“Boom!!”
A burst of supremely pure Sanctity Magic erupted from the depths of the dungeon, blasting the cell door off its hinges.
The furious torrent of magic swept through every corner of the dungeon, flooding the once dark and damp place with light in an instant, as if it had undergone a baptism of holy radiance.
The arriving Holy Knights were all dumbfounded by the scene before them.
Fortunately, this magic bomb was not aimed at them, and the main blast area had even been perfectly contained within the dungeon by the caster, without the slightest spillover to the Church above.
As for the other prisoners who were originally locked up, it could only be said that it was lucky the cell doors imprisoning them were themselves reinforced with Ritual Magic, which managed to block most of the impact.
Even so, the prisoners were left sprawled on the ground, half dead.
The captain of the Holy Knights, upon seeing the chaotic scene before him, felt his eyelids twitch uncontrollably.
He quickly ordered his men to treat the wounded prisoners.
Though all prisoners held in the Church’s dungeons were heinous heretics, the Church of Life claimed the name of life and existence; for the sake of basic humanitarianism, some simple treatment was still necessary.
Once the suppression work had been arranged, the captain could only look helplessly at Vista Green, who was slowly walking out from the depths, his tone a bit stern:
“Lady Vista, can you explain why you attacked my men and caused this disturbance in the dungeon?”
Vista did not pause, heading straight for the exit.
As she passed the knight captain, she spoke, her voice tinged with coldness:
“I apologize for my actions, but it all happened so suddenly, I cannot explain. Sillirora’s betrayal involves critical secrets of the Church and must not be known by others.”
“As for why I acted, it was because during the interrogation, Sillirora attacked me. I had no choice but to defend myself.”
The captain raised an eyebrow, folding his arms and leaning against the wall:
“Lady Vista, that is only your side of the story and does not conform to the rules. And as the only guardian knight of the capital’s Church, do I also count as ‘other people’?”
Vista replied with unyielding indifference:
“Yes. If you have objections, you may submit an appeal to the Chief Judge.”
With that, Vista left directly; she still needed to discuss countermeasures with the Chief Judge.
“Captain, Sillirora the Saintess is in bad shape!”
The captain came to the door of Sillirora’s cell, looking at the mass of “mangled flesh” on the floor—hardly a patch of skin left uninjured, her limbs showing obvious signs of fracture.
It looked as if she had taken the explosion head-on, the flying chains holding her firmly in place as she was repeatedly ravaged.
Sillirora was still alive, but only barely.
Such injuries could be treated by the Church, but it would be troublesome—at the very least, it would take months for her to recover consciousness.
The captain, headache pounding, cast High-Level Divine Healing Art, and then used Solidification Magic to stabilize her condition.
After completing the entire procedure, he waved for his knights to bring a stretcher:
“Send her to the medical ward, and summon any available Saintess to heal her.”
“Except for the Saintess of Vista.”
After leaving the dungeon, Vista headed straight to the Chief Judge’s office and knocked before entering.
She saw the slightly world-weary elder carefully studying the Catechism Codex on his desk, occasionally sighing.
The Chief Judge lifted his tired eyes, casually glanced at Vista, and spoke directly:
“I am already aware of the dungeon incident. Give me a reason.”
Vista did not hesitate, her tranquil face betraying no emotion:
“Sillirora the Saintess acted against her duties in order to investigate The Trial involving Ailaira Green.”
“Although the memories of others were cleansed, she gained nothing. But during the interrogation, she discovered that some of my memories remained, so she feigned weakness in an attempt to attack me. In desperation, I struck back. But I held back—Sillirora the Saintess’s life is not in danger, she just needs some time to recover.”
After Vista finished, silence filled the office.
The Chief Judge quietly leafed through the codex. After a long time, he heaved a heavy sigh:
“This reason is acceptable.”
“From today, you are to enter the Cathedral of Life and be responsible for maintaining Faith Power.”
This was a special honor; as one who served the divine, to witness the birth and gathering of Faith Power up close and to experience the flow of divine strength firsthand was of immense benefit, both for self-cultivation and the understanding of divinity.
Yet to Vista, it was a bolt from the blue.
For anyone who entered the Cathedral of Life to cultivate, it meant long, uninterrupted seclusion, counted in years.
And now, knowing full well that threats against Ailaira existed even within the Church—even from that one… they wanted her to set everything aside and train?
“Chief Judge, I…”
“Saintess of Vista, do you have any unspeakable concerns?” The Chief Judge narrowed his eyes, and just by sitting behind his desk, an invisible pressure descended upon Vista, cutting off her refusal.
The Chief Judge lifted his pen, using magic to write in the codex:
“You need not interfere further in Sillirora the Saintess’s matter.”
“As for The Trial… I am granting you special permission to retain your memories, in recognition of your major contributions and your relationship with Ailaira Green.”
The elder, high in authority, rubbed his weary brow, his voice unconsciously taking on a hint of consolation:
“I think highly of your future. In time, you will sit in this very seat. But I do not wish for your faith to be cold, which is why I have not forced you to sever your feelings.”
“The Divine Mother’s love is boundless, but as Her servants, we cannot discard our pride as human beings, nor become cold-blooded and senseless fanatics.”
“Do you understand what I am saying?”
There seemed to be deeper meaning in the Chief Judge’s words.
Whether Vista understood or not, he watched as she finally accepted and left the office.
Only then did he return his gaze to the codex, and he picked up his pen again, writing a single name:
[Ailaira Green]
But just as he had penned half the character, a deep terror surged from his soul, making him instinctively release his pen.
The Chief Judge silently stared at the codex, where the record of that trial remained—without a name for the party involved.
He could never write it down.
He had a vague premonition: the moment he wrote the full name “Ailaira Green,” some presence would turn its gaze upon him—and it was not the deity he worshipped!
This realization sent a chill through him, one that seemed to seep into his very bones—even though he was in the Sanctum of the Church of Life!
The aged Chief Judge gazed up at the oil painting on the ceiling, depicting the Divine Mother Aisera’s Day of Creation, the first day humanity was made.
Though born of human imagination, it carried a degree of truth.
A lingering perplexity remained in the Chief Judge’s eyes:
“These are troubled times…”
“Divine Mother, what do you truly wish the lost lambs to do for you?”
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