What the!?

As Aristotle’s mana was depleted, he drank the mana potion he currently was holding and his mana pool regained its previous size, Aristotle was a man that didn’t took risks if he knew for one thing, that the casualties would be too high and the chances for winning was too low, it wasn’t worth the risk.

And the best thing to currently do now, was retreat.

“NAOKI! Open the door! Run!”

Aristotle yelled as he reached something on one of his coat's interior pockets, as he revealed it, it was a sphere the size of a human palm or hand, it had a short line that was erected at the top and center of the small sphere.

“Aristotle-San? What do you mean!”

“Get out of here!”

Aristotle soon ignited a small flame on the sphere’s rope, it was ignited through a small gemstone that he set ablaze, lighting the gem and lighting the rope in the process.

“I learned this from the Byzantines!” he yelled at the three men.

He soon threw the small sphere to the three puppets and escaped through the church’s door with Naoki. As soon as Aristotle reached the door a loud sound of an explosion occurred inside the church, pushing both Aristotle and Naoki outside and tumbling down the church’s inclined pavement and onto the ground.

As soon as both of them looked behind them, all they saw was nothing more than a church being burnt and was destroyed.

“A-aristotle… w-what did you just do…” Naoki said in a Trembling voice, like he had just seen something he shouldn’t have seen.

“I save u-“

He then interrupted by Naoki who seemed to be no longer be rational.

“Don’t you see! That’s a Church! Why did you blow it up!” he said in both an angered and trembling voice to Aristotle.

What?... something… feels off…

Aristotle’s suspicions soon grew as Naoki was slowly being hostile towards Aristotle who was supposed to be his ally and friend.

“Naoki! What are you even saying?!” Aristotle yelled back at Naoki trying to get himself back together, but to no avail.

Naoki seemed to be different than earlier, no it was like… he was a different person.

“Aristotle! The church! Why did you burn it!”

Wait a minute?... church?...

Aristotle thought, earlier Naoki was concerned about the archbishop that almost died, but by how he was currently reacting, Naoki knew that Aristotle left the three men to die but he wasn’t concerned about them, but was concerned by the burning church.

“Naoki! Snap out of it!” Aristotle gripped both Naoki’s arm and rocked him forward and backwards, whilst yelling.

Naoki soon dropped his head down and looked at the ground, Aristotle having thought he finally got Naoki to his senses dropped his guard, before hearing a whispery voice.

[… Shield… wave…]

As Aristotle heard that, he flew meters away from Naoki and was injured as he hit a wall, as he hit the wall his vision blurred for a few minutes, but he saw Naoki in a blurry vision standing up and the townspeople behind him.

Aristotle closed his eyes and tried regaining his vision, then in the midst of his feud with Naoki, the citizens came closer to Naoki armed with pickaxes, farm hoes, blunt objects, anything they could have their hands on that can kill a person.

At first glimpse, Aristotle thought that they were about to kill Naoki who was standing still in an angered pose, but the closer they got to Naoki they stopped and formed a wedge with Naoki at the center, it almost looked like the townspeople where only hostile to Aristotle.

“Hey… w-what is the meaning of this Naoki?!”

Aristotle yelled as he was laid back on the wall that he crashed on, it was like he felt betrayed, he suppressed his personal emotions since they just recently talked with each other and wasn’t that acquainted with each other.

He suppressed his emotions and was ready to kill Naoki if things went south, Aristotle was both confused and watchful with was currently happening, Naoki and the townspeople against him, and an unknown puppeteer that controls its victims.

Wait a minute…

He had a guess, it was 50/50 right or wrong, earlier he saw an unknown entity controlling an Archbishop and two paladins which can be considered an A-class demon and above, both where being controlled by that unknown entity.

If his guess was right, they are being controlled but for all the townspeople to be controlled and even a Hero, He could understand huge numbers of controlled townspeople but for a hero that has a [System] and is currently at level 30 or so.

It must mean that that entity is a high-level monster, controlling 100 or so Townspeople and arming them, along with a hero, it surely must be true but how can a scholar-class like Aristotle defeat it, fighting head on with that many people and even a Hero that excels in defense will be hard if not maybe even improbable to happen.

Aristotle soon pushed his body against the wall and tried pushing himself up to stand and face the huge numbers of his enemies. Currently they are all puppets being controlled by a high-level demon or entity, if possible, he must lower the casualties but if things doesn’t sway to his side, then he must kill them.

Sheesh… right when I finally saw myths and legends coming to reality…

“Look Naoki, I won’t go easy on you.”

Aristotle declared in front of him, in Aristotle’s mind he was just a small rat cornered and was about to be devoured by hundreds of cats, but like the idiom goes, Aristotle will fight like a caged monster that just got released.

Aristotle prepared a defensive stance and wanted to engaged in hand to hand combat, the townspeople soon got suspicious at Aristotle, it was as if they still had their logical mind but their movements and decisions weren’t decided by them.

“Come on! Face me! I Dare you!”

Aristotle yelled in front of the group of armed townspeople and a mind-controlled Naoki that was currently looking at him like a crazy person.

Why aren’t they at-

He was suddenly interrupted by a sudden announcement.

“Aristotle, Hero of Wisdom and Knowledge, has committed a grave sin! He tried murdering an Archbishop of the church and two holy knights blessed with Vita’s blessings.”

The voice, it was like he heard it before, from his days in earth? No? that can’t be there weren’t any bishops during his time, but… somebody that he certainly met. And by what he announced it seemed as though he was framing Aristotle, it was true but it was for self-defense.

Slowly but surely the townspeople made way for this announcer, the closer he got the louder his footsteps were heard on Aristotle’s side. After a minute or so in his defensive stance, Aristotle finally saw the announcer.

The Archbishop…

Only the Archbishop, his bodyguards the two paladins weren’t seen or even present in the area, but Aristotle still couldn’t erase those two from the factors that could hindered him.

“Yes! A Hero has committed a Crime! He has destroyed and burned the church of Vita! A house that protects and gives us love and care! destroyed! By a hero that was chosen by her!”

By how he was indicating it, it seemed as though Aristotle was the villain but those three men showed hostility first, and goddess Vita? She chose Aristotle? She is the goddess of life not of wisdom and knowledge, even a grade-schooler knew the difference if they read.

“We must bring vengeance to her goddess Vita! We must avenge her for what that wretched hero did!”

Then suddenly all of them started chanting.

“Long live goddess Vita!”

“we will guarantee justice to you!”

“We will kill this traitorous hero!”

LONG LIVE GODDESS VITA!

The townspeople started chanting in unison, Aristotle was cornered and injured, with little to no fighting capabilities and his former ally that excels in defense has joined the enemy, it seemed as though it was the end for Aristotle.