"Filth Coven? A parasite?" On the delicate little balcony, Amanda furrowed her brows slightly as she listened to Ivy’s words, then slowly opened her mouth. "The Three Afterbirth faiths have been in a state of severe division ever since the Muddy Stream War. They've hardly collaborated on anything over the past few centuries… and now the Filth Coven is actively taking part in the Wolfblood Society’s plans? Even sending a White Ash along with a parasite?" Amanda’s tone carried a clear trace of surprise, and Ivy responded calmly after hearing her. "Yes. According to the reports, and judging from the reactions of Sister Vania and many members of the Hymn Cathedral, during the attack, they indeed encountered Beyonder abilities that bore marks of the Plague Path. The missing White Ash mentioned in the report may very well have been the supporter from the Filth Coven. Based on the manifestation of Plague Path abilities from the direwolf, it is very likely that he was devoured and turned into fodder for mutation." "Devoured… Hah, that certainly fits their style. If mutual devouring still happens among them, that may indicate that the integration of the Afterbirth Cult is not yet complete. Still… even the mere appearance of such an integration trend is already cause for alarm." Amanda spoke gravely. Upon hearing news of a possible unification among the Afterbirth faiths, a hint of concern surfaced on her expression. "The trend of unification among the Three Afterbirth faiths is something the entire Radiance Church must take seriously… but looking at the state of the Cardinal Council now… sigh..." Rubbing her temples, Amanda looked troubled, as if recalling something unpleasant. Ivy, seeing her, gently asked. "I’ve also heard murmurs that the divisions and conflicts within the Cardinal Council are becoming increasingly prominent… Your Excellency, is the situation over there truly that dire?" "You could say so. In recent sessions, the confrontations between the cardinals have become more overt. Arguments—something we hadn’t seen for fifty or sixty years—are happening more and more frequently. Conflicts that used to be confined to the shadows are now out in the open, with increasingly direct means. "This struggle over the formal appointment of the Archbishop of the Pritt Diocese is a perfect example. If the usual procedures for replacing the Archbishop of Pritt had been followed quickly, there’s no way such a vicious attack incident would have happened." Amanda’s tone was tinged with helplessness. Clearly, the power struggles at the upper levels of the Church had disrupted the normal functioning of this massive, bloated supranational institution. Some of its original effectiveness had atrophied, giving numerous cults lurking in the shadows a chance to exploit the situation. Hearing Amanda’s words, Ivy's expression grew increasingly grim. After some silent thought, she slowly spoke again. "Your Excellency, has the Holy See… still not returned? Hasn’t His Holiness usually never taken this long to ascend and return?" Amanda paused for a moment, then exhaled slowly and answered. "As of now, there’s no sign of the Holy See returning… In previous ascensions, His Holiness would typically return within a little over a month, never exceeding a month and a half. But this time, the ascension has lasted several months already..." "Several months? Have any of the cardinals tried to reach out to the Holy See? Letting the Cardinal Council continue like this isn't a viable solution..." Ivy asked with growing urgency, to which Amanda replied in a somber tone. "After His Holiness remained overdue for an extended period, we did reach out through emergency channels. We received a response, but it was brief—simply instructing us to continue our respective duties, deliberate and decide, stand guard, and await patiently. Nothing was mentioned regarding the numerous unresolved matters requiring his judgment. The reply was extremely terse." Amanda continued, and as she spoke, Ivy’s expression became even more solemn. "A reply like that from His Holiness… it feels unusual. Didn’t the cardinals want to verify His Holiness’s condition?" "Haa... Though no one raised it openly during the meetings, covert discussions regarding His Holiness's current state have already occurred several times. But unfortunately, to verify His Holiness’s condition, we would need to ascend. And no cardinal in the history of the Holy Church has ever had that authority." Amanda spoke with resignation, her gaze silently drifting toward the distant darkness. "From ancient times to now, only the Holy See has had the right to ascend and face the Lord. Even a cardinal attempting to ascend is considered a blasphemous transgression of the highest order, unforgivable by any means. That has never changed—past or present. Even if there are concerns regarding His Holiness’s current situation, none of us cardinals are willing to commit such a sacrilege. In this matter, we have neither the right nor the means." Amanda’s words were slow and heavy. Ivy, listening, could only respond with a face full of worry. "With the Three Afterbirth faiths showing signs of integration, and the Cardinal Council on the verge of fracturing… For the first time in a century, I truly feel… uneasy." "Indeed… And for all this to be happening right now of all times… Who knows what factor has driven the three sects to reunite again?" Amanda pressed her fingers to her forehead and frowned, then seemed to recall something. "Right, you mentioned earlier that this cooperation between the Filth Coven and the Wolfblood Society was all for obtaining a mystical text? Where is that text now, and what’s its content?" "The mystical text has already been transported to Holy Mount and is currently being analyzed by the Historical Scripture Department. I don’t know the details, only that it’s written in encrypted Imperial language. It requires both translation and codebreaking, which will take some time to progress. Additionally, the Hymn Cathedral has begun tracing the origins of the text—trying to determine how it was acquired and archived in the Cathedral’s forbidden archive. "Another important point—according to the report from the Tivian investigative team, the mystical text was discovered inside the stomach fragments of the Dread Devourer Direwolf’s corpse, entwined by a living parasite. It was only after the cleanup crew killed the parasite that the text was retrieved. "In the confession from the captured werewolf earlier, it was also stated that the elder had a parasite on his body—most likely the same one. That parasite seemingly didn’t aid the wolf elder in battle but was instead wrapped around the spoils in the stomach. Some speculate that this was a method for the Filth Coven to preemptively obtain the contents of the spoils—meaning the Afterbirth faiths may have already partially acquired the mystical text’s contents." Ivy continued her respectful report to Amanda. Hearing her words, Amanda responded thoughtfully. “So… even though they sacrificed a Crimson there, their main objective was still partially achieved? I really wonder what kind of content that mystical text contains, to be worth such cooperation from the Afterbirth faiths—even going so far as to give up a Crimson just to get it...” Amanda murmured to herself. Though she was deeply curious about the contents of the mystical text, she could only wait until its decryption was completed to learn the truth. The fact that the Filth Coven may have already obtained most of its contents only deepened her concern. And amid that concern, a resolution quietly formed in Amanda’s mind. “Judging from the current situation… perhaps some matters should be brought forward.” “Brought forward? Your Excellency, are you referring to…” Ivy asked in confusion. Amanda continued calmly. “I’m referring to the promotion of Vania Chafferon.” “Sister Vania’s promotion… Your Excellency… But Sister Vania was only appointed as a Holy Relic Bearer a few months ago. Even if her merits and fame are more than sufficient for a Crimson-rank promotion, her seniority is still too shallow. She’s only sixteen years old—far too young. Under normal circumstances, it takes at least seven or eight years of service to even qualify. Even if she were to be promoted at twenty-five, she’d still be the youngest Crimson in centuries. And even that might already stir dissatisfaction among other second-tier clergy or even the cardinals. If you push her promotion now, wouldn’t that…” Ivy frowned as she spoke, clearly worried about Amanda’s plan to promote Vania. Amanda, however, simply raised her hand and gently interrupted her. “I had initially intended to let her accumulate ten more years of service before arranging her promotion. But now, the situation has changed rapidly. The Holy See has yet to return. The internal fracture within the Radiance Church shows no signs of halting anytime soon. In the future, heretical cults will only grow more active—especially with the Afterbirth faiths already showing signs of planning something dangerous. “In this environment, the Church must strengthen itself. We must prepare for more incidents like the Hymn Cathedral attack. Having one more Crimson who can be flexibly deployed is one more asset. Sister Vania is highly renowned—promoting her out of sequence would also serve as a deterrent to those cults and heresies… “Isn’t there a widespread rumor within mysticism circles that Vania Chafferon is the Blessed of the Holy Mother, a secret weapon of the Church? That she uses missionary work and holy relic pilgrimages as a cover to secretly carry out missions—purging heretical forces across regions? Otherwise, how could she encounter such a string of major mystical incidents and even bring down several Crimsons?” Amanda’s tone grew serious. As she spoke of the rumors surrounding Vania, a slight smile curved her lips. “The talk of Sister Vania being a specially cultivated elite of the Radiance Church has indeed spread across both formal and informal mystical gatherings—especially after the Moncarlo incident, where the upper echelon of the Blackdream Hunting Pack suffered losses, and Edward openly fawned over her. If you were to promote her soon, it might actually deepen those misunderstandings… and serve as a form of intimidation.” Ivy pondered aloud, then continued. “However, promoting Sister Vania out of sequence would be viewed by other cardinals as your attempt to boost your faction’s influence regardless of protocol. Would they agree to it? If you act alone, you may be isolated…” “Hmph… I’m not the only one using the Holy See’s absence to expand my faction’s power. The others have already started—it's just that none of them have someone as qualified and meritorious as Vania at hand. If they did, they’d be pushing too. “This whole disaster at the Hymn Cathedral? If we trace responsibility, we could pin it directly on Kramar and Hilbert. If not for their power struggle over the Archbishop appointment in Pritt, this wouldn't have happened. I can use that leverage to force their concession—make them accept Vania’s exceptional promotion. After all, whichever way you look at it, she was one of the key contributors in this incident, wasn’t she?” With a cold snort, Amanda stated her plan bluntly. Ivy realized that Amanda, too, was taking advantage of the Holy See’s absence to consolidate her influence. While she genuinely cared about the Church’s greater good, that didn’t stop her from seizing the opportunity to strengthen her position. After all, the Cardinal Council had completely changed—it had become an arena for power struggles. If Amanda clung to principles now, she would only be watching the other factions grow unchecked, slowly devouring her own base of power until she lost her voice in the Council. By then, it would be nearly impossible to rein them in. “So this is Your Excellency’s intent? I understand. If even you are now forced to resort to such methods, then the future of the Radiance Church… and the world beyond… will surely be far from peaceful.” Ivy said quietly. Amanda sighed in the end and responded. “Yes… Now all we can do is pray that the Lord blesses us, that the Holy See returns soon… to mete harsh punishment upon us, the faithless whose hearts are clouded by greed…” “Heh… That a living saint, standing above millions of faithful, has fallen to the mundane, drunk on power, and so far from purity and devotion… what irony…” As she murmured, Amanda looked toward the distant night sky, her eyes filled with profound sorrow. … Pritt, eastern coast of the main island, Tivian. In the daylight, at a street corner near the North Tivian cathedral district, the flow of people and vehicles was as usual. Countless pedestrians walked along the edge of the street. Everything seemed peaceful—just like any other day—if one ignored the hushed whispers exchanged between some passersby and the curious glances directed at the tightly sealed cathedral gates in the distance. Inside a nearby café, Dorothy and Nephthys were seated opposite each other in a private booth. A steaming cup of coffee sat on the table between them. Nephthys gazed outside, her eyes fixed through the glass at the guarded cathedral gate in the distance. Before Dorothy sat a simple notebook and a fountain pen. She sipped her coffee slowly. “The gate… still hasn’t opened even now. And the guards are strict. No idea when they’ll reopen. The smaller churches in the northern city can’t keep up with all the visitors anymore.” Watching the scene outside, Nephthys asked with curiosity. Dorothy replied leisurely between sips. “Plenty of places in there were badly damaged. Until repairs are done, there’s no chance it’ll open. Unless they bring in some of those black-hearted craftsmen, it’ll be at least a few months.” “That bad, huh? Oh… if ordinary folks could see what it looks like in there now, I bet the rumors about that terrifying roar would spread even faster.” Nephthys sighed. Hearing this, Dorothy’s eyes sparkled with interest as she turned her cup slightly. “A terrifying roar? Sounds intriguing… So what exactly are people saying these days?” As she spoke, Dorothy picked up her pen and brought it to her notebook. Nephthys turned toward her, matching her enthusiasm. “There are all kinds of stories now. I’ve already compiled several versions. One of the more popular ones is that the Hymn Cathedral isn’t just a regular church—it’s actually a seal. And beneath it, deep underground, there’s an evil monster that was sealed centuries ago by a living saint…” “Oooh…” Nephthys began narrating the newly popular urban legend in vivid detail. As she spoke, Dorothy nodded along, her pen scratching rapidly across the page. With just two or three strokes, she’d already sketched out a ferocious wolf’s head.