The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 124 Betrayal
Under the cover of the heavy rain and the gradually darkening sky, Aran stealthily made her way to Finn's dwelling. She didn't have the key and couldn't get in, so she found a secluded spot nearby where she could see over there and waited for them to return.

If they come back.

After the demon prime minister Luca secretly entered the city, this place became their temporary stronghold.

During the day, Luca left in a hurry because of Princess Kiraya's disappearance, leaving behind all the intelligence he had compiled. Alan couldn't guess that he would definitely send someone back if absolutely necessary.

She was sent out that afternoon to assassinate Eric, which was her last meeting with her companions. Due to a lack of information, she didn't know what the situation was—whether it was just her failure or the exposure of everyone.

The heavy rain was still falling, and the sky was getting darker and darker.

At one moment, Alan shivered and woke up from his drowsy state.

She couldn't wait any longer.

Not to mention that she was exhausted from the day's ups and downs, her body was also starting to give out.

It was already night, and the rain had lessened, making it easier for her to move.

First, find a place to change into dry clothes, then eat something to replenish your strength. The southern district has always been chaotic, and even though the city of Lutia has begun to issue arrest warrants for the Arans, for the time being, it is still possible to find a relatively safe place to stay.

As Alan was figuring out where he could stay, he came out from the corner and heard a series of slightly messy footsteps outside.

She stopped immediately, and the people outside seemed to have heard the commotion inside, and suddenly fell silent.

Softening his steps, Alan retreated to the corner, leaned against the wall, and glanced sideways at the intersection.

The eerie silence lasted for a while, and Alan held his breath and waited, when the footsteps outside started again.

Then came three members of the tribe, including Finn.

They cautiously surveyed their surroundings, sensing that the situation outside was far from optimistic.

But seeing his companions made Alan relax a lot in an instant, as if he had found someone to rely on.

She emerged directly from the corner, startling the three of them with the noise. When they saw it was her, their hearts skipped a beat.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time. What's the situation outside?" Alan, unaware of the changes outside, went straight to greet them without suspicion.

The three men stared at her intently, one of them preparing to subdue her, but Finn stopped him with a look.

Finn's opening revelation revealed his intense nervousness: "It's alright... no, not so good."

Another person quickly chimed in, "The Imperials are searching everywhere outside the city; we almost couldn't get in."

Alan didn't think much of it, assuming they were just panicking because of the current situation.

"Where is Lord Luca?"

"He has moved to another place."

"Where?" she asked unconsciously, which the three Arans interpreted as her trying to extract information to sell to the Empire.

“You’ll see when you come with us,” Finn said curtly.

Alan nodded without suspicion, which secretly relieved him; she was clearly unaware that she had been exposed.

"Did Lord Luca send you back to take those intelligence reports?" she asked again.

The three of them were stunned for a moment, and then they all remembered that the intelligence that Luca had been working tirelessly to compile these past few days was still here.

“Of course we have to take it,” Finn said to Alan, and also to his two companions.

The other two nodded in agreement.

This intelligence, which they couldn't obtain, was extremely important. Since they couldn't take it out this time, Chancellor Luca would definitely send them on another trip. And Lutia was becoming increasingly dangerous; it was hard to say whether they would be able to leave alive the next time they came in.

Finn opened the door to his residence and went in first, followed by Alan. One of them immediately tensed up, "What are you doing!"

Alan looked back in surprise, "What?"

He then realized he had overreacted and was speechless with his mouth agape. The other person quickly added, "How can we all go in? You stay outside and keep watch for us. We'll handle the intelligence gathering."

"right……"

Alan rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.

Before going out for some fresh air, she casually grabbed a piece of cloth that looked relatively clean, intending to wipe the rain off her body. However, as soon as she picked it up, she smelled an unpleasant odor on it, frowned, and threw it back.

Inside the room, Finn, who had his back to her, immediately jumped up and assumed a defensive posture.

"..."

All three people, one inside and one outside, were watching him.

When Finn saw what she had thrown in, his face burned, and he gritted his teeth and squeezed out, "Don't throw my things around!"

Alan stared at him for a while, then said "You're sick" and turned to leave the house.

"..."

The remaining three exchanged a silent glance and wiped away their sweat.

They were all so nervous...

"You tidy up here, I'll tidy up over there."

One of the more composed individuals deliberately raised his voice so that Alan outside could hear him, before leaning over to the two and saying, "She knows nothing. Keep her calm and bring her before Lord Luca."

"it is good……"

Finn nodded, then added, "You think I'm afraid of her? It's only because Lord Luca wanted her alive that I killed her with one stroke."

The other two didn't say anything, just patted him on the shoulder and hurried to organize the intelligence.

A few minutes later, they had taken all the intelligence they could carry, wrapping it in layers of old clothes so that even if it got wet in the rain, it wouldn't immediately soak through.

Alan had been waiting outside, and only spoke after they came out: "Are we leaving the city now? Wouldn't it be safer to wait until midnight?"

Her words made some sense. The three of them exchanged glances and hesitated, but Finn made the final decision: "We can't wait any longer. The longer we wait, the more dangerous it will be. Let's go out now."

