Chapter Thirteen: Allies
Alya Vrenster had only been the archbishop of the Berikli Cathedral for eight years, but it was during these brief eight years that she achieved glory unprecedented in Berikli’s history. She transformed the cathedral from an ordinary parish church into one of the most influential core churches within the Light Church. Together with the St. John Cathedral in Vazinki, she pushed the Sophia Cathedral and St. Paul Cathedral out of the top three positions in the Light Church, establishing them as new powers within the church and solidifying the immortal status of the Holy City of Marco. All of this seemed to indicate a bright future for Archbishop Vrenster. Yet, the rise of these new powers also posed another challenge to her: the St. John Cathedral led by Archbishop Vazinki, who had once fought alongside her to advance the sacred cause of the Light Church.
Among the top three, aside from the St. Marco Cathedral, which remained the eternal core, the regions that occupied the other two positions were almost a reflection of the Light Church’s rise and fall throughout its history. Those who made it into the top three meant prosperity and moral education in their regions, and their archbishops gained the strength to compete for the position of pope. However, the title of second place among these three almost never stayed with the same cathedral for long. Once a cathedral secured this position, it was likely that its archbishop would become the new pope.
The jade crystal ring hovered in the air, and Vrenster stared at it intently. Even outsiders could tell at first glance that Alya Vrenster, as the 32nd archbishop of the Berikli Cathedral, had not been in office for long—just eight years. Yet it was during these eight years that the Berikli Cathedral became one of the most renowned churches in the Light Church. This crystal ring was nothing ordinary. It seemed to contain a liquid whose color kept changing, shifting with the way it rolled, like a dragon tossing its head, constantly surging within the ring. The color in the ring gradually faded from emerald green to a silver-white hue. When the pure silver-white turned into a faint milky white, a burst of white light suddenly shot through the jade ring and out of the window, vanishing in an instant.
The meditation chamber was filled with a serene stillness, as Frunest stared intently at the crystal ring. It seemed he was waiting for something, while the man behind him appeared increasingly uneasy. He knew the archbishop was using a special method to locate the missing Cathedral Inquisitor, but things clearly weren’t going well—this could be inferred from the archbishop’s solemn expression.
After a long while, a faint shadow quietly appeared on the now-calmed jade-colored crystal ring. Though small, it stood out sharply against the ring’s completely transparent, semi-crystalline structure.
Even Frunest, who had remained composed up to this point, could not help but show a slight change in expression. He seemed reluctant to believe what his eyes saw and blinked hard to see more clearly. Yet the faint darkness on the crystal ring seemed unconcerned with the archbishop’s feelings, persisting in proving its existence within the ring. What did this shadow mean? Perhaps no one else—even the Cathedral Inquisitor behind him—knew for sure, but as the caster, Frunest understood it all too well. If Vazinki or the Pope were present, they would surely be stunned by such a sight as well.
Blasphemy! Desecration! Could it be that Jalen had fallen? In just over a month, she had turned into a follower of the Dark God?! No, this was too terrifying. Frunest almost cried out in shock—this was impossible! He could never believe such a thing would happen! In his mind, Jalen should have been one of the most devout followers of the Light. How could she have transformed into a follower of darkness? Could it be that there was a flaw in his own spell? With suspicion, tension, and slight fear, Frunest carefully reviewed his casting process. He no longer knew whether he should hope his spell had failed or that it was actually better that this was the truth. But after checking, Frunest had to sadly accept reality: Jalen had indeed fallen!
At this point, Frenster had to calm down and seriously consider this issue. The fact that a Temple Inquisitor could degenerate into a follower of darkness meant something—was it, as the Pope had predicted, a sign of the resurgence of the Dark Faith? Yet Frenster simply couldn’t understand how such a thing could happen to someone he considered the most devout Temple Inquisitor. These Inquisitors were chosen personally from the most faithful monks and nuns in the churches of his diocese, their beliefs and determination carefully screened and verified. To put it bluntly, they were among the core forces, even more loyal than the Rema Knights!
