Chapter 10: An Anxious Heart

Lately, it seems I keep running into him. He seems so lonely…
It’s true; he came to Salonia alone, with no one he knows…
Compared to back then, he’s changed a lot…
His eyes, once as clear as water, now seem covered with a layer of frost. Every time I see them, it’s extremely stressful…
Ugh!
In a classroom at the Milko White Magic Academy in Salonia, a girl sat with her chin in her hand, gazing blankly out the window. She didn’t notice that the professor standing at the front of the class was visibly furious…
“Katerina Katherine Latimer! How many times do I have to call you?!”
The girl instinctively turned her head, tilting it in confusion.
“Huh?—I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
A few minutes later, Katerina walked out of the classroom, head down, holding her books. Seeming to notice this, a girl in the hallway ran over and teased her with a smile, “Yay, you got scolded again!”
Katerina raised her head, offering a faint smile as she said, “Chris…”
“What’s wrong with you these past few days? You always seem distracted,” the girl named Chris asked, looking at Katerina in surprise. “Did you argue with those followers of yours?”
“What followers? I’ve said it many times—they’re my brothers…” Katerina complained irritably.
“Brothers?” Chris made a face and asked softly, “Have you heard? One of your brothers was taken to the administration office again. Sounds like he caused trouble again, right?”
“Is it Geller?”
“Huh?”
“Only Geller would be impulsive enough to fight with others. Eddie and Gert are very calm…”
“Huh?” Chris stared at Katerina in surprise before whispering, “Could you ask Eddie to meet me this week?”
“Well,” looking at her friend’s hopeful eyes, Katerina hesitated, “Eddie has been busy preparing for the Knight of the Holy Order exam lately. I’m afraid…”
“What about Gert?”
“Gert usually isn’t interested in such things… I think I can ask Geller for you…”
“Geller?” The girl widened her eyes and said shyly, “Forget it. I don’t want to be with that violent guy. By the way, we agreed to go out to the outskirts in a few days. Want to come?”
“Hmm… better not,” Katerina shook her head and sighed slightly. “I didn’t even pass my last research paper, let alone the nun qualification exam. Sigh…”

“Haven’t you given up yet? Come on, I think only someone stupid enough would say something like dedicating everything to a god…”
“Kriss!”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Fine, I’m leaving now. Goodbye.”
“Uh, goodbye!”
After saying goodbye to her friend, Katerina walked home alone. She couldn’t help but recall her experience in the Empire. Compared to Salonia’s rigid, dogmatic education, the Riox Magic Academy had left a deep impression on her.
Astrology, enchantment, alchemy, potions—these were all things absent from the Mil Academy. Here, aside from having firm faith, there was nothing else.
Faith was the foundation of everything here.
Even Eddie and Gert said Riox’s professors were more humane. After hearing students’ requests, they would help them fulfill their wishes as long as it didn’t violate the academy’s rules, just like during that masquerade ball. But in Salonia…
Such things were unthinkable…
“Sigh, if only I hadn’t gone to Riox back then…”
With a soft sigh, Katerina passed by a river in the city. Suddenly, she noticed a familiar figure standing on the bridge, leaning on the railing and gazing down at the flowing water.
“Thos!” Katerina called out involuntarily.
“Hm?” The boy on the bridge turned his head, glanced at her, and said indifferently, “Oh, it’s you. ‘I’m sorry’…”
“What!” Katerina was annoyed and corrected him reproachfully, “It’s Katerina, Katerina Catherine Latimer!” As if realizing her tone, she hurriedly apologized, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have spoken like that…”
“…” The boy weakly rolled his eyes, turned back to lean on the railing, and said irritably, “Stop here. You’re not going to be late again, are you?”
“What, classes are already over today!”
Following the girl’s gaze to the setting sun, the boy lazily scratched his head and said indifferently, “So it’s already this late…”
“Really?” Katerina was stunned and asked softly, “You haven’t been standing here since morning, have you?”
“Of course not! It’s only noon!”
“…”
Glancing at the boy who was looking up at the sky, Katerina asked softly, “Are you missing your family and friends?”
“Maybe…” The boy replied indifferently, seemingly unwilling to say more.

