Sandel arched his already graying eyebrows, a trace of surprise flickering across his face, mottled with age spots and weighed down by heavy bags under his eyes.
He didn’t refuse; instead, he took off his monocle, attaching its lens to the frame Lulumia had given him.
Although there was a size mismatch between the lens and the frame, making the finished product look rather roughly made, Sandel didn’t seem to mind at all. On the contrary, he looked up at Lulumia.
“How do I use this?”
“Just wear it like this.”
As she spoke, Lulumia personally helped Sandel put on the glasses.
Having grown used to a monocle, Sandel almost instinctively tried to squeeze his eye socket muscles to hold the lens in place. But his muscles found nothing to grip. He fumbled with his hand, attempting to catch the falling lens, but missed.
Only when he felt the weight resting on his nose and looked up in a daze to see Lulumia’s clear face did he finally realize the lenses were secured to his face by the frame and hadn’t fallen.
He seemed a little embarrassed, picked up the plan on the table and glanced over it, then turned to look out the window—a brilliant beam of sunlight streamed in, illuminating the bookshelf, even the motes of dust in the air clearly visible.
His joy was plain to see; the wrinkles on Sandel’s face nearly swallowed his eyes. He took off the glasses and praised them repeatedly.
“This is a wonderful thing! How did you think of it?”
“I noticed Grandpa struggled with his monocle before, so I mentioned it to Sister Yino. She really supported my idea, so we worked together to come up with the pair of glasses in your hand. This improved design requires lenses on both sides, and compared to a monocle, it’s much harder to drop after putting it on. It also does less harm to the eyes.”
Sandel paused, lifting his eyes to glance at Yino by the door, whose expression was rather unnatural, then at Lulumia beside him, who wore a sweet smile. Shrewd as he was, he instantly understood what was going on. His earlier happiness gradually faded; he stroked the smooth frame with his fingertip and, after a long moment of thought, put the glasses back on, interlaced his fingers, and said helplessly,
“Go ahead, what do you want from me?”
“Oh, it’s nothing—just a little token from Sister Yino and me…”
“Stop hiding it. I’ve seen this sort of thing too many times.”
Sandel spoke with clear annoyance. If it weren’t for their prior teacher-student relationship and the fact that Lulumia’s glasses came at just the right moment and weren’t even expensive, he’d have driven both Lulumia and Yino away long ago.
“You little fox, I haven’t even dealt with you for tricking me last time, and now here you are again.”
Lulumia awkwardly tucked her tail down and scratched her head. “Hehe… I just feel bad about it, Grandpa, sorry for tricking you last time.”
Sandel snorted through his nose, his eyes wide as he spread his hands. “Alright, enough of that. Just say what it is. I may not be able to help, though.”
“Well, it’s like this.”
Seeing Sandel cut straight to the chase, Lulumia dropped the pretense and told him all about the rumors concerning Yino in the capital.
She deliberately skipped over parts painting Yino as arrogant, instead focusing on those slandering her for embezzling during the crackdown on smugglers. She also slipped in her own perspective as a victim, explaining how Yino heroically slew the smugglers who nearly cost her her life, saving her from mortal danger and caring for her gently afterward.
Because she truly had experienced the escape, she recounted it vividly—even Yino, not far away, grew embarrassed and wished she could rush over and cover Lulumia’s mouth to make her stop.
“…So, someone must be maliciously slandering Sister Yino from the shadows.”
“Hmm…”
Lulumia’s account made Sandel frown deeply. As a Cardinal Bishop, he had indeed heard some grumbling about Yino within the Church, but it mostly focused on her rebelliousness. This “Rumor of Yino’s Corruption” was the first time he’d heard of it.
The cardinal’s duty was to supervise the clergy’s conduct and ensure they didn’t abuse their positions. Now that corruption was involved, it fell squarely within his purview—Lulumia only mentioned the small matter of Yino being slandered, but at its core, it concerned the Church’s public image.
Clergy were supposed to guide lost sheep. If outsiders believed the guides themselves were corrupt, how could they trust the Church?
Not to mention, the person implicated was the Holy Son. If word of this spread to the distant Chao Yin Cathedral outside the Holy Kingdom of Ounheim, the Geffen Diocese would be the first to be held accountable, followed immediately by Sandel himself as head of the capital’s diocese.
Even without Lulumia’s preamble, Sandel wouldn’t have ignored it if it reached his ears. He’d strictly ordered the matter of the paladins’ corruption during the suppression campaign to remain secret—it shouldn’t have been known to outsiders.
Sandel’s expression grew grave, the wrinkles on his forehead crowding together.
“Is what you say true?”
“It’s absolutely true. Even nuns who used to be on good terms with Sister Yino don’t dare greet her now because of this.”
“Wait here.”
Sandel stood up and walked to a nearby bookshelf. After a moment, he pulled out a thick stack of documents—the case files on the paladins’ corruption. The Rumor of Yino’s Corruption had only spread last night, but the paladins and priests’ crimes during the anti-smuggling operation had been discovered on the very day Lulumia was handed over to Yino.
