-- Thessalonia, early summer, 407 AH -- The farce of the holy fortress of Arabel eventually reached the center of the Holy See, after all, religion's control over the country is absolute, and no matter what kind of information it is, it will eventually be transmitted here.

To this end, Cardinals Naomi Metment, Gary Weplinton, Jasper Warrenner, and three other cardinals who had arrived from various dioceses convened an emergency meeting against Ursus...... No, it was Wolfmont Kleist who punished Arabel for his bad behavior.

"It's too much, it's too much!—I have no qualities to be a clergyman, and I strongly demand that Wolfmont Kleist be punished! Archbishop Naomi Metment, who had already clashed with Soss, grasped this trick even more, after all, he was not optimistic about that imp from the beginning, and he only swallowed his anger when he saw the order of His Majesty the Pope, so I am afraid that he could not hold it back, after all, Arabel is located in the diocese under his jurisdiction.

"Archbishop Metment, please don't get excited, saying that he is an enemy of the Holy See, that's a bit serious, isn't it?" Archbishop Gary Weplinton, who also belonged to the cardinal, sided with Soth, sat down at the conference table, picked up a document and glanced at it, and said with a smile, "You see, there are no casualties in the report, do you?—you don't think that kid is all he can do? He has ...... mercy."

"That being said, but the local church of Arabelle caused very great losses because of that fellow, and many people saw it at the time, don't those people think that this is an internal contradiction of the Holy See? Once this kind of public opinion spreads, it will inevitably cause irreparable damage to the prestige of the Holy See! -- The churches in the regions are the direct existence of the people's faith, and any act of destroying the buildings of the Holy See can be regarded as an enemy of the Holy See!"

"Actually, it's not as serious as you say, is it?" said Archbishop Gary Weplinton, who smiled slightly, then looked at the other man playfully, "and as far as I know, the cause of the incident was the refusal of the Arabelli Regional Church to accommodate Imperial refugees? I also heard that the local Bishop Zoe Lear...... Well, he's your direct subordinate, isn't it? It's not a big deal, but it seems even more unreasonable for a local bishop to ignore the cardinal's status, right?"

"Uh......" The anger on Neomi Metment's face froze, and with a little reluctance, he picked up the teacup and said lightly, "None of them are conscious as cardinals, that little imp is like this, and that Bang Harmsworth is also like this, and he interferes in the internal affairs of other dioceses without authorization, so how does this make the local diocese carry out the affairs of the church?" In addition, apart from the identity, I don't think my subordinates have the need to salute those two guys, Zoe Lear has guarded Arabel for the Holy See for more than twenty years, and this qualification cannot ......be found even if you look at Salonia."

"Do you mean that His Majesty the Pope made a mistake in his decision?" said Gary Weplinton.

"It's His Majesty the Former Pope!" frowning to correct Gary Weplin's words, Naomi Metmente sighed slightly, changed his tone, and whispered, "Indeed, I have to say that Malitz is an excellent administrator, and when he was elected as Pope, I was still a little unconvinced, and you have done this before, right......? However, in the decades since he succeeded, I gradually changed my initial mind, that man was a natural leader, but even that he would make mistakes!--From the very beginning, I did not recognize that Imperial imp as a cardinal, it was a fool's errand!- Not only that, but you have also seen that Maliz tolerated that imp again and again, and even passed on his stigmata power to that imp, and I didn't say anything about it, but as the core power of the Holy See, he actually gave [keys] to that imp...... As you can see, that little imp has no Holy See in his heart, and he has no consciousness as a cardinal, and I strongly request that a search party be sent to arrest Volmont Kleist and recover [Key]......"

"All right," interrupted Naomi Metment, and Archbishop Jasper Warrenner said with a smile, "don't worry too much about the kid's nonsense!--don't you know that the kid is so powerful, what kind of arrest team can subdue him?, don't worry, although I don't have a deep contact with the kid, but I believe in Malitz, oh, it's His Majesty the former Pope, that kid won't go too far, as for the key...... Originally, the key was in the hands of the successive popes, and this time the situation is a bit special, but at least the key is absolutely safe in the hands of that child, isn't it? Isn't it more important for us now than to elect a new pope to lead the Holy See......?