Everything in the meditation room was very simple. The principle that simplicity is beauty was embodied here to the fullest. A wooden statue of a holy angel was embedded in the wall, seemingly an ancient artifact. A half-new wooden chair stood in the center of the room. The only slightly luxurious item was probably the colorful stained glass window on the side ceiling, which allowed maximum sunlight to enter—likely arranged at the archbishop’s request.
Silently, Frenster took back the jade ring, which slid lightly in his hand. Taking a deep breath, he thought he might have to accept this cruel reality. But how should he deal with it? Ignore it and let Jialan sink into the abyss of darkness? No, that didn’t suit his style. Such an incident involving a Temple Inquisitor under the Great Church of Pericles was clearly a challenge to his authority—he had to retaliate! But what would be the consequences of retaliation? It might expose the matter. No matter what measures he took to remedy it, even if Jialan regained her faith in the Faith, it would still cause irreparable damage to Pericles’ and his own reputation, potentially affecting his future plans—something he couldn’t accept.
Frenster was at a loss. Logically, such an incident should first be reported to the Tribunal, which would handle the investigation and resolution. But how could he tolerate such a thing happening at the Church of Pericles while allowing those madmen from Noyora to humiliate him? Did he, Frenster, really lack the ability to solve this problem? No, he didn’t believe there was a problem on this continent he couldn’t solve.
The ever silent Arch-Defender of the Cathedral watched anxiously as the archbishop’s expression changed. It surely wasn’t good news—Torres was certain of that. The archbishop’s gloomy look proved it enough. The problem seemed quite serious, was Torres’ second conclusion. Had she died? Or had some other accident occurred, such as being trapped or captured by pagans as a hostage? Torres couldn’t imagine what kind of accident could happen to a Cathedral Defender under the Light Church. Who would dare challenge the authority of the Light Church on the continent? Even in the Southern Continent, those followers of darkness wouldn’t provoke trouble so easily. And with Kaelen’s wisdom, he believed she wouldn’t rashly head to the Southern Continent either. He had never assigned her such a task. Could it be those people from the Inquisition…? A thought that even startled Torres himself suddenly popped into his mind. He glanced secretly at the archbishop, whose face remained calm as if deep in thought.
Frenst was indeed troubled. Although the jade ring showed that Kaelen’s faith had been desecrated, it couldn’t reveal more details. Yet, relying on his intuition and the Pope’s prophecy, Frenst believed this dangerous signal came from the South. But the South was too vast, with countless people—finding any clues there was extremely difficult. Those guys from the Inquisition seemed to have become more active these days. The Pope’s lifted ban finally gave them an opportunity. Seeing the fanaticism on their faces, Frenst grew worried inwardly—could the Pope’s plan backfire?
Noticing the archbishop seemed distracted, Torres had to cough softly and said in a grave voice, “Archbishop, I wonder how Kaelen, the Defender, is doing now?”
“She’s not in good condition. She’s not in life-threatening danger, but she seems to be imprisoned somewhere.” Frenst saw no need to hide anything from Torres, but he needed to choose his words carefully so they would be acceptable to him. “It seems she’s been subjected to powerful dark magic that restricts her strength and movements. I’m afraid she won’t be able to break free from these dark spells in the short term.”
“The Dark Order?” Torres was shocked, raising his gaze in disbelief. “But where in the northern part of the continent could there be such powerful dark mages? Kaelen wouldn’t go to the South. She’s a very disciplined person—I can guarantee that.”
“Torres, don’t be too certain. The cause of Malon’s death remains a mystery, even under the watchful eyes of countless mages and knights in Vansel. We have no idea how far the forces of darkness have progressed. Perhaps the Church has indeed become lax in this regard over the years. It’s possible that the Pope’s decision to release the people from Noyora was indeed the right choice.” Frenst’s gaze became somewhat distant, as if he were pondering something.