Chapter 20: Golden Light Flows, Coastline Lights
“Ahem!”
I was a bit choked on a pea, coughed twice gently, and patted my chest. Daisy looked over at me with a puzzled expression, as if she whispered something, but I couldn’t hear due to Cardinal George’s speech drowning her out. I could only shake my head lightly.
Then I stealthily passed the remaining few peas to her.
Not interested in eating…
Once Daisy took them, I composed myself and turned my gaze back to Beiyard, who was blinking innocently at me.
To my surprise, he seemed puzzled, his eyebrows slightly raised, looking a bit surprised: “What? You don’t know? I thought I mentioned it to you before.”
“Did you?”
“Yep!”
Huh…
I had no recollection of that at all.
Maybe I just wasn’t paying attention at the time…
But since Cardinal George is his grandpa, why the heck would he say that to me? And so brazenly too! Didn’t he worry I’d spill the beans? We hardly even know each other!
But looking at his expression, he doesn’t seem worried at all… Is he always like this?
I usually see people messing with their dads; this is the first time I’ve seen someone mess with their grandpa…
I pondered for a long time without coming to a conclusion, ultimately chalking up this guy to being just a “rich clueless third generation.”
“…The great deity continues to bless this prosperous city, no matter what evil foes arise, they will be eradicated by divine will. Humanity bathes in the beloved light; it is our honor. And the so-called theology, as I understand it, is about how to save the people under the great guidance, to do what one can, and to do it better… much like our noble heroes…”
As the golden light engulfed us, Cardinal George’s deep and authoritative voice kept going, but my mind drifted off, idly tuning in to Beiyard’s incessant chatter nearby.
“Actually, the Pope was supposed to give this speech today; that was the original plan to appease the public. Although those troublemaking folks have been pretty quiet lately, many disturbances have been swiftly suppressed by the Church and Queen Elizabeth. They have a keen sense of these matters and react quickly. That sensational report in the tabloids was one of the tactics to divert public attention.”
Speaking, he leaned in closer, lowering his voice as he cupped his hand around his mouth.
“But with everything that’s happened… the townsfolk and some lesser nobles are already on edge. Those who know the truth dare not speak, while those who don’t understand are babbling nonsense. Rumors abound, everyone’s speculating. Some folks are even still talking about church conflicts, and even about… heretics’ issues! Who knows how that information got out… There were many people leaving the city before things got bad, and the Royal City is a mixed bag, with many foreigners; some still haven’t returned, which has led to all sorts of absurd claims. On the surface, everything seems peaceful, but behind the scenes, things are still brewing, and the Church particularly is worried about it.”
He paused for a moment.
“Peilo, you might not know, but many taverns have been shut down, and almost all heavily trafficked places have been put under curfew for maintaining order. Officially, it’s for the city’s security, but in reality, they just don’t want people to go out and talk. Who knows, soon they might limit the markets too… But that’s far from enough; some issues can’t be solved with temporary restrictions. Rumors can’t be contained. Just the other day, the currency exchange brought in a bunch of bards who are planning to spread some ballads around. A portion of them should be coming into the city soon. Tsk, why can’t they just admit it gracefully…”
“Today should’ve been the Pope’s day to speak, especially since the Royal Academy has the most foreign nobles in the city. The ideas of these students, and even the teachers, are crucial to the Church. But since the rumors surrounding Cardinal George and the Pope’s discord are rampant, many say that’s what caused the two disasters in the city. The clergy were hardly present, and there wasn’t a single Church Knight in sight. After the disasters, so many lives were lost, and only then did the Church start taking measures. There are even people who blame Sister Teresa and Cardinal Nero’s deaths on this. The true facts are that some in the Church don’t want to talk, and some are too scared to speak, so they can only take a stand and let the Pope convey messages, with Cardinal George giving the speeches… The Pope will probably drop by later to smooth things over, and the two will put on a little show… But I doubt it’ll make a difference… You get what I mean? This theology class is really not about discussing knowledge… Uh, I guess theology has never really been about knowledge…”
“Oh…”
I nodded, glancing back, and scratched my rear discreetly.
I was actually a bit shocked inside.
From what he’s saying, he seems to know about the Gate of Truth too… and his words are quite sarcastic. It was clear from his comments that Beiyard was displeased with the actions of the Holy Church, and there may be deeper thoughts he couldn’t express here. I figured it was best not to say much more.
Once he started rambling, he didn’t know when to stop. Such talkative manner…
This isn’t the right setting for this.
I wanted to cut this short, but just then, I overheard Beiyard mumble, “Seriously, if only they focused this energy on the war in the south…”
The war in the south…
Ah, he’s talking about over in Silgaya.
“What do you know?” I couldn’t help but ask him.
“Hmm? Oh… you’re asking about the situation over there. To be honest, I’m not too sure. I only know there has been one clash, but the specifics haven’t come through yet. It probably won’t be as smooth as the tabloids claim. That’s all just deceiving the masses…”
“Deceiving…”
“Uh… Not exactly. It’s just a bit misleading. It’s a consistent tactic; good news gets blown up, while bad news gets downplayed… Even now, the Cardinals are busy with their nonsense, and none of them are willing to go to Silgaya to oversee things… Clearly, the reputation of the Church is more important… I don’t get their thinking… Ha.”
