I Became the Moon Goddess' Apostle in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 58: Who Am I To Judge?

"Wait, what did you just say?" Raven was taken aback.

"Their heads were decapitated, and ledged into a wooden cross."

Pevon repeated himself.

"So..." Raven took a moment, "Any connections of these people with the granny?"

Pevon nodded.

"We conducted a few interrogations around the village, this time, as the Church officials."

"And?"

"And at first, they were reluctant to say anything." Pevon frowned slightly, "But some eventually caved in, with the help of some,"

He made a circular gesture with his thumb and his index finger.

Money.

Raven leaned in, "What did they say?"

"That they were this granny’s grandchildren, who were publicly hanged and decapitated after some issues with the church."

Messy.

Raven rose another question, "And who was at fault?"

"The Priest," Pevon answered without a hitch.

"The grandchild of the granny had recently bought some land that the priest had been coveting for a while."

Raven wasn’t surprised.

Humans fighting for land was a tale as old as time.

Even animals were at it all the time.

"So, after the through and fro, the priest decided to frame both of them, and ’punish’ them?" Raven asked, putting his theory forward.

"Yes," He confirmed his theory, "This story stayed consistent amongst a lot of villagers."

"Haah...!"

Raven turned his head around, staring at the light bleeding through the cracked wooden planks.

"What a bunch of stupid people," He shook his head in disappointment.

But internally, his feelings were quite conflicting.

Logically, what the granny did was very stupid.

Sure, she had her revenge in the end, but it did end up costing the entire village a price they had to pay.

But who was he to judge?

For him, he was also just a stupid man trying his best to free his family.

He has killed for them.

What makes him any different?

Except for the fact that he didn’t make a pact with the forces of evil.

Or did he?

’Gosh, I am so sacreligious at this moment.’ He scoffed at himself.

To be completely honest, he still had very little trust in the Moon Goddess and her lackeys.

But she was her only way.

He felt like a jester in a courtroom.

A prostitute in the streets, selling his body for something he wanted. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Raven?" Suddenly, Pevon called him out. "Are you alright? Your face looks sad."

"Yea- Yeah, I am, totally, yeah. I am fine." His words stumbled on his tongue.

"It just felt so strange and sad." His eyes looked duller than usual.

"Yeah," Pevon nodded at his words, "The last few days of my life had been the most bizarre ones I have ever felt."

Raven could understand that.

After all, they had gone through so much.

Things they had never experienced, horrors of unprecedented levels, and consistently out of their comfort zones.

Growl!

His stomach growled loudly in the silence they had in there.

"Man, I am starving," Raven complained.

Heh!

Pevon chuckled, "Well, yeah! You haven’t eaten anything in 3 days already."

Raven slid off his blanket and shakily stepped on the ground, making sure not to get another cramp.

"Let’s just go and have a feast for today." His voice had more life in it, "Maybe a hearty meal would uplift us."

"Of course," Pevon matched his energy, "I was waiting for you to say this."

Raven held back the urge to say that the treat was on him.

"Let’s go all out right now."

...

It was currently evening in the uncharacteristically eventful village of Chemin.

People’s expressions were a lot lighter than usual, as they roamed the streets with much less fear.

And currently, entering the village was a middle-aged, average-built male with black hair and brown eyes.

He looked so unassuming, but he was nothing to scoff at.

Melvin Meier.

A Bishop in the Holy Church of Solis.

And welcoming him were Zuri, Carroll, Pevon, and Raven.

Janet was behind him, since she was the one to fetch them.

"Ah!" The bishop smiled at them, his arms open, "It’s a pleasure to meet the members of the new Order."

Since a team of Arbiters had the decision-making power akin to a Bishop, there was no reason to bow in front of him.

But since he was not only stronger, but also more experienced and wise, they decided to give him a small bow to be polite.

"It’s our honor to meet you, too, your grace." It was Zuri who took the lead.

She was made responsible for every social interaction they had.

To be their representative and the vanguard in social battles.

"I heard you and your team had a terrible experience here?" His eyes grazed along everyone in the team, measuring them up, "Can you fill me in on the details?"

"I would love to comply, Bishop, but..." Zuri paused as she looked around.

The rest of them also looked around.

People of the village were stealing glances, their eyes full of reverence.

A bishop was a rarity for them, after all.

"Is it okay to do this at somewhere private place, your Grace?"

"Nice idea."

...

"A high-level accursed?" Inside a decent-looking room in a peasant’s rented-out house, Bishop Melvin exclaimed loudly.

"Gosh!" His expressions were a sight to behold: "You young people are strong."

"You flatter us, your grace," Zuri replied, "You could have easily handled a high-level accursed by your own."

"Don’t be too modest, I am 46, and you people look not a day older than 20."

It was awkward talking to a direct old person, talking to them like that.

"Who is your team leader?" He asked.

And everyone glanced at Raven.

It was purely subconscious.

He pretty much handled most of the brains by himself.

And even delivered crucial blows to the accursed.

"It was a team effort, your grace." Raven chimed in, "Our team members are all competent and brave, so that we can achieve it."

Hahaha!

The Bishop heartily laughed at the sight.

It was so impressive.

"I like your spirit, young man," He patted on his shoulders, "Keep it up."

After that, the team filled him in on most of the details about their entire mission.

From start to end.

Even the investigations about the granny’s grandchildren.

"Your grace," Zuri added, "I hope you can take over from here, since our job is over."

"Of course, of course," He replied, "You lads and lasses did your job perfectly."

"Now, it’s this old timer’s turn to take over and manage the rest."

"You can rest assured."