In the late morning, warm sunlight streamed into the spacious room. The floor, laid with bright carpets, was flanked by suits of armor and weapons displayed neatly along the walls. A massive emblem of the Radiant Sun hung above a large desk. Seated behind it was a handsome man with short golden hair, garbed in red ceremonial robes. His expression was focused and grave as he read over a document in his hands. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a rapid knock on the door. The knocking was urgent. Hilbert, who was still reading the paper, paused and cast a glance toward the door before speaking calmly. "Come in." In response, the door swung open, and a tall man with a buzz cut—wearing a hybrid of priestly robes and armor—strode quickly into the room. His face was tense. He stood before Hilbert’s desk and, without waiting for permission to speak, blurted out urgently. "Your Excellency! Something major has happened in Addus! I just received word that Yadith was struck by a devastating thunderstorm—most of the high-ranking revolutionary leadership was wiped out! Nearly half the city was destroyed! Word is that the revolutionaries desecrated some ancient Addusian deity and incurred divine punishment! "The leadership is gone—the entire Addus revolution is about to fall into chaos!" Standing before Hilbert, the man named Blake spoke with a raised voice. But Hilbert’s expression remained unchanged. He gazed at Blake calmly, his silence making the man fidget under his stare. At last, Hilbert responded slowly. "First, it’s true that Yadith was struck by a thunderstorm, and yes, the Addus Revolutionary Army suffered significant losses—but it was far from being wiped out. The lightning mainly struck the eastern cathedral and the palace within the city. Although the destruction was severe, it didn’t extend beyond those two locations. No one outside the revolutionary forces was harmed. Moreover… this wasn’t divine punishment from a god personally—this was a ‘purification’ carried out by a cabal claiming to act on behalf of a deity." Hilbert corrected Blake in a composed tone. Blake blinked, stunned by how clearly Hilbert understood the situation in faraway Yadith. He asked reflexively. "Uh… Your Excellency, have you already received detailed information from there?" Without directly answering, Hilbert set the document in his hands down on the desk and replied. "Yesterday morning, the secretariat received a high-priority encrypted report from the envoy delegation in Yadith, detailing the unexpected developments. Later that night, we received a comprehensive follow-up report. The envoy representative—Sister Vania—personally composed an account of the entire incident now known as the Yadith Uprising and described the current state of the city. The matter was discussed in this morning’s cardinal council meeting." Speaking with practiced calm, Hilbert explained. Blake’s face twitched with embarrassment as he scratched his head and said, "Ah… I see. My apologies, Your Excellency. I rushed in after hearing the rumors without verifying the facts. Please forgive my carelessness… "I thought, given the severity of the disaster, that the envoy group would’ve perished. I didn’t expect them to survive, so I assumed the Cardinal Council was still in the dark." Hilbert, however, showed no sign of reproach. Instead, he continued. "Those outside rumors have passed through too many hands—errors are inevitable. The envoy group did suffer losses but was not destroyed. More importantly, according to the young nun’s report, the thunderstorm didn’t indiscriminately kill all revolutionary leaders—it specifically struck the Salvationist heretics. The rest—those not associated with the heretics—largely survived." "What… only the heretics were struck?" Blake’s face reflected visible surprise. He hadn’t expected the lightning to discriminate between targets. "Yes," Hilbert confirmed. "Only Muhtar, the Salvationist heretic leader, and his close guards were killed. Meanwhile, the secularist Shadi survived completely intact. The report explains that the heretics had occupied an ancient temple of the northern god—Heaven’s Arbiter—and defiled it, which provoked targeted retribution. It happened during the third round of negotiations with the envoy group. A woman from North Ufiga named Isis, claiming to be a Priestess of Heaven’s Arbiter, appeared in Yadith. Her appearance brought forth the storm, which wiped out nearly all Salvationist heretics in the city." Blake’s disbelief only grew deeper. He responded. "Muhtar… from previous intel, wasn’t he a Crimson-rank Commandment Presider? That’s the top leader of the heretics in Addus! And the lightning… it had enough power to kill a Crimson rank? That’s absurd! "Also… if the storm struck during the third round of negotiations, isn’t that just a little too convenient? According to the intel from our own operatives embedded in the