Chapter Twelve: The Vatican Conference (I)

—Seven Days Later, Thessalonica—

To be honest, Thessalonica was the last place Sos wanted to stay for long. Every time he entered this city, he felt a heavy oppression in his chest. After all, Sos’s power stemmed from darkness, making him utterly out of place in this city filled with light.

“Commander!” Brother Cheshé, the deputy of the Inquisitor, whispered a reminder as he glanced at Sos, who had stopped at the city gate. He had noticed that many residents inside the city were looking in their direction.

“Yes, I know!” Sos sighed slightly, reluctantly scratching his hair before reluctantly walking toward the city. Behind him, Brother Cheshé and the other eight Inquisitors followed slowly, escorting the bruised and battered priest Archi Bull.

When the residents saw this group dressed in black-and-red robes, they instinctively stepped aside. Although Inquisitors were not supposed to appear in front of ordinary people, over the past three years, thanks to certain individuals, the residents of Thessalonica were almost aware of the existence of this secret Vatican force. Of course, it was more fear than respect.

After all, the Inquisitors of the Heresy Tribunal were the enforcement arm of the Vatican. Together with the Court of Darkness, they were known as the [Shadow Order] or [Black Order], responsible for hunting fugitives and executing rebels. Ordinary residents not only wouldn’t approach them to greet them but also dared not get close.

Even the Crusader who stepped forward to greet Sos now seemed nervous. Of course, it wasn’t fear of the Inquisitor itself, but rather the terrifying aura emitted by his superior—a wild energy blending light and darkness.

“Good morning, Inspector Klerest!”

Stopping and glancing at the Crusader officer, Sos frowned. He looked down at the man who kept his head lowered, hesitated for a moment, then pointed toward the city and asked, “Is the city under martial law?”

“Yes, sir!” Feeling the indescribably powerful and chaotic aura emanating from this man, the Crusader swallowed hard, lowered his head, and replied in a deep voice, “By the orders of His Holiness the Pope, Thessalonica is under full martial law temporarily to ensure the smooth progress of the conference…”

“Boring!” Thos curled his lips in exasperation. Indeed, Salonia was no match for the Empire—religious dominance could sometimes be more cruel than the law, a fact Thos, who had lived there for three years, understood all too well. If anyone dared to stir up trouble in Salonia during such a time, they wouldn’t even get the chance to be imprisoned by the Inquisition; they would be killed on the spot, without exception.

Besides, this meeting was of the twelve cardinals of the Holy See, undoubtedly the core power of the entire Church. Even a powerful man like Argus wouldn’t dare to cause trouble at such a time, let alone others.

As someone who bore the pope’s surname and was, in a sense, a trusted protégé of the pope, Thos knew many secrets about Salonia—such as ancient ruins…

“Your Excellency, go ahead!”

Watching Thos stride toward the city, the Crusaders stationed at the city gate saluted him one after another.

“Thud, thud, thud!”

His black leather boots echoed on Salonia’s streets. Thos glanced around briefly and said indifferently, “Three months gone, and this city remains just as lifeless. Staying here too long will eventually make me like those old men…”

“Cough, cough!” The monk beside him instinctively coughed twice as a reminder. He knew all too well who those “old men” referred to. If it were anyone else, they would have long been locked up by the enforcers. Perhaps the once inflexible Inquisitors had finally learned some common sense—like protecting their superiors…

“Is the chief planning to see His Majesty right now?”

“Ah,” Thos replied nonchalantly, “If it weren’t for… Tch! I really don’t want to be back here!” He stopped and looked up at the sky, as if gazing at something, his expression complex.

Suddenly, a cry mixed with joy came from afar.

“Thos! Thos, over here!”

“Hm?” Thos froze and looked up. There was a girl with long golden hair, waving her book happily, while the girl beside her pulled her back, looking terrified.

“Heh!” Thos smiled faintly and turned to the monk. “Monk Cheche, you guys go back first. Hand this guy over to the Inquisition… I’ll join you later!”

“Yes, Chief!”

