A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale

Silence. Everybody inside the room fell silent at my statement. Looking between the knights standing inside the aisles and the priests looking at me with slacked jaws inside the crossing and chancel part of the basilica, I could only snort dismissively before I started walking forward, agitating the knights.

Seeing this, Tasianna, Ellaine, Yorshka, the twins, and Mirdirn flanked me like bodyguards, eyeing them with quiet hostility. The students then moved behind us upon Saori’s prompting, while Neill, the saurians, Renee, Fleindia, and Theodore sighed in exasperation and walked next to me.

“Y-you?” One of the cardinals managed to recover from my bombshell, composing himself just enough to only frown at me. “Thank you for your introduction. I am Marius von Zahbak, cardinal vicar of the Church of the Goddess inside Aureolis.”

So, he’s number two. The pope’s right-hand man.

“Champion, I presume, is the correct title here. Champion Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor, a dragon and imperial princess with God Kargryxmor’s blood … We … have heard of you. News of a dragonewt blessed had circulated in the Empire, based on a report from the Lycrepth.” He ignored my attempt to make “Idol” an actual blessed title. “You say you wish to revoke the ‘Guidance of the Popular?’ A decision our leaders and blessed in the past had decided for the prosperity of our church, by dividing the roles? ‘How may blessed serve our Goddess, if they must serve our brothers and sisters in faith, as well?’”

“It is exactly as she had demanded, Cardinal Vicar.” Fleindia stepped in for support.

“Saintess Fleindia?” He raised a brow, but didn’t look surprised at her appearance, unlike the many priests and shrine maiden around, eyeing her and to each other in confusion.

However, instead of her, Renee was the next to speak. “My name is Rhea Renee Sealight, Champion of the God of Knighthood, Bravery, and Loyalty. I might be newly blessed, but I agree with Champion Hestia that the current status quo must be changed for the good of our church.”

Fleindia nodded. “As the eldest of this blessed group, I have given the idea much contemplation. As a survivor of the assassinations, and a supporter of the Holy Radiant, I must agree. Currently, we require a more unified cooperation amongst ourselves for the sake of Her Holiness as the war between us humans and the demonkin wages on with no ending in sight. Cardinal Vicar, we wish to speak with Pope Gwyn.”

“This is a major tradition you are breaking!” The first to speak up against our demands wasn’t the vicar, but the cardinals and bishops next to him. “Unity? There is unity. We all have our roles to serve the Goddess, and we do our best to ensure that! As blessed, you have your own roles!”

“What would you do with all this power if we break our traditions? Will you lead our fellow followers while fighting our enemies? There is a reason why the position of pope was created!”

“This is—”

“Silence!”

However, before it got out of hand any further, the Vicar raised his hand.

“I understand. There must be a reason for your decision, and as the blessed of the Goddess, she must have spoken with you! I would love to hear of your goals, for this is my honor as the vicar. Sadly, Pope Gwyn is still debilitated due to an unforeseen event where an intruder snuck into his bedroom. He has been unstable ever since then, as you must know from the newspaper our Heroes of the Goddess happily introduced to our world.”

Noise. More gossip. The priests began whispering to each other, reminded of who they accused of having attacked the Pope. “Reports have also stated that a dragon had personally attacked our Pope. Is this a ploy from Kargryx, or is this all a coincidence and the dragons have finally decided to move against the demonkin?” was the quote. It was a clear accusation, but at the same time, it was left ambiguous enough to allow Folschreck to say it was all just a misunderstanding.

An attempt to diffuse the situation by siding with our proposal, but at the same time, he laid a seed of distrust to remind everybody I might be a threat. Remind them this might all be a ploy.

“You must have had a tiring trip. While it is more proper for us to welcome you in a more festive manner, I can see your reason for visiting us is for a dire situation. And it shall be addressed; however, allow yourself to recuperate and be refreshed first. Also, seeing as this is your first time here—Champion Hestia, Champion Rhea—I would suggest you get to know Aureolis better. Let the Holy Capital be your home away from home! Now, every—”

I held my hand up and smiled. “From the bottom of my soul, I thank the Cardinal Vicar for his generosity and patience. This must be an auspicious day, indeed. The Goddess has guided me here with her words, and to be able to share it with you humbles me greatly. I understand, I skipped necessary steps and confronted you with a proposition without allowing you to think. Alas, I am in the wrong here, as such, allow me to greet all of you properly. This is my gift.”