Feeling the uneasy atmosphere, Katerina bit her lip and changed the subject. “By the way, the color of your hair is so strange. I remember it was black when I saw you yesterday, and now it’s back to dark gold. It’s really weird…”
“Is that so? Maybe you’re mistaken!” the boy replied indifferently, glancing at his right arm.
“How could I be mistaken…” Katerina muttered softly, leaning on the bridge railing like the boy, feeling the breeze.
Some time passed, and suddenly the boy stood up straight. Seeing this, Katerina asked curiously, “Are you leaving?”
“Mm!” Thors nodded, pointing across the river and saying calmly, “Our free time is over…”
“Huh?” Katerina was stunned. She glanced in the direction he indicated and suddenly saw several people in dark red robes standing behind those houses.
That style of magic robe… weren’t those Inquisitors?
Before Katerina could voice her doubts, the boy slipped his hands into his pockets and slowly walked toward the Inquisitors, saying casually, “I should go. You should go back too. Your friends are looking for you!”
“Huh?” Katerina was surprised. She turned instinctively and saw Eddie, Gert, and Geller coming from afar, so she waved to greet them.
“Hi,” Eddie smiled and waved, as if seeing his beloved sister. “I just got two days off today. When I went to look for you with Gert and Geller, your friend said you had already gone back, so…” He glanced at Thors’s back across the river and frowned. “I’ve done some research. My mentor, Archbishop Weplington, said it was Archbishop Andrew who brought this brat back… This brat seems to have a special status. Archbishop Weplington didn’t say much. It seems he’s being protected by some Inquisitors, or rather, monitored. I heard the archbishops in the Holy See have different opinions about him. It seems there’s a powerful demon living inside this brat…”
“Holy Salonia, there’s actually a demon?” Gler grinned and laughed. “If it weren’t for those Inquisitors, I really wanted to teach that arrogant brat a lesson and make him understand this isn’t Riox…”

“What an unrealistic fantasy!” With a cold sneer, Gert adjusted his monocle and said calmly, “If I get taken away by the Inquisitors for causing trouble, it won’t be a few apologies that can fix it. Besides, I don’t think you’re qualified to teach him—a reckless, foolish guy like you could be easily dealt with by him with just one finger. I really can’t be bothered to talk to you…”
“What?” Gler widened his eyes, frantically scratching his hair in anger. “Did that brat really say that?”
“No, I did…”
“…You bastard!”
“Alright,” Eddie said irritably, shaking his head. “Let’s go back. Gler, don’t bother that kid again. Gert is right—he tolerates your provocations because you can’t hurt him at all. Didn’t you notice his gaze? That arrogant look, as if he disdains everyone… Next time you see him, just act like you don’t see him! Don’t get too close to him!”
“But…” Katrina sighed softly, holding her book. “He seems so lonely…”
Meanwhile, Thors was walking toward the Holy See with those Inquisitors. The one talking to Thors was Brother Chesh, an Inquisitor who had met Thors before.
“…Lord Thors, this makes things difficult for us. His Holiness ordered that we must not appear in front of ordinary people…”
“Then just don’t show up.”
“But…we’re ordered to protect you!”
“Heh,” Thors smiled faintly, speaking disdainfully. “That sounds nice. It’s more like surveillance than protection. Do I still need your protection?”
Faced with Thors’ mockery, Brother Chesh showed no sign of dissatisfaction, remaining expressionless. “Regardless, the Holy See hasn’t reached a consensus on your status. The powerful dark forces within you are exactly what those bishops are worried about… So, we hope you’ll stay obediently in Salonia and avoid any reckless actions, like sneaking back to the Empire…”
“What if I do?”
“Then the Inquisition will treat you as an enemy, even if you’re that lord’s heir! The members of the Dark Tribunal have the same attitude!”
“Heh…I get it! —Let’s go. I’m tired!”
“Yes!”

