Chapter 123 Heresy
It wasn't until late at night, when the cold moon enveloped the earth, that Ivan Adrian dared to secretly return to White Tower University. He felt like he was holding a fire in his arms, and the endless heat flowed along the already shriveled and fragile paper, constantly steaming his chest.
The other students of the White Tower Youth Club were already extremely anxious. When Adrian came back, they were already discussing whether to ask Mr. Owl for help.
"God of Light, Ivan!" His companions rushed over excitedly and hugged him one by one. "We heard that the Inquisition was chasing you on the street. Are you okay?!"
A student looked at him worriedly: "You are shaking."
"They didn't catch me." Adrian then realized that he was trembling all over, perhaps because of the cold, perhaps because of fear, or perhaps just because of uncontrollable excitement.
"Let's not talk about this!" He took out the hard-earned manuscript paper and distributed it to everyone: "You won't believe what I got. I..."
"Mr. Wyatt told you to go see him as soon as you get back." A student interrupted him. When Adrian hurried to the principal's office, he found Mr. Nova there too - the usually smiling vice-president was sitting in his office chair, with a rare stern expression, while their theology professor was sitting on the guest sofa, his legs elegantly crossed.
His slightly curly black hair covered his face, making his expression unclear. His fingers, tightly wrapped in leather gloves, rested on his chin, leaving only a section of his pale wrist exposed.
He is like a silent stone monument, standing firm under the waves.
"Mr. Adrian, let me get straight to the point." Wyatt looked at him wearily. "I hope you will stop this dangerous 'social investigation'."
Adrian stood there in a daze. He was stunned for a long time before asking in disbelief, "Why?"
"The White Tower Youth Association has made a lot of progress," he said anxiously. "Through data collection, we've discovered that in just five years, there have been eighty-three heresy trials in White Tower Town, and these are just the ones on record. We've walked the streets and found that some 'heretics' were dealt with hastily as long as they paid the 'atonement money,' but others have resulted in deaths, many of them innocent!"
"In addition to the Inquisition, there are also cases of priests seizing houses and land, embezzling and accepting bribes, forcing people to donate, and raping women..." The young man's eyes were burning. "Some are just rumors passed down by word of mouth, and some are told by the victims themselves. If we just give us a little more time--"
"Mr. Adrian!" the vice-principal interrupted him with a headache: "You don't understand what you are doing!"
Adrian frowned at him and said, "Mr. Wyatt, I am an adult, and the members of the White Tower Youth Association are not ignorant children. We certainly know what we are doing!"
The professor beside him interjected coldly, "What he meant was that I was taking advantage of you."
"What does this have to do with you?"
"He's right. I'm indeed using you." The black-haired young man raised his eyes slightly, his tone cold and calm. "I can't fight the Church alone. I'll be assassinated, I'll be arrested and imprisoned, I'll die in the Inquisition—so unless I have your help, I'll accomplish nothing. The price will be putting you in deep danger, or even costing you your lives."
"Sir, that's not the case. You've clearly explained the interests at stake. This is a choice we made after careful consideration." Adrian looked at him seriously. "We are also fighting for our own future and the future of this country. If you follow your statement, aren't we just using you?"
There was no point in talking any further. Wyatt even suspected that if he claimed that this person's goal was to overthrow the Vatican, these seemingly brainwashed young people would jump up and down with joy, cheering in support of their professor.
The sun rose as usual the next day, and the students of the White Tower Youth Association were still dispersed to various streets and alleys, but their actions were more covert and vigilant, and they excluded those townspeople who were deemed to have "strong rejection psychology" from the list of investigation subjects.
This was a risky move. Many people worried that what happened on the street last night would cause the townspeople to shun them, or even report them. However, surprisingly, most townspeople didn't treat them differently; instead, they became even more welcoming. During the investigation, they even frequently received reports that members of the Inquisition were heading their way.
They were like "guerrilla warfare" - these were the professor's original words - with the help of the townspeople, these young people who had almost no weapons were able to thrive in the winding streets and alleys of Baita Town, and miraculously avoided the pursuit of the Inquisition time and time again.
This was a great shame and humiliation for the Inquisition, which had always been invincible. After all, those "heretics" were mostly ignorant and cowardly farmers and peasants who could only kneel down and beg tremblingly. If they ran away a few steps, they would be considered to have the courage to resist.