The Inquisitors left with the prisoner, and Thos walked toward the golden-haired girl with a smile.

Katerina—over these three years, she had been one of the few, and earliest, friends of Thors. Through her connections, Thors gradually formed friendships with Eddie, Gert, Geller, and other young people. Of course, the process was undoubtedly complex and tortuous.

Three years later, this girl named Katerina had become even more beautiful—slim figure, delicate face, milk-white skin, and golden hair that shone like gold—making her the center of attention among her peers. Unfortunately, it seemed she had no interest in romantic relationships and became an apprentice nun at an early age, much to the disappointment of many suitors.

Introverted and reserved, the only people she knew well and had a good relationship with were Eddie and the other two brothers-like figures, as well as Thors, who had always seemed similar since their time in Riox. Aside from that, there were only a few other girls, such as the brown-haired girl beside her, Chris.

Looking at the boy approaching them from afar, a hint of barely concealed fear appeared in Chris’s eyes. After all, she was also a student at theMil Academy Academy and a future priestess—she knew all too well what that black-and-red uniform and the black cross meant…

“Katerina, Katerina!” Chris kept calling her friend’s nickname in a low, indistinct voice. Head bowed, she tightly grabbed her friend’s arm and said urgently, “Let’s go quickly! That’s a Inquisitor!”

She suddenly regretted taking this path and regretted letting out a surprised sound earlier. She had only been curious to see an Inquisitor at this time, but she never expected to come into contact with those terrifying people…

As the figure grew closer—no, it was already standing in front of her—scenes of dark dungeons flashed through Chris’s mind. Fear appeared on her face as she quickly said, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! We didn’t mean to…”

But before she could finish speaking, she froze—because she noticed her friend talking to that person in a familiar, even affectionate tone.

“Thors, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you! Where have you been?”

“Working, working! It’s not like I wanted to run around all the time!”

“You didn’t show up to the last gathering, nor Geller’s birthday. Geller was very angry—he said he wanted to give you a good scolding when he saw you, hehe…”

“I don’t care if he’s angry!—But I did order a cake, right?”

“Mm! — It’s delicious, but Geller is still angry!”
“Tsk!”
Seeing the familiar appearance of those two, Kris couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised. She secretly glanced at the Inquisitor in front of her and realized he was just a boy about her age.
But…
“Hm?” Perhaps noticing Kris’s gaze, Thos glanced at her, frowned, and asked, “Is she…”
“Ah!” Katerina finally realized what was going on. She smiled slightly, pointed at Thos, and introduced him to her friend, “Kris, this is Thos. He’s a friend of mine, as well as Eddie, Gert, and Geller. He’s really amazing!”
“I… my name is Kris…” Kris greeted him hesitantly, thinking to herself that it was truly impressive to become an Inquisitor at such a young age. Moreover, his aura was similar to that of an academy mentor. And…
After stealing a few more glances at him, she blushed slightly and lowered her head.
“I’m Thos!” Thos replied to Kris’s greeting in a somewhat perfunctory tone. Then he glanced at Katerina’s novice nun’s attire and said with a faint smile, “You really want to be a nun, huh? By the way, where are the others?”
Katerina clearly understood who Thos was referring to. She complained, “Eddie is preparing for the final exam to become a Holy Knight. I haven’t seen him in a week. Geller was the same, but he got eliminated after fighting with someone. Hehe! Oh, Gert wants to advance to become a monk and has been busy looking for materials lately. And you, Thos, how long will you stay in Salonia this time?”
“I don’t know!” Thos sighed slightly. The cruel smile of Argus came to mind, and he said in a deep voice, “There’s a meeting these two days. If nothing goes wrong, I have to go back…” He paused, took a breath, and smiled a bit, saying, “We’ll talk about it then! — By the way, I need to report first, or I’ll end up back in that damned detention room again!” With that, he headed toward the most magnificent building in the city center.
“Oh! — Hey, Thos, Eddie and I will come to see you tomorrow!”
“Ah, we’ll talk about it then…”
Watching his retreating figure and hearing his perfunctory tone, Katerina pouted and said irritably, “Ugh, always the same line. Can’t you just agree straightforwardly?”

