I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 314 Hagia Sophia Cathedral, An Unexpected Answer

The headquarters of the Holy Radiance Cult of the Empire is called the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia, located in the central area of ​​Eleno. This cathedral, which was built when the Norman Empire was founded by the Holy Oath of the Thirteen Round Tables, has a history of nearly a thousand years.

The architectural style is predominantly Gothic, but also incorporates some grand Byzantine elements.

Countless spires, towers, and flying buttresses pierce the sky, their overall outline brimming with upward momentum, embodying a pursuit of and approach to the divine.

The enormous circular rose window on the front facade is the church's signature feature, depicting myths related to creation.

The long corridors on both sides are covered with stained glass windows, which can render the interior colorful under the sunlight, making people feel peaceful and tranquil.

"..."

Looking at the magnificent Hagia Sophia in front of him, John's eyes flashed with solemnity.

In fact, he still hasn't forgotten the time he was attacked by that strange nun at the Stargazing Spire and uncontrollably trapped in an illusion.

Even now, he still doesn't know whether the nun from the Holy Light Cult attacked him because of the Sealed Box, because of her political stance, or for some other reason.

But one thing he was certain of was that the Holy Radiance Cult must be hiding some secrets he was unaware of.

Otherwise, logically speaking, this cult, which only regained power in the Empire under pressure from the Allied offensive in the mid-game, would never have attacked him, the newly promoted lieutenant general of the Empire, at this time.

This behavior would only make them a target of partisan conflict, and is completely contrary to the current interests of the religious order.

"Commander John, what's wrong?"

Carrie looked at John with a puzzled expression.

This time, she only learned from John that they needed to go to the Hagia Sophia Cathedral to handle some matters, but she didn't know what it was about.

At first she thought it was related to the establishment of the Faoken spiritual staff, but now it seems there is another hidden story.
"It's nothing, I was just thinking about some trivial things."

John slowly came to his senses, waved to Carrie, then turned to look at Serbia, who stood with his arms crossed, expressionless, staring at the bustling Hagia Sophia, his eyes revealing undisguised disgust.

Recalling that years ago, Servia was tricked into Mephisto's forbidden laboratory under the pretense of being rescued by fake church members, and thus became an experimental subject.

It's not particularly surprising that the other party would show such an expression when they saw the headquarters of the Holy Radiance Cult.

Shaking his head to suppress all the thoughts in his mind, John slowly began to speak:

"Let's go, and watch my signals later."

"Yes, Commander John!"

"Humph!"

As the three entered the magnificent church, a kind priest quickly came forward to greet them and, in accordance with church protocol, offered the prayers required for any meeting.

The other person then brought their right hand together and lightly touched their forehead, lips, and heart with their fingertips.

Then the other person opened their palm towards John and the other two, using magic to make their palm emit a warm and bright white light.

Finally, he clenched his right fist, lightly tapped his left shoulder, and then opened his palm and bowed slightly to John and the others.

This completes the three principles of 'reason', 'oath', and 'loyalty' in the church's philosophy.

Then, with a smile, he recited the prayer:

"May the wings of the great and glorious Lord Saint Lucifer protect your reason, may the devout words of the Oath of Light purify your hearts, and may His Majesty the Emperor, who receives divine grace, eternally bind your loyalty to the Empire."

"May glory shine forever, and may order endure forever!"

【Immer leuchte das Licht, ewig whre die Ordnung】

"May the glory of the Empire be with you, revered saint."

When the old priest offered a prayer, John calmly placed one hand on his chest and returned the prayer in accordance with the etiquette for non-clergy.

Meanwhile, Carrie quickly and earnestly imitated John's gesture, returning the greeting to the priest in front of her.

However, Serbia maintained his arms crossed the entire time, his fair chin held high, and his eyes never once lowered to look directly at the priest in front of him.

"!"

Her rude behavior naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of the believers in the room, and countless eyes immediately focused on the three of them, while whispers also broke out.

