“Glor, who is pure and flawless, please forgive your subjects for their presumptuousness.
” in your name, I will forgive and absolve the sins and suffering of the person before me.
“From this day forward, I am willing to bear her existing and future sins.
“All suffering and unrest shall also be borne by me.”
The young priest closed his eyes, his pious and calm prayer echoing through the block.
Before him was a frail and sickly little girl. Leicester’s perpetual rain and damp cold had left obvious traces on her, a condition known as “rust disease.” It is said that at least one-fifth of Leicester’s population suffers from this illness. Its specific manifestation is reddish-brown fungal spots spreading across the skin, which continuously expand until they cover the entire body. At this point, the pathogen begins to invade the body, causing the skin to fester, attacking and destroying the respiratory system, until the patient dies.
The little girl’s tender face was already covered with those terrifying red spots, indicating that her illness was nearing its final stage. If left untreated, she would soon face a painful death. However, how could the people of the Old City afford the expensive medical treatment?
The little girl looked at the priest, her eyes devoid of fear, only the lingering gloom and numbness.
Until a warm, gentle light brushed past her.
The priest opened his clasped hands, and a white flame flickered between his palms. It was so small, yet it emitted an unignorable radiance. The light was fleeting, and it took away all the pain at the same time.
“There, the illness can no longer torment you,” Moria said softly, opening his eyes.
The little girl looked at the priest with bewildered eyes. She felt her body become lighter and more comfortable than ever before. Everything that had been bothering and tormenting her seemed to have vanished in an instant.
“Thank you, Glor, thank you, priest, thank you, Holy Church! Thank you, thank you so much for your help.” The little girl’s mother hugged her, shedding tears, and kept bowing to Moria. “Hurry, Lucy, thank this priest, he is the benefactor of our entire family.”
The little girl pursed her lips, a little scared and hesitant, but she still said, “Priest, can you bring my father back? He hasn’t been home for several days.”
Moria stiffened slightly. He didn’t know who the little girl’s father was. To be without news for several days in a place like this, and after such a terrible disturbance yesterday, it was hard to say if he hadn’t met with an accident.
“I’m sorry, I…”
Moria didn’t know what to say. He was the Eldest Son of the Holy See, a priest of Glor, bearing the Endless Grace of Glor, but at this moment, he felt as helpless as a mortal.
“Enough, Lucy! Don’t say that…”
The little girl’s mother, with red eyes, stopped her daughter. She bowed to the priest again, then turned and left with her daughter.
Moria watched their departing figures for a long time before he finally calmed himself.
“Miss Mephistopheles, you came to find me, did something happen?” the young man, who was both a knight and a priest, turned around and looked at the figure under the cloak.
“I thought you would tell her that Glor would protect her father until the Church personnel found him.”
Hearing this, Moria shook his head.
“That would be a lie.”
Glor never protected anyone, and the Church personnel could not accurately find a missing person. Moreover, they would not waste too much energy on this matter, as there were too many people who needed their strength.
“That’s called comfort. And comforting people is the priest’s duty.”
The witch under the cloak looked deeply at Moria. Those who didn’t know might have thought she was the priest.
Li Wen did not want to waste more words on this matter. She had come to find Moria for something more important.
“I’m preparing to advance to Stage Two of the Path of Light Chasing, but the ritual requires your assistance.”
“Is it only me?” Moria hesitated for a moment, then asked.
This made Li Wen frown slightly. Weren’t the Eldest Son of the Holy See supposed to be kind and helpful? Why was he hesitating with her?
“Just consider it as such,” Li Wen said casually, too lazy to explain further.
“Then let’s go, now?”
“Now.”
Li Wen recalled the location of the Monastery His Holiness, then turned and began to lead the way.
The two exchanged no words on the way. Moria didn’t even ask for the details of the ritual, but silently followed.
This surprised Li Wen. The Path of Light Chasing, after all, was the only path of Glor that Moria was unfamiliar with. Wasn’t he curious about it? Moreover, Li Wen had explicitly stated that he was an indispensable part of the promotion ritual.
“You don’t seem very willing to see me advance?” Li Wen said with a frown.
The young priest froze and stopped.
“No, I’m just a bit… lost.”
Li Wen also stopped, looking at the young man curiously. Everyone had moments of being lost, but Li Wen had always believed that Moria would be an exception. He was born the Eldest Son of the Holy See, and his future path was already set. His will was firm and unchangeable by anyone. Could someone like him also be lost?
“Just yesterday…” As if sensing her confusion, Moria explained, “Nasha died, killed by Mr. Selwin.”
Li Wen was stunned for a moment before remembering one of that Wild Mage duo. Come to think of it, hadn’t Nasha gone missing or run away? How could she have been killed by Selwin? For what reason did Selwin kill her?
“Mr. Selwin told me this afterward. Nasha was actually a member of the Truth Society. Yesterday, she tried to take Harik away, but Mr. Selwin discovered her and stopped her. Nasha then activated a teleportation device, attempting to escape with Harik. But how could Mr. Selwin let someone from the Truth Society escape before his eyes? So, Nasha was killed, and Harik was teleported away due to Mr. Selwin’s hesitation. Now, it seems he has already fallen into the hands of the Truth Society.”
Selwin had not kept anything from Moria, telling him everything.
There was such a thing? Li Wen was a little surprised.
“You won’t consider this your responsibility, will you?”
The young man shook his head. “I just…”
Moria would naturally not consider all of this his responsibility. After all, Nasha being a member of the Truth Society was probably a long-standing fact. Perhaps even if he did nothing, Nasha would have attacked some magical organization to achieve the vision of the Truth Society, and subsequently died at the hands of some unknown mage.
But was all of this truly unrelated to him? Perhaps not.
Moria couldn’t help but recall the day he first met Harik and Nasha. At that time, he had confidently said that he would bring them to a trustworthy magical organization, where even Wild Mages without a proper master would receive respect and corresponding education. This outcome was perhaps predetermined from that moment.
No, perhaps it was even earlier, when the Secret Church assigned him the mission to retrieve the Great Blood, everything was already set in stone.
This was the irony of fate. When those who were obsessed with light attempted to eradicate the shadows and sins that arose from the light, their actions would always bring deeper shadows and greater sins.