“Phew,” Kris beside her let out a quiet sigh of relief, patting her chest in fear as she said, “Your friend has such an imposing presence, like an academy mentor—no, even more pressuring than a mentor…” Then, curiously, she asked, “By the way, why haven’t I heard of you having such a friend? A Holy Inquisitor? That’s amazing…”
“I’ve mentioned him before, Thors…”
“Really?” Kris thought hard for a while, still unable to recall, before suddenly seeming to remember something and saying with a smile, “I sneaked a peek just now. Your friend is quite handsome, and his eyes are really special—dark golden. Oh, and his left eye has a silverish glow. It’s strange. Do you know why?”
“Hmm,” Katerina thought for a moment before complaining with a hint of disappointment, “When I saw him three years ago, both eyes were dark golden. I don’t know when it changed… I asked him, but he refused to tell me, saying I didn’t have enough authority to know. It’s so annoying!”
“Huh?” Seeing Katerina’s angry expression, Kris smiled mischievously and whispered, “You like him, don’t you?”
“How… how could that be…” Katerina said in panic, “I said I wanted to become a nun…”
“Stop lying. When you saw him just now, your face was filled with joy. I’ve never seen you like this at the academy…”
“Because… because he’s my friend, and I haven’t seen him in a long time, so…”
“So what?” Kris laughed, hugging her friend’s arm and looking at her blushing face, “I’ll keep it a secret for you, but will you help me arrange a meeting with Eddie?”
“I already said Eddie is busy with the Holy Knight exams!”
“Weren’t you saying he treats you like his own sister? He should listen to you, right?”
Facing her friend’s expectant gaze, Katerina frowned anxiously and said timidly, “I can help you arrange a meeting with Geller. He’s been quite free lately…”
“Tch!” Kris gave Katerina a dismissive look and said helplessly, “I don’t want that idiot!”
Just then, a deliberately deep voice came from behind her.
“Hey, hey, hey—be careful about what you say about others, okay?”
“Yah!” Startled, Rex instinctively turned her head and saw a boy with spiky short hair grinning at her, his loose jacket revealing strong, muscular arms.
“Geller!” Katerina greeted him cheerfully.

“Hi!” Gayer replied with a smile, then asked curiously, “What are you guys doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be interning at the academy?”
“It’s because we ran into Thors,” Katerina said with a light laugh. “It seems he’s back today, and we happened to meet him…”
Gayer froze for a moment, then suddenly widened his eyes and said fiercely, “What? That guy’s back? Where is he? This time I won’t let him get away—I must teach him a lesson!”
“Hehe, you say that every time. Gayer can’t beat Thors anyway,” Katerina chuckled softly as she recalled. “This time he’ll probably stay for a while. He said he’s holding a meeting—seems pretty serious and solemn…”
“A meeting?” Gayer’s pretended angry expression immediately softened. Glancing at the Crusaders stationed at the city gates, he frowned with slight concern and said, “Hmm, I heard the Holy See does have an important meeting recently. The twelve cardinals from various places will be arriving one after another… Since he’s back at this time, it must be true!—It seems to be about the empire. Ugh! I hope nothing goes wrong with that guy…”
“Yes!” As if thinking of something, Katerina also sighed deeply.
“Hey, what are you two talking about?” Chris asked in confusion, looking at Katerina and Gayer. “What does the Holy See’s important meeting have to do with your friend?”
“Hm?” Gayer looked at Chris in surprise. “Weren’t you guys saying you saw him just now?”
“Yes, and so what?—Is the Inquisitor responsible for the meeting’s security?”
Seemingly understanding something, Gayer chuckled and shook his head. “That guy isn’t just an ordinary Inquisitor. He’s one of the twelve cardinals, and he also has some complicated relationship with the empire… Ugh! I think trouble is coming!”
“Huh?!”
Meanwhile, in a room in the Central Holy See…
As usual, the revered Pope Maliz Kleist was in his private garden, looking at the flowers he had planted himself. Compared to three years ago, the old pope looked much worse. If it weren’t for his magnificent papal robe in bright red with golden rune ribbons, no one would have believed that this was the pope who had ruled the Holy See for over thirty years.
“Your complexion looks much better than yesterday!”

