Holy City——Rapona, once the largest and most prosperous city in this land.
It is the center of economy, culture, and religion. It is known as the safest place in the world and the pride of all mankind.
But now, it has declined to the point where it is difficult to even maintain law and order.
Due to the exodus of the population, large areas of the city have been completely reduced to ruins and ghosts, and only a small section near the central cathedral remains of the originally bustling market.
In order to better protect its own safety, the church even ordered the construction of a second City Wall in the city.
As for the outermost layer, it has long been completely abandoned.
Even during the day, merchants and travelers only dared to approach the dilapidated gate under the escort of patrols.
Otherwise, whether it is Yoma hiding in the ruins or bandits entrenched in the old house, they can easily kill them.
In addition, the church also abolished the original rule prohibiting Claymore from entering.
Because without Claymore regularly clearing out the Yoma hiding around, it is estimated that with the small population left in the city, all of them would have died long ago.
Therefore, the current church has already chosen to lie down and accept the cruel fact that it is declining and will eventually die.
Its top management has also been corrupted at a speed visible to the naked eye. With the wealth they accumulated by playing with their beliefs, they live a life of intoxication and dreaming every day.
The most typical example is the extra street dedicated to special service industries near the church, and the scantily clad young women standing at the street door.
You must know that ten years ago, this kind of service industry was explicitly prohibited in Holy City.
Once caught, at best they would be expelled, at worst they might be burned on the rack and tortured.
But now...
This has become a favorite place for church leaders and military officers to visit.
After all, smart people know that they will eventually die, so why not enjoy themselves in time?
Especially for the huge wealth accumulated by the church, instead of eventually taking advantage of others, it is better to spend it all now and enjoy food, wine and women.
In fact, people go from standing on the moral high ground to falling into the abyss of desire much faster than they think.
Although some bishops also tried to promote some laws to improve the situation, they had little effect, and in serious cases they were assassinated by their subordinates.
The final result is that no one is willing to stand up and turn the tide, and everyone lies down together.
Looking at the bleak streets and the "sisters" wearing heavy makeup and exposing large areas of white chests and thighs around them, Laki was in shock, his face flushed and he stared down at his shoes.
How could he, who came from a small place, withstand such stimulation?
Allen was keenly aware of this, and immediately walked up to him and joked, "Oh, you have a reaction. Do you want me to take you for a walk inside, and find two big sisters to help you transform from a boy to a man?"
"No... no need!"
Laki subconsciously clamped his legs and shook his head desperately, not even daring to look at Clare's face.
"Relax, don't be so nervous. This is a normal physiological reaction. There is no need to be so shy. As I said, what's wrong with men being a little lustful and perverted? If there is something wrong, it should be the gods who claim to have created human beings. They are the ones who designed men to be like this."
Allen took the opportunity to start instilling fallacies into this poor boy again.
no way!
Who makes this little guy's reactions always so interesting?
And he has always wanted to know what Laki's feelings are for Clare.
Do you regard her as your relative or sister?
Or are you simply grateful to the other party for taking you in, so that you won't end up dead on the streets?
Or is it an adolescent boy's ignorant impression of the opposite sex?
But it's a pity that even Laki himself probably doesn't understand this problem.
Just when Allen was teasing the boy in front of him unscrupulously, Clare finally couldn't bear it anymore and stopped with a cold voice. "Enough! What do you want to do? Why have you been following us?"
"There is no special purpose, just to pass the boring time with nothing to do. What's more, I didn't disturb your mission." Allen shrugged his shoulders innocently.
"Asshole! What did Elina say? You took her away!" Clare asked, suppressing the anger in his heart.
"No! You are wrong! I saved her. Without me, what do you think her current outcome would be like? Cut off her head and turn into a corpse? Is this the outcome you want?" Allen asked meaningfully.
moment!
Clare, who was angry one second, regained his composure the next second.
Because from Abyssal One Lulu's mouth, she had probably guessed a little bit of the truth.
So I understand that it is the best outcome for Elina to fall into the hands of Allen, at least he can save his life.
But similarly, Clare is also quite unhappy that Allen has touched his best friend.
Especially the ambiguous action of hugging each other made her have the urge to chop him to death.
Finally, after a fierce psychological struggle, Clare finally snorted and put the matter aside for the time being.
Not even if you don't let go.
Before she is strong enough, she has no ability to take back Elina.
In this way, the three of them quickly found a relatively clean and tidy hotel to stay in, and prepared to go to the cathedral after dark to inquire about the situation with the bishop who issued the commission.
But before it got dark, a loud and noisy sound came from the distant street.
I saw a team of thirty people riding horses, slowly moving along the middle road.
There were men and women among them, all wearing uniform silver armor, with a sun-shaped badge emitting golden light on their chests.
"Holy Light Church?!"
Clare's pupils suddenly dilated, his face full of shock and disbelief.
As early as when she was receiving training in the organization headquarters, she was taught that there are two forces in this world that she must not actively provoke.
One is naturally Western Lands ruled by Allen, and the other is Holy Light Church from the south.
The most obvious symbol of the latter is this badge that emits light like the sun.
It is said that anyone who wears this badge has an energy called Holy Light, which can be used not only to heal wounds and diseases, but also to burn enemies.
Many Yoma who crossed the border were easily killed by these people wearing badges, and even their bodies would turn into black charcoal.
But what puzzles Clare is that Holy Light Church and Holy City are mortal enemies.
Back then, a religious war almost broke out between the two sides because of issues of faith.
