“When did you find the time to take his eye? And I didn’t even notice he had one fake.” Sylvester asked.

“When you kicked him, I took his eye. You said all shiny things are money, so I took.” Miraj revealed his nefarious plans, which were a result of miscommunication.

Sylvester sighed and put the whole thing at the back of his mind. “Time will teach you what is valuable and what is not. Let’s eat some good food for now.”

The two boys sat alone in the house, one fully naked and one-half naked. There was nothing to do to entertain himself, so Sylvester just slept. He needed some long naps until the end of the examination, as he knew many more tests were coming.

However, the little nap lasted longer than they expected, and the alarm that woke Sylvester up was Xavia entering and gasping in joy. She rushed over to him and hugged him tightly. He was still half asleep and looked around in confusion as to where he was. After all, the hangover from nearly dying takes some time to go away.

“Ah! Mother? When did you come to Goldstown?”

She giggled and went along with the joke. “I was so worried that I ran away from the Holy Land. Are you not happy seeing me?”

Sniff!—Sylvester instantly smelled lies in the air. This alerted him quickly, quenching his sleep. But soon, a smile grew on his face. “You’re lying, mother. They fired you, didn’t they?”

She scoffed, noticing a smile. “You cheeky boy, it’s so hard to fool you. So, how was your exam?”

Xavia let him out of her hold and sat close with his hand in hers, much excited to learn about her son’s adventures.

Sylvester couldn’t honestly tell her everything. So he gave a toned-down version of the cave incident. The cannibals were fine to tell, however.

So he reciprocated her enthusiasm and briefed her. “They had two ghosts, not one. One of them was not even a ghost but an evil family. The man and woman kidnapped people from town and fed them to their son. It was very smelly in their house.

“I caught them and punished them. Then there was a real ghost in the mines, and I beat it too.”

Xavia nodded the whole time in pride. “Of course, if not you, then who else could do such a thing. My Max is powerful and wise.”

“Oh! One more thing!” Sylvester ran off to the cupboard and took out a pouch. “I got this from the Sacred Arms Guild, a reward of one thousand Gold Graces for my work.”

When Xavia took it, her hands trembled. She was paid not even five graces a month. In her hand was her salary for two hundred and fifty months. “N-No wonder all young men wish to become an adventurer. You get paid so much.”

‘And you can die at any time.’ He thought.

“What will you do with this money?” She inquired, with no intention of keeping it.

Sylvester had his own dilemma. His black money was worth fifty thousand gold graces. How was he going to spend that money without being caught?

“Mum, I will open an account at Quad Bank of Solis. Then, I will accumulate the money, and one day, I will buy a big land where both of us will live. That is… my dream.”

Xavia mistook him, however, and emotionally hugged him. “I’m sorry, mother is so poor. I’m sorry you lived in that little house.”

‘What? I just want some peace, woman.’

“Ah… I’m hungry.” He changed the subject, fearing the tears of Xavia will never stop. She was undoubtedly a strong-willed woman, but she was too emotional sometimes.

But he questioned many things about his and her past whenever he looked at her. ‘Who is my father? Who is her father? Why does she hide it from me?’

He will need to search for many answers in the coming years. But, for now, he let the woman be happy and care for him, which made her feel satisfied.

Later that night, they ate dinner and talked about various things, including their days at work. Xavia revealed she had been transferred to the healer’s department at the Holy Land and would no longer have to go around preaching.

Sylvester was happy because she would be safe as long as she lived in the Holy land. However, the world outside was too unkind in his mind. From dark creatures to wars, there was no end.

When the time to sleep came, he did not fall asleep as quickly and instead just looked at the ceiling, thinking about life in general. He wondered if there were other reincarnations in this world or what made him so special if he was the only one?

He questioned the existence of the church. The world was so messed up, yet from the actions of the church, not all but most of them, he felt it was not an evil entity. However, it was confusing, as either the church was extremely well-planned, to the point that even the clergy wouldn’t understand its true depths, or it was truly good.

