“Today’s session may begin! Representing Pope Gwyn and the Church of the Goddess’s leadership, Cardinal Vicar Marius von Zahbak.”

The vicar, adorned in radiant white-golden garbs, stepped away from the altar and stood in front of all of us, resting his gloved hands on the podium. Our group, along with the congregation of priests, stood up together, showing the vicar the necessary respect by silently praying for his health, although I was more occupied with how this would progress. Once everybody sat back down, the bishop’s announcement of the vicar’s arrival continued.

“This is an emergency session. As we have informed everybody, there was an attack yesterday in the middle district of the laity section.”

Slight grunts filled the basilica’s pristine white halls, echoing off the walls, floor, and ceiling as if this was one giant cave. It felt so loud, even if I didn’t have my inhuman hearing I would have probably heard all of them.

“This is unprecedented. Even during the faefolk war, never once have our walls fallen. Never once has the Goddess’s protection not kept our people safe. We have lived in safety behind our mana barrier for generations, for over 600 years, since the Empire was founded and the war against the demonkin began once again.” The bishop clapped his hands, acting like a signal for the priests to nod and join in the fervor he was creating with this speech. “With our blessing. With Aureolis’s blessing. With Pope Arminsal’s blessing, the Empire of Folschreck was founded in the year 2000 after the Origin God’s descent, and King Karlsvenni of the glorious von Numerus dynasty was crowned as the first Holy Emperor of Mankind. Our bulwark against the demonkin!”

Oh, fun. A history lesson on Folschreck’s founding emperor, which I haven’t once touched. I glanced over at Saori who had her eyes and ears glued to the bishop’s word. I sighed. Oh well, better late than never.

House von Numerus was completely unknown to me, and from the way the bishop was praising it, it seems the dynasty most likely was now extinct or otherwise fell on hard times. Similar to Elyonda, where one house took over their founding house, the same could apply within the Folschreck Empire, although this would be a better guess if I knew who the Emperor was. Regardless, the name “Numerus” was familiar to me, as that was the name of the continent the founder of the Empire came from before Bole’Taria took it over. I just didn’t know his house was named after it.

It made sense.

While I was enjoying the fact I figured this connection out, the priests around me began to clap, praising this “Holy Emperor Karlsvenni” like a celebrity. I guess it was the same for us Americans and President George Washington. A historical founder whose name symbolized the pride of a nation.

“I request silence.” The vicar raised his hand, causing any rambunctious priest to settle down. “I understand everybody’s anger. After all, this is the Goddess’s holy place. Where her religion began, and where all of us can personally connect to her spiritually. This is where pilgrims travel to worship her at the first altar that we, the Church of Aurena, dedicated to her faith. We have an obligation to protect Aureolis and her people.”

“Let the Goddess’s light reveal the criminals!” The majority—men and women, young and old—shouted behind and in front of me, prompting the vicar to once again raise his hand to quiet them. He especially glared at the bishops and cardinals sitting at the altar who participated.

… Hold on, isn’t one of the cardinals missing? I tilted my head as I recalled seeing six cardinals flanking the altar, yet today there were only five. Maybe one of them got sick?

He shook his head before he started rummaging through his robes, before revealing something akin to a white metal ball with weird feather-like patterns. Holding it up high for everybody to see, the entire room gasped. This audibly shook the hall, as I saw even the knights let their guards down. Similarly, Fleindia, Renee, and Theodore had their eyes wide open.

“In these times of need, the pope has agreed to grant to me, his vicar, the authority of the church’s leadership. Until Pope Gwyn manages to overcome his nightmares, or until another pope is voted worthy of this spot, I shall grant the Church of Aurena my full dedication.” The orb in his hand began glowing pure-white, shining so brightly the bronze hue of the metal ball disappeared within it. “In my possession is [Providence’s Will]. It has accepted me.”

As the light dimmed, the real appearance of the orb revealed itself. The feathers opened up, forming four same sized wings, only leaving a bronze-plated spine behind from the ball’s original look. Behind this was an white orb with swirling fluids, looking very much like milk from this distance. I had a feeling this was a catalyst.

