Nini's Painting

Were the Transcendents of the Silent Temple formidable?

They truly were. They were practically the only religious order capable of confronting muskets head-on on the battlefield. The Candlelight Society had vast resources, but its frontal combat capabilities were still a notch below theirs.

When the Royal Army of the former Empire invaded White Crow, the Buriers had driven them out by swinging the chains in their hands. That had been almost the Silent Temple's most glorious moment.

The Temple's Buriers wore heavy armor and charged in formation, forcibly tearing open a gap in the musketeers' ranks. After the battle, the lead bullets they shook out from their clothing nearly formed a small mountain.

Back then, they had even joked that they had smashed the age of muskets back with their chains. And indeed, White Crow gained nearly ten years of peace.

Even when the White Calamity later swept across the Northern Territory, these Temple priests had not lost that spirit. The White Calamity had been a natural disaster to begin with; it was only normal that they could not withstand it. Besides, the Patriarch had possessed a method of perishing together with it.

After awakening in Castel, the Buriers had come to visit out of curiosity as well. Castel's creations were certainly impressive, but they Transcendents were no slouches either. If they fought a fair battle on the battlefield, the outcome would still be uncertain.

As for Nora's claim that this was the correct path, although many had wavered, they were still priests of the Temple—the pillars of faith, tempered by countless trials. Nora? Just a child.

But at this moment, as they watched the airships that blanketed the sky, these priests were truly lost.

They were immortal and unafraid of sacrifice. So long as the battle was fought openly