RD | Chapter 48

They walked through the eerie streets and arrived at the hospital—or rather, the place where the hospital used to be. Keith’s eyes widened at the sight of the collapsed building.

“What in the…?”

“Well, you saw the monsters running around and no soldiers guarding the place. Obviously, no one’s protecting anything, not even the hospital.”

Ian couldn’t help but wonder, “Did losing his sick little sister drive Maverick mad, making him cling even harder to the Pope?”

It was ironic, given that the Pope’s actions had filled the streets with monsters in the first place.

In Keith’s route, his squire was depicted as a puppet, obedient to the Pope’s every word. With the Pope’s blessings buffing him, the already formidable knight became a hammer forged from steel, clashing fiercely with Keith. The battles were entertaining to watch—but not so much with Keith as an ally.

“Maverick… What has my squire been doing? And the others…?” Keith ran a hand through his hair, clearly shaken.

“Maybe the patients were evacuated. Either way, your plan’s busted. What now?”

“If the Pope killed his sick sister, Maverick would probably still side with him rather than the one protecting her.”

Ian suspected the Pope had likely spirited the patients away. Keith’s initial plan had hit a dead end. Ian looked at Keith, who fell silent in thought.

“I need to check my residence.”

Keith’s residence was one of the high-ranking official’s quarters provided by the Vatican. Keith, having spent most of his time at the Vatican itself, rarely used it. However, his squire had often stayed there, as many of Keith’s missions were too dangerous to bring him along. Without a home of his own, Keith’s residence had essentially become the squire’s.

Keith seemed to believe Maverick might still be there. Ian doubted it but followed along—just in case. If Maverick were there, it’d save them a lot of trouble. If not, he’d likely be inside the Vatican, which meant they’d have to infiltrate it.

“Looks like it’s heading that way anyway.”

When they arrived, Ian noted the house didn’t look inhabited. The lights were off, the air was cold, and while the place seemed maintained, that was all. They’d likely have to infiltrate the Vatican.

“Keith should know a backdoor or two, having spent his life there.”

Ian had no intention of barging through the front gate. While planning, they suddenly heard a knock at the door. Then, it opened.

An older man holding a candle entered.

“Nuane?”

“Sir Keith!”

The man, whom Keith addressed as Nuane, gasped. He quickly looked around before cautiously stepping inside and shutting the door.

He whispered, “You’ve returned! I… I thought you’d never come back! What happened?”

“You’re still here. Why didn’t you leave? You must’ve known I was excommunicated and branded a heretic.”

“I’m the caretaker of this residence. My duty is to maintain it for its owner. There was no reason for me to leave.”

Keith seemed relieved.

“Is that so? I thought none of my associates would still be around. It seems the Vatican isn’t entirely heartless.”

Nuane shook his head solemnly.

“That’s not true, Sir Keith. Everyone connected to you was taken away, and I’ve heard nothing from them since.”

“……”

“I was released only because I swore in front of others that I wouldn’t follow you and that I’d report any sighting of you immediately.”

“Should I shoot him?” Ian tensed up, but Keith didn’t react.

“And yet, here you are, not reporting me.” Keith smiled bitterly.

“Because it was a false oath. Sir Keith, I’m a fool, but even I can’t understand why you’ve been branded a heretic. Many others feel the same. Even those of us who aren’t knowledgeable know your character. And…” Nuane closed his eyes, his eyelids trembling.

“Not long ago, Master Maverick visited this residence.”

“He did?”

“Yes. He seemed anxious… restless. I overheard something he muttered. It was so horrifying that I struggled to believe it, but from his demeanor, I couldn’t think it false.”

“What did he say?”

Nuane swallowed hard.

“That the reason the Vatican remained safe from the demon tribe wasn’t because of the Pope’s divine powers, but because the Pope had been making deals with them. That every time the demon tribe demanded, the Pope secretly handed over people, ensuring the Vatican appeared safe. Sir Keith… what am I to do? Should I believe this? And if it’s true, then what about my son… the son I sent to the hospital long ago and haven’t seen since? The hospital’s collapsed, but no one dares ask questions about what happened to the patients there. What happened to those sick people? Sir Keith…!”

Nuane grabbed Keith and broke into tears. He seemed like a man who had been drowning in anxiety for a long time.

Keith placed his hand on Nuane’s shoulder. His lips pressed into a thin line, as if holding something back, before he finally spoke.

“I’ll find out. Stay here and wait.”

“Sir Keith! Please… I beg you!” Nuane clung to his cloak as Keith’s face turned pale with rage.

“Oh?”

Ian, who had been casually thinking, “This must be a side quest,” froze when his eyes met Keith’s. Keith’s gaze was filled with unshakable determination, leaving no room for argument.

“Lord Ian. We need to go to the Vatican.”

“Uh… sure. Take the back route…”

“I need to speak with the Pope. There are things I must hear from him.”

“What? Hold on…”

“Wait, is this okay?” Ian’s face paled. This wasn’t part of the plan. “Can we even face the Pope now?”

The combination of the Pope and Maverick was an endgame-level challenge in Keith’s route. Sure, Ian and Keith had defeated the Western Demon Duke early, but that had involved other four-star heroes and a dungeon. Even then, demons were a natural counter to both Ian and Keith.

Now, Keith wanted to charge headfirst into the main storyline with just the two of them?

“Hold on! Let’s think this through. Is this really the right move? I get that you’re mad, but finding your squire comes first, right? How about we focus on getting your sword back and asking around about what happened to the hospital? The locals might know more!”

“No. What I need to know isn’t how the hospital collapsed but why it was destroyed. Regardless of the reason, the Pope was protecting it. Whether it was because my squire’s family was there or for some other reason… did he hand it over to the demon tribe because I was no longer useful to him? I want to know what the Pope was thinking when he offered sacrifices to demons.”

Keith’s anger was palpable. Ian could feel it pressing against him like a physical force. This world felt far too real for his liking.

“Lord Ian. I must hold him accountable. You understand, don’t you?”

Of course Ian understood. And that understanding was precisely why he hated this.

“I don’t care about these tragic character arcs…”

But Ian knew the pain of losing family all too well.

He’d lost his parents in an accident when he was ten. People thought that age was too young to grasp the weight of such loss, but Ian knew better. He understood then that his world had crumbled, that he’d lost everything, and that the arms that once held him would never return.

Ian nodded before he could stop himself and immediately regretted it.

Keith mounted his horse. “The Vatican lies straight ahead.”

“……!”

Ian had no choice but to follow.