--Seven days later, Salonia--To be honest, the city of Salonia was the last place Soth wanted to stay long, and whenever he entered the city, he always felt a very oppressive feeling in his chest, after all, Slost's power came from darkness, and it was incompatible with this kind of city full of light.

"Chief!" glancing at Soth, who had stopped at the gates, the Holy Inquisitor's lieutenant, Brother Chesha, reminded in a low voice, for he had noticed that many of the city's inhabitants were looking in this direction.

"Yes, I know!" Sighing slightly, Soth grabbed his hair helplessly and walked reluctantly towards the city, followed by Brother Chesha and the other eight Holy Inquisitors, the blue-nosed and swollen priest Archie Bul.

When they saw this team in black and red uniforms, the inhabitants of the city consciously moved out of the way, although the Holy Inquisition could not appear in front of the common people, but in the past three years, thanks to someone, almost all the inhabitants of Salonia have learned of the existence of this secret army of the Holy See, of course, not so much respect as fear.

After all, the Holy Inquisitor of the Inquisition Bureau is the law enforcement department of the Holy See, and together with the Dark Inquisition, it is called the [Shadow Order] or the [Black Order], which is responsible for hunting down fugitives, executing rebels and other dark activities.

Even the crusaders who came forward to greet Soth at this moment looked a little trembling, of course, this crusader member was not afraid of the Holy Inquisitor, but simply afraid of the breath released by the Holy Inquisitor, the violent aura mixed with light and darkness.

"Good morning, Inspector Kleist!"

Stopping and glancing at the crusader officer, Soth frowned, glanced at the other party with his head down, hesitated for a moment, pointed to the city and said, "Martial law in the city?"

"Yes, Your Excellency!" the crusader swallowed his breath and lowered his head and said in a deep voice, feeling the unspeakable chaos in front of him, "We are under the orders of His Majesty the Pope to temporarily impose total martial law on Salonia to ensure the smooth running of the meeting......"

"Boring!" Sos pouted speechlessly, indeed, Salonia is no more cruel than the Empire, the rule of religion is sometimes more cruel than the law, this is very clear to Sos, who has lived here for three years, if anyone dares to come to Salonia to cause trouble during this period, I am afraid that these perpetrators will not even be qualified to be imprisoned in the Dark Inquisition, and they will be killed on the spot without exception.

Besides, this meeting is a meeting of the twelve cardinals of the Holy See, which is undoubtedly the core of the entire Holy See, even a powerful man like Argus would not choose to come here at this time to make trouble, let alone others.

As a junior who inherited the Pope's surname, a certain surname trusted by the Pope, Soth knew a lot of secrets about Thessalonia, such as the ancient ruins...... "Your Excellency, go slowly!"

Looking at Soth, who was striding towards the city, the crusaders stationed at the entrance of the city saluted one after another.

"Stomp, stomp!"

Black leather boots stepped through the streets of Thessalonia, Soth glanced around slightly, and said lightly, "I haven't seen you for three months, this city is still so lifeless, if you stay in this city for a long time, sooner or later you will ......be like those old men."

"Ahem!" Brother Chesher next to him subconsciously coughed twice as a reminder, after all, he knew too well that the so-called old man was referring to those characters, if he had been someone else, he would have been imprisoned in the inquisition by these law enforcers, perhaps, the holy magistrates who were lifeless and inflexible in the past have finally learned some human sophistication, for example, to shield their superiors...... "Is the chief planning to enter the court now?"

"Ah," Soth replied nonchalantly, and said lightly, "if it weren't for ...... I really don't want to come back here!" he said, pausing and glancing at the sky, as if looking at something, with a somewhat complicated look in his eyes.

Suddenly, a shout of joy was heard in the distance.

"Soth, Soth, here!"

"Hmm?" Soth was stunned, raised his head and looked into the distance, only to see a girl with long blond hair shaking the book in her hand with a happy face, and the girl next to her was pulling her desperately with a look of fear.

