Xenous pulled his robe straight in front of the mirror — the Holy Kingdom’s envoy would be coming shortly. Anticipating the moment that man stepped out of his carriage, caused his brows to subconsciously knit. He was not looking forward to this meeting at all.

Not only would the stake be the child of the gods he worshiped, he would be meeting a man he was not fond of interacting with. Still, he had no choice. Speaking of the princess, he wondered what she was doing now.

Ever since the operation ended, he had no idea what she had been up to lately. He heard a little from the king that she had an objective, but Xenous had no idea what it would be. How much he wanted to be involved in whatever she was doing, but a shame there was a line to it.

Still, he wished for her to seek him out.

“Do I look fine?” Xenous asked one of the priests with him in the room.

“You look splendid, High Bishop. There is nothing to worry about.”

“That may be so, but the man that is coming has one meticulous eye for appearances.”

“Do you mean he doesn’t like, what? For things to be a little disarray? Unpresentable?” asked Astine with a stoic face, almost like she wasn’t bothered by who’s coming at all, or by this situation as a whole.

Perhaps because she knew she wouldn't have to confront the problem directly.

“That’s exactly right. He’s quite a judgemental man. Despite being a priest, and despite the fact that the gods should be the ones to judge, he’ll have an opinion about you the moment he sees you.”

“I see…” she lowered her head, deliberating. Then, as if making her mind up, she raised it again and asked a question. “High Bishop, I have been meaning to ask… Why did you let her go?”

“Tina?”

“Yes. You keep indulging her every desire.… At this rate, it will only be a matter of time before she leaves the Order and goes to whatever place she ends up in.”

This morning, way early, Tina left for the adventurer’s guild after gaining the bishop’s permission to come back there, to her friends, to adventuring.

“I am against this decision of yours.” Astine continued, sharp in her words, fixing the high bishop with an angry glare. “You are too soft on her.”

Xenous could say nothing but sigh.

“I cannot understand Tina at all…” she looked away. “Are we not enough for her? Am I not enough…?”

“Astine… why do you want to hold your sister back?”

“Hold her back? No. Out there, it’s too dangerous and full of uncertainty. Away from my eyes. She could die in some backwater, or in a cave no one knows. I will not allow such a thing.”

“And you would keep her from having her wishes?”

“Not all wishes are meant to be had. Some for a good reason. Tina could have just asked to let her visit them, not return to hunt, or whatever job they get and put herself in needless danger.”

Xenous pondered. What was the best? Keep her here where it was safer and be with her family? Or be with her friends, one that she wished, but will be in constant danger?

“I wonder what the right choice would be…”

“Nothing is more right than doing it for the sake of family.”

“... You may be right, child.”

A priest entered the room. “High Bishop, the guests have entered the city.”

“Alright. Time to go and greet them.”

Satisfied with his appearance, the high bishop left the room, tailed by a pair of priests in addition to Astine. They made their way to the church entrance and waited for the guests by the doors.

A few minutes later, a carriage emerged from the covers of the buildings, followed by a couple more. Each of the three carriages was all equally extravagant. Well, in fact, they did not have a difference in design at all.

Each of the carriages was hoisting and brandishing the flag of the foreign nation. At the center was the yellow sun shooting its rays outwards, and the background reflected the pure blue sky. Guarding the carriages were the Wisterian knights riding on horses. But along with them were knights, or rather, Paladins from the Holy Kingdom.

They sported splendid and pure armor of white and gold, red capes on their back swaying in the air with grandeur. They were the image of heroes. The paragon of all that was pure and good. Still, Xenous knew that despite their appearance so grand, strength does not equal it. They were more or less as strong as the knights here in Wisteria, with the only exception that all of them knew how to cast Holy Magic. Still, that didn’t mean none of them were as strong as Xenous’s priests.

If he were to guess, the strongest within this convoy would be with the most important personnel, inside the carriages. But when it comes to overall military power, the Holy Kingdom definitely outclassed Wisteria.

The carriages slowly came to a stop in front of the church. Watching from a distance were the crowd of civilians, curious about who had just arrived. A lot of them should recognize a flag from an allied nation.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

After stopping, the central carriage door opened. A paladin in full plate armor first emerged from within, pure and as radiant as the beauty of white and gold. On both sides of his waist hung swords in splendidly and extravagantly designed scabbards, the hilts decorated with intricate patterns.

The paladin seemed to give off a cautious demeanor as he first looked around the area slowly and closely, before his eyes stopped towards Xenous.

This man… seems strong.

Powerful men often emanate this aura of strength, which they often had no intention of hiding. And this was just that, as if he was warning the fools who would even dare think to attack him to not even try. After making sure that it was safe, the paladin spoke to someone inside, and immediately after, another man emerged.

He was young, somewhere around twenty-four years old, quite young for his position. His shining dark green hair reached above his neck, combed cleanly, his face was refreshing and serene, like a face beautifully sculpted by a fine artist. He wore a religious robe, colored in white and blue of the sky.

He carried himself with elegance and grandeur. He was utterly presentable.

With almost a blank and stoic look, he faced forward, with chin up, before walking towards Xenous.

“Greetings, Cardinal Fernsworth. It has been two years since we last met.”

The cardinal, Zaine Lucian Fernsworth, stared at him as if sizing him up before speaking in a soft, but deep voice. “It is a blessing to meet you again, O High Bishop Xenous Grail. I hope my visit will not be too much of a problem.”

“Oh, no, there is not much trouble at all. We do everything we can to receive an envoy from an allied nation.”

“Indeed, ally...”

The Cardinal looked around again until his eyes stopped to gaze at Astine. He peered deeply, as if scrutinizing her. “A beautiful priestess, a warrior.”

Astine lowered her chin to stare back at him. On guard likely, she was not showing that she can fight, but this man saw through her immediately.

He continued. “Your gaze is powerful. I imagine you will fit in our Order in the Holy Kingdom. Sharpen your skills to your fullest potential, to achieve the highest level of Holy Magic. Will you, fair priestess?”

Xenous smirked and subtly shook his head. To think that he would just ask one of his own priestesses to leave and go to join the Order of another nation right in front of him.

“I refuse.”

It was an outright and brief refusal.

“I see, then nothing can be done about it. Although it’s a shame, you could have a chance to rise to the level of Commander Cassius here.”

The paladin commander removed his helm, revealing a middle-aged and bearded face. His eyes were sharp and contained power. He smiled with obvious pride.

“Yes, I think you have potential, young lady.”

“With all due respect, I worship the Lord and Lady. Moving to another nation for prestige is no different to betrayal and blasphemy. What will I say to my gods when I face them in the afterlife?”

The cardinal nodded, his eyes softer. “I understand. Indeed, that was rude of me to suggest. Please forgive me, priestess.”

“Mm…” she shifted her eyes towards Xenous, as if asking for help in removing these two gentlemen from her back.

“Cardinal, I’m sure you are tired from your travels. Allow me to bring you refreshments and food for breakfast. Afterwards, we can go to the palace to meet with the king.”

“Already? I expected we would meet tomorrow at a minimum.”

“Well, his majesty had already prepared for your arrival.”

The cardinal looked around for a moment, looking like he was pondering something. “Very well. Let us enter.”

Xenous led them inside the church, and the cardinal looked around, taking in the sight. “It’s my first time in Wisteria. Seeing other places is always so interesting.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Although I saw the damage to your city on my way here. May I ask the cause of that? That is the reason I am here, to know what happened. And… to know why there was news of non-human beings spotted during the commotion.”

“Word certainly travels fast.”

“Is that so surprising? Your capital city was sieged, your nation would feel its wave, even those at the border.”

“I suppose,” from that statement alone tells that the Holy Kingdom listens intently to news about their allied nation. Plus, they were too quick to act on that. Myra had yet to even send an inquiry. “In any case, those beings are not of the religious Order’s concern. It is not part of its duty.”

“Why? Are they not demons?”

When they reached the door to the dining room, Xenous stopped and turned towards the cardinal and the leading paladin. “Please, let us enjoy the nice time of dining for now. His majesty will answer your questions when it's time.”

The cardinal narrowed his eyes. “... Very well. I’ll be patient for the answer.”

Xenous opened the door and entered the room. Placed on the table were a variety of cuisines, still steaming as the priests removed their lids. The delicious smell immediately filled the room. Xenous smiled in delight at the sight, feeling proud that his people could accomplish such a thing.

The cardinal, on the other hand, his face was unfazed, seemingly unimpressed by the presentation.

But then again, Cardinals always had fancy dining.

“High Bishop, before we sit down. I am curious. Why will you not just answer my questions in detail?”

Xenous resisted the urge to frown. “It is not my right to tell, Cardinal.”

“... Is that how it is?”

“Indeed.”

The cardinal slowly nodded. “Very well. Then for now, we eat.”

They all sat down on the chairs, Xenous along on one side, while the cardinal on the other side with the head paladin sitting beside him. After placing towels on their clothes and lap, the servants began serving the food.

They ate.

Xenous was quite pleased with the food, nodding in satisfaction and smiling towards the priests in the room who cooked them. However, the cardinal showed no expressions whatsoever. No one could tell whether he liked or disliked them.

Then, a short while later, the cardinal broke the silence.

“Xenous… do you recall when the world darkened several days ago?”

“How could I forget something like that?”

When it happened, Xenous could not believe what he was seeing. All of it was so sudden, and no explanation. The world lost its light and the sun, and the celestial heavens were on full display. The sky vanished.

“Such a phenomenon beyond our understanding…” said the cardinal. “We believe it had something to do with the gods.”

“Hm. I suppose that’s the only explanation.”

“It is no mere guess, Xenous. The oracle said it was a disturbance to the world, and she was certain that the gods were connected to it. Besides, who else could cause something like that to the world?”

“Did she find out the reason?”

“She has not, and she could not.” He sighed. “Whatever that was, I hope it does not happen again. Although… I do seek an answer. But if the oracle does not know, then there is no one else that knows.”

“How unfortunate. We can only hope to receive the answer from the gods themselves.”

The gods… Indeed, we may only get the answer from the gods if the reason for that strange occurrence has something to do with them.

But communicating personally with the gods was basically impossible. What hope could one mortal speak with the divine beings… except…

She…

There was one god that he knew walking in the world of men. And she was so close. Could she perhaps have an answer? Could Xenous perhaps ask the child of the gods what truly happened? He could, but he kept that idea to himself. There was no way he would share as such to anyone else.

Perhaps I could try asking her when we meet again and have the opportunity to do so.