The bright sunlight shone into the room, and a few flowers had bloomed on the green vines outside the window, welcoming the coming spring, so that the last figure of the harsh winter also disappeared in this morning star forest with the fragrance of birds and flowers. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

Loren sat by the window with some difficulty, leaning back in his chair, his pale face already a little more bloody. Although the steps are still a little vain, at least you can get down to the ground by yourself without the help of others.

At this rate, it will take a week at most to return to full strength. Of course, there must be some dark wounds on his body, but he is still young, and it will not affect his actions much at all.

"I'm relieved to see you're alive, Your Excellency Loren Turin!" The little priest sitting opposite the black-haired wizard prayed incessantly, with a little excitement in his eyes: "Thank you for the Holy Cross's protection, so that I didn't lose a friend like you, who is not only brave but also extremely pious!"

Hearing the word "piety", Loren just smiled faintly and did not respond.

He still had some impression of the little priest, who had helped him a lot in Gumu, and who was much more tolerant of faith and doctrine than Fanesis and the other clergy—he even believed that there were devout believers among the wizards, and that he was a different kind of church in the church.

"I heard from the elves that you led an expedition deep into the forest to defeat an ancient evil pagan god!" the little priest became more and more excited, "This must be the will of the Holy Cross, which placed its divine power on you, so that you have the power to transcend the mundane and put an end to this terrible disaster!"

"I have seen the potential in you for a long time, Lord Loren Turin. You will surely be able to become a disseminator of the teachings of the Holy Cross, and even a role model - to open the eyes of those who do not believe, even among the shamans, there are those who are blessed by the Holy Cross!"

"You've really won the prize, I've only made a small contribution. Loren replied lightly: "Without the sacrifice of the elves, hundreds of ogres would have already stepped through the ancient wood forest and poured into the land of the principality. ”

"It is undeniable that although these elves are not the people of the Holy Cross, they do make an indelible contribution to the fight against evil creatures. The little priest nodded solemnly: "We must all thank them - even if we are not afraid of sacrifice, without the elves, we would not be able to bask in the glory of God in peace!"

"I've heard some rumors about this......"

Loren suddenly changed his expression, and looked at the little priest with some "curiosity": "It's about the alliance between Duke Lothair and Morning Star Forest." ”

"Yes, without the full support of Count Ruben, this matter might not have been so swift. The little priest nodded, and there was still a little smug in his expression: "In order to support this war, the Holy Cross Church also took out one-fifth of the annuity, provided a large amount of medicine, and organized the believers to transport it spontaneously, and many elven warriors survived!"

"That's a great act of kindness. Loren changed his words: "But what I'm going to say is not this, but about the conditions of the alliance - if you don't accept the faith of the Holy Cross, the duke won't ally with the elves, is that right?"

The little priest's expression immediately became a little more embarrassed.

"I can understand the reasons why both the Duke and the Church want to do this, after all, it is the highest honor to spread the doctrine. The black-haired wizard shook his head slightly: "But is now the best time to do this, right now we actually need elves, is it really appropriate to make such a rash fight?"

"This is actually ......"

The little priest suddenly looked around, and after making sure that no one was eavesdropping nearby, he lowered his voice with some embarrassment, looked at Loren with a serious expression and whispered: "Actually, it was an additional request from Lord Fanescis, not the bishop and the duke!"

"Fanesis?" Loren's right eye twitched slightly, and his face did not change.

"That's right, Lord Farnesis said that if the elves are unwilling to believe in the Holy Cross, it means that they are not sincerely allied with the Duke, and must have other purposes. The little priest nodded: "Lord Duke Fried also thinks it makes sense, so he agreed." ”

"But this is really just an additional condition, and the Duke does not take it to heart—otherwise it would not be me, an ordinary priest, who would have come here, but Lord Farnes himself. ”

"Why?"

"It's normal that you don't know this - in the Church of the Holy Cross, if a priest can start a new diocese, he will immediately become a priest in the local church, and in a place as large as the eastern forest, the church may even have an additional bishop!"

The little priest's expression was very helpless, and it seemed to be a little regretful: "Although it may not be appropriate to say this, it is impossible for me, an ordinary trainee priest, to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. ”

"And now that Bishop Fabiang is old and may be ordained by the Holy Cross at any time, and there are many clergy who are ready to compete with Lord Fanenscis for the position of bishop, so when it comes to a new diocese, how can he trust others to do it?"

With his right hand propped up his chin, the black-haired wizard's eyes were a little more clear.

Loren remembered how high-spirited Fanecis had been in the first place, and even the church guards had to serve him—and now the situation was so dire that he had to use it.

Apparently, the events at Wimpal College had scarred Phanesis' prestige and power to the point that other clergy dared to challenge him as the heir to the episcopal throne.

At the moment, he desperately needed some opportunity to make up for his losses, so he targeted the elves - if he could use this opportunity to bring all the elven settlements in the Morning Star Forest and even the Eastern Forest into the arms of the Holy Cross, he would be qualified to become a new bishop by virtue of this merit alone!

And even if he didn't succeed, he had already tried and proved how "faithful" he was to the Holy Cross, and at the same time he had nothing to lose, so why not?

Thus the whole "missionary" affair was a risk-free gamble by the Farnesis - it was better to win, not much to lose if lost, and there was no need to be present in person, just to appoint a priest who was not very noticeable.

Like the ...... in front of you.

"I will do as much as I can to carry out the orders of Lord Fanescis, but I will not force the elves. The little priest shook his head: "Coercing or even blackmailing and kidnapping others is definitely not what a member of the Holy Cross does!"

"But I have come today to tell you something else, Your Excellency Loren Turin. ”

The little priest's expression suddenly became solemn: "Actually, I met His Excellency Dalton Candle once before coming again, you should know each other, right?"

"He was my mentor. Loren nodded, and a not-so-good premonition came to his mind: "What's wrong?"

He ...... Something went wrong. ”

The little priest twitched his throat hard, "I know it's strange to say this, because I'm only a friend of him, but he did disappear - I visited the Wimpal Academy afterwards, and he hasn't been back since!"

"Then how are you sure that something happened to him?" Loren squinted: "Maybe he's just going on a long trip, and the mentor often needs to go out on errands." ”

"For a man told me about it himself, and asked me to convey it to his apprentice, who is you, Your Excellency Loren Turin. ”

The more the priest spoke, the more panicked he became, apparently frightened: "Your Excellency Dalton Candle has been captured and detained by that man - the only condition for the other party to release him is that you go there yourself, otherwise you will ......"

"Otherwise what?"

"Otherwise he'll make some ...... Something not very sensible - that's what he said!" The little priest's expression was tangled: "I was going to wait until you're almost recovered before telling you, but ......"

"No, that's perfect!" Loren pressed the other man, the corners of his mouth slightly curled - but even the little priest in front of him could feel the murderous intent in him.

"I'm a patient who needs to move my muscles and bones!"