“Alright.” Alan nodded and held out his hand to one of the three as they approached. “Let me take one. It’s less likely to arouse suspicion if a woman is carrying clothes.”

The latter, without suspecting anything, handed over a bundle of old clothes. When he looked up, he suddenly saw a fierce glint in her eyes.

not good……

The thought flashed through his mind, and the next moment, a dagger was plunged directly into his throat, and blood gushed out instantly.

"Ah...uh...ah..."

The other two stood there dumbfounded, not yet reacting, when Alan threw the old clothes at Finn's face, then lunged forward, pressed a dagger against his throat, and said fiercely, "Don't move if you don't want to die!"

She pressed the blade tightly against Finn's neck, the faint stinging sensation making Finn feel as if his neck might have already been cut open, leaving him with no strength to resist.

What happened...? How did she suddenly find out...?

The man whose throat had been stabbed had fallen to the ground, blood gushing from his neck, convulsing, his eyes fixed on Alan and Finn, whom she was holding hostage. Alan, however, didn't even look at him, and asked in a low voice, "You want to kill me, don't you?"

The remaining two were so frightened by her sudden outburst that they dared not hide anything. "No! We didn't want to kill you! This was all Lord Luca's doing!"

Alan's heart sank, and he tightened his grip. Finn, feeling the pressure of the blade, immediately began to howl.

"Why, just because I failed to kill Eric?"

“We don’t want to kill you! Lord Luca just wants us to take you there. He has some questions for you to ask you personally,” said the Aran who was not being held hostage.

"Then why were you all so nervous just now?" Alan stared intently at him. "As if I would strike you first."

The person on the ground suddenly twitched twice, clutching their neck with one hand and raising their other hand tremblingly to point at her.

"It was because you wanted to harm me that I took action!"

Alan's eyes were bloodshot and bulging with rage; he almost screamed, "Tell me! Why did you kill me!"

Her clansmen, who had once trusted her implicitly but now harbored only hatred, were now spurred by her betrayal and anger, overcoming their fear: "You betrayed us, and you still have the nerve to ask why we killed you?"

Alan frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"What's the deal with that nobleman named Eric?!"

Alan opened his mouth slightly, "I couldn't handle him. The assassination failed. I'm lucky to have escaped from him."

"Stop pretending, Elise! You're in cahoots with him. The entire Lutia guard is searching for us because you leaked the information to him!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Alan was so angry he almost laughed. "In cahoots? He almost strangled me!"

"Then why aren't you dead?" the tribesman on the other side immediately questioned.

"...He wanted to keep me alive to interrogate me about Lord Luca, but I found a chance to escape."

The Aran sneered, "How could he possibly know about Lord Luca's existence on his own? Wasn't it you who told him?"

"Eric already knew Luca!"

Alan roared, "She is a quasi-saint of the Yela sect! Those demons traverse the empire with arrogance and overconfidence, thinking they can hide. The Church has been watching them for a long time!"

The Aran on the other side remained silent for a moment, glancing at the ground.

“If that’s the case, then it’s a misunderstanding… Elise, calm down. Lop is dying, let me give him…”

"—He's beyond saving." Aran's voice was icy. "I've already pierced his throat, and it's too late to find a priest now." The Aran man on the ground had stopped struggling; although he wasn't dead yet, he was close to death.

"Elise! Even if this is truly a misunderstanding, you have killed your fellow tribesmen, and Lord Luca and the elders will punish you severely!"

Alan sneered.

"Don't try to coax me with those words, Zachary. Do you think I'd just think there's still a chance and go back with you to explain to Luca?"

Zarkar's face darkened.

"Not to mention that Luca can no longer trust me..."

Alan's gaze turned icy again, and he pressed the dagger against Finn's neck down further, causing Finn to scream in terror once more, "You didn't intend to let me see him alive either."

Zachary gave a cold laugh and remained silent.

“Now, make way.” Alan looked at him and gestured for Finn to follow her. “You stay here and don’t move. I’ll let Finn go once I’m safe.”

Finn's legs were already weak and he could barely stand. Alan stabbed him in the shoulder with his dagger.

"what--"

He immediately tensed up, regained his balance, and was able to move again.

Zachary had to step aside to make way, his face growing even more grim.

"Elise, you can't escape. The outside world is full of Imperials. If you fall into their hands, your fate will only be worse!"

"I'd rather die at their hands!"

Alan, holding Finn hostage, moved slowly. "It's ridiculous. I was clearly more dedicated than any of you, yet I'm suspected of betraying you..."

Zachary looked at her coldly, "Hard work? Besides following that high priest and occasionally reporting some useless information, what else have you done?"

"What have you done now?" Alan retorted.

"I went with the demon lords to rescue Chancellor Luca!"

"Together?" Alan suddenly chuckled. "Is it really your business? Those demons with dogs are probably more useful than you Alan people."

"..."

Zarqauri's face darkened completely.

"Elise, you will not escape death today."

