Chapter 9: New Forces

The destruction of Heliorox left some of the empire’s dark magicians confused. Although Heliorox might not have been the empire’s most powerful magical organization, its influence was irreplaceable. With centuries of tradition, it had become the indispensible cradle of dark magicians.

It is said that since the Heliorox incident, at least 30% of dark magicians from various mercenary guilds across the empire left their original organizations and gathered in an ancient city, as if plotting something.

That ancient city was the birthplace of magic, on par with Heliorox—[City of Astrology—Sgdel].

Once seemingly declining, Sgdel became bustling again. Many dark magicians settled there. In addition to most of the Glon faction’s magicians, about 30% of the empire’s dark magicians, roughly 2,000 in total, also gathered there. This caused great concern among Sassen’s royal magicians, especially JerryBelfort.

Although these nearly 2,000 dark magicians varied in strength, with most being only of ordinary rank, their numbers were sufficient to form an army. An army of 2,000 pure magicians could easily capture any city in the world. After all, Sgdel was famous not only as the City of Astrology but also for its ancient mage tower—[Vandel], whose history even predated that of Heliorox!

It should be noted that Vandel’s research capabilities far surpassed those of Sassen’s [Gory] mage tower. In the past, these two towers were the empire’s only research institutions. Gory focused on magical weapons, communication devices, and new powerful spells for warfare, while Vandel studied ancient ruins and the ancient magic and devices buried in the course of history.

Previously, Vandel would submit its research findings to the royal magicians annually as payment for their privileged status. But after the Heliorox incident, Vandel unilaterally stopped sending those reports. This reflected the attitude of its elders—they did not recognize the Sassen royal court without Heliorox, nor did they acknowledge JerryBelfort or Argus, who had taken on the role of a high-ranking imperial leader…

It can be said that Vandel has become a free city like Operelles, no longer recognizing the empire’s rule. I think in the coming years, the empire will have to recruit mages from the Glon region…
At the heart of this newly developed city, Vandel, the mage tower, floats in mid-air as usual, maintaining its protective shield to ensure the safety of the entire magical city. After all, the Sassen will never give up so easily.
But to be honest, Jerry Belford really doesn’t dare send troops to attack a city with around two thousand free dark mages, especially now that they’re at war with the army of Operelles’ Free Merchant Alliance. After all, a mage army is far more difficult to deal with than a knight army organized by merchants.
“Sigh…”
In one of the rooms of that world-famous mage tower, Dia leaned her cheek against the window, helplessly gazing at the sky outside. Beside her, at the window frame, was Soges, a soldier puppet who had reverted to its original state due to losing contact with its master.
“Sos…”
“What is it, little Dia?” A gentle yet somewhat commanding voice came from behind Dia as the door creaked open.
Dia instinctively turned around, her face showing relief as she softly called out, “Sister Aibel…”
“Thinking about that brat?” Aibel teased lightly, then, seeing the shame on Dia’s face, said bitterly, “If you really don’t want to, why not stop him?”
“Because…” Dia glanced secretly at Aibel and tilted her head, pretending to be casual. “I don’t want to be a burden to Sos. I trust him and support him. Is that what Sister Aibel meant by ‘realization’?”
Looking at Dia with a complex expression, Aibel hugged her gently, her voice choked with emotion. “Idiot!—Can’t you see how unwilling I was back then? That was just something I said to comfort myself… You silly child!”
“But I think Sister Aibel is right. I don’t have any outstanding talents and can’t help Sos much. At most, I trust him and support him, waiting for him…”