The one who spoke was an old man wearing a red robe of a different style by the side of the old pope. He was one of the twelve cardinals of the Holy See who had recently returned to Salonia, as well as Edie’s mentor and Sos’s friend—Bishop Gary Weplington. Due to various official and personal connections, he was also quite familiar with Sos.

“Hehe…” The old pope smiled slightly, gazing at the blooming flowers, and said softly, “Just speak directly if you have something to say!”

Bishop Weplington sighed lightly and shook his head. “Is this really the right approach?”

“What?”

“I mean that child… I personally have no prejudice against him. No matter how terrifying the dark forces within him may be, he was brought back by that Andrew at the cost of his own life. Not to mention, he is also Charles the Younger’s heir. But still, I think you are being too lenient with him. You’ve not only given him your sacred power but also… well, that’s most of the Holy See’s wealth over the past few hundred years. If that child goes astray, even we won’t be able to do anything about him!”

“Hehehe,” the old pope smiled faintly, leaning on his cane as he looked at the flowers in the garden. He murmured, “There’s nothing we can do. That child just can’t bring himself to give up those dark forces, nor can he let go of his hatred for Agus. Even with three holy marks, they can only suppress Sloth’s power…”

“But giving him the [Key] was too reckless. If he turns against the Holy See in the future, entire Salonia could be reduced to ashes overnight… Even the power of the twelve cardinals—no, eleven cardinals—cannot withstand the immense strength of the ancient relic [Sky City]. That was originally the last line of defense for Salonia!”

“I know,” the old pope sighed lightly and shook his head. “But even without the Key, if that child goes astray, won’t we still be powerless against him? After all, behind that child lies the ancient will…”

“But at least we have the power to protect Salonia!”

“Salonia… The empire calls our entire Holy See Salonia, and the people of this country call this city Salonia. But true Salonia isn’t just our Holy See or this city—it refers to the entire country! If we only protect the central Holy See or just this city while abandoning those who believe in us, then the Holy See loses its meaning altogether…”

“But…”

“You saw him three years ago too; that child simply doesn’t trust us at all… So I handed over the Vatican’s greatest secret to him, without reservation. You must have noticed his change—although he complains a lot, he still carries out the tasks assigned to him by the Vatican diligently, doesn’t he?”
“Diligently?” Bishop Weplington couldn’t help but shake his head and say with a bitter smile, “You know very well how many times that child has been complained about—entering other archbishops’ territories without permission, searching churches everywhere without authorization, even mobilizing crusaders. He’s also had conflicts with Archbishop Naomi Metmenter. I’ve heard about such things many times. Haven’t you received similar complaints? They must have piled up like a mountain by now.”
“Hehe, um, I’ve read a few; the rest have been dealt with…”
“…” Looking helplessly at the smiling old pope, Bishop Weplington shook his head and said, “In short, that child acts entirely on his own whims. His behavior isn’t that of a clergyman, let alone an archbishop… That child is capable, but the other archbishops don’t have a very good impression of him. They only tolerate him out of respect for Andrew, Little Charles, and you…”
“The Lord teaches us that being tolerant of others is being tolerant of ourselves…”
“But you’re too tolerant!”
“Is that so?” The old pope sighed slightly, walked a few steps with his cane, and said in a low voice, “That child is actually very responsible and not inherently bad. On the contrary, I like such straightforward children. The main problem is that the power of Sloth has influenced him, causing him to lack enthusiasm for the outside world. Even though I gave him the name ‘Vormon,’ which represents enthusiasm, the situation hasn’t improved…”
“It probably doesn’t matter anyway. The key lies with him!”
“Yes,” the old pope nodded, then showed a hint of relief and said with a smile, “But that child is changing, isn’t he? He’s starting to trust us. Isn’t that how things work in the world? To gain others’ trust, one must show sincerity…”
“But the price paid for such sincerity seems too high, doesn’t it?”
“The ‘Key’ is just a tool, a power with many limitations. What’s most important is the person. Besides, we haven’t lost the ‘Key,’ have we?”
“If that child truly wants to become part of the Vatican…”