envoy escort, the talks were definitely going to fail. That final session was the breaking point. And suddenly, right then, a cabal of an ancient god shows up and wipes out the heretics while sparing the secularists? That leaves the Addus Revolutionary Army completely in Shadi’s hands. Doesn’t that mean the negotiation outcome is now effectively…?" Blake trailed off, his expression troubled. He and others had been monitoring the envoy’s negotiations through covert channels and knew that the heretical faction had been the main obstacle. With their abrupt and mysterious annihilation, the situation had changed dramatically. As Blake’s unease deepened, Hilbert—perhaps noticing his concern—proceeded to shatter what little hope remained in his heart. “In the little nun’s report,” Hilbert began, “it was clearly stated that they had reached a secret agreement with the now-sole leader of the Addus Revolutionary Army, Shadi. Shadi pledged to the envoy group that he had drawn a clear line between himself and the Salvationist heretics. Once he finishes purging the remaining Salvationist forces in Addus and solidifies his power, he will publicly declare a nationwide ban on Salvationist doctrine, prohibit any Salvationist proselytizing in Addus, and announce that the new Addus government will fully support the religious authority of Holy Mount and uphold the orthodoxy of the Three Saints faction. He even proactively requested that we station troops on the Addus border and dispatch an archbishop to oversee matters nearby.” “Heh… who would’ve thought?” Hilbert gave a wry, almost self-deprecating chuckle. “That little diplomatic task we sent the nun on actually worked.” Blake stood frozen for a moment, stunned. Then he muttered. “It worked… it actually worked. Isn’t this all a bit too much of a coincidence? Your Excellency, doesn’t this whole thing seem way too convenient? This ‘Heaven’s Arbiter’ cabal—no one’s ever heard of it before—and yet they just happened to show up at this exact moment, wiped out all the heretical leaders in Yadith, and handed victory to that little nun? And the reason? Supposedly just for desecrating some temple? It’s ridiculous.” Blake spoke in disbelief. Sending Vania into Addus had been part of their open conspiracy—a calculated political maneuver. Their aim was to let the murky situation of Addus tarnish her reputation, hoping Amanda’s faction would suffer backlash from their own propaganda. But unexpectedly, not only was Vania not soiled by the chaos—somehow the chaos evaporated on its own. Now, people might even credit her with purifying it. Their plan had backfired spectacularly. Hilbert’s carefully laid scheme was now undermined by this mysterious thunderstorm, and Blake could already envision how Amanda’s faction would start exploiting it. Just last time, with the Tens of Thousands of Summer Tree affair, they managed to paint that little nun as a gospel evangelist. Now with the fate of twenty million Addusians on the line, wouldn’t they straight up declare her a saint? Thinking of what Amanda’s faction might do next, Blake grew increasingly frustrated. He stamped his foot and quickly continued. “Your Excellency, hear me out. Something is definitely wrong with this whole situation in Yadith… There are too many suspicious coincidences—especially surrounding that nun…” Blake’s tone was filled with doubt. Hilbert, however, didn’t seem perturbed. He casually brewed a cup of tea and replied mildly. “You’re implying…” “Your Excellency, just think about it. Isn’t her luck a little too absurd? That third round of negotiations was clearly doomed. And then bam, right at the moment of collapse, a ‘Heaven’s Arbiter’ cabal materializes out of thin air, lightning strikes, and the heretics are erased while she’s perfectly preserved? Too convenient. “She’s survived both Summer Tree and Addus. Summer Tree could still be chalked up to Abyssal interference, but this? No one’s heard of the Heaven’s Arbiter cabal. We don’t even know when this god existed. And yet now not only are people worshipping it, but it shows up to punish desecrators? Why not reveal themselves earlier? Why exactly now, at the third round of negotiations, to help that little nun? Highly suspicious…” He continued, his expression hardening. “This cult’s timing is too perfect, and they somehow had the power to kill a Crimson-rank Beyonder but never made a move until now? I’m convinced that nun is connected to them. She might even be a plant—someone that cabal embedded inside the Church to climb the ranks and seize power. By handing her this ‘victory,’ they’re letting her rise in influence and then—who knows? Maybe they’ll turn her against the Church. That’s why I believe she should be detained and thoroughly interrogated by the Tribunal.” 