Translator: Yang_Wenli
Monicar Cathedral in the Nation of the Holy Church’s Holy City.
The cathedral named after the God of the Holy Light was located in the center of the Holy City. The cathedral itself was large enough to compare to a small city.
Inside Monicar Cathedral’s Holy Light Parliament. The four archbishops from the Cardinal Institution were seated on a bench, the judgment seat.
This was a legislative assembly capable of containing over a hundred people. But, only four archbishops were present. One of them belonged to the Heresy Tribunal. Another came from the Holy Church Army, the Ecclesiastical Templars.
The entire assembly hall was filled with an indescribable sort of stifling atmosphere. Soon, the stifling atmosphere was shattered by the entrance doors that were pushed open.
“Bishop Meyerger, I finally found you. I’ve heard that Cheryl had defected the Heresy Tribunal, what’s going on with that?”
The person who pushed opened the doors and entered into the assembly hall was a woman in a nun outfit. But, she was not an ordinary nun. Instead, she was the Holy Church’s only Saintess... Herolia.
“It is our Heresy Tribunal’s oversight that allowed for her escape. We will quickly make that traitor receive her righted punishment.”
The bishop named Meyerger stood up and humbly bowed to the Saintess Herolia.
In the Nation of the Holy Light, a Saintess was not a symbolic profession. She was the representative of God’s power. Herolia has been under the protection of the Holy Light the moment she was born.
After a templar received the blessings of Herolia’s singing, their exhausted bodies and injuries would be cured. Their strength will also increase slightly. Because of that, the Saintess Herolia held a status second to only the Pope in the Nation of the Holy Church.
Even the archbishops of the Cardinal Institute must show respect toward her.
“I’m only concerned about why Cheryl defected.”
Herolia’s light-golden eyes stared at the four archbishops on the judgement seat.
The power of the Holy Light that has been overflowing out from her body nonstop had suppressed Herolia’s body’s aging and deterioration. Even though Herolia was over a hundred years old already, she still looked to be in her twenties. It was not only her age, even her mentality was that of a person in her twenties.
It was like time has slowed down countless times on her body. Cheryl was a nun that had once served her in the past. She was also the nun Herolia was most fond of.
After Cheryl joined the Heresy Tribunal, she received the power of the Gray Mist. Because of that, she ceased aging and her outward appearance stopped at that extremely young phase.
“Aren’t the inquisitors unable to leave the Holy City for too long? I want to know the reason why Cheryl would risk death to betray the Holy Church.”
Herolia attempted to obtain an answer from the Heresy Tribunal’s archbishop.
Even to the people within the Holy Church, the Heresy Tribunal was a mysterious existence. This included how the inquisitors were born and what the powers they were using were,
Those mysteries were things known only to the three archbishops of the Heresy Tribunal and the Holy Church’s Pope.
Faced with Herolia’s questioning, the four archbishops looked to each other. In the end, the Heresy Tribunal’s archbishop Meyerger stood up.
“This parliament’s topic of discussion has been that traitor’s defection. Saintess Herolia... you can sit down and listen to our discussions,” said the archbishop Meyerger.
There exist rows of seats for listeners behind the assembly hall. But, Herolia was the only listener in the entire assembly hall.
Herolia cooperated without complaint and seated herself in the front-most row.
This conference was destined to be a precursor to a war. Afterall, there was an archbishop from the Heresy Tribunal and another archbishop from the Ecclesiastical Templars present in this conference. The discussion would definitely not be about something small such as the construction or protection of a certain city or town’s chapel.
“Everyone, a demon is currently hiding in Norland. The Heresy Tribunal had dispatched four inquisitors to suppress that demon. But, we underestimated the dangerousness of that demon... Among the four inquisitors, three had returned to god’s embrace. The remaining inquisitor... was nun Cheryl. She has been led astray by the demon and decided to betray god. It has been a bitter blow to us.”
Archbishop Meyerger hid the fact that the three inquisitors that were dispatched to kill Cheryl had yet to return. He only emphasized how dangerous that demon in Norland was.
“Allow me to interrupt, Archbishop Meyerger. I do not believe Cheryl would allow herself to be easily tempted by a demon. Furthermore, she should know what the consequences of leaving the Holy City is.”
Even though she was supposed to be a listener, Herolia was not acting like a listener at all. She began to question what the Heresy Tribunal’s archbishop said.
A small portion of the inquisitors were only loyal to the Holy Church not because of their faith but rather because their necks were tied to an invisible shackle placed onto them by the Holy Church. The day that shackle snaps apart, it will be the day of their death.
“From the intelligence brought back by the inquisitors, that demon possesses special methods that could corrupt others... At least, what he possessed are methods not recorded in the Dark Gray Canon.”
Archbishop Meyerger provided a corresponding explanation. But, the Saintess Herolia still had an unconvinced look.
“This assembly had brought back a missionary and a priest that had been stationed in Norland the entire time. Please listen to their experiences.”
In order to convince the three other archbishops and the Saintess Herolia how dangerous that demon was, Archbishop Meyerger had prepared proof.
The doors to the assembly hall were pushed open again. A missionary and a priest from Norland walked in.
The missionary was none other than Messai’s adjutant. The moment the teleportation gate opened in Norland, he received the order to return to the Holy City.
The adjutant didn’t know if it was a blessing or a misfortune. He had always wanted to return to the Holy City. Furthermore, he had with him an originium crystal that contained the movie ‘Beauty and the Demon.’
On the meet and greet for ‘Beauty and the Demon,’ Joshua had chosen a couple ‘lucky winners’ and gave them originium crystals that contained the movies. Of course, the version he gave them was one that cannot be duplicated.
It was equivalent to a Blu-ray Disc.
There was naturally another reason as to why Joshua gifted out those Blu-ray Discs. Obviously, this adjutant from the Nation of the Holy Church did not obtain his from pure luck.
As a fan of Belle, even though the adjutant clearly knew Belle was a demon, he still accepted the originium movie crystal.
He kept it with himself all the way until yesterday when the church’s overseeing priest ordered for him to bring the originium crystal back to the Holy City.
Currently, the adjutant was holding a heavy case in his hand as he entered the assembly hall. Inside the case was the originium crystal that contained ‘Beauty and the Demon.’
The church’s overseeing priest felt that this was a demon’s artifact and felt the need to purify it. Because of that, the originium crystal was placed in a stone case with multiple layers of seals the moment the adjutant returned to the Holy City.
The adjutant felt that even after the conference ended, he might not be able to retrieve that originium crystal. It was very possible that the originium crystal would be deemed something evil and destroyed.
Because of that, the moment he stepped into the assembly hall, he was not feeling excited or nervous from facing the archbishops. Instead, an endless amount of grief filled his heart.