Under the watchful… ah, no, the protection of the Inquisitors, Thos returned to his residence, where His Holiness the Pope had prepared a room for him within the Vatican. So, aside from a lack of some freedom, Thos was treated fairly well. As he passed by the courtyard garden, Thos once again saw His Holiness the Pope tending to the flowers there like an ordinary farmer. It was hard to imagine that the kind and benevolent old man before him was the ruler of entire Salonia. Seeming to hear Thos’s footsteps, the old man, while carefully pruning the branches with small scissors, said with a smile, “How’s your day going, child? Haven’t you gone exploring the city? The people there are very kind…” “It’s okay,” Thos replied, frowning as he sat on the railing against a courtyard pillar. “Weren’t you going to teach me holy light magic? Is an angel’s descent all there is?” “Ah, I did say that,” the old Pope nodded and stood up with a smile. “But you don’t even have any foundation in other holy light magic. I wanted to teach you the basics, but didn’t you sneak away?” “Is just sitting there considered a foundation? Didn’t I tell you? Meditation doesn’t work for me!” “Hehehe,” the old Pope chuckled slightly and shook his head. “It’s not meditation I’m asking you to do. Your magical power has already accumulated to a strong level. I just want you to calm down. Haven’t you noticed? Your power is too violent. The Rexox Academy that trained you is also responsible for this. Well, it should be said that the entire empire’s educational approach is like this—learning magic is pragmatic. Just like you now; aren’t you learning white magic to seek revenge? I’ve warned you repeatedly—white magic’s power comes from firm faith, and faith comes from the heart. A heart filled with hatred and anger cannot generate great power! I hope you can forget that hatred, completely forget it, so that you won’t be confused or overwhelmed by your power!” “…” Thos gave the old Pope a deep look, shook his head, and said irritably, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m going to rest!” Watching the boy walk away, the old Pope sighed secretly and murmured, “Poor child, still unwilling to give up that dark power…”

“How could one willingly give it up? Such immense power… That’s precisely why such people are devoured by darkness. It’s truly sad!” At the other end of the corridor, an old man dressed in red archbishop’s robes stepped forward—he was Bishop Gary Weplington, one of the twelve archbishops of the Holy See.
“I haven’t seen you in a long time, Gary!”
“It’s only been a little over a year, Your Holiness!”
“Oh, is that so… Hehehe!” The two exchanged glances and laughed.
Glancing in the direction Sos had left, Bishop Weplington frowned and said, “I’ve heard about that child. What plans do you have to deal with him, Your Holiness?”
“Such a headache…” The old pope shook his head, put on his white papal robe, and sighed. “I feel that child is even more stubborn than us old men. If things continue like this, even two ‘Sacred Marks’ won’t be able to suppress that dark power… Speaking of which, it’s truly a powerful dark force—after all, the Ancient Will is a collection of mighty wills…”
“Have you found it?” Bishop Weplington asked in surprise.
“Mm,” the old pope nodded, frowning as he spoke solemnly. “Based on Andrew’s research and what that child told me, as well as all the records from ancient ruins, the Ancient Will behind Argus must be [Endless Desire—Greed]…”
“Mammon?” Bishop Weplington was stunned. “That’s the legendary dark god from the primordial era! Even older than the legends of the gods…”
“Yes, I also thought it was just a legend. But who knows what’s really going on? Haven’t the Demonic Gods reappeared? Legends say they are subordinates of the dark gods, commanders of evil armies, and once the actual rulers of this continent. But after the great war, they disappeared, leaving only fragmented records on the stones of ancient ruins…”
“The battles of the Primordial Remnants?” Bishop Weplington frowned slightly, lost in thought. “The ancient mechanical civilization [Mekand] was also one of the Primordial Remnants, right? I always thought it was just an even more unrealistic legend than those of the gods…”
“[Mekand] possessed a great mechanical civilization that transcended history. It is said that the ancient ruins we see now were their war fortresses, like the [Vandell] mage tower in Sgedel. Compared to the primordial civilizations, we humans are truly insignificant. So if entities like the Ancient Will get involved, the world will become a terrible place… Especially now, with two of them…”