"Huh!" Soth smiled faintly, and turned to Brother Cheshe, "Brother Cheshe, go back first, and hand this guy over to the Inquisition...... I'll get over it when I get back!"

"Yes, Chief!"

The Inquisitors had left with the prisoner first, and Soth smiled as he walked toward the blonde-haired girl.

Katerina, in the past three years, this girl was one of the few friends of Soth, and then with her relationship, Soth and Eddie, Gert, Geller and a group of young people also established friendships one after another, of course, the process is undoubtedly complicated and tortuous.

Three years later, the maiden named Katerina became even more beautiful, and her slender figure, delicate face, milky white complexion, and golden hair undoubtedly became the focus of her peers, but unfortunately, this girl did not seem to admire the love between men and women, and became one of the trainee nuns early, much to the sigh of countless suitors.

The surname is introverted and reserved, and she knows and has a good relationship, and it is only the existence of Eddie and other three brothers, and Soth, who is similar to Reox, except for a few girls, such as the brown-haired girl next to her, Chrissy.

Looking at the boy walking towards the two of her in the distance, Chrissy's eyes showed a little imperceptible horror.

After all, she was also a student of the Mill Academy and a future clergyman, and she knew too well what the black and red uniform and the black cross meant...... "Karina, Karina," and a low, muffled voice called out her friend's nickname, and Chrissy lowered her head, grabbed her friend's arm desperately, and said hurriedly, "Let's hurry up, that person is the Holy Inquisitor!"

She suddenly regretted taking this path, and even more regretted that she had made a surprised voice just now, she was just curious to see the Holy Inquisitor at this time, but she didn't think about any contact with those terrible guys...... Looking at that one that is getting closer and closer...... No, it was a figure already standing in front of her, Chrissy seemed to have flashed scenes of dark dungeons in her mind, her little face showed a little fear, and she suddenly said in a loud voice, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, we didn't mean to......"

However, she was only halfway through the sentence, and she was stunned, because she noticed that her friend was talking to the other person in a familiar and even intimate tone.

"Soth, I haven't seen you for a long time, where the hell have you gone!"

"Work, work, it's not like I want to run around like this!"

"The previous meeting, and the last time Geller said, you didn't come to the appointment, Geller was very angry, saying that he saw you and taught you a good lesson, hehe......"

"I don't care if he's angry or not!—but don't I order a cake?"

"Uh-huh—it's delicious, but Geller is still angry!"

"Tsk!"

Looking at the familiar appearance of the two people, Chrissy couldn't help but feel a little surprised in her heart, she secretly glanced at the holy magistrate in front of her a few times, only to find that the other party was just a boy about the same age as herself.

But ...... "Hmm?" may have noticed Chrissy's gaze, and Soth glanced at the other party, frowned and asked, "Is she ......?"

"Ahh

"I ...... My name is Chriss......" Chrissy said hello with some trepidation, and said secretly in her heart, it is indeed very powerful to be a member of the Holy Inquisition at such a young age, and besides, the momentum on his body is like that of the tutor of the academy, and ...... After secretly glancing at the other party for a few moments, she lowered her head with a slight blush.

"My name is Soth!" Soth responded to Chrissy's greeting in an almost perfunctory tone, then glanced at Katerina's apprentice nun costume and said with a light smile, "You really want to be a nun, by the way, what about the others?"

Katerina apparently understood who Sos was referring to, and complained, "Eddie is preparing for the final examination of the paladin, and I haven't seen him for a week, and Geller was too, but he was brushed down because of a fight with someone else, hehe! Oh, Gert is planning to study as a monk, and has been busy looking for information recently, what about you, Soth, how long can you stay in Salonia this time?"

"I don't know!" Soth sighed slightly, and Argus's wicked smile came to his mind, and said in a deep voice, "There is a meeting in the next two days, and if there is no accident, I will return to the ......," he said, and paused, exhaled, and smiled, and said, "I'll talk about it then!—by the way, I'll have to go and tell the truth first, or I'll have to go back to that damned confinement cell!" With that, he walked towards the most splendid building in the middle of the city.

