Chapter 20
Bishop Mathers
The Great Cathedral of the Candle Holder in the Red Queen District was the most orthodox and highest-ranking Church of the Nine Pillars God in Avalon.
All coronations of Avalon’s kings and queens were held here, and it also served as the royal mausoleum. Other individuals of “greatness” in the Avalon Kingdom were also buried here after their state funerals.
Its daring to be named after “Candlemaster,” the guardian Pillar God of the Path of Devotion, was enough to prove its sacredness.
“Please come this way.”
An old man wearing an Episcopal Crown and clad in a solemn, floor-length red robe turned back and spoke courteously and gently to Eivass.
Judging by his skin and features, this man with a beard and glasses appeared to be in his early forties. His demeanor exuded a stern, homeroom teacher-like vibe, yet he inexplicably gave off a sense of “agedness,” making people instinctively perceive him as an elder. Perhaps it was due to the unnatural paleness of his hair and beard, which seemed to be a result of aging rather than natural graying.
The old man looked up and reminded Oswald, who was pushing the wheelchair behind Eivass, “Be careful, the path ahead is a downhill slope.”
The design of his Episcopal Crown resembled a complex, ornate, and sacred candelabrum.
It could, in fact, accommodate actual candles—though they would only be inserted and lit on particularly important occasions.
Given its design, the crown could hold a maximum of three candles: a large one in front and two smaller ones on either side. This indicated that the old man before him held a very high ecclesiastical rank.
Even when counting the Pope of the Eternal Holy Kingdom, he was ranked third from the top.
Strictly speaking, all high-ranking clergy, including the Pope, were considered “Bishops.” All Bishops’ Episcopal Crowns bore three candles, and only Bishops were permitted to wear red robes. The Pope’s Episcopal Crown could accommodate three large candles, while novice Bishops could only insert three small candles.
A rank below that, Priests, had two candles, and the lowest rank, Deacons, had only one.
Although the church in this World simultaneously worshipped the Nine Pillar Gods, the church itself had its preferences. The vast majority of the clergy followed the Path of Devotion, hence the Church of the Nine Pillars God held “Candlemaster” in highest esteem, with the red candle—”burning oneself to illuminate others”—as its sacred symbol.
Eivass, though also a Priest, had not yet graduated and thus had not been awarded his own Episcopal Crown. This meant he wasn’t considered part of the religious system, didn’t receive a salary from the church, and was not bound by its rules.
“Thank you, Bishop Mathers,” Eivass said politely and gratefully. “I apologize for troubling you to personally teach me Sacred Skills.”
“There’s no trouble at all. I was able to be elected as a Spiritual Council member largely thanks to Professor Moriarty,” Bishop Mathers said, clasping his hands in front of him. He walked parallel to Eivass along the small path on the east side of the Great Cathedral of the Candle Holder.
He chuckled, “I saw this morning’s newspaper—you did well yesterday.
“Those Demon Scholars have committed countless atrocities. Not long ago, they sacrificed an entire village. Including over a dozen elderly people and more than forty children, everyone became material for their rituals. Their crimes were so heinous they even alerted His Majesty the Pope. Now, not only are they wanted in the Kingdom, but they are also listed in the disciplinary hall of the Holy Kingdom.
“Without officially possessing Path Power, you found them with your own wisdom and defeated them with a handgun… defeating the strong with the weak; that’s excellent. His Majesty the Pope hasn’t received the newspaper yet. But I believe he would praise you as a ‘hero born young’ if he saw it.”
“It wasn’t quite that remarkable,” Eivass replied with a gentle smile. “Without Senior Haina’s protection, I might have met my end even after finding them.”
“Indeed, that young lady is also remarkable,” Bishop Mathers agreed. “Brave and resourceful—most importantly, willing to trust others.
“Her strength is much greater than yours, and she is older, yet she didn’t blindly rely on her own power and was willing to trust your judgment… When unable to handle the present difficulty, she was willing to pass the ball to someone who could. I think that, too, is possibly a form of wisdom.”
“You watch sports too?”
