Lightning cut through the dark night sky like a purple scar.
Accompanied by rumbling thunder and heavy rain, the entire capital suddenly became bright for a moment, and then returned to the dark and silent night.
Archbishop Yaconelga stands alone on the tall bell tower of Hagia Sophia.
Except for the dedicated bell ringers of the Guangming Church, few people come here on weekdays.
On the contrary, homing pigeons often stay here. A lot of pigeon droppings are left on the ground, on the bronze bells, and even on the exquisite angel statues.
Beasts never care about the majesty of gods.
Bishop Nerga smiled softly.
Whenever he felt restless, he would come to this empty clock tower.
In the beginning, when he was still an insignificant little priest, he regarded this place as his own confessional, often silently confiding his past to the dusty angel statues. The statues also listened silently and never interrupted.
, never refuted and seemed to acquiesce in everything he did.
However, as time went by, his original intention of coming here gradually changed.
He began to enjoy the feeling of being high up and overlooking all living beings.
After all, apart from the palace terrace and the Mage Tower, this is the highest place in the entire city. As long as you stand here, passers-by, streets, houses, ships... will become as small as ants.
"I don't know how Sauron handled the matter." Bishop Nerga thought secretly.
At this time, several days had passed since he sent Ariel from the Dark Temple to the Northern Tribunal.
Chief Judge Sauron of the Northern Tribunal was single-handedly promoted by Nerga. He was loyal to him and ruthless in dealing with prisoners, and had always won Nerga's trust.
Except for the tough-minded saint in the Dark Temple, no one has ever been able to keep a secret in front of Judge Sauron.
Nelga didn't think that fat Ariel could last long under torture.
Maybe... today is the time to reap the results.
Thinking of this, Bishop Nerga smiled even brighter.
"Da da da!"
At this moment, a burst of rapid footsteps suddenly sounded.
It was a young priest who was hurrying up the narrow spiral staircase to the bell tower of the church. His hair was soaked with sweat, his face was slightly red, and he was panting from running all the way.
"Your Majesty Bishop, Judge Sauron has something urgent to report."
I just said there would be good news today.
While thinking this, Bishop Nerga slightly adjusted the curvature of the corners of his mouth to make his smile amiable, highlighting the "holy and fraternal" temperament that the clergy of the Church of Light should have.
Then he turned back and said: "Did Sauron send a letter? Has there been any progress in his interrogation?"
"No, Lord Bishop," the young priest gasped, "Sauron...Sauron, the chief judge, has come in person."
"He's here?"
Archbishop Nerga was a little surprised.
In his impression, Sauron had not left the Northern Tribunal for several years, and he himself seemed to enjoy the gloomy and dark atmosphere there and the pleasure of torturing prisoners in different ways.
Why did he suddenly come to the capital today on a whim to report the matter to himself?
Is it possible that he really dug out some key information from Ariel?
However, in the next second, Archbishop Nerga's expression suddenly changed.
I only heard the young priest continue to say: "Yes, Your Majesty Bishop. Judge Sauron, he... He is waiting for you in the church hall now... He was seriously injured, half of his body was bloody, and his face was disfigured.
.I’m afraid now, only you can use the Holy Light Technique to revive him..."
"Let's go down," the smile on Bishop Nerga's face disappeared, "take me to see him."
…………
A few minutes later, Bishop Yaknelga came to the hall of Saint Sophia Church.
He saw a charred man with his back turned to him, huddled limply on the bench for people to kneel in front of the statue of the goddess. Although the blood he shed had begun to coagulate, the festering and suppurating wounds looked shocking and exuded a fishy smell.
Bishop Nerga frowned slightly and tried hard to resist the urge to cover his nose with his hand.
Then he turned around and told the priests present: "You all go out! Remember to close the door!"
"As you command, Your Majesty the Bishop." Everyone present responded.
Soon, only Bishop Nerga and the injured Judge Sauron were left in the vast church hall.
The sound of wind, rain, and thunder were all blocked out by the heavy door.
There were only two breathing sounds left inside the door, one was heavy and intermittent, the other was light and rapid, which made the hall even more silent.
Bishop Nerga brought a chair, sat in front of him, and looked at him condescendingly.
"What happened in the Northern Tribunal?" he asked, his voice calm and kind, revealing his concern, "What made you look like this?"
"Lord...Mr. Bishop," Sauron said weakly, as if he didn't dare to look up at Nerga's expression, "North...the Northern Trial Center...exploded..."
"Sit up straight, rest for a while, and speak seriously."
When he said this, Nelga still had a friendly smile on his face, but there was no sign of any intention to reach out to help him.