“Silly child,” Abel shook her head with a wry smile, seeing the hint of disappointment in Dia’s eyes. She then reached out and pinched Dia’s cheek to encourage her. “Men are all arrogant and foolish idiots! They want to hold up the entire sky for their women…” She winked teasingly. “You may be a clumsy apprentice, but you’ll definitely be an excellent wife…”
“Sister Abel!” Dia called out, trying to hide her embarrassment and displeasure.
“Why be shy? It’s only a matter of time!” Giving Dia a light tease, Abel went over to the sofa in the room, took out a golden flat box from her bosom, and pulled a thin brown cigarette from it to put in her mouth.
Watching Abel light the cigarette with a strange metal lighter, Dia couldn’t help but say, “Sister, smoking is bad for children…”
Abel rolled her eyes at this and said irritably, “Don’t be like those old men. Instead of wasting time on that, you might as well use the astrology I taught you to find out where that brat is! — Anyway, once I know that brat is safe, I won’t help you anymore. Find him by yourself!”
“Okay…” Dia smiled helplessly and then gazed at the sky outside the window, murmuring, “But as long as I know he’s safe…”
“Idiot!” Abel shook her head impatiently. After just one puff, she stubbed out the cigarette on the table and said self-mockingly, “If you compromise on everything, you’ll end up just like me. Do you want that?” As if suddenly remembering something, she touched the two similar rings on her ring finger and murmured, “That irresponsible jerk!”
Dia remembered the other ring—it was the one she had asked Ulric to find when he went to Sassen. Although he didn’t find Professor Hode or Thos, he did find Professor Hode’s ring in that ruined area…
After thinking for a moment, Dia changed the subject and asked, “Sister Abel, have you seen Ulric?”
“You mean that vampire those old guys are studying now?” Abel certainly understood what Dia meant. She sighed slightly and replied irritably, “I really can’t believe there are such useless vampires in the world, and they’re even extremely rare Vanthor vampires. I really wonder how stupid they must be to become friends with that idiot Gadian…”

“Is sister referring to that interesting stone? Hehe…” Dia couldn’t help but recall Ulric’s wide-eyed astonishment and loud exclamations when he saw Vandel’s guardian, Gadian, and smiled to herself.

Seeing Dia’s smile, Aibel felt her mood improve slightly. She stood up and headed toward the door, murmuring, “Be good and stop thinking about that brat. Focus on learning the astrology magic I taught you. I’m going to check on those fools who claim to want to use magic crystal cannons to attack the Saxons. Such a headache…” As she spoke, she stopped at the door, turned to look at Dia hesitantly, and sighed lightly, “That brat is fine. He’s in Salonia!”

“Huh? Salonia? — Uh, didn’t Sister Aibel say she wouldn’t tell me?”

“Stop talking! — If you still can’t remember the names of those constellations by night, just wait and see what I’ll do to you!”

“Mm! — Thank you, Sister Aibel!”

“Stop babbling and go study! — You silly child…”

Watching Aibel leave, Dia let out a small sigh of relief and sat down on the sofa with a thick book in her hands.

Thos was in Salonia…

Huh? But why would he be in Salonia?

Dia tilted her head in confusion. After a while, she tapped her own head and said, “It’s enough to know he’s fine. Now I need to memorize all this book, otherwise Sister Aibel will definitely get angry… Sigh!”

Meanwhile, in Salonia, just as Aibel had predicted, Thos also gazed out the window for a long time, just like Dia. At one end of the room, two men dressed as monks watched his every move intently. They were Father Andrew’s two assistant monks, Eves James and Laurel Naber.

“Hey,” Thos said indifferently after glancing at them, “How long do you plan to keep spying on me?”

“It’s not spying,” said Eves, the more talkative one, with a wry smile. “We’re just ordered to keep an eye on you… We know too well that once we leave, you’ll definitely sneak away to the Empire to seek revenge on Argus. Father Andrew said you’re not yet a match for Argus right now…”

“And so?” Thos turned around. His bare upper body, except for his left hand, was covered in black tattoos. That power, more terrifying than that of a demon, made this seemingly cute boy appear somewhat frightening, causing the two monks to pray anxiously in secret.

