Last Egg: Reincarnated as a Dragon in a Game-Novel

393  The Mad Mercy

POV ???:

"No! How dare you! I am a cardinal, and I serve the God of Light!" A man in white robes, embroidered with a golden thread, screamed and flailed his arms and legs as soldiers in silver armor, with long white capes, dragged him through the square.

Mud and blood covered his previously luxurious robes and his wrinkled old face.

The crowds of people stared at him with disgust, spitting insults at him from every direction.

 "Sinner!"

"Traitor to God!"

"Heretic!"

Pyres burned everywhere, and the smell of burned flesh permeated the city.

The angel Hasdiel stood on a small podium, their plain white robes and mask of light obscuring their true form. Their robes waved slightly, and the holy glow of their body pushed back all the shadows, bathing the faithful in its merciful warmth. "The corruption has even reached the highest echelons of the church. You do not serve God; you serve only yourself."

 "Have mercy, oh angel of mercy. You are the angel of mercy..."

"Silence, sinner!" The priest shut his mouth, and his face turned pale like death.

"Sins can be forgiven and mercy given... but not for the priesthood that betrayed the way of their God. You should have led by example and fought against the sins and evils of the mortal world. Yet, you only used your god-given rank to commit wrongs and load your purses with ill-earned gold."

The paladins dragged the screaming sinner before the sole figure of the angel. His eyes filled with fear, but no true regret darted around, refusing to meet with the angel's glowing gaze.

 "I, Hasdiel, the angel of mercy, hereby sentence you to suffer in hell! May God have mercy on your soul in your next life!"

"Nooo!" The fallen cardinal tried to move, but the light bound his body as Hasdiel reached with their glowing finger towards him.

The finger gently touched the wrinkled forehead, and then they pulled, and the priest stopped moving.

The paladins released him, and his body collapsed to the ground. Its chest moved up and down like he was still alive, but it was only an empty, soulless husk.

The spherical soul dimly glowed between Hasdiel's fingers. 'So dirty and ugly. You are not worthy of my mercy.' Their hand snapped closed, and the soul vanished, sucked into the black spinning vortex of hell.

'Still, more evil is roaming this continent. I shall be merciful and fix it. I, Hasdiel, will not falter!'

 A few days later:

POV Vesuvius:

Vesuvius sat on the golden throne in his bipedal, smaller form.  Even so, he towered above the old mage in blue robes kneeling before him, using his long staff as a support.

The grandiose black marble pillars supported the high vaulted ceiling of his throne chamber, making the mage look even smaller within the vast empty space.

"I have heard you have finished your task."

"Your Majesty, here is the result of my work. The work of art that took a decade of my life." The archmage opened his palm, revealing a brilliant blue gemstone. Hundreds, not thousands, of magic letters and diagrams glowed within it like stars in the night sky.

Even Vesuvius couldn't move his eyes away from it, enchanted by its value and beauty.

 "Mana needed to fuel this is beyond tremendous and impractical for us, mortals... but I believe it is what Your Majesty wished for. It is the magic tool that can shrink the dimensions of space around any object."

"This is perfect, mortal! It is not just working, but it is truly also a work of art. Here is your reward."

With a wave of his clawed hand, diamonds, and glittering black scales spilled out, clanging as they hit the stone floor.

"Wait, your Majesty. There is a matter with the cost..."

The dragon's aura exploded, making the mage's white hair and beard wave like during a hurricane. The air froze, and the floor heated up. "You dare to ask for more?! If it wasn't for your perfect work, you would already be dead. You..."

The old man paled, but he still managed to open his mouth, "No, it is not like that. I wish for your blood."

The aura immediately vanished, and everything became calm as if nothing had happened, except for the still trembling body of the space mage.

Vesuvius couldn't help but feel surprised at the brazen words. 'I would never have thought he would want to serve me.'

As if predicting his doubt, the mage bowed so deeply that his white beard swept the ground. "I know its mind-altering properties. However, I have observed your minions for more than a decade. They are still themselves and have eternity to pursue their goals... I am old, and even with magic, I might not live for longer than a few more decades. Nonetheless, there are still many mysteries of space to explore."

'So that is how it is... As death approaches, one's priorities change. What one might have considered unacceptable is now acceptable.'

"So be it, I will fulfill your wish, mortal." He didn't see any reason to refuse as he would only gain from it. 'He will be useful, and one could even say he earned it after working for so long to fulfill my whim.'

With a casual move of the dragon's tongue, a few droplets of glowing red blood flew out of his mouth before stopping mid-air.

'This reminds me I should finish her transformation. Now, after seeing that time mage, I know what I have to do: the baptism of elements. It might increase the odds of her survival, and stacking odds is the only thing that will help.'

The archmage's eyes dilated as he reached out with his tongue toward the floating droplets of blood, like a madman. 'My blood is much stronger now. However, I feel like he will survive it as a great archmage.'

Seeing the audience sorted out, the dragon returned to a much larger problem. 'The news of the

inquisition is unsettling. I thought the angel would have already returned. Instead, they are wreaking havoc across the continent. If I don't do anything, they will turn their attention toward me.'

Vesuvius didn't know how powerful the angel was, but even if he was stronger, getting into a holy war would be more than bad. It would bring the attention of the heavens and the entire continent upon himself.

'I need to end this madness soon without attracting too much attention.' He strained his mind as he started to think about how to do it.