"You certainly have talent. And a level of experience that belies your age."
*Clack.* The wooden sword flew high into the air.
Before I could even go to retrieve it, the blunt edge was at my neck.
"But you are too reckless. The strategy of sacrificing flesh to break bone is sound, but you throw your body in so readily you could serve a full course meal with it."
"…"
If this had been a real battle, I would already be dead.
"It's as if you have three or four lives. …Do you possess a power of resurrection?"
"I do not."
"No, you don't. But those heretics possess all sorts of abilities. **Infinite regeneration**, an iron-wall defense, and even simple immortality."
He spoke, wagging a finger. He seemed like someone who had seen it all with his own two eyes.
"If you continue to fight like this against them… it will be a dog's death. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
"Let's return to the beginning. You have talent. But you've picked up too many strange habits. To be honest, fixing them now will be difficult."
He added that it wasn't impossible, just very difficult.
"Therefore, I plan to force the issue. From this day forward, I forbid you from using any and all close-combat weapons, including swords and spears."
"Then how am I to fight the heretics?"
"You have these, don't you."
He made a fist. Sharp blades protruded from between each of his fingers.
They were **Black Keys**.
"They are strange weapons. Their center of gravity is a mess, making them difficult to wield as swords, and they only truly serve their purpose when thrown."
He closed his eyes and swung his arm.
The three Black Keys that left his hand passed precisely through a hole no bigger than a handspan in the old wall.
"…And yet, you seem to handle them with great skill."
"I have lived my entire life for the Church. Should I not be able to handle something like this with my eyes closed?"
Soon after, he handed me a small bag.
Inside were dozens of Black Key hilts.
"You know how to form the blades, correct? Just channel your magical energy into them. Depending on the situation, you can also spread the blades out like a fan for defensive purposes. As for the rest, you'll have to learn it on the field."
"A new mission?"
"Yes. The number of the Dead has increased in the Naples area. I need you to take care of it."
**Naples**. A city not so far from Rome.
"Get the details when you arrive. They will explain everything."
"I doubt the people by the coast will help me without a fuss."
"To ignore you is to ignore an Executor. There is no need to bow your head. Be firm."
"I am not an official Executor yet, but… I understand. I will do so."
My old master gave me some money, telling me to buy him something tasty on my return.
He never eats it when I do.
I quickly hailed a carriage.
"Where to, sir?"
"Naples. I am going to deliver the word."
"…I'll get you there quickly."
To deliver the word. It was a kind of code.
The quick-witted driver headed straight for Naples.
"I kill, and I make alive…"
I closed my eyes in the swaying carriage.
I had an old dream, of a beast taking refuge in the Church.
-You are truly broken.
-….
-You seem to be looking for an opening, but give it up. Unless you were to undergo a metamorphosis, perhaps. But as you are now, you don't stand a chance.
An old man had approached me as I lived in the wild mountains, preying on other beasts just like myself.
-I came to exterminate you… but I've had a change of heart. A fun idea just occurred to me.
-Get lost.
-I shall raise you myself. From this day, you will be my disciple.
I lunged at the old man spouting nonsense, and I was thoroughly beaten.
I, who had never known defeat, knelt for the first time that day.
I admired strength, and had no interest whatsoever in the old man's talk of divine providence, salvation, or mercy.
But after being forcibly taught through beatings, I was now able to act the part, at least.
I was even told I might have an unexpected aptitude for it….
"We've arrived."
I awoke from my sleep. I could feel the sea breeze.
I had only meant to rest my eyes, but to think I'd slept all the way to Naples. I've grown lax.
"Thank you. The fare is…"
"It's quite alright, brother. Consider the price already paid."
He turned back towards Rome immediately.
I suppose I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
After offering a prayer of thanks to the One in Heaven, I made my way to the Naples branch.
The branch was located in a secluded place on a hill.
"Is this it? It's more run-down than I expected."
As a city in the southern part of the peninsula, Naples was a step down from Rome in every aspect.
But to think even the church would be in such a state.
It was so dilapidated that it couldn't be excused as merely pursuing a simple lifestyle.
Does the Holy See have no interest in the south?
"Is anyone here?"
The moment I placed my hand on the door,
I sensed the presence of a demon.
"So that's what happened?"
"Groooaaan…"
The inside was filled with **living corpses**.
A **summoning circle** written in blood on the floor was proof that a demon had been summoned.
"Where did the demon go?"
The Dead were not worth my concern. The demon was what mattered.
I had to pursue the demon that had annihilated the Naples branch and fled.
"Gaaaaah!"
In any case, my mission is to exterminate the heretics.
I slipped the Black Key hilts between my fingers.
As I channeled my magical energy, blades of pale blue light formed.
Sensing the presence of the living, the Dead rushed towards me.
Since they had been fellow members of the church in life, I gave them a quick and painless end.
I was also getting a feel for how to use the Black Keys.
"I should head back for now. This has become too big for me to handle alone."
After creating a grave and performing the last rites, I returned to the city.
I searched among the noisy crowds for anyone heading to Rome.
It would be nice to find someone from the Church, but it was hard to spot their insignia.
Then again, with the branch in such a state, I doubted anyone was left.
It can't be helped.
I wandered through the market, intending to fill my stomach first, when I heard a girl's shrill voice coming from somewhere.
"This is all spoiled! How do you expect me to eat this?!"
"Jeez. It's not spoiled, it's fermented! Haven't you ever had cheese?"
"The cheese I know doesn't smell this nauseating!"
A restaurant owner with a troubled face was arguing with a customer.
I had mistaken them for a girl because of the voice, but it was a boy.
They seemed to be fighting over whether the food was spoiled or not, and in this case, the boy was indeed mistaken.
He was eating the notoriously pungent **blue cheese** with bread, so of course he would think it was spoiled.
It was a common experience for outsiders. The restaurant owner just had bad luck.
I was about to pass by with a silent expression of sympathy when an insignia caught my eye.
"A cross? That insignia… is he from the **Athenian Church**?"
The small embroidery on the boy's clothes was clearly the mark of the Athenian Church.
I hadn't expected to meet someone from the Church here. Could I perhaps ask for help?
Isn't Athens famous as a garden of knowledge, passed down since ancient times?
With a sense of anticipation, I approached him.
"Brother. That is called blue cheese. It is not spoiled food."
"Who are you! You're in on it too!"
Huh?
"Johanna Punch!"
Without knowing why, I took a blow to the abdomen.
"What the…"
The strength was unexpected.
And just like that, I lost consciousness.