He just used the magic in an understatement and used holy light to temporarily relieve Sauron's pain.
Until this time, Sauron was finally able to punch the ground with his hands and raise his chest and head with difficulty.
"What happened?" Nelga asked again.
"My Lord Bishop," Sauron took a deep breath and reported, "The Northern Trial House was captured by the heretics of the Dark Temple. They used some unknown method to detonate the foundation of the Northern Trial House, and then
They kidnapped all the prisoners in the dungeon. I tried to stop them, but it seemed that because the evil god they believed in had come back to life, their fighting power was far better than before.
"I was stabbed by them with a weapon that contained the power of the God of Darkness. I didn't escape the fortress that was about to explode in time, so I ended up like this. If the teleportation array in the north was not still there, I might not be alive at all.
Come to see you."
"How did the heretics of the Dark Temple become so strong?" Nelga frowned and asked, "You didn't lie to me, did you?"
"I swear on my life and faith that I am telling the truth." Sauron pointed to the statue of the goddess of light and said.
As he spoke, a faint milky white halo appeared all over his body, which was a sign that the oath was in effect.
"Soran, I remember that when you went to serve in the Northern Tribunal, you once swore to me that you would defend the Goddess' Trial to the death and never let any young people take advantage of it. Why did you let me go today?
Did they succeed?"
Although Nerga had doubts in her heart, she still spoke calmly and seemed to have no intention of blaming him.
"They are worthy of being followers of the God of Trickery." Seeing Bishop Nerga's attitude, Sauron's nervousness gradually relaxed. "They are stronger, more cunning, and more forbearing than I thought.
"Master Bishop, you and I have been deceived by them! We have been trapped in their carefully planned tricks and played around by them!"
"Oh? How do you say this?"
"I never expected that the Saint of the Dark Temple is proficient in the art of disguise. As soon as she was imprisoned, she switched identities with Jailer Jim and escaped torture. In other words, the person we have been interrogating with all our methods over the years is not
Isabella, but Jim, is one of our own!"
"real?"
"real!"
"She can actually perform the disguise technique under the Holy Light Formation? Are you kidding me?"
"That's right."
"Then Sauron, this is your dereliction of duty." Bishop Nerga said calmly.
"This is indeed my sin," Sauron lowered his head and said, "I hope the bishop will give me a lenient punishment."
"Let's not talk about punishment in a hurry. Let's talk about other things first. Just a saint who can disguise herself is obviously not enough to blow up an entire northern trial court like you said."
"The Dark Temple's methods do not stop there. In addition to the Saint, the imprisonment of the former guardian knight 'Crazy Axe' Ariel is also part of their plan and was arranged by them in advance."
"Why do you say that?" Nelga raised her voice slightly to hide her inner nervousness.
"After they successfully escaped from the prison, I found traces of a mysterious power in the cell where Ariel was held. That power has no attributes, is not divine power, and is not magic.
"Your Majesty Bishop, if I guess correctly, the explosion of the Northern Tribunal is probably related to this power. And Ariel is the medium that carries this power. Just like cocklebur relies on animals to spread its seeds.
, when he was put in the cell, he brought this power in.
"I suspect... that the people from the Dark Temple made loopholes in the Holy Light Array, allowing them to take advantage of it."
"People from the Dark Temple? They actually did such a thing right under your nose?"
"This is just my guess. Maybe they were too hidden and I didn't notice it."
"Who is the mole? Do you know?"
"I...I haven't found it yet."
Upon hearing this, Bishop Nerga fell silent.
He clenched his fists tightly and pursed his lips into a straight line, as if he was engaged in a fierce psychological struggle.
"Does anyone else know about this clue yet?"
"No."
"Besides you, has anyone else discovered this mysterious power without attributes?"
"No. After all, this is just my guess and further investigation is needed."
"You swear?"
"I swear."
"That's good." Bishop Nerga's face turned gloomy.
Seeing his expression like this, Sauron, who had finally relaxed, began to become nervous again.
"Your Majesty Bishop, what's going on?" he asked cautiously.
Bishop Nerga rubbed his temples, and after a while, he said: "Can you swear to the goddess of light not to reveal this matter to anyone before I make a decision?"
"Of course. I swear it on my life and my honor."
"very good."
Upon hearing his answer, Nelga's heartbeat, which had suddenly paused, resumed beating.
If what Sauron said is true, then Nerga himself must bear the greatest responsibility for the explosion in the Northern Tribunal.
First of all, it was Nerga's order to imprison Ariel in the Northern Tribunal; moreover, before imprisoning Ariel, he actually did not follow the regulations of the Church of Light to completely seal off the prisoner's power, including that kind of power.
