The only sound was the occasional patrol of guards passing by, the clatter of their armor echoing through the corridors.
The towering white walls of the Cathedral shut out the noise of the outside world, though Helos had no intention of sneaking in by climbing the walls or crawling through the sewers in such an undignified manner.
She adjusted her Cloak, then strolled boldly through the side entrance next to the main gate.
Two rows of fully armed Church Knights stood there, holding halberds, their piercing eyes sweeping over every corner. Nothing escaped their notice.
Yet, when Helos walked right past them, these highly trained knights might as well have been collectively struck blind.
The girl’s footsteps were clearly audible, her silhouette casting a long shadow beneath the glow of the Magic Lamps.
She even paused in front of one knight, reaching out and waving her hand before his eyes.
That knight continued staring straight ahead without so much as a blink.
His pupils reflected an empty street, as if nothing at all stood there.
“This feeling really is something else.”
Helos withdrew her hand, a satisfied curve forming at the corner of her lips.
This was the power of [shadow stalk].
Right now, she was like a Ghost walking the thin line between reality and illusion.
Helos quickly passed through the outer defenses and entered the Cathedral proper.
Though this was her first time inside Olisa’s Cathedral, cathedrals all looked more or less the same, so she didn’t get lost.
Down the spiral staircase she went.
The sacred scent of incense vanished, replaced by a pungent smell of potions.
Helos narrowed her eyes and quickened her pace.
As she descended deeper underground, the level of defense clearly jumped up a notch. Trigger-based alarm arrays were etched into the floor.
Every few meters along the walls, mana-detecting crystals were embedded. But all of this was as good as nonexistent to Helos.
She had long since deployed her silent domain, devouring every trace of magic wave around her until nothing remained. To those detection crystals, she was nothing more than a lifeless stone.
Soon, a heavy black iron gate appeared at the end of the corridor.
That was the Cathedral’s underground Alchemy Chamber, and also the current hiding place of Archbishop Duran.
But Helos didn’t approach recklessly. Instead, she slipped into the shadows behind a massive stone pillar.
Because standing in front of that gate were two figures who looked like serious trouble.
They weren’t ordinary Church Knights.
They wore full suits of dark red plate armor, their faces hidden behind iron masks that exposed only their eyes. The murderous aura radiating from them was thick and oppressive.
Helos frowned slightly.
These must be Duran’s Private Soldiers, his trusted men, as they were commonly called.
“This is a bit of a problem.”
Even from over ten meters away, Helos could feel the intense killing intent rolling off them.
The positioning of these two guards was exceptionally tricky. They stood one on each side of the door, their fields of vision crossing to cover the entire corridor.
And unlike the guards outside, they clearly weren’t letting their vigilance slip.
Even a rat passing by would probably be cut in two in an instant.
She could lower her Hidden Presence, but that wasn’t a cure-all.
If she tried to push the door open directly, the noise from that heavy gate would definitely draw their attention.
To get inside, she had to deal with these two watchdogs first.
Force her way through?
No.
Helos shook her head. Her goal was to get the antidote, not to kill anyone.
If she caused a ruckus, Duran inside would go on alert, destroy the antidote, or escape through the Secret Passage. Then this whole trip would have been for nothing.
She needed a quieter approach.
The girl took a deep breath. She pulled the delicate hand crossbow from her cloak, thought better of it, and put it back.
A crossbow bolt was fast, but the sound of a body hitting the ground was still too loud.
A spark of excitement flashed in Helos’s eyes.
“Looks like I’ll have to try that out early.”
She steadied her breathing and slowly began to channel the mental energy within her.
The girl leaned half out from the shadows, actively canceling the effect of her shadow stalk.
The next second, the guard standing on the left jolted violently. He sensed something off in the corridor.
“Who’s there?!”
The guard let out a low shout, his longsword instantly leaving its sheath, the sharp tip aimed straight at the pillar where Helos was hiding.
“Easy now.”
A gentle voice rang out through the empty corridor.
Helos stepped out slowly, pulling back her hood to reveal her signature silver hair.
A faint smile hung on her face, her pale violet eyes shimmering with an enchanting glow beneath the dim light.
“I’m just lost.”
The guard froze.