“So please stay here for now. Salonia is protected by holy light; all evil and darkness cannot touch this sacred place, so it can suppress the dark forces within you…”
Deeply gazing at Eves, the boy frowned and asked in a low voice, “Where is Father Andrew? He’s the one who brought me here, right? Where is he?”
The two monks exchanged a look, their faces showing sorrow as they forced a smile and said softly, “Father Andrew… something seems wrong, so… so…”
“So what?” Thos raised his left hand, unintentionally pointing at the second hexagram magic array on it, and frowned. “Don’t think I’ll agree to this just because of that! — Bringing me to Salonia while I was unconscious…”
“Yes…” The two monks lowered their heads slightly.
Gazing at them deeply, Thos clenched his fists and said in a low voice, “Is he… Father Andrew, dead?”
The two monks exchanged another look and said reluctantly, “It can be said he has returned to the embrace of the Father God… Father Andrew lost all his holy light power and was severely injured. It was already a great effort for him to make it back to Salonia…”
“Three days ago, when I met His Holiness the Pope…”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You were still unconscious at that time. The dark forces within you had spread quite severely, and the power of the two holy marks could only delay them. That’s why…”
“…” Gazing at them deeply, Thos walked straight to the bed, took his coat from it, and said irritably, “I’m going out! Are you going to follow me…”
“Yes! Before leaving, Father Andrew instructed us to keep an eye on your condition at all times. If the dark forces spread again, we must suppress them with holy light!”
“Tch!” Glaring at them fiercely, Thos kicked the door open and stormed out.
“Phew,” Laurel, who had secretly breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and murmured, “Such terrifying pressure… I really don’t know what kind of horrible demon is attached to this child…”
“Yes,” Eves also sighed and shook his head. “When I saw this child before, although he was a bit defiant, he was still polite. But now… his heart is filled with hatred and anger, and those dark forces…”
“Have they been influenced…”

“Of course, he’s just a child,” Yves shook his head and said with a bitter smile, “Hurry up and catch up to him. If he takes the chance to run away, we’ll really let Father down…”
“Mm!”
In fact, they didn’t need to worry about Thos sneaking back to Sassen. Though he really wanted to return to Sassen immediately to avenge himself on Argus, he… simply didn’t know the way!
Standing alone in a strange land, Thos couldn’t help but feel a sense of loneliness.
During the time he was unconscious, Thos learned once again that Sloth wasn’t an ordinary demon. The power he possessed wasn’t just mere darkness—it could be said that Sloth controlled ‘existence,’ from existence to sense of presence, from others to oneself. Sloth could erase any being at will.
As the price for knowing all this, Thos’s body had been largely taken over by dark power. As Sloth and Argus had said, the more one used this power, the more dependent one became on it, and the further one drifted away from being human…
Thos remembered clearly that among the three of them, only Allen could break iron bars with brute force. But now…
Glancing at his right hand, Thos sighed secretly. How could a fragile mage crush stones with one hand? What a joke!
He hadn’t noticed it during his fight with Argus earlier, but now, he felt an inexplicable sadness and fear.
Was he still human?
Worse still, Thos realized he had gradually become indifferent at some point…
No, it wasn’t indifference—it was apathy, as if nothing in this world mattered…
Whether it was existence or destruction…
Thos had no doubt this was the aftermath Sloth had spoken of.
In an instant, Thos lost all sense of purpose—life, rights, wealth, friendship, love—all seemed unimportant…
Sloth’s true power was to erase existence. If this guy was still pondering the meaning of his own existence after being overwhelmed by his own power, then what was the meaning of his own existence?
Standing on the street, Thos felt as if all his strength had been drained, staring blankly around him.