“Even if I die, I’ll definitely take someone down with me,” Alan said, passing by Finn with him on his arm. He then turned around and walked backward. “Zakari, tell the elders for me that I’m not going back.”

Zaka said expressionlessly, "Elise, you have betrayed the will of the Aran. You may escape for a while, but you can't hide forever. The Aran will hunt you down to the very end, and they will not let you go even after the demons conquer the continent."

"You'll let me go now?" Alan retorted.

Zachary took a deep breath, seemingly calming down. "Elise, let's both calm down. Lord Luca wants us to bring you back alive. It's not too late for you to back down now; everything can be explained."

“That person is convinced that I betrayed him. Even if he knows he is wrong, he will not change his mind for the sake of his own face. I am destined to be a traitor.”

Alan shook his head. "Zakari, neither the demons nor that demon prime minister in human form have ever truly respected us Alan people..."

"—It's not your place, a woman, to comment on Lord Luca!" Zachary roared.

Alan opened his mouth, but in the end he only gave a cold laugh and said nothing more.

Hua Hua——

The drizzling night rain gradually intensified.

Along the narrow stone-paved road, Alan held his captive and retreated, gradually distancing himself from Zachary inside.

"Elise, please let me go..."

Finn, who was either screaming or silent, suddenly spoke up, "I actually believe you. Come with us to see Lord Luca, and I promise I'll put in a good word for you... Ah!"

Alan ignored him and poked him on the shoulder again, and Finn immediately became obedient.

After retreating a considerable distance, she could no longer see Zachary inside.

She glanced back; the intersection behind her was still a short distance away.

After crossing that intersection...

Alan recalled the surrounding terrain in his mind.

"That's it."

Upon hearing her words, Finn tensed up, then felt the dagger on his throat being removed, and subconsciously felt a sense of relief.

Then, a chill ran down my spine.

After stabbing him a few times quickly, Alan didn't have time to pull out the dagger. He left Finn, who was hunched over and collapsed on the ground, and turned to run away.

"Elise!" Zakari roared from behind.

Without looking back, she mustered all her strength and fled forward.

Zachary had quietly followed her the moment she backed out of the alley and disappeared from sight, pressing himself against the wall to observe their movements. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her release Finn, but what happened next enraged him, and he immediately gave chase.

He quickly reached Finn, who had fallen to the ground, pulled out the dagger from his body, and hurled it at Aran in front of him.

He threw it with incredible accuracy and force, the flying dagger striking her precisely in the back.

Alan groaned, staggered a few steps, and almost fell, but managed to stay upright just before collapsing, and continued running forward without looking back.

"You can't run!"

Zachary roared at her retreating figure, then bent down to check on Finn. When he turned Finn over, he realized that the stabs she had made were all in his vital areas. Finn was barely breathing and clearly not going to make it.

"Bitch! You slut! You damned thing!"

Zachary was furious, but when he looked up, he found that Alan had already run past the intersection and disappeared.

He ignored Finn, who was already beyond saving, got up and chased after him, quickly reaching the intersection.

The rain was pouring down, but Yalan was nowhere to be seen on the other side of the road.

He took a few steps forward and found a small path beside him. Just as he was about to turn into it, he paused, looked ahead, and saw that not far away, there was another path leading in another direction.

"..."

Which way?

Which way did she run off to?

Zachary's eyes widened, his blood rushing to his head. Even if Luca wanted to see Alan alive, he wished he could kill him right now.

The heavy rain, however, quickly calmed him down from his extreme anger.

He bent down, opened his eyes wide, and sniffed constantly, almost touching the ground. He quickly caught a faint smell of blood that hadn't yet been washed away by the heavy rain.

This is it!

He caught up quickly. Since she had chosen this path and there was no one in sight ahead, she must still be hiding somewhere here.

Zachary stood up, cautiously looking around, and slowly moved forward.

At this point, he stopped cursing and focused solely on searching for her.

Once he catches her, he'll have plenty of time and means to kill her...

Elise only managed to kill two of his companions by launching a sneak attack; in a one-on-one fight, she would never be a match for him.

Cautious of a possible sneak attack from the shadows, Zachary cautiously moved forward. At one moment, he suddenly stepped on something and instinctively flinched.

"..."

There was no movement.

He moved closer and, in the dim light, could see what was on the ground.

A dagger whose bloodstains had been washed away.

"Elise—"

The rain was pouring down. It wasn't too late, but there was no one left on the streets.

Eric was in his room when, amidst the unchanging sound of rain, he suddenly heard a series of disordered footsteps approaching, only to disappear again when they reached the bottom of the stairs.

He listened for a while, then got up and left the room. After thinking for a moment, he casually drew his Aran steel sword and quietly went downstairs.

Only the sound of rain could be heard outside, while the faint smell of blood seeped in through the door, gradually growing stronger.

Eric opened the door and saw a pale, silver-haired woman leaning against the wall, her back bleeding.

"..."

He drew his sword and lifted her chin.

Looking up at each other, he remained calm, while she was forced to tilt her head back, her gaze quickly lowering.

All that remained in the heavy rain was weak, panting breaths.

(End of this chapter)