"It's mainly ......," Gary Webrinton seemed to explain something, but before he could finish speaking, Archbishop Jasper Warrenner smiled and waved his hand, and said with a straight face, "Regardless of nationality, that kid ...... No, it's Lord Volmont, I have also learned some information about him in recent years, if this world is really unable to block the invasion of dark forces, then sooner or later our Holy See needs the power of Lord Volmont, the ancient will, that is the existence of the god level, the Holy See can master this power, it is a very lucky thing, I don't think that we humans have reached a level that is enough to deal with the power of the gods, so, let's be glad for this, God has not given up on us, and still gives us a lot of help! - Praise the Lord, Amen!"

"Amen!" Archbishop Naomi Metmente sighed helplessly, then slapped the table and said in a deep voice, "but in any case, Volmont Kleist's actions have caused an obstacle to the reputation of the Holy See, and I ask that he be removed from the list of candidates for the Pope, and those who ignore the rules and regulations of the Holy See are not eligible to be candidates!"

Seeing that the other three cardinals nodded and sided with Naomi Metment, Archbishop Jasper Warrenner glanced at Gary Weplinton and nodded silently, which was a compromise on this negotiation.

"Alas, well!" Shaking his head helplessly, Gary Webrinton said in a deep voice, "then, from this day onwards, Wermont Kleist is removed from the list of candidates for the Pope!—and that's it, the meeting is terminated!"

"Hmm!" snorted Archbishop Naomi Metmente with satisfaction.

-- At the same time, north of the holy fortress of Arabell, within the territory of the Empire -- Soth finally stepped into the land after three years, and of course, he didn't have much attachment to this country, whether it was the Empire or the Holy See, it didn't make any difference to him.

Merely...... When did the empire become like this?

He had thought that what Bella and Aji had said and the villagers was an exaggeration, but it wasn't until he saw the land of sorrow and desolation that Soth frowned deeply.

Since his departure from Arabel, he has passed through three villages, abandoned villages to be exact, and there is no one in the village, too, because almost all of these civilians have fled to Thessalonia.

In the air, there was a faint aura of darkness, which grew stronger as we got closer to Sassen, as if the country had fallen into a dark abyss...... What the hell is going on?!

What the hell did that Argus guy do?

According to the information obtained from the refugees of the Empire, almost three years ago, after they left the Empire, the army of undead knights in black armor appeared, and they took a large number of civilians to Sassen to build the Dark Altar, and so far no one has returned, and the situation has been even worse recently, this army has begun to search for civilians everywhere...... Was it because there was not enough labor to build the Dark Altar, or was it because the Dark Altar had already been built and put into use, and for that it required a lot of pure soul power...... Argus...... Looking at the desolate abandoned village in front of him, Soth glanced up at the sky, only to see the twilight sky, faintly revealing a little red light, as if it were blood.

"Wait...... Wait for me, Lord Walmont!", suddenly, a figure stumbled out of the dust blown by the gust of wind, and a man who seemed to be about forty years old gasped and rushed up, and then looked at the empty village and said in a trembling voice, "No, this is already the fourth village, is there really no one?"

Soth glanced at the guy faintly, and walked towards the distance, he suddenly regretted that he had been delayed in Arabel for a long time, and he knew that he would take advantage of the annoying guy to persuade the people of Arabel to take in the Imperial refugees, and save him from catching up.

"Hey, Lord Wormon, wait for me!" the new Bishop Bang Harmsworth hurried up with a few breaths.

Soth walked unhurriedly, and said lightly, "When are you going to follow?"

"Ah, don't say that, our destination is Vanderle anyway, isn't it, wouldn't it be better to travel together, it's better to have someone to talk to than to be alone, right?"

"I'm sorry!"

"Alas...... I knew you would say that!—what a cold!" Father Bon said, turning his head to Soth, and said earnestly, "I feel that you are not as unapproachable as you seem, and although I do not agree with your ways, it is a good thing that those poor people have finally been given a better home......

"Really?"

"Oh, by the way, Bella and Agina asked me to bring you a word, [thank you]!"

“...... What does it have to do with me, you persuaded the local people, right?"