“He will, he’s a very responsible child…” The old pope paused, frowned, and continued in a low voice, “Lately, I’ve had a bad feeling—that perhaps my life is coming to an end, but I’m getting closer to that great will, that awakened evil will. It might not just be Mammon and Slos. If that’s the case, then we… no, we humans, or even the entire world, will face an unprecedented threat. But fortunately, at least the gods don’t intend for us to be enemies of all evil wills, right? If things go well, we can use evil to control evil… as a last hope!”
“That’s what they say, but right now, it’s Slos influencing that child. I doubt he can resist such temptation…”
“Maybe… Only when that child completely sheds the darkness in his heart will the name Volmon become meaningful. And the darkness in his heart is that man, Argus…”
As they spoke, the two elders suddenly turned around. With a creak, the door to the courtyard opened, and a youth in black-red uniform strode in, saying lazily, “I’m back!”
“Hmph!” The old pope’s expression darkened as he frowned. “What is this? Bringing residual darkness into this sacred hall—this is blasphemy, Volmon! Didn’t I tell you not to use that dark power anymore?”
“Nonsense!—What Volmon? My name is Thos!” Thos snapped irritably. “It’s not me who wants to use it! If you want to blame someone, blame the priests of your church for not having strong wills. A few low-level demons from the Hous class manipulated me, and they even created some magic array to suppress my holy power, breaking the balance. That’s how Slos’ influence seeped in. What can I do about that?”
“Your church?” The old pope frowned again.
“Yes, yes, our church, the Holy Church—satisfied?”
“Hmph!” The old pope snorted and raised his hand as if to say something, but was interrupted by Thos.
“No need to say anything. I know. I’m to be locked up in that damned small black room for three days until the darkness in my body disappears before I can come out!—It’s the same every time I return. Can’t you come up with something new?”
Shaking his head, the old pope sighed helplessly and said irritably, “Finish your work first!”
“Yes, yes!—Tch, what a nagging old man!”

He nodded at that special boy as a gesture of courtesy, then watched as the boy walked off toward the cell with an expression of displeasure. Bishop Weplington said with a wry smile, “Trust is good, but this is too much…” As if suddenly remembering something, he frowned and added, “Do you intend to have this child represent the Church? Although this child possesses power on par with Argus’s—well, in fact, his power now seems to exceed that of that man. Just his holy power alone is enough to make him comparable to an ordinary archmage, not to mention that dark power… But I’m still a bit worried. I’m afraid he might act on emotions and indirectly deepen the conflict between the Empire and the Church! — Argus now is not the fugitive he used to be!”
“I know. But if it were to deepen the conflict between the Empire and the Church, the same would happen with anyone else. After all, the Empire is currently in a period of internal strife. Its leaders will surely think that the Church wants to take this opportunity to expand its influence…”
“Well, we would do the same… That’s why I suggest sending someone else to handle this matter. After all, the political situation in the Empire is extremely sensitive right now…”
“Let’s discuss this issue at the meeting!” With that, the old pope leaned on his cane and walked toward the cell. As he walked, he suddenly stopped, turned to Bishop Weplington, and said in a mysterious tone, “Gary, this child isn’t inherently bad; he just lacks experience in handling matters. Given enough time…”
Seemingly understanding something, Bishop Weplington’s eyes dimmed slightly as he sighed softly and said gravely, “Rest assured. After all, he’s a child recognized by Andrew, Little Charles, and you… But if he ever acts against the will of the Church, I will absolutely not tolerate it!”
“Well, that’s good. That’s good…”