Chapter 64

Chapter 64

The outer hall of the church was lavishly decorated, with towering stained-glass windows throughout. These windows not only ensured the church remained bright and spacious but also depicted the former glory of the Holy Temple through intricate patterns of olive green and rose red.

Each window portrayed a different scene, rendered with even greater detail than the murals on the walls of the Antigas Academy library.

The grand hall was filled with devout believers on their knees, heads bowed in prayer.

Jia Xide, who knew the Paladin's stories by heart, whispered the tales depicted on the stained-glass windows. Luo Ci couldn’t help but turn her little head to glance at Ash, curious about his reaction to so many worshippers.

Yet Ash remained as silent as ever. Sensing the child’s gaze, he looked back at her, though his masked face revealed nothing.

Luo Ci’s mind raced as she absentmindedly followed the Pope into the inner hall.

There, a long dining table was set, lined with white-robed figures sharing the holy meal, all bowing their heads in prayer. Guided by the clergy, they took their seats at the empty spots.

The clergy laid out the dishes across the table, followed by forks and goblets.

Two Cardinals then solemnly placed a statue of the Paladin on the table, marking the imminent start of the holy meal.

Luo Ci eyed the Paladin’s statue. No one there suspected that the real Paladin was sitting right beside them.

After paying respects to the Pope, the Cardinals and clergy quietly exited the inner hall, gently closing the door behind them.

“Now, everyone, please partake in the holy meal.”

Kevin, too impatient to wait, was the first to voice his question: “Your Holiness, we’ve actually come today to ask you something—”

The Pope shook his head lightly and raised a finger to his lips, signaling that any inquiries should wait until after the meal.

Kevin could only hold his tongue for the time being.

Luo Ci clutched her fork in small hands, poking at the unfamiliar salad on her plate—firm potato-like cubes. She speared a piece and fed it to the little black fur ball before trying one herself. Bland without the dressing, it was neither good nor bad.

Jia Xide ate with profound reverence. This salad was made from mara potatoes, a crop native to the western regions.

Back when demons invaded the Kamusokis region and laid siege to the land, they cursed it to render it barren, seeking to starve the people to death.

It was the Paladin and his knights who arrived, slaying the demons and teaching the locals to cultivate mara potatoes—this resilient tuber thrived in almost any soil.

Thus, Kamusokis survived that famine, and mara potato salad became a staple dish in the holy meal.

Luo Ci found the holy meal’s dishes fascinating. There was also a spiny-shelled mollusk that required a small crack to sip the thick, sweet porridge inside, tinged with a hint of gooseberry. The child cradled the shell, downing it in seconds.

Once the meal concluded, the Pope finally spoke: “During the Kamusokis crisis, I was only seven or eight. That was the first and only time I ever saw the Paladin…”

“You saw the Paladin with your own eyes?” Jia Xide asked enviously.

The Pope turned his gaze and nodded.

Luo Ci studied the Pope, counting on her tiny fingers before exclaiming, “Wow, you’ve lived so long!”

For a human to live this long was remarkably rare. Jia Xide, too, had his doubts but quickly reasoned it must be due to the Paladin’s divine protection.

The Pope drifted into memory. “Back then, Kamusokis groaned under demonic oppression. Those cursed dark creatures slaughtered countless innocents. They cast curses—preventing fishermen from catching fish, rendering fields barren, and punishing evildoers—thieves, robbers, those who refused alms. Their children would succumb to endless sleep. The curse spread like a plague…”

“Demons truly deserve death!” Jia Xide spat with venom.

Luo Ci felt strangely familiar. The Pope sighed. “I was just a child playing in the dirt back then. My father had been a thief, and I, too, was cursed to sickness. But the Paladin never gave up on me or Kamusokis. It was he who slew the demons and ended it all. From that day on, I became a devoted follower of the Holy Temple. I’ve honored the Paladin by partaking in the holy meal daily—a habit lasting centuries…”

Jia Xide’s face shone with reverence.

“Child,” the Pope said kindly, “you, too, believe light and darkness must remain separate, don’t you?”

Jia Xide nodded eagerly.

