Free Web NovelChapter 1551: Chapter 1545: The Official Selection
What?
How did I become a candidate for the position of Saint Priest?
Dragged away by the middle-aged priest, Ronald’s face was full of confusion.
It wasn’t until they circled out of the lecture hall, with the sunlight reflecting off the nearby lake into his eyes, that he realized what he had actually encountered.
The identity of the nun he was using.
It turned out to be a candidate for the selection of the next Saint Priest in the Holy City!
This situation...
There’s no way to escape forcefully, right?
Ronald decisively abandoned the bold move he had envisioned earlier and obediently followed the middle-aged priest away.
A few minutes later.
He was brought to the very front of the Grand Cathedral of Holy Grace, with the lake that had earlier separated him from the cathedral now behind him.
There were already people waiting in front of the cathedral.
Ronald took a rough glance; about ten young men and women were standing around the square, some talking to acquaintances.
Ronald listened closely.
In addition to candidates for Saint Priest, it seemed that the candidates for Church Priest had also come today.
The scene described by the citizen in the lecture hall matched the current situation. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
After Ronald was brought into the group, he consciously stood at the far left of the square, where fewer people were present and no one came to bother him.
Soon, more people arrived.
Once the number of young people present reached twelve, everyone uniformly and tacitly stopped their previous activities. They all walked to the front of the square and stood in line orderly.
"..."
A silent atmosphere emerged at this moment; no one dared to whisper anymore.
Just like this, everyone stood in front of the cathedral, quietly waiting for something to arrive.
Among them, Ronald cautiously looked around.
Originally vacant, the square now had soldiers in silver armor patrolling around these candidates.
Even though he couldn’t cast spells right now,
Ronald could tell by sight the magical runes shimmering on these soldiers’ armor.
To speak frankly,
Ignoring the individual’s combat prowess, just relying on their equipment, they probably possess combat strength comparable to elite investigators.
"..."
Witnessing all of this, Ronald naturally wouldn’t attempt any bizarre maneuvers again.
He followed other candidates and watched for changes quietly.
Click—
Approximately a quarter of an hour passed.
The side door beside the main entrance of the Grand Cathedral of Holy Grace was opened by someone.
Several people dressed in blue robes appeared on both sides, holding flagpoles high and lining up in two rows, forming a path, with upright postures and straight-ahead gazes.
Then three people in white robes and six people in red robes walked out successively.
Ronald’s gaze went past these individuals, towards the bottom of the cathedral. There were actually a few more people in the rear, but their figures remained by the side door, not leaving the Grand Cathedral of Holy Grace.
Ronald happened to know one of them—Orel.
Using this King of Giant Beasts as a reference,
these undepicted individuals were likely living Saints within the church!
"..."
At this time, the three wearing white robes approached the young candidates gathering on the square.
They were three elders: the Pope, the Saint Priest, and the Church Priest.
Following them were six bishops of the Holy City qualified to stand at their backs.
Their unique attire indicated their unique and noble status.
Firstly, the Church Priest and Saint Priest respectfully greeted the Pope.
The elderly man who stood in the center with a kind face nodded slightly, stepped forward, smiled at the young men and women ahead, and placed his right hand over his heart:
"Everyone, today is the year 124 of the Glorious Era."
"Over the past century, the church has led people to victory against heretics. Yet behind this victory’s radiance, an unprecedented crisis looms, with humanity facing unparalleled difficulties and challenges!"
"Now that the time has come, new forces will replace the decayed past."
"Some might feel uncertain about their futures—I hope you can possess confidence, a faith to transcend this emergency!"
The Pope’s speech did not mention anything about the candidates for Saint Priest or Church Priest.
Instead, it alluded to the crisis faced by the church now.
After he finished speaking, the young clergy below also gave their response to the Pope.
Then, the elderly man took a step back.
The current Saint Priest and Church Priest then stepped forward, one behind the other, complementing each other to begin their declaration:
"Today, we disturb you, drawing you here from your hard practice; please pardon us."
"However, as we grow older, we are gradually becoming unable to bear the priest’s burdens."
"After discussion, it has been decided to start the selection of the next priest today."
"This selection is free from mundane constraints like origin." ƒгeewёbnovel.com
"Candidates will enter the Grand Temple in batches, where trials will assess you—"
Although the two venerable priests spoke slowly, their words were concise.
After briefly summarizing,
the two of them also retreated behind the Pope.
At this moment, the other six bishops stepped forward.
In total, the twelve candidates were divided into six pairs of males and females, each led by a bishop, who continued explaining the selection details.
The entire selection process spans two weeks.
Today involves only trials within the Grand Temple, concluding in one afternoon.
If anyone fails the trials, the candidates naturally return to the hermitage to continue their previous rigorous training.
Failing the selection would not affect them in any meaningful way.
Yet if one succeeds in passing the trials,
then tonight, at the ceremony prepared by the church, candidates will meet the people of the Holy City for the first time and announce their official status as successors.
"..."
Listening to the bishop’s detailed explanation, Ronald remained mixed in, attentive and sincere.
Since this concerned the success or failure of the upcoming trial.
He had no particular stance regarding the so-called candidate identity.
Yet in the temple trial, combined with his experiences, Ronald had nearly decided that this so-called priest candidate trial was likely the key to leaving the temple trial.
The only thing that made him anxious was,
a monk arrived abruptly from outside at this serious moment, whispering certain matters to the Pope.
The person wore a gray robe, showing a standard hermit appearance.
In light of the previously ringing city-wide bell and the hurried demeanor of the Hermitage at this moment,
Ronald was certain that there were issues with the five Casters from the Nine Commandments’ secret meeting.
As for their current situation...
Were they captured by people of the Holy City and tortured for truth, or was there some upheaval...
Ronald observed the reaction of the Pope and priests.
Fortunately, fortune favored him.
The nun intended to protect Lili’s safety, not exposing her whistle-blowing actions, thus Ronald wasn’t subjected to another round of questioning.
At noon,
The moment for trials to officially commence arrived.
The side door of the Grand Cathedral of Holy Grace was closed by the Saints, while the grand door, long kept shut, was pushed open from the inside at this moment.
Due to special function, the spells within the sanctuary had been activated.
Ronald and another candidate were led by the bishop to the main entrance, peering inside to see nothing but white holy light illuminating, aside from which no scene could be discerned.
But above, the stained glass was brilliantly colored, rendering religious stories to bring tranquility.
The bishop urged:
"Alright, go in now."
Ronald naturally had no objections.
With a slight nod, he entered together with another unfamiliar candidate.
With just a simple step forward.
Ronald felt as if he had crossed some boundary.
Before he could deeply sense it, a hazy shadow appeared ahead of him.