And my assumption proved correct when people began mumbling “Goddess Andira’s catalyst” and asking “Can it be this urgent?” As the hall became louder with the vicar showing no signs of stopping it, I turned to Theodore to explain this fuss.

“Goddess Andira’s catalyst is a sacred object she left behind after the demon war. Created by God Istari, this catalyst is considered by all followers of the church to be the strongest holy catalyst ever created. No alchemist has ever been able to replicate it.” He then pointed at the milky ball. “The wings and bronze ball were added onto the white catalyst afterwards, to make it appear more divine and awe-bringing. Like a book cover, protecting the beautifully written prose inside.”

I thought the “nobody able to replicate it” part was a bit of an exaggeration at first, but apparently the catalyst was made with the essence of the defeated Light Elemental Emperor. Similar to Yeostar receiving his arena or how his bloodline was sanctified as a gift upon joining Aurena’s pantheon, Andira’s reward for following Aurena was this catalyst. If that was the case, then yes, the statement was probably true.

“It has restrictions, though,” Fleindia added. “Considering that a mortal should not possess the power of a demi-god, for the sake of the world’s balance, through an item, [Providence’s Will]’s full potential has been sealed since Goddess Andira’s ascension. No blessed of Goddess Andira has been documented to have unlocked it.”

I raised a brow, looking around the hall and how literally everybody was clapping. “Then why are people so excited about it?”

“Because even if its potential is restricted, it now acts as Aureolis’s symbol of defense. Even weakened, the catalyst empowers holy mages to the point they’re at the offensive power of a master mage. If the mage is actually competent, then … ‘Fear me, oh, my arrogant enemies. Woe to thee and thy allies, for divine power cometh before thee. The light beckons, and the light taketh the darkness within thy soul.’ That’s what Popess Gwynevere said as she slew two armies of Aureolis’s invaders before she succumbed to arcane corruption. She was our second pope.” Fleindia held her hands together, praying.

Renee turned her head around, looking uncomfortable. “And I heard the vicar is a strong mage. A master mage, in fact, who has access to [Sacred Magic Lv. 8].”

Eight? So, he has [Heaven’s Sword], too. Geez, and this guy is supposed to be our enemy …

If Saori’s information could be trusted, then the vicar was working with the Prince of Envy. Considering how much he looked like a stereotypical wizard with a long grey beard and how a high bishop like Rasheid knew [Major Heal], I could very much believe his competency. This was the center of Aurena’s faith, meaning this catalyst was the holy grail for every holy mage.

So, what did this mean? What was the vicar’s intention here? Considering it surprised Fleindia and Theodore, it meant they never once considered it. They never told me this catalyst existed, after all.

“I request silence!” Having heard enough, the vicar raised his hand. “As you must understand, it means Aureolis and its city are in danger. 39 laity died yesterday; even more would have fallen if Saintess Fleindia hadn’t intervened. Bless her soul.”

“Praise the Saintess! Praise Goddess Erithia!” the priests yelled.

And what about me? Huh? Urgh, how untasteful. They know I can’t speak up!

“Although we couldn’t apprehend the two terrorists responsible for this insanity, Champion Hestia and her party’s effort to capture the bandits working alongside this attack allowed us to interrogate them.” Naturally, nobody cheered for me, so the vicar continued without an issue. “The Knight-Commander managed to extract the location of their hideout—inside one of our towns, unfortunately. As per Saintess Fleindia’s testimony, the people who attacked her yesterday were demonkin. Meaning, Bole’Taria and their otherworldly gods have finally decided to intrude into the Goddess’s holy place!”

But you support the demonkin, so of course you would know something even before the commander finds anything! I was really keeping myself from saying anything. If the damn Prince of Envy would show himself already, I could stop this entire farce with [My Darkest Thought].

Sadly, the enemy knew plenty of things about us already. The fact that I could stop demonic powers, that our party had access to [Room] due to my concerts—although they probably didn’t know the exact method or that I was the caster—and that somebody could usurp demonic influences. It was sooo much easier when nobody knew what I could do.

