"Who is he?"
Sir Dolorem seemed visibly enraged as he explained. "No one knows. It was as if he came out of nowhere, so powerful in dark magic that no one could stand against him. His Anti-Light Sect infiltrated small organizations and smaller noble houses and slowly grew its roots.
"They are a disease, Priest Sylvester. And they must be rooted out or the harm caused will be far greater than the thousand years of war."
Sylvester sighed. It seemed that even if he were to become the Pope one day, that would not solve all his troubles. He can never have peace even then. "Let me guess. They want to destroy the Church of Solis? Hence the name of Anti-Light?"
"Correct, and that is why we must destroy them because if their rotten ideology spreads, only chaos will ensue. That man, he's as dangerous to us as the heathens across the sea. So we will have to be careful during our missions." Sir Dolorem warned.
Sylvester sighed and rested in his chair as he thought about getting stronger so these threats won't affect him one day. But sadly, the stronger he gets, he seems to find out that there exist threats that can harm even those he considered the epitome of power.
'How strong do I have to be to be invincible so nobody would find trouble with me?'
But at most, he felt worried for Sir Dolorem. The man was still an Adept Wizard. "Sir Dolorem, what is your rank talent?"
The man had grown somewhat old now, as he was not ranking up much. The higher one's level, the higher their lifespan would be; that was the basic concept. That meant Sir Dolorem, at max, could live for 120 years. However, he had already completed sixty-nine.
"I had the talent for Arch Wizard and Silver Knight. Unfortunately, I have attained only the Silver Knight rank, while my magic never got better. I'm afraid I'm too old now to hope to reach Arch Wizard rank." Sir Dolorem revealed a hint of disappointment.
"It's never too late. Look at Headmaster Brightson. That man has been stuck at the peak of Arch Wizard for over two decades now and still hopes to push through and become a Grand Wizard. So, I say, you still have time, and on the journey with me, all of us will grow in one way or another." Sylvester cheered the man up.
However, his words were not hollow because he now knew what it takes to push oneself to grow. It takes rare herbs and crystals, especially the Solarium crystals, and if they are of high quality, that's even better. But all of that costs a lot of money, and guess who had a lot of illegal wealth?
Miraj, of course.
"By the way, do you know anything about my first quest? I wish to prepare to head out, but they have not told us anything yet." He inquired.
"Not the quest, but they will provide us with horses and the carriage, the rest of the items need to be ours. We will get a monthly fixed amount to spend on our supplies, while the Church will reimburse all the expenses for missions later.
"However, most Sanctum Inspectors, in the end, decide to buy their own equipment, from carriages to horses, because what the Church provides is the bare minimum. But, of course, we are not rich like those established men. You are the youngest Sanctum Inspector in history, so this is new for many people." Sir Dolorem explained.
Sylvester thought about using his illegal money to invest in better equipment. However, he stopped himself as he didn't even know what the job would be like. And to spend illegal money in Holy Land was foolish, even spending money in major cities was going to be irrational. What he needed to find were master artisans who lived in distant villages where the local monasteries would be scared of him instead of wanting to bring him down.
'But I can always stock some second-hand herbs, potions, and crystals. Besides, Felix will also be a Sanctum Inspector. I can always tell him to spend his noble money or use him to launder my money.'
"In that case, we will need to be careful. Well, I came here to inform you that tomorrow is my test. If everything goes well, we shall leave for our first task the day after. So please prepare your armor and sword beforehand." He instructed because he outranked Sir Dolorem as a clergyman and a wizard by official records now.
However, there was not much excitement or reaction on the man's face.
Sylvester understood that Sir Dolorem was worrying about the Inquisitor High Lord, and he honestly could not do anything. If even the Pope could not, then who was he? Just a simple light bulb?
"I will leave you to it then. I still have some studying to do." He bid farewell.
He left the tent and proceeded towards the exit of the camp. However, he felt sudden footsteps behind him. They were too close and alerted him. In an instant, he took out a dagger from his robes and looked.
"So your senses have gotten better."
'What does she want?'
"I trained for years for this, and the work is in progress." He replied, wondering what the woman wanted from him. He could not feel any particular smell or taste in the air either. "Is there something you need from me, Tenth Guardian?"
Lady Aurora simply smiled and shook her head. "No, I was merely curious about the famous bard. The last time we met was when you were merely starting. I wonder how powerful you have become."
"Enough to know that you have a short sword behind you." He replied with a smirk.
There was silence now and some tension in the air. Both of them looked into each other's eyes and wondered about various things.
To Sylvester, the woman in front of him appeared extremely beautiful, but he knew she was at least a hundred years old, not that he complained, as his own age was near that. But behind her prettiness was hidden a deadly monstrous powerhouse.
While Lady Aurora sized Sylvester with eyes. Just being sixteen, he was as tall as her, but when she looked into Sylvester's eyes, there was wisdom that a man of his age usually does not have. It made her somewhat uncomfortable, as she felt she was naked in front of this young man's eyes—nothing in her mind or body could be hidden.
She forced a smile on her face and put the short sword away. "I do hope you are what we expect you to be, Priest Sylvester. The Inquisitor High Lord would be disappointed otherwise. I wish you the very best for your first profession."
"Thank you, Lady Aurora. I will keep your kind words in mind." Sylvester didn't like talking to her. She was far too strong in his eyes.
He was not trying to run away but be careful. It was best to stay out of the eyes of the strongest members of the Church because the more eyes on him, the worse it'd be to conduct his time-to-time questionable activities.
"I shall pray for the Lord Inquisitor's good health. Good night."
He left without giving her a second glance, but he could feel she was still watching him intently, trying to read him.
'This truly is a den of wolves.' he sighed and returned to the dorms.
…
'I want to leave this place. Holy Land is not safe. Every eye on me feels like people are trying to see through me, know all my secrets and find my weakness.'
Sylvester had these simple thoughts in his mind as he took the test for his job. Failing it would mean another month of torture, something he would never accept.
He used all his focus on studying for this test. The first stage was written, asking simple questions about various rules and regulations. This was the easiest part as the answers were definite and didn't depend on personal views.
However, the next phase was the interview in which he was given a situation, and he was to explain how he'd tackle it. This was a troublesome test because whether he would pass or fail depended on the judge's opinions.
"Priest Sylvester, imagine you are on an assignment to a distant village. You have received reports from the village's people that the Monastery's local clergy is extremely corrupt and sins in the name of Solis. The people are angry and on the verge of rioting. How would you deal with it?" One interviewer from a panel of five, which included Saint Wazir, asked him.
Now, he knew that these questions would not commonly be asked because the common belief for most clergy was that the faith is pure. But the situation given to him was a regular occurrence across the continent because the faith was too big to control everything perfectly.
Sylvester took only five seconds to give his answer. "My first action would be to gather proof of corruption so that I can later pass judgment on its basis. Of course, I would do this part in disguise. But, I will try to be quick because we must avoid the riots.
"So once I have the proof, I shall publicly announce I am Lord's Bard and calm the people by singing the sermon of Solis. I cannot reveal to civilians about me being an inspector, but telling them my Bard identity and singing will strengthen their faith.
"However, I will not publicly punish the clergy either, at least not unless their crimes have gone beyond Tier 5—Heathen. I would deal with them silently because I can not allow the name of Solis to be tarnished."
The interviewers wrote something down on their hidden parchments.
Then the next man asked their question. This was the last one. "How would you investigate a matter of heathen committing crimes against Bright Mothers? He travels around the East Sol, finds Bright Mothers, and kidnaps them at night. He then violates their purity, chops their limbs, and packs their bodies before throwing them in front of a Monastery."
'T-That sounds too specific.' Sylvester secretly frowned.
He tried to think of a way to find such a man. But there was no immediate method, and a thorough investigation would be needed. "I will have to first find a pattern in his travels, the victims he picks, and the Monasteries he chooses. Most killers, unless mentally damaged, have a motive behind their crimes. It's either due to retaliation, necessity, or when they want to send a message.
"Once we have the motive, we can soon catch him."
"What would you do after catching him?" Saint Wazir asked this time.
He put some extra emphasis on his following words to make it clear that he was being serious.
"The Lord Inquisitor taught me to show the good ones mercy but never tolerate heresy. Therefore, there is no need for prosecution. Immediate justice is—execution!"
I WONDER WHERE THE STONES ARE?
**669 Stones = Bonus Chapter!**
APE TOGETHER STRONG!
