Chloe

The Church offered no resistance, only a verbal protest?

This isn't right, this is extremely not right.

One must understand that the Church is no soft persimmon to be kneaded at will. As the state religion of the Empire, the Candlelight Society has a history even longer than the Empire itself.

The Church's ability to control various parts of the Empire is in no way inferior to the royal family. Even on a small island like Castel, there is a church—and this church wasn't newly built; the reach of the Candlelight Society had already extended here back when pirates were in charge.

In many remote areas, farmers tilling the land might not know who the Emperor of the Empire is, but they certainly know how many priests and nuns are in the small chapel next door.

Regardless, the Church's reaction is not what one would expect from such a behemoth. There must be some unknown secrets hidden within this...

"We've arrived, my lord, this is the place." Connor pulled on the reins and stopped outside the church courtyard.

Theus pulled his horse to a halt and looked up at the church before him.

It was a tall, spire-topped building. Aside from the metal emblem at the very top which could barely be considered new, the entire church was covered in the marks of time.

To put it simply, it was already quite dilapidated.

"My lord, there used to be a bishop-priest here, but he passed away from an illness unexpectedly. The Church didn't send anyone else, so now there is only one nun managing the daily affairs."

A bishop-priest is essentially the person in charge of a church in a remote area, belonging to the third tier in the Church's hierarchy. Generally, small churches don't have much contact with the main body of the Church, so it's debatable whether the Church even knows the current situation here.

Theus's gaze fell upon the shattered glass of the church and the wooden boards hastily nailed over them. He walked inside, noncommittal.

He hadn't notified anyone of his arrival, so naturally, no one was there to greet him. Walking along the path and looking at the vegetable patch in the courtyard, Theus felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Though slightly worn, it was kept clean and tidy, reminding him of his old home back on Blue Star.

It was a pity that was already an unknown amount of time ago.

Pushing open the heavy doors of the church, the rotten hinges let out a creaking sound. From inside came a clear female voice, sounding somewhat anxious:

"Don't push! Lift the door up a bit before you push! You'll knock the door panel off if you do that."

A girl wearing a black nun's habit trotted over, glared at Theus, and lifted the door panel to shift it to the side.

"How many times have I said it, why are you still... hmm? Who are you?"

The girl wedged the door panel against a triangular wooden block before placing her hands on her hips to look over.

Then, a hint of confusion appeared in her eyes. She looked Theus and his companion up and down, noting their exquisite clothing, and paused at the crest on Theus's collar, stunned for a moment.

Then, as if she had realized something, she clapped her hands, a look of sudden enlightenment dawning on her face: "You are that newly appointed lord, um..."

"Theus."

"Right, right, Theus. I've heard people who come for confession say that you once said you would impart knowledge to them, for free."

Only then did she realize that her hands-on-hips interrogation stance seemed inappropriate. She quickly lowered her hands, brought her legs together, and unobtrusively tucked her mud-stained little leather shoes behind her.

"My Lord, I am very happy, um, very honored that... you could come to the church for confession..." She tried hard to soften her voice, attempting to appear as delicate as possible—at the very least, not too fierce. She had to be careful not to scare this new lord away, after all...

"Are you here to deliver... a donation?"

Of course not, get lost, I'm broke as it is.

"Yes." Theus smiled elegantly, signaling for Connor to take out his coin purse. Under Connor's pained gaze, he counted out a few coins and handed them to the nun before him.

The nun wanted to reach out and take them immediately, but hesitated, turning back to grab a ledger to record the entry first before accepting the money.

"Thank you for your support of the Church. May the candlelight in the darkness always guide your path, and may you be fearless in your pursuit of the light." The nun crossed her fingers and bowed to Theus.

Looking at the serious-faced girl before him, Theus found it somewhat amusing: "Are you the only one in the church right now?"

"There is also an assistant priest, but he was injured previously and is unable to manage church affairs, so you can come to me for anything you need." She looked up. "My religious name is Chloe."

Chloe, the storm petrel, originates from the seventy-two long poems describing the creation myth. Few people would use this word as their own name; it carries a tragic color in itself. The storm petrel spends its whole life chasing the storm, only to sleep forever within it.

Theus smiled, noncommittal. He paced a few steps inside the church, looking at the pews that were worn but wiped spotlessly clean, and asked Chloe: "What kind of activities does the church hold now?"

"Activities?" Chloe tilted her head in confusion. "There's only me... two of us in the church now. If we can get enough people together, we hold mass. You know, the believers here are basically fishermen. They rely on the heavens for their livelihood; when the weather is good, they need to go out to sea to fish, so they can't make it."

"I recall there are more craftsmen on the island who brew Sweet Fruit Wine?"

"Yes, but they are much more stable. There is never a shortage of fruit for brewing on the island. As long as you work hard, you can brew wine. Fate can be controlled by oneself, so why come to church?"

Theus was taken aback and turned to look at Chloe. The girl's expression was one of complete indifference: "It's the truth, sir."

Theus truly hadn't expected this nun to see things so clearly. Indeed, people only pray when faced with things they cannot control at all; the dying in hospitals are often the most pious.

This is also one of the reasons why clergy often moonlight as doctors.

But hearing this from the mouth of a nun was, to some extent, quite strange...

Theus took a deep look at Chloe and skipped the topic: "Are there any activities that explain the doctrine?"

This was his real purpose for coming here. He didn't know much about the Church, so he might as well start with the doctrine to see how the Church described other races; this would basically represent their attitude.

"Doctrine..." Chloe looked troubled, biting her lip slightly before hesitating to speak: "I am only a nun, I don't actually know much about the doctrine. Usually, I just listen to people's confessions and maintain the normal operation of the church."

"Isn't there another clergyman in the church? I remember it being a priest?"

Those who can be called priests are at least second-tier clergy. They have basically passed the relevant exams on doctrine and have a certain understanding of the scriptures. Wouldn't explaining the doctrine be a simple task?

"His situation is a bit special..." Troy said hesitantly.

Suddenly, the door at the back of the church moved, and a tall man opened it.

Theus's gaze froze on the priest's robe he was wearing.