Sandel quickly flipped through the documents and soon found the official in charge of the case. He walked out the door. Through the window, Lulumia saw Sandel questioning every passing nun in the corridor. It was obvious they all knew the rumors about Yino—Sandel’s expression visibly worsened.
He soon returned. Not long after, a man clad in full silver armor entered the room, every movement radiating decisiveness. He removed his helmet, revealing a face with hard lines and eyes as sharp as blades. His thick black brows made Lulumia think, at first glance, that this was a man who couldn’t possibly be more righteous.
“Judicator Julius, at your service, Your Excellency.”
“Rise.” Sandel’s face was clouded. “Let me ask you: how’s the investigation into the paladins’ embezzlement?”
“It’s almost complete. Eleven paladins and seven priests have already been brought to justice. The rest who were connected to the case were mostly guards who facilitated or concealed things during the process. They have all been punished, stripped of their Church status, and expelled from the temple.”
“Then tell me, how did this morning’s rumor about Holy Son Yino colluding with the corrupt paladins start circulating in the Church?”
“There’s such a thing?”
“Go ask the nuns outside yourself!” Sandel angrily slammed the case file on the desk. The Judicator immediately dropped to one knee.
“It was my negligence!”
But Sandel’s questioning didn’t end there.
“And another thing—why didn’t I receive a complaint from Holy Son Yino? Look at what time it is now. Since when has the Church’s review process become so bloated that even the Holy Son’s requests can’t reach me? Or is there someone in the Church who looks down on the poor, thinking the Geffen Diocese is so impoverished it can be ignored? Where in the doctrine does it say we only care for the rich?”
Julius raised his eyes in shock and, seeing Sandel’s furious face, bowed his head under immense pressure. “I… I truly had no idea.”
“If even you don’t know, how could I possibly know? Your subordinates are doing a fine job deceiving their superiors, Julius. If I hadn’t happened to learn of this today, who knows how long it would’ve been delayed. I already ordered that the embezzlement case be kept under wraps. Why does everyone in the Church know about it now?”
“I…” The Judicator broke out in a cold sweat. Just as Sandel said, the case concerned the Church’s reputation, so it had been kept secret all along. Now that the secret was out, Julius—responsible for the review—could hardly escape blame.
Sandel flicked his sleeves.
“Get up. Investigate thoroughly—find out who leaked the secret. Round up every guard who was expelled from the Church. Don’t let a single one get away!”
“Yes!”
◎
“And another thing.” Sandel called after Julius. “There are rumors outside connecting Holy Son Yino to the case. What’s your verdict?”
“Absolutely impossible,” Julius answered without even glancing at Yino by the door, his voice full of conviction. “Holy Son Yino’s character is beyond reproach. It’s impossible for her to have been involved in corruption. Moreover, during the trial, none of the paladins or priests ever mentioned Holy Son Yino. I believe there is no connection between them.”
“Go.”
“Yes.”
Truly, a small matter that hints at a much bigger problem.
Lulumia clicked her tongue in amazement. Yino being slandered was a minor issue—the real reason Sandel was angry was the leak of secrets and the fact that even the Holy Son’s appeals couldn’t reach him promptly. It showed that either the Church’s processes had become bloated, or someone was actively obstructing them. Either way, it was something a leader like him could not tolerate.
Watching the Judicator leave, Sandel took a while to calm himself before sitting down. He exhaled a heavy breath and looked as gently as he could at Lulumia.
“This matter will have a resolution. Whoever is playing the rat in the shadows, I’ll get to the bottom of it. You don’t have to worry.”
“Grandpa Sandel, don’t be angry. Please have some water first.”
“Mm.” Sandel accepted the cup Lulumia offered and took a sip. He rubbed his brow, then looked at Yino and Lulumia in turn. “You two head back for now. I’ll notify you when there’s a result. Yino, too—next time, just come straight to me. There’s no high or low between Geffen and the capital diocese. You’re my student. I’ll see your name cleared.”
Yino was briefly stunned; Sandel had never spoken to her so gently before. Fortunately, Yino was not slow to react. Seeing the softened mood, she quickly bowed her head in salute.
“Thank you, Your Excellency.”
◎
“Go on, get back to your training. Don’t slack off.”
“I will heed your teachings.”
Seeing Lulumia at his side mimicking the bow, Sandel couldn’t help but laugh. “You too. Next time, cut out these twists and turns. Just say what’s on your mind.”
“Alright~ Then, then I’ll really say it directly, okay?”
“Still something else?” Sandel raised his eyebrows.
“A little bit,” Lulumia said softly, without raising her head. “Just now… just now I overheard Grandpa Sandel and the other elders arguing about the old cathedral. I was thinking… why not put the old cathedral to use as a Printing Press? That way, the church would still belong to the Church, but every year it wouldn’t just save on maintenance—it could also serve as a pilot site for the early days of the printing machine, helping to pave the way for printing sacred texts in the future…”
When Lulumia overheard a group of scholars arguing at the door, she’d already had this idea. Compared to setting up a newspaper office on the western outskirts near the slums with poor transportation, the old cathedral near the commercial district was clearly a more suitable location.
As for how the newspaper office would tie in with the Church—well, that depended on how Lulumia explained it.