Knowing nothing about the situation, nearly every single priest inside cheered for this moment, expressing how the “demonkin will suffer divine punishment.” I did look around the room a bit to notice a few people not celebrating. Fleindia and Theodore both explained the few people looking at the situation stoically were their allies.

“Hopefully they can do something, then …” I grimaced.

“They will. Would you like me to remind you that we just arrived four days ago? You wanted this warto revolve around ‘faith,’ so give us the time to execute this plan!” Theodore chastised me. “Patience, Lady Hestia. For the Goddess’s sake. You wanted to navigate this through diplomatic means and our associate will ensure people will be familiar with your deeds. That I assure you. Considering our partnership against House Chezaic, I had assumed you would trust my capabilities more.”

Nobles did understand politicking more than I would, and Fleindia and Theodore were the perfect pair for the job. Maybe I was getting impatient here, but who could blame me? The vicar was twisting words together to create the perfect narrative for their side, feeding it to everybody inside this church as if they were hungry pigeons, unaware their crumbs were filled with deceit.

This felt infuriating.

“As such, upon my discussion with the other cardinals, I will issue a church Quest to Champion Hestia and the Heroes of Aurena.” He turned to me, staring down with these judging eyes.

Naturally, there were people who openly argued against it, mentioning how it wasn’t right for me to be included in it. Supposedly, I wasn’t worthy since I had left Saintess Fleindia’s side. Some even reminded people about Eshe and how I had failed her, leaving her to die against the demonkin. To my chagrin, these were the exact old coots who denounced me within the admin building, telling me how I was unworthy to serve the church at my “current capacity.”

While I was ready to just ignore it, strangely enough, a few people did raise their voices in my support. “‘Current capacity?’ Then teach her, instead of complaining!” and “Her lizardman master spoke the truth, and you’re just disregarding what she did to our training field!” I could hear Master complain about being called a lizardman.

“Silence!” The vicar’s powerful voice drowned out any discontent. “I am willing to hear a proper council from all of you, but we cardinals have made our wishes clear. The Champion deserves a chance to show off her power in a more fitting setting. It is a duty of a Champion to serve the Goddess, and now, Aureolis, Her Holiness’s center of faith, is in danger from the scheming demonkin. Destroy them, Champion.”

I squinted my eyes. His intentions with this plan were clear. “What about Saintess Fleindia and Champion Rhea? Are you only sending me and the otherworldly heroes?”

“That is the idea; you will go with candidate Asaka. You must show your power and so do the Heroes of the Goddess. They have traveled for nearly two years now, and it is beyond time for them to show their achievements. After all, only by defeating the demonkin king will the Goddess allow them to return to their world!”

“Praise to the Goddess! Praise to her heroes!”

“May Saint candidate Asaka bring the criminals to justice!”

There was jubilation, but not for our group.

‘Not the right place.’ Yeah, I remember that line. So they want to isolate Asaka, the students, and me from everybody else to attack us. Hmph, would get me to the prince faster, but I don’t want to fight him in his trap.

Leaving Yorshka, Master and the saurians, Midirn, Saori, Tasianna, the twins, and Neill behind meant Fleindia and Renee would be extra safe from any attack they launched at them. Only sending the students with me into a far-off place was a clear sign they wanted to get rid of all the problematic people. If the students and I were dead, this entire faith war would be over.

Knowing this, I was about to stand up to oppose this so-called quest, but Asaka reacted faster.

“So, after all this time, all of you are still like this, huh? No shame in the fact your ‘goddess’ had to summon some people from another world to solve your issues?” Asaka scowled at the congregation. “Having us all do your fetch work and promotional events. Did any of you even consider our stance here, or has Goddess Aurena also given all of you a holier-than-thou-not-my-problem attitude? ‘Cause that is exactly what I am feeling here by sending us on a ‘trial run.’”

… What exactly is she trying to do here?

As confused as I was about her sudden irritation, the priests all looked at each other as if they weren’t understanding a single word she was saying. Understanding her anger, Tatsuya and the other students tried to stop her, but the blue-haired girl kept on speaking.

