A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 113 "The Grey Cardinal" Joseph

Another person entered the private room. Rorschach noticed that the old man was dressed in a plain black robe, with only a purplish-red belt as his adornment. He was carrying a gray pointed-hooded cloak.

"Joseph of the Order of the Chantresses." The old man bowed to Cano and Rorschach, who returned the bow following his teacher.

"Tower of Stars, Cano. Greetings, Monsignor Joseph."

"Hello, Rorschach of the Tower of Stars."

As Rorschach returned the greeting, Cano relayed a message: it turned out that Priest Joseph was Deplesi's most capable assistant and the de facto head of St. Miller's Cathedral when the Cardinal was too busy to attend to both kingdom and church affairs.

"In the name of upholding order, I serve the nation first, then the divine." With such a creed, Bishop Joseph was destined to undertake most of the church affairs of the Holy Kingdom. After being recommended to the Eternal City by the Cardinal, he was then granted the honor of "Monssign" by the Papacy. Thus, apart from his official post, Joseph's status and power were no different from those of an ordinary bishop.

However, Monsignor Joseph was a monk of the Order of the Vicariate Priests, living a simple life and always wearing a grey pointed cloak with plain robes. Therefore, those in the court and church who knew him privately referred to him as the "Grey Cardinal." The grey color referred both to the color of his usual attire and also implied that Monsignor Joseph was a shadow of a cardinal.

"You'd better watch your mouth in front of the old man; he's a true believer in God," Kano reminded him in the [Communication] spell.

What do you mean? Rorschach discovered that an adult had been criticized by Cano from afar.

As the first discoverer, Rorschach recounted how he saw the magical aura, how he worked with Archmage Cano to avert danger, and briefly mentioned the activities of the "Return of Our Lady" order within the Empire.

Upon hearing about the cult's affairs, the priest scoffed, "Blasphemy!" Then, his expression softened, "Thank you, Venerable Rorschach and Master Cano. You two successfully prevented a terrible attack and saved many of the Lord's sheep."

Why does what you said make me feel so much less accomplished?

Kano showed the fragments and vine samples he had collected in the right-hand compartment. The captain of the guard examined them over and over but couldn't figure them out. Like a rooster that couldn't find any bugs, he paced back and forth in the compartment, chest puffed out, whether trying to think or venting his anger, it was unclear.

"Now that we have a sample, restoring this unfortunate person's appearance will be more helpful to the chief of guards' investigation and to the lady's peace." The priest prayed softly for a moment, then waved his hand in the air, and all the curtains in the box closed by themselves.

The ether began to flow, and Monsignor Joseph's prayer included both chants invoking divine magic and eulogies for the victims:

"You walk in light and order"

A temporary shadow fell over you, bringing misfortune.

Every action leaves a trace.

In the name of the great Father, may you rest in peace! May you rest in peace!

As his chanting grew louder, golden light gathered within the ice, and phantom images appeared one after another. First, there was the rotting corpse before it was frozen, then the appearance of the deceased before it was corrupted by evil forces, and finally, holy light shone upon it. When the light dissipated, the ice also disappeared, leaving only a sleeping woman.

If Priest Joseph hadn't drawn the curtains of the box beforehand, the miracle might have been witnessed by ordinary people in the theater, which would have been a major event.

"Do not perform miracles before men, nor lead them to believe in me because of miracles." This is an ancient oracle of the God of Light and Order. This was also the first time Rorschach had witnessed a monk from the Church performing divine magic, not counting eavesdropping on private conversations.

"Sir, the investigation into this lady's identity and the follow-up matters are entrusted to you." The priest turned to "Rooster" and said, while Cano handed over the collected fragments of clothing from the male corpse to the lord.

Next, it was the guard captain's turn to have a headache, but since it involved supernatural evil power, the church would also assist. Of course, the vine sample was preserved by Cano. The guards, suppressing their nausea, carried the body out of the compartment.

"My lords, what's going on here?" Varon arrived, followed by Snow and a young couple. Rorschach thought they looked familiar—Pascal? Paulina?

The side boxes were already small, and now they were even more crowded. After understanding the situation, Mr. Valen hesitated. He hoped the final act of the charity performance could continue, and looked at the head of the guard: "So, what's next?"

Varen's father had a good relationship with the chief of guards, and also out of consideration for Finance Minister Necker, the chief of guards replied, "I will strengthen security here." This implied his tacit approval for the event to proceed. No one else objected, so this "minor incident" would not interrupt Varen's carefully organized social gathering.

"Is anyone interested in backstage information? We can go and talk to the actors and screenwriters."

"Monsieur and I will not go," the chief guard said, and Joseph nodded in agreement.

"Alright, we'll notify you both to attend the charity gala after the fundraising for this performance is tallied."

The head guard looked around: "It depends on the situation."

So only the four "idle people" from the Tower of Stars followed Varon backstage to comfort the performers, while Snow, who was busy discussing matters related to the beverage factory with Mr. Pierre, did not come along.

In the theater corridor, Rorschach used [Communication] to communicate with Cano: "Should we hand over the investigation of the attack to the police and the church?"

"Isn't this their biggest positive contribution in Valuwana and the entire Holy Kingdom? What right do we have to investigate or enforce the law?" Kano adopted the posture of a law-abiding citizen.

Rorschach thought this was an excuse, but since his mentor had spoken, he decided to stop there.

Kano continued, "We mages and guilds have our own investigation methods. In fact, even if the poisonous fog spreads today, it won't harm us in the slightest or threaten us. The vine samples have been preserved, and I will submit a report to the guild's council of elders later to give them a warning."

The order, or perhaps not even a cult but other believers of Mother Earth, had somehow spread to the Holy Kingdom, which surprised Rorschach. Would there be more to come? Good luck to the Chief Guard and the old man of the church! Rorschach never imagined he would one day have to sincerely pray for both sides.

Backstage at the theater, actors were removing their makeup in front of mirrors, numerous costumes were hanging on the walls, and many people were drinking beverages sponsored by "Hercules".

"Mr. Varan! It is my honor to have you here!" The troupe leader was very enthusiastic towards his patron. This was not the first time he had met Varan, except that the down-on-his-luck young nobleman had always followed behind Necker.

Necker, that cunning old fox, getting funding from him is as difficult as fighting for food with jackals and tigers!

The actors and playwright also came forward, and the troupe leader put his arm around the thin, melancholic-looking young man: "Caron, the playwright of this wonderful play! You would never guess that just a month ago he was His Majesty the King's favorite watchmaker!"

Upon hearing the word "watchmaker," the young man's awkward smile twitched for a moment, but soon his face revealed undisguised surprise.

"This is our first meeting, remember that," Pascal warned the former club member using [Telecommunications].

I'm going to see Detective Conan: Black Fish this afternoon, so the update tonight will be delayed. Sorry!

(End of this chapter)