Cedric, now in an incredibly good mood, walked through the city with one aim.
Find Fate's End members and dismantle the organization.
He knew where to look now, The Paragon seemed to not lie; however, sewers were full of life.
Refugees, criminals, all kinds of lowly infidels gathered.
'I guess I will have to go into the sewers...' Cedric did not particularly mind going into the sewers as he had stepped in many nasty places before, however, he wasn't pleased about it.
His preference was to find the hideout and eradicate them from the surface.
Cedric weaved through the crowd, effortlessly moving through the traffic, his eyes scanning for any entrance to the sewers.
Every city had many entrances to their system, and if they had not, then any cleaning efforts would have been infinitely harder.
'This city does seem advanced enough to have sewer system entrances, hmm...' Cedric looked around. Valar, after all, was as advanced as any European city.
However, no amount of advancement would put them to the level of Rome or any Christian city.
"Those who do not see the light of God will forever live in darkness," Cedric spoke softly.
It did not take him long to find an entrance, a hole on the side of the road covered by a wooden cover.
Seeing a knight armored in white armor, removing sewer cover and heading inside, made many bystanders stop and stare in surprise.
However, most would assume it was a hunt for some kind of criminal.
Cedric descended into the underbelly of Valar. The smell was incredibly foul, carrying the stench of waste, death, and illness combined in its water.
Cedric cringed at the foul smell; he was used to bad odors, but something so unpleasant was rare.
'Infidels truly produce even the most foul of smells.' While it was unpleasant, he did not have any difficulties breathing.
2 stone paths, split by a stream of waste water stretched into the distance, both paths had people lining the walls.
One thing they had in common was leprosy and various states of malnourishment.
'Horrible, another issue a lack of God and God's Church caused.' Cedric did feel some pity for these people, however, he was not their savior.
Moans and Coughing echoed the moment he stepped inside what was a darker side of the capital.
These people were victims of Infidel royalty, they were not to blame.
A large group of beggars and sickly humans gathered around Cedric.
"Please, sir Knight, we need food and medicine. We cannot live like this..." Old man spoke, his body and voice frail.
'What do I do...?' Cedric questioned himself.
Charity was a virtue, he could heal them.
'Jesus once cured a man, he should follow in example of the Lord.' He came to a single conclusion: these people were broken and shunned.
They needed God's Miracle, despite being Infidels.
'No, that is precisely why they need it.'
At least 50 people gathered around him, stopping his passage.
"Sir, can we get some food?" A small girl spoke, her bones clearly visible from malnourishment.
"Hear me, unfortunate souls of Valar, who here follows the god by the name of Chrunus!?" The question was loud and clear: Valar was dominated by the pagan god, a god that would need to be dismantled.
An uncomfortable silence lasted for what seemed like hours before a brave old man spoke, "Chrunus abandoned us long ago. We do not follow him anymore."
Fear was clear in his voice. Valar made sure Chrunus was worshipped by everyone, and yet the misfortunate souls gambled their lives by renouncing Chrunus.
"Chrunus only favors the wealthy; us who have nothing are being exploited day in and day out, the moment we lose our usefulness we have nowhere to go except into the sewers where we will wither and die...We cannot even afford to leave." A middle-aged woman spoke; she was missing an arm, and her skin was dirty and scarred.
"We could never afford to move away from this city... We came searching for a better life..." So many answers, each confirming a fact that Chrunus was merely a false god.
The knight merely stood and listened, emboldening people to speak against Chrunus.
Cedric listened; this was perfect. People abandoned by Infidel gods were the ones who could see the truth with merely a push.
They were all sick and weak, malnourished, and dying.
"Thank you for speaking so truthfully." Cedric was genuine; none of these people had a patron, and they truly felt abandoned.
However, his voice only increased their anxiety.
"Chrunus is a false god, I will now show you. Light of true God, Lord of Lords, a Kind God, power of Jesus Christ." He raised his hands, his mind went into a state of prayer.
Infidels could not help but listen and stare in awe as Cedric spoke with zeal.
He would pray for success of a miracle that God would allow him to perform.
"[God's Holy Light]." With the activation of the apex skill, the sun itself descended into the underbelly of Valar.
Light of the skill touched everyone, their wounds closing, limbs regrowing, malnourished bodies returning to a prime condition, the illness eradicated.
Not only were those on the verge of death cured and their hunger sated, but they were also restored to what God meant them to be.
They looked at themselves, their voices regaining their strength.
"Who... are you? A god?" The man spoke in reverence; no, he spoke in worship.
"No, I am God's Chosen. My name is Cedric; I am a follower of Christ. He alone is the one true God." Cedric corrected them, he would not allow them to worship him.
Their murmurs overlapped, making it impossible to make out what they were speaking about.
"Why would you help us?" They had every right to ask this; after all, they were exploited all their lives, and their efforts were rewarded by being forced to live in sewers.
"Christ preaches kindness and charity. I do not want anything, however, if you embrace him you will find true happiness." He had seen them; they were willing to embrace God, and he did not need to force them.
[God's eye] proved him right, one by one they gained a Patron, they became first Christians.
They all looked with amazement as they each approached the armored man.
"I will grant you protection. I want you all to go to the Palace," Cedric spoke plainly.
"The palace?! We will be killed!" They spoke in unison.
"No, I have dealt with that. Search for The First Star, Aurelia. Tell her I sent you." Their trust was shaky, however, they had no reason to distrust the savior.
He turned away from the mass of people before using [Create Angelic Construct], he would grant the group of people 10 Guardian Angels to escort them.
They were afraid, but Cedric had assured them Angels would guard them with their lives.
"Angels Guard them."
"Let me grant you one final gift before I go." Cedric smiled as he used [Create Holy Scripture]. In his hand, stacks of books appeared, each giving away faint, holy light.
"These are for you; study them. However, go to the palace as soon as you can. I have business to deal with," Cedric spoke before moving away.
"Sir! What are you searching for? Maybe we can help!" The same malnourished girl from before gripped him by his arm, now clearly in a much better and healthier state.
"I am searching for Fate's End." The name of the organization made them go silent.
"But...They are too dangerous!" The little girl was clearly worried as she heard the name.
"I will be fine," Cedric assured her.
With a sigh, she spoke, she knew her words wouldn't deter the Paladin, "Please be careful, you can find them by going straight ahead and then turning left, when you reach the end there will be a fake wall covering a door, they have set up a luxurious hideout, inside."
"Thank you." Cedric gently patted the girl before going ahead. Fate's End shall meet its End soon.
'Perhaps I should cure more people on the way...' Those who had nothing and had everything taken by Infidels would be the ones who would truly embrace God.
'I do hope Aurelia can handle influx of people...' He was slightly worried about their accommodations; however, Infidel palace was large enough for at least 400 people, and King would not dare oppose him. after all he should be smart enough to understand the consequence of standing in the way of God.