Myths Reawakened

Chapter 381 (2): Your Holiness, There Is a Traitor Among Us

Council hall, headquarters of the Church of Darkness.

The headquarters of the church was quite boisterous today. First, the delegation of the Church of Nature arrived. Oracle High Reverend Wayne crushed Anton in a one-sided battle, leaving the higher-ups of the Church of Darkness humiliated. They reprimanded Anton for failing his job.

Anton found it unfair. The pretty boy turned out to be a generational talent, and anyone would lose the spar. Anton shouldn’t be the only one blamed.

While they were arguing, Great Sage Kane, who had been going stale in his chamber, showed up all of a sudden, gathering everyone to head to the council hall. He also asked for Pope Ivan, claiming that he had received the latest oracle and learned that there was a traitor among the church’s leadership.

Kane didn’t say what the oracle was, insisting on waiting for everyone to arrive.

The Church of Darkness had three top leaders: the Pope was in charge of the internal affairs, the Holy Maiden was in charge of relaying the goddess’s oracles, and the Great Sage was in charge of interpreting the oracles of the subordinate gods. The three of them were supposed to be equal in status, but Holy Maiden Anastasia was so extraordinary that she became more influential than the two men with the respect she commanded.

Pope Ivan didn’t mind. Anastasia was his daughter, so he couldn’t be happier. The Great Sage, on the other hand, was put in an awkward position. Facing the father and daughter’s dominance, if he didn’t do something to knock them down, he would end up as nothing but a mouthpiece; thus, he had no choice but to become their rival.

Over time, tension rose between him and Ivan.

“Kane, what’s so important that you have to talk about it now?”

When he arrived at the council hall, Ivan was still infuriated that Wayne was shamelessly keeping the Philosopher’s Stone after borrowing it. He sat down, scanning all the members that Kane had gathered with confusion, his brows furrowed.

“Your Holiness, there is a traitor among us, and they’re in this room,” Kane rose to his feet and said.

“...” xN

After a silent moment of surprise, whispered chatter erupted.

There was unlikely to be a traitor. They all knew each other well after years of working together, and their trust wouldn’t be so easily shaken. They wondered if the Great Sage had felt so much pressure from the Pope that he decided to gain some ground with a false oracle.

“Kane, who is the traitor? You—” Noticing Kane’s heated gaze, Ivan snorted with amusement. “Why, did you interpret the divine oracle and find out that I’m the traitor?”

“That’s exactly the case,” Kane declared.

The exclamation dropped like a bombshell in the council room. Everyone raised their voice and condemned Kane, telling him not to spout nonsense.

“His Holiness’s contribution to the church is known to everyone. He can’t be a traitor...”

“His Holiness has raised the most excellent Holy Maiden...”

“That’s right. You can tell that he isn’t a traitor just by looking at the Holy Maiden.”

Kane remained unfazed in the face of the public rebuke. He said calmly, “Lady Holy Maiden is indeed talented, and I won’t deny Ivan’s contribution to the church. However, you’re all legendary mages. You should know that at this stage, we each have to make our choices.”

“Kane, how dare you call His Holiness by name?!”

“Shut up, brown-nosers!” Kane scanned the room and placed a hand on his chest. “If I’ve misinterpreted divine oracles and falsely accused the Pope, I’ll accept punishment. If not, however, would you be able to take the responsibility?”

They fell silent, turning to Ivan at the same time for guidance.

“Kane, you said that I’m a traitor. What’s your evidence? What is the oracle?” Ivan asked bluntly.

“Ivan, you betrayed your faith when choosing your future,” Kane said with a hundred percent certainty. “You chose the Goddess of Nature. That is the oracle.”

“I asked for the evidence!” Ivan said exasperatedly. “Did you assume that I’m the traitor just because Anton lost to the envoy of the Church of Nature?”

“The evidence is the Philosopher’s Stone!” Kane slammed the table with both hands, speaking with full conviction. “Where is the Philosopher’s Stone that you’re supposed to keep with you? Didn’t you hand it to the envoy of the Church of Nature? Take it out and prove your innocence.”

“...” xN

Everyone else turned to Ivan. When he stayed silent and refused to take the stone out to prove his innocence, they paled with apprehension.

“Ivan, don’t tell me that you don’t have the stone on you,” Kane snapped. He was a hero upholding justice at this moment. “No one would believe you. Hand over the stone and prove that I’m framing you.”

“Your Holiness, please hurry and show us the stone.”

“Yes, this isn’t the time to be stubborn...”

They spoke up for Ivan, but suspected that the Philosopher’s Stone was no longer in Ivan’s possession. The implication was so disturbing that they didn’t want to believe it.

“The Philosopher’s Stone isn’t in my hand,” Ivan said stiffly, his expression awkward. “Following the goddess’s order, I’ve handed it to Oracle High Reverend Wayne of the Church of Nature.”

“Hahaha, the goddess’s order? Why would the goddess order you to hand the doorway to the church and the key to our survival to the Church of Nature? Ivan, couldn’t you come up with a better excuse?”

Kane was confident that he had already won. He slammed the table and snarled, “Just ask the others. Would they believe such nonsense?”

Ivan saw incredible disappointment in his fellow members’ eyes. His heart clenched, feeling like he had betrayed everyone’s trust. However, the truth was so absurd that it would lead to a complete collapse of faith at best or death at worst. He couldn’t tell the truth, or he would be putting them in danger.

“Say something, Ivan!” Kane pointed at him like a general on a winning campaign. “Say that you gave the Philosopher’s Stone to the Church of Nature because you chose the Goddess of Nature. You’ve betrayed everyone and yourself.”

