Free Web NovelChapter 254: 254. Claire The Merciful
The East Holy Theocracy was located far away in the Northeastern part of Alora continent. Under the God of Light, it was one of the two major divisions in the mortal Origin World.
The invasion of the evil mage and his demonic helpers was currently held off by a pair of 7th Circle War Angels. Due to the presence of these esteemed godly warriors, the evil force was keeping a low profile.
As such, the various powerhouses in the theocracy had a chance to finally rest. However, they knew that this was just the calm before the storm.
Lately, troublemakers had appeared all over the continent. Rogue monsters, corrupt adventurers, and extremists were getting bolder after the theocracy was hit.
Previously suppressed cults had resurfaced, and even some sealed beings had forcefully broken their binds, causing chaos and bloodshed.
"Your Holiness, reports regarding the western nations have arrived." A thin 4th Circle Bishop stepped into a humongous hall and respectfully knelt below a floating ball of light.
The large ball of light was mostly white with hints of gold in the middle. It was blinding to a normal person but if someone looked into the ball, they’d find that the source of this light was a relatively young woman.
This woman was quite tall and wore a tight, slitted dress and translucent stockings. Most of her skin was exposed and her clothing could barely contain her plump curves. Adorned with a silvery head chain, anklets, and various other accessories, this woman was beautiful beyond mortal reasons.
Yet, one wouldn’t feel any lust looking at her. Rather, she exuded an aura of chastity and innocence.
"Come." Her voice felt clear, yet distant as if it was a song lost in time.
The kneeling bishop was gently lifted off the floor and brought to this woman who was floating motionlessly in a prayer pose.
"You seem restless." The woman’s soft pink lips barely moved, yet her voice echoed in the hall. freewebnøvel.com
"Your Holiness, this matter appears urgent. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have troubled you." The thin bishop presented a yellow scroll.
"Hmm..." The beautiful woman’s eyelids slowly fluttered open and light reflected on her golden irises.
In that instant, the bishop felt as if he’d been baptised once again. As the woman stretched out a delicate palm, the yellow scroll’s thread unraveled itself, opening the rolled paper.
A while later, the woman sighed with a sorrowful expression, "Such iniquity. The world is fraught with sinful creatures..."
She was Claire The Merciful, a living Saintess at the peak of the 6th Circle. Ranked 3rd among the Twelve Luminaries of the Virtue Council, Claire Graceheart had the most compassionate deposition.
Even though she had just returned after battling a Demon Princess, she granted audience to anyone who requested her assistance.
Usually, the Twelve Luminaries were scattered all over the continent, doing their own missions. But the recent invasion from evil forces had managed to bring eight of them back.
However, they were currently resting, preparing for the next major battle. As such, presenting mortal affairs from other places to them in this period wasn’t wise.
But the matter at hand was indeed deeply troubling, and had to be brought to the Cathedral of Sympathy.
"Holy Knight Palladius has been eliminating heretical cultists in the far south. They’re of little importance." Claire returned the scroll and continued.
"The matter of a Tier 3 Labyrinth outbreak in the Bavia Republic shall be taken care of by local S-Rank adventurers. However, this information about demonic sightings in Grimbow..."
Seeing her skeptical expression, the bishop immediately added, "The notice came from His Grace Joseph himself! That powerful Hell Knight severely injured Sir Jacob and hasn’t been dealt with."
"Archbishop Joseph? I remember he departed not too long ago." The saintess furrowed her brows and descended toward the floor.
After both of them found their footings, Claire began to ask even more questions.
The matter of a 5th Circle Hell Knight suddenly appearing in such times wasn’t a good sign. Demons of such caliber couldn’t simply cross over from the Seven Hells without some kind of backing.
The best case scenario was that it was summoned by a lunatic through human sacrifices or a demonic treasure. Otherwise, only a High Lord among demons could possibly bring it over!
As a Holy Saintess, Claire had obviously encountered such vile creatures. To be able to gravely injure a High Paladin, this Hell Knight had to be a prized servant of a Demon Marquis or most likely a Demon Prince.
"How long has it been since you learned this news?"
"A few hours at most, Your Holiness." The bishop quickly replied, following which Claire’s expression faintly changed.
Rubbing the back of her palm, she closed her eyes and murmured something that the bishop couldn’t hear. She was communicating with other luminaries to know if they had any idea about this incident.
A while later, a deep frown blemished her beautiful face
"It appears I will have to personally resolve this matter..."
Hearing that, the bishop appeared shocked. Even he wasn’t expecting such a reaction from the Saintess.
Usually, the top 3 seats of the Virtue Council rarely left their respective Cathedrals. As the core powerhouses of the East Theocracy and beings on the path to Angelhood, only imminent calamities could cause them to act.
Grimbow was a neighbouring nation that had not seen any major disturbances in hundreds of years. Since the theocracy could easily deploy forces in the kingdom due to the Holy Pact with the royal family, it was unlikely for any demonic entity to stir up trouble there.
Although there may be some low-level incidents happening here and there, the kingdom was more than capable of handling such cases. How could just one hell knight be so dreadful?
Seeing the bishop’s confusion, Claire sighed, "I asked the Holy Blue to divine about this matter. It is not so simple."
"The Holy Blue of the West Theocracy? Isn’t that the Third Eye Saint?" The thin bishop was even more alarmed.
"If that person said this isn’t a simple matter... Could it be a trap laid by those Demon Lords?"
"No." The Saintess shook her head with a calm smile before casually waving her hand.
"You may go now."
Before the bishop could extend his gratitude, his surroundings changed and he found himself standing outside the Cathedral’s gates.
Back at the resting quarters, Claire’s benevolent expression turned grave. She abruptly looked up at the ceiling where the space itself fluctuated.
Holy mana seeped out from the crack that appeared, forming into three giant blue irises with golden eyelids. These eyes seemed to contain answers to all things in the world.
"The Virtue of Truth..." Claire rose up to the air again, placing one hand behind her delicate waist.
"Greetings, Thousand Face Saintess." A dignified male voice resounded in the hall as the eyes locked onto Claire’s beautiful figure.
