Chapter 536

Chapter 536: The Sacred Lance Knights

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The Sacred Mountain of Callanriel.

As the highest altitude region in the Western Continent aside from the Sighing Mountains, this place was surrounded by numerous peaks, each covered in snow and towering over the Earth like standing swords.

On the steep cliffs, chains and steps wound around the rock face, as pilgrims from all corners of the world ascended step by step, solely to pay homage to the angel statue that remained at the mountain peak—a divine sign left behind after the chaos and the calamity.

Among the crowd of people with various attire, a man in a gray windbreaker stood out as unremarkable.

The several mountains surrounding the Sacred Mountain were the headquarters of various institutions of the Church.

There was the Olive Palace for teaching young children, the Water Bottle Palace specialized in healing, the Elephant Mountain Palace skilled in construction, the Palace of Souls for comforting the dead, the Ten Swords Palace responsible for maintaining law and order, and so on.

At present, Odis, the Grand Master of one of the three knightly orders—the Sacred Lance Knights—was located in a dangerous fortress on one of the peaks.

He wore thick silver armor adorned with golden patterns, standing nearly two meters tall, with a large red cape behind him, the fur-lined cape adding significant weight to his overall appearance, making him as steadfast and stable as a mountain.

Standing on a lookout platform, he surveyed the many knights training and shouting below in the valley, his chiseled face revealing no emotion.

A knock came from the door behind him.

“Enter.”

The door opened, and a silver-armored knight carrying documents walked in. This knight had golden hair and a handsome face, probably around thirty years old.

“Lord Odis, there are some matters I wish to report on recently.”

“Go ahead,” he turned his body, sitting down behind the desk with the sound of armor clashing.

“Currently, members of the knightly orders from various branches need to take leave to return home for about a month.”

“This kind of thing has always been common, it’s only natural,” Odis briefly commented, but he knew that this young man, who was smart, would not have come just to say these things.

“That’s true, but the proportion this year is much higher than last year. If last year was two per thousand, then this year it is four per thousand.”

“But there is no war or any particularly special circumstances now, this is not normal.”

“Moreover, among these people, most of them are submitting their requests through letters.”

Here is the translation of the provided text from the romance novel:

—

The letter sent to the local diocesan headquarters was examined, even though I was usually busy, I specifically compared it with some previous letters and found that the handwriting was not from the same person.”

“Which means that these people’s letters were written by someone else on their behalf, and they themselves might have encountered something?”

“Yes, according to normal procedures, knights from each town and small town would report to the local diocesan headquarters every month. During this period, recent orders and instructions would be conveyed. At the same time, communication would be strengthened to ensure the loyalty of the members of the knightly order.”

“But with such leave, going and coming, it can only be done three times at most, which means less than three months without reporting to the diocesan headquarters. This makes the whereabouts of these people a mystery.”

“How interesting.” The Grand Master tapped his fingers on the table a few times, pondered for several seconds, and then continued asking.

“Have you inquired about the situation in other palaces and knightly orders?”

“I did not ask directly but gathered information while on official business. The situation in other palaces is similar to previous years, whereas the situation in the knightly orders has some similarities.”

“The Church-affiliated ones, aside from our Holy Lance Knightly Order, the Knights of the Dirge and the Blue Nautilus Knightly Order have also experienced similar situations, though not as significantly as ours.”

“Probably only you would be so thorough as to notice these subtle differences in data,” Odysseus remarked.

“That means it is specific to our knightly order, and for something like this to happen, it would likely be from someone within the Church itself, otherwise, the other twelve palaces should also show similar scenarios.”

“Yes, you see…” the young knight asked in a low voice.

Odysseus did not answer immediately and slowly analyzed the current situation.

Currently, within the Church, discussions are underway regarding the selection of the next Pope. Ever since the previous Pope passed away, the archbishops of various dioceses have been returning one after another, and voting will take place in a few days.

To become Pope, one must be either an archbishop of a region or a leader of one of the twelve palaces or the three major knightly orders.

There are approximately 70 candidates who meet these criteria. After excluding those with shallow experience and obvious lack of strength, there are around 15 suitable candidates. Among these 15, only four truly have a chance to reach that threshold and gain everyone’s trust.

One of them is himself, as the leader of the Holy Lance Knightly Order and one of the red-robed archbishops, he not only holds a military position but has also served as a priest before, leading a region. His resume and strength are extremely solid. Currently, he is at the peak of the Angel sequence 8, just steps away from sequence 9.

It only takes one final push.

Another candidate was the Scepter Priest of the Ten-Sword Palace, Archbishop Xibis. He had served for ten years at the Olive Leaf Palace and was once the Archbishop of the Dominia Diocese, with his current student now holding that position. Additionally, the leaders of the Resting Palace and Flame Saint Palace were also his staunch allies.

Then there was the Scepter Priest of the Water-Bearer Palace, Biyness. She had worked at Emanas and had previously been an Archbishop of a diocese. The Blue Nautilus Knights, Elephant Palace, and Anthem Palace all maintained good relations with her. Furthermore, her former students from her time at Emanas added to her high-ranking supporters within the church.

Lastly, there was the Scepter Priest of the Star-Track Palace, Shalanged. This veteran, over 150 years old but still appearing around 30, was rumored to have been blessed by angels in his youth. Although he seldom interfered in external affairs, his formidable strength, coupled with the support of some elders, meant that few would oppose him if he became Pope.

Among these four, both he and Archbishop Xibis were at the peak of Sequence 8, while Biyness had entered Sequence 9 five years ago. As for Shalanged, it was said that he had already been at Sequence 9 a century ago and had participated in the ‘Battle of Broken Bows’ between the Snow Flower Seven Kingdoms and the Verdant Empire.

Although his ally among the Scepter Priests was limited to the Silver Blood Palace, the Holy Lance Knights, being the largest combat legion of the Church, had more warriors under their command than the other two knight orders combined, making their influence even greater.

Odysseus fell silent for a moment. After a long while, he spoke, “Divert battalions from headquarters, each consisting of 300 men, to various regions to relieve other units. Announce that they are going to conduct training and rectify the gradually deteriorating military discipline.”

Upon arriving at their destinations, these battalions would directly follow the list to the problematic towns and cities, using force to search for missing members.

“The scale of this operation is so large; it will be difficult to keep it hidden from others.”

“Even if it can’t be hidden, what does it matter? Since they are acting covertly, they must have some sinister plot. We’ll disrupt their plans and bring their secret schemes out into the open.”

“And we have never feared any enemy when fighting alongside the Holy Lance Knights.”

“I understand, sir,” said the blond knight, bowing his head. Then, holding the signed documents, he quickly left the room, summoning one orderly after another along the way. They would swiftly relay the orders in all directions.

(End of Chapter)