Empire and Church

Ash was even deliberately avoiding behaviors that might result in injury, fearing that if she were severely wounded, she would drain Theus of his life force directly through the Symbiotic Pact.

Watching Ash's expression, Theus guessed the answer. After a moment of thought, he asked, "You said the pact is absolutely equal, so does that mean if I'm injured, you can provide me with life force as well?"

Ash nodded. The Symbiotic Pact was actually best suited for two warriors fighting side-by-side on the battlefield; regardless of who was injured, the other could instantly provide a massive amount of life force.

This effectively gave everyone two lives, greatly increasing their margin for error. Banshees were natural-born warriors, and it was through this ability that they had conquered far and wide at the Bottom of the Abyssal Trench.

It was a pity that the Abyssal Trench had been destroyed, and the few remaining entrances were now riddled with corruption. The races that had once lived in symbiosis with the Banshees were nowhere to be found.

The glory of the past remained only in the old songs passed down through the ages.

Ash seemed somewhat lost in thought.

"Ash, go to the Bottom of the Abyssal Trench and see how your people are doing. If the situation isn't optimistic, you can bring them up first. I recall that it's safe for them to leave the deep sea for short periods, right?"

Ash nodded. Although the Symbiotic Pact prevented her from straying too far from Theus, the rift leading to the Abyssal Trench was not far from Castel Island, and she was confident she could return before her life force drained away too rapidly.

Watching Ash slowly submerge into the sea, Theus walked back to the manor along the cave path.

He had an idea, but it still required some verification...

As he walked back to the study, Theus carefully checked the room's layout, confirming that no one had moved anything before heading toward the door.

When he pulled the door open, he subconsciously felt that something was off. The sensory perception gained from the Symbiotic Pact gave him a vague feeling that there was some kind of presence on the other side of the door.

It should be a body made of flesh and blood, falling toward him... he had to dodge!

However, he had already pulled the door open; his mind had reacted, but his body couldn't keep up. He could only watch helplessly as a figure pressed against the door fell toward him.

"Zoe?"

Theus looked at the maid sprawled on the floor with cold eyes; he had managed to dodge at the very last second.

Stepping back a few paces, Theus looked her up and down, confirming she had no weapons before questioning, "Why are you here?"

Zoe was dizzy from the fall. She covered her nose, which had turned red from the impact, and looked up with teary eyes: "I, I was bringing you afternoon tea..."

Only then did Theus notice she was still holding a tray. Even though she had fallen completely to the floor, the porcelain and tea set on the tray hadn't spilled a drop.

She could keep the tray steady even while falling? That was truly professional.

"I knocked for a long time without a response, so I got worried and wanted to hear if there was any movement inside... I'm sorry!"

Theus recalled that Zoe had indeed been the one to bring afternoon tea every day; there was nothing suspicious about that. Since arriving, he had been dealing with all sorts of chaotic matters and had long forgotten about tea and snacks.

He softened his tone: "There's no need to bring tea in the future. I tend to be quite... focused when working in the study, so it's normal that I wouldn't hear anything outside. Tell Connor not to disturb me while I'm working."

Zoe looked up in surprise, then realized her current posture was impolite. She quickly stood up, smoothed out her long dress, placed the tea on the table, and exited the room.

This can't go on for long, Theus thought to himself. Staying in the study for long periods made it too easy for him to be discovered, but he didn't have a good solution yet. He didn't know which of these servants or the butler could be trusted.

Moreover, the Banshee race, whether by name or appearance, easily invited negative associations. He came from the Blue Star and naturally had no superstitions, but the people of this world might not be so accepting.

Speaking of the human attitude toward non-human races, that was precisely the purpose of Theus coming up this time. He intended to go to the Church to test the waters. Generally speaking, if the Church could accept non-human races, then persuading the commoners would only be a matter of time.

He just didn't know what the Church's stance would be... Honestly, Theus was somewhat pessimistic about it. After all, he had been killed by the Church during his last descent.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but grit his teeth in hatred. The Candlelight Society, was it? He would definitely have his revenge.

Sigh, Theus couldn't help but sigh. The Candlelight Society was the state religion of the Empire; there were no other sects to be found within its borders. He had no way to switch to a more moderate church even if he wanted to.

However, it was rumored that the rift between the Empress and the Church was growing wider. It was hard to say what would happen in the future.

In any case, he should go and find out for himself first...

"Zoe!" The maid, who had just stepped outside, poked her head back in upon hearing him.

"Tell Connor to prepare the horses. I'm going to the Church."

"Understood." Her expression was complex as she turned and walked quickly down the corridor.

Theus turned back to the bookshelf, preparing to find a few books on the Church to flip through—the original owner of this body knew almost nothing about it.

After a brief scan, Theus rode with the butler Connor toward the Church.

Connor didn't know much about the doctrine either, but he did know the Church's attitude toward secular affairs.

"Generally speaking, the Church does not participate in any affairs within the territory at all." He recalled this as he spoke to Theus, "Master Theus, what made you think of them?"

"Castel has a church of the Candlelight Society, after all. Since that's the case, it's better to understand it sooner rather than later," Theus said vaguely.

Usually, the Church should be the most radical regarding matters like non-human races, so he felt it was best to understand them first.

"I heard that in the Empire's judicial rulings, the Church no longer has a seat," Connor said cautiously, feeling it was his duty to remind his lord of the Empress's attitude toward the Church.

After all, his lord was nominally a vassal of the Empress, and such things were worth knowing.

Judicial rulings? Theus knew this was similar to a court. The Secretariat under the Imperial Council would make rulings on the punishments criminals had to endure. Of course, this was based on the Imperial Sacred Charter, but a seat still meant significant influence.

Before the Empress ascended the throne, judicial rulings were held jointly by the nobility and the Church. Now, the Church had been kicked out, and the influence of the nobility was also gradually waning.

Centralization—a sign of an empire on the rise, Theus nodded inwardly.

"And how has the Church reacted?"

"That's the strange part." Connor paused, "The Church has only issued some nominal protests, but in reality, they have taken almost no action."

Theus frowned.