Hyarum.

The holy city of the Holy Church.

White stone walls ring the city, etched with golden inlays that catch the sun at dawn and dusk, making the city glow like a beacon visible for miles. The streets radiate outward in a wheel-shaped design, with the cathedral at the exact centre. Statues of past Heroes, Saints, and martyrs lined the roads, making Hyarum look not only divine but also a place filled with cultural history.

And for the most part, it was.

A must-visit for any pilgrim, Hyarum was the crown jewel of the Hyades Republic. Over half of the Republic believed in the Goddess Hyades, and the Holy Church was the undisputed state religion. Its position at the top remained uncontested, even as new religions emerged by the hundreds each century.

Why?

Because the Goddess Hyades was a real entity.

One who has given her divinity and grace to all those who believed in her. The immortal being that blessed the world, and the only country on the planet was named after.

And the most devout followers of the Goddess were all gathered in the eternal, holy city—particularly, the most sanctified human of all—the Saintess.

Ellahan sauntered through the massive halls with restraint and a tinge of apprehension. Although she would routinely return to Hyarum to report her activities, this time was completely different. Ellahan wasn't here just as a devout follower and a missionary of the Holy Church; she was now present as the Saintess who was about to fulfil her duty.

Fortunately, she wasn't alone in this pressing time.

A distinguished elder cleric, one whose eyes reflected wisdom befitting of his years, stood side-by-side with Ellahan as she robotically moved down the halls. Glancing down at his beloved granddaughter, Archbishop Ignatius Araquiel asked:

"Are you nervous?"

"Grandfather… Yes, I can't say I'm not."

"Don't worry, ever since coming out of her seclusion, Her Holiness has been in a good mood. She won't make your life difficult."

"Is that so…"

Although Ignatius meant those words as comfort, Ellahan's anxiety was doubled. The Pope of the Holy Church had always been the person Ellahan feared the most. Her traditional mindset and insistence on adhering to ancient doctrines had caused Ellahan considerable trouble in the past.

Especially when it came to her relationship with Leon, the Hero.

"If you feel uncomfortable with Her Holiness forcing you into marriage with Leon, just send me the signal. I'll change the subject."

"Thank you!"

"Though I'm not completely against that suggestion either."

"Grandfather!"

Ellahan waved off the Archbishop's teasing smile with a heavy blush. Truthfully, she wanted to marry Leon more than anyone else in the world. However, in the eyes of the Pope and the Holy Church, they wished to pull Leon into the Holy Church through matrimony, and eventually, they hoped for the Hero to cut ties with the Solaris House entirely.

One reason was that one of the two artefacts they deemed most sacred, the Holy Sword Ascalon, was in the possession of the Solaris House. They hoped that if Leon married Ellahan, he would willingly give up the Holy Sword to them, and their foundation would be whole.

The other reason was that they wished for Leon himself to become the next symbol of the Holy Church, preferably to start a sacred bloodline outside of the Solaris House.

The Solaris Saint, widely considered to be the being closest to the Goddess, didn't leave behind any descendants despite strongly supporting the Holy Church during her era. So, there wasn't any sacred bloodline the Holy Church could uniquely call theirs.

Yes, some families had been devout servants of the Goddess Hyades and the Holy Church, but none could compare with the bloodline of the Hero himself.

Therefore, the Pope had been pushing Ellahan to serve those purposes, not because of the sweet, innocent love that Ellahan dreamt of.

"Do you know why Her Holiness summoned us today?"

"Not a clue," Ignatius shook his head. "She came out from her extended fasting and prayer seclusion early and hurriedly gave the summons for all the Archbishops and the Saintess to enter the Cathedral of Beginnings. It wasn't even for a procession, so no one really knows."

"Okay…"

The reason why Ellahan left her lover when he was injured this time was precisely because of the Pope's mysterious summons. This was the first time the Pope had ever done something so peculiar that everyone in Hyarum was utterly confused.

"Well, we'll find out soon, won't we?"

As their conversation dwindled, the grandfather and granddaughter arrived before a towering oak-brown door—the gateway to the most sacred chamber of the Holy Church: the Cathedral of Beginnings.

Within its hallowed walls rested the Holy Throne, where the Pope offered her private prayers. Many called it the holiest place upon the earth. To even glimpse this door was a privilege reserved for the highest echelons of the Church; to step beyond it, rarer still.

It opened only for the most solemn of moments: the anointing of a new pope, the declaration of a holy war, or a revelation delivered by the Goddess herself.

And thus, Ellahan stepped foot into the sanctum while desperately trying to control her accelerating heart rate.

The first thing she saw were a dozen familiar faces. Archbishops who had influence to sway the Hyades Republic's democracy with their theological views. High Cardinals who were in prime positions to take over as the next Pope. Administrators who governed Hyarum. And finally, the Commander of all the Paladins and first mentor of Leon—Sir Arthur Pagiel.

