Chapter 81 – Visitors from the Church
"The Church has sent people—they intend to hold the bishop accountable for the 'lost relics.'"
Huang Ren's expression was grave.
"Hasn't Sasha already returned?" Gideon's eyes narrowed in confusion.
While in Ambrose, he had sensed a pure holy energy on Sasha. He suspected that it was the stolen relic.
"That may be true, but this won't be so simple," Huang Ren shook his head and explained some internal matters of the Church.
"You normally don't pay attention to this, so you wouldn't know..."
According to Huang Ren, the Church had long been divided into two factions.
One faction preserved the oldest, most orthodox theological traditions of the Vatican, known internally as the Sanctum Society.
They believed that clergy should avoid contact with the secular world and seek the true essence of the Lord through long periods of self-discipline. Only by accumulating holy power this way could one receive the Lord's true blessing.
Members of the Sanctum Society treated this doctrine as sacrosanct. They spent most of their time in prayer chambers, rarely venturing out.
Because of the political need to maintain "orthodoxy," the Sanctum Society historically dominated Vatican decisions for centuries.
However, this approach clearly widened the gap between the Church and its followers.
As evil forces around the world began to resurge, and organizations like the knightly orders and wizard guilds grew stronger, the Church had no choice but to adapt.
Under these circumstances, the Exorcism Institute emerged.
This faction believed the Church should engage more actively with its followers—through exorcisms, supporting local elections, constructing new churches, and extending its influence into the outside world.
Initially, the Institute had only a small number of supporters. Over the years, it grew steadily. When the Holy Word descended, the Exorcism Institute decisively surpassed the Sanctum Society, becoming the majority faction in the Vatican.
This did not mean the Church abandoned "orthodoxy." Traditional methods of cultivating holy power were simply too slow, while the calamities foretold in the Holy Word were imminent. To quickly strengthen the Church's abilities, the Exorcism Institute's approach was far more practical.
"A diocesan bishop is an important position, able to allocate significant resources..."
After giving Gideon a brief overview of the Church's internal situation, Huang Ren turned to discuss Bishop Julius's current predicament.
To consolidate their influence, the Sanctum Society had also made some adjustments. Though they still avoided contact with the outside world, they strategically placed their members in key internal positions, because power always comes with resources.
Bishop Julius was one such cleric.
Years ago, by chance, he became the assistant to a diocesan bishop from the Sanctum Society. After a sacred festival baptism, that bishop rose to the Church's high ranks, paving the way for Julius to assume the bishopric.
Julius had performed admirably in his role.
However, with the rapid rise of the Exorcism Institute, this faction required more positions of authority, naturally making members of the Sanctum Society targets for the Institute's maneuvers.
For the Exorcism Institute, whether Bishop Julius's daughter was missing or whether the relics had been recovered was irrelevant.
What mattered was that the bishop had committed the crime of "dereliction of duty."
With that charge, the Institute had a legitimate reason to intervene.
As they spoke, the group arrived at the bishopric's meeting room.
Sadie, temporarily identified as a witch hunter, was asked to wait in the reception hall.
Only Sasha and Gideon entered the inner area.
Because Gideon had assisted in rescuing the bishop's nun, he was required to report the situation directly to the Church.
"Creak."
Huang Ren pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped aside; at this level of meeting, he had no qualifications to participate.
Sasha fidgeted with her fingers, her heart racing like a child caught doing something wrong.
"What are you doing at the door? Come in."
A calm voice spoke from inside.
"O…okay."
Sasha quickly lowered her head and stepped in, while Gideon followed calmly, eyes forward, assessing the room with peripheral vision.
The meeting room was opulent: gilded artifacts lined the walls, and luxurious carpets covered the floor.
Near the center was a semi-circular row of wooden tables, behind which sat three men.
They wore tailored black suits with cross-shaped brooches on their chests, belts and linings embroidered with wave-like patterns, the fabric clearly expensive.
Behind two of them stood assistants, presumably clerics serving the seated men.
Bishop Julius stood opposite the table, looking like a man under interrogation.
As Sasha and Gideon entered, all eyes turned toward them.
The room was silent except for the tap-tap of their footsteps on the wooden floor.
The oppressive atmosphere made Sasha even more anxious. Seeing her usually noble father humbled and subdued, she instinctively bowed her head.
At the central seat of the semi-circle was Archbishop Fabio Durrumen, a key figure of the Sanctum Society.
He was handsome, with some gray at his temples, appearing in his forties or fifties.
Observing Sasha's behavior, Fabio frowned.
This father-daughter pair was displaying weakness before even being judged. How would the Exorcism Institute perceive them? Were they to think he had poor judgment in people?
He shook his head privately, noting that the priest behind them seemed steadier—calm and composed.
Sighing inwardly, Fabio fixed his gaze on Sasha.
"Someone in the Church has reported that you, Sister Sasha, took a relic without the bishop's consent for an exorcism. Is this true?"
His opening allowed Sasha a chance: claiming she acted "for exorcism purposes" versus "stealing out of greed" made all the difference.
The former aligned with the Church's current philosophy. Even if she were technically guilty, she could mitigate punishment under the justification of acting "for the Church's development." Under Fabio's influence, she might even avoid any punishment entirely.
The latter, however, could condemn the father and daughter to a lifetime of darkness.
If Sasha were smart, she should cooperate immediately, presenting a narrative that a Church member risked their life to protect the community and extend the Church's influence by performing an exorcism.
But someone in the room clearly did not want Fabio to succeed.
"Archbishop, I've heard a different version."
The man seated to the right of the table spoke—Levi Kelly, a representative of the Exorcism Institute.
A pudgy man with glasses and a face full of wrinkles.
"I heard this Sister Sasha acted recklessly, scheming to steal the relic simply to prove to her father that she could perform exorcisms."
Levi smiled as he spoke.
"Isn't that to say she has no real understanding of the exorcism ritual?"
Sasha's hands trembled. The statement was true. She couldn't perform exorcisms and had only acted out of curiosity and mischief.
She had treated it as harmless fun, like when she repeatedly refused her father's help just to prove she didn't need his protection.
But now, confronted with the assembled authorities, she realized she might have genuinely messed up.
The room fell into a tense silence.
Seeing Sasha remain silent, the situation was quickly tilting against her.
Archbishop Fabio decided to act.
He glanced at the priest standing behind them, then spoke after a moment's thought:
"I am Archbishop Fabio of the Vatican, here specifically to investigate the unauthorized use of relics."
He first established his identity, then emphasized the words "unauthorized use of relics."
"May I know your name and which church you serve?"
He did not address Sasha directly, instead questioning the priest first. This subtly implanted the concept of "unauthorized use" and laid the groundwork for further proceedings.
Knowing the priest's background would also allow Fabio to leverage him to his side if advantageous.
All eyes turned toward the young priest across the table.