Chapter 144 Ice and Fire
Cardinal Bro’s expression was solemn. His aged hand reached into the flames burning at the top of the scepter, moving slowly, and a streak of frost blue flowed from between his fingers and onto his dry skin.
“This is—”
Count Robert’s pupils constricted heavily. Even through the flames of the sacred relic, the ice-blue color in Cardinal Bro’s hand rapidly reduced the temperature, as if he were holding the approaching frost calamity storm.
This was the “heart” of the frost calamity.
Verafia held Shiel’s hand, her face pale, her golden eyes reflecting the contrasting colors of ice and fire. She whispered softly, “As expected. The flame on this staff does not reject this ‘heart’…”
Verafia also knew that Cardinal Bro had placed the rumored heart of the Frost God within Mistetinn’s Staff.
However, contrary to Ig’s judgment, even though the cardinal before them was part of the Sacred Domain, his power was not enough to borrow Mistetinn’s Staff and completely suppress the “heart” of the frost calamity.
The only possibility was that this flame-imbued scepter was fundamentally fused with it.
The fusion of flame and frost sounded preposterous… but what if they originated from the same source?
Cardinal Bro took out the heart of ice and frost. The hall, bathed in light and flame, was covered in a layer of thin ice, reflecting the light of the scepter’s flames.
Silence fell upon the hall. This was not the heart of a deity in the true sense, but the solidified manifestation of the frost calamity’s authority. Its existence seemed to freeze the passage of time and space, dimming even the brilliant light, leaving only the frost blue representing ice.
Azer’s eyes widened. his long hair was like fire, and his ice-blue pupils reflected the colors of the ice.
The domain of the saint, intertwined with the colors of frost and fire, enveloped the entire world. Count Robert, Tais, and the others showed surprise in their eyes. Trist remained silent, his armor groaning under heavy pressure, while Count Hyde knelt on the ground, his face ashen.
“Bro.”
Verafia suddenly spoke, and the cardinal’s movements faltered. A strand of her radiant golden hair spilled from her pure white hood, refracting the glorious light of the fire. She looked directly at his turned face without hesitation:
“You just said that Trist, Hyde, and the others questioned your faith without cause… However, in my eyes, you do not possess any faith, at least not for the ‘God’ you speak of.”
Verafia’s words shocked everyone present, especially the priests, who turned to look at her. Even among all the cardinals in the Church, Bro was known for his pious faith. This was why they had experienced a crisis of faith when they saw Count Hyde calling out to him.
But if Cardinal Bro hadn’t truly betrayed them, why would the young lady say such a thing?
Under her direct gaze, the cardinal’s cloudy eyes deepened. He suddenly narrowed his eyes and said, “Oh, ‘Saint’ named ‘Fire,’ you hide your divine name in scriptures, yet your miracles are created by your followers. The entire world sees no trace of you. If the scriptures accurately record your divine power as vast and endless, then why was there no sign of fire when calamity struck?”
“If He exists, yet watches His followers with detachment, and they are devoured by the frost calamity, then He is merely a hypocritical false god. If His miracles are fabricated, then believing in a symbol of faith is merely a false consolation.”
The cardinal’s voice made the priests look up in immense shock. In their eyes, the cardinal’s words were more blasphemous than his alleged betrayal of the Church and defection to the frost calamity.
“As expected.”
Verafia’s slender eyelashes fluttered over her golden eyes.
She had said it before… although the Aer Continent had a faith in the Fire Saint, and Mistetinn’s Staff was like Herafir’s “Sword of Destruction,” Laevatein, this so-called “Fire Saint” could never be a manifestation of herself or Herafir.
Coming from Cardinal Bro, it at least meant that this cardinal, who was at the highest level of the Church, also doubted His existence.
“However, it is not like that.”
Verafia raised her beautiful face. She wore a nun’s robe, and under the golden light, she looked like a pious and upright young lady questioning a fallen bishop.
“If you merely doubt the existence of ‘God,’ there’s no need to say such things. Even if such faith were fabricated… a harmless idol cannot do evil. Not to mention, you are holding His scepter in your hand.”
The cardinal standing before the golden cross held the flame scepter in one hand and the heart of ice in the other. Flame and frost, two inherently incompatible elements, shone on his white holy robes as if they had merged, making the cardinal’s figure appear solemn and sacred.
He was silent for a long time before slowly raising his face:
“Does faith matter? Whether it is a true god or an ordinary mortal… fire should ultimately burn frost.”
Verafia looked at the scepter he held. “I am merely curious. Could it be that this is also related to the frost calamity of ice and frost?”
This time, the cardinal did not answer for a long time. The golden Sacred Domain and the quiet flames of Mistetinn’s Staff cast light and shadow, illuminating the flame markings on the cardinal’s robes.
“According to the followers of the frost calamity, this world was supposed to be covered in ice and frost. And millions of years ago, the sky was torn apart, and meteors of flame fell to the earth. Not only did the frozen oceans melt, but unlike other fallen meteorites, a tree of flame grew in the ice and snow until the severe cold vanished.”
His hoarse, low voice recounted ancient legends. Verafia’s delicate eyebrows furrowed. She hated people who deliberately spoke in riddles.
However, even so, she could make some guesses from the cardinal’s words.
The original deity of this continent should have been the Frost God after the calamity… but he was destroyed by meteors of flame falling from the sky before he could truly be born.
From then on, this ice-covered world gained life… and even developed a long and prosperous civilization. However, what the cardinal meant by “tree of flame,” was it referring to Mistetinn’s Staff in his hand?
No, it shouldn’t be… He said “grew in the ice and snow,” not that it was brought by falling meteors. Could it be that, like Herafir’s “Sword of Destruction,” this staff was originally a sacred artifact of the Frost God, but was ignited by flame before it could be born?
There was another question. When he said millions of years ago, was the exact time when Herafir was killed by the Sacred Sword and the flame meteor fell?
Verafia pondered with some difficulty. But in her ears, she heard Shiel’s sharp, startled voice. She raised her face in alarm, “Cardinal Bro, what are you doing!”
The cardinal, holding the heart of the frost calamity and the scepter, was walking towards Azer on the golden cross.
—
I’ve been a bit sick these past two days, feeling dizzy and my vision blurry… (I feel like this chapter didn’t explain things clearly at all…)