“That! That’s exactly it! What real reason is there to only send us into the lair of a demonkin? It’s clearly a trap, I mean, come on! I mean, a town? Really? Might as well tell Hestia not to drop a giant bomb to just eradicate them all! But, oh, let me guess, that would be the next thing you would tell us to assure people wouldn’t get suspicious, right?” She looked at the vicar. “Here’s the thing. We all are working to return home, but I think you might have guessed this already from our lack of correspondence, but we aren’t working for you any longer.”

Stolen novel; please report.

Ah, I kinda forgot there was somebody with a shorter fuse than me.

The vicar eyed her and the students, who all smacked their faces lightly from Asaka’s declaration. “… What is that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what you heard.”

Correction, there were plenty of people with shorter fuses. Neill, for example.

My older sister glared at the cardinals, causing some to twitch back. “I don’t take orders from the Church of Aurena. You dare look down at me? Who are you to tell me to stay away from my younger sister, or that I am unwelcome here? You can shut it!”

“Insolence! The Goddess is also your goddess, Kargryxmor’s spawn! This is Her church!” The priests shouted. “Knights, she does not belong here if she rudely speaks such words to Her servants!”

As the guard turned their attention to Neill, Midirn stood up. He turned his head around, inspecting the surrounding, causing the knights to take a step back.

Massaging his chin, he said, “The imperial princess will do what she wants. If you wish to say something, then do it with less of a ‘tone.’”

“Father’s horns, with how you’ve been treating my little sister and her friends, none of you have the right to order me around or ask favors!” Neill huffed, puffing her chest up as she proudly proclaimed that. “Let me make it clear, Champion Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor is Kargryx’s Champion! As you all said, God Kargryxmor is Goddess Aurena’s subordinate god, meaning we of the Dragon Empire have as much right in speaking up our minds!”

However, unlike Asaka, Neill actually turned her temper into a political statement! Was her time working at the summit actually beneficial for her?

She continued, “As my sister has said, she is a Champion of Goddess Aurena! She is your Champion, but you dare put a ‘trial’ on her? Are your opinions worth more than an Origin Goddess’s? If you ask me, the Church of Aurena thinking they have a right to order her direct Champion is the reason why she so urgently ordered to revoke the pope’s right as a leader. Evidently, considering how arrogant his vicar is!”

Heilige scheiße, Sis!

Dropping that bombshell of a statement, my kirin sister fluttered her long, fluffy hair around. Even though she didn’t have the most appropriate attire or appearance—she was just wearing her scale kimono that exposed a large part of her chest and legs, and her hair was still a lion mane-like mess—her charisma and presence were hard to ignore. She put her foot down for our party.

This caused some priests to finally bellow out what they actually thought about us. Many had suspected the newspaper was entirely correct that I had attacked Elyonda with the grimgarians and that was why Renee was with me. This conjecture evolved as they directed everybody's attention towards Saori and Asaka, mentioning their amulets and attire. That they were servants of the Pantheon of Dark.

Guess it’s finally time.

Asaka pulled off her necklace, showing it off to the entire congregation. “Took all of you long enough to realize this. Yes, I’m no longer a ‘Hero of Aurena’ as you idiots kept trying to label me as. This time, it was my choice. I am Asaka Hanazawa, Saintess of Ilsaphone, Goddess of Death and Necromancy.”

“Huh!”

The collective priests all pulled out their catalysts with some knights unsheathing their weapons. They drew them at Asaka.

[“… It is good to see that one of the four that I trained had grown a strong spine,”] Belzac whispered in everybody’s mind, agitating Saori to act.

She sighed and stood up with her Belzac pendant fully in view. “And so am I. I am Saori Segawa, former classroom teacher of these Japanese students that you kidnapped. I am an [Otherworldly Reincarnator] similar to the Revolution Queen, and a Champion of Edna, Goddess of Monster and Fertility.”

As the gasps of the crowd only grew louder, Saori then turned to the vicar, squinting at him. “And we aren’t here to hurt Goddess Aurena. The fact that three blessed are willing to have us here is proof of that. Brainwashing? Nonsense. We are all allies here working towards one goal.”

“A blessed of the dark gods can never work with ours! You are the enemy! A pawn of Marsven and his perverted pantheon and racial abominations! Vampires, goblins, ogres, and all the other demi-humans are a result of your pantheon’s debauched behavior! Knights!”

