Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 18: Kalen

“Order of Shadows? Is there such a sect?” the night watchman asked back.

In this world there are only three religions that truly count: the Church of Cadence, the Secret Garden, and the Night Listeners. The rest are all small fries. Even so, the watchman had at least heard of those small fries. 

As for this so-called Order of Shadows, he had never once heard the name.

“He has a Kingdom Religious Certificate in his hand. I checked it. It’s real,” reported the guard.

The fact he had a Kingdom Religious Certificate gave the office executor a headache.

In their country, the Kingdom of Aufon, the Church of Cadence holds absolute dominance.

The royal family granted the Church of Cadence the authority to oversee religion. Other faiths must receive its recognition before they can obtain the Kingdom Religious Certificate. In other words, anyone who holds such a certificate is a legitimate cleric endorsed by the Church of Cadence.

“Let him in,” the executor said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

After he saw the visitor’s face, the executor’s mood improved a little.

The priest was very young, about twenty-five. His looks were above average, and his bearing put people at ease.

His flax-colored short hair was slightly wavy, neat and clean, and his eyes were a very pale aquamarine. A gentle smile graced his features, and his gaze was warm, like a soft woolen blanket by the hearth in winter.

The executor’s expression eased.

His eyes skimmed over the man’s tidy black clothes and the bone-white matched rings on both middle fingers. Good. Young, yet plainly dressed. Not one of those showy charlatans at a glance.

“What’s your name?” he asked with a measure of friendliness.

“Kalen. No family name. From Atra.”

Priest Kalen placed one hand lightly to his chest. “May His Veil shroud you, unseen and unharmed.”

So that was it, a commoner cleric from a neighboring country.

“Unseen and unharmed,” the executor replied with practiced ease. “Father Kalen, you said you have leads on the ‘Lower City plague’?”

“Yes.” Kalen sighed softly. “I saw it with my own eyes in the Lower City…”

…Father Kalen gave a precise description of two men. One with striking gray-white long hair, the other with black hair and blue eyes, adept at spellcasting. The gray-haired man spread the plague with his own hands and hastened its infection.

However, according to Kalen, no remains were left. Everyone else present had been struck by memory magic and remembered nothing at all. The whole matter was as unreal as a nightmare.

After hearing Kalen’s account, the executor frowned.

“Father, even if you are a legitimate cleric, if there is no physical evidence and only your testimony, we cannot open an investigation. Are there any other witnesses? Even one would do.”

Kalen paused for an instant, then shook his head in the end.

“My lord, I fully understand your difficulty. I didn’t come to ask you to arrest anyone,” he said in a warm voice.

“Oh?” The executor raised an eyebrow.

“I heard the court mage in charge of the ritual is named Fabian. He is also a high priest of the Church of Cadence and very skilled in sacred matters. Before the ceremony begins, could you ask him to perform an individual exorcism for every staff member?”

Kalen spoke slowly, as if he wasn’t very used to this mannered way of speaking.

“…That way the filth in the shadows can be cleansed, and the children will be kept from the plague’s taint.”

The ritual’s staff? The executor thought for a moment.

Not counting the guards, there were sixteen staff members in all inside the venue.

Fabian himself, who would preside over the ritual; one “Pure Soul”; six “Holy Guards”… and eight “Disciples of Mercy”, elders of high standing who were responsible for watching over the children.

The “Disciples of Mercy” were all prominent figures in Rosha. They had long wished to befriend a high priest. Yet the Church of Cadence advocates restraint. Believers may accept banquets or gifts only under specific circumstances, so it was difficult for the two sides to interact in a proper, aboveboard way.

Father Kalen’s idea was quite good. With the right handling, this could be a win-win arrangement.

“I will report to His Lordship and discuss the matter with Lord Fabian,”

The executor cleared his throat. “Thank you for your lead, Father. On behalf of Rosha, I grant you one gold ring as a reward.”

Kalen bowed and didn’t take the gold ring on the table.

“May His Veil shroud you, unseen and unharmed,” he repeated the blessing with solemn sincerity, then he turned and walked into the night, his figure gradually swallowed by the shadows.

……

Noon the next day, at the inn where preparations for the ritual were underway.

“Exorcism and consecration?” Salaar repeated.

“Yes, yes. The notice came this morning. Lucky you,” said the mustachioed manager. “That’s a blessing from a high priest, and it will be one on one. They say it’s to ward off the plague. If I weren’t too old, I would want to find a role to play myself.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Salaar glanced at Myss. “If I remember right, exorcism and consecration include a purification phase…”

“That one is especially good for your health,” the mustachioed man said with longing.

Salaar offered a polite smile and ended the topic.

The ritual would begin the day after tomorrow. This arrangement was a little abrupt.

If his guess was right, this was very likely the work of the bird-beaked demon. For the past few days, they had gone to the inn that was preparing for the ritual, right on schedule, with their intentions as plain as day.

The “demon” was forcing them to withdraw from the Magibase summoning ritual. From the bird-beaked demon’s point of view, he and Myss were nothing but suspicious sources of contagion.

