Two girls are sitting on the ground with their foots in the stream. Its water is clear and clean despite the nearly barren surrounding. Many trees have been cut down. 

"My breathing is becoming harder after each day. This might be it for me."

Nina sighs while looking her face that is mirrored on the water surface. 

Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi is throwing pebbles to the wall of a very tall and large belfry across the river. It looks like a belfry as there is a large bell at the top of it and rings twice a day but it is just too massive. 

At the most top, there is a spire and beneath it, there is a loggia that contains a large bell. 

Everything is viewable from down here.

However, the steeple is just small part of the tower. Most of it looks like a high rise citadel.

When Kurotsuchi asked her before, Nina told her the skyscraping fortress is just a refuge for templars. Based on the height and width, there could be several floors in it. The ground floor is wide and possibly spacious. It was built by "Three Gods Church" long time ago.

"Do you have anything you are afraid of, Kuro-chan?" Nina turns to the other girl. 

The playful girl looks miniature compared to the large superstructure.

Then, the bell rings to remind about the imminent nightfall.

"This place is supposed to be where God is present. Why does it look so stark and terrifying?"

Nina mutters while hugging her skinny body.

"I'm scared .. so scared...I can't stand it, sister Luca." Nina squats and trembles.

"Nina.." Kurotsuchi approaches the sobbing Nina and hugs her.

***

A girl in late teenage age is eating her breakfast at a crudely made table. The food itself is a plain stew with water, which is a striking contrast to her majestic appearance. There are many men in similar uniform with "T-shaped symbol", a crest for "Three Gods Religion". However, those men is enjoying their meal at different table from her. She inserts the food into her cute mouth as if forcing herself. 

She has a sculpted figure which is twine-thin. Her waist is tapered and she has a burnished complexion. A pair of arched eyebrows look down on sweeping eyelashes. Her delicate ears frame a button nose. A set of dazzling, angel-white teeth gleam as she blows the hot stew on her spoon before pouring into her mouth again.

Her breasts are not big but nicely bulging and obvious from the masculine uniform. Her light cantaloupe coloured hair is in snappy braids with short twin tails at upper sides. 

"What's our holy commander doing? Why is she kissing up to Cardinal Mozgus? I thought she is most noble of noblewoman." 

"So even a princess of top noble family bows to a cardinal. There are only four cardinals below the pope of 'three gods' religion' after all."

"Such devoted faith she has, unlike us from lower nobility who are forced to serve templars."

"Hey, shut up. She can hear you."

Ignoring those insulting remarks, she continues to finish her meal while glancing around. Her enticing, constellation-blue eyes gaze at them over her puffy, heart shaped lips. 

A slim but sturdy looking man walks to her and gives her a cue. She nods. 

She rises and both of them walk out of the dining hall while looking beyond the windows at the third floor. The vast land is covered by refugees tents. She sighs and continues walking down the stairs. 

Beneath them there are two large half naked men playing with crows. Their head is bald and scarred. Their faces are deformed.

Another man whose covered by crow like mask walks up the stairs towards her.

"Where is Cardinal Mozgus?" She asks politely. Those three weird men are Cardinal Mozgus's henchmen.

The crow faced man coldly answers, "If you want to meet him, follow me." He then turns back downstairs.

She and her bodyguard follow him.

"Did our look shock you, commander?" The weird man asks while striding into an entrance.

"Em.. no.. forgive me.." She fidgets.

"In the past, all of us had been persecuted because of our weird appearance. Exiled from villages and towns, we were reviled as monsters. I myself was hiding in a forest. Master Mozgus found and raised us. Actually I disliked this job. I hate hurting others. But I am proud as this is a holy mission granted to me by God."

They walk along a corridor before climbing again to upper floor and arrive at a door. There are sound of big thing hitting something hard.

"What's that?" She anxiously asks.

"That's the sound of master's worship."

He opens the door.

There is a chapel with scant sunlight from openings at the wall. 

Both of them are dumbstruck seeing a giant man of over 2 meters hitting his bald head onto the hard floor repeatedly.

"Prostration." The henchman utters.

 They turn nervously towards the henchman who elaborates,

"Master Mozgus weeps. Every morning and evening, master weeps and prostrates a thousand times. In the past decade, he does that every single day."

She turns her gaze towards the the cardinal who is torturing himself.

After a while, he ceases and stands facing them.

"Welcome, Lady Farnese."

She notices his knees and forehead are bleeding."

"You are bleeding."

Mozgus merely smiles.

"Once upon a time, a holy man was imprisoned in this chamber by the Olga emperor. The holy man never stopped praying until one day an angle descended in here."

"Angel?" Her bodyguard stares at him in disbelief.

"My holy mission is to execute God's stern law upon mankind. Regrettably that causes agony to many. These wounds are admonition to me, as proof of my faith. Are you having doubt, my lady?"

Surprised by that sudden question, Farnese fidgets,

"I am not sure. Are this mission able to bring salvation to people. The common people only bear us ill will. It's shameful to admit this but even some if the templars even oppose this mission. I fear that continuing this way means spreading of violence will be unchecked, exhausting people's heart and mind. Huh.."

Her speech ceases as the towering man is smiling down at her with murderous aura. 

"My lady. You shouldn't deplore such difficult thinking. You must never question God. It's for the God, and only God alone, we act!"

Scared, Farnese immediately kneels down and holds her hands in prayer. 

"For God." She vows. Her bodyguard doesn't bow or kneel down. He only shows bitter expression.

***

Later in evening in Saint Albion, former Olga territory, near Saint Albion fortress.

"Ohhh. The refugees have stolen our food supplies!" A Templar shouts but three of them could not stop over a dozen refugees. They run with the supply.

From faraway, Farnese in her horse, notices that incident.

"Chase them!"

The cavalries easily overtake the running refugees and surround them.

"What's the meaning of this? Is this the act of the faithful?" She yells.

"But we haven't eaten for days." One of the refugee voices up.

"Please. My child no longer has the strength. He needs food!" A young woman pleads with a baby on her chest.

Farnese becomes clueless.

"Very well. Because of your bravery, God will give you mercy." Morgus suddenly appears on his horse.

"For now, bring these people to the tower."

"Thank you, my lord. Thank you!" The woman shouts.

Soon, they enter into the tower and the baby is brought to a physician.

"It seems the child become stable. He just needs to be nourished." The physician tells them.

There are only Farnese, her bodyguard, Mozgus, the physician and the young woman in the room.

"I don't know what to say but.. thank you very much!" The mother bows down in front of Mozgus.

Mozgus smiles eerily.

"Now come this way. You have a duty to perform as one of the believer."

They follow Mozgus into a strange corridor that has no one except Mozgus's henchmen.

At the end, there is a door with scary looking image.

Mozgus grabs the mother's hand and open the door. Once they enter, everyone except Mozgus and his henchmen become pale.

Foul stench and eerie scream. Everywhere in the spacious room, there are various torturing equipments and people regardless of genders are being tormented. 

A woman is screaming while her breasts being stabbed with iron. Mozgus grabs the newly entered woman and her clothing is torn apart. She is being forcefully brought to the torturing equipment. 

While crying, Mozgus shouts, "This is God's mercy. Face this, don't run away!"

The women are lied down onto the equipment and binded. Heated iron is lifted up and stabbed on her body.

"No...noooo...argggg!!"

Farnese and her bodyguard instinctively step backwards. 

"What's this madness?"

As she tries to turn her sight away, Mozgus shouts at her,

"Lady Farnese, don't turn away. Look at these sinners!"

Being pressured like that, tears flow on her cheeks.