Before you know it, the second month of the year is already halfway through.

The summer cicadas in the trees are still noisy, singing the praises of their brightest moments. The days in the Church were a little hot, but the number of visitors to Dawn City was increasing—not only the people of the Church, but also many of them from the Northern Forest, and the Fritzians from the Grand Duchy of Lorres.

Despite the fact that the Church had acted out of profit, the Church had won the friendship between the Elna and the Fritzians in the recent war. Specialties from the forest and the sea are becoming more and more common in the major cities and markets of the church.

However, at this moment, there is hardly a pedestrian to be seen on the wide streets of Dawning City. After several expansions, the pure white hall, which was second only to Eternal Day City in scale, also extinguished most of the lights. The patrolling monk occasionally walked by, holding a torch that had been cast with divine magic, like stars descending to the ground.

It's past midnight, and it's time for all things to be at peace. Of course, as stated in the teachings, the Lord of Light always has his eyes on the land and all the creatures on it, at all times and at all times.

Not far from the Great Cathedral, a modest house is warmly lit. The two men in the room sat opposite each other, each with a tall glass containing a yellowish clear liquid. The man on the side near the gate raised his hand and rubbed his forehead, smiling a somewhat self-deprecatingly.

"Drinking late at night, that doesn't seem very doctrinal." "But you don't blame me for that," he said gently. ”

The teachings of San Leon are quite tolerant. It is explicitly forbidden for congregational members to commit crimes that are generally recognized in the world, such as stealing, robbing, and hurting people without reason. The Church can investigate and judge those who commit such wrongs—as well as those who are not in the church. Depending on the severity of the offense, the punishment for the wrongdoer ranged from confinement to repentance, fines, unpaid labor, and even expulsion and deprivation of association with the Lord of Light.

The last punishment is the prerogative of every pope, which is granted only to the faithful who have committed serious wrongdoings. But he may not be the only one with that power, Oswald thought. Whether it is the apostate who deprived the "Black Crow" of the ability to cast spells, Cullen Dahl, who claims to believe in the "Lord of Heaven"; Or the second Templar Knight, the "Silver Witch" who understands magic far beyond ordinary people, and thinks they all have similar powers.

Only a few people know that the former member of the "Brigade" is also the "Chosen One" of St. Leonos—an excellent believer who has been personally recognized by the Lord of Light and bestowed blessings. In terms of strength and prestige in the church, Hylandia was the best person to help him. It's just that he doesn't want to tell the woman who has guided him all the way to the church and even seems to him to be more suitable for the position of pope than himself.

"That's true, because I'm not her." Sitting across from him, the middle-aged man in a white robe put his hands on the table, guessing his thoughts, "However, you're not the kind of person who sneaks out of work at random and comes to me for a drink, Os." He stroked the back of his left hand with his right hand, "So, I guess, you've made up your own mind." ”

Karan's familiar title as usual made Oswald rub his nose to hide the waves of his mood. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible.

"I want ......," he shook his head, reorganizing the language, "the Church needs to unify the continent. ”

If it were an ordinary believer, eighty percent would scold him for being crazy. If you change it to Hylancia, you'll have to 'fix' him if you don't get it right—just like he did more than fifty years ago, when he had just become a monk and had caused trouble because he was young.

As he grew older, from monks, priests, bishops, to taking over as pope eleven years ago, everyone thought he was much more stable. More than that, he began to think about the interests of the whole country, as well as millions of believers and people. Yet he knew he was still the devout and adventurous—or somewhat fanatical—believer.

"It's not doctrinal, Os." Kahran's expression remained gentle, "The Lord of Light will not want to see us as invaders, and neither will the people of the Church. ”

"The doctrine has continued from hundreds of years ago to the present day, and some parts are no longer applicable. And I don't want to invade, just intend to...... Prevent aggression from happening. ”

"But that can't be done." The white-robed middle-aged man narrowed his eyes slightly, "The war with the empire has only ended recently, and no one will be willing to give up sovereignty easily." Even if we were to be fully prepared, we would not have the military strength to be the enemy of the entire continent. ”

Oswald stared at the cup in front of him, his tense face reflected in it.

He knew very well what Karan had said, and any rash attempt to conquer the continent, for whatever reason, would not have turned out too well. So, he has other ...... Thoughts that are hard to put into words.

The current pope closed his eyelids as if it had taken him a lifetime to make up his mind.

We can ask the Lord of Light for help. If He had answered me, the Church would have been more powerful than the "armies of the undead." He reopened his eyes and subconsciously clenched the cup in his right hand, "Moreover, other countries can understand that justice is in our hands-"

The smile on Kah'an's face faded. He stood up and removed from the bookshelf the book "The Gospel of Light: Part II"—an encyclical written down and consolidated by successive popes after St. Leonos took over as "Oracle." He stroked the somewhat old cover, then flipped it to one of the original pages.

"God loves all the creatures of this world. He is always on top of the sky, watching over the earth and all things. He neither decrees nor does he himself do it in the world. Because he knew that if the living beings were attached to the gods, they would lose their own destiny. However, if you are sincere and walk in God's ideas, He will bless you. ”

The middle-aged man's voice stopped. He closed the book in his hand, and his gaze continued to fall on the cover, where was the emblem of the Lord of Light.

Oswald was all too familiar with this passage – and as pope, he had the right to know secrets that most believers did not know. In order to avoid a repeat of the catastrophe of the previous era, the "divine envoys" made a promise not to interfere in the changes of the mortal world. For thousands of years, all they have done is to watch nations rise and fall, civilizations change, and maintain the existence of a "network of magic."

"Times are different, Kahlan." He pushed the cup aside and stretched out his right hand, which covered the emblem of the ring on the cover of the book, "The Lord of Light is not the only God, nor can he be alone. I'd rather be a torch than let the world be swallowed up in darkness. ”

The middle-aged man in the white robe raised his head, and his expression did not show reproach or approval.

"I seem to see you thirty years ago, Os." "But this time, I'm not going to stand with you." ”

The incumbent pope raised the corners of his mouth slightly. Karan's words brought back memories for him, and he knew that those days of ease and carelessness were over.

"It's okay." Oswald stood up and straightened his soft robes, "It's nice to be able to talk to you. ”

He still had more than half of the wine in his glass, but he needed to rush back to Eternal Day City and get two hours of sleep before the sun rose to soothe his nerves. He'll have to get to the finish line on his own – so it's important to stay fit and clear-headed.

Of the forty white-robed bishops, and the fifty-one Templars other than him, there should be quite a few who can be convinced. He also believed that the tolerant and benevolent god he believed in did not want to see the suffering of all beings on earth. Compared to that looming future, he is willing to give everything he has, including his life.

"Besides, let me say more." The white-robed bishop pushed away his chair and put his hand on his shoulder, "You can't hide her. ”

Oswald couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly. It was the part he didn't want to think about at all, but there was no point in deceiving himself.

"I know." He whispered, then chanted the incantation, blending into the shadows behind the lights.