Origin of the blood

The emperor looked at the bishops, his eyes showed some confusion, but it vanished in a few seconds. He started walking, slowly descending from his raised stage.

He came down to the same level as the bishops, his hands behind his back. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"The empire is the driving force of humanity. While you and the Holy Kingdom seek out peace and stability, we have sought out war for generations.

There will be no progress until the day that we have destroyed those vermin. Even if it means us putting our arms into things we should not," he said, his tone righteous.

"So you indeed touched things you are not supposed to. Tell us, what is it?" one of the bishops asked. He rose to his feet and walked close to the emperor, but he kept his distance.

"Hmmm, normally I would not tell you what it is, but because you come under the name of His Holiness, and our mistake has cost us the life of a hero candidate, I'll show you.