"But you gave you this opportunity, didn't you? Otherwise, the helpless people wouldn't even be qualified to enter that door......

"yes!—I'm just not liking that guy Zoe Lear!"

"Oh, what a dishonest...... "Father Bang was halfway through his sentence when he was grabbed by the collar by Soth, who had turned around, and said in a low and threatening tone, "you better think more about your life without anyone else seeing!"

Looking at those cold and unemotional eyes, Father Bang nodded hurriedly and said, "Yes...... Yes......! Thanks for the reminder!"

"Hmph!" With a cold snort, Soth let go of his hand, turned and continued on his way.

Alas, what a strange child...... Shrugging his shoulders, Father Bon sighed and followed.

Along the way, Soth did not speak, and this atmosphere of silence was quite unaccustomed to the chatty new bishop, and after walking for a while, he asked tentatively, "I heard that Lord Volmont is from the Empire?"

"Hmm!" After a long time, Soth spat out a faint word.

"I heard that I used to study the dark arts at Heliriox?"

"Hmm!"

"Heliriox, the magical city of Vandor, that's a great place, oh, I haven't actually been there, I've just heard it's very good...... By the way, does Helly Oaks have cream cheese?"

“......”

"Ha, haha, it doesn't seem to be......" Seeing that the atmosphere was getting more and more stiff, Father Bang smiled awkwardly, and then seemed to suddenly remember something, and asked curiously, "I heard that Your Excellency Wormon, you have a grudge with Argus, right?

"Hmm!"

"Speaking of which, is that guy really that powerful, so powerful that even the power you have now is not enough to kill him, so go to Vandel for help?"

"Help?"

"Isn't it? If that's not the case, why don't you just go to Sassen and wait for your chance, but take a detour to Fandel?"

Soth's pace slowed slightly, and then returned to normal.

I waited for a long time, until Father Bang thought that Soth didn't want to talk, but he whispered in an indescribable tone, "There is time to kill Argus, and before that, I want to meet someone......"

"Hmm?" Father Bang was stunned, then looked at the expression on Soth's face, smiled, and guessed in a low voice, "I see that Your Excellency already has someone you like?"

"It's a fiancée!"

"Uhhhh......h

"Dia!"

"Dia...... What a nice name," said Father Bang, with a slight sigh of emotion, "the girls of the Empire, as gentle and lovely as the girls of Thessalonia?"

"Ah, it's a very gentle girl, I owe her a lot of ......"

"Do you have a beloved when you are thirteen years old? The children of the empire are really precocious......" Father Bang said with a shrug of his shoulders and a teasing.

"Beloved?"

"Hmm?" said Father Bang, stunned, "isn't it?"

Sighing slightly, Soth stopped, looked into the distance and muttered, "I don't know if it's love, but when I'm with her, it's very relaxing, and it can make me stop thinking about other things for a while, those troublesome things......"

"Uh, the sustenance of the soul?" said Father Bang, looking at the seemingly immature but mature young man beside him with some surprise, "To be precise, this is just dependence, not love, at best like...... That's just the way to say it's a fiancée, it's ......"

"Doesn't it feel strange, heh, at least she's the only one who can take in all of me, including the dark side...... Anyway, I can't let her down anymore......"

Father Bang's expression suddenly became rather strange, and he exhaled and said self-deprecatingly, "What a responsible word!--but you had better keep it in your heart, it will hurt the girl's ......"

"Huh?"

"Don't you understand? She thinks she likes her to be with him, and wouldn't it hurt her if she knew that you had a sense of responsibility because she was good to you?"

"But I still love being with her, and if it weren't for Argus, maybe my life wouldn't be the way it is......"

"Perhaps?"

"Ah, we were going to open a small shop in Jelbart......"

"Uh, did you have a plan for the future so early?" Oh, that's amazing!" Father Bang smiled and spared his head, and then as if he had thought of it, he hurriedly said, "Hug ...... I'm sorry, Lord Woolmont, I'm getting a little carried away!"

Glancing at Father Bang, Soth exhaled slightly and said in a deep voice, "Well, let's go!"