Beiyard chuckled lightly, then shook his head, a hint of sarcasm in his tone: “That’s why I don’t want to be a missionary… But coming to the Academy, I’m still disappointed. I just want to go to Silgaya with my father and slay some heretics…”
Huh?
“Your father is…”
“What are you two talking about?”
My and Beiyard’s distracted, chatty vibe finally caught Daisy’s attention. She was secretly chewing on peas, looking over with curiosity. Sarah beside her also noticed the commotion and glanced over with a hint of confusion.
“Nothing…”
I quickly shook my head, flashing them a sweet smile. Seeing this, Beiyard finally shut up and stared blankly into the distance.
Actually, I still had more I wanted to ask him…
Ah well, I’ll save it for after the theology class.
The training ground was ablaze with golden light, countless stars above converging into a golden river, and the morning clouds were painted in gold. This speech lasted about two hours, with Cardinal George ranging from Nero to the Abyss and finally mentioning the heretics of the Gate of Truth. Fury’s Keep made deals with evil demons, while the Church would team up with Her Majesty the Queen to combat evil and secure victory in the end. Although the Royal City had lost Boswell, God’s servants would soon bestow new divine relics upon this city.
By the end, I was really starting to feel unsteady—not from fatigue, but just a persistent discomfort, fidgeting here and scratching there, wishing I could head back to the cafeteria for some dessert.
As the red sun soared overhead and the air turned stifling, the long-winded speech finally came to an end.
Just as Beiyard predicted, once Cardinal George passed the orb to the teacher behind him, another war chariot slowly rolled onto the training ground, and out stepped none other than Angel.
The students raised their arms in cheer, emotions soaring. The sight of the Cardinal and the Pope together ignited a fire in the students’ hearts, cheers erupted, and the atmosphere reached a boiling point. I couldn’t help but plug my ears, wrinkling my brow.
Above the sky, white birds flew past.
…………
That night.
Far away on the southern coast of the Western Continent, the tranquil night sky twinkled with stars. The seaside village, surrounded by greenery, shone brightly with red-tiled roofs and countless white tents set up inside and outside the village. In the contrast of night and firelight, they resembled softly burning white snow, stretching to about a hundred meters away from the coastline.
The waters at the dock were not calm; countless sailboats bobbed along the waves, with the layers of sea surf crashing against the sides of the boats, gathering at the stern and dashing towards the shore, creating sparkling waves.
The boats seemed to have just returned; water-soaked sailors were folding the sails, and armored knights disembarked, carrying torches as they moved about. The leading knight shouted something loudly before meeting up with knights from another ship, heading towards the tents.
Inside one tent, the lantern on the wooden table flickered, the dim light revealing several Church Knights hunched over the yellowed map on the table, occasionally pointing and discussing something.
Nick Williams furrowed his brow, his half-lit face reflecting the flickering light, wearing a grave expression on his square face.
“…Increase the search intensity along the northern coast, especially here and here… Always have people on alert to prevent enemies from stealthily landing. We must strengthen our vigilance; once they’re in the woods, it becomes troublesome… The searches at sea must not cease; we must set a trap in the two straits… Teams five and sixteen, you’re responsible…”
As he used his right hand to indicate the map, he methodically issued commands. Some knights took their leave, as Nick continued, “If you spot moving ships, do not approach; fire rockets first. There shouldn’t be any fishing boats nearby… We’ve lost communication with the intel over there; we can only rely on ourselves now. As for Archbishop Ansiel, the Pope mentioned that not even a shadow of the goods was found, and there must be more of their men than just those; we cannot let our guard down.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Once the knights left, Nick leaned slightly, gazing at the flapping tent cloth, letting out a breath.
The firelight illuminated his left side, revealing his completely empty left arm, and his face, which bore what appeared to be burn marks—wrinkled and crumpled. It looked like a chunk of flesh had been carved out with a kn*fe; there were many old scars, nearly half his cheek sunken in. Under the flickering light, it appeared rather gruesome. His left eye glowed red, yet it seemed he hadn’t lost his sight after all, as his eyes quivered slightly, revealing a tired gleam.
He rubbed his forehead, then turned to the silent female swordsman sitting at the edge of the tent.
“Miss Anacelis, do you have any thoughts?”
His voice was raspy, like a lot of gravel getting stuck in his throat, making it hard to speak.
Sword Demon Anacelis sat, holding her sword, her cold face lost in the darkness, making it hard to discern her expression. She remained still, as quiet as if she were asleep.
It wasn’t until Nick turned back to study the map again that she coldly spoke up.
“I only k*ll enemies. Also, don’t call me ‘miss.’”
Her voice, though pleasing, sounded like it emerged from an icy cave. Though melodic like a bird’s song, for some reason, it instilled a chilling feeling in others.