"These are just a bunch of students! Weak-armed students!" The leading judge was furious, roaring at his men, "You're warriors, sorcerers, and now you're telling me you can't even capture an ordinary person?"
His men, however, felt quite aggrieved: "There are simply too many informants. Now we're in the open, while the students are in the dark. Don't be fooled by the civilians' seemingly honest and upright nature. They're actually the most cunning. Often, just when we've tracked down a student, the other side has already gotten the news and fled."
They did not possess the tracking spells that only high-level warlocks like Bishop Miller could use.
The judges of the Inquisition knew that the students' base camp was at White Tower University, but would they dare to go there to arrest someone when their superiors were so ambiguous? Not to mention that they would inevitably face the wrath of the often erratic Lord Prayer Warlock, if anything went wrong, they, the workers, would be the first to bear the brunt of the blame.
"How dare those townspeople tip off the heretics? Are they all accomplices?" The judge's eyes gradually grew colder. His subordinates did not dare to remind him that these students could not be called heretics - at least not yet.
"Originally, the Inquisition didn't want to escalate this matter, to avoid unnecessary casualties." The Inquisitor's face was stern, and the twin pistols on his breastplate flashed with a cold light. "But since these fellow heretics are ignorant of good and evil and act recklessly, don't blame us for trying a different approach."
Just when the students thought that things would go smoothly, they suddenly received unfortunate news: Mrs. Mason and her family were caught by the Inquisition.
The Judges surrounded the dilapidated hut, and all of the meager belongings were taken out and spread out in the open space in front of the house. Even the bed and tabletops were split open to check "whether there was a secret letter hidden inside."
"Someone reported that you were harboring heretics and opposing the Church." The leading judge stood in front of the peasant woman who looked so ordinary that she couldn't be more ordinary. Her husband had been forced to kneel on the snow.
Mrs. Mason kept her head down, her expression unclear, until someone picked up a picture frame. She suddenly raised her head and rushed forward screaming like crazy: "—Don't touch him!"
The judges around her immediately controlled her. Such a frail woman was surprisingly strong at this moment, and it took two strong men to barely hold her down.
The judge who was checking the photo frame was also frightened by her. After he came to his senses, he immediately pried open the photo frame in anger. A thin and fragile piece of photo paper fell to the ground, and the corners were wet by the dirty snow water.
The frame was split open, revealing nothing. The man picked up the yellowed, brittle paper and carefully searched for any interlayers. But even after completely shredding the photo into tiny pieces, he still found nothing. He could only report with regret, "It's just an old photo. Nothing more."
The woman suddenly let out roars and wails like a dying beast.
She struggled on the cold snow, trying to pick up the pieces of paper that had merged with the snow and water with her trembling hands. The townspeople watching around her could hardly bear to watch.
A judge emerged from the low house and said, "We found a basement."
The leading judge frowned and glanced coldly at the seemingly insane peasant woman: "What's in there? Are they some evil creatures trying to summon the devil?"
"This... I'm stupid, these are just children's clothes and toys..."
The leading judge pulled out a civilian from behind and asked sternly, "Didn't you say that the Mason family's son is dead?"
Mrs. Mason suddenly raised her head, staring at the man with bloodshot eyes. The man didn't dare look at her, but lowered his head timidly. "That's right, sir. Her son has been dead for six years! Well, it seems he died because of heresy!"
"Then the situation is clear," the Judge announced in a cold tone. "Manna Mason harbored resentment over her son's trial. For years, she attempted to strike a deal with the devil, hoping to resurrect her son, who had long since fallen into the abyss. The clothes and toys in the basement are evidence of her guilt! She has also actively engaged with other heretics, attempting to mislead the public and seek revenge against the Church..."
"Tom Mason!" He suddenly turned to Mrs. Mason's husband and demanded, "You and your wife have shared the same bed for so many years. Do you know the crimes she committed? Did you deliberately conceal them for her? Were you involved in them? You must not lie before the God of Light. Answer us immediately!"
The usually honest farmer was so frightened that his face turned pale and he almost wet his pants. As long as the other party pointed out his wife to avoid being convicted, then with the witnesses and evidence, the matter would be a done deal.
"...My wife is innocent."
The Judge slowly frowned.
The other person knelt on the ground, trembling: "My lord, she is innocent, she is not a heretic, she just misses her child too much, please have mercy, please have mercy——"
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