The priest covered the token with his hand, then looked around nervously before saying, "You're Randall Quincy, aren't you? Why are you only arriving now?"

"The road to Taro City has been blocked until yesterday when it was finally opened."

The priest sighed deeply: "Let me guess, the church lost."

Randall nodded.

"Where is Lord Bromo Hesmond?"

"Died in battle."

The priest made the sign of the cross: "That old gentleman seemed to have foreseen everything. I heard he even prepared a coffin before the campaign... Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet, Pedro Uletta, I used to be the assistant priest to Bishop Abel..."

"Then how did you end up here?"

"Well, it's a long story."

Randall didn't press further, instead saying, "I have some companions."

Pedro nodded: "I know, I know. Let them come in through the back door of the church. Someone has been waiting for you."

Randall glanced back at the woods and made a subtle gesture with his right hand.

Carroll, Aldenan, Bourville, Kellogg, and Barbara cautiously emerged from the woods.

As his companions approached, Randall turned his attention to the cremation table beside him: "Who were these dead people?"

As Pedro turned and walked back towards the church, he said, "Commoners, artisans, craftsmen, church personnel, and even some nobles..."

Carol watched as the body parts slowly crumbled in the flames and asked in a deep voice, "What happened in the city?"

“A religious trial, an unprecedented religious trial.” Pedro brushed the dust off his clothes and said softly, “Those who were associated with Protestantism, those who studied heresy, and those who did not believe in God… were all hanged and then sent here to be burned.”

"Initially, the scope of the trial was limited to these people, but later, fear and prejudice led the church to expand the scope of persecution. False statements about the church, absence from meetings, ignorance of the scriptures, and even strange appearance could all become grounds for trial."

"More and more people are being executed, and now only the die-hard believers of the church remain in the city. Even these people live in fear every day."

Aldenan shrank back: "So, you mean, Tero City has now become a veritable city of madmen?"

Pedro did not answer. He walked to the back door of the church, took out his key, unlocked it, and went inside.

Pedro lit a candlestick and said to the person outside the door, "Come with me. The room is a bit dark. Watch your step."

Randall stepped across the threshold and followed the priest through the narrow passage behind him into a small room that resembled a shrine.

Pedro first performed a cross-bow to the crucifix in the center of the room, then placed his hands on the base of the statue and tried to push it away with all his might.

Seeing the priest's pained expression, Carole pushed him aside and then gently pushed the statue aside with her right hand, revealing an entrance leading to the underground.

Kellogg glanced at the dark passageway, hissed at Pedro, and said, "Hiss... Please go first."

Pedro picked up the candlestick and carefully went down the stairs.

The group descended the spiral staircase for about fifty steps before finally arriving at the lowest room.

A slender young woman in a black bodysuit stood in the dark doorway, leaning against the wall and softly said, "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

By the dim light of the fire, Randall looked around for a long time before finally recognizing the woman.

Karin Forman, the current president of the Heterogeneous Society.