The good news: the bird-beaked demon truly had no malicious intent. He only wanted the two of them to stay away from the children, and he didn’t even wish to involve Hailey, the young eyewitness.

The bad news: between the two of them, there really might be someone who’s allergic to purification…

“I handled Barlow so cleanly. He clearly has no evidence. Humans are really unreasonable,” Myss said with displeasure after hearing Salaar’s inference.

Salaar rubbed his temples. “That’s not the point. Forget it. Do you have anything else to say?”

“Oh, I still have to kill someone,” Myss said. “Last time I only ‘assisted’ Mina’s magic. This time I want to separate the Magibase in my own way and see what happens.”

“Since the mage is coming to purify anyway, one more time won’t make a difference.”

Salaar’s look grew a touch complicated. Myss could faintly read big words on his face: “You’re hopeless.” Myss turned his head away and pretended not to notice.

“No.” Salaar stepped in front of him. “Don’t think I don’t know. You just want to get a taste of the Magibase.”

“Tsk.”

“The urgent matter is to solve the problem of the blessing.”

Salaar pondered. “Let me think. For more than twenty years, that same mage has been in charge of Rosha’s rituals. Hm. This might be an excellent opportunity.”

Myss: “An excellent opportunity to purify me?’

Salaar: “Fair point. It might actually be two excellent opportunities.”

Myss pulled out that deadly dinner fork in a threatening way.

Salaar looked at him with amusement. “The other great opportunity, you will know it when the time comes.”

The court mage Fabian worked with remarkable efficiency and arrived at the inn that very afternoon.

Fabian fit people’s image of a “mage” perfectly. He wore a crisp, elegant, religious white robe, and his long white beard was groomed with meticulous care.

Beside him Myss saw a Magibase stag. Its antlers branched in luxuriant tines, and it strolled at the old man’s side at an easy pace. Thanks to that creature, even the sunlight spilling into the room seemed a little more sacred.

“Let’s finish things here quickly and take a nap,” the stag muttered lazily to itself. “The exorcism for the Disciples of Mercy is set for after the banquet. I hope the banquet has Mamzi sweet wine. Hm…”

What a big deer. Myss stared at the stag’s plump body and suddenly remembered the rosemary venison steaks you could only get in the Upper City.

The stag shivered under his gaze, looked over in alarm and doubt, and happened to lock eyes with Myss.

“You… You rude brat,” it cried. “Lower your head.”

The reaction was too strong, and Myss couldn’t help glancing at Fabian. He found that the court mage showed no response at all and was completely unaware of his own Magibase’s unease.

How curious. These Magibase were just like their masters’ subconscious. They faithfully reflected the owner’s inner state, yet the owner knew nothing about their behavior.

“Pleased to meet you, Roasted Venison,” Myss mouthed silently at the stag.

The stag stamped hard, snorting thick and loud. “As expected, a ranger from a backwater. Low birth and lower morals.”

Myss: “Low morals? You’re mistaken.”

“Where is the mistake?” The stag lifted its head high.

Myss bared his sharp teeth. “I have no morals.”

At his side, Salaar let out an earthshaking cough.

The stag was scared out of its wits. It clip-clopped around to Fabian’s other side and tried to use the old man’s withered body as a shield. Fabian was speaking with the mustachioed manager when he suddenly broke off, his brows drawing together.

“My goodness, my lord, what’s wrong?” The mustachioed man’s voice turned syrupy, his tone obsequious to the point of absurdity.

“Nothing,” Fabian said mildly. “My magic fluctuated for an instant. This place is indeed unsanitary… Let us begin at once.”

The moment his words fell, his Magibase stag bolted in impatient flight.

The mustachioed manager cleared out the inn’s largest room to serve as a temporary exorcism chamber. The materials table was piled with salt, all kinds of herbs and essential oils, and even fresh lamb’s blood.

Fabian picked up a crystal flask and added herbs, then oils, then blood in that order. After that he took out a small vial from his pocket and dripped in a few drops of golden liquid.

Heated by flame, the murky mixture gradually turned a clear violet. A faint note of frankincense drifted through the air.

When preparations were complete, he drew a finely worked silver staff and began to chant quickly.

The Magibase stag bounded lightly about the room. The liquid in the flask flew out as if it were alive and traced a complex and beautiful giant magic circle on the floor.

All the curtains had been drawn. In the dim space, the circle shimmered with a warm white glow.

“All right.” Fabian smoothed his beard and turned to the seven staff members waiting at the door.

“Anyone not involved is to step out. When I call your name, you will come in one at a time.”

“We’ll now begin the exorcism.”

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The author has something to say:

The first support cast member has appeared!

Kalen is actually twenty-six years old. (This shouldn’t count as a spoiler, I hope.) Salaar’s physical body is twenty, Myss’s physical body is nineteen. Looks like Mr. Kalen will be chaperoning two kids (?)…

This chapter is from Salaar’s point of view: observing the Demon Lord mouthing his lips while he argues with air.

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