Chapter 396

Chapter 20 Flowing Gold Lights and Coastal Lanterns

“Cough, cough!”

I was choked by a pea, and I coughed softly twice, patting my chest. Daisy on the other side looked at me strangely, seemingly asking something quietly, but her words were drowned out by Cardinal Saint George’s speech. I didn’t hear clearly and could only shake my head lightly at her.

Then, I secretly passed the remaining peas to her.

I don’t want to eat anymore…

After she took them, I calmed down and turned my gaze back to Bayard. The handsome boy was innocently blinking at me.

In turn, he seemed puzzled first, raising his eyebrows slightly, his expression somewhat surprised. “What? Don’t you know? I remember telling you about this before.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Hmm…

I can’t recall at all.

Maybe I didn’t pay much attention at that time…

But if Cardinal Saint George is his grandfather, why is he saying this to me? And he says it so recklessly, openly, without any fear of me spreading these words? We hardly know each other.

It seems he’s not worried at all… Is he always like this?

Usually, he’s more of a troublemaker, but this is the first time I’ve seen him betray his own grandfather…

Tilting my head, I thought for a long time but couldn’t figure it out. In the end, I just concluded that this guy must be a “third-generation rich kid with no brain.”

“…The great deities still protect this prosperous city. No matter what kind of evil enemies they are, they will ultimately be eliminated according to the divine will. Humans have always been bathed in the light of favor, which is our honor. As for theology, in my understanding, it is how to save the world under great guidance, do what one can, and strive to do better… Just like our noble heroes…”

Amidst the golden light, Cardinal Saint George’s low yet authoritative voice continued to echo, but my mind was elsewhere. I was thinking about trivial matters, listening to Bayard’s incessant chatter absentmindedly.

“In fact, it was supposed to be the Pope who would give this speech today. Originally, the plan was to follow public opinion. Although those who gathered to cause trouble have become less active recently, many disturbances were suppressed as soon as they emerged by the Church and Queen Elizabeth working together. They are sensitive to these matters and react quickly. Even the sensational reports from Yibao were just a means to divert public attention.”

As he spoke, he leaned closer to me, slowly bending his body, his hand covering his mouth, lowering his voice again.

“But there have been such terrible events… The people of the capital and even some minor nobles have been in a state of panic. Those who know the truth dare not speak, while those who don’t understand are spreading rumors. There are many speculations, and all kinds of words are circulating. People are still talking privately about internal conflicts within the Church, and even about the heretics… because many people left the city before the incident, and the capital is a place where all sorts of people gather. Many foreigners are still missing, leading to all sorts of rumors spreading far and wide. Some things seem calm on the surface, but they continue to fester in secret, and the Church particularly cares about these matters.”

He paused.

“Peylo, you might not know, but now many taverns have been sealed off. Places with frequent personnel movement have almost all been put under curfew, supposedly for the sake of urban security, but actually to prevent people from speaking out. Perhaps soon even markets will be restricted… But this is far from enough. Some problems cannot be solved simply by short-term restrictions. Rumors cannot be stopped, and the coin house hired a large number of wandering poets recently, preparing several hymns to spread everywhere. Some of them should enter the city soon. Tsk, why can’t they just admit it openly…”

“Today was supposed to be the Pope’s speech. As the place with the most foreign nobles in the capital, the thoughts of these students and teachers at the Royal Academy are particularly important to the Church. However, the most widely circulated rumor is about the disagreement between Cardinal Saint George and the Pope. Many people say that this is why two disasters occurred in the capital, with too few clergy present and not a single knight in sight. After the disaster ended and so many people died, the Church only started taking post-disaster measures. Some even blame Sister Teresa and Cardinal Nero’s deaths on this matter. But the true facts, some the Church doesn’t want to talk about, others they dare not talk about, so they only show their stance, with the Pope delivering the message and Cardinal Saint George giving the speech… The Pope will probably come over later to make an appearance, and the two of them will perform together… But I don’t think it will be of much use… You get it, right? This theology lesson isn’t really about discussing knowledge… Uh, it seems theology has never been discussed in terms of knowledge…”

“Oh…”

I nodded and glanced behind me, secretly scratching my buttocks.

I was actually a bit shocked inside.

From his words, it seemed like he knew about the Gate of Truth… and his tone was quite sarcastic. From what he said, I could clearly sense that Bayard was dissatisfied with the Church’s actions and fundamentally did not approve of them. He might have deeper thoughts and opinions, but it wasn’t appropriate to express them here. I felt it was also inappropriate to say more.

Once he started talking, he wouldn’t stop. Rambled…

This is not an appropriate setting.

I wanted to cut him off, but then I heard Bayard mutter softly, “Really, if they had this energy, they should focus more on the southern war effort…”

The southern war effort…

Ah, he’s talking about Silgaya.

“You… know something?” I couldn’t help but ask him again.

“Hmm? Oh… You’re asking… um, about that…”

Indeed, to be honest, I’m not quite clear about it either. I only know that there has already been one clash between both sides, but specific information hasn’t reached us yet. It probably won’t go as smoothly as reported in the news; those are all just lies to deceive the common people…”

“Lies…”

“Um… Not really, it’s more like some of the details are being withheld. This is a common tactic: they publicize good news extensively while concealing bad news… Even at this critical juncture, the Cardinals are busy with meaningless affairs and no one is willing to go to Silgaya to oversee the battle… Compared to that, the Church’s reputation seems more important… I don’t even know what they’re thinking… Ha.”

Beaude let out a soft laugh, then shook his head slightly, a hint of mockery on his face: “That’s why I don’t want to become a missionary… But after coming to the academy, I also felt disappointed, truly wanting to go to Silgaya with my father to kill heretics…”

Huh?

“Your father is…”

“What are you two talking about?”

Our absent-minded and rambling conversation finally caught Daisy’s attention. She chewed on peas secretly, her curious eyes glancing over. Meanwhile, Sarah noticed the commotion and looked over with a puzzled gaze.

“Nothing…”

I quickly shook my head and gave them a sweet smile. Beaude, seeing this, finally closed his mouth and stared ahead, looking bored.

Actually, I still had questions for him…

Forget it, I’ll ask after theology class ends.

The training ground was filled with golden light, countless stars converging into a golden river overhead, and even the morning clouds were painted gold. The speech lasted about two hours, Cardinal Saint George spoke from Nero to the Abyss, and finally mentioned the heretics at the Gate of Truth. Flesk Fortress made deals with evil devils, while the Church would join forces with Her Majesty the Queen to fight evil and secure ultimate victory. Although the capital lost Boswell, the servants of God will soon bestow new divine relics upon the city.

By the end, I could hardly stand anymore, not because I was tired, but because I felt uncomfortable all over, scratching here and there, wanting to return to the cafeteria to buy more desserts.

When the sun was high and the air became stiflingly hot, the long speech finally ended.

Just as Beaude predicted, after Cardinal Saint George handed the orb to his teacher behind him, another rhinoceros cart slowly approached the training ground, and out stepped Angel.

The students cheered, their emotions running high. The scene of the Cardinal and the Pope standing together ignited the students’ passion, with shouts echoing everywhere. The atmosphere reached its peak, and I couldn’t help but block my ears with my fingers, frowning deeply.

Above the sky, a flock of white birds flew by.

…………

That night.

Far away on the southern coast of West Continent, the quiet night sky twinkled with stars. Nestled by the sea and surrounded by green fields, the village with red roofs was brightly lit, and countless white tents stationed inside and outside the village shimmered under the night and firelight, like burning snow extending about a hundred meters from the shore.

The sea surface at the dock was far from calm, with countless boats swaying at the edge, waves crashing against the sides, and foam spraying over the decks before converging at the stern and surging towards the shore, creating a vast expanse of rippling waves.

The ships seemed to have returned not long ago, with sailors in damp clothes stowing the sails, and knights in silver armor descending the deck, holding torches and moving around. The leading knight shouted something loudly, then met up with knights from another ship and headed toward the tents.

Inside a certain tent, the lamp on the wooden table flickered, casting dim and bright light within the tent. Several Church knights huddled around the table, studying a yellowed map, occasionally pointing and discussing.

Nick Williams frowned, the flickering light illuminating half of his face. His square-faced expression was solemn.

“…Increase the search efforts on the northern coast, especially here and here… We must have people stationed at all times to prevent the enemy from sneaking ashore. We must strengthen our vigilance; once they enter the forest, it will be troublesome… Do not stop searching the sea either; we must set up a net between the two straits… Teams Five and Sixteen are responsible for this…”

He pointed at the map with his right hand, giving orders methodically. As people left on their tasks, Nick continued, “If you spot any moving ships, do not approach them; first, shoot rockets. There should be no fishing boats nearby… The intelligence from that area has been cut off, so we can only rely on ourselves now. Regarding Archbishop Ansheel, the Pope said they haven’t found any trace of the goods mentioned. They must have more people than we think; we mustn’t let our guard down.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the knights left, Nick leaned slightly, watching the fluttering tent flap, and sighed softly.

The firelight illuminated his left side, revealing his empty left arm and his left face, which looked as if it had been burned, wrinkled and scarred. It appeared as if much flesh had been gouged out, with numerous old knife scars, nearly half of his cheek caved in, looking somewhat terrifying in the flickering light. His left eye was red, but it didn’t seem blind; his eyelid trembled slightly, revealing a weary glow.

He rubbed his forehead, then turned to look at the female swordsman who had been silently sitting in the corner of the tent.

“Miss Anasalis, what are your thoughts?”

His voice was hoarse, as if many pebbles were stuck in his throat, making his words sound rough.

The sword ghost Anasalis sat with her sword, her stern face hidden in the darkness, making it hard to see her expression. She remained motionless, as if asleep.

Only when Nick turned back to study the map did she speak coldly.

“I only handle killing enemies. And don’t call me Miss.”

Her voice seemed to come from an ice cave, though melodious and pleasant like bird songs, it somehow sent chills down one’s spine.