He clearly never expected such a beautiful girl to appear in this heavily guarded restricted area.
And… this girl’s eyes. They were stunning.
Like a deep night sky, or blooming violets.
The moment his gaze met those eyes, his mind fell into a brief daze.
He felt as if his soul was being sucked into a purple vortex.
Everything around him blurred.
The girl who should have been treated as an intruder now seemed inexplicably dear to him.
Like… a long-lost family member?
Or a lover he had once deeply loved?
A powerful urge to protect her, to obey her, surged madly from the depths of his heart.
[charm eye] activated.
“Clatter.”
The longsword in the guard’s hand fell to the ground with a sharp ring.
His eyes turned dazed and vacant, gazing at Helos as if she were his one and only God.
Helos crooked a finger at him.
“Come here.”
That fierce, fearsome guard now shuffled forward unsteadily like an obedient dog, making his way toward Helos.
“What are you doing?!”
The other guard on the right noticed his comrade’s strange behavior and barked out, leveling his weapon at Helos with wary precision.
“Who are you?! What did you do to him?!”
The moment his gaze landed on Helos’s eyes, his movements froze too.
He wanted to charge over and subdue this suspicious intruder.
The girl’s voice drifted lightly, as if carrying a magic of its own.
The guard’s wariness crumbled in an instant.
The second guard lowered his weapon as well.
“You too. Come here.”
“Yes.”
What replaced his caution was endless obedience and adoration.
A foolish smile spread across his face, and with stiff, mechanical steps, he too walked over to stand before Helos.
Two hulking guards now stood docilely before the girl, waiting for her orders.
Helos watched the scene and nodded in satisfaction.
It had cost a bit of energy, but the results were astonishingly good.
“Go.”
She pointed at the sealed black iron gate.
“Open the door for me.”
The two answered in unison:
“As you command.”
They turned around without hesitation, without a shred of doubt.
They walked to the gate, each grabbing one ring, and pulled together.
The heavy black iron gate let out a teeth-grinding screech as it slowly swung open to both sides.
A gap leading into the Alchemy Chamber revealed itself, and a thicker wave of medicinal stench wafted out from within.
But Helos wasn’t in a hurry to go in.
She looked at the two guards still standing by the entrance and commanded directly:
“Now turn around. Keep walking forward.”
She pointed to the other end of the corridor, toward the exit.
“Leave this place. Go get some fresh air outside. Don’t stop until I say so.”
The two guards nodded mechanically.
“Yes.”
Without even glancing back at the open gate behind them, they marched in unison down the corridor and away.
Helos stood still in place.
She watched their backs grow distant until the sound of their footsteps faded completely around the stairwell corner. After confirming no one else was around, the smile on her face receded slightly.
She turned and looked at the half-open gate.
Through the gap, she could see bright lights inside.
Duran was in there.
That old man who had orchestrated every scheme, who was dreaming of playing the Savior, was just beyond that door.
Helos took a deep breath. She reached up and wiped a hand across her face.
With that motion, wisps of purple smoke seeped from her fingertips and instantly enveloped her entire body.
Her form began to change.
Her petite frame stretched and grew, becoming broad and powerful.
Her long silver hair rapidly shortened, turning into a gray crew cut.
Her delicate features twisted and reformed, settling into a rough, cold-looking middle-aged man’s face.
Even her Cloak transformed into a set of dark red plate armor.
In the blink of an eye.
The silver-haired girl was gone.
In her place stood the left guard she had just charmed and sent away.
Appearance, height, even the aura radiating from her body—all mimicked flawlessly.
Even the small scar on that guard’s face was perfectly replicated.
[illusion] activated.
Helos tilted her head slightly, glancing at her reflection in the polished stone pillar beside her.
The girl looked at her current appearance, a glint of satisfaction flashing through her eyes.
Helos cleared her throat.
“Ahem.”
Even her voice had changed. No longer the crisp tone of a young girl, but a low, hoarse baritone.
Perfect.
She straightened her illusory armor, then strode forward without hesitation, pushing open the door to the Alchemy Chamber.
“Your Excellency the Bishop.”
She tried mimicking that guard’s tone.
“I have urgent news to report!”
“What is it?”