His brain was automatically making him tilt towards the former hypothesis. ‘There must be a great many secrets hidden behind some doors. I hope I never come across them, for living in ignorance is true bliss.’

Slowly, he fell asleep, as he needed to wake up early the next day to go and check on his friends at the school dorms. All he could hope for was that they’d return alive.

…

Pope’s Palace, Sanctum Council Room

“That foolish woman has initiated the war early. She must have sensed our activities. Only if I could simply kill all their spies here. But that would destabilize the continent.” Pope Axel Tar Kreed appeared calm, yet the voice showed his frustration.

At that, Saint Scepter, the second in command, who rarely talked, spoke. “No need to fear, Holy Father. I have sent Void Keepers, Null and EX5, to deal with it. Queen Rexina will not speak or walk again. Her son, the Crown Prince, Duke Harold Gracia, will be the new King of Gracia Kingdom.”

The man did not speak anymore. So the Pope took over. “Good, I trust in Null. Hero Poison Angel taught him well before her untimely demise. I wish for this war to be over within this week; any longer would strain the lands and faithfuls. We do not want another famine.”

“Holy Father, if I may.”

“You need not ask for permission, Lord Inquisitor. You are my highest general. Your concern is faith’s concern.” The Pope respectfully allowed it.

Inquisitor High Lord took out a map of the Eastern side of Sol Continent and put it on the stone table. Everyone moved their chairs closer to see what this matter was about, as the Lord Inquisitor rarely shows much activity in the council.

“Holy Father, and the esteemed Council, I am afraid dark times are ahead for us. On the map you look at, all the red crosses are places confirmed to be haunted by a powerful Bloodling, like the one in Goldstown. The black crosses are suspected locations where a Bloodling may have risen.”

“S-So many?” Saint Wazir exclaimed with a frown apparent.

The Inquisitor High Lord nodded. “There are 68 confirmed cases and 1342 suspected. The number is increasing as we speak. As you can see, these are particularly restricted to the Eastern side and some in Libertia.”

“So it has started.” The Pope muttered, sighing in his seat. “There is a reason I was so hasty to sign the peace accord with the heathens, even with many compromises. I knew this was coming, the darkness in our lands. What do you think happens to lands constantly embroiled in war for a thousand years? Where every inch of it is tainted with blood and tears?

“Evil rises—as it has risen now. Bloodlings, creatures of the night and others alike, will soon plague the land if we are not careful. I’m afraid the Inquisitors and the Holy Army will have to work more now, Lord Inquisitor.”

Inquisitor High Lord saluted. “Holy Father, it is my obligation as a son of Solis. Therefore, even if the faith demands I work day and night, I will fight and ensure the light remains bright.”

The Pope stood up. “And the faith is thankful. Let’s end this session then. I believe the Favored Ones will soon be returning… some without beating hearts.”

…

Sylvester went to the dorms of the School of Dawn the next day. But he found none of his friends had returned yet. Some students did, however. So he spent time with them, talking about their missions.

He had nothing to do but train himself and read books while waiting for the 13th day. Meanwhile, he opened an account at the Quad Bank of Solis and submitted his money there. The interest rates were not very high, so it was merely a place to keep his legal money safe.

Besides that, he spent a little money on buying some extra robes, as he will be going on more missions in the future. He also purchased some clay to make miniature sculptures as a hobby. As a retired man who used to work at the Smithsonian museum as a restorationist, he enjoyed such work.

Also, he wished to make a few inventions someday to make his life easier. But for now, he was going to keep himself low. Too much attention was terrible, as he already had enough headaches with Bishop Norman.

Slowly, a few days passed, and the last day for all Deacons arrived. Sylvester was early that morning and went to greet his friends.

“You’re alive!” Sylvester saw Felix setting himself in the room.

Felix looked back and smiled. “Why does it sound like you’re more shocked than relieved?”