Here is Thalonia. The Holy See built and expanded this city on the foundations of the ancient nation of Thalonia. Different from the architectural style of the Empire, Thalonia’s minerals are mainly gold and silver—two minerals that drive the people of the Empire crazy—yet the Thalonians don’t place much value on them, perhaps because they see them too often, or maybe due to the power of religion. From the splendid palaces of the Holy See to the various angel and god statues in the streets and alleys, they are all made entirely of pure gold and silver. Unfortunately, Thalonia lacks iron ore, hematite, and other precious strategic minerals, and its food supply is not abundant either. That’s why most merchants from Operelles initially made their fortunes by smuggling food into Thalonia in exchange for gold. Thalonia is poor—don’t laugh. Don’t think it’s wealthy just because of its abundant gold and silver minerals. It’s truly poor, as gold and silver are only for decoration and cannot be used as food; at most, they serve as materials for magic. In the past, when the two nations were at odds, the Empire strictly prohibited the flow of iron ore and food to Thalonia. Though poor, the local residents of Thalonia are far more noble in character than those of the Empire. Most of the bandit gangs are people who fled from the Empire; the locals do not obtain food by harming others. Thanks to the power of religion, Thalonia has a set of rules that are even more stringent than those of the Empire. Most buildings in Thalonia are made of stone, though you can also use gold to decorate the facades—as long as you are a devout believer who has contributed to the Holy See. Gold statues of gods, gold tableware, gold candelabras, and so on—things that are luxuries in the Empire are very common here. However, these luxuries are mostly found in monasteries and churches across the land as tools to warn believers. Compared to the people of the Empire, the Thalonians are kinder. Thos, who has been walking around, can no longer remember how many people have nodded or smiled at him. Their clothing is simple, perhaps due to religious teachings. Although gold and silver are quite common here, you’ll never see anyone wearing gold jewelry; maybe they don’t even have jewelry. On the other hand, Thalonia is a highly controlled country, just like the Empire, perhaps even worse. After all, although the common people of the Empire are poor, their minds are free, but Thalonia… Phrases like “May the Lord bless you” are almost always part of every Thalonian’s conversation. Thos truly dislikes this city from the bottom of his heart!

Huh, but maybe it’s just that the dark forces within him dislike this city…
Focused on observing the buildings and residents around him, the confused and careless Thors didn’t notice what was ahead. So, at a corner, he suddenly felt someone bump into him.
Of course, Thors didn’t feel anything himself—his body had been strengthened by the dark forces, making his physical strength even exceed that of ordinary warriors.
“Ah!” A cry was heard as the person in white was knocked to the ground, her book falling from her hands.
“A girl?” Hearing that voice, Thors froze and stared at her.
In Thors’ eyes, the girl in a white dress stood up and kept bowing in apology.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t notice… I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
Hearing those repeated apologies, Thors felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Perhaps Thors’ silent attitude also puzzled her, as the girl raised her head. Seeing Thors, she widened her beautiful eyes and exclaimed in disbelief, “Thors?”
“Hm?” Thors was stunned and asked, “Do you know me?”
“Uh…” The girl picked up her book from the ground and held it close, lowering her head anxiously.
Seeing those somewhat familiar gestures, Thors murmured, “You… you were in Riox before, right? We met in the library?”
“Mm!” The girl nodded repeatedly and said in a slightly reserved tone, “Katerina Katherine Latimer. It’s great to see you again!”
“Oh, I’m glad too!” Thors said indifferently before walking past her and continuing aimlessly.
“Hm?” Katerina curiously watched the boy walk away, then thought about it before chasing after him and asking softly, “Um… why did you come to Salonia?”
“I didn’t want to come here!”
“Huh?”
“Never mind, don’t worry about it!”
“Oh,” Katerina nodded, bit her lip, and said carefully, “Vando is really a beautiful city. It’s a shame… but Salonia isn’t bad either! I can show you around the city…”
“Nah, I’m not in the mood.”
“Hm… okay then!”
Watching the girl walk silently beside him with her head down and book in hand, Thors thought for a moment before saying, “What were you in such a hurry to do just now?”

