The interrogation of Allen resumed as the interrogator re-entered the monitoring room. His face was ashen, and he was overwhelmed with shame.
“Your Eminence, I have disappointed you.”
Archbishop Lucien, seeing that the man still had remorse, admonished him sternly, “Your conduct today was far too arrogant. True heretics are not so easily dealt with. Do not apply your usual experience to more complex tasks.”
“I will heed your teachings, Your Eminence. I will reflect deeply and not repeat the same mistake!”
The archbishop’s gaze shifted to the interrogator in charge of questioning Marianne. “How is your progress?”
“Things are going relatively smoothly on my end. Marianne Durand quickly cracked under pressure and confessed that she had attempted to murder Allen de Laval.”
“Of course, she also confirmed that Allen de Laval underwent a drastic change in personality after drowning and regaining consciousness, and that he claimed to have received divine revelation.”
“That afternoon, he secretly sent a steward to the Inquisition Tribunal, declaring that heretics would attack the House of Laval and that he hoped for the Church’s protection. To that end, he even revealed the location of a heretic stronghold.”
The archbishop frowned slightly. “So you did not take this intelligence seriously at the time?”
The interrogator lowered his head in shame, full of self-reproach.
“We all thought it was just the delusion of an aristocratic young master… However, as a precaution, we dispatched a standard reconnaissance squad to the Slaughterhouse. Before reinforcements could arrive, they were ambushed by heretics… All members died in the line of duty.”
A heavy atmosphere of mourning filled the monitoring room.
“Learn from this lesson. Those sacrifices could have been avoided.” Lucien closed his eyes for a moment. “Any other doubts?”
“There are no traces of a false emblem on her body, and she showed no reaction to the heretic test slogans. Preliminary assessment: she is unaware. But…” The interrogator pulled up several shocking images of injury records.
“She has long-standing old scars from violent abuse. The perpetrator was Allen de Laval. Her motive and actions in attempting to murder her master are both confirmed.”
“Strangely, she said that Allen de Laval knew of her failed murder attempt but chose to forgive her and even compensated her. Out of guilt, she stayed by Allen’s side to atone for her sins.”
“Crimes committed by nobles are nothing new.” The archbishop’s tone was flat, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s.
“Her sudden awakening is commendable, but the cessation of a crime does not absolve her from culpability. As for Allen de Laval’s ‘forgiveness’… it is far too abnormal. Either it is a miraculous conversion, or…”
Archbishop Lucien changed the subject abruptly. “Has Allen de Laval had contact with anyone else?”
“During his coma, he had no contact with anyone. We also investigated his previous social network. Theoretically, he could not have known about the heretics’ intelligence.”
“If he is not the problem, then his maid is the problem. Was his strong attitude a deliberate attempt to draw our fire and cover for this maid, who might have been transmitting intelligence to him?”
The old inquisitor’s instinct was as sharp as a blade.
Marianne’s background of suffering and her convenience as a servant close to a noble perfectly fit the conditions for a heretic to recruit a member.
The suspicion seemed to shift.
Yet the shadow over Archbishop Lucien’s heart showed no sign of dissipating.
If Allen were truly innocent, why would he favor his maid? And if Marianne were a heretic, what benefit would it be to her to reveal the organization’s intelligence to Allen?
Neither of them had any reason to willingly place themselves in danger, especially when there was deep enmity between them.
How could this be explained?
“I feel something is wrong…”
Realizing that the truth might be more complex than he imagined, the archbishop began pacing back and forth in the monitoring room.
Other doubts gradually surfaced.
Allen de Laval himself was the greatest anomaly.
Archbishop Lucien was a man of endless duties and had no time to keep up with the gossip of the royal capital’s nobles.
But even he had heard of the notorious misdeeds of that scoundrel, Allen de Laval.
Lucien pondered for a moment, then asked, “You all know Allen de Laval, right?” Everyone present nodded.
“He is merely the son of a viscount, and his deeds are those of an ordinary spoiled brat. Yet his ‘infamy’ is spread throughout the royal capital with a breadth and detail far exceeding his status and actions. It is as if… someone is deliberately publicizing it.”
Indeed, this was clearly abnormal!
A deeper chill quietly crawled down everyone’s spine.
An invisible hand? Deliberate defamation? This pool of water was deeper and murkier than they had imagined.
“Additionally… I’ve heard that Allen de Laval has a fiancée? What is the current situation of the House of Laval? And what is the background of his fiancée?”
The Grand Inquisitor of the Inquisition Tribunal, who was responsible for background investigations, immediately replied:
“Yes, he has a fiancée. Moreover, his fiancée came to the Tribunal two days ago, trying to visit him, but we refused.”
The Grand Inquisitor had already memorized the investigation results. He explained in detail to Archbishop Lucien:
“The ancestors of the House of Laval were adventurers. They earned their first fortune by selling bizarre treasures acquired from traveling the world to nobles.”
