BLOODY LOVE'S
Episode 155's

Marco's first mistake was that he didn't clean up the bodies of two young men in the hallway.

The second mistake, he underestimated the opponent.

What he faced was indeed just an ordinary civilian without adequate fighting skills, but even a cat would be bothered if his opponent was a hundred rats.

The monk-robed youths chased after him tightly until the main hall. And now here he was, in front of the stone altar at the end of the hall, clutching a short sword that was somewhat robbed and already covered in blood.

In front of him were dozens of Scholomance-robed men, and behind those people were groups of civilian humans in ordinary clothes. Half of them were drunk and sleeping on the long tables in the hall while the other half were curious.

But Marco is not alone. He brought one of the nicest robed men with him. The tip of his sword stuck to the man's neck, ready to slice.

Whoever has the best cape is definitely the leader, Marco bets on that guess and he is right. The monk-robed young man in front of him froze. Although the edges of their swords were drawn towards Marco, no one dared to move.

"Command them to retreat" Marco said calmly. The blade of his sword he pressed deeper into the neck of his hostage. His eyes watched the young men in front of him, estimating their age. "Make them drop their weapons and retreat, or we'll build a pool of your blood."

The hostage swallowed. The man's eyebrows dropped sharply. "Ja ... Don't drop the gun!" his screams. "Don't let the victim get away! I'll come back if you're God!"

"Oho ...," Marco was quite impressed. "People who are religiously drunk are always brave."

"We will open the gates of Eden and live eternally as God! We will bring equality on earth! Forget about me and get the victim! For greater glory!"

As the young men in monk robes grew bolder and galloped forward, Marco slit the throat of his hostage without hesitation, letting the man's body fall to the floor between him and the monks. Hard gasps and screeches lifted into the air. Someone screamed and fainted.

They're all homegrown people, Marco realized. A young man bellowed furiously and thrust his sword at Marco, who swiftly leapt up onto the stone altar behind him. The young man fell to stumble upon the corpse of his superior and screamed in horror.

"So you think I deserve to be a sacrifice because I don't believe?" ask Marco loudly. "So no faith makes a person evil?"

"Of course!" reply someone in a no less loud cry. Marco can't determine who's talking. People are moving towards him. Their eyes were curious and also angry. "Not believing is as insulting to God! Who do you think you're breathing on whose will? Just die if you don't believe in God!"

Marco laughing. "What kind of God would allow this evil to happen?" tanyanya, pointing at the corpse of the hostage with the tip of the sword. "If my existence is a crime, if what I just did was a crime, why would your Lord allow that to happen?"

He flicked his sword, keeping away the two young men who had approached. "If He thinks I am evil but cannot prevent me, what kind of God is that? Or is he able to prevent me, just not want to? Or is he unable and unwilling? How is God different from man?"

No one answered, so Marco continued calmly, "If God does exist but cannot prevent all evil in this world from happening, cannot prevent the death of your loved ones, can't prevent hunger and can't give you the prayer that you say every night" he said, "what will you do when you become God?"

***

Finding the chapel castle in question took longer than Jose thought. They needed to build an artificial bridge because they had to cross the Bjork river that divides the protected forest in two. Jose relies solely on the memory of his vision, hoping he is right in determining the direction. Seeing everything from the sky above and walking directly through the forest was definitely a different experience. Even being helped by a compass does not make things easier.

If it was just an ordinary person, Jose probably wouldn't be this good. But the person he saw had a height of about four meters. The man was flat-bodied without curves, but like wearing a hollow robe. His posture from the side made Jose remember the bridal hood mushroom.

Jose gulped. Without saying anything, he turned around and chose another route. Everyone followed him in silence, feeling restless. This forest makes them feel uncomfortable.

I was just hallucinating, Jose thought. Or it's just a tree.

But through the corner of his eyes, he felt like he saw the giant looking back at him.

Jose hastened the road. Rolan glanced at him, looking like he wanted to ask something, but nothing was said.

Jose was only relieved when he saw the path began to widen and there were traces of human tracks. They're close. He could even see the front hall of the castle now. He turned to Gerald, who immediately coded the workers to gather in their respective groups.

The castle is surrounded by a high wall fence, but the front is only an opening without a door. Maybe there was a door once, which obviously doesn't exist now. The distance between the door and the front hall was fifteen meters. There was no lighting in his courtyard, but the room inside the castle looked quite bright. The long tables are arranged in three rows of massage. Food and drink roamed there, but few sat at the table.

Jose brought his Christmas gift binoculars. He used the object to peek, and the sight he saw left his mouth wide open.

Marco was there, mobbed by so many people. There were two people trying to create a magic circle with chalk on the floor. The bodies of two people lay beside the circle. One was a brunette wool robed responsibility youth while one was a man in his thirties with an even nicer robe.

Jose handed his binoculars to Gerald, who gasped. Rolan grabbed the binoculars quickly because he was too curious.

"Marco!" hisses. "Ah, he's down!"

Gerald clenched both his hands. He stared fixedly at Jose, asking for orders. Jose looked at Gerald and nodded briefly. Gerald gave the command, taking with him forty men. Ten men spread out and waited in front of the wall gate, while the thirty moved with Gerald and Finnian into the castle. Hans and ten workers lived with Jose and Rolan, sitting behind trees not far from the gate opening.

Rolan tightly blocked Jose's arm, as if afraid that his nephew would lead the workers at the very front.

Jose patted his uncle's back to calm down. Leading an army may sound heroic. The old man will want to do it. But at the moment, no. If he saw Gerald, Marco would be able to take over the situation and control the workers. Two captains on one ship won't end well. If he also comes forward, the focus of the workers will be split.

After all, there must be someone who watches and gives decisions from outside.

Jose looked over because he felt noticed. His heart was almost dislodged seeing the mushroom giant standing still not far from them.

Impossible, he thought. He following?

***