“And that is where you are wrong.” I stood up, tapping Theodore’s exasperated shoulder. “The Goddess has revealed it to me personally. She and God Marsven are not enemies.”

“That is because she is benevolent!” a cardinal argued. “It has been said multiple times from her blessed. Documented since the first conflict between our church. The Goddess is the most benevolent and peaceful of the Origin Gods, and all she wishes is for her followers to walk on her path of light. The shadows are nothing but stones on the sidewalk. It is clear she wants us to ignore them, but her wisdom is unfathomable! She would never condemn a fellow Origin God, no, but she holds—”

“Enough!” I silenced him. “Now I understand what she meant by being aggravated by this! Her frustration with all of you putting words in her mouth. No, there are no buts or ors. She clearly stated to me that she has no feud with God Marsven; in fact, she even told me she gets along with him quite well! The truth is that there is no ill will between the gods, there is only animosity between the Church of Aurena and the Church of Marsven. It is a mortal issue!”

The vicar lowered his body, almost leaning on his podium. He looked down at me, eyes filled to the brim with suspicion … but there was a certain lack of animosity. “Are you sure you didn’t misinterpret her words, my lady? Many blessed have, after all. Your confidence is staggering considering how the words of the gods are beyond our mind to comprehend.”

“Because she has earned it.” Fleindia stood up. “Unlike Lady Rhea or me, Lady Hestia has earned the full confidence to speak on behalf of the gods. For she is fully able to speak with them without any disturbances. Sentences upon sentences, down to the details and intricacies hidden behind words. This is why she is the [The Light].”

As agreed, it was time for me to reveal the last of my three secrets to the public. That I was a dragon, that I was a Champion, that I was a—

“I am Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor, but in my former life on Earth, I was Hikari Schartner. A German-Japanese born in the USA to human parents who reincarnated into this world as the daughter of Emperor Eltharion Kargryxmor and Empress Melloxtressa Nordor. My situation is similar to Dravlia Kongun, reborn into this world with the blessing of a Goddess, but unlike her, my soul was fortified to speak to all gods. That is why I can speak so confidently, vicar!”

I then turned to the stunned congregation. “If you wish to believe me or not, then that is your choice. Faith is no absolute, it is a choice, like my choice to serve Goddess Aurena as her Champion and her first idol. She might have summoned me into this world, but I took on her Divine Quest after I aligned with her. Defy all, keep your eyes on the prize ♫ And I will make that clear to everybody with my voice!”

13 human followers gained

Total follower count updated. Total followers of [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]: 48036

13? Who though?

I pointed at the vicar and his cardinals. “And this is her message. My Divine Quest is to rid her religion from the infestation destroying its foundation! I know, Vicar, and I assure you I will get down to the issue.”

The vicar stroked his beard as the congregation started to mumble at what they had heard. Nobody spoke up against me, only waiting for the vicar to do the next move.

Weirdly, though, the vicar just smiled in response. “I see. That is the reason. I am not so suspicious as to distrust you with this, Champion Hestia. If you were lying, then either the Goddess wants you to do so or everything you just said was true. She would have reclaimed her blessing if she was displeased with you. Which means, these blessed of the Pantheon of Darkness are your allies, after all. Hmph, let me tell you outright, I have always been apprehensive of the ‘brainwashing’ idea, because our Goddess is all-seeing.”

Those who accused me of brainwashing slowly sat down.

“… I see, it was the correct choice to allow the discussion to happen later on.” He closed his eyes and opened them again. “This is why you wanted to have blessed lead us. The Goddess has deemed our church incapable of leading itself. Who am I to speak against her magnanimous self, when she summoned another ‘Hero of Aurena’ to our world?”

I squinted my eyes. Since the term was invented by the demonkin, being called such felt insulting.

He then spread his hand, one aimed at the student and another at us three blessed. “Lady Asaka has changed her allegiance, but if the blessed of the Goddess accepts her, we should too. We should respect their wishes, after all … ‘Saori Segawa?’ Was it? Does this mean you care for them?”

“You would be correct.” She grimaced.