Subsequently, their family engaged in trade generation after generation. By the time of his father, Bernard de Laval, they had become renowned construction contractors in the royal capital.”
“Bernard leveraged his network and accumulated wealth to become a Noble of the Robe.”
“The House of Laval was once immensely wealthy, but now it is on the verge of bankruptcy. Rumors say this is related to Crown Prince Charles Durand.”
“According to the ancient holy covenant, we cannot interfere in the kingdom’s internal affairs. Therefore, the truth behind their bankruptcy remains unknown to us.”
“Allen de Laval’s fiancée is named Livia von Stern. She is the illegitimate daughter of Friedrich von Stern, the Border Count.”
Archbishop Lucien frowned.
“Friedrich von Stern… a typical imperial name. Is the Border Count an imperial?”
The Grand Inquisitor nodded. “Correct. The Border Count’s territory lies in the Veronia Corridor—a buffer zone historically contested between the Empire and the Kingdom.”
“The royal family successfully won him over, using his territory as the first line of defense against imperial invasion. To that end, the royal family retained the imperial title and enfeoffed him as Border Count, a position of considerable prominence.”
“However, although the Border Count speaks Lorraine and his cultural customs are no different from the people of Lorraine, the Stern family are ultimately outsiders. The nobles living in the royal capital despise them.”
“The Border Count’s family has only recently arrived in the royal capital and is isolated and weak. To find an ally in the capital that has been cultivating for a long time but poses no threat and can be discarded at any time, they sought out the House of Laval.”
Archbishop Lucien mused, “Since Livia von Stern is an illegitimate daughter, why was she arranged for this marriage? To nobles, that should be an insult, right?”
“The Border Count obtained a royal charter legalizing Livia’s inheritance rights,” the Grand Inquisitor said, speaking faster.
“The Stern family’s emblem is the ‘star emblem,’ a powerful and rare emblem. The bloodline of the Stern family’s emblem has become very dilute, barely able to manifest any emblem power. But Livia is different; her star emblem may be even more powerful than her ancestors’.”
“The royal family’s winning over of the Border Count may not be about his strategic position but rather about securing Livia’s service. “
“Years ago, a professor of emblematics from the Saint Nora Emblem Academy, during an academic survey of the border territory, accidentally discovered Livia living in seclusion with her mother in the countryside.”
“It is said that at the age of seven, she had fully adapted to the power of her emblem—a genius so rare that it is exceptional even in the thousand-year history of the kingdom. That professor immediately wrote an urgent letter to the king, informing the royal family of his astonishing discovery.”
“Of course, a legalized illegitimate child is still an object of disdain in noble circles. The Border Countess—the lawful wife’s family is a prestigious ducal house in the Empire—personally facilitated this marriage, which clearly has an air of expulsion, likely to protect the inheritance rights of her own children.”
“The star emblem… a genius unseen in a millennium… an imperial background…”
Archbishop Lucien drummed his fingers on the table, producing dull thuds that struck everyone’s taut nerves.
“Our imperial ‘colleagues’ have been silent for too long. When was the last time we sat together and discussed the future of humanity?”
“Your Excellency, the last Grand Council was held two hundred and forty-one years ago.”
“So many ‘coincidences’ converging around the House of Laval—are they still coincidences?”
The archbishop’s gray-blue eyes swept over the monitor screen, where Allen was perusing a copy of the Holy Scripture with relish, and the image from the adjacent interrogation room showing Marianne with her head bowed, before finally fixing on empty space.
Before leaving, the interrogator had asked Allen if he wanted anything. Allen had requested a copy of the Holy Scripture.
“The Lord has given me revelation, but I know little of the Lord. Please give me a copy of the Holy Scripture. I wish to get to know the Lord again. Reading the classics is always a good thing, for me and for you.”
When making his request, Allen had not forgotten to mock the interrogators’ lack of faith.
That remark had nearly infuriated the interrogator, but in the end, he gave Allen a copy of the Holy Scripture.
Whether he was a heretic or not would be evident from how Allen read the Holy Scripture.
So far, Allen genuinely seemed interested in the Holy Scripture. He even proactively asked the guards some complex religious questions.
Allen de Laval had no prior connection to the Church, but he was trying to establish ties. What was his purpose?
From the subtle clues behind the attack on the House of Laval, Archbishop Lucien vaguely sensed the shadow of an unspeakable existence.
All the clues and anomalies ultimately converged on this notorious scoundrel, Allen de Laval.
Who was he, really?
Was the Allen de Laval who woke from the coma after drowning truly the same person?
Archbishop Lucien knew the dark, heavy secrets of the Church, and that made him unable to ignore the doubts surrounding Allen.
Allen’s appearance, whether for the Church or for humanity, was an extremely dangerous omen.
Archbishop Lucien closed his eyes. He could almost hear the doomsday clock ticking.
Before the midnight bell that heralded humanity’s destruction struck, he had to do something!