"This distinguished lady must be the newly promoted Red Dragon General of the Empire, General Serbia Reinhardt. Meeting you today, you are indeed as dashing and admirable as the rumors say."

Upon witnessing Serbia's disrespectful behavior, the old priest not only did not become angry, but instead praised Serbia. Then, before John could apologize, the Serbian waved his hand and smiled, saying:
"Since your faith and that of Lieutenant General Carrie are not in the Lord of Light, but in the Dragon God of the Half-Dragon and the God of the Dark Elves, you two do not need to respond to my prayer just now."

"Of course, the blessings of the great and glorious Lord Saint Lucifer are never limited by race. So, if you two are interested in understanding the most sacred glory of the Empire, then I think He will certainly not be stingy in bestowing upon you the blessings of the gods."

Praise be to Saint Lucifer!

As the old priest finished speaking, the believers who had been glaring angrily at the Serbians began to speak with devout expressions, echoing his sentiments:

Praise be to Saint Lucifer!

"..."

Hearing the praises around him, a cold look appeared on Serbia's face.

However, she did not immediately lash out, but instead nodded slightly to the hypocritical charlatan in front of her with a blank expression.

Although she didn't know John's purpose in coming to see this group of charlatans, she feared that if some bastard caused trouble before he could achieve his goal, things would probably not go as planned.

Therefore, even though she was already annoyed by the surrounding prayers and wanted to leave immediately, she still suppressed her displeasure.

Of course, after glancing out of the corner of her eye at a certain bastard who had disrupted her plan to study the spells for the day and was forced to listen to the missionary pronouncements of this group of charlatans.

She secretly resolved that once she left this damn church, she would make the other party pay for their rudeness.

For example, being her personal maid for a month.

"Thank you for your understanding, saint. However, please discuss the missionary matter later, because I'm afraid I need your help with another matter at the moment."

Before the old priest could continue preaching, John interrupted and stated his request:

"I have important matters to discuss with the Archbishop of Arbitration. Could you please convey my message?"

"Your Excellency Viscount Maslow, although I would like to help you convey this message, I must inform you of some regrettable news. Due to the recent rampant activities of cultists on the imperial border, Archbishop Victor received a divine decree from His Holiness the Pope fifteen days ago and led the Heretic Arbitration Commission to carry out a crackdown and extermination against these heretics. He has not yet returned."

The old priest replied to John with a look of regret, but soon a smile returned to his face, and he added meaningfully:
"Of course, fortunately, there is another esteemed archbishop currently stationed within the Vatican, and this esteemed saint foresaw your arrival long before you arrived and sent me here to greet you."

"It seems that the esteemed gentleman was already aware of your predicament, which is why he made these arrangements." Did he foresee his arrival?

Why did he specifically arrange for this old priest to greet him here in advance?
This……

Upon hearing this, John's pupils constricted sharply.

But he quickly put the absurd possibility that the other party could make predictions out of his mind.

After all, even a powerful figure like the Demon King Trolowski could not control time and see the future, so how could a mere archbishop of the Holy Light Cult possibly possess such power?

Therefore, the most likely explanation is that the other party has a perception far beyond that of ordinary people, and that they sensed our presence and confirmed our identities as soon as we entered the vicinity of the Hagia Sophia.

Although I was puzzled as to how the other person could recognize my presence without ever having been in contact with me.

But considering this power and this tendency to create an air of mystery when doing things...

Therefore, after a simple deduction, John quickly identified the other party.

Famille Verona.

However, instead of being pleased with this conclusion, John fell into deeper confusion.

Because, in his memory, this archbishop, who only appeared in the mid-game to help the allies betray the Empire and cause the Empire to lose the northern Aurella defense battle because it failed to receive timely support from the Order, had mysteriously disappeared after that. He had never shown his abilities directly, and all he knew was that his combat power was at the Grand rank.

Based on the patience and restraint shown by the opponent in the early stages of the game, their goal is to overthrow the cult's rule at a crucial time.

The other party should never have been so ostentatious.

