The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!
Chapter 72 - 07: Pearce Cathedral (2)

Chapter 72: Chapter 07: Pearce Cathedral (2)

Two semi-transparent demons were silently sitting on the roof, watching Gray enter the church from afar.

Zeda stared intently in the direction of the church, expressionless. It was as if he were facing a formidable opponent.

A petite figure landed beside them.

It was a girl wearing a bright red dress. She looked no older than thirteen or fourteen, yet she wore a cloak and hood that obscured her face.

"Shall I set off?" A sweet voice asked.

"Go ahead," Zeda said softly, "Be careful."

"This is my first time on such a mission, but I think, just a mere second-class Angel won’t dare do anything to me."

With that, the girl gently leaped down into an alley, disappearing from sight.

Tavia gave Zeda a faint glance.

...

The interior of Pearce Cathedral had the same style as the White City Small Church. However, it was only the style that was similar; the actual feel it gave off was vastly different.

The walls were adorned with sculptures just like the exterior, equally exquisite and majestic. Unlike the exterior, the sunlight inside created a sense of awe.

Giant stained glass murals allowed sunlight to stream through transparent glass from all sides, only to be interrupted by tinted glass, creating streaks of light in the air. Combined with the exquisite, majestic, and magnificent decor, it felt like a divine miracle.

This was the display of power second only to the Royal Family in the Isaac Kingdom.

Gray was dazzled by it all, just as Shelley was, this being her first time here as well.

The place was filled with various clergy members, walking silently with light steps, heads bowed. The silence was pristine.

Whenever they encountered the bishop and Gray, they would piously make the sign of the cross on their chests. The bishop would simply return the gesture, as would Gray, mimicking the bishop.

"Where did you go during last night’s ball?" the Black Cat whispered to Catherine.

"Last night, I felt a dark aura, so I followed it outside," Catherine replied.

"A dark aura? Does that mean the demons are already among us?"

"Yes. But usually, even if they are among us, I shouldn’t sense the dark aura if they’ve chosen to conceal it. Strong perception is an attribute of the Holy Angel, and I’m just a second-class Angel. So, I suspect they’ve cast some kind of spell."

"Did you find anything?"

"No."

"That’s terrifying," the Black Cat shuddered.

While the Black Cat and Catherine were secretly conversing, Gray suddenly noticed that Shelley walking beside him had disappeared.

He turned around and saw Shelley standing at the corner of the stairs, staring blankly at a painting on the wall.

The painting depicted a disheveled person bound to a stake, with flames already lit around them. A stream of Holy Light descended from the heavens, illuminating their face. In one corner of the painting, a group of people knelt in prayer, while a larger crowd wore sinister grins and cried out.

Gray turned and walked towards Shelley, the bishop also halting his steps.

Shelley pointed to the painting and whispered, "This should be a painting from over a thousand years ago. I read about it in a book. It tells the story of a Holy Sect member being executed by a mob."

"Alboiseld," the bishop said softly from above, "He was a devout member of the Holy Sect, advocating for radical religious reforms. This angered both the commoners and the nobility. The church had no choice but to abandon his protection. For a time, to mitigate the losses caused by the riots, clergy were forbidden from mentioning his name. Until centuries later, when the memory of the events had faded, the then pope worked to restore his reputation and recorded his deeds in the church history, using them as a warning to future generations. This painting was commissioned by the pope at the time, the original."

"Such a pity," Shelley said, blinking blankly.

Gray was taken aback, suddenly something came to his mind.

"Actually, this is the first time I’ve heard this story as well," Dean said with a shrug, glancing over at the bishop, "I didn’t expect the Holy Spirit would abandon the protection of a Holy Sect member."

"Because the Holy Spirit loves all people," the bishop said softly.

"Catherine, may I ask the bishop a question?" Gray whispered.

"Save all your questions for me later. I’ll be stepping out for a bit."

"Where are you going?"

"I felt the presence of dark forces again."

"Alright." With no other choice, Gray extended a hand to Shelley as he stood on the stairs, "Let’s go, we can look more later; we can’t keep the bishop waiting."

"Okay." Shelley handed her hand to Gray and lifted her skirt as she followed him up the spiral staircase.

The bishop watched quietly, his eyes slightly downcast, casually saying, "It’s alright, if she’s interested, I can arrange for someone to give her a personal tour later. She might learn more about the history of the church that way."

Hand in hand, the two followed the bishop.

From time to time, the bishop would sneak a glance back at them, his eyes falling on their joined hands.

