Ash had even been deliberately avoiding anything that might get her hurt. She was worried that if her injuries became too severe, she might drain Theus's life force through the Pact.
Looking at Ash's expression, Theus guessed the answer. After a moment's thought, he asked, "You said the Pact was absolutely equal. Does that mean you can provide me with life force if I'm injured?"
Ash nodded. The Symbiotic Pact was actually best suited to two warriors fighting side by side on the battlefield. If either of them was injured, the other could instantly provide a large amount of life force.
That meant each person effectively had two lives, greatly increasing their margin for error. Banshees were born warriors, and it was thanks to this ability that they had conquered far and wide at the Bottom of the Seven Seas.
Unfortunately, the Abyssal Trench had been destroyed, and the few remaining entrances were now covered in Pollution. No one knew where the races that had once shared a symbiotic bond with the Banshees had gone.
All that remained of their former glory were old songs passed down through generations.
Ash seemed lost in thought.
"Ash, go down to the Bottom of the Abyssal Trench and see how your people are doing. If things look bad, you can bring them up here for now. I remember they can safely leave the Deep Sea for a short time, right?"
Ash nodded. Although the Symbiotic Pact meant she couldn't stray far from Theus, the fissure leading to the seabed of the Abyssal Trench wasn't far from Castel Island. She was confident she could return before her life force drained away too quickly.
After watching Ash slowly dive into the sea, Theus followed the passage through the caves back to the manor.
He had an idea, but he still needed to test it...
When he returned to the study, Theus carefully checked the room's furnishings. Only after confirming that no one had touched anything did he walk toward the door.
As he opened it, the handle felt wrong somehow. The sense of perception he had gained from the Symbiotic Pact faintly alerted him to something on the other side.
A body of flesh and blood was tipping toward him... He needed to dodge!
But he had already opened the door. His mind reacted in time, but his body couldn't keep up. All he could do was watch as a figure leaning against the other side of the door toppled toward him.
"Zoe?"
Theus looked coldly at the maid sprawled on the floor. He had managed to dodge at the last moment.
He stepped back a few paces and looked her over, making sure she had no weapons before demanding, "Why are you here?"
Zoe was dizzy from the fall. Clutching her reddened nose, she looked up, tears welling in her eyes. "I-I brought you afternoon tea..."
Only then did Theus notice the tray in her hands. She had fallen flat on the floor, yet the porcelain and refreshments on the tray hadn't spilled.
She had managed to keep the tray steady as she fell? Now that was dedication.
"I knocked for a long time, but you didn't answer, so I got worried and wanted to listen for any sounds inside... I'm sorry!"
Theus thought back. Zoe had indeed been bringing him afternoon tea all along; there was nothing unusual about it. Since arriving, he'd been busy dealing with all kinds of things and had completely forgotten about the refreshments.
So he softened his tone. "You don't need to bring me tea anymore. When I'm working in the study, I tend to be... focused. It's normal for me not to hear anything outside. Tell Connor not to disturb me while I'm working."
Zoe looked up in surprise, then realized her current posture was rather improper. She quickly stood, smoothed her long skirt, set the refreshments on the table, and left the room.
"This can't go on forever," Theus thought. His long absences from the study were too easy to notice, but he didn't have a good solution yet. He had no idea which of the servants or stewards he could trust.
Besides, the Banshees' name and appearance could easily give people the wrong impression. He came from Blue Star and wasn't superstitious, but the people of this world might not be so accepting.
Speaking of how humans treated other races, that was precisely why Theus had come up here. He planned to sound out the Church. Generally speaking, if the Church accepted other races, then persuading the people under his rule to accept them would only be a matter of time.
He just didn't know what the Church's attitude would be... To be honest, he wasn't optimistic. After all, the last time he descended, the Church's people had killed him.
Just thinking about it made his teeth ache with anger. The Candlelight Society, was it? He would have his revenge.
Sighing, Theus couldn't help thinking that the Candlelight Society was the Empire's state religion. There were no other faiths in the Empire, so he couldn't even switch to a more tolerant church.
Still, he'd heard that the Empress and the Church were growing more and more divided. It was hard to say what the future would bring.
In any case, he should find out more first...
"Zoe!" At the sound of her name, the maid who had just stepped outside peered back into the room at Theus.
"Have Connor prepare a horse. I'm going to the church."
"All right." Her expression was complicated as she turned and hurried down the corridor.
Theus turned back to the bookshelves. He planned to find a few Church texts to read through—the previous owner of this body had known almost nothing about the Church.
After skimming through a few books, Theus and the steward, Connor, rode to the church.
Connor didn't know much about the doctrine either, but he knew the Church's position on secular affairs.
"Generally speaking, the Church doesn't involve itself in any matters concerning the fiefs." He thought for a moment, then asked, "Lord Theus, what made you think of them?"
"Castel has a Candlelight Society church, after all. Since that's the case, I thought it would be best to learn about them sooner rather than later," Theus replied vaguely.
Generally speaking, the Church was probably the most hardline when it came to other races. He wanted to learn more before making any decisions.
"I heard the Church no longer has a seat in the Empire's judicial trials," Connor said cautiously. He felt it was his duty to remind his lord of the Empress's attitude toward the Church.
After all, his lord was still nominally a vassal of the Empress, and this was something he needed to know.
Judicial trials? Theus knew they were similar to courts. The Secretariat under the Imperial Council held votes to decide the punishments criminals would face. These decisions were, of course, based on the Imperial Sacred Charter, but even a single seat meant considerable influence.
Before the Empress took the throne, the nobility and the Church had jointly controlled the judicial trials. Now the Church had been pushed out, and the nobles' influence was also gradually waning.
Centralization of power. This was a sign that an Empire was on the rise. Theus nodded to himself.
"Then how has the Church reacted?"
"That's the strange part." Connor paused. "The Church has made a few token protests, but in practice, it's barely done anything at all."
Theus furrowed his brow.
Before you continue