Sylvester chuckled and went ahead to clasp hands firmly. “It’s good to see you again. Where are the others?”

“They have returned too, just went to take a bath.”

“Both of them?” Sylvester inquired.

“Yes, Markus and Gabriel, both have returned. Markus has a swollen, stitched eye, however. He went hunting wild animals for a Northern village. The poor guy came across a wild Giant Bear accidentally, but his flexibility saved him”

Sylvester chuckled, knowing it made sense as Markus was someone who takes risks for adventures, being a confident boy.

Knock! Knock!

The two looked at the open door and found their class’s head coordinator, Archpriest Edmund. The man looked solemn, even sad for some reason. “Deacons gather in the backside of the school. Pay respect to the fallen.”

Sylvester and Felix looked at each other’s faces and noticed the smiles disappearing. It seemed they were the lucky ones.

“How many didn’t make it, Archpriest?” Sylvester asked.

With a sigh, the man answered before leaving. “Out of thirty, only nineteen returned. Don’t delay; head out quick.”

The two did as asked and found Markus and Gabriel on the way. After a short greeting, all four went to the school’s backyard. It was an open field of grass with small patches of concrete here and there.

Sylvester looked around. All Deacons had depressed faces. Some were still injured with wounds tied up—on heads, arms, or legs.

A chilling scene was presented to them all, as there lay 11 stacks of wood, small in size for those who rested on them were kids—lifeless.

“Here we gather to pay respect to the fallen Favored Ones. May their souls rest, for they fought bravely as the sons of Solis…” A man in priest’s robes spoke aloud while walking around, reading a book and sprinkling some shiny water on the wood.

Sylvester glanced around. The school’s building behind him appeared like a wall, so tall it eclipsed the sky. But for some reason, he felt like an animal on a spectacle at that moment, as the windows of all floors were open and students from all years watched them, some with a look of pity while few carried scorn.

‘We’re not here to study. We’re here to die.’ Sylvester thought, as slowly, the stacks of wood were lit on fire.

Sylvester watched them burn with a sense of disgust. God’s Favored class was a jungle where only the strongest lived, where they were merely the sacrificial lambs, as others bet which ones last the longest.

He looked around himself. They were all real kids, unlike him. That made him wonder how broken their minds must be to see those with whom they shared meals for a year die for a mere test—knowing that it could have been them too.

Felix suddenly returned after talking to some other Deacons. “Willis Leroy is one of them. Apparently, Romel was on the same quest, hunting some animals for a village. The examiner revealed that Romel left Willis behind when they were attacked by a Great Lion. Willis died trying to save a villager.”

Gabriel sighed and prayed for the boy they briefly knew and came to like. “I hope Romel gets punished for it.” 𝚍ｎ𝚘ｖ𝚕.𝚝

“In your dreams, he’s got Bishop Norman on his side. I just hope he dies on a quest now.” Markus scoffed, knowing corruption was rampant.

“It could have been one of us too.” Felix suddenly muttered, sounding crushed.

Sylvester sighed. Willis was the weakest boy in the class with the unique talent of spewing fire from his mouth. He liked the boy for his strong will, as Willis showed in Knight’s test. But now, the boy was no longer with them, and his corpse was burning—died because of cowardice of another.

“He was—one of us!” Sylvester added, as to him, they were all just children.

‘Someday, Romel will get what’s coming for him, and I hope it’s me doing it.’

He glanced at the summer sky while the wood churning sound filled his ears with gloom. His senses overwhelmed as he felt the smell of burning flesh, and the sorrow of those around him loomed. The scene was gritty, but he did not feel sad or bad—just pity.

‘So much for being a church of peace.’

Despite immense warmth from the sun and the freshness of the Solarium that the Soul Tree spread—the air today felt particularly dead.

___________________

[A/N: BONUS CHAP COMING IN AN HOUR! EDITOR-CHAN IS AT WORK!]

**601 Stones = Bonus Chapter!**

APE TOGETHER STRONG!