Draped in white garments, with a golden eye embroidered at the center, the envoys of the Church of Oracleus stepped into the palace.
Their presence instantly drew the attention of all those present, all eyes falling on them.
Something about their pristine attire and composed demeanor effortlessly drew the attention of everyone around. Looking at them, they felt almost ‘holy’—as if they belonged to another world.
This was how I felt when staring at them but at the same time, something about them felt uncomfortable.
“Julien?”
Was it because of the vision I had just experienced?
…Because of the strange static feeling during the vision?
“Julien?”
Something about their current presence felt extremely unsettling. As though, their presence was the reason for why my vision had turned out the way it did.
‘Wait, could it be…?’
And then, my eyes fell on a certain individual.
Standing behind the Cardinal, dressed in stark black attire and followed by several others, he was impossible to miss.
His long black hair cascaded down his back, framing striking green eyes and features that could only be described as handsome, making him stand out even more.
And then,
“…..”
His gaze fell on me.
And soon, a smile crept on his face.
It was as though he had expected to see me from the start.
His lips parted, forming words in a way that only I could understand.
‘Found you.’
“Julien!”
“…..!?”
A powerful tug on my shoulder pulled me around, and I found myself staring into a pair of gray eyes. Leon’s brows were furrowed tightly, his gaze locked onto mine.
“Is everything okay?”
“…Okay? Why wouldn’t they be?”
I responded as calmly as I could have, but perhaps due to my shaken state, my words came out more hurried than intended.
Leon’s brows furrowed once again.
In the end, he shook his head and pulled his hand away.
“Your face is pale, and you’re sweating quite a bit. Are you sure that you’re okay?”
Without answering him, I touched the side of my face and realized he was right—I was indeed sweating profusely. Given his words, I didn’t even need a mirror to know that my face must’ve been pale.
But still, it wasn’t as though I could just tell him what was going on.
Given the circumstances, I could only respond with a simple, “I’m okay.”
“…So you say.”
Leon didn’t believe me at all.
As I looked at him, he seemed to sense something, his gaze shifting toward the Oracleus Church. By now, they had moved far ahead, venturing deeper into the palace to greet the other guests.
“Is it them?”
“…Not quite.”
“What do you mean not quite?”
“It’s… something else.”
As I said those words, I stared at the notification that had flashed before my very eyes.
[◆ Main Quest Activated: Royal Dilemma]
: Character Progression + 317%
: Game Progression + 14%
Failure
: Aoife K. Megrail 38%
: Kiera Mylne 4%
: Evelyn J. Verlice 15%
“H-aha.”
Staring at the notification, I found myself at a loss for how to react. In some ways, I had always known it was only a matter of time before the quests returned. But still… I had desperately hoped it would still take a while more before they returned.
Because I understood that something troublesome was about to occur.
The quests… They never really brought anything that made my life easy.
‘In fact, I can even argue that with the presence of the Oracleus church members, the quests have become even harder.’
Instead of easing the life of the one they worship, they’re doing everything possible to make it more difficult.
What a bunch of fucking heretics.
I took a deep breath and shook my head. There was no use musing over such matters.
My thoughts quickly drifted towards the vision and the quest in front of me. By now, I already had enough clues to get a gist of what was happening.
‘The quest is called Royal Dilemma… Aoife seems to be the one most affected by this. Looking back at the vision—the pair of yellow eyes, the pool of blood, and the black boot adorned with golden embroidery—it most likely involves the Royal Family.’
It wasn’t too hard to put the pieces together.
Of course, I also understood that I couldn’t jump the gun quickly.
There were several occasions where I jumped to conclusions too early, making me miss very important details of the visions.
In that sense, I had to tread carefully.
‘But still, the presence of the Church of Oracleus is making me feel unsettled.’
Especially recalling the strange individual in black with green eyes and black hair. I didn’t need to think hard to understand why he had mouthed those words to me, and who he was.
The moment I saw him, I knew—he was the one who had disrupted me multiple times back at Kiera’s place. The one who had called me the “fake fragment” and had rambled on with endless nonsense.
From the moment he mouthed those words to me, I knew—he had been aware of my identity for some time and had only now chosen to reveal himself.
He had most likely been preparing for this very moment.
But…
‘That saves me a lot of trouble.’
I had been meaning to find him for quite some time. Not only had he been making my life more difficult by interfering with my visions, but the blood that flowed through his veins… I needed it back.
