Sylvester entered the spacious tent. He first noticed a square wooden table in the middle, where a few men were seated, some in armor and some in church robes. The Inquisitor High Lord took the most prominent seat at the end.

“Sit, favored one. I’m pleased to hear about your feats at school. Your talent has made it clear that you shall punish the wicked one day. Become the peak powerhouse of the Holy Land and guide the church as one of its leaders, as one of its greatest preachers.” Inquisitor High Lord spoke in his usual rhymes.

“Thank you, Lord Inquisitor.” He replied stoically and glanced at the new face on the table. A man whose whole being screamed average. He’d have ignored the man if he were not so careful about his surroundings.

Lord Inquisitor responded. “This is Cardinal Roman Vas Zenim, the Saint Seer of Holy Land. A member of the Pope’s Sanctum Council.”

‘Sort of a minister of a government then? Does he do divination?’ Sylvester wondered.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, God’s Favored. The Holy Father talks about you often. He truly has high hopes for you.” Saint Seer monotonously spoke.

Sylvester noticed the man’s strange behavior. The way he looked at his facial details, the way he keeps himself calm. The way he sounds. Sylvester was sure of one thing in an instant.

‘He’s a spy. He’s a bloody spy! I know it. I can feel it.’ Sylvester’s senses were tingling that this man was good the further away he was.

“Thank you, Saint Seer. I will work hard and make him proud.” He proudly replied, keeping his persona going. It became more important while being in front of a spy. “I-I wanted Sir Dolorem’s help with some training.”

“Of course, I assigned him as your aide, and he must serve you with his life, brain, and blade. Sir Dolorem, go with young Sylvester. The meeting is over regardless.” The Inquisitor High Lord gave permission.

Sylvester didn’t spend a second extra there and moved out with Sir Dolorem. He didn’t speak about anything until he was outside the camp and nobody was around them.

“What happened, Master Maximillian?”

Sylvester led him to an empty garden and talked. “I need your help, Sir Dolorem. I want to know about my runes mentor, Bishop Norman Spring. He specifically targeted me in the class today, shouted at me for no reason, and didn’t allow me to ask questions. He has a personal vendetta?”

“I don’t know about most of the staff in the school. It was different during my time. Was he annoyed just by you?”

“Yes, and surprisingly he was too kind to Romel Riveria.”

Sir Dolorem appeared as if something struck him. “That… would explain things then. Master Maximillian, you can not understand the complexities of the political side of the Holy Land. Even I don’t, and I believe that this mentor is related to the Riveria family or its branch. His name is Spring, and it does sound like someone from the Riveria Kingdom.”

“How can politics play in the Holy Land? Isn’t that inviting trouble? Religion should be free and from the heart. That’s what Solis desires.” Sylvester asked, appearing worried for the faith.

Sir Dolorem sighed. “That’s the ideal situation, but the reality is often disappointing. The Holy Father had to make many sacrifices to end the thousand-year war with the East. The world is still too weak due to the long war, and he probably wishes to take every step carefully not to start any internal war.

“The truth is, the ordinary folks are loyal to the church, but the various royal families are not. They have their family or extended family members in the church in various positions. Often, these clergymen or holy soldiers are not as loyal to the faith as they should be. They are always trying to gain more influence in the church and somehow get benefits for their kingdoms.

“I’m sure the Holy Father wishes nothing but to launch a crusade on these heathens. But… we have bigger demons to fight.”

Sylvester silently sighed. He knew some politics would be involved, which didn’t surprise him. But he somehow found himself stuck in it now. “So even the Holy Father can’t do anything about this Bishop?”

“Not unless he does something that’s considered too much. The Holy Father would be delighted to punish him and remove the heathens planted by these rich families. But without enough reason, he can not touch a man of Bishop rank. Not unless he’s ready to raze to ground the Riveria Kingdom, the continent’s bread basket.” Sir Dolorem helplessly explained.

He wanted to help Sylvester, however. Not only him, but the whole of the Inquisitor army wanted to help him, for they genuinely believed that he was the true God’s Favored because they had seen the miracles. Right now, it may not seem incredible, but when a month old sings a hymn, it changes one’s worldview.

“I can find someone from the army to help you learn Runes. I can help you with the basics too.” He offered.

But Sylvester didn’t want that. To quit just because of a little hurdle was a shame to his pride and skills. A spy never quits. Instead, he improvises and completes the mission. If Bishop Norman was such a thorn in the eye, maybe he could do something about him.

‘He’s doing it because I beat Romel? This is not good. Romel will never learn his lesson and submit to me as long as the Bishop stays. Then there’s only one way to get rid of him…’

“Thank you for your help, Sir Dolorem. But I believe I can handle this… however, I may need your help with something else. I want you to teach me something.”

“Anything you wish, Master Maximillian.” Sir Dolorem dutifully saluted. .

“Great, I just…”

…

[A/N: Check Para Comment.]

Goldstown, South of Holy Land.

The air had suddenly turned cold. The various light stones flickered as if drained away of the blessed solarium particles. The lingering faint whistling air turned into growls inside the deep cave.

“O’ Solis, shine your warmth on this forsaken piece of land. For it has claimed a dozen souls, let the darkness rest. I call for yo-”

Boom!

“I-It’s coming! RUN!”

The chanting became faster. “I call for your light to banish this creature of darkness. Save your children and your faithfuls. Go away! Heathen, I banish you with the powers stilled in—Argh!”

“I-It took away the Archpriest!”

“L-Leave… we can’t stop this thing. Seal the mine!”

A team of clergymen and holy knights hastened their steps and ran out of the largest gold mine in the biggest county of Gracia Kingdom. An unknown creature of darkness had taken hold of Goldstown, killing one believer every week. Sometimes the victims were adults, and other times it would target the children.

They tried to purify the mine that had sat closed for three months to banish the creature. The Archpriest was called, but everything seemed to have gone out of hand when even the Archpriest got dragged away by the dark shadow.

As the men returned to the warmth of the open sky, they hastily put the giant stone at the opening of the mine. Then they drew the Church’s all-seeing-eye on it to ensure the creature stayed inside. Not that it ever worked, for the people keep disappearing in the town.

Their faces were full of horror, some shaking in fear. They looked at each other, wondering where to even begin as they were out of all options.

“P-Priest Desmond, you were the second in command… Now you are the Archpriest. What should we do?” A young Holy Knight asked in stutters.

Priest Desmond tried to appear calm, but his eyes gave it all away as they moved rapidly. He was the closest to Archpriest inside the cave, and the thought that the creature could have taken him along left dread in his heart. He didn’t wish to stand on the ground, fearing he’d shiver and fall.

“I-I don’t know. This ritual was supposed to be our best bet.”

“Let’s burn the mine!” The Knight suggested.

Desmond quickly rejected it. “Don’t be foolish. Without this mine, the region will suffer. Goldstown is the largest producer of gold for the Gracia Kingdom. L-let’s inform Duke Gracia, let him go to Holy Land and request assistance. Let’s hope they can send someone strong in light magic.”

“I hope they send one of the Guardians of Light.” the Knight muttered, but then the fear returned to his face. “W-What are we to do until then? How do we protect the town at night?”

“I will go to nearby monasteries and ask for assistance. Then, we will start the undying fire in the middle of the village and do a Seven-Light Ritual.”

“I hope it works… I hope we can get the Archpriest’s body back…”

Too tired, everyone sat silently after that, looking at the sky and recuperating.

…

Sylvester’s school was good overall in the coming few days, only the runes mentor was a pain in the back, but the rest were already his admirers. But before the mentors, he needed to get the Deacons in his camp as he will need their testimony once he’s done with Runes mentor, Bishop Norman.

The best way to gain loyalty was to give them something they needed. Sylvester couldn’t give them his abilities, but he could teach them how to fight a bit. Simple theories about how to defend and move.

“See this, with my stance. I can move my legs easily whenever I need to.” Sylvester showed the group of weak, talented Deacons how to use a fighting stance. It was something they would rarely use in life but could be useful. However, each of them had something that brought them under attention and got them the tag of God’s Favored.

Some were god-level singers, some were great artists and stone carvers, and some could run extremely fast, while a few had near-photographic memory. Each had something unique, but all fell short of his truly mythical ability.

“How do you know all this?” asked Henry Rockwell, a Deacon of average talent.

Sylvester proudly replied like a child. “I’ve been training since I was one. Did you know I used to play with the Holy Father?”

“What?!”

“You’re lying!”

“Hmph, there is nothing for me to gain from it. I’ve been living here since I was four months old. I have seen the Holy Father many times, and if you know about him, you’d understand that he’s a kind person. He loves all of us as his children.” Sylvester boasted as this was the easiest way to brainwash these kids into thinking that he was special.

“Everyone!” Louis Hermington came running, annoying the ten boys sitting in the garden, enjoying lunchtime under the bright sunlight and talking with each other. Everyone hated Romel and his little group of elite Deacons.

But Sylvester was trying to woo these misguided souls away from Romel, so he was kind. “What is it, Deacon Hermington?”

“Ah, just call me Louis now, Sylvester. You helped me with my elements, so you’re my friend now. I just came to announce that Mentor Norman will be testing us in runes in the next class.”

Sylvester didn’t feel right about this sudden test. They were not in some mandatory education system where one must excel. There was no grading system in the School of Dawn. As long as they knew the needed knowledge at the end of the year, they’d pass to the next.

‘What is that maggot planning now?’

___________________

LET’S DO IT!

**500 Stones = Bonus Chapter!**

APE TOGETHER STRONG!