“Go to class… Huh?!” As she spoke, Katrina seemed to remember something, covering her mouth in panic. “Oh no, I forgot I have class today! There’s no time left—I’m going to be late! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Thors, I have to go!”
Watching Katrina hurry away, Thors shook his head speechlessly. Just as he was about to continue his aimless wandering, he suddenly noticed three priests dressed in black magic robes approaching from afar.
“What a powerful and terrifying dark force… Are you them?” the leading priest said in a tone that sounded like an order.
Frowning at them, Thors replied calmly, “What do you mean?”
“Come with us, child!”
Taking a slight breath, Thors said coldly, “I hate your tone. Are you giving me orders?”
“In a way, yes!” the priest replied expressionlessly. “I’m ordered to take you there!”
“What if I refuse?”
The three priests frowned, stepped back a few feet, and said in a deep voice, “Child, we don’t want unnecessary conflict…”
“Hmph! Then get out of my way!”
At that moment, there was a sound of rapid breathing. Eves and Laurel rushed over, complaining, “Ugh, don’t make us look for you for so long…” Instinctively, Eves glanced at the three priestly-looking men standing in front of Thors, seemed startled, and murmured, “Black… Inquisition of Darkness?”
“What’s that?” Thors asked, frowning.
“Well…” Eves licked his lips and whispered, “To put it simply, those three are dark priests—just like those Inquisitors. They’re all madmen. The Inquisition is the agency that hunts outsiders, while the Inquisition of Darkness is the internal judgment body, dedicated to executing those who have fallen. They not only study dark forces but also torture prisoners. Compared to them, the Inquisitors are practically incarnations of gods…”
“Hmph! I heard that, Brother Eves!” the leading dark priest said coldly.
“Ah, is that so? Ha, haha…” Eves smiled awkwardly, then seemed to remember something and murmured, “Wait… Since Father Charles left, isn’t the Inquisition of Darkness under the direct control of His Majesty? Why are you bothering this child?”

“Trouble? When did we ever say we wanted to cause trouble for this child?” The lead Dark Priest glanced at Thos expressionlessly and said calmly, “By the orders of His Holiness the Pope, take this child to see him!”
“Oh… no wonder you know the name…” Eves shook his head with a bitter smile, then said to Thos, “They’re not here to cause trouble…” As if suddenly remembering something, he added irritably, “Yes, yes, no need to say more. I get it. No one but you can decide your own will, right?”
“Can we go together?” Brother Laurel, who had remained silent until then, spoke in a deep voice. “Father Andrew told us to follow this child. This child’s situation is special; we’re his guardians for now…”
The three Dark Priests exchanged glances, nodded, and said, “Sure, let’s go!” Before leaving, they glanced at Brother Eves, sending a chill down his spine.
“Sigh…” Watching the three Dark Priests turn and leave, Eves let out a long sigh and said to himself mockingly, “It’s over. They’ve taken an interest in me…”
“Did you say they were madmen?” Laurel sneered, then whispered, “But in some ways, they’re even more terrifying than the Inquisitors, because the Dark Tribunal is an oversight body…” With that, he turned to Thos and said, “Come on, child. I think His Holiness the Pope learned about you from Father Andrew…”
The Pope…
Following the three Dark Priests, Thos headed toward the most magnificent building in the city—the sacred grounds of the Holy See.
As they passed through one door after another, Thos felt curious. He wanted to know what kind of person the Pope, as head of the Holy See, really was.
Finally, at the entrance of a courtyard, the three Dark Priests turned to them and said, “His Holiness the Pope is inside. Go in, child! —You two stay back. His Holiness wants to meet this child alone!”
“Huh?” Eves and Laurel exchanged confused looks before whispering, “Hey, child, it’s His Holiness the Pope in there…”
“What do you mean?” Thos asked calmly.
“Nothing… Just go in quickly!” The two shook their heads in frustration.
Rolling his eyes at them, Thos pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped inside. To his surprise, it was a small garden, and in the center of it, an amiable-looking old man was carefully trimming the branches of the flowers with small scissors.