If there was one thing I was sure about, it was that the moment I consumed his blood, I’d be able to fill the gaps that had been missing in my mind. From the strange sense of emptiness that I often felt whenever I thought about the past, to the growth that I’d experienced.
Perhaps then…
I’d truly become Oracleus.
And that was something I needed to become.
In order to be able to even put up a fight against Sithrus, I had no choice but to become Oracleus.
‘But before anything else, I needed to find a way to get my hands on his blood. And this was the furthest thing from easy.’
Surrounded by members of the Church of Oracleus, eliminating him and claiming the blood would be anything but easy.
Thankfully, it wasn’t as though I was completely helpless.
But whether I could do it or not was something I didn’t know. For now, I only planned on observing before taking action.
“Julien, let’s leave. The Congress is going to begin soon.”
It was Leon’s voice that snapped me out of my thoughts.
Raising my head and looking at him, I quietly nodded before turning around and heading deeper into the building.
***
Deep within the building, inside of a large private room, several figures stood.
“It’s a pleasure to be graced by your presence, Cardinal.”
“Haha, the pleasure is mine.”
A graceful figure approached the Cardinal. With long blonde hair and striking yellow eyes, Atlas greeted him with a smile.
His smile was smooth, warm almost.
“It looks like you’re the first to arrive from the Seven Churches.”
Atlas’s gaze eventually shifted to the six figures standing behind the Cardinal, each clad in black robes. Unlike the Cardinal, they appeared much younger, yet their presence radiated a certain pressure.
Enough to rival the top cadets within Haven.
“These are…?”
“Ah, how silly of me.”
The Cardinal stepped to the side and introduced the younglings.
“These are my apprentices, each carefully nurtured to succeed me when my time finally comes. This right here is…”
Cardinal Ambrose introduced them one by one, before eventually \\stopping at Jackal who moved by himself, extending his hand in Atlas’s direction.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Jackal’s antics prompted Atlas to raise a brow, studying the young man before him with keen interest.
Indeed, staring at him, he felt he was different from the other disciples he met.
Not only did he appear calmer than the others, but he was also noticeably more powerful. His very presence set him apart, drawing Atlas’s attention.
In a way, he seemed to remind Atlas of Julien.
But at the same time, the two felt strikingly different.
Atlas couldn’t quite put it into words, but Jackal gave him an uncomfortable feeling. It wasn’t one that would make him feel alarmed, but something about him felt off.
It didn’t take long for him to figure it out, however.
Lowering his gaze to Jackal’s outstretched hand, a faint smile tugged at Atlas’s lips. After a brief pause, he extended his own hand and shook it.
“The pleasure is mine. You seem like quite a promising prospect. You remind me a lot of another cadet within the Academy.”
“Oh?”
Jackal raised his brow.
“Could that cadet be Julien?”
“You know him?”
“Ah, yes…”
Jackal smiled.
“I’ve heard quite a lot about him. I’m a big fan—especially of his accomplishments at the Summit.”
“He was indeed quite impressive.”
Atlas withdrew his hand and redirected his attention back to the Cardinal.
“If you would excuse me, I have matters to tend to. I’ve received news that the delegates from the other churches have arrived. I hope you all have a pleasant stay.”
With a graceful bow, Atlas excused himself and quietly left the premises of the room.
At the same time, Jackal remained silent, his hand still outstretched.
“Jackal?”
It was only when the Cardinal’s voice echoed that Jackal snapped out of whatever trance he was in and turned around.
“Are you okay? Did something happen?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Jackal answered calmly.
“…I was just in thought. A little nervous perhaps.”
“I see. Then that’s fine.”
Walking up to Jackal, Cardinal Ambrose placed his hand over his shoulder and patted it.
“Don’t worry too much about it. The other churches have already prepared to announce their saint candidates. There’s no reason for you to feel nervous. It’s just a formality. Nothing will really change.”
“I understand.”
Jackal answered with a smile, slowly pulling his hand behind his back.
There was a specific reason he did so.
It was to…
Hide the trembling.
Indeed, he had been a little too arrogant. He had originally thought he wouldn’t have been noticed, but he was quickly proven wrong.
Atlas saw right through him.
Nonetheless…
He still found something interesting.
“Dawn”
Jackal mumbled,
“I don’t know what it means, but it feels like some pretty important information.”