Chapter 6 Priest Mog
“Go away, go away! We’re not accepting anyone in our church, and there’s nothing for you to do. If you don’t leave, we’ll have to kick you out!”
In the middle of the crowd stood a young man in a red-trimmed black priest’s uniform, clearly a ceremonial priest of the Candle Sun Church. He was blocking the entrance to the church with his arms spread, preventing anyone from entering.
“But, Priest…” An older woman pushed through the noisy crowd. “I want to go in to ask for holy water for my son. He started vomiting and having diarrhea this morning. My poor little Johnny, I don’t know what sin he committed.”
“May Glor bless your son. I will personally deliver the holy water later.”
“Priest, Priest, my husband…”
“Reverend, please…”
After persuading each believer one by one, the young priest turned his gaze to the outsiders. They remained silent, not leaving, just looking at him expectantly, which made the priest feel a bit overwhelmed.
“Yes?”
“I already said we’re not accepting anyone…”
“I wanted to ask…” a black-haired girl stepped out from the crowd, her face calm. “Is Priest Mog currently here? My teacher, Siswell, asked me to give him a message.”
*
“I am Mog, the current priest stationed in Ark Town for the Holy Church.”
In the reception room of the church, the young priest looked at the girl before him, his eyes full of suspicion.
“You know Siswell?”
“Siswell is my mentor.”
Li Wen spoke a lie without the slightest change in her expression.
In reality, she didn’t know Siswell at all. She had only heard of his great name a little in her previous life. That aged old elf, known as the greatest mage in the Kingdom of Arthur after Merlin, had served as the kingdom’s court mage for a century, only stepping down in the last decade or so before becoming an honorary professor at the Sun Cultivation Institute of the Magic Academy.
“You are a student from the Sun Cultivation Institute?” Priest Mog did not believe her easily, as the girl before him showed no signs of being a mage. “Then prove to me that what you say is true. As far as I know, people who come out of the Sun Cultivation Institute are all mages of the Origin or Aether lineage.”
As the most massive magic organization in Arthur, the Sun Cultivation Institute was a sacred place for all scholars of mystery, history, mathematics, and arts. Those who emerged from it were all powerful Archmages, not some inexperienced little girl like the one before him.
“That is just your prejudice,” Li Wen said calmly. “Besides, I never said I was from the Forbidden Institute. My mentor Siswell often admonishes me: ‘How can you know that beneath the splendor of Glor lies darkness?'”
As she spoke, Li Wen’s figure gradually faded, as if merging with the darkness of the room.
Priest Mog’s pupils contracted. This was the power of the Dark Lineage.
As a nation of order that worships Glor, Transcendent beings of the Dark Lineage had always been explicitly forbidden by the Kingdom of Arthur. For ordinary people to walk the path of this lineage, they could only do so through some clandestine and illegal societies.
For example, the “Dark Dawn,” which advocated that Glor and darkness were of the same origin.
Mog stood up and lit a black candle in each corner of the room. The dim candlelight flickered, sealing all light and darkness within.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
Although he had confirmed the other party’s identity, Mog still spoke with great caution.
“There’s no need for you to be wary of me, Priest Mog… or rather, Tilroghzakh. My mentor has told me everything and given me an revelation: you only need to follow my instructions.”
Having his true name revealed, Mog’s expression relaxed instead, and he felt at ease. He didn’t even bother to ask about Li Wen’s identity.
“Siswell! My revered master, wise one, mentor, what are his instructions? If it’s to have me transferred, that would be great. I’ve had enough of this godforsaken place!”
Mog’s expression was cold and stiff, but the fanaticism in his eyes did not diminish.
Li Wen sighed inwardly. No one would have thought that Siswell, the greatest mage in the Kingdom of Arthur, the former court mage, and the beloved professor of the Forbidden Institute, would be the greatest traitor in this country.
The secret society “Dark Dawn” that he founded was a formidable enemy that kept the kingdom’s Disciplinary Bureau on its toes. The forbidden knowledge and rituals he spread throughout Arthur had poisoned countless people.
And Li Wen even knew that many years in the future, Siswell would lead the destruction of the Kingdom of Arthur, causing widespread suffering.
After that calamity, the Strategy Team, following the Red Knight Legion of the Holy Candle Mass Church, had eradicated the headquarters of the Dark Dawn and found a list of all its members.
Among them was Mog, the unremarkable ceremonial priest stationed in Ark Town, on the rim of the kingdom.
“Currently, there is nothing in the organization that requires you to leave here. I will be staying in the Black Dragon Territory for a while and need a safe and stable residence and identity. This matter should be no problem for you.”
“Alright, but I need to know why.”
“That’s not for you to worry about, demon!” Li Wen reprimanded him coldly. “Do you want to disrupt the great mentor’s plan?”
Priest Mog showed a look of apprehension. “I just want to share the burden with my mentor.”
“Hmph, then you shouldn’t speak unnecessarily,” Li Wen continued. “I also need a path within the Glorious Spectrum Series, either Sacrifice or Judgment, choose one.”
“That’s impossible!”
Mog suddenly became agitated. He just wanted Li Wen to leave quickly. As for the great mentor’s plan, whoever wanted to do it could.
“I’m just a priest stationed in a small town. How could the church possibly give me something like that!”
“I didn’t ask you to bring it now. The Candle Sun Church is already observing those outsiders, and they should be able to pick out the first batch of candidates soon. You just need to give me the quota in advance.”
Mog stared at the girl hidden in the shadows, his expression uncertain. Finally, he took a deep breath and said in a hoarse voice, “I have neither Sacrifice nor Judgment.”
“Then what do you have?” Li Wen smiled slightly.
*
Priest Mog temporarily arranged for Li Wen to stay at the church, living with the nuns. He claimed to outsiders that she was his niece, whose village was raided by bandits and whose parents were both killed, leaving her with nowhere else to go, so she came to seek refuge with him.
“The nunnery is just ahead. You know this is a small church, and there aren’t many nuns, so don’t complain about the rooms being too small or too run-down. Familiarize yourself with the rest. Remember, absolutely do not show your true colors in front of those nuns, especially your Dark Lineage power!”
“Of course, Mentor Siswell will remember your contribution.”
Li Wen replied with a smile.
Priest Mog left with a cold face without even glancing at her. He still had to provide holy water or healing to those damned commoners.
