After a fierce bam of battle, Rudell and his companions could only flee the graveyard in a whoosh.
Well, it’s no wonder, since messing with the Empire’s troops was no picnic.
Nobles from the Kingdom suddenly fighting undead in a graveyard at night?
It’s a situation that’s as suspicious as a cat in a dog park.
So, as Rudell and his crew returned to their lodging…
“W-welcome…!!”
“Thanks for your hard work.”
Silphier and Aitri, who were tinkering with a golem, greeted them.
“So, any luck?”
“Not nothing…”
In response to Aitri’s question, Rudell placed something on the table.
It was shattered fragments of a fist-sized orb.
Though it had lost its shine, it exuded an indescribable, horrifying aura despite being broken.
“This is…”
“I don’t know what it is, but it turned the corpses in the graveyard into undead. It was a hassle to deal with.”
“Undead!?”
Rudell’s words made Aitri’s eyes go wide with shock.
“Undead in the heart of the Empire… what could this be…?”
“Lady Eleor, do you have any guesses?”
“I think… it’s somehow related to dark magic.”
“D-dark magic!?”
At the same time, Aitri jumped up and shrieked.
Just the thought of a necromancer is headache-inducing, but dark mages made things way more serious!
“I think I’m on the same page.”
Meanwhile, Rudell nodded in agreement with her words.
To cut to the chase, her guess was spot-on.
The identity of that orb was the crystallized souls of humans.
In other words, it was living human souls turned into magic batteries.
“Dark mages sacrifice other people’s souls to gain immense magic power; this orb seems to have condensed those souls into crystals.”
“H-how could they do something so horrifying…?”
“That’s exactly what dark mages are all about.”
Toward Aitri, who looked incredulous, Eleor spoke in a firm voice.
They were like psychopaths who could sacrifice others without a second thought for their own gain.
That’s what dark mages were.
“So… what now? We can’t just rashly step in, right?”
“Not really; we don’t need to announce it ourselves.”
Even if they didn’t directly inform them about the dark mages and necromancers, there were plenty of ways to relay information indirectly.
“Lady Eleor, there’s a branch of the Gaia Church here, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Even just looking at the available methods, there was a way to pass on clues about this incident to the Empire through the Gaia Church.
Not to mention that they had Eleor, the church’s saint, so they probably wouldn’t raise any suspicions.
“So, let’s head to the church as soon as dawn breaks.”
“Okay.”
Even though it was midnight outside because of the incident in the graveyard, soldiers from the Empire were busy moving around.
Roaming around carelessly in such a situation wouldn’t be very wise.
“So, let’s rest until tomorrow morning and think about the remaining tasks then.”
With that, Rudell stood up from his seat.
*
The next morning broke, and Rudell and his party headed straight for the church.
Passing through bustling streets filled with people, they arrived at a somber atmosphere.
“This is the church district where various sects gather.”
“It feels similar to the Kingdom.”
Aitri explained, and Leje observed the surroundings as if she were familiar with them.
Indeed, if you just looked at the vibe of the street, it wasn’t much different from the church district in Prucelium.
Is it always like this wherever religious people gather?
With those thoughts, Rudell continued down the street.
A moment later…
“This is the place.”
In a familiar manner, Eleor led them to a massive temple.
Compared to other temples from different sects nearby, it was significantly larger.
As the largest sect in the continent, Gaia’s temple was so enormous that it dwarfed all other temples.
Rudell and his party climbed the long staircase and…
Just as they reached the entrance of the temple, soldiers that appeared to be guards raised their halberds to block them.
“The church is not receiving visitors right now. Please turn back.”
“Not receiving visitors, huh?”
Rudell tilted his head at their words.
Even if they weren’t accepting visitors, the guards had an extremely hostile attitude.
What’s going on?
As he pondered this, suddenly…
“May the goddess’s grace be upon you… could you please deliver this emblem to the High Priest?”
“This…?”
Eleor stepped forward with a smile and handed something to the guards, who accepted it with puzzled expressions.
And then…
“W-whoa!?”
“I-I’ll deliver it right away!!”
With pale faces and swallowed breaths, they hurried into the temple without a second glance.
“You, seriously… just tell me you’re not an apprentice priest.”
“I don’t really understand what you mean. I’m clearly an apprentice priest.”
Watching the scene, Leje squinted and let out a low laugh, while Eleor feigned innocence.
After a brief moment…
The guards with frantic expressions came back and bowed to Eleor.
“The Archbishop has granted you permission to visit. Please follow us!”
“Well then, everyone. Shall we go?”
The soldiers led them inside, and…
“W-wow…”
“That’s incredible!”
“Yeah, no kidding…”
“Hmm…”
Following Eleor into the expansive interior of the temple, Rudell and his companions couldn’t help but gasp in awe.
The scale of the temple was so grand that it couldn’t be compared to anything from the Kingdom.
The solemn atmosphere made every step feel cautious.
“Doesn’t it feel like everyone is watching us?”
“Not so much us… but I think they’re looking at Eleor.”
Even though he had an inkling of that, Rudell pretended not to notice.
After all, she was a saint of the church.
It was only natural for the priests’ focus to be on her.
“This is it.”
Crossing the wide hall, the guard bowed and stepped back.
“Welcome, Lady Eleor. May the goddess’s grace be upon you.”
“May the goddess’s grace be upon you.”
The holy knights standing on either side of the door bowed to her.
No longer hiding her status, Eleor nodded, and the knights opened the door before them.
Bright light poured in from beyond the open door, forcing everyone but Eleor to shield their eyes.
After a moment, adjusting to the light, they opened their eyes and…
“Oh my…”
“This is my first time seeing something like this…”
“Hmm…”
The scene before them made them shout in admiration.
It was no surprise; the sight was so otherworldly that it hardly seemed indoors.
“Is that all glass?”
Sunlight streamed in through a ceiling made of glass.
Below it lay a hill covered in green grass, as if a small mound had been transported here.
At the bottom of the hill flowed a clear stream, sparkling with fresh water.
However, the most striking feature was the enormous, beautiful tree perched atop the hill.
A giant tree that was far beyond the size of an ordinary one.
“Please follow me.”
As they gazed in peace at the wondrous sight, the holy knight led them up the hill.
At the top of the hill, they were greeted by a senior woman.
If not for her priestly robe, she would seem like someone easily found in any rural village.
She was tending to a small vegetable garden nestled beneath the giant tree.
“As you mentioned, I’ve brought them here.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
The woman acknowledged the bowing knight and stood up, wiping the sweat from her brow.
“It seems we won’t be able to talk while standing; please have a seat.”
“Oh, okay.”
Struggling a bit, she moved to a nearby table.
Everyone, including Rudell, took their seats at the table…
“I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am Meles, a priest serving Lady Gaia and holding the position of Archbishop.”
With warm yet resolute brown eyes, Meles looked at them and spoke.
“What brings our cute little lady and guests from afar to see me?”