But now, Holy Light Church is walking openly on the streets of Holy City, and there are even church soldiers in front of them to clear the way.
"What is Holy Light Church?" Laki asked cautiously.
Coming out of a small town, he, like most civilians under the control of the organization, knew almost nothing about the outside world.
Clare explained without looking back, "It is a religious organization that is growing in the south. They believe in something called Holy Light, and use it as a link to connect all the cities and villages in the south to form Alliance. It seems like something big is going to happen here."
"Yes! Something big is going to happen here." Allen pursed his lips and turned his attention to the familiar figure at the front of the team.
Short stature, long blond hair, green eyes, and a handful of stupid hair on the head that sticks up and never yields...
There is no doubt that in order to cooperate with him in performing this scene, Artoria came in person.
The two of them obviously noticed each other and exchanged a look calmly, then made no next move.
In about ten minutes, the delegation, led by soldiers, entered Grand Cathedral.
The few remaining bishops after the massacre ten years ago have been waiting for a long time. Bishop Mels took the initiative to step forward, put one hand on his chest and bowed deeply. "Welcome, noble Saintess."
"Thank you!"
Artoria nodded very reservedly in response.
To be honest, her first impression of Holy City and the church was not good.
Whether it was the lifeless streets or the depraved special service places, they all made her feel uncomfortable.
In addition, most clergymen seriously lack the most basic respect for the gods they believe in.
In other words, they simply regard God as a cover for deception, and its essence is just to make money and enjoy themselves.
Bishop Mels undoubtedly noticed the flash of contempt and disdain in the other person's eyes, and hurriedly explained with a wry smile, "Holy City Rapona was not like this before. Our church used to have many devout clergy and millions of believers. But since experiencing the horrific killings and turmoil ten years ago, everything has slipped towards the bottomless abyss."
"You mean the tragedy caused by the Yoma invasion?" Artoria asked in an uncertain tone.
"That's right! It was that horrific massacre that made almost all believers doubt the existence of God. Some radical people even believed that God did not exist in the first place and was a fictitious thing. Otherwise, why didn't he send a miracle to save Holy City? Since then, a large number of citizens have begun to flee with their families, feeling that this place has been cursed."
When saying these words, Bishop Mels's tone was full of bitterness and helplessness.
As a witness to the decline of the church, he was filled with despair and even wanted to commit suicide several times to find relief.
But when he thought that after his death, the entire Holy City would most likely fall apart in an instant, he had to give up such an idea and continue to hold on.
"Then why did you choose us? If I remember correctly, you should be our mortal enemy." Artoria raised a question that bothered him.
You must know that her visit this time was not requested by her, but an invitation from Holy City Church.
"Because of faith! Although we believe in different gods and have very different doctrines, you at least have faith. In contrast, Western Lands may be rich, but the lords and people there have no faith. Instead, they greedily pursue money, rights and material enjoyment." Bishop Mels gave his reasons without thinking.
From the perspective of someone like him who has lived in a religious atmosphere all his life, the ignorant people must have a god to unify the spiritual world, otherwise the entire society will inevitably fall into evil and be full of disputes and turmoil.
Since the God of the church is no longer good, let another God try.
"What are the conditions? Don't tell me, you are willing to give up Holy City unconditionally." Artoria touched his chin with an expression of interest.
Without saying a word, Bishop Mels took out the list he had prepared from his pocket and handed it over. "Here! This is all our conditions. If you agree, then from now on, all the clergy here will be merged into Holy Light Church, and from now on, the teachings of Holy Light will be spread."
Artoria took it and glanced at it twice before returning it calmly. "Sorry, these terms are too complicated. I need a few days to think about it."
"No problem! I have arranged accommodation and delicious food for you and your entourage. You can eat something first, and then wash away the fatigue of the journey and have a good night's rest." With that, Bishop Mels gestured to the entourage behind him.
The latter understood it and immediately took Artoria and his party to the most gorgeous house not far from the cathedral.
That's where the bishops used to meet to discuss the direction of the church.
But with the crazy massacre ten years ago, bishops were almost becoming rare animals, so naturally there was no need to reserve such a large conference room.
So Bishop Mels simply ordered to transform it into a place specially used to entertain high-level visitors.
And the first person to live here was naturally Claymore who came to defeat Awakened Beings.
The church, which had witnessed the terrifying power of Awakened Beings, correctly realized for the first time the astonishing strength possessed by the organization. From then on, it canceled the rule prohibiting Claymore from entering.
Watching Holy Light Church and his group disappear at the end of the corridor, Bishop Mels finally relaxed a little and asked without looking back, "What do you think of this Saintess and the young Church Knight behind her?"
"Very strong! Very, very strong! I can guarantee that if this Saintess takes action, there will definitely not be a single living person in the entire cathedral." A woman whose whole body was shrouded in a hood replied softly.
"Oh? How about compared with you?" Bishop Mels was obviously a little surprised.
"If she is willing, she can crush me to death like an ant at any time. Lord Bishop, please don't test it anymore. The power Holy Light Church has is beyond what you and I can guess. So give up your unrealistic ideas and proceed honestly according to the plan. In addition, I most I have to go on a mission in the next few days and cannot stay at Holy City. You'd better be careful. You must know that there are many Yoma and Awakened Beings in the ruins outside the city." The woman warned solemnly.
"Damn it! Can't you just clean them all up?"
"No! That would arouse the suspicion of the organization."
As soon as the last word was blurted out, the woman disappeared directly from the place, and even Bishop Mels didn't know what method the other party used.