"Why do you think that?" Gabriel asked. Even though he also felt that there was something more than caught the eye, he wanted to know why Avilia thought that
Avilia moved closer to Gabriel. She didn't want to use a barrier to isolate them since they were standing in a line. She brought her lips closer to Gabriel's ears and explained in a low voice.
"Other than the high tier members of the Church, only us Holy Lords have been informed about the absence of the Holy Lord of Light from the City."
"That's why most people might not find this odd. However, we should be able to see the flaw in this. Since the Holy Lord isn't in the city, why would the Church select a Holy Child now?"
"That's true. Since a Holy Child is essentially a disciple of the Holy Lord who is essentially guaranteed to become a High Ranking Member of the Church in the future, he should be selected by the Holy Lord himself." Gabriel also felt the same as Avilia. This was also the reason why he felt something was amiss.
"There can only be two possibilities in this situation." Gabriel muttered, as if talking to himself. "Amongst the two possibilities, one might be extremely bad for us. As for the other, I can't say if it's bad or good for the time being."
"Oh? What possibilities?" Avilia asked. Since she was already sticking closer to Gabriel, she was able to hear his musings. "Let me know what you think."
Gabriel felt something soft sticking closer to his back. He initially wanted Avilia to move back a little. However, since they couldn't let anyone else hear their conversation, he let it be. If anything, he also moved slightly closer.
"The first possibility is that the Holy Lord of Light is still in the city. Maybe he returned from his trip already or maybe the Church lied to you about his absence in the first place? In any case, if he's in the city, the situation might not be so good for us," Gabriel answered softly.
Avilia's chin was resting on his shoulders as she listened to Gabriel. The two of them appeared so close, that if one was to observe them, anyone could've been fooled to think of them as two lovers.
"That's true. If he's in the city, he would sooner or later sense your presence the moment you get close to the Church of Light." Avilia also understood just what it implied. The Lord of Light was supposed to be one of the most capable Mages in the World after all, with skills that were granted by the Holy Grimoire of Light.
Amongst all the Grimoires, the Holy Grimoire of Light was known for its extremely versatile skills. It was said that there was nothing a Holy Lord of Light couldn't do if they were talented enough. That was also the reason why the Church of Light reigned supreme throughout the centuries.
Even though the Holy Lord of Light didn't make an appearance in the years, just the title and the prestige was enough to make people hesitate in offending the Church of Light.
"If you want to attack the Church of Light, you need to be really careful. The Church of Light is different from the Church of Flames. It's an entity in an entirely different league from what I've heard," Avilia reminded Gabriel.
She didn't care about fighting someone since she had skills and faith in her abilities. However, if she had to avoid fighting one person in her life, she would've chosen the Holy Lord of Light above all other current Holy Lords!
"I know. I didn't come here to destroy the Church of Light," Gabriel replied. "I came here for something else. However, now I'm really intrigued... I really want to pay them a visit..."
Initially, his purpose in coming here wasn't to fight the Church of Light. If anything, he didn't have anything to do with them. It was a useless task with not enough rewards.
"Not for the Church of Light?" Avilia frowned, wondering if she really misunderstood him. "Why did you come here then?"
"I came here for the Academy of Elements initially," Gabriel answered. Now they were already at that point, he just let her know. "There is something in the Academy that I need."
"The Academy?" Avilia smiled wryly. When Gabriel said he wasn't here for the Church of Light, she thought that it was good. He didn't have to fight a powerful person. However, after knowing his real intentions, she could only shake her head.
Didn't he just swap one powerful enemy for the other? She thought, staring at Gabriel. The Church of Light was powerful with their Holy Lord's presence. However the Academy wasn't weak either! The Academy had Izen, who could nullify all attacks on him! He was no weaker than a Holy Lord!
"That's right. I came here for the Academy. However, after seeing all this commotion in the city, I think I would be making some changes in my plans. I want to check what's going on with the Church of Light!"
Gabriel was here for something else. However, his current plans had slightly changed, all thanks to such a huge change in the city.
"You mean you want to deal with your matters at the Academy as well as deal with the Church?" Avilia rolled her eyes. She already understood Gabriel to some extent. This guy really wasn't afraid of death.
"That's right. I can't ignore the Academy since it has something that can help me get what I want..." Gabriel explained. "As for the Church of Light, maybe I would've avoided it if the first possibility about the Holy Lord being in the city was true, but I don't think that's the case."
"And why is that?" Avilia asked. "Also, what's the second possibility you thought about?"
"I don't think the Holy Lord of Light is in the city. If he was, he probably would've repaired the golden barrier. The Church could've claimed that they used some treasure to repair the barrier and hid the news about his presence. It wouldn't have changed anything. However the barrier is still missing. That means the Holy Lord of Light isn't here."
"As for the second possibility, it's simple. The Church of Light is lying about their purpose in calling all the Light Mages here. It's certainly not for them to select a Holy Child. They are using the Holy Child position as bait to call so many Light Mages here."
Gabriel already had a basic idea in his mind about the situation, which was what he was interested in.
"Why would they do that?" The Holy Priestess of Light asked, still so close to Gabriel that it appeared as if she was hugging him from behind.
"They probably wanted to invite all the Light Mages here, so they had to use powerful bait to attract everyone. However, I think whatever they called all the Light Mages here for is probably more precious than a Holy Child position since they mobilized all their forces," Gabriel answered, still keeping his voice low. "They just didn't want to tell the truth so as to not attract the attention of the other Churches."
His fists clenched as he stared at the City. The line kept getting shorter. He didn't know what the Church of Light had planned, but he could see that it was a perfect opportunity like never before, especially for someone like him who actually had the Element of Light!
"Whatever they have in mind, I want to see myself. If it's good, I want to take it for myself! I'm also a Light Mage after all. However, if it's bad, I would personally send them down the path of no return…"
