NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2
Chapter 2
"Three-Faith" Slave.
Sylvia did not mind the strange atmosphere. Instead, she continued to wear that faint, elusive smile and said:
"Power, strength, and greed, they are intertwined in your eyes. The desire for more.”
"No matter how submissive your behavior is, it cannot conceal your nature."
After speaking, the gray-haired girl slowly leaned back, her voice still lingering:
"So—what did Hethorik promise you that made you betray the Holy Light?"
"Let me guess, a position within the Cult of Hatred and Loathing? Or perhaps becoming his favored one?"
He.
It was the "he" that symbolized "male" in the language of Cainspu.
And not the "He" that symbolized a deity.
Such a simple form of address was enough to reveal Sylvia's attitude toward the King of Hatred and Loathing.
The apostles who walked the earth and carried out the will of the gods would never use "he" to refer to an evil god... except for the Outer Gods.
Although Outer Gods were usually also classified as evil gods, they were fundamentally different from the Evil Gods of Earth.
Her words just now further deepened the identity she had just constructed.
Apostle!
Apostle of Silquaya the Faceless!
An existence that could be called a demigod, standing on the same level as the angels recorded in the scriptures of the Church of Radiance!
The bishop fell into a long silence at this moment.
Meanwhile, the gray-haired girl's "terrifying" voice rang out again:
"Whatever Hethorik promised you, this doll... my lord can promise you as well."
"Power, status, strength, you shall lack none."
"And compared to Hethorik, my lord shall grant you even more."
"After all, a Bishop of the Church of Radiance ought to know the differences between the Outer Gods and Evil Gods."
After finishing, Sylvia spoke no further.
The puppet girl just merely sat there, her gaze looking down upon the bishop with a condescending attitude, exerting mind-wenching pressure while waiting for his answer.
Under the glamorous globes of marble gaze, the bishop struggled for a long while before finally spitting out a single word:
"...Alright."
"Very well, a wise and correct choice."
The puppet girl gave a wide smile that showed her teeth, while her right index finger drew a stroke in the air.
At the same time, a strange pitch-black symbol appeared on the back of the bishop's right hand, only to quickly fade and disappear.
"The Mark of Greed, my lord's blessing to you, and also his supervision."
As her words fell, the bishop's body suddenly lurched, almost collapsing.
The restraints binding his body vanished without notice, the marks around his joints slowly faded.
"Your Eminence."
The bishop clumsily straightened his posture, bowed, and looked fawningly at the girl sitting behind the table, who had once again shifted her sitting posture.
"Introduce yourself."
Sylvia crossed her hands beneath her chin and spoke with an undertone of entertainment.
"Yes, Your Eminence."
"My name is Loruze Labrile, Bishop of the Alova Diocese of the Church of Radiance, Acting Chief Inquisitor of the Alova Diocese Tribunal, and one of the Council of Elders of the Cult of Hatred and Loathing..."
At this point, he clearly hesitated for a moment before continuing:
"A loyal servant of the Faceless One."
Watching the blond-haired, blue-eyed bishop reciting his titles, Sylvia almost twitched the corner of her mouth.
After a second, she nodded:
"Sylvia, you may address me by this name for now."
Hearing this name, Loruze’s brows twitched slightly. He then bowed and said:
"Yes, Your Eminence Sylvia."
"Very well, next is the arrangements for your duties in the future."
Sylvia lowered her hand, tapping lightly on the table as she spoke:
"First, continue your responsibilities as a bishop of Radiance, shepherding the lambs of the 'Lord of Radiance'."
"Do not engage in unnecessary actions. Try to avoid drawing attention from the higher-ups of the Church."
"Of course, do not tamper with the statue on the altar. No one will discover it."
After speaking, the smile at the corner of her mouth became a little more pronounced.
"Statue?"
Loruze’s voice was clearly tinged with surprise.
"Mm, it seems you did not notice."
"But now that you possess the power of 'Greed', you are qualified to perceive the truth."
"When you return to the surface and see the statue standing in the altar, do not draw attention to it."
"That is my lord’s statue."
Sylvia explained briefly, while Loruze’s expression grew increasingly strange.
"What is it?"
Seeing his expression, Sylvia asked with some amusement:
"Is it because I replaced Hethorik’s statue?"
"Haha, but you are truly bold, daring to replace the Lord of Radiance’s statue with an evil god right within the church."
Loruze gave an awkward smile, then nodded:
"I understand, Your Eminence."
After tapping the table again, Sylvia continued:
"Secondly, use any methods of indoctrination to convert the knights of the Tribunal, those who have once changed their faith, to my lord."
"I believe you can accomplish it."
"Of course, this includes those few you have locked up in the 'Court of Radiance'."
The Court of Radiance was a special place under the Church of Radiance used to contain forbidden artifacts and imprison captives.
After speaking, Sylvia revealed a meaningful smile.
Before appearing here, she had already carefully inspected the cathedral.
Except for those few locked in the Court of Radiance, whether it was the clergy or the Tribunal knights, all were tainted with a nauseating aura of corruption.
So she decided to make her move on this church.
This was to help the Lord of Radiance cleanse the traitors. So she thought.
Thus, after rendering the Tribunal knights stationed beneath the cathedral unconscious, she came here to await the bishop’s delivery.
After a moment of hesitation, Loruze spoke:
"Your Eminence, I have already failed once with those Tribunal members I imprisoned."
"If they insist on upholding the knightly code and prefer death over submission again, should I dispose of them?"
Upon hearing this, Sylvia fell into contemplation, and after a few seconds, she gave her answer:
"No need."
"If they maintain their original stance, just continue to imprison them for the time being."
"Remember, do not mistreat them."
"Yes, Your Eminence."
"Finally, mobilize all the power you can access to search for an organization that uses this emblem as its symbol."
As she spoke, strands of starlight rose from her hand, forming into an emblem: a full moon as the base, crossed with mystical symbols representing death and rebirth.
This was the emblem she had seen when she first awakened.
At that time, the steam train transporting the evil god puppet had been attacked at Yellow Valley Town, and this emblem was pinned on the chest of the opposing leader.
Now she was quite curious about their purpose.
"Alright, you may leave now."
After briefly supplementing the three tasks just mentioned, Sylvia waved her hand, dismissing her newly recruited subordinate.
"Yes, Your Eminence."
With that, Loruze instinctively extended his right hand, as if to trace something in front of his chest.
However, his expression quickly became somewhat awkward.
Yet after sneaking a glance and seeing no change in the girl's expression, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.
Watching the bishop, who had successively embraced three different faiths, depart from the room, the corners of Sylvia’s mouth gradually smoothed out, and a trace of fatigue appeared on her delicate face.