A mysterious power without attributes. Based on this alone, the Pope was enough to convict him.
But that's not the most important thing.
In fact, as early as a few months ago, when the lord of Kent, William Earl of York, donated 50,000 gold pounds to the Church of Light, someone proposed to Bishop Nelga that they hoped to use the money to strengthen the trial
The so-called "Holy Light Array".
The "Holy Light Array" of the Northern Tribunal is actually nearly a hundred years old. During these long years, it will naturally be worn out and leaked, requiring continuous reinforcement and maintenance.
Moreover, what the current "Holy Light Array" can suppress is mainly the divine power of the God of Darkness and magic.
For the power of other attributes, the effect will be much weaker, or even almost non-existent.
"My Lord Bishop, I think it is necessary to make up for the shortcomings of the Holy Light Array as soon as possible," the priest who proposed it said at the time. "Now the plane war in the Braden Kingdom is in full swing, and heretics also exist in other planes; and what they have
It’s not just divine power and magic power, but also blood power, spiritual power... and other powers. I really don’t want to see them successfully escape from prison through this loophole."
After hearing this, Bishop Nerga agreed repeatedly but disagreed in his heart.
After all, in his opinion, the power levels of other planes are far inferior to the plane where the Braden Kingdom is located, and those heretics are also not to be feared. It is not worth spending money to strengthen the "Holy Light Array" for them.
Therefore, relying on his authority as the Archbishop of Braden Diocese, Bishop Nerga made false accounts and claimed that he had spent the money wisely.
But in fact, he secretly used the 50,000 gold pounds to build a gorgeous triple crown and sent it to the Pope as a gift to please the Pope.
Although the position of archbishop is considered a high position in the Church of Light and is beyond the reach of many people, Nerga still wants to go one step further.
Moreover, if it were not for this gift, when the last time the Knights of the Guardian were wiped out, the Pope would probably not have given him a chance to change his ways and redeem his merits, but would have chosen to punish him directly.
Nerga always felt that his calculations were good.
But now
If Sauron tells this matter and tells everyone that the explosion in the Northern Tribunal was caused by an attributeless force, then the loopholes in the Holy Light Array will be discovered. Bishop Nerga originally misappropriated funds and forged
Accounting behavior will also be discovered.
In this way, he will bear the greatest responsibility for the fall of the Northern Tribunal.
By then, the punishment he will receive will not be as simple as dismissal from his post.
Thinking of this, Nelga shook his head and reached out to wipe the cold sweat from his neck.
Then he tried to calm himself down and said to Sauron calmly:
"Are you really the only one who knows?"
"Yes."
"Thank you for your hard work." Nerga said calmly.
At the same time, a faint milky white magical light glowed on his fingertips.
Sauron thought he was going to heal himself, so he tried to sit up straighter and put his disfigured face close to him.
However, that ray of milky white light that looked warm and genial suddenly turned into a sharp blade and gently cut his throat.
Sauron's eyes widened, obviously he couldn't believe that Archbishop Nerga, whom he had always respected, would do such a thing.
He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.
But because his trachea was cut off, he couldn't say anything and could only pass away full of questions.
"I'm sorry," Nelga said softly, "you are a loyal subordinate. I also hope that you can live and do more things for me.
"It's a pity that you are too close to my secret."
Having said this, Nerga withdrew his magic and allowed Sauron to collapse limply in front of the statue of the goddess, with blood flowing all over the floor.
Then, Nerga stood up from her seat and left without looking back.
At this time, the church door slowly opened.
A priest suddenly came forward and reported: "Your Majesty, the Pope's envoy is here!"
"Bring him to me!"
"yes!"
The messenger sent by the Pope was a handsome young man. He had fair skin, clean clothes, and exuded a noble and holy temperament.
Although his apparent identity was just an ordinary priest, when he stood in front of Bishop Nerga, he did not salute at all.
After all, at this moment, he is the spokesperson of the Pope and represents the authority of the Pope.
"Your Excellency, my name is Clark Andric," the papal envoy said calmly, "His Majesty the Pope hopes that you can give an explanation for the destruction of the Guardian Knights and the fall of the Northern Tribunal."
"explain?"
"Yes."
"Hahaha," Bishop Nerga suddenly burst out laughing after hearing this, "Mr. Young Messenger, did you know? There is actually a mole from the Dark Temple hidden in our Church of Light! If I hadn't discovered it today
There is something wrong with him, and sooner or later he will bring greater losses to our church!"
"The mole? Who?"