"Oh!—Hey, Soth, I'll come to you tomorrow with Eddie!"

"Ah, let's talk about it then......"

Looking at the back of the departing figure, listening to the almost perfunctory tone, Katerina pouted and said sullenly, "Really, if you say this sentence again, you can't agree to it happily!"

"Phew," Chrissy, who was beside her, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, patted her chest as if afraid, and said, "Your friend is as strong as the tutor of the academy, no, more ......pressure than the tutor," she asked curiously, "Speaking of which, why haven't I heard of you having such a friend, Holy Inquisitor, it's really amazing......"

"I've said it before, Soth......"

"Really?" Chrissy thought about the letter suspiciously for a long time, but still couldn't recall it, and then seemed to think of something, and said with a smile, "I secretly observed just now, your friend is quite handsome, and his eyes are also very special, dark gold, oh yes, there is a layer of silver glow in his left eye, it's strange, do you know why this is happening?"

"Well," said Katerina, who thought for a moment and complained with a little disappointment, "when I saw them three years ago, they were both dark gold, and then I don't know when...... I asked him, but he wouldn't say, and he said that I don't have enough authority to know, it's really annoying!"

"Huh?" Looking at Katerina's puffing appearance, Chrissy smiled maliciously and snickered in a low voice, "You like him, don't you?"

"How...... How could it be......" said Katerina in a panic, "I said I was going to be a nun......"

"Don't quibble, when you saw him just now, your face was indescribably happy, I have never seen you like this in the academy......"

"Because...... Because he's a friend, and he hasn't seen him for a long time, he ...... So ......"

"So what?" Putting her arms around her friend and snickering, looking at her blushing appearance, Chrissy grinned and said, "I'll keep it a secret for you, but how about you ask Eddie for me?"

"It's all said that Eddie is busy with the paladin's assessment!"

"Didn't you say that he treated you like his own sister, he should listen to what you say, right?"

Looking at her friend's expectant eyes, Katerina frowned in embarrassment and said timidly, "I can help you with Gelle, he's been idle lately......"

"Huh!" Chrissy said with a disappointing glance at Katerina, "Don't be that stupid!"

As she was talking, suddenly a pretended deep voice came from behind her.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's better to pay attention to the occasion when you say bad things about others?"

"Yikes!" Ricks, startled, subconsciously turned his head to see a teenager with short hedgehog-like hair baring his teeth at him, and under his loose coat was a strong, explosive muscle.

"Geller!" Katerina greeted cheerfully.

"Hey!" Geller replied with a smile, and then asked curiously, "What are you doing here? Aren't you going to the academy for an internship?"

"Because he ran into Soth," Katerina said with a chuckle, "he seems to have come back today, just in time to meet ......."

Geller was stunned, then his eyes widened suddenly, and he said viciously, "What? That guy is back? Where is it? I won't let him run away again this time, I have to teach him a good lesson!"

"Hee-hee, every time I say that, Geller can't beat Soth," a little snicker, and Katerina recalled, "this time he should stay a little longer, saying that he was going to have a meeting, and he seemed to be very serious, very serious......"

"Meeting?" Geller's pretended angry expression calmed down suddenly, and he looked at the crusaders stationed at the city gate, and frowned with a little imperceptible worry, "Well, I heard that there is indeed an important meeting of the Holy See recently, and the twelve cardinal archbishops from all over the country will come one after another...... Even he came back at this time, so he couldn't be wrong!--it seems to be about the Empire, hey! I hope there's no trouble, that guy ......"

"Yes!" as if thinking of something, Katerina sighed faintly.

"Hey, I say, what are you talking about?" Looking at Katerina and Geller in surprise, Chrissy said inexplicably, "What does the important meeting of the Holy See have to do with your friends?"

"Huh?" Geller said in surprise, glancing at Chrissy, "Didn't you say you had seen him just now?"

"yes, so what?—will the Holy Inquisitor be in charge of the security of the meeting then?"