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖 Blake’s tone was resolute and harsh. Hilbert looked up from his tea, gave him a long glance, then asked quietly. “You want the Tribunal to take her. Do you have any evidence?” “…No,” Blake admitted, “but as you know, with heresy, the Tribunal doesn’t usually need evidence in advance. They just need enough suspicious points to act. Once someone is in custody, the evidence always follows. I used to work in the Tribunal—I know how this works. If you speak to His Excellency Kramar, I’m sure he’d cooperate…” Blake’s words were confident, even proud. But Hilbert, hearing there was no evidence, turned his gaze away. He sipped his tea and replied calmly. “Your suggestion was already brought up by Kramar at this morning’s Cardinal Council. However, Amanda successfully rebutted it. The current consensus is that without direct evidence, we should not initiate any investigation against the little nun.” “What… You mean none of the other cardinals are suspicious of this cabal’s conveniently timed emergence?” “Oh, there are suspicions. But they now have another, more plausible explanation.” “…A more plausible explanation?” “Yes. In fact, the envoy reports provide a far more detailed account of the incident. According to them, the first to break the peace at the final negotiation wasn’t this mysterious cabal—but Muhtar himself and the Salvationist faction in Yadith. “The reports say that tensions between the Salvationists and the secularists in the Revolutionary Army had been simmering for some time. During the negotiations, Shadi’s neutrality infuriated the heretics. In the second round, Muhtar even stormed out early. Then, at the third round, Muhtar brought troops to surround the palace, intending to forcibly oust our envoys and coerce Shadi into handing over power…” Hilbert relayed the detailed intelligence from Addus. Blake’s eyes widened in shock. “You mean… those heretics were planning a coup during the third round of talks?” "Yes, so there’s no such thing as the third negotiation ’falling apart’—it was never a proper negotiation to begin with. It was a confrontation from the start." "According to the report, on the day of the third negotiation, Muhtar led his forces in a purge against our envoy group. But Shadi seemed to have foreknowledge of the coup—his personal guards not only suddenly joined the battle midway to strike at the Salvationist forces, but they had also already encircled the palace once the heretics entered it, launching an attack against Muhtar’s troops. All of these units had been pre-deployed, as if he knew Muhtar’s plan ahead of time." "During the chaotic battle in the palace, the lightning summoned by the Heaven’s Arbiter cabal struck only the heretics—it didn’t harm our envoy group, nor did it harm Shadi’s men. And even though he was only a White Ash, Shadi didn’t flee from facing a Crimson-rank enemy. On the contrary, he launched a counterattack with his troops. That proves one thing—he must have secured powerful support in advance." Hilbert explained calmly. Blake blinked, then asked cautiously. "So… the Cardinal Council believes this Heaven’s Arbiter cabal is actually connected to Shadi? That he contacted them ahead of time after learning of Muhtar’s plan?" "Yes, that is indeed what most of the cardinals currently believe." "Shadi was a treasure-hunter in his early days. Based on intelligence we’ve gathered from the North Ufiga mysticism world, Shadi was quite a peculiar figure in that scene. He never received systematic training in First Dynasty lore, yet he had a remarkably thorough understanding of their cultural traditions. He navigated ancient ruins from that era with ease." "It’s said that even when he first started treasure hunting, he could read First Dynasty script and solve riddles inside ruins that even veteran hunters couldn’t. Thanks to some unknown, profound knowledge of the First Dynasty, he managed to thrive in North Ufiga’s mysticism underground. That was how he built up the resources to eventually start a revolution. In the battles against Baruch, he miraculously escaped capture by a Crimson rank multiple times." "Given this deep understanding of the First Dynasty and the fact that he repeatedly survived pursuit by a Crimson rank, many believe Shadi accidentally stumbled upon some kind of legacy from that era during his treasure hunting—and that legacy shaped the man he is now. And the Heaven’s Arbiter… was one of the principal deities of the fallen First Dynasty." "Perhaps through that legacy, Shadi discovered information about a still-lurking Heaven’s Arbiter cabal. He established contact with them, gained their support, and had them assist in purging the Salvationist heretics." "This is considered highly plausible by most cardinals. It was also one of the conclusions reached at this morning’s council meeting. Amanda strongly supported this theory, and many of the other cardinals believe her." Hilbert slowly explained the outcome of the morning’s Cardinal Council. Blake stood wide-eyed in disbelief.