"Of course it's him, my once extremely trusted subordinate, the chief judge of the Northern Tribunal, Sauron Arlande!" Nerga laughed at himself while pointing to Sauron's body under the statue of the goddess, "If
When you were there, you should remember that he once
Standing with me in front of the Pope, I swore devoutly to be loyal to the goddess forever and never betray. But I never expected that when he left me and went to the Northern Tribunal, he would disappear quietly.
He quietly became a member of the Dark Temple."
"Really?" Messenger Clark was doubtful of his words, "He is a person who has sworn an oath to the goddess of light. With the power of the goddess, if he breaks his oath, his soul will immediately disappear."
"I thought the same way at the beginning. I thought he would swear to be loyal to the goddess and the church." Bishop Nerga showed a lonely and helpless expression. "Perhaps because of this, I didn't discover him earlier.
problem."
"Do you have any evidence?" Clark, the papal envoy, asked.
"The Saint of the Dark Temple has been staying with him for two years, but he hasn't asked anything. Don't you think there's something wrong with him?"
"My Lord Bishop, this is just your suspicion. I need solid evidence on this matter."
"Okay," Bishop Nerga nodded, "then I'll play back the evidence for you."
After saying that, he gently raised his hand, and a milky white magical light suddenly flashed in the air, and then a clear picture appeared.
That was exactly what Sauron Arland looked like before he died.
Then, the papal envoy heard a set of conversations on the light screen and frowned more and more.
"The Saint of the Dark Temple is proficient in the art of disguise... She switched identities with Jailer Jim... and thus escaped torture."
"The Holy Light Array was... leaked."
"The imprisonment of 'Crazy Axe' Ariel... was arranged in advance..."
"You... have been playing tricks on them in their carefully planned tricks!"
"Are you really the only one who knows?"
"……Yes."
"..."
At this time, Nerga waved his hand, and the light curtain disappeared immediately.
"These are the things I just forced out of his mouth," Nerga said lightly, anger revealed in his words, "Look, besides the inner ghosts of the Dark Temple, who else might become this person?"
The only 'insider' to the conspiracy? Not only did he destroy the Holy Light Array, but he also replaced his identity with the jailer and the saint. Who else could do this except the insider?
"Oh, I actually trusted him so much and gave him the custody of the Northern Tribunal. I didn't expect... that he would repay me in this way.
“Perhaps he was the one who revealed the operational secrets of the Guardian Knights back then!
"Also... maybe the evil god that the cultist believes in has really come back to life. Otherwise, how could that bastard Sauron Arande break the Holy Light Array and break the oath made at the goddess statue? Those people from the Dark Temple
How can the heretics... blow up the indestructible Northern Tribunal?"
Archbishop Yaconelga was walking back and forth in the church hall as he spoke.
He looked anxious and frustrated, really looking like a boss who was furious because his subordinate betrayed him.
Then, he turned around and said annoyedly to Clark:
"I'm sorry, I just lost my composure. To be honest, I am also responsible for not finding out that he is the mole for so long. Because I care too much about our past relationships and don't want to doubt... and I can't believe it's him. This is me
I will never deny my fault. If His Majesty the Pope wants to punish me for this, I will be willing to do so!"
At this point, his knees weakened, his eyes filled with tears, and he knelt down in front of Clark, the papal envoy.
Clark was startled by his actions and quickly stepped aside.
"My Lord Bishop, what are you doing? Stand up quickly. His Majesty the Pope did not say that he wanted to punish you."
But Nerga was still kneeling on the ground, and her eyes began to turn red.
"But I can't help the goddess, and I can't help my own conscience..."
"Get up, Lord Bishop. This is not your fault. Even His Majesty the Pope, I am afraid that such a thing would never happen. After all, Solon Arande swore an oath in front of the Pope."
"But……"
"If you really want to make up for your mistakes, you might as well be a goddess and do something for His Majesty the Pope to make up for your mistakes." Clark patted his shoulder and helped him up from the ground, "You still
Remember the letter you sent to His Majesty the Pope?"
"About Morning Star?"
"That's right. This time I came to the Kingdom of Braden. In addition to investigating the fall of the Northern Tribunal, I also have to give you a new task for His Majesty the Pope."
"What task?" Nerga asked, "As long as it is within my ability, I will try my best and do whatever it takes."
I only heard the pope's envoy say calmly:
"Recruit the magician named Howard into the Church of Light. No matter what the cost."
…………
ps: Thank you to the leader Qian Houxue for the 20,000 reward! I owe two more chapters and will make up for it as soon as possible. In addition, I would like to thank Meng Yunkong Liuyue for the 500 reward, and book friend 20190603181844431 for the 100 reward!