“Indeed, the Holy Temple’s glory must endure for centuries, millennia. We must eradicate those wretched dark creatures…”

Jia Xide’s nod froze halfway. The old him would’ve agreed without question, but now he wasn’t so sure. Even among humans, there were good and bad—mercenaries, often seen as villains, kept their own honor, while revered Dragon Knights hid shady deeds. So… should all dark creatures be destroyed?

Luo Ci frowned. The Pope was so extreme! In reality, the evil demons had long been vanquished by the Holy Temple, yet now the Pope lumped all dark creatures together.

Kevin was done listening. He stood to press his question, but a wave of dizziness hit him. His legs gave way, and he collapsed back into his chair.

Luo Ci gasped—she’d never seen Kevin so vulnerable. “What’s wrong?”

“The holy meal…” Kevin gasped before collapsing, speechless.

Jia Xide’s face paled as he, too, went limp, his muscles turning to jelly.

The white-robed people at the table rose and approached.

With his remaining strength, Kevin drew his sword and slashed at the nearest figure. The blade passed through empty air.

The white robe crumpled to the ground. There was nothing inside.

These were nothing but enchanted puppets.

The Pope stood from his seat, turning a sconce on the wall to reveal a hidden door. He gestured for the puppets to carry them—chairs and all—into the basement.

Luo Ci didn’t know what was in the holy meal, but judging by Kevin and Jia Xide’s state, it must’ve been a potion that drained their strength. Strangely, she felt unaffected—perhaps due to Tilise’s blessing, which granted her immunity to dark magic.

How ironic—preaching the extermination of dark creatures while using dark magic himself!

Luo Ci couldn’t help but pout.

Playing along, she pretended to be affected and let herself be wheeled into the basement.

The spiral staircase descended deep and long—the Pope had secretly excavated an enormous cavern beneath the church.

After nearly half an hour, the white-robed people halted.

Surrounded by darkness, Luo Ci sensed they’d reached the bottom. A chill crept in, but then something warm and fuzzy curled around her fingers—the little black fur ball, pressed warmly against her hand.

She stealthily stroked its soft fur, tucking her hand beneath Fariel’s belly as if holding a hand warmer. The cold vanished.

The puppets lit magical torches along the walls, and Luo Ci’s round eyes darted curiously.

Her pink eyes widened in shock.

The basement was far vaster than imagined—almost as large as the Dragon Association’s plaza. Along the edges stood shadowy cells, housing creatures neither fully human nor beast. Pitch-black, hairless, with blood-red eyes, they snarled and lunged at the bars, ravenous for living flesh.

Jia Xide’s face turned ghostly pale. Had he not been paralyzed, he’d have leaped three feet in the air.

“Scared?” The white-robed people parted as the Pope strode forward, gazing at the bloodthirsty creatures in the cells. “These are my creations—blood ghouls. Mindless, driven only by hunger. Imagine what would happen if we threw you in there with them?”

Luo Ci met the Pope's gaze fearlessly, scanning the dark cells. These creatures had clearly once been ordinary humans. "So the vampire rumors in Kamusokis were all your doing? Why?"

The Pope replied, "Vampires are merely bloodsucking ghouls hiding behind noble appearances. The vampires I created are the true bloodline! I simply revealed the true vampires to everyone!"

Luo Ci scoffed and pouted. Vampires weren’t like that at all.

Jia Xide felt like he'd been struck by lightning. He had never imagined that the vampires he had feared all along were actually blood-drinking monsters created by the Pope.

Just to make people fear vampires… he deliberately created these monsters and killed so many innocent people?!

With his blinders removed, he realized the Pope had created these ghouls solely to incite rebellion and panic against vampires.

Kevin gave them a meaningful look. His goblin servant was still waiting outside the church. He had instructed the goblin that if they didn’t return within an hour, he was to get help from the Dragon Association. For now, they needed to stall for time.

Jia Xide remained dazed, still stunned by the shattering of his idol’s image.

Luo Ci blinked, getting Kevin’s message. Even without reinforcements, he was confident he could get everyone out. The priority now was uncovering the Pope’s true motives and the extent of his crimes.

He rolled his eyes and put on an act of being scared, sniffling for effect. "Then… why did you bring us down here?"