“Two?” Bishop Weplington frowned and asked instinctively, “That child…”
“Mm!” The old pope nodded with his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice, “Those are all evil wills. What that child bears, if the records of the ruins are correct, should be [The Desire to Escape—Slos], also belonging to the most terrifying evil wills. Evil wills of this level possess the power to deceive the laws of the world—in other words, the power of gods…”
“One is already difficult to deal with; two… it’s terrible,” Bishop Weplington frowned and asked in surprise, “So what do you plan to do?”
“Don’t worry. Our supreme god hasn’t abandoned us, has he?” The old pope said mockingly with a smile, then added softly, “Perhaps this is truly God’s will—that child will become a steadfast guardian of our church…”
“But only if he changes his view of us, right?” Bishop Weplington shook his head with a wry smile.
“We don’t need to worry about that. Didn’t I say? Perhaps this is truly God’s will!” the old pope said cheerfully.
Meanwhile, Sos lay on his bed in his room, staring at the two sacred marks on his left hand…
One of them belonged to Father Andrew. That pope said that if it weren’t for Father Andrew, he might have already been consumed by Slos’s power—the power to ‘eradicate existence’… If consumed by that power, there were only two outcomes: either erasing oneself, as Slos said, or erasing the world and becoming a mindless puppet that only knew destruction…
Huh!
Is this what they mean by ‘slightly affected’? That bastard Slos!
But as for the second sacred mark…
Saint Charles George…
A holy mage from Salonia…
The most prominent figure during the Empire and Church’s [Year of War] twenty years ago…
But what does this have to do with me? Why would his sacred mark’s power appear on my hand?
Staring at the first sacred mark, Sos tiredly closed his eyes.
Vaguely, he seemed to see a peaceful small town, a dilapidated chapel, and an old man crouched in a flower bed tending to the flowers…
No wonder I always felt a sense of familiarity when seeing that pope’s actions… as if I had seen him somewhere before… No wonder…
“Child, magic cannot bring happiness to people. Remember that…”
Saint Charles George?
But…

“Thos, Thos! The baker gave me a basket of bread, still warm!”
“Do not blaspheme the gods, Thos!”
“I need to learn magic, but that requires lots of gold coins…”
Who is she?
The other figure, who is she?
Why do I suddenly feel so sad and upset?
Why can’t I remember?
Who is she? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who?!
“Huh…”
When Thos opened his eyes again, the beautiful moonlight outside was slowly casting a silvery glow into the room, but he had no interest in it at all. He lay there, wearing only pants, gazing out at the deep darkness.
After a long while, he wrapped himself in a long robe and went to the garden in the courtyard. Perhaps influenced by Sloth, he preferred the quiet darkness, regardless of whether deadly dangers lurked within it.
For some reason, throughout the entire church, only the garden tended by the old pope could completely calm Thos, bringing him a sense of peace akin to facing the deepest memories in his mind.
“What’s wrong? Can’t sleep, child?” The old pope’s voice came from behind.
“Mm!” Thos nodded slightly.
After looking deeply at the boy before him, the old pope shook his head and said softly, “I can feel that your heart is filled with fear and unease. It stems from the instability of your faith…”
“The god you speak of? Sorry, I don’t have such a faith!”
“It’s about yourself,” the old pope said gravely, shaking his head. “You’ve become too dependent on that dark force. It’s not good for you. You’re afraid that if you give up that force, you won’t be able to avenge Argus. Isn’t that it?”
“…”
“But is revenge really that important? To seek revenge, are you willing to be controlled by darkness? People always complain that they’ve lost too much, even that they have nothing left, but they don’t realize that there are still people in the world who care about them…”
“What do you mean, Your Holiness?” Thos retorted sarcastically.
Facing Thos’s sarcasm, the old pope smiled faintly, sat down beside the boy, and gazed at the bright moonlight in the sky. “Magic is a force meant for protection. Is there anyone you want to protect, child? Hmm… a girl you like?”
Surprised by the old pope’s sudden change of topic, Thos froze for a moment before nodding hesitantly.
“What’s her name?”
“…Dia!”

“What a beautiful name. Do you know where she is now?”
“Vander, I think…”
“Why such uncertainty in your voice? — Regretful?”
“Regretful?”
“Yes. You left the person you loved for revenge, almost never to see her again, just for revenge…”
Glancing at the old pope, Thos slightly lowered his head and said calmly, “A little…”
“That’s also why you’re afraid, right? Argus is too powerful—so powerful that you don’t believe you, without your dark powers, can defeat him. Your heart is uneasy and fearful. If you can’t even trust yourself, how can you have faith? — Those who don’t believe in gods usually trust themselves greatly…”
“Usually…”
Glancing at Thos, the old pope shook his head slightly and said softly, “Power isn’t everything, child. I hope that as you learn white magic, you’ll take time to face yourself and not become another Argus! — Think carefully about what kind of person you originally wanted to be. Don’t let anger and hatred cloud your mind; those are terrible distractions… Well, I’ll go rest now. I’m old, and my energy can’t compare to yours, the young ones…”
Another Argus…
Watching the old pope’s retreating figure, Thos looked up at the sky.