The cathedral returned to its usual silence, leaving Lilian all alone.
She stood quietly before the relief of Kuncatangliwa, her hands pressed together with fingers entwined. The light pouring from the vaulted ceiling bathed her in its glow.
Lilian closed her eyes and whispered a prayer:
“Great Kun, may the flesh of the apostates serve as your ascending steps, and may the wails of the cowards become your hymns of praise…”
“Divine one who listens to the whispers of all things, please guide me. Where should I stand so that I will not feel remorse for today’s choice?”
The cathedral remained silent.
However, the rays of light streaming from the ceiling seemed to be stirred by a mysterious force. They shifted across the floor, forming one cryptic symbol after another.
These were the scripts of the gods.
***
On the other side of the grounds, Vyea was absentmindedly kicking pebbles on the path.
‘Can’t a good person live a peaceful life?’
‘I finally decided to be a righteous, good father, only to find out this road is blocked and requires more money… Bah, I can’t even find a place to pay up if I wanted to.’
Frustration was one thing, but a much larger problem had emerged.
The top leader of the Human Alliance Army was currently neglecting his duties, allowing the presence of the Resistance to go unchecked.
What exactly was her Teacher trying to do?
The situation had finally stabilized, yet he was letting it fall apart. If so, what was the point of all the support they had provided in the past?
Vyea truly could not wrap her head around it. It was like this in the past, and it was still like this now.
‘Forget it, I should go find Jasmine and the others first. I don’t want her to wait so long she starts crying.’
The reception room was not far. Vyea stopped by the sanatorium to check on the Elf girl, Aiselyn. After confirming that her overextended life force was gradually recovering, Vyea felt relieved enough to leave.
Inside the reception room.
“Why hasn’t Mama come back yet?” Jasmine held a piece of fragrant bread but hadn’t taken a single bite.
Black Hunt lay on the floor, sleeping peacefully as if he were a real pet.
Hearing the word “Mama,” the Old Dean, who was acting as the temporary guardian, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. His aged face twitched.
“Little lady, are you saying that Lady Vyea is your mother?”
“Mm-hmm.” Jasmine nodded. “She’s my real mama.”
‘Good heavens, looking at Lady Vyea’s appearance, she clearly hasn’t even reached adulthood yet.’
‘An underage Lady Vyea actually has such a large daughter? My God, she must have given birth as a toddler!’ The Old Dean ranted wildly in his mind. ‘This is breaking the law!’
“Little lady, then where is your father?” the Old Dean sighed.
Jasmine tilted her head. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since I was born.”
“Oh, you poor child.” Having seen plenty of scumbags who abandoned their wives and children, the Old Dean instantly “understood” what had happened to Jasmine. He spoke in a soft, comforting tone:
“Grandpa has some bear cookies here. They were handmade by Lady Lilian. Would you like to try some?”
“Can I wait for Mama to come back so we can eat together?”
“Oh, of course. You are both wonderful children. May the gods protect your safety.”
“Thank you, Dean!”
Jasmine had just taken the bag of cookies from the Old Dean when she looked up and saw Vyea walking slowly through the door of the reception room.
“Mama!”
Jasmine’s eyes lit up, and she hurried toward Vyea.
“Slow… down. I won’t help you if you trip.” Vyea poked Jasmine’s forehead and spoke with mock annoyance.
“Mama, Mama, open your mouth… There are cookies!”
*Chomp!*
“Uh… these cookies taste really weird. Are they edible?” Vyea mumbled as she chewed, her brow furrowing.
‘What kind of cookies are these? They taste like medicine.’
“Eh? I think they’re delicious.” Jasmine, half-doubting, took a piece and tasted it again, then showed a blissful smile.
“Mama, it’s yummy!”
“…If it’s yummy, then eat more.”
“Mm-hmm!” Jasmine nodded vigorously.
Vyea patted Jasmine’s head and then looked at the Old Dean, who was sitting in his chair with a beaming smile.
‘This old fellow is quite a schemer!’
“Lady Vyea, Lilian didn’t say anything strange, did she? I’ve watched that girl grow up since she was a child. Although her temper is a bit prideful, she is a good girl,” the Old Dean said with a laugh.
“It was nothing. She just told me to be careful and said she would send me information about that organization when she has time,” Vyea said.
“Information on the Ghosts?” The Old Dean leaned against the back of his chair, lost in thought. “The history of that organization is very old, and their roots run deep. The only thing known is that there are nine people at the highest level of their organization, corresponding to the Nine Dealers of the game.”
“Using the phrase ‘Head nine, tail one, left three, right seven, two and four are shoulders, six and eight are feet’ as their foundation, the nine dealers correspond to the positions, numbers, and laws of heaven and earth.”
Vyea sat down opposite the Old Dean, leading Jasmine by the hand. She asked thoughtfully, “Are you saying that all nine of those high-level members can use the Power of Authority?”
“You are very clever.” The Old Dean gave a slight smile and stroked his beard with a sigh. “However, those Dealers won’t easily come to the human cities to cause trouble. The Subhuman you encountered is just a minor character in the Ghosts. I have already sent people to handle it.”
“Is that so…” Vyea nodded thoughtfully, thinking of Orsabach. It seemed that if she had time, she would need to find the Primogenitor of the vampires.
An organization as dangerous as this needed to be rendered harmless, even if it couldn’t be pulled out by its roots.
Thinking this, Vyea breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. She hoped the documents Lilian sent would be detailed enough.
“Lady Vyea, would you and your daughter like to stay and have lunch with us in a moment?” the Old Dean invited. “The food might not be lavish, but we can at least provide a full meal.”
Vyea, who had intended to decline, thought for a moment and nodded. “Then I’ll thank you in advance. I actually have a few things I’d like to ask you about.”
“A few small matters are no trouble.”
During the ensuing small talk, Vyea asked when Aiselyn would wake up and when the Brave of Destiny, who had gone to the battle zone, would return.
“Although that Elf girl’s physical injuries are severe, the recovery power of the Wood Elves is extremely strong, so that isn’t much of a problem.”
The Old Dean nodded and sighed.
“The difficulty lies in her extreme mental exhaustion. We don’t have medicine here specifically for the spiritual recovery of the Elf Race. We can only wait for her to recover on her own.”
“As for the frontline battle zone, the two Braves have successfully joined forces to attack the Demon Race. It’s estimated they will be able to return after finishing the mopping up… likely in about half a month.”
“Oh, by the way, I’ll call Lilian to join us for lunch later. You don’t mind, do you? Haha, don’t look at Lilian as just a Saintess from the Holy See; she actually enjoys being around people in private.” The Old Dean usually didn’t have time to chat, so now that he had started, he spoke without reservation.
To this, Vyea could only offer a wry smile. Lilian was an old teammate of hers, after all.
A moment later.
Vyea and Jasmine followed the Old Dean to the canteen of the Order. They happened to run into Lilian on the way, who was heading toward the reception room.
“Your Excellency Vyea, are you all planning to go to lunch?” Lilian asked politely.
Vyea nodded.
“Then I wish you a pleasant meal. I will go back and help prepare the documents first.” Lilian bowed slightly and turned to leave.
“Wait.”
“Your Excellency Vyea, is there something else?” Lilian turned back, looking confused.
Vyea tilted her head slightly and smiled. “Come and eat with us.”