Damn, I recarneted As A Judge in Fantasy World

The next day, Abel left Jaren Burgess's mansion early in the morning. He couldn't shake the feeling that every second mattered, that delaying even for a moment would cost him valuable time.

The temple of the Sordin Cult was located further northeast, and it was impossible to keep an eye on the Northern Arc from there. It would take half a day to even attempt such surveillance, and that was being optimistic.

If they couldn't watch over it themselves, someone with expertise in espionage would have to be sent.

"Sir McNeill?" Abel asked, glancing at Cordell.

Cordell shook his head quickly. "No way. Isn't that right, Your Majesty?"

"I suppose that's true," Abel replied with a sigh.

"But I'm still a close escort…" Cordell began, his voice tinged with frustration.

"Don't you want to return to Midias as soon as possible?" Abel raised an eyebrow. "If you keep being uncooperative, your business trip will only get longer."

"Eugh! Ah, no!" Cordell exclaimed in defeat.

As expected, Cordell McNeill's lover back in Midias was a glaring weakness.

The amusing question popped into Abel's mind: What happens when your instinct to flirt meets your desire to see your lover again?

Of course, the latter would always win out.

But Cordell wasn't just a little crazy—he was seriously crazy.

"Then let's head out a little later, shall we?" Abel teased.

"Y-yes?" Cordell stammered, caught off guard.

"Either way, it'll take a few months, right?" Abel smiled.

"Wow! You're more amazing than I thought," Cordell admitted, laughing nervously.

"I'm a bit more manly than you think, haha!" Abel chuckled. After all, Cordell was someone beyond description. How could someone who'd received such a thorough education have such poor learning ability?

*Swish.*

When Abel raised the gavel in his hand, Cordell finally raised both his hands in mock surrender.

"Ahehe! I was just joking. How could I disobey His Highness the Duke's orders?"

"If I may speak freely," Abel interrupted, his tone growing serious. "Can you please listen to me at least once? If I keep talking and you keep this up, I feel like my fists will fly before my words."

"Ahahaha! Lord, please, be careful," Cordell replied, now more nervous than amused.

"Let's leave quickly before your dreams and hopes get crushed," Abel ordered. "We'll stay in the Northern Arc and search for the assassins from the Sordin Cult."

"Are you telling me to watch over that entire city? By myself?" Cordell's voice jumped an octave.

"You should focus on the underworld bosses. There will be assassination attempts even if it's not Jaren Burgess," Abel explained calmly.

"Aha!" Cordell's eyes lit up with sudden understanding.

"You're so good at being annoying, but why can't you use that brain of yours more often?" Abel said dryly.

"Well… because it's too much of a hassle to think?" Cordell shrugged.

"Oh my! Is this person real?" Abel sighed in disbelief.

*Phew!*

As Abel swung the gavel in his hand, the loud whoosh of air indicated how much strength was behind it. His emotions were strong, but he controlled them.

"Okay, I'll be back!" Cordell shouted hastily, rushing off back toward the city.

Just as he left, Shuguri, the mysterious familiar, let out a long yawn before sending a telepathic message.

"It's a bit of a strange neighborhood," Shuguri remarked lazily.

"What do you mean?" Abel asked, intrigued.

"I felt that there were messengers of God in the Empire," Shuguri replied.

"There's a temple of the Aramid Order nearby," Abel pointed out.

"But I don't sense anything from this place," Shuguri said with growing concern.

Jaren Burgess's earlier words echoed in Abel's mind. He had mentioned that the Sordin Order had lost its priests and no longer worshipped God. Shuguri's intuition, sharp as always, accurately reflected what Abel suspected.

"So, what do we do now?" Shuguri asked, her curiosity piqued.

"What else can we do? The easiest way would be to charge straight through," Abel answered with a grim smile.

Even if the religious order had been corrupted, they couldn't have completely abandoned the temple. With a building that large, where else would they hide?

Abel set his sights on the main temple of the Sordin Order and headed straight for it. However, from the moment he entered the grounds, he was met with a strange and unsettling sight.

Normally, temples were bustling with activity. They were usually filled with people seeking divine healing or offering prayers, but this place was nothing more than a desolate ruin.

"How can there be no one here?" Abel muttered in disbelief.

No matter how corrupt a religious order was, people often visited without knowing the full extent of the corruption. It was as if this place had been completely abandoned, left to decay.

Suddenly, Shuguri pricked up his ears.

"Huh? I can feel something," he whispered.

"What is it?" Abel asked, his senses sharpening.

"There was a movement just now… a spiritual movement," Shuguri clarified.

Abel's eyes narrowed. A spiritual movement meant that gods or demons were involved. Could it be that the priests of the Sordin Order were still alive after all?

"Alright. Let's go in and see if we can find some answers," Abel said, determination burning in his voice.

The emperor's religious reform didn't mean the complete abolition of religious orders.

Abel's job wasn't to destroy, but to cleanse and restore the clergy to their proper role. They needed to root out the corruption while ensuring the Sordin Order could function once again.

*Chuck! Pusssss!*

As Abel stepped onto the blackened stone steps leading into the temple, an ominous cloud of dust swirled around him, as though foreshadowing a dark and dangerous future.

But just as Abel was about to ascend further, something strange happened.

*Tsuuuut-!*

"Hmm?" Abel paused, his senses tingling.

"Uh?" Shuguri's ears twitched. "Isn't the air rippling with heavy pressure?"

Suddenly, a black, monstrous figure appeared before Abel, radiating a strong and malevolent presence. The indistinct figure's voice echoed in his mind, full of anger and arrogance.

―"Hey, you! How dare you step on the land of dead gods! Do you wish to be turned to dust?"

Abel frowned at the voice booming inside his head. Shuguri, clearly upset by the pressure, clutched his head in pain.

'Ah, so that's why this place was empty,' Abel thought with a smirk. He had only taken his first step, and already he was met with resistance.

Most people with weak nerves might have fainted by now, but Abel? He found it more annoying than threatening.

He scowled, recognizing the entity before him. "What are you doing here?"

―"I've never seen such an arrogant bastard…" the figure growled.

"Hey, Peltron. Why have you sunk so low? Aren't you even worthless now?" Abel taunted with a smirk.

The figure faltered.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

―"…"

Peltron, a demon of considerable reputation, suddenly lost all his dark momentum. It was like watching a person being publicly humiliated.

Your journey continues on empire

"To cast out a demon, you must know its name," Abel muttered, amused. Knowing Peltron's name had stripped the creature of his power and pride.

With a final hiss, Peltron vanished, clearly wanting to flee from the humiliation.

Abel glanced over at Shuguri and shrugged.

- "What the heck was that?" Shuguri asked, bewildered.

Abel grinned. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

Whatever Peltron was planning, one thing was certain—Abel was here to shatter those plans.