A Special Service

"Special service?" Diana paused mid-chew, confusion filling her bright blue eyes.

Behind her, Ivan, who had remained invisible the whole time, heard this and quickly swallowed his longing spit, focusing intently on the conversation.

"What is that, Father?"

Diana tilted her head and looked at her father. "Aren't church services always held on Sundays? There are still several days until Sunday. Why are they suddenly holding one now?"

Mayor Logan gently wiped his mouth with his napkin. He seemed a little more serious than before, but didn't explain the reason, only saying vaguely:

"Well... it's a ritual that will benefit our family. The bishop of St. Peter's Cathedral will be presiding over it himself."

He looked at his still-dazed daughter and realized how serious he looked, so he quickly smiled.

"Don't sleep in tomorrow. We'll leave for the church promptly at seven in the morning."

"Ah... all right."

Diana drooped her shoulders a little reluctantly. She had originally planned to go somewhere else first thing tomorrow morning to look for ancient books about the Old Era, but since her father had said so, she could only agree.

Back in her room, she changed into her nightdress and carefully placed Myth of the Era on the inner side of the bookshelf.

She didn't give the special service a second thought. She was only thinking about getting up early tomorrow so she wouldn't keep her father waiting.

Just then, Ivan's voice suddenly rang out in her mind, carrying a hint of solemnity:

"Diana, the Church of Divine Grace does not tolerate my followers."

Diana jumped in fright and quickly turned to look around the empty room. Lowering her voice, she asked:

"Great Lord... are you still here? The Church of Divine Grace... could they be a threat to me?"

Ivan didn't actually know why the Church of Divine Grace had asked Diana to attend a special service right after she became a Punishment Knight.

"Could it be that the people of the Church of Divine Grace have some way to detect God Blood appearing outside their church?"

He could only prepare for the worst and tell Diana to be careful, in case the Church of Divine Grace discovered anything unusual.

"Don't worry. When you attend the service tomorrow, I'll leave a blessing on you to conceal your Beyonder aura."

Ivan paused, then added, "The bishop of the Church of Divine Grace is a Beyonder too. And your Order Aspect comes from the Church of Divine Grace. If they discover you, you may be in trouble."

"I knew it!" Diana's eyes lit up, her curiosity about the Church of Divine Grace suddenly reignited.

"I always thought there was something strange about them. Every time I went to the church, I felt like people were acting all secretive. So they really do have Beyonders!"

"That's right, and his ability is quite special." A hint of warning entered Ivan's voice.

"He can hypnotize people, draw them into dreams he creates, and alter their subconscious."

"What an amazing ability!" Diana had no sense of the danger at all. Instead, she was captivated by this Beyonder ability she'd never heard of, her eyes shining. "So, which ability is stronger, his or my Punishment Knight one?"

Ivan fell silent.

He suddenly felt that, compared with dealing with the threat posed by the bishop of the Church of Divine Grace, the real challenge would be getting this curious girl to understand the very idea of "danger."

Early the next morning, Diana and her father boarded a steam carriage and arrived at the entrance to St. Peter's Cathedral.

Ivan's figure remained inside the carriage. Diana was already surrounded by a thin film of energy formed from his tentacles, preventing the aura of her Order Aspect from leaking out.

He'd spent all night studying the matter and had discovered a way to use his own faith energy to form a barrier around a person, protecting them from being detected or affected by supernatural powers.

"Tsk, Little George wasn't so lucky back then. Before I could react, he'd already been taken to the church. I wonder if the Church of Divine Grace's methods could detect the presence of his Natural Aspect."

He silently switched to Diana's perspective.

"Mr. Gustav, the service is about to begin. The bishop has already reserved a place for you."

The church deacon stood outside the church, his face wearing a warm, spring-breeze smile as he welcomed the mayor of Trino.

Logan Gustav gave him a slight nod, put away his cane, and walked into the church.

"Miss Gustav, you're as lovely and lively as the morning sun." Seeing Diana, his smile widened, and the compliment slipped from his lips.

Diana wore an ivory dress with a lace collar, its neckline and cuffs embroidered with delicate silver patterns.

The hem fell below her knees and swayed gently as she walked. It was neither flashy nor out of place in the solemn setting of the church.

