Chapter Ten: In Times of Crisis, We Must Unite

Always clad in his unchanged gray robe, Noroyla stared at the plain-looking man before him with distaste. His expression remained as calm and unperturbed as if he had just woken up each morning, unaware of the new day ahead. Did he not know that two of his Heavenly Rank knights had already died tragically, and that Trajan was too badly injured to fight? Did he not realize that Michelangelo too had suffered unprecedented dark corruption, even to the point where his soul had been desecrated?

Noroyla had no fondness for this man. He led a life of frugality like those closed-minded monks, his true thoughts hidden deep within. Compared to him, Noroyla would rather work with that guy, Fernst—at least Fernst wasn’t as pretentious, though both were equally troublesome.

But that was just a thought. The current situation allowed no room for personal feelings. Noroyla believed this man disliked him just as much and was unwilling to cooperate, yet now they had to sit down and put on a fake show.

Lorenzo could see Noroyla’s annoyance. He knew Vazinki and the leader of the Inquisition had never gotten along well, which had made him worry that their cooperation wouldn’t last. But he hadn’t expected that cooperation would be hit so hard right from the start. The protective forces of St. Basil’s Church had suffered unprecedented losses, while the Inquisition, as the main force, had come away unscathed, losing only one prisoner. Wouldn’t this arouse suspicion and dissatisfaction on their part?

Vazinki kept his eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought. Noroyla gazed at the sky, motionless, also deep in thought. Lorenzo knew that if he didn’t break this suffocating silence first, the deadlock would continue. Two equally proud men—except for the Pope, perhaps—no one could make them bow first.

“Lord Vazinki, we’re all aware of the situation. We’ve been unlucky. We barely avoided them—more precisely, they were better prepared. They uncovered our plans, which is why we gained nothing in Homer and the Caucasus, while they dealt us a heavy blow here,” Lorenzo sighed softly. “I’m deeply sorry for what happened to Knight Trajan, Lord Michelangelo, and the two Heavenly Rank knights.”

The muscles in his cheeks finally moved slightly, but the gray-robed elder’s gaze remained as calm and serene as ever. “Protecting the truth always requires a price. It’s nothing. We can bear sacrifices even greater than this. I think they won’t regret what they’ve done. But I’m simply surprised that the high-ranking priests of the Inquisition could do nothing and allow those remnants of darkness to rescue Rebrí in broad daylight. It’s hard to imagine.”

Noyora didn’t respond, but his eyelids fluttered rapidly a few times. He reminded himself to be patient; it wasn’t the time to interject. It was better to let Lorenzo handle things.

“Lord Vazinki, I believe Lord Schiller has already submitted a detailed report, which you’ve also read. Schiller certainly can’t compare to Lords Trajan and Michelangelo. This is as far as he can go. We shouldn’t force him to make pointless sacrifices that won’t help at all, right?” Lorenzo tried hard to defend himself. He knew things would only get worse if he continued like this. He could only hope for Vazinki’s reason and calmness.

Taking a deep breath, Vazinki’s expression remained calm, though his gaze lifted slightly. There was little point in arguing about the Inquisition’s incompetence and negligence anymore. Two consecutive humiliating defeats had already tied the two sides together. Vazinki knew this was only a temporary solution. Continuing like this would only have a negative impact on the Holy Basilica faction. But now, facing the strong counterattack from the Salvation Society, if he didn’t rely on the power of the Inquisition, his own faction’s strength would continue to decline. That guy, Frenst, would only use this to overpower him.

Knowing it wasn’t a reliable ally, Vazinki felt some regret in his heart. If those guys from the Northern Alliance hadn’t produced something more valuable and forced him to leave Marco, would things have come to this? It seemed that all these matters were somehow connected to that Komer. Last time, the Pope also seemed to have glimpsed some clues through the Great Prophecy. With the Pope’s wisdom, it was impossible for him not to realize who was behind this. Then why did he remain strangely silent?

Outside was Freystein, and inside was the Salvation Society. Vazhinki also felt annoyed—was St. Basil’s Cathedral truly destined to decline under his hands? No, no, things weren’t that far yet. Vazhinki steadied his emotions. The tribunal before him was like a sword; used poorly, it would harm oneself, but used well, it could be invincible.

Lorenzo observed the old man, who had been part of the Light Church for decades, with some curiosity. It was astonishing to be distracted at such a moment. Though the old man didn’t show any signs outwardly, Lorenzo saw through it—he knew him too well.

“Sir, what do you plan to do now?” Vazhinki made up his mind and stopped pressing further.

“We’d like to hear Lord Vazhinki’s opinion,” Lorenzo replied, retreating as a tactic.

Staring intently at Lorenzo, Vazhinki’s tone grew serious. “Really? Is the tribunal willing to act according to the will of St. Basil’s Cathedral?”

Pressured by the old man’s rare assertiveness, Lorenzo suddenly realized how chilling his occasional display of strength could be.

“Uh, Lord Vazhinki, you’re joking. What we mean is that we must deliver a fatal blow to Homer and the Caucasus region; otherwise, they’ll only become more aggressive,” Lorenzo mused.

“No, to fight external threats, we must first stabilize internally. The Salvation Society has already surfaced. If we don’t act promptly, our very foundation will be shaken. Would you two ignore the root problem for superficial gains?” Vazhinki rejected the idea firmly. “That guy, Komer, shows remarkable strength. Moreover, Homer and the Caucasus cover a vast area, where he has strong secular support. It’s impossible for us to eliminate him in the short term. And if the Salvation Society takes advantage of this time to turn the situation around, where will we go? Even in Marco, those people’s minds are filled with all sorts of evil thoughts!”

Vazhinki’s last words immediately moved Noroya, who had remained silent until then. His hatred for heresies within the Light Church far exceeded that for remnants of darkness—internal evil was the most fundamental threat, a belief Noroya held firmly.

“Very well, Lord Vazhinki. Then let’s discuss how to remove this internal cancer,” Noroya said, completely shutting down Lorenzo’s chance to argue further. Lorenzo sighed softly. Why did Komer always have such luck?