Thors wanted to say something, but before he could speak, the old man whispered, “Shh, don’t scare them… Wait a moment, it’ll be fine soon…”
Looking at the old man in the flower bed, Thors suddenly felt a very familiar sensation, as if he had seen a similar scene before.
So, after waiting for a full half hour, the old man finally stood up, smiled at the flowers, then turned around and smiled at Thors sitting on the balcony railing, nodding in approval. “Not bad, a patient child!”
Clearly, in this regard, the old man had underestimated Thors. Influenced by Sloth, Thors could stare blankly for hours—half an hour? That was nothing!
“You must be the child named Thors, right?” The old man, dressed in plain clothes, wiped his hands and then stepped aside to pick up a white coat to put on. It was a very special coat, colored only in white and gold, giving off a sense of both ease and solemnity.
After putting on the coat, the old man’s demeanor seemed to change instantly, exuding a powerful and intimidating presence. It wasn’t the pressure of strength, but rather the aura of a superior being.
“Are you the Pope? What do you want from me?” Thors asked calmly.
The old man—no, the Pope of the Church—was stunned for a moment, then chuckled and nodded. “I just wanted to see you. Don’t worry, child, I won’t harm you!”
“I’m not worried about that at all!”
“Haha, quite confident. Indeed, with that powerful dark force of yours, few can hurt you. But is that really good? Fairness is the rule of this world—what you gain means what you lose. As you gain power, you’re also controlled by it… Come here, child!”
Thors frowned. Though reluctant, his heart compelled his body to walk over involuntarily.
The Pope stared deeply at the child before him, recalling events from a few days ago… also in this flower bed…
“Your Holiness, Bishop Andrew has returned!”
“Shh, speak softly…” The Pope, who was busy tending to the flowers, said quietly. “He’s back, so what’s the big deal…”
“But Bishop Andrew is severely injured… he’s already…”

“I know,” the old pope sighed softly and said in a deep voice, “It’s my fault. I underestimated that man, Argus. You may leave now. Andrew isn’t someone who dies so easily…”
“But Your Holiness, Bishop Andrew’s holy light power has disappeared…”
“What?” The old pope was stunned for a moment, then his body trembled slightly as he raised his head in disbelief. “He… didn’t you say he’s back?”
“Yes. We found him and a child lying not far outside the city. On the child’s left hand, we saw two sacred marks…”
“Two? How is that possible?” The old pope’s face showed deep confusion, then, as if he suddenly realized something, he said in disbelief, “Could it be…” He stood up, frowning, and asked, “Where’s Andrew?”
“He’s been taken inside the Vatican for treatment, but…”
“I understand. I’ll go right away!”
By the time the old pope arrived in a hurry, Father Andrew was already at the end of his life. When he saw the highest authority in the Vatican, Father Andrew struggled to open his eyes and said intermittently, “I… brought him back!”
That was the first and last thing Father Andrew said after returning to Salonia!
Whenever he thought of this, the old pope felt a heavy sense of guilt, as it was he who ordered him to pursue that man, Argus…
He brought him back…
Looking at the child before him, the old pope sighed deeply and pointed at the boy’s left hand, saying, “This magic array is a type of ‘sacred mark.’ It can be seen as the crystallization of all the holy light accumulated by a white mage throughout his life!”
“What do you mean? What’s the point?” Thos asked in confusion.
“Nothing much,” the old pope sighed slightly and shook his head. “I just want you to know that it’s the power of holy light that has been protecting you, preventing you from being consumed by the ancient will within you…”
“Slos?”
“Oh? Is it called Slos? It seems he’s already communicated with you, the apostle. Slos…” The old pope walked a few steps around the garden, then said in a deep voice, “The ancient will is a far more terrifying existence than demons. No, compared to them, demons are mere pests… The ancient will is a combination of many wills. They neither die nor perish. They can be regarded as gods of the dark side. Such power is absolutely beyond our reach as humans. Just like magic—magic doesn’t bring happiness. All it brings is destruction!”

