Slowly, a man draped in a long white robe stepped out of the city. He walked with his hands behind his back, and his sharp hazel eyes fixed onto Verity. He most definitely carried himself like a highly ranked member of the clergy, but the faint smile on his lips sent shivers running down Verity's spine.

As he approached, Regias pressed his palms together and bowed his head. “Please forgive me Cardinal Farey, I-”

The Cardinal, however, had no interest in the guard, and his attention promptly shifted to Evangelina. “What a pleasure it is to see you, Duchess Dreadmoore. It has been quite a while, hasn’t it?” He said as he stroked his neatly trimmed beard.

Seeing him, Evangelina’s eye twitched and she clicked her tongue in irritation. “What are you doing so far away from the capital, Farey?” There was clear aggression in her voice, but she still managed to keep her hostility in check.

Farey’s gaze flicked to Verity, scrutinizing him with almost surgical interest. “You see… the Holy Temple has received an anonymous tip.” He tilted his head, like a predator spotting his prey. “Reports of a planewalker… And of course, we cannot take such matters lightly.”

The Cardinal marched in Verity’s direction, stopping only when they were but a few inches apart. The man was slightly taller than Verity, and he seemed to enjoy the fact that he could look down at him. “Black hair, eyes of fire, and skin as white as snow…” Farey’s voice almost conveyed admiration, but there was something unsettling in it.

Evangelina tensed, and her stance tightened. “I’ve already told the guard, but this is-”

“Yes, an enslaved relative of a friend, was it?” He placed a hand on Verity’s shoulder with strength that did not match his stature.

‘Damn, is he trying to crush my bones!?’ Verity gritted his teeth as he felt a tinge of pain.

Farey let go before causing any lasting damage, and patted Verity’s shoulder like one would a misbehaving child. “Still, it’d be better to perform the appropriate tests.” He said, before glancing at Regias. “Bring the orb.” He ordered

Regias jumped at the opportunity to flee the two leviathans, if only for a moment. “Right away, your Eminence!”

He turned his heel, eager to escape, but a sudden pressure weighed down on him. “Move another muscle and see what happens, Regias.” Evangelina growled as her brows furrowed.

Regias froze instantly, and he held a tear from running down his cheek. ‘I…I should have enjoyed my life a bit more…’ He thought.

Evangelina then took a step toward the cardinal, the ground cracking under her feet. Her sheer presence made the air around them heavy, almost unbearable. “I’ve already vouched for this man’s identity. Hence, there is no need for any tests, Cardinal Farey.”

The Cardinal smiled softly, but there was nothing soothing about it. “If it is as you say, then there should be no issues if we perform the test, no?”

Evangelina’s fingers flexed around the shaft of her spear. “Indeed, but now I feel as though you’re insulting my character, and insulting a Duchess does not come cheap.”

‘Oh! The insult card! There’s no escaping that one!’ Verity thought as he watched the two titans clash.

The Cardinal scoffed, not intimidated in the slightest. “I wouldn’t dare, Duchess… but despite your feelings, the law is the law, and I am simply upholding it, as per the authority granted to me by the Holy Temple of Terras.”

Evangelina’s patience thinned. She couldn’t believe she was arguing with this child, and even more so, she couldn’t believe she was losing. She took a deep breath, and she decided to show him that she could fight with more than just a spear.

“You know, Cardinal, forget his Holiness, even the Great Saint himself must compromise with me, and yet you still stand in my way?” She tilted her head, giving the cardinal an accusatory look. “...Or is it that you hold yourself in such high regard? Above even the Great saint?” A sneer curled her lips. “That would be quite… blasphemous, wouldn’t it?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

‘Ohhh!!! Good one!!’ Verity thought, barely able to keep his face neutral.

For the first time, Farey’s mask slipped, and his eye twitched. Even the faint smile he’d kept on his lips wavered, but still, he’d been doing this for a long time, so he composed himself immediately.

With a dry chuckle, he passed his fingers through his beard. “Of course, I cannot compare to the Great Saint, or you, who is just as…. Respectable.” Then his voice dipped lower. “But you seem to forget something.”

Evangelina raised an eyebrow. “Do tell.”