Archbishop Lucien quickly issued orders:
“From now on, the Inquisition Tribunal’s work will undergo a major adjustment. Shift personnel and elevate the surveillance level on Allen de Laval, Livia von Stern, and Marianne Durand to the highest grade.”
“Also, release this master and maid.”
“Huh?”
Everyone was taken aback by the archbishop’s decisive pronouncement.
The attack on the House of Laval was riddled with doubts.
Allen de Laval, with the physique of a drunkard wasted by alcohol, had not only killed the assassins but also defeated the powerful, bloodthirsty false emblem knight.
To deal with such an enemy, the Inquisition Tribunal would have to dispatch a specialized combat squad to suppress him.
Allen bore no emblem, yet he had fought the false emblem knight one-on-one, only suffering bloodletting from the other’s emblem ability without receiving fatal injuries.
What did that mean?
In this era, the combat power of an emblem bearer was comparable to a modern main battle tank. Against ordinary medieval armies, it was a one-sided massacre!
The only opponent for an emblem bearer was another emblem bearer.
The Sword Nobility held such an exalted position solely because they controlled the most critical military force in this world!
Allen, without an emblem, had defeated a false emblem knight—comparable to a cavalryman battling a tank and succeeding in destroying the tank.
This event was so shocking that even the Inquisition Tribunal chose to suppress the news.
In their eyes, Allen was highly likely possessed by an evil entity. How else could his strength be explained?
He was a hundred times more dangerous than a heretic!
Yet Archbishop Lucien intended to release this master and maid—wasn’t that like letting a tiger return to the mountain?
“Your Excellency… what is the meaning of this?” the Grand Inquisitor asked on behalf of everyone.
“The waters in this matter are too deep. Deep enough to drown the kingdom, and even… all of humanity.” The archbishop’s voice lowered, heavy with the burden of a terrifying truth.
“I fear that all of us, including themselves, are merely puppets manipulated by an invisible force.”
The monitoring room fell into a dead silence, broken only by the faint hum of the equipment. An invisible pressure gripped everyone’s throat.
“Your Excellency, do you mean…” the Grand Inquisitor’s voice was dry.
Archbishop Lucien’s gaze swept across the crowd. His figure seemed unusually tall under the cold light, yet also extraordinarily weary.
He took a deep breath, as if to draw into his chest the weight that could crush human history and then transform it into the strength to move forward.
“My comrades,” his voice carried a solemnity like the announcement of the Last Judgment, “I fear this ‘cycle’ we are in is the ‘Final Dark Age’ prophesied in the Holy Scripture.”
“The Final Dark Age?!” Several inquisitors exclaimed in shock, their faces instantly pale.
Archbishop Lucien’s gaze pierced through the walls, as if seeing the distant Holy Land, his voice cold as metal:
“I have a top-secret intelligence from the Holy Land. Its thirty-year confidentiality period has now expired, and the time is ripe. I can inform you of its contents.”
The inquisitors exchanged glances.
The Inquisition Tribunal’s security clearance was already the highest within the Church, but the Holy Land was above that.
Even they, who had been raised by the Church and were absolutely loyal, were not qualified to know the exact location of the Holy Land.
To them, this intelligence was a hot potato—listening or not, both were problematic.
“Your Excellency, although we are Inner Circle Members, at our level, hearing such top-secret intelligence, even after the confidentiality period, still requires going through procedures. So, if you please…”
“Today, you may forget the procedures.”
Archbishop Lucien’s calm words made the inquisitors’ pupils tremble.
The old man before them was the de facto highest leader of the Kingdom Church.
In a sense, he represented the will of the Lord.
When a man who placed great importance on rules and regulations said, “Forget the procedures,” it often meant the Church was facing a massive crisis that was difficult to resolve.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, everyone no longer declined.
“Your Excellency, please tell us the intelligence! We are willing to share this burden with you!”
“We have completely lost the ability to maintain the ‘Holy Land’.”
“What?!”
The archbishop’s brief statement was like a thunderbolt, instantly causing an uproar among the inquisitors.
“If this intelligence comes from thirty years ago… then now…”
The archbishop nodded, his words heavy as a death knell.
“As you suspect, time is running out for humanity. Once the Holy Land falls silent, we will sink into eternal damnation under the curse, with no deliverance.”
A suffocating sense of despair instantly enveloped everyone.
A hundred years? For civilization, it was but a blink of an eye!
“Your Excellency…” the Grand Inquisitor’s voice trembled, carrying a glimmer of hope amid desperation, “What should we do?”
Archbishop Lucien did not answer directly. He raised his head slightly and, in an ancient, obscure language that seemed to come from the end of time, clearly recited a motto.
His tone was solemn and mournful, each syllable bearing the full weight of humanity’s struggle for survival:
“Iter per aspera ad astra.”
(Through harsh paths to the stars.)
His gaze once again turned to the screