The Crown

"Wei En, it looks like you haven't learned much about Dawn's deeds?" Kali looked at him suspiciously. "Then how did you set foot on the path of faith in Dawn?"

"Well, setting foot on the path of faith..."

Wei En had no time to keep searching for the Forbidden Object. His mind raced, and in desperation, inspiration struck. "It was... it was that day. That night."

"That night? When... Ah, you mean that day?"

Kali's face turned bright red in an instant, like a red apple. Even her fair neck was dyed pink.

"Yes, the Saint-Favored blessing that night. That Saint-Favored one's fair, tender... Ahem, I mean, sacred figure has been imprinted in my mind ever since."

The more Wei En spoke, the smoother it became, as if he truly had been converted by the Saint-Favored ritual. He looked devoutly at the sculpture of Dawn. "Praise Dawn, for letting me witness that scene."

"Is... is that so?"

"That's right. If only I could meet her. I'd thank her in person for her guidance..."

Kali tilted her head, not daring to look at him, and stammered, "Act-actually, I..."

"Sister Kali, why is your face red?"

Seeing her expression, Wei En asked in confusion.

"N-no," Kali shook her head and said, "I-I'm fine, I just..."

"Could it be that you also want to meet that Saint-Favored?"

Wei En rubbed his chin, thinking back to the figure from that night... Her hair had been long and silver-white, her eyes closed, her appearance rather mature.

By comparison, her figure was about the same as Kali's, while her age looked about the same as Lacy's.

"Y-yes, yes."

Kali hurriedly nodded, covering her chest as she said, "I also hope to become a Saint-Favored. That way, I can be a little closer to Dawn..."

"I see." Wei En smiled and said, "I believe Sister Kali definitely can."

"Mm."

Seeing that he did not keep asking, Kali could not help letting out a breath of relief. She touched her still-warm cheeks. "Let's go out. Didn't you say you still have to go to work in a bit?"

How was she supposed to say it?

That appearance had been far too revealing...

"Okay."

Wei En had just turned around when he saw a slender figure appear at the entrance of the chapel.

On his head was a silver-white hat embroidered with golden patterns. The hat was triangular, its pointed part facing forward and covering his face, with two feathers inserted into the brim.

He wore a mask over his face, hiding the entire upper half and revealing only a sharply defined chin.

He wore a golden robe, unlike the loose robes of the guards in the main hall. It fitted his figure closely, making him appear extremely magnificent.

A black cloak draped over his back, with fur at the shoulders.

Underneath was a short black garment, somewhat similar to the Secret Investigation Bureau's uniform, that double-breasted style.

When Kali saw him appear, her expression turned unnatural. "Melbel, why are you here?"

"Your Eminence."

The mysterious and handsome man knelt on one knee, bringing his fingers together and placing them at his brow in salute. "Bishop Andrews invites you to the City-State Council Hall."

Wei En looked at Kali in surprise. "Your Eminence, bishop, council hall... Sister Kali?"

With those words put together, if he still failed to notice something was wrong, then he really would be a bit stupid.

Could it be that the Saint-Favored from that night... was her?

"It-it's just as you think." Kali's face flushed crimson again. "Actually, I-I-I was the Saint-Favored from that night."

She had only just lied, and now someone had exposed her. Right now, she wished she could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it...

She hoped Dawn could forgive her, pardon her.

Wei En opened his mouth. "But her hair was..."

What he had seen that night clearly had not been Kali. That hair color, that appearance, that figure, those so white and big...

"I-I'm not sure either, I..."

"Your Eminence, leave this to me. Please proceed to the council hall at once." The person at the doorway still remained kneeling on one knee as he interrupted.

Kali looked at him, then at Wei En, whose face was full of astonishment. Biting her lip, she said, "I'll explain it to you after I get back, okay?"

Wei En took a deep breath. "...Okay."

The facts were right before his eyes. He had no choice but to believe it.

But what he thought about went even further—

If that was really the case, then any transcendent he met in the future might possibly have another appearance.

Didn't that mean everything he saw and heard would have to be carefully distinguished, treated with caution, because none of it might necessarily be real?

"Then... then I'll leave first. Don't be late for work."

After she finished speaking, Kali ran out the door, her face so red it looked ready to drip.

How embarrassing. This was so embarrassing.

Although many people had seen it at the time, fewer than ten people in all of Kaster City-State knew her true identity.

Most of them were elders of the Church of Dawn. Only he...

Only after Kali left did Melbel, who had been at the doorway, rise to his feet and ask calmly, "A new believer?"

Wei En nodded instinctively. "I should leave too. I heard Sister Kali—Your Eminence—say that only devout believers can enter this place, and I'm not one yet."

He still had not quite adjusted to Kali going from a kind girl next door to a Saint-Favored.

Especially "Your Eminence." He had never addressed anyone like that before.

"It's all right. Beneath the radiance of Dawn, you will become a devout believer, and—a loyal guardian."

Melbel's gaze passed through the mask and fell on Wei En. A golden radiance flashed. "Bruno." (Sacred.)

"Me? A guardian? I don't—"

Wei En had just tried to muddle his way through when the scene before his eyes suddenly turned into a vast expanse of white. There was no longer anything else in his field of vision.

"Night shall pass, Dawn shall endure forever."

"May the radiance of the Lord of Dawn forever shine upon the people of this world; may all beauty in the world..."

"May you hold devout faith, be loyal to Dawn, and guard the Saint-Favored..."

"May you be brave, wise, and kind..."

A sacred and magnificent hymn rang beside his ears.

What is this?

But before he could think it through, his consciousness sank into slumber. Only one thought remained in his mind: Save...

Melbel calmly looked at Wei En, who stood there in a daze, and only after confirming that he had been eroded by the faith of Dawn did he turn and leave.

"The Saintess is sacred and inviolable."

She was not someone the filthy could touch—all filth had to be purified!

At that moment, in Dumitru District, in the Secret Investigation Bureau's Logistics and the First Investigation Department.

Marco stared at Tina, who had suddenly collapsed face-down on the floor, and shouted with wide eyes, "Lacy, Lacy!"

"You're so loud... Tina?!"

Lacy flashed over and checked on the white-haired girl. "Unconscious. When did she become like this?"

"Just now. She suddenly stood up just now," Marco said anxiously. "I saw her open her mouth and thought she was about to say something, then she fell to the floor."

"Not good. Something must have happened on Wei En's side!"

Lacy's expression turned grave. She picked Tina up in one motion and rushed out of the office.

Marco followed close behind. "Then what do we do now?"

"We find Yegor."

P.S. There'll be another chapter before twelve. Thank you all for your support.