The person who suddenly spoke was Oswald, behind Eivass.
The Old Elf asked with interest, “Which team do you support?”
“The Mistletoe Club, of course,” the Bishop replied without hesitation. “That new player they brought in this year, I think he has potential.”
“What about the Unicorns? What do you think of their performance this year?”
“I’m an Avalon native, so naturally I support Avalon’s teams. You’re an Elf, so you support the Holy Kingdom’s team. That’s quite normal,” the Bishop chuckled, smoothly sidestepping the topic.
He then looked at Eivass and said seriously, “Although you’ve proven you can defeat stronger opponents with your current strength—defeating an enemy close to Third Tier without any Extraordinary Power—if we just leave you be with that, it would be a dereliction of our duty as your elders.
“While this might not be by the book… according to the regulations issued by Her Majesty the Queen forty years ago, Avalon citizens must reach an ‘Excellent’ or higher grade in their cultural assessments after reaching adulthood, have good moral standing, and possess no bad habits or criminal records before they can officially come into contact with the Path and embark on the extraordinary path.
“However, the final exams for your cohort are only a month away. You’ve already proven your integrity and rationality. I will speak with Her Majesty the Queen about this later.”
Upon hearing this, Butler Oswald, pushing the wheelchair, suddenly coughed.
“My Lord Bishop,” the aged yet still elegant Elf butler asked earnestly, “has something happened?”
Bishop Mathers continued to clasp his hands with a chuckle, but he did not immediately reply to Oswald.
It wasn’t until the three of them arrived at the small chapel on the east side of the Great Cathedral, and Bishop Mathers produced a large key, longer than Haina’s short sword, and opened the tightly shut door… that the old Bishop slowly began to speak:
“—Today, St. Genevieve’s Chapel is opened for you alone.
“In addition to teaching you the three Sacred Skills of ‘Fire Worship,’ ‘Illumination,’ and ‘Blessing,’ I will also help you complete your first advancement. Don’t be too nervous; the first advancement does not require entering the Dream Realm. Avalon’s current situation is not good, and I believe you need some self-preservation abilities.”
“So, what exactly happened?” Oswald pressed.
Bishop Mathers closed the chapel door and flicked the light switch.
In the next instant, the chapel, which resembled a university lecture hall in its structure and area, was suddenly illuminated.
On both sides, the life-sized statues stored in the alcoves instantly brightened. As if awakened by the radiance, the statues in the alcoves slowly began to move slightly and gradually turned their gazes toward them.
Bishop Mathers gently touched the three candles on his Episcopal Crown and respectfully greeted the sacred statues, “Seventy-three pioneers.
“May the Candlemaster watch over your candle flames.”
Eivass and Oswald also bowed their heads slightly in reverence.
These seventy-three sacred figures were the pioneers who, since the founding of the Avalon Kingdom, including past monarchs, had all received state funeral burial rites and were interred here. Each of them had their names etched in Avalon’s history books.
After Queen Sophia’s passing, she would become the seventy-fourth.
Eivass noticed that in a corner of St. Genevieve’s Chapel, a new alcove, not containing a sacred statue, had appeared.
Noticing Eivass’s gaze, Bishop Mathers thoughtfully explained, “This is the spot Her Majesty the Queen has prepared for herself. The carving of her holy image began five years ago and was completed two years ago. Her statue is currently stored in the Silver and Tin Hall.”
Then, he turned back to face Oswald.
“The Round Table Hall probably doesn’t know about this yet, but I have already reported it to Her Majesty the Queen,” Bishop Mathers said solemnly.
“We’ve received important intelligence from the Holy Kingdom.
“They captured a Star Antimony spy and extracted some information.
“—It is said that a traitor has appeared among the kingdom’s high-ranking officials. They plan to cause a continuous chaos on Glass Island, with unknown time, scale, and location. Their ultimate goal is to ‘obtain or approach a certain Sacred Entity.’
“The capital is likely to descend into chaos soon. I believe there’s no need for Eivass to wait until the end of the final exams.
“Just in case, he must immediately embark on the extraordinary path.”
