident that he could escape, even if he had to sacrifice some of his men.
'It is only a matter of time before the Bishop orders us to kill the princess...' He did not wish to kill her, despite her being unworthy.
It felt terrible to kill women when they could be used for other purposes, or even as sacrifices to Chrunus.
He lifted his head toward the sky while taking a deep breath, 'I remember that heretic woman I deflowered once before sacrificing her to Chrunus... That was good.'
Perhaps the same fate would befall the princess, and yet it was unlikely he would be able to use her body himself before sacrificing her.
Higher profile heretics would usually be sacrificed without any other use, as such, despite being 'Princess of Fools' who could only get idiots to follow her, she would be spared from being used by righteous paladins of Chrunus.
It truly was a shame.
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine.
Just as they stopped to rest, he felt a presence.
Primal, Powerful, Divine.
It was watching them.
No, it did not merely watch; it was angry, it was furious.
"Men! Prepare to fight!" He ordered, his hand clenching about his blades' hilt.
In a moment entire group dropped everything they were doing and got into a fighting stance.
Drale did not know where from or even what was observing them, but he could sense it.
Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, the presence made itself known.
Warrior clad in silver and white.
A red cross embroidered on its chest.
A symbol Drale recognized, it was a symbol of the new heresy.
The gleam of silver reached his eyes before a line cut through at least half of his Paladins.
Unfortunate souls couldn't even react as their bodies were split and turned into ash.
Drale wanted to panic, despite his training, he wished to let go and run. And yet he couldn't run.
Swish
More of his men fell.
'It is him...' Drale's eyes widened in shock and fear.
This was most certainly the monstrous being that was backing Aurelia and the Heretics of the Cross.
'I cannot run now... That man. NO, that THING is too fast!' He gripped his blade as his eyes tried to follow the being, and yet all he could see were his men collapsing.
In the next moment, all his men were gone, leaving him alone against the monster.
He raised his blade, "In the name of Chrunus! Stop!"
He ordered, and yet it was futile.
Before Drale could even blink his eyes faced the sky, his head flew off his shoulders.
His consciousness faded as he uttered a prayer in his mind, a final act of service.
'Chrunus, god of Chaos and Lord of Chalk. Please embrace me in your domain. The monster I faced was too powerful.'
Drale's mind finally expired, sending him to Chrunus.
And yet Chrunus never received his soul.
A false god would never learn what happened here, for his eyes were blind in the presence of God's Light.