'The entire clergy is here.'

Ellahan gulped in apprehension as her eyes circled the venue. The last time all of these big shots gathered together was when she was appointed the Saintess of this generation.

And she wasn't the only one on edge.

Everyone wore pleasant smiles when greeting each other, but a sense of suspicion lingered. No one knew what the Pope had called them for, and they were desperate for clues. The only one who seemed relatively unfazed was the Paladin Commander himself.

"Saintess, you've grown since we last saw each other."

"Sir Arthur, since when were you so proper?" Ellahan joked while covering her mouth. "You can continue to call me Ella."

"Heh, is that so? Then, I'll do just that."

Sir Arthur approached Ellahan, wearing a constantly warm smile. He'd seen the young girl grow, from a snotty-nosed brat into the graceful and elegant Saintess that she was now.

"Ella, I heard whispers that Leon was injured… how is he?"

"You've already heard that much?!"

Ellahan was properly shocked. It hasn't been long since Leon returned to Solfea, and intelligence that he'd been injured had spread all the way to Hyarum already. It seemed that the Holy Church's intelligence branch wasn't one to be scoffed at.

"Yes, he was injured. But he's doing much better now. We will be meeting the rest of Eldorin at Zephys in a few days, actually."

"That's a relief," Sir Arthur replied while relaxing his cheeks. Although Sir Arthur was the Paladin Commander, he was also Leon's mentor, who raised him for a few years. Caring for his disciple was par for the course.

"Also, I heard that… Lucas returned to the Solaris House."

"My, you've heard that much? Then there's no point hiding it. Yes, it's true." Ellahan no longer bothered to be surprised and fully divulged the details. "Leon's parents returned and will be staying in Solfea permanently."

"Aluria is back, too? Wow, Lucas, that bastard… He resolved everything and didn't bother to find me. Looks like I'll need to visit Solfea soon and whack some sense into him."

Sir Arthur joked while cracking his knuckles.

"Haha, please go easy on him."

"No can do, young Ella. Lucas, that moron…"

The middle-aged Paladin was about to engage in a conversation filled with swear words before the audience went pin-drop silent. The doors of the Cathedral swung open, and Sir Arthur instantly silenced himself. It was finally time… for the Pope to arrive.

"Let's continue this conversation later."

"Y-yes."

The pair immediately broke apart, hurrying to their designated places. As two of the highest-ranking members present, they took their positions at the very front of the chapel.

Then came the sound, wood striking stone, resonating through the vast hall like the tolling of a sacred bell. From the cathedral doors emerged an elderly woman, flanked by two young altar priests. One supported her hand, the other bore the weight of her trailing cape. She advanced down the aisle with the solemn grace of a bride approaching her altar, and the congregation rose in silent reverence.

At last, she reached the Holy Throne, a living seat entwined within the great tree at the heart of the chapel. The instant she lowered herself upon it, the tree stirred as if awakened from slumber. Its leaves blazed a vivid emerald, fountains sprang to life, and the once-still chapel overflowed with radiance and holy vigour.

A hush fell, broken only by the soft rush of flowing water, as every priest present swallowed hard beneath the weight of her presence. Her hair, silver as moonlight, framed eyes of piercing green that seemed to gaze into the very soul.

Clad in sanctified vestments, she embodied the very essence of divinity. Authority flowed from her not in words, but in posture alone: a sovereign holiness that left none doubting who sat upon the Throne.

The Pope of the Holy Church has arrived.

Her Holiness… Verena Hyades.

"We greet the emissary of the Goddess."

"We greet the emissary of the Goddess!"

Everyone in the room repeated after Sir Arthur, and the Pope raised her hand to stop the formalities.

"My brethren. Please, sit down."

Everyone present immediately obeyed. Other than the Saintess, the Pope was the only one who could directly communicate with the Goddess Hyades herself. In fact, with her Holy Power, if she were sixty years younger, there was no question that the Pope would have taken Ellahan's title as the Saintess.

"Now, I apologise for calling all of you out here so suddenly."

"Not at all!"

"We serve at your pleasure!"

The Pope frowned and scratched the back of her ears. Usually, she would follow the formalities and take her time in conversation, but the elderly woman was impatient today.

"Everyone here is busy, so I'll get to the point. I summoned all of you here today because our Lord, the Goddess, has given me a revelation!"

"Ah!!!"

"Praise be to the Goddess!"

The religious fanatics all went into a frenzy… and how could they not? It has been decades since the Goddess gave a revelation. They all sat at the edge of their seats, waiting to hear the word of the Goddess.

Alas, the revelation the Pope received wasn't one of joy and love, but…

"My brethren… A great calamity is upon us."

Official source is novel-fire.net