Alden pats Ceri’s head. He smiles at her with his lips closed, but the usual gleaming grin is nowhere to be found. “Don’t worry, Miss Ceri. Everything will be okay now.” His forced smile disappears from his face.

“What are you doing here, Alden!?” yells Leor.

“You both took a while to meet me at the church, and I overheard a commotion coming from here. I suspected something was off so I rushed over here. And, this is what I find.”

Afzal swipes his hand across his body. The bottom of his lip quivers as he opens his mouth. “Alden? As in, Lord Alden!?”

An outburst erupts from the crowd with a single thought: Lord Alden? What’s an archbishop doing here?

The mere mention of his name from Afzal’s mouth enrages Alden. The corner of his mouth perks up with disgust. He gauges the audience with the same look. Leor and Ceri look at each other with wide eyes. This is the first time they’ve seen Alden this angry.

“I’m ashamed…”. Alden aims his finger at Afzal. “I’m ashamed of him.” He traces the encircled crowd with his hand. “And, I’m ashamed of all of you here today.” A pressure stronger than gravity weighs on the shoulders of the people. They plant their foreheads to the ground with their hands interlocked to the sky.

Alden rocks his head back and forth as he paces around. “All I wanted was to see the daily lives of the average citizen. Yet, I can’t do that because of something as idiotic as this. This man here has tricked all of you. He attacked my apprentice and this gentleman here protected her from Afzal and his self-proclaimed ‘agents’ of God.”

Afzal dry shallows and clears his throat, trying to provide more saliva to lubricate his mouth. “L-l-lord Alden! That’s simply not true! I would never do such a thing. That man attacked us first”

Alden snaps a piercing leer at him. “Even now, you dare lie to my face? I was there hiding in the shadows as I watched your men aggressively advance on Miss Ceri, despite her showing signs of disinterest. While, yes, Leor used lethal force to detain your men -“

“See! He attacked first!”

The air thickens at Afzal’s exacerbation. A gust of wind fills the empty silence as the crowd watches Afzal continue to disrespect their lord.

“While I don’t approve of his methods, Leor did what he had to for the sake of protecting Ceri and my selfish request. You, on the other hand, take advantage of the powers given to you by Lord Gwyn.”

He turns his attention to the idle audience.

“And, all of you fell for the lies of a man of this character? It seems I need to educate all of you here and now. I’ve said this many times in my travels, but I want to etch Lord Ludwig’s teachings into your minds. Regardless of your beliefs, Lord Ludwig stands above all of the Gods. He is the one who bestowed your beloved Gods with the power they wield and led the charge against the tyranny of the Old Ones. One can say he gave birth to the new Gods who rule over their domains. Knowing this, it goes without saying, despite following different Gods, we all must uphold the teachings of the one above all. The Gods were kind enough to share their powers through these miraculous devices that helped spread prosperity across this continent.”

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The crowd jumps to their feet, howling and clapping as if begging for an encore. One of the roles as an Archpriest is to act as a public figure and appease the crowd, but Alden’s usual welcoming face is nowhere to be found. The cheers fade into silence as Alden eyes them into submission.

“Lord Ludwig, along with the other Gods, saved us from the darkest moment in human history. They ended the Great Calamity by bringing humanity together, which is one of the foundational pillars of Lord Ludwig’s teachings. We are only as strong as the bonds that hold us together.”

Alden lets out an audible sigh that resonates pain through the soul of the audience. He turns his cold gaze back at Afzal, who is still frozen on the floor.

“And yet, we have people like Sir Afzal here who abuse the power they're given for their own spiteful gain. He took advantage of your faith and used it to belittle and humiliate my friends. And you all partook in his evil doings. Do not think you are excused from punishment.”

He opens his arms to the audience and turns around slowly in circle.

“I ask you, is this what your Gods teach you? To berate those who do not share the same values as you? To blindly believe those who talk loudly and speak nonsense? I cannot and will not stand for it.”

The crowd hangs their heads over their shoulders and avoids looking at Alden. He walks over to Leor, who is resting on the floor next to Ceri, and places his hand on his head.

“This man has guided me through the forest and has shown me and my apprentice a way of life that we could have never experienced. I am eternally grateful for that. He may not be a man of the Gods, but he is a good friend of mine nonetheless.” Leor slaps Alden’s hand off and looks away, burying his face into his shoulder. Ceri laughs at his bashfulness.

Alden’s smile returns to his face and chuckles a bit.

“I hereby cleanse Leor of any false accusations and wrongdoings from these past few days. I shall not punish the rest of you either, but I want you all to understand what it means to be a follower of the Gods. And, for you to not bother me for the rest of my time here in Logtown.”

The crowd bursts into tears of joy. Some drop to their knees into a prayer. Others embrace each other and break into a celebratory dance. Alden clears his throat and somehow everyone quiets down.

“As for you, Afzal, your crimes cannot be overlooked. Normally, you would be executed for using your God’s name for such trivial things, but I will spare you. I shall strip you of your title. You may earn it back once you’ve proven yourself as a devout follower. Please hand me your insignia and leave this town.”

Afzal bites down on his jaw and stomps his foot on the ground as he rises up. “You can’t do that!”

Alden tilts his chin up as he stares down Afzal. “Oh? Even after all this, you still wish to challenge me?”

The veins on the side of his neck bulge out as Afzal digs his fingernails into his palm. He bites down on his lips until they lose their color. Faint grunts attempt to escape through his clenched teeth, but he forces his tongue down. Afzal digs into his pocket and tosses something at Alden.

Alden catches it and opens his palm to reveal a golden piece of metal that is shaped like a half triangle with a sharp stem that cuts down the middle.

Afzal bows his head, turns his heels, and walks away with his shoulders perked up and his fists to the side.

Alden points to the guards on the rooftop. The guards snap to attention with their hands over their hearts. They look up to the sky, avoiding Alden’s gaze.

“See to it that our friend makes it safely out of the town, will you?”

All the guards shout in unison, creating one ear-busting roar. “Yes, my Lord!” They vanish from the rooftops.

The same welcoming smile returns to Alden’s face as he turns to Leor to help pull him off the floor.

“Yup, you’re still super heavy. How are you feeling?”

Leor opens his mouth but no words come out. He rubs his chin while trying to make sense of what just happened.

“Ah, the famous chin-stroking. I guess that means you’re fine! Let’s head to the church and get you patched up. Come, miss Ceri. Help Leor to the church. I need to get rid of this crowd. I’ll be there shortly.”

Ceri nods her head and rushes over to Leor. She wraps her arm around his waist and guides him to the church. The two limp away in silence. The crowd swarms past them to reach Alden. However, the world only allows Leor to notice two people: the one with her hand around him and the one fighting off a horde of devotees. An empty wave washes over Leor, filling his stomach with nausea. He bites his lip to get himself to feel anything besides the emptiness. He stops his feet from moving forward and turns his head to the side.

“Alden.”

Alden raises his eyebrows.

“Thanks…” Leor continues marching forward.

He shifts his eyes to the ground. He may not be looking at them, but Leor can feel their cheeky smiles pointed at him.