“I haven’t,” Ivan said coldly. “My loyalty to the goddess must not be questioned. That is the goddess’s order!”

“Where did you receive the oracle from? The Holy Maiden?”

...Might as well be!

Thinking of the image of his dearest daughter lying in Wayne’s embrace, Ivan couldn’t stop his eye from twitching for a fleeting moment. It really was fleeting, and it was a minute change in expression.

That, however, didn’t escape Kane. He smiled shrewdly and said, “So Lady Holy Maiden has betrayed the church. You and your daughter—”

“Kane, that crossed a line!”

“Lady Holy Maiden’s integrity is well known. Anyone could be a traitor, but not her.”

“Her purity has lasted for centuries. How dare you make false accusations about her?!”

Facing their glares, Kane waved and said, “That’s only a speculation. If the Holy Maiden hadn’t given a false oracle, Ivan had to be lying. He hasn’t received any oracle. He’s just a traitor, plain and simple.”

“That’s more like it!”

“At least you know your mistake!”

“...”

Kane’s lips twisted. He was supposed to play the role of the protagonist. Why was he suddenly surrounded by enemies?

It was all Ivan’s fault for brainwashing everyone!

Kane glared at Ivan and demanded, “Where’s the envoy of the Church of Nature? I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Get the Philosopher’s Stone back. I don’t have to tell you how important it is!”

Everyone tensed at the mention of the stone. They stared at Ivan, hoping that he would recognize his fault. It wasn’t too late to turn around yet.

“I don’t know where Wayne is...” Ivan struggled to defend himself. There was much he wanted to say but dared not say. It was beyond frustrating.

“Your Holiness, do you have a reason? Did the bastard of the Church of Nature threaten you with force?”

“Shut up. Don’t call him a bastard. He’s the goddess’s... Just don’t do it,” Ivan hurriedly corrected. Such insulting things would get them killed. Even he had only been cursing Wayne out in his head.

“So you have submitted to the Church of Nature and now follow the Goddess of Nature.” The evidence was sufficient. Kane made a sweeping motion with his arm, ordering the others to subdue Ivan. “We must not let the Philosopher’s Stone fall into another church’s hands. Lock up the traitor, and we’ll first get the stone back using Ivan’s appearance before confronting the Church of Nature.”

They all stood up and said in resignation, “Your Holiness, we understand that you must have your reason, but now, we could only ask for your understanding.”

“Once Lady Holy Maiden returns, she’ll certainly prove you innocent.”

The Oracle High Reverends didn’t use force on Ivan, asking Ivan to allow both sides to keep their dignity for the sake of their long-lasting friendship.

“No, you can’t go after him. That’s... that’s forbidden, too.”

Ivan was ready to tear his hair out. What could he possibly say? The pretty boy was someone’s boy toy, but not Pope Senna’s—he belonged to the Goddess of Darkness.

No one would believe him! He wouldn’t have believed himself if he hadn’t witnessed it in person.

“Even now, you’re trying to protect an outsider... Oh, we are the outsiders to a traitor like you.” Kane scoffed. Nothing felt better than seeing Ivan struggle.

“Stop arguing. Allow me to say something!” Wayne spoke up from behind the crowd.

“You’re a member of the Church of Nature. What gives you the right to speak—”

The council hall fell silent. They broke into a cold sweat, wary of Wayne’s sudden appearance. They worried that he would destroy the Church of Darkness with the Philosopher’s Stone.

What scared them even more was that their white moonlight, Holy Maiden Anastasia, had taken Wayne’s side.

“Lady Holy Maiden, you’ve betrayed us... too?”

“That can’t be. Lady Holy Maiden must be under his control!”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve controlled the Holy Maiden and even tainted her purity. Happy now?” Wayne huffed. When the crowd rushed toward him, he quickly took out the Philosopher’s Stone.

They all staggered back. The council hall fell into chaos.

How nice. This is much more lively than the Church of Nature! Wayne thought. He spotted Kane from the crowd, noting his obvious villainous look.

“Kane, isn’t it? Under the Goddess of Darkness’s order, I’ve come to the church to investigate the truth of the former Darkness Knight’s death. You’re the prime suspect. Come with me.”

“Darkness Knight...” Kane’s heart sank and trembled with a significant unease, but his wealth of experience allowed him to maintain his composure. “You’re an Oracle High Reverend of the Church of Nature. Why would the goddess seek you out for favor? That’s a terrible excuse.”

“Reality is absurd. This isn’t a novel where things have to make logical sense.” Wayne patted the black-robed figure beside him, Ines, having her pull off her hood to reveal the face of Darkness Knight Vichy. “To testify against you, the murderer, I’ve brought the victim!”

“Huh?!”

The council hall erupted into chaos once more. Though the chosen knights rarely made an appearance at their churches, they didn’t stay away completely. Moreover, everyone present was important enough to recognize Vichy.

What a worrisome development. Darkness Knight Vichy had been missing for years, and the Goddess of Darkness had chosen another knight to take her place. They didn’t know who the new knight was, only that they had been in Londan.

Then why would the old knight be here?

“You-you...” Kane blanched when he saw Vichy’s face. He raised a trembling hand and stammered, “Impossible. You... you aren’t Lady Vichy.”

“If I’m not Vichy, who am I?” Ines said with a smile. “The noble and graceful Goddess of Darkness?”

“What insolence, you blasphemer! How dare you commit the deadly sin of masquerading as the goddess?!” Kane seized the opening to fight back, snarling that he would cut the blasphemous imposter to pieces.

“I look forward to that,” Ines said with the same smile.

(;⚆˘‸˘⚆)

Ivan’s gaze snapped to her. Forgive my bold guess, but... is that you, goddess?