As if he understood something, Geller smiled, shook his head and said, "That guy is not an ordinary Holy Inquisitor, he is one of the twelve cardinals, and he has an unclear relationship with the Empire...... I guess there's going to be a mess!"

"Yay?!"

And at the same time, in a certain room of the Central Holy See.

As usual for most of the time, His Holiness Maliz Kleist, who was revered by everyone, was in his private garden, looking at the flowers he had fiddled with, and the old pope looked much worse than three years ago, and if it weren't for the magnificent papal brocade robe with golden rune ribbons sewn on his body, no one would have believed that this was His Majesty the Pope, who had ruled the Holy See for more than thirty years.

"Your complexion is much better than yesterday!"

It was the old pope's side, an old man in a red robe of different styles, who was one of the twelve cardinal archbishops of the Holy See who had recently returned to Salonia, and who was also the mentor of Soss's friend Eddie, Bishop Gary Weplinton.

"Hehe......" The old pope smiled slightly, looked at the blooming flowers, and said softly, "Say whatever you want!"

Bishop Weblinton sighed slightly, shook his head, and said, "Is that good?"

"What?"

"I mean the kid...... I don't have any prejudice against him, no matter how terrible the dark power is in that child, he is always brought back by Andrew's guy at the cost of his own life, let alone the successor of Charles Jr., but, no matter what, I still think that you have indulged him too much, and not only have you given your holy power to that child, but also ...... Alas, that's most of the Holy See's belongings for hundreds of years, and if that kid goes down the wrong path, even if it's us, there's nothing we can do about him!"

"Hehehe," the old pope smiled slightly, looked at the flowers in the flower garden on crutches, and muttered, "There is no way, that kid has never been able to make up his mind to give up the dark power, nor can he give up his hatred for Argus, even if it is three stigmatas, it can only suppress the power of Sloth......"

"But it would be child's hunt for you to give him the key, and if he becomes an enemy of the Holy See in the future, the whole of Salonia may be scorched overnight...... Even the power of the twelve cardinals, no, the eleven archbishops, could not compete with the tremendous power of the ancient ruins [Sky City], which was originally the last resort to protect Thessalonia!"

"I know," the old Pope sighed slightly, shook his head, and said, "But even if that child doesn't have the key, if he goes down the wrong path, won't we be able to help him either......?

"But at least we have the power to protect Salonia!"

"Thessalonia...... The empire calls us the whole Holy See Salonia, and the people of this country call the city Salonia, but the whole of Salonia is not just our Holy See or the city, but the country......!

"But ......"

"You saw it three years ago, and that kid didn't trust us at all...... Therefore, I will hand over to him the greatest secret of the Holy See, and without reservation, you should also notice the change of that child, although there are many complaints in his mouth, but he still earnestly completes the task assigned to him by the Holy See?"

"Seriously?" Bishop Webrinton couldn't help but shake his head, and said with a wry smile, "Don't you know how many times this child has been complained about, entered the control of other archbishops without permission, entered churches around the country without permission, and even mobilized crusaders, and once clashed with Archbishop Neomi Metment, I've heard about similar things several times, haven't you received letters with similar complaints?

"Hehe, hmm, I read a few letters, and the rest was disposed of......"

"......" glanced helplessly at the smiling old pope, and Bishop Webrinton shook his head and said, "All in all, that child does things completely by his own subjectivity, and his words and deeds do not look like a clergyman at all, let alone an archbishop...... The child's abilities are good, but the other archbishops don't have a very good impression of this child, and it is entirely for Andrew, Little Charles, and your face that they endure......"

"The Lord tells us that to be tolerant of others is to be tolerant of ourselves......"

"But you're too forgiving!"

"Yes," said the old Pope, sighing slightly, pacing a few steps with his cane, "that child is actually very responsible, and his surname is not bad, on the contrary, I like such a straightforward child, the main problem is that the power of Slos has affected him, causing him to lack enthusiasm for the outside world, even if I give him such a passionate Christian name as [Walmon], the situation has not improved......"

"It's useless, right?