Over the dress, she wore a short, light-gray cardigan that kept her arms warm against the morning chill.

She wore white thigh-high socks and a pair of black leather shoes. They had rounded toes and heels barely an inch high, so she could walk quietly through the peaceful church.

Her long, pale-golden hair was tied back with a silver ribbon, leaving two wisps to fall beside her cheeks.

"Thank you, Deacon." She smiled politely at him, lightly lifted her skirt with her right hand, and leaned forward to give a lady's curtsy.

She followed her father into the main hall of St. Peter's Cathedral. It was empty, and the sound of their footsteps echoed through the space, unusually clear.

A figure in a white priest's robe stood at the altar, facing away from the entrance as he arranged something.

Hearing their footsteps, he immediately turned around and hurried down the altar steps.

He was slightly chubby, with a warm smile on his face. Before Mayor Logan could say a word, the man threw his arms around him in a hearty embrace, greeting him as if he were an old friend he hadn't seen in years:

"Oh, my dear Logan, what a shame you missed the Holy Blood Ritual last week. It was the most sacred ritual of the month!"

Logan patted Tarik's back, his face breaking into a somewhat helpless smile.

"Heh, my dear Bishop Tarik, you know how it is. The City Hall was so busy last week that they wouldn't even let me rest on Sunday!"

Following her father, Diana watched the two men's familiarity and obediently curtsied to Bishop Tarik.

Bishop Tarik smiled and nodded at her. "It's been a long time, Miss Diana. You seem to have grown taller, and you've become such a courteous young lady."

After saying this, he quickly turned and returned to the altar.

"Well, now that you're here, we can begin today's service." Bishop Tarik cleared his throat, his warm voice ringing out once more.

"Today's ceremony is mainly to make up for Logan's unfortunate absence from last week's Holy Blood Ritual.

Divine Grace is never stingy. As long as you have faith in your heart, a blessing can still descend even if it comes late."

Hearing this, Ivan in the carriage finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"So this is just a make-up for the Holy Blood Ritual. I thought the church had discovered somehow that Diana had gained an Order Aspect and had specifically summoned her here to confront her."

But just as he let his guard down, a question arose:

"If that's the case, why are only the father and daughter here? There must be other nobles who missed the ritual too. There's no reason to hold a special service just for them."

As Ivan wondered about this, he saw Bishop Tarik's gaze clearly settle on Diana, and the man continued:

"Secondly, I have a gift to give to Miss Diana."

Diana froze for a moment, then instinctively looked up at the altar, blinking her bright blue eyes.

She wasn't close to the bishop. Why would he suddenly give her a gift?

"Your father told me that you've loved exploring mysterious things since you were little, and that you're especially interested in ancient books and legends.

"I recently found something in the church's collection room. I thought you might like it, so I set it aside to give to you today."

As he spoke, he took a palm-sized wooden box from a cabinet behind the altar. It was dark brown, with intricate designs carved into its surface.

Logan sat on a pew, wearing a pleased expression. His eyes were full of encouragement, clearly showing that he'd known about the gift in advance.

Diana clenched her fists, a faint unease rising in her heart.

Ever since Ivan had warned her that the bishop was a Beyonder, she'd felt that this gift might not be so simple. After her strange experiences in the Spirit Realm, she'd grown more wary of unfamiliar things.

Bishop Tarik slowly descended the altar steps and handed the wooden box to Diana.

"Open it and have a look, my dear little Diana." Logan smiled and nodded beside her, his tone full of anticipation. He was clearly curious to see what the mysterious gift was too.

From Diana's perspective, Ivan stared at the wooden box. He could faintly sense Spirituality emanating from it, but detected no trace of danger.

Diana glanced at her father's expectant expression, then waited silently for a moment, but Ivan's guidance never came.

She took a deep breath and lightly touched the edge of the wooden box. Its cold surface helped steady her, and then she slowly lifted the lid:

The bottom of the box was lined with a layer of exquisite dark-red velvet.

In the center of the wooden box lay a bloodshot eyeball. Its horizontal pupil looked like a silent slit. It showed no sign of life, yet seemed as if it might turn at any moment.