His smile grew a little wider. “...This isn’t the mere demand of a Cardinal, but the law of the Terras Kingdom. To refuse the law put in place by His Highness, the king, is to think yourself above him.”

This time, he took a step toward the Duchess, drawing closer, and his voice was quiet, but it carried a suffocating weight behind it. “...Perhaps that means nothing to you, famed and powerful as you are, but… what do you think will become of a Duchy that rebels against the royal family?”

Verity grimaced as the Cardinal said those last words. ‘That… sounds an awful lot like a threat…Won’t master lose her sh*t…?’

But that was not the case, his master was cal-

CRACK

Well, mostly calm. A hole with the shape of her fist been created into the city wall.

“Fine! Do what you have to do, Farey, but trust that I will not let this one go easily.” She spat as she planted her spear in the ground and crossed her arms.

Farey smiled, and clapped his hands. “Fantastic! Now, go, bring the orb, guard.”

“Y-Yes, your Eminence!”

Evangelina bit her lip as she watched the guard scurry away. ‘I know Thragnuk said it could fool an archbishop, but we’ll have to hope he outdid himself on this one...’

If someone she’d vouched for was exposed as a planewalker, even she would be in trouble. Plus, though she would never admit it, she somewhat liked the kid. She didn’t want to have to choose between him and her house.

Verity shot her a glance. From what he remembered, a Cardinal was supposed to be higher ranked than a bishop, which meant that chances of him being found out were extremely high. ‘Is this going to be okay?’ He tried to convey with his worried eyes.

His master simply nodded, as that was all she could do. ‘It’ll be fine…’ Her eyes answered. ‘Probably…’

‘What!!?’

His master looked away.

“I’ve brought the orb, your Eminence!” Regias exclaimed with heavy pants. It seemed he’d sprinted there and back, hoping to at least not anger the Cardinal any further.

Farey snatched the orb from the man’s hands, and he approached Verity with it, his gait slow and measured. “If you really were a slave of the Empire, you might not know this, but this orb is quite special.”

Suddenly, as he held it within his palm, the orb shone with a bright blue color, illuminating their surroundings. “You see, we all have what we call a ‘mana signature’, and although they all differ, it so happens that all creatures from one singular world will have at a least a fraction of that ‘signature’ in common. This artifact was designed to recognize just that.”

With his outstretched hand, he extended the orb toward Verity. “The test is simple, young one. Place your palm on this orb, and if it shines blue, then it is my mistake… “ His smile grew eerie, almost sadistic. “...If it shines red, however, I’ll have no choice but to escort you to the Holy Temple myself.”

Verity stared at the orb, then at Farey, then back at the orb. “Uh, yeah, totally” He muttered, his heart racing.

He didn’t really have a choice anyway. ‘Here goes nothing.’ He thought.

But before he could place his palm on top of the orb, he heard a voice in his mind.

[Your sponsor coughs, ‘I would advise against doing that…’]

Verity raised an eyebrow as his fingers froze an inch from the orb. ‘What? Why?’

[Your sponsor looks away, embarrassed. ‘I’m not exactly on… good terms with Terras…’]

Verity’s brow twitched ‘...Can the orb find out we’re connected?’

[Your sponsor nods. ‘If it’s this man, and if Terras happens to be paying attention, then probably, yes.’]

Verity sighed. ‘So if I’m found out, it'll be bad… Thanks, I already had that part figured out.’ He thought as he prepared himself to place his hand on the orb once more. Due to the short pause, the Cardinal had a slight frown on his face, and was ready to force Verity’s hand on the orb if it came down to it.

[Your sponsor crosses her arms. ‘...Well, go ahead if you really want to, but if Terras finds you, forget torture, or even death, she’ll have those guys destroy your soul entirely as retaliation against me.’]

Verity’s hand froze, again, and a bead of sweat rolled down his temple. ‘That sounds… bad’

[Your sponsor scoffs. ‘It is. Really bad, even.’]

‘… I guess you also came with some sort of solution if you went out of your way to warn me, right?’

[Your sponsor twirls a strand of her hair. ‘Maybe… but if I remember correctly… I’m useless, right?’]

Verity closed his eyes, now regretting having said that. ‘...Seriously?’