So, what went wrong?
John was full of doubts, but looking at the priest who was smiling without saying a word, after a moment of thought, he slowly nodded under the priest's gaze. Then, led by the priest, he led the two Serbians towards the inner sanctum of the church.

"despair!"

When John and his companions entered the inner sanctuary, the expected meeting did not take place; the entire sanctuary was empty. After leading John and his companions there, the old priest smiled and gestured for them to sit down and wait.

Then the other party left the hall.

While John and the others were waiting in the hall, John, who had subconsciously activated the magic within him, faintly heard chanting sounds in his ears:

"The dawn pierces the night, just as the law judges chaos."

"Saint Lucifer, Lord of Light."

"May Your grace be poured out today, so that my heart may be like a mirror, reflecting Your order."

"May you grant me courage at this moment, so that I may act like a sword to defend your glory."

"The throne of the mortal world is a reflection of your power."

"Our service is the ladder to your path."

"..."

Unlike the eerie and evil prayer he heard in the illusion last time, the recitation that reached John's ears this time was full of holiness and power.

She seemed to be the complete opposite of the strange nun who attacked him last time, and there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity about her.

It was as if he had heard a similar prayer somewhere before.

Just as John was listening to the prayers around him and lost in thought about this inexplicable sense of familiarity, Carrie sat upright beside him, but her eyes were full of curiosity and amazement as she looked at the magnificent reliefs and ancient scriptures in front of her. Meanwhile, on the other side, Serbia was pointing at his arm with a look of impatience.

After an unknown amount of time, accompanied by a series of crisp footsteps, a figure soon appeared outside the open palace doors.

She was dressed in a silver-white archbishop's robe, her hands placed on her abdomen, her face gentle, and she always wore an approachable and warm smile. The moment you met her gaze, you would unconsciously submit to the holiness she exuded.

It was Famille Ferrona, the highest-ranking member of the Holy Light Cult's Hand of Light Relic Group, one of the Church's archbishops, and the Church's only Grand-rank powerhouse.

However, whether it was just his imagination or not, John's gaze met that of the archbishop he had never met before.

He could vaguely sense a hint of fervor in the other person's eyes.

It was as if an extreme fanatic had finally seen the god he followed up up close.

So, is it just an illusion?

Seeing Famille, who had somehow regained his holy and solemn demeanor and was now smiling at him, John slowly suppressed his doubts, rose, bowed respectfully to him, and then said in a deep voice:
"Honorable Saint, Viscount John Maslow pays you his highest respects. May the glory of the Empire be with you."

"May the glory of the Empire be with you and the two generals, General John."

In response to John's greeting, Famille immediately smiled and returned the greeting, then subtly glanced at the two people behind John and nodded slightly in return.

Before John could speak, she immediately smiled and said:

"General John, I know why you have come."

"If I'm not mistaken, your current situation is related to the assassins the church exchanged with His Excellency the Demon King today, is that right?"

"...Your ability to foresee the future truly amazes me."

John was somewhat shocked when Famille revealed his purpose for the trip.

But upon further reflection, he felt it was perfectly reasonable.

After all, under normal circumstances, as a newly promoted lieutenant general of the empire and governor of Faoken, he had never set foot in the church before, so there was no reason for him to come here.

Even the establishment of spiritual staff is a minor matter that he doesn't need to personally intervene in; it's handled by the cabinet's administrative staff.

Given that the other party had just exchanged those assassins of dubious origin with Trotsky that morning, it would be perfectly reasonable and normal for them to mistakenly believe that they wanted to interrogate the assassins and obtain inside information, or even directly frame or pin the blame on the conservatives.

It's even possible that the conservatives had already visited him before his current visit.

This explains why the other party would risk expending magical energy to prematurely unleash a domain whose abilities even he didn't know.

Since the conservatives had previously failed to get the person,

So, it seems my goal of demanding hostages this time will also fall through...

Just when John thought his trip was likely to end in failure, Famille's calm reply left him stunned:
“Sir John, I can hand over those seven unidentified assassins to you.”

"!"

……

(End of this chapter)