After a while, they finally reached a high balcony of the main building of Pearce Cathedral.

It was an enclosed balcony with stained glass. Through the glass murals, one could see the Lion King Palace from afar.

Two chairs and a tea table with clear water and pastries had already been set up there. Two attendants stood nearby.

"Please, have a seat," the bishop said as he walked to a chair and sat down. Dean waited respectfully by the bishop’s side.

Shelley showed no hesitation, but Gray was puzzled, "Excuse me, could my fiancée Miss Shelley also have a chair? I’d like her to sit with me."

This made the bishop pause. After a moment of awkward silence, he said, "My apologies." He then signaled to the attendant, who quickly left to fetch a chair.

"Why are you suddenly so close?" The Black Cat asked.

"Didn’t you say not to let her worry?" Gray retorted.

"Hmm, you’re improving." The Black Cat nodded approvingly.

Before long, the attendant returned with a chair.

Only then did Gray finally sit down, and Shelley sat beside him, holding his hand and smiling.

"Lord Bishop, the messenger said you had something to discuss with me."

"Oh, yes," the bishop replied with an awkward smile, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the Forty-sixth Chapter, twelfth verse of the Bible."

"Hmm?"

...

With her body now almost completely transparent, Catherine spread her wings and swiftly darted between the residential buildings.

She constantly changed her flight path, moving from one alley to another. The people in the alleys passed by her without noticing a thing.

After a while, she hovered in front of a house, looking around as if she had lost her way.

"Who’s there? Since you’re already here, why not show yourself?" she sent out a message with her Divine Sense.

"Can’t you find me? Isn’t hide-and-seek supposed to be like this? Or is it that you can’t track my aura?" a voice responded.

"If you weren’t continuously cutting off your aura, how could I not find you?"

"You’re wrong, I’ve never cut off my aura. You should never have felt any moment without sensing my presence. You’re just losing track of direction. How about this: if you admit you can’t find me, I’ll come out."

"You... alright, I can’t find you," Catherine said helplessly.

"Actually, I was just waiting for you to say that. Wouldn’t it be less thrilling if I came out on my own?"

Turning around suddenly, Catherine saw a petite figure at the end of the alley.

In a bright red dress, black cloak, and hood, a girl who looked no older than thirteen or fourteen. Her left index finger had a ring attached to a string with a small ball at the end, resembling a simple toy.

At that moment, she was playing with the toy, twirling it lightly in her hand.

Catherine’s eyes slowly widened.

...

"So, the Forty-sixth Chapter, twelfth verse of the Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit’s love for humanity. The Holy Spirit sends His most trusted Angels to earth to assist the devout believers, turning them into Holy Knights and clergy. Because humans are ignorant, the Angels also have to endure and accommodate them. Everyone blessed by the Holy Light has the duty to spread the Holy Spirit’s love to more people and inspire them," the bishop said earnestly.

"I see," Gray said solemnly, nodding.

"Did you understand all of it?" The Black Cat whispered.

"Not really, I think Dean explained it better," Gray whispered back.

Pausing briefly, the bishop continued, "We hope our Holy Knights can also uphold the teachings of the Holy Spirit, taking it upon themselves to spread the sacred faith. Despite any hardships, they should prioritize their ecclesiastical duties. What do you think of this notion?"

...

With a "snap," the spinning ball landed in her palm. The game was over.

The girl gently removed her hood, letting the sunlight shine on her face.

She had an impeccably flawless face, exuding a captivating charm. Her fiery red hair and eyes, combined with her twitching pointed ears and human-like fair skin, made her stand out. She lacked the usual demonic wings and tail.

Blinking her large eyes, the girl flashed a sweet smile with her tiger teeth, "Hello, second-class Angel. I am Vivian, the Succubus."

"Was that you last night?" Catherine’s guard instantly went up.

"Yes. Fearing you’d deny it, I played hide-and-seek with you twice."

"What’s the point of that?"

"Of course there’s a point. We can have a little competition before we officially become colleagues."

"Colleagues?" Catherine was taken aback.

"Yes, colleagues. I am the Guardian Demon newly assigned to the little Lich. I hope we get along well. Oh, and ’Guardian Demon’ is a term I just coined; hope you like it. Essentially, our roles are similar, though our job directions differ."

"Gray won’t agree to this!" Catherine shouted.

"So what? Does he want to attack a demon?" Vivian blinked her pitiful eyes, feigning innocence: "A hundred and fifty-year-old Lich can’t rival a two-thousand-year-old demon. Or do you intend to represent Heaven and break the truce by attacking me?"