“Then, I must apologize to you! The Goddess must have had a plan; after all, you wouldn’t be here without her. You must be a hero as well!” He lowered his head and voice, growling his words out. “Which means the other heroes who reside in the Empire must have learned the truth about you. I appreciate you telling us that you wish only the best for them.”

This result was always unavoidable purely ‘cause we had the students on the side. Franz and the others were always hostages the moment Franz figured his plan was worth the risk, returning back into the hold of the demonkin. The only issue about Saori revealing her true identity here would be that they would know she was a void-touched. The students would have always been her weakness.

“I see … I am beginning to understand the whole picture. I understand, then I must say that your suggestion would be fitting, Champion Hestia. However …” He leaned forward. “You are not fit to lead the church.”

“Pardon?”

“It is as I said, to make your idea work, you will require a blessed to properly lead the church. Someone who is acquainted with its in and out, including our culture in Aureolis and also how other lands will think and function. As the leader you are the center of faith for countless people and priests!” He raised his hands up dramatically, holding up that winged catalyst, before lowering them. “You might be a talented field captain and a fearsome combatant as a dragon, but are you a good leader for a faith? Do you know our rituals? The cardinals of other nations, aside from Cardinal Theodore?”

I remained silent.

“As I thought. Neither is Champion Rhea worthy of the role. For both of you are too young and unfamiliar to the lives of us clergy. However, there is one amongst you who I believe is fully worthy of the role. A priestess who has lived and learned the way of the clergy, who understands Aureolis as much as her own home city.”

He was right. From the point of view of the church, I was practically an outsider who knew nothing more about the church than the surface-level I have heard and seen, but a single day of Fleindia and Theodore trying to teach me how priests worked wouldn’t be enough. In fact, I wasn’t a ruler or mayor-type person. Being stuck in Aureolis would be something I could never get into purely ‘cause of my idol dream.

Even now, when it came to managing things, I was leaving that stuff to everybody else. Money, resources, even ordering people around was delegated to people with the proper expertise.

The only person who was a blessed and had an inkling of administrative talent was … Fleindia. I looked over to her, noticing her grimace as the vicar led us into this answer. He then smiled and announced this very fact, letting everybody understand Fleindia was the only capable candidate.

He just cut Renee and me out of the equation! Also, what is he doing here? Is he actually on our side here, or why was he making this process easier than I thought?

He clapped his hands. “With that, I say this meeting is over. Considering this new revelation, I must speak with the Knight-Commander on the demonkin issue. As such, I ask all of you to stay safe and report any suspicious activities to the knights. Speaking of Champion Hestia and her party … rest.”

The way he said that only made it more ominous. With that uncomfortable feeling in my chest, we left the basilica where a congregation of priests immediately began to swarm around Fleindia, showering her with praise after the Vicar’s speech. Almost as if they had forgotten about Asaka, Renee, and me once the Vicar agreed a change had to happen, but that I was the wrong person for it.

Was this jealousy? No, I didn’t want to be in the middle of a group of stuck-up priests and manage a place like this, though I would call this suffocating feeling more frustration. It felt annoying how the vicar diminished my entire revelation with a “Nah, you’re underqualified.”

Even if I was.

Fleindia gestured for us to go on ahead, leading to Midirn telling us he wanted to say something so we went to a nearby open area and began to whisper amongst us.

“I do not like this,” the dragonewt announced. “It’s clear from yesterday’s attack that we’re on the defensive right now due to a lack of information. We’ve spent some days here, but have found nothing. Your Graces, I recommended we stop this and start doing a full sweep. Overstepping some boundaries is required here.”

I winced. “Midirn, I told you already that—”

Yet, he interrupted me. “Your Highness, if I may be so bold to say, I believe your plan will not work if you keep yourself restricted to this ‘faith war’ plan. You are not just a priestess. You are a Champion. We must stop acting reactively unless we wish to face the consequences.”

He was right. I knew it from my core.

Agreeing with my thoughts, Theodore nodded. “Without a doubt. The Vicar’s speech had made me think about our situation, reinforcing my idea that we still have to support Lady Hestia’s position within the clergy. Did everybody notice? How much the Vicar is propping up Saintess Fleindia? Completely ignoring Champion Rhea’s and your contributions, Lady Hestia.”