The Pope folded his hands behind his back, looking down at the child. After a moment’s thought, he decided it didn’t matter if they knew—they weren't leaving this dungeon alive. "Do you see the magic circle beneath your feet?"

Luo Ci examined the enormous circle under the candlelight. It was way bigger than he expected, covering nearly the entire dungeon. "This circle is really complicated."

The Pope looked smug. "This circle was originally built by dark elves to bring back their dead king. I improved upon it. To activate this ritual, I’ve spent almost a thousand years planning and preparing."

Luo Ci blinked. "That must have cost you a bundle."

"By cursing the king’s heirs and then lifting the curse, I earned the trust of those fools—along with handsome rewards in gold." The Pope sneered. "The hard part was gathering enough light crystals to power the circle."

Luo Ci cocked his head. "You’re the Pope. Shouldn't you have light crystals?"

His small hand reached into his magic ring and pulled out a glowing, perfect crystal. "Like this one?"

The Pope went rigid. The crystal in the child’s hand was purer and larger than the little fragments set in his centuries-old crown. This was a complete, pristine light crystal!

And the kid handled it as casually as a toy.

The Pope’s eyes gleamed with greed. But just as he reached for it, the crystal disappeared back into the magic ring—which only opened with its owner’s magic.

Luo Ci grinned. "What's it worth to you?"

"I… I can give you my papal crown."

"What good is your crown to me?"

"..." The Pope shook himself out of it, chuckling hoarsely. "No matter. I no longer need light crystals. I’ve discovered that enough sacrifices will work just as well."

He lowered his head, muttering to himself. "Too bad the present I sent to your room didn’t work. Otherwise, you’d have been my puppet ages ago, and you and your companions would’ve been in my dungeon sooner. With humans, royalty, and dark creatures gathered, along with the lives of the faithful in the outer hall, the circle would’ve been ready."

Jia Xide was furious. He should’ve been terrified, but rage at the deception overwhelmed him. The moment the drug wore off, he vowed to knock this fraud's teeth out!

"Are you stalling, waiting for rescue?" The Pope smirked at their angry faces, regaining his arrogance. "Let me tell you—this circle covers the entire church. Once activated, every living thing inside and outside the church will be extinguished in an instant!"

Kevin’s face fell. If true, his goblin servant wouldn’t have time to fetch the Dragon Association.

Seeing their despair, the Pope laughed triumphantly.

Jia Xide trembled, blood boiling with fury. He finally saw the Pope for what he was—the craziest of the crazy. How had he ever worshipped this lunatic?

No, calling him a madman was too kind. He was pure evil.

Meanwhile, the white-robed people placed enchanted holy artifacts at key points around the circle. Once their task was done, they lost their human forms, collapsing into empty robes on the ground.

These white-robed people had all been the Pope’s puppet clones.

Though the Pope hadn’t explicitly stated the circle’s purpose, Luo Ci—a blood pact mage—studied it carefully. It resembled a summoning circle.

But what did the Pope intend to summon?

After centuries of preparation, the moment had finally arrived. Nervous yet exhilarated, the Pope placed a hand on the chair at the circle’s center. Luo Ci noticed a skeletal figure seated there. The Pope drew a yellowed scroll from its ribcage, unfurling it to reveal a length of over ten meters.

The scroll stretched from the Pope’s feet far into the distance.

He knelt reverently, chanting the incantations loudly. Gradually, a faint breeze stirred in the silent dungeon. Encouraged, the Pope’s voice grew fervent.

*"Yes… Your devout servant summons you… Descend upon this place…"*

The circle began to glow faintly, like fireflies flickering in a forest, pulsing as if breathing in response to the chant.

The Pope’s expression grew solemn yet fanatical. A tempest gathered above the circle, and his grin widened.

Struggling against the gale, he continued chanting. He would bring forth a miracle—one that would erase all dark creatures from the face of the land… *Heh heh heh…*

A radiant white light manifested above the circle, so brilliant it was nearly blinding. A pillar of holy light shot from the dungeon into the sky, illuminating the darkness like noon.

Kneeling in the sacred glow, the Pope wept tears of ecstasy as a figure in gleaming white armor slowly materialized within the light—