I raised my hands in the air, quickly prompting Renee and Fleindia to do the same. As I sent a [Prayer] up to the building’s ceiling, the priests clapped their hands together and were ready to sing, but, once again, I skipped the steps.

Prayer.

[Blessing of the Goddess of Light (Major)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

As warm, white particles basked everybody around us, empowering them with the Church of Aurena’s most iconic buffing spell. I did not allow anybody to donate mana to showcase my—Sorry, our—power here. Just as Theodore mentioned, a Champion had to invoke a feeling of reliability and trust. Either through their strength or deeds.

With practically back-to-back casting one of the most mana intensive spells, I showed everybody that I was strong.

Oh gods … two [Prayer] in a row where I had to spend the mana for a major buff. Ahh, my body hurts. Too much mana in too short of a time. I complained internally as I felt aches in my chest and arms, as if something was tearing on them. This is the price for acting arrogant. Urgh, did I overdo it? Didn’t want to seem too unlikable …

The halls full of baffled priests left us as we walked out of the main basilica, with every step we took on the fairnite ground as loud as a bomb. Once outside, I let out a long sigh, followed by the students as all of us were a bit too overwhelmed by the atmosphere. It was a short meeting, far shorter than anybody could have expected, but it felt like my lungs had shrunk from how hard it was to breathe.

“Lady Hestia …” Theodore came over, squinting at me, making his usually sleep-deprived eyes come to life. “You are lucky everybody followed your improvisation. Could you not have spoken about it to us beforehand?”

“No, no, I think it was good.” Saori scratched her head, looking troubled as well. “Let us not speak about it here. The Vicar mentioned we should stay, right? Let us find our accommodations first and then speak.”

“I can help with that,” Fleindia spoke up. “I’ve been here enough to know who is usually responsible for assigning us.”

“I don’t think most of us would be too welcomed.” Yorshka giggled a bit. “I have some things to speak with others about; catch up. I’ll bring the wagon to the stables and feed the equerochsen.”

“Oh, we’ll come with you,” Tamae prompted with the other students. “We would like to avoid a few people before we get settled in.”

“I will join you later on,” Saori replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I am curious about this place after they ‘took you guys in’ for all those months.”

Is that some hint of anger? I guess that would make sense, considering everything.

After we separated into two groups, Fleindia led our half around the church ground. Although I was feeling slightly nervous since I wasn’t sure who was an ally and who was an enemy, I still took the time to look around the area, starting with the gate we came through. As the students described it, the entire church ground was walled off from the rest of the city, creating something similar to the lower and upper city system Artorian cities had.

Area-wise, it was like a university campus with all the facilities all concentrated into this area. There was a large expansive garden in the northern parts, while an entire building was dedicated to the Knight’s Order, including their training grounds. Everything was here to make the lives of the clergy as comfortable as possible, and with an entire lower city dedicated to production and farming, it was clear this entire place was made to assure Aureolis was self-sufficient.

“Didn’t you mention there is a [Season Regulator]?” I asked Fleindia as my foot stepped on snow, making a loud snow crunch. I felt passing through the mana barrier, so why was it still so cold on church ground?

“‘In Aureolis, every man and woman must work to assure Her Holiness’s city runs smoothly. Nobody is above her, and shall not be treated as such,’” she quoted. “The commoners who live in this city are here to assure Aureolis keeps thriving, which means they have a certain level of religious interest. Otherwise, why else live here, when there are towns with fewer religious restrictions within the country? The clergy must do their part to support them, meaning, they must buy coal, produce, furniture from the locals. As such, everything they buy must go through the local merchant guild. They manage the city’s economy alongside one of the cardinals.”

“Ah, coal.” Master nodded, having figured it out. “So, the reason why we must endure this freezing cold is because all the rooms use coal and wood to warm everything up. The regulator isn’t needed, so that is why snow still coats the ground.”

“Correct, yes. A merchant being able to sell to a priest means they are directly supporting the city, which is quite the honor, of course. What use is coal and wood for kindling, when a catalyst can solve everything? Nobles who become priests here learn this lesson pretty early.”

“It is certainly different from Artorias,” Theodore noted. “It is an honor for lowborn merchants to do business with nobles, whether they are clergy or not. However, nobles aren’t obligated to aid the lower city monetarily. Not to the point you have to inconvenience your own living conditions, at least.”

“As the law states, nobody here is higher than the Goddess. If you live in Aureolis, your life is dedicated to her and our Holy Capital. You are to support your fellow followers. Nonetheless, what I said was the truth. They do have a regulator, and it is used for important events or when it is far too hot or cold for everybody to properly work. In fact, the orphanage and the grey priest dormitory can even be used to harbor the city in case of an emergency.”

“I see.” I nodded, having a clearer picture of the place. “So, can I presume there are no wandering orphans or impoverished people?”

Considering the church took in orphans to give them a home, even though they had to become grey priest in their adulthood or be sold off as noble servants, meant that the lower city had to be pretty free of crime and suffering. It should be like Carine village, where people were able to live relatively peacefully.

However, Fleindia couldn’t answer, as she never visited it in depth. “As a Saintess of the Goddess of Nobility and Wealth, my primary role was to ensure peace between noble houses and to ensure they hold their actions accountable … Which more-or-less took up most of my time,” she explained. It was usually the duty of a blessed of Andira to take care of the lower city, while Erithia’s blessed handled matters concerning the aristocracy, diplomacy, and economics.

“… I will deal with that,” Saori stated after getting an answer. [“As planned, I will do most of the recon.”]

[“Do it after you get a chance to rest, Saori. I know you want to know more about this place after hearing everything from Tatsuya and the others,”] I tried to calm her down. [“I’m happy you’re taking up responsibilities, but we have time. If they try to do anything too early, then we deal with it, plain and simple. Even though they have Yorshka looking out for them, I think having their teacher around and letting them vent some of their anxiety from living here to you would be great.”]

[“No worries, I understand. I will—”]

[“We’ll find that bastard who nearly killed Gael, Saori,”] I quickly interjected, leaving her speechless before she nodded.

Yeah, there really was anger in there. Anger for everything going on in this place.

After walking a bit more, we passed the dormitory for the white-robed priests and stopped at a building Fleindia identified as a combination of the administrative center, library, and teaching hall. In other words, this was where most priests performed their duties and studied. Since mages could become temporary priests to learn holy magic, this was also where most of these temporary priests would be.

At the same time we arrived, a bunch of white-robes I recognized from the basilica rushed over, giving us a greeting, before they entered the room. Some even avoided eye contact with me. I ignored them and we went inside, where Fleindia spoke with a shrine maiden she knew in the admin side of the building. Since we came in on such short notice—as we hadn’t sent a messenger bird to keep our arrival a surprise—they only managed to get one room ready. The shrine maiden gave us the rest of the keys, but asked us to be patient.

Feels just like a hotel.

Our rooms were in the guest dormitory, reserved for any nobles or merchants visiting Aureolis for any kind of business or for religious reasons. This was also where the students used to live.

About as large as a noble’s mansion, the place was filled with rooms, including servant quarters, kitchens and a laundry room. Anything we could expect inside a noble’s home would be here, even manatech lamps and the like, and just like you’d find in a hotel, there were a ton of communal rooms to spend time with each other.

After we introduced ourselves to the staff, one of the grey-robes showed us to our room, allowing us to finally talk a bit more seriously … But, uh, Akast had to stay outside. Our carnosilian companion was so huge, he couldn’t even fit through the hallways so he actually had to camp out in front of the entrance. Thankfully, Krim-Slak and Grazlahta joined him to give him company.

“So, that knight, he was an enemy, huh?” The moment we entered the pretty large room, large enough to fit twelve people, Midirn plopped on the ground and opened his visor. “He smelled different from a human, but not like any beastman I met. Why didn’t we expose him there on the spot?”

Tasianna cast [Air Shield] around us.

“Hestia doesn’t appraise potential allies or neutrals,” Neill spoke for me.

Midirn widened one of his eyes. His lack of eyebrows due to being a fully-scaled dragonewt made it hard to assume if he was disappointed or confused. “May I ask why, Princess? That was a perfect moment to expose an enemy to gain some trust.”

As Midirn only joined our party to help us out with the Prince of Envy as one of my bodyguards, he wasn’t too aware of our group dynamic. It was like integrating the twins and Vifi all over again!

“You know I’m an otherworldler, right? Well, in our world, there is a thing about personal privacy and it is frowned upon to impose yourself too much into somebody’s business. To me, that includes appraising somebody’s Profile, which I’ve told myself to put the line at. To you, I am your dragon princess, but inside me is also the soul of an Earthling. Literally, really.” I shrugged, but made sure to keep my face serious to show I meant this. “It’s a matter of morality for me, but, to answer your question properly, it isn’t the right time.”

Midirn scratched his chin, looking at me before raising his head a bit. “Got it. It’s a matter of they-know-we-know. We can expose that one knight right there, but it would only alarm everybody else. We want the Prince of Envy, not some goon. But, then … here is another question. Why wouldn’t the Pope just run away in that case? There is no reason to risk confronting us.”

“There is,” Theodore interjected. “It is a matter of authority. If the pope isn’t around, then even his associates can’t defend him. Leaving Aureolis is essentially handing over the authority and influence the demonkin had built up over these years to us. Our main issue is that the pope is the Prince of Envy and, if we were to directly accuse him and reveal the evidence we have, then nobody could argue against it. After all, who would denounce a blessed for misunderstanding our Goddess’s words? The vicar? He isn’t the pope—the leader; the distinction is important.”

He then turned his head around to me, glaring at me as cold sweat ran down my spine. “Which brings me to you. Why, in the Goddess’s name, did you do that? Antagonize everybody right at the start? Lady Hestia, did you forget? One of our winning conditions is to win over their favor to assure Saelariel’s Church of Aurena can support you!”

I guessed I deserved this …

Sighing as I felt the stares from everybody, I filled up my lungs before giving my answer, “Because we don’t need to go through the empty words the cardinals will say to me, which will all lead into the same situation we just had. Yes, I dialed up the arrogance a bit too much and made myself seem less likable. However, there is something to say about a Champion showcasing their strength and being able to act upon it to deliver results. If you were in the position of the priests today, what would you think after casting that [Prayer]?”

“… If three blessed managed to cast a [Blessing of the Goddess of Light (Major)] without the need for help, then I would be stunned. Baffled. And I would worship them, as that meant our Goddess chose the correct people.” Theodore sighed. “However, I know from how quickly you cast it that you were the only one who invested mana into it. If any crafty clergyman noticed this fact, then they’d realize that you, as a Champion, are at the level of a master mage at least—possibly an archmage candidate.”

“And there will be,” I added. “I remember from a random talk I had that there is a bishop who has [Major Heal]. Meaning, if experienced mages and priests were among the congregation, it should be easy to gain those people’s favor.”

“Yes, I remember. Hmm, Amadeus, correct?” I vigorously nodded to his statement, happy he still remembered the “Pale Child” incident. “His father did pay a bishop in an attempt to heal him.”

“Shihaha, in a way, it does make sense for a dragon to show off her powers!” Neill smiled mischievously.

“True!” Midirn added.

[“Although, it does go against her usual behavior,”] Beth commented, hitting the reason why I felt bad about it. [“Your attitude during the summit showed, Princess!”]

[“Still, I think it doesn’t address the Cardinal’s annoyance completely, though.”] However, Shay was the only one who actually sided with Theodore, looking more strictly. [“The issue is that you went ahead without everybody’s input into it, even if your reasoning and decision made sense.”]

“No, I think we can forgive her for this, Lord Theodore,” Fleindia came to my support. “You haven’t experienced it yourself yet, but the announcement and welcoming of a blessed takes an immeasurable amount of time. The greeting, welcoming, matters amongst aristocrats, the [Prayer] singing, introductions, and then you are led somewhere to celebrate and talk about a blessed’s duty and what they did. Every time I had to do it, it would also last until the afternoon.”

I nodded and thanked her for understanding why I did it. I’ve experienced it with Eshe in Griffonpeak, then Estralia’s Gleisvale, and lastly in Yeos’s Elyonda. Even if it made me less likable right now, I could prove to them afterwards, since we still had plenty of time to work on everything.

“Ah, I understand. It is to give all of us more time for today, while also leaving the opponent flabbergasted,” Saori realized before looking outside, locating the position of the sun. “It is … just past the lunch bell. We can get our belongings out and make plans now, instead of having to speak to random priests. Also, we skipped the part about them confronting the students about losing their hero status or anything about the newspaper. Not to mention questioning me, a clear dark mage, or them investigating Asaka’s situation. Good thinking, Hestia.”

I showed her a peace sign. Considering how often I’ve been spending my time around adults and politicians, I honestly should have caught onto something. How people tick and what would benefit us in general, for example. Yes, I didn’t talk about it to my party, but sometimes improvisations were needed.

Theodore apologized and took my reasoning as the foundation for the plan forward. Fleindia and he would speak with their contacts while pushing my image as an extremely competent Champion amongst the more magically-inclined priests. In addition, since support from commoners was important, we also had to make a plan to go down into the lower city and speak with people.

“If they are mages, then God Istari will also come into play, my apprentice,” Master brought up. “I would suggest maybe inspiring some of the younger priests, maybe some of the temporary ones, at least.”

Wait … is he suggesting what I am thinking?

“You are, at the end of the day, still a priestess. You have your duties to do here and you need to act like one while you are here; am I not right, Saintess Fleindia?”

She nodded. “Correct. Don’t worry, I’ve been through it for practically my entire life now. Just remember to wake up early in the morning and I can get you through the routine without any issue.”

“I will be joining you. Istari be praised, being able to act like a priest of Aurena for a day might be interesting, ha ha ha. I would also like us to entertain the idea of joining the lessons here. As an experienced mage, maybe it is time for you to teach others?”

I shook my head, grimacing. “Can we please not! I-I don’t want to teach strangers, all right?”

“Didn’t you teach me how to fight though?” Ellaine brought up.

“Similarly.” Tasianna nodded.

“You taught me the basics of magic,” Saori reminded me. “You are not good with the explanation—you take too long—but you are good when it comes to the execution and showing people what to do. Teachers who are good at showing the practical skills and applications of theory are extremely popular amongst students, you know. If you want, I could always give you some tips.”

“Teaching the younger generation to build up your support force is quite the interesting proposal, you must admit,” Renee tried to persuade me. “Don’t forget, there is the importance of building trust with people that can help you with Aureolis after everything is done. You need help from the Knights of Aureolis, the residents of the lower city, and then also various members of the administrative division. How does a prince rule over his country? He earns the respect and trust of his advisors, because you aren’t a one-man army in governance. You are always a team.”

“Speaking out of experience?” Neill probed, earning her a very loud sigh.

“It’s worse than the summit we just had,” Renee answered. “The summit might have decided our future, but making sure your ruined country can get back on its feet is a different matter. Economics, religious satisfaction, and the fact I am still trying to remind some of our older nobles that we can’t regain our honor as knights if all they do is lounge around while everybody else works on rebuilding!”

Yikes, she must have it tough.

With everything settled for now, we now had some time to kill before everybody’s rooms were prepared. As such, it should be time for all of us to do whatever we could today, to take advantage of the time I’ve given us.

Saori wanted to spend some time with her shadow pack to tackle the spying part, while also finding a way for us to open our subspace without anybody noticing—people still didn’t know I was a void-touched here. Meanwhile, Neill wanted to check out the place, as it would probably turn into a battlefield in the near future.

“Fleindia, mind tagging along with me? You know the area the best and, if somebody is asking why we’re looking around so much, you can probably convince them we’re not suspicious,” Neill requested.

“Also, to prevent her from starting any fights …” Renee shook her head. “I’ll come with you, too.”

“Oi, stop thinking of me as that belligerent prick from the past!”

… Disregarding those two, it was decided that Sis, Renee, Fleindia, and the twins would scour the church grounds for any weakeness, while also taking a look at the knights or any suspicious people. Master wanted to look for accommodations for the other saurians, while Theodore also wanted to visit the library and speak with his contacts. Since both matters were in the admin building, those two Istari followers joined up and would go there with, presumably, the rest of the saurians.

That left Tasianna, Ellaine, and Midirn with me. I had a separate matter I wanted to address today. Although I’ve never been here before, there were people I just had to visit, and I hoped both were healthy. After drinking some dragorade to recuperate from spending that much mana, we left the guest manor and walked over to the orphanage, where the grey-priest dormitory also was.

Where are Krim and the others? I did wonder when we exited the building and didn’t see them, but decided to ignore it for now. They might be rowdy, but they weren’t mischief makers.

“Hey, Midirn.” Before we entered it, I wanted to speak with my bodyguard. “We haven’t spoken much up until now, but I just wanted to tell you in advance that I’m probably not going to act as you might think I should.”

“Why would you say that?”

“It’s just … Pradreo and Skardrvo, you know? They are really sweet with how they worry about me, but they also get a bit weird with their bloodthirsty side. You know my sister, and, to be frank, I am nowhere close to her in personality. My feral side is reserved for mortal enemies alone.”

Ellaine laughed as I made that explanation. “If you want a good example, then imagine how Tasianna was during the expedition.”

“A bit uncouth, no?” Tasianna pouted.

“Rahaha! I get it, I get it. Like mistress, like maid, right?” Midirn straighten his back and raised his tail. “Understood. If that is the case, then I will adjust. Also, Princess, you already heard this enough from Yorshka, but your dragonewt clan has your back. My decision to come here isn’t exactly purely for your cause, but you are family.”

‘Not purely?’ Will that be a problem? Well, I can’t ask him now after just spouting all that privacy stuff. Maybe later.

With the air cleared from before, we entered the building, overhearing some of the grey-robes recognizing me and having heard about me from their masters. “Scary dragon princess,” “powerful priestess,” “avoid unless addressed,” those were the sorta words that reached my ears, and some of them quickly realized they shouldn’t be saying anything since I had improved hearing. Well, a bit too late for that, but I didn't pay them any mind anyways.

“Amadeus Chezaic?” A grey-robe working inside an office tilted his head as I asked him about my quarry.

I nodded. “Yes. A former aristocrat. Had to give up his house name. Pale blight syndrome. If you don’t know that name, I am also looking for a wolfkin with dog-like ears named Lily.”

“I-I apologize, grey-robes come and go from here, either serving a master, being sent to another church, serving a noble, or they return when their master releases them. We do not have a roster of every one. The orphanage director has one, but she is currently visiting her family for New Year’s Eve, my lady.” He bowed, looking a bit nervous. “I could ask around if you wish.”

“That would be very helpful, thank you.”

“Then, please, make yourself comfortable. I will have some tea and treats readied.”

As us girls sat on a nearby couch, Midirn kept watch and stood next to the door, prompting Ellaine to do the same. Since she was technically my knight, she was peer pressured into acting like one right now. It was amusing to watch her act like this, but at the same time, it seemed to be making the other grey-robes inside the room nervous.

After a while, the tea and treats arrived and we tasted everything, although it wasn’t really top-tier. It was decent and serviceable, but to my palette, it was a bit lacking. Nobody could beat Tasianna when it came to tea, after all.

[“Don’t forget, the grey-robes who stay behind at the orphanage or away from their masters are usually less qualified attendants,”] Ellaine reminded me, also dissatisfied with the taste.

Well, I didn’t want to act like a posh, snobbish little lady … but, I had to admit that I’ve become a bit more picky with my tastes. Man, somehow, I missed the days when I ate rocks just ‘cause I was curious. Was I becoming spoiled? No, no, as an idol and a responsible person, I shouldn’t think of eating more rocks.

Rocks are friends, not food. I mean, even if Gravy doesn’t have the emotional capacity to feel any dread, he is still my pet rock. Eating rocks is wrong.

Gladdened I managed to make that distinction clear to myself, the grey-robe eventually returned and informed us that some could remember a wolfkin called Lily, but couldn’t remember where she had gone. Fortunately, he mentioned Amadeus was picked by a reputable high bishop to be his musician.

“You are looking for High Bishop Rasheid of Sarkafiina.”

Sarkafiina?

“You may usually find him inside the library or in the classrooms. He teaches the new lords and ladies of cloth, my lady. Uhm, but if you wish to speak with the grey-robe personally without his master’s awareness, you may find him inside the white-robe dormitory. As a high bishop, he lives on the upper floors.”

I thanked the grey-robe, gifting him a basket full of fruits before we left, walking towards the dormitories instead of speaking with the high bishop. I just wanted to see if Amadeus was all right; after all, I was kinda, sorta responsible for him being here, even if it was his own actions that led to this.

A former noble lord born with the Pale Blight, also known as albinism, and Raffarson’s Debilitation, a genetic disease where your mana paths were too fragile to transport mana around their body. He was trapped inside his room for most of his life as his skin was too sensitive to the sun, while the mana he was born with was actively trying to kill him. Sadly, to heal him, his father became complicit with the onnikai incident in Firwood as he personally funded the research of the alchemist responsible for it, Davison.

For their crimes, his father and step-mother were executed, his half-sisters banished to their maternal side’s family, while he was exiled and forced to join the clergy as a grey-robe. Suffice to say, for an ill person like that, it was practically impossible for him to perform the strenuous duties of a grey-robe.

I was worried for him, but as time went by and all the other disasters happened, I mostly forgot about him. Until I talked with Theodore again and all those memories resurfaced, and here we were.

“Talk!”

Hmm?

As we were about to arrive at the dormitory, my ears suddenly picked up a conversation to the side, behind the admin building. It wasn’t loud enough for me to pick up the rest of the conversation as the noise of the priests around us with their stomping feet drowned the rest. I shrugged my shoulders, ignored it and continued walking, until I heard somebody else raise their voice.

“—n’t know her! My lord, please, allow me to go. I need to clean—”

“This is a matter of our Church, you imbecile! We need to know more about this Champion!”

Located. My ears finally managed to pierce through all the noise, pinpointed where the people were on my [Detection Sensor]. Considering a man mentioned a “Champion,” then they must be speaking about Renee or me, right? Well, now I really couldn’t stop my curiosity … especially with how loud they were.

“You think this is some joke? Lord Rasheid can’t protect you when the Vicar comes over to ask for you! So, do me and the High Bishop a favor and tell me what you know. That way I can give it to the cardinals, and then we can leave you and your master alone. Understood? It’s that easy.”

Rasheid? Vicar? Info? A threat?

Following the voice, we ended up in the large garden, noticing large wall-like shrubbery blocking our view of the entire place. Snow had completely covered every inch of green, making me want to just lay down and make a snow angel, but I kept moving forward until I found the men responsible for the noise.

Two white-robes, four knights, and two grey-robes were ganging up against a single grey-robe pinned against the wall. The latter had a hoodie covering his head up until one of the knights pulled it off, shoving the man forward onto the ground.

“This is your last chance, grey-robe. This is for the sake of the Goddess! Speak now, or we can leave you to the vicar,” one of the white-robes growled.

Leaving the man to lower his head and beg, “I don’t know anything! Please, let me go! I need to finish Lord Rasheid’s laundry. Please, my lord priest!”

He changed, looking slightly healthy and more fed, but that pale skin was still as ghostly as I remembered it.

… Amadeus.

“Excuse me,” I raised my voice, pushing my anger back. “There is a limit to just how much you can use our Goddess’s name to excuse your shameful deeds.”

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A note from AbyssRaven

Man, I really love this title I gave this chapter. The benefits and consequences of skipping dialogues. Hestia, this isn't your second play through! Stop skipping cut scenes!

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