“… It’s almost as if he was putting her in the center,” Ellaine said, turning her head around to see Fleindia still within the crowd. Her brows furrowed. “I think I should stay with her a bit.”

“We’ll help.” Tatsuya raised his arm. “The clergymen and women know us enough. They probably won’t scowl if we’re around her for protection.”

Targeting Fleindia, Renee, or me would be the ideal strategy for the demonkin, since we were needed for the final plan to work out. If something were to happen to Fleindia, any support directed towards me might vanish since people might blame me for “failing my Champion duty, again.” Renee might face similar complications.

I was surprised I had only now figured it out, but something still irked me.

“Should we start our own offensive?” Midirn proposed.

“I agree, Sir Midirn.” Theodore squinted, looking a bit gloomy with his eye shadows. “We should track down Cardinal Wendell.”

Who?

“Oh, you two noticed it as well?” Saori stopped pondering, having stayed silent this entire time.

Master, Midirn, Theodore, Yorshka, and Shay all nodded, explaining to the rest of us that there were supposed to be six cardinals but one was missing. I had also thought it weird, but didn’t bring it up since I thought he might be sick or something, yet Theodore rejected that idea. Instead, he pulled a hand-sized scroll from his pocket.

“From whom?” I asked.

Theodore leaned his head to the side, pointing at the group of clergy people. “You work with people, you get them to side with you, and this is the reward. A good speech, my lady, it won over some neutrals. A list of targets and how somebody noticed the missing cardinal removing himself from the dormitory yesterday. It is really hard to leave the basilica unnoticed, I heard.”

Just as he promised, Theodore’s and Fleindia’s contacts gave us some valuable information, specifically concerning suspects they believe might be traitors. No knights were mentioned, only white robes, with a good majority being from the empire. The six names at the bottom of the lists belonged to the six cardinals, with a special mention on Wendell, since he went missing.

“I will track him down,” Saori said. “Or, we can have one of the shadow pack do it. Regardless, I need to get access to his room but the insides of the dormitories block out dark spells. I did the tests; the darkness-blocking ward only works within the rooms.”

“Let me guess, we can’t barge in since it’ll only ruin Sis’s reputation, right?” Neill slouched, looking impatient. “How about a distraction, then?”

She then pointed at the leaving knights, noting Royce in particular.

“Get everybody’s eyes on us, which also doubles as a way for us to know who is keeping an eye on us, aside from the people on the list, right? If they come too close, the wolves should sniff them out, so let’s go!” Neill moved towards them, only for Yorshka to stop her with a smile.

Neill shrugged and let her continue, so we followed Yorshka who followed the knights back to the order’s building. There, we also noticed that the Vicar had entered the building, keeping his word of wanting to speak with the Commander. Yorshka nodded and approached the entrance, only for Royce and other knights to stop her.

“Are you only here to annoy us?” Royce snarled. “You saw and heard Lord Vicar, Yorshka.”

“What?” Yorshka played dumb. “Sorry, I didn’t really look, but can’t I go in a bit earlier? I need to talk with Kuornig a bit, you know, since we’re old friends and so on. Can’t you let me have a chat?”

“You!” Royce raised his voice, looking like he was about to explode, only to suddenly notice me and the others. He groaned, gritting his teeth. “What is this? Your princess made her point and now she’s making good on her word by storming over everything Aurolis has built up over the past 2000 years? Here I thought you would understand it at least, as a former knight.”

“I do … but you have no right to admonish me for anything, Royce.” She leaned her head closer. “You tried to kill our Matriarch’s daughter. Do you think I would forgive you for that?”

Yorshka then spread her arms out, flaunting them around at all the knights in the surrounding area.

“Look at me, my dear former compatriots! I am a dragonewt—Yorshka Sirris Nordor! A dragoon and now a knight for Champion Hestia. By her will, I am requesting an audience with Knight-Commander Kuornig of the Knights of Aurena for an important matter. Make way, or I will remind all of you why I was the Commander’s right-hand woman.”