Chapter 21: The Wounds of a Double-Edged Sword

“Lord Vazhinki, are we really going to stand by and watch that guy act so arrogantly?” Onya’s frustration was beyond description. “That guy is clearly a remnant of darkness. Though he hasn’t shown it openly yet, his true nature has already been revealed. Claims of absolute freedom of religious belief are nothing but an attempt to legitimize those dark beliefs. If we retaliate immediately, not only will our Light Church’s influence in Nicosia shrink significantly, but our reputation in Bessarabia and other territories of the Northern Alliance will also be greatly damaged.”
“Onya, you’re oversimplifying things,” Vazhinki sighed and shook his head. “Do you really think Komer is still the rural noble lord he was a few years ago? No, you’re completely wrong.”
Vazhinki seemed lost in memories. After a pause, he continued slowly, “Who is Rebrí? He was once the hope of our Light Church, but he took the wrong path. Yet his mastery of magic hasn’t slowed down at all—indeed, it has improved. Now he is the chief archmage under Komer’s mage council.”
“As for that Mihayevich, others may not know his background, but I do. His full name is Freud Mihayevich. Do you remember him? Over a decade ago, he was the Puppet King of Prague, a magic puppet maker who terrified every mage and swordsman alike. In Bohemia, countless mages and warriors lost their lives to his magic puppets. He is still an important figure in the Caucasus Mage Council. And then there’s Newman—don’t say you don’t know how skilled he is with magic arrays. If he hadn’t taken the wrong path, he might already be one of the top members of our Light Church’s training program.”
“Besides these guys, the Caucasus Mage Council has also brought in many dark magic practitioners from those regions in the south where dark forces are rampant. We still don’t know much about them. What can we do in this situation? Should we rush to attack Komer? We’ve learned from the Battle of the Tower of Banishment. If the same thing happens again, our Light Church, along with our Holy Basilica faction, might lose its foothold forever.”

Vazhinki’s words made Onia break into cold sweat. He was fully aware that Komer was no longer the simple countryman who obediently followed his orders in Versailles. This man now possessed powers and resources that ordinary people could not easily provoke. Besides his military strength, he also had the backing of powerful magicians.

Noyora and Lorenzo had both suffered setbacks against this man. With the current strength of St. Basil’s Cathedral, they dared not provoke him recklessly. Perhaps Frenst and the others were waiting for them to make a mistake. Though they themselves did not want to antagonize this rising power, deep down they hoped that St. Basil’s Cathedral would engage in a life-and-death struggle with the Nicocians. Lord Vazhinki had long seen through this, which was why he endured humiliation, while Onia seemed completely blinded by hatred and anger.

“What should we do now?” Onia asked gloomily, unable to hide his weakness and frustration. “Are we really powerless against all this?”

“No, Onia. Don’t be so pessimistic. Komer used the Order of Mercy to trick us, but he’ll realize that many things are double-edged swords. When you experience the benefits of something, you often overlook its dangers. Sometimes these hidden dangers far outweigh the benefits. The Order of Mercy isn’t as compassionate as it appears. Such an organization couldn’t survive in this world—there are simply too few saints. Only interests are eternal. At most, their methods and approaches may differ. The Nicocians will soon realize that after the warmth of the sun comes the chill of darkness.”

The confident expression on Vazhinki’s face gave Onia a glimmer of hope. “Lord Vazhinki, are you saying the Order of Mercy will go their own way from the Nicocians?”

“Onia, think about it. For two forces to unite, common interests are the decisive factor. It’s not surprising that the Nicocians and the Order of Mercy unite when they both need to resist pressure from our Church of Light and the Northern Alliance. But what happens when that external pressure disappears?”

“The Northern Alliance can no longer pose a threat to the people of Nicosia, and our Church of Light is now embroiled in internal strife. St. Paul’s Cathedral and our St. Basil’s Cathedral appear to be united on the surface but are actually on opposite sides, barely avoiding open conflict. The people in the Tribunal are nothing but paranoid fools who ignore reality and insist on stubbornly clinging to their views, further complicating the already unstable situation of our Church of Light. Meanwhile, the Pope refuses to take a public stance. The rise of the Salvation Society is inevitable. Do you think Komer would allow this force to monopolize religious affairs in Nicosia?”
“No, that’s impossible. Although the Salvation Society is incompatible with us, they are even more at odds with the dark forces. Komer would never tolerate such a situation,” Onia said firmly, shaking her head.
“Under these circumstances, how long do you think the cooperation between the Salvation Society and Komer can last?” Vazinki smiled slightly. He needed to boost his subordinates’ morale; otherwise, if St. Basil’s Cathedral wasn’t overwhelmed by external forces, he himself would fall first.
“Lord Vazinki, are you suggesting we hold our ground for now and wait to see how things develop before taking action?” Onia’s eyes lit up, a bright glow appearing in them.
“Why not? I’ll go see Noyora and Lorenzo and persuade them to avoid confronting the Salvation Society for now. Temporary retreat doesn’t mean we’re weak or wrong. Retreating our fists is just to gather strength for a stronger strike later.” Vazinki raised his gaze and said softly, “I hope the Salvation Society won’t disappoint us too much. I’m looking forward to the day when they break ties with the people of Nicosia.”