"Uh?" As if he understood something, Father Bon smiled and followed Soth's footsteps towards the distance, walking, as if he had thought of something, and said a little uneasily, "To be honest, I still have a feeling of uneasiness about my mission, can you introduce me to Vander......le first?"

"The Empire's dark mages hate you!"

"Ah, I'm not going to prepare......" With a wry smile, Father Bang sighed slightly, and said in a low voice in a rare serious tone, " Sure enough, it's because of the one-year war eighteen years ago, in fact, no matter if the dark magicians of the empire hate us, many people in Salonia still have hostility and hatred for the empire, but I think that kind of painful lesson is enough to experience once, war, it will only bring destruction and destruction, no matter which side wins, it will not be happy, at least, those who have lost their loved ones will cry bitterly every night for this......"

"You alone can't change anything!"

"Don't you think so?" asked Father Bon in astonishment.

"I've never wanted to ask about that kind of thing, and the only thing I have to think about now is to kill Argus, and everything after that has nothing to do with me!"

"Huh, what do you want to do?"

"Open a small shop ......"

"Uh, haha, you're still so young, you're planning to marry that girl, don't care about anything else, it's really not like a character like you would say!"

"Hey!—I'll kill you!"

"Hug ...... I'm so carried away!"

"Humph!"

A few days later, Father Soth and Father Bon made their way through the Lilang region to the heart of the Empire, where the situation was even worse, the thick aura of darkness had affected the soil and water sources, the land had become barren, the water sources had become cloudy, and even the plants had withered.

Although there is no direct harm to people, the dark breath that pervades the air still inevitably brings a little discomfort to people, as if they are bewitched by some kind of power, and when they breathe this polluted air, the ** in the body will gradually be amplified.

"That's why!" "Father Bon said in a serious tone, "It seems that we are a little late, the empire has been completely plunged into darkness, and the dark aura here alone is so thick that it is hard to imagine what Sassen will be like now...... Is this the power of the Ancient Will Mammon?--Before he came to this world, he had such an impact on this world, and the Ancient Will was really terrifying......

As he spoke, he glanced at Soth, but saw that he was using his mental power to explore the situation in the nearby area with his eyes closed, so he said with a little envy, "Just relying on his spiritual power to explore the situation hundreds or thousands of yards away, it is really an enviable power!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Opening his eyes and saying lightly, Soth raised his hand, pointed in a direction in the distance, and whispered, "There, there are a lot of people's breath, it should be a village!"

"Well, is there a decent village at last?" said Father Bang, rubbing his hands excitedly, with a bit of anticipation, "It's been a few days, and I really miss the feeling of sleeping in the futon, well, give me another bowl ......of broth, and never barbecue meat," as he was speaking, he suddenly saw Soth's frowning brows, his heart moved, and he asked in a low voice, "Have you noticed something?"

"Well, in addition to the aura of people, there is also a lot of dark aura of activity!"

Father Bang was stunned and subconsciously asked, "Could it be that the demon attacked the village?"

"No, it doesn't feel like pure darkness, it smells like rotten flesh, it's more like death!"

"Is it a necromancer?"

"No, it's not the breath of a necromancer!—I've seen necromancers, they still have a bit of a human breath on them, but these guys, it's pure death!" he said, frowning, and walked towards the village.

"Wait for me!"

A few minutes later, they came to the place where they felt the breath, and as Soth had expected, it was indeed an imperial village.

But what made Soth concerned was that he saw a cavalry team of about twenty people...... "......knights in black armor" hiding in the grass and quietly looking at the cavalry wrapped in black iron armor from head to toe, Father Bang was shocked and said, "Oh my God, are these the knights in black armor in the mouths of those two children?—they can't feel the breath of a living person at all, it's like ......"

"Undead!" Soth summed up Father Bang's words succinctly, and then frowned as the Black Armored Cavalry drove the terrified and frightened civilians out of the village, put black shackles on them, and then set fire to the entire village.

"It's too much! It's a demonic act! no, it's absolutely!" Father Bang angrily hammered the ground beneath him, listening to the cries of the civilians in fear.

Soth, on the other hand, still frowned at the black-armored cavalry with emotionless eyes.

Have you already started, Argus?

The so-called total destruction of the country......

(To be continued)