In a dark and cold cell, Sebastian slowly woke from his sleep. His head throbbed painfully, and the world spun around him. A wave of nausea crept up his throat. He opened his eyes, seeing only a faint orange light flickering from behind the door. He had no idea how he ended up in this place or why he was here. The last thing he remembered was fighting two church agents in the Sullar Forest.

  "Poison?" Sebastian thought to himself.

  He tried to gather his strength, regulating his breathing and focusing on his mana. After a few moments, he vomited the poison that had accumulated in his stomach onto the cell floor. His body immediately started to recover, but the next challenge was figuring out how to escape.

  Sebastian walked toward the cell door. The torch’s flickering light barely illuminated the hallway, leaving most of it shrouded in darkness. He peered down both ends of the corridor. It was silent and eerily empty, as though he was completely alone. With all his strength, he tried to break down the door, but it didn’t budge. Changing tactics, he used his martial arts technique, channeling energy into a powerful push.

  A shockwave trembled through the area as the door flew off its hinges and slammed into the opposite wall. Without wasting a second, Sebastian bolted, not caring which direction he ran. The loud crash would surely alert his captors. Footsteps echoed through the corridor ahead of him.

  Suddenly, three church soldiers appeared, blocking his path. They attacked with their bare hands, even though swords hung at their waists. Sebastian quickly overpowered them, leaving them crumpled on the floor before continuing to run.

  He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. The soldiers were far too weak. Even though Sebastian had honed his martial arts, they should have been able to hold him off longer. None of them used their weapons, as if they had been ordered only to capture him, not harm him. He pressed on until he saw a staircase leading upward.

  Reaching the upper floor, Sebastian found himself in another dimly lit hallway. In front of him was a wooden door with torchlight leaking through the cracks. He kicked the door open and burst into a room filled with resting soldiers. This was clearly a barracks.

  The soldiers snapped to attention, their confusion quickly turning into panic.

  "THE SAINT HAS ESCAPED!" one of them shouted.

  They immediately blocked the exit, raising their bare hands to fight. Not a single one drew their sword, too terrified of the consequences if they accidentally harmed a Saint.

  Sebastian glanced at the glowing church symbol on his hand and smirked. Now he understood why they were holding back. Without hesitation, he launched himself at the soldiers.

  The room erupted into chaos. Some soldiers hesitated, unsure of whether they should fight or run. Others raised their hands to strike but froze, fear paralyzing them.

  "A Saint is supposed to be kind and compassionate... WHAT KIND OF SAINT IS THIS?!"

  Saints were revered as symbols of God’s kindness and mercy. Stories spoke of Saints curing plagues, healing the sick, and blessing barren lands to make them fertile. But the scene unfolding before them was the complete opposite of those tales.

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  Sebastian continued to fight mercilessly. Soldiers fell one by one, groaning in pain on the floor. He took the opportunity to test his skills, trying out techniques he hadn’t fully mastered yet. When the last soldier collapsed, Sebastian stepped over him and left the barracks.

  He climbed another staircase and entered a more refined room, decorated with church emblems and rows of cabinets filled with scrolls. A window at the far end offered a potential escape route. He sprinted toward it, preparing to leap, but suddenly, an invisible force yanked him to the ground.

  "I CAUGHT THE SAINT! SOMEONE RESTRAIN HIM!" shouted a voice.

  "RESTRAIN HIM?! DO YOU WANT TO BE HANGED?!" another soldier yelled back.

  "THEN WHAT SHOULD WE DO?! POLITELY ASK HIM TO RETURN TO HIS CELL?!"

  A mage was using magic to hold Sebastian down while several soldiers cautiously approached. Their fear was evident in their trembling hands.

  "Forgive me, Saint. I have sinned greatly..." one of the soldiers muttered.

  Sebastian gathered his strength once again. He could see the mage channeling magic to hold him down. A warm light began to glow from Sebastian’s body, growing brighter with each breath.

  "DIVINE HAMMER!"

  Sebastian slammed his fist into the floor. The ground shook violently, toppling cabinets and breaking the mage’s concentration. However, the move left Sebastian’s hand severely injured, blood oozing from the wound. Ignoring the pain, he punched the mage with his other hand, knocking him unconscious. He glared at the remaining soldiers before running toward the window.

  Sebastian glanced at his injured hand. It was already starting to heal, but it would take hours to recover fully. He didn’t have that kind of time.

  Looking out the window, Sebastian saw the city of Isildus in chaos. Flames consumed buildings, and monsters roamed the streets. However, he noticed something strange—there were no monsters near the church grounds.

  "How long have I been unconscious?" he wondered. It couldn’t have been just one night. His concern for his mother grew stronger. She was alone and unprotected at home. He had to leave now.

  Sebastian was about to break the window when he sensed someone watching him. He turned and found a man standing silently—Cardinal Valentinus. No guards accompanied him. He simply smiled as their eyes met.

  Sebastian tensed. Everyone else had shown fear, but this man was calm, even relaxed. Something about him felt unsettling.

  "Good evening, Saint," Valentinus said, bowing his head slightly.

  "Sebastian."

  "Saint Sebastian, I apologize that our meeting had to begin under such unpleasant circumstances."

  "Who are you? You seem... different."

  "My name is Valentinus, Cardinal of the Latinum Diocese and your humble servant."

  Valentinus bowed deeply, but his act didn’t sway Sebastian. Instead, it only made him more suspicious. Why were there no monsters near the church? And why was the security so lax despite the chaos outside?

  "Valentinus, how long was I unconscious?"

  "Three days have passed since you fell asleep."

  Three days?! Sebastian’s worry for his mother surged. If the city was in chaos, what had become of his small village? He could only hope that Father Daniel had protected it.

  "What’s happening out there?!"

  Valentinus lowered his head to the floor. "This is God’s punishment because this city hid you, Saint, and prevented you from fulfilling your divine duties. God has brought His wrath upon this kingdom! The Stampedes that have plagued us are proof of His judgment!"

  Sebastian felt a jolt of shock. Could it be true? Did the Stampedes happen because Father Daniel had hidden him for six years? But then he remembered—the Aap Stampede had occurred before he received the stigmata. Something didn’t add up.

  Meanwhile, Valentinus struggled to hide his growing anxiety. He had told a massive lie, hoping Sebastian would believe it. Sweat trickled down his back as he glanced at the door where his guards waited.

  "So, for six years after this stigmata appeared, God has been punishing the Kingdom of Corsica?"

  "SIX YEARS?! S-so it was the Kingdom of Corsica that hid you, Saint?" Valentinus stammered.

  "No, it wasn’t the Kingdom of Corsica. They didn’t know anything about me. Isn’t it strange for God to punish them for something they knew nothing about?"

  Valentinus blinked in confusion. "Then... who hid you, Saint?"

  Sebastian walked closer and whispered in his ear, "It was members of the Diocese who hid me. You are the ones who deserve God’s punishment."