“Power—there’s no such thing as evil or good, right?”
Glancing at Thors in surprise, the Old Pope smiled and nodded in agreement. “Exactly! You’re a very smart child. You’ve put it very clearly—power isn’t divided into good or evil. If a kind person gains evil power but doesn’t use it for evil purposes, then neither that person nor that power can be considered evil. But things in the world are often not that simple. The nature of evil power remains unchanged. In Salonia, we attribute the sources of power in the world to two factors. Perhaps different from black magicians, most of our human power comes from faith. Believing in oneself or believing in others can generate great power. On the contrary, can a person who doesn’t even believe in himself possess great power?”
“…Faith?”
“Hehe, that’s the source of power associated with justice—faith!” The Old Pope smiled before speaking solemnly, “While evil power stems from fear—fear of everything, including fear of death… When faced with death, a person often unleashes even greater power than usual. Of course, it’s not just fear; anger, hatred, and other strong negative emotions can also enhance this power. And such power derived from negative emotions often leads to tragedy. That’s why I consider it evil power… Human will is weak; it’s easily influenced by the environment or unexpected events. But firm faith can prevent one from making mistakes… So, in reality, there’s no absolute good or absolute evil in power, but their nature remains unchanged. Those who blindly pursue great power will eventually be overwhelmed by it…”
“Faith… Fear…”
Looking at the boy deep in thought with furrowed brows, the Old Pope said with a smile, “Do you believe in yourself?”
“Of course!”
“Hehe, confidence is also a form of faith. I suppose you understand now?”
“Is this what faith is?”

“No, just confidence isn’t enough,” said the old pope, pointing at Thos. “I know something about what happened back then. The reason why the dark forces within you spread so rapidly is, on one hand, due to that ancient will called Sloth, and on the other hand, it’s because of your own intentions—your anger after being defeated by Argus, your fear of death, and your desire for powerful strength. These are the real reasons behind everything that’s happening to you now. So, if you want to return to how you were before, you must strengthen your faith and give up your hatred and anger toward Argus! Do you understand?”
“I understand!”
“Can you do it?”
“I can’t!”
“…” The old pope was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a bitter smile. “Child, carrying hatred is a terrifying thing. To achieve your goal, you’ll gradually lose yourself, using any means necessary to gain greater power, only to be consumed by that power in the end…”
“But no matter what, I must kill Argus! I absolutely must!”
Seeing the intense hatred in the boy’s eyes, the old pope shook his head slightly in disappointment. He felt a headache coming on—this boy was too stubborn and self-centered. Worse still, this obsessive child was an apostle, an apostle of some ancient will. If he turned to evil because of hatred, it would surely bring unbearable destruction to the world.
On the other hand, the old pope personally didn’t want this child to lose himself due to hatred. After all, this child could be considered the heir to those two…
Andrew Ashworth, one of the twelve cardinals of the Church, and Charles, Saint Charles George, who held the same status!
“Child, starting tomorrow, I’ll teach you white magic!”
“Hm?”

Looking at the boy’s puzzled expression, the old pope pointed at his left hand and said with a smile, “I’ve said it before—only the power of firm faith can contain this dark force and prevent us from being consumed by it. Besides, if the ‘Sacred Mark’ is used merely as a seal, it would be a great disrespect to those two. The divine magic of the Church is no less than that of the imperial black magicians. Starting from tomorrow, you must stop using Sloth’s evil powers. I will teach you holy light magic, beginning with [Divine Art: Angel Descension]. This way, Sloth’s power will no longer affect you. Um… let’s start with Father Andrew’s angel. As the inheritor of the ‘Sacred Mark,’ you are qualified to command that archangel. Just like that guy’s personality, that angel is fierce and skilled in battle—[Intermediate Angel: Seraphim—Pavas]. Remember this name. Starting from tomorrow, he will be your new power!”
“Pav… Pavas…”