"Yes," the old pope nodded, and then showed some relief, and said with a smile, "but that kid is also changing, isn't he? he has begun to trust us, isn't it like everything in the world......?

"But the price behind such sincerity is too great, right?"

"[The key] is just a prop, a force with many limitations, and most importantly, people, and besides, we haven't lost [the key], have we?"

"If that child really wants to be a member of the Holy See......"

"He will, he is a very responsible child......" said the old pope paused, frowned, and continued in a low tone, "Recently, I have always had a sense of foreboding, maybe my life is coming to an end, but closer to that great will, the awakened evil will, maybe not just Mammon and Sloth, if so, then we ...... No, we humans, and the whole world, are threatened like never before, but luckily, at least the gods don't mean to put us against all evil wills, do they? If it goes well, we can harness evil with evil...... It's the last hope!"

"That being said, but in the current situation, it was Sloth who was influencing that child, and I doubt that he would be able to withstand this temptation......"

"Maybe...... It is only when the child completely renounces the darkness in his heart that the name Walmont becomes meaningful, and the darkness in his heart is the man of Argus......"

As he was talking, the two old men suddenly turned around, only to hear a creak, the door of the courtyard was opened, and a young man in a black and red uniform walked in striding in, and said lazily, "I'm back!"

"Hmm!" said the old Pope's face sank, and he frowned, "what is this?—it is blasphemy to enter this sacred temple with a residual dark aura, Volmont! Didn't I say you can't use that dark power anymore?"

"Wordy!--what Walmon, it's called Soth!" Pouting angrily, Soth complained, "It's not for me to use it myself, if you want to blame it for the priests of your Holy See who are not strong-willed, a few low-level demons of the Hous-level demon soldiers have turned around the ground, and they have also made a magic array to contain my holy power, breaking the balance of power, and the breath of Sloth has seeped out, what can I do?"

"Your Holy See?" the old Pope frowned again.

"Yes, yes, our Holy See, Holy See, okay?!"

"Humph!" the old Pope snorted, and raised his hand to say something, when he was interrupted by Thos.

"I don't need you to say it, I understand, go to that damn little dark room and confine yourself for three days, and wait until the dark aura on your body is gone!--every time you come back, can you get something fresh?"

Shaking his head, the old pope sighed helplessly, and said angrily, "I'll go after finishing the work!"

"Yes, yes, yes!—what a wordy old man!"

Nodding to the special boy as a courtesy, watching him walk towards the confinement with a dissatisfied face, Bishop Weblinton smiled bitterly and said, "Trust, it's good, but it's too ......" As he spoke, he seemed to think of something, frowned and said, "Do you plan to let this child represent the Holy See?" Although this child has the strength that is not inferior to Argus, well, it should be said that the strength of this child should have surpassed that man's strength now, and he is enough to reach the level of an ordinary great magician with his holy power alone, not to mention the power of darkness...... But I'm still a little worried, worried that he will be emotional, and indirectly deepen the contradictions between the Empire and the Holy See!--Argus is not the fugitive he was at the beginning!"

"I know, but if you deepen the contradictions between the Empire and the Holy See, and change it to other people, who makes the Empire now in a period of civil strife, the leaders of the Empire will definitely think that our Holy See wants to take this opportunity to expand its power......"

"Well, if we do...... Therefore, I suggest sending someone else to deal with this matter, after all, the political situation in the Empire is very sensitive right now......"

"Let's discuss this issue at the meeting!" said that, the old pope walked towards the confinement room on crutches, and as he walked, he suddenly stopped, turned his head to look at Bishop Weblington, and whispered in an inexplicable tone, "Gary, this child's surname is not bad, but he lacks experience in dealing with things, as long as he has enough time to ......"

As if he understood something, Bishop Webrinton's eyes couldn't help but show a little gloom, sighed slightly, and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, after all, he is Andrew, Little Charles, and the child you all approve...... However, if he acts against the will of the Holy See, I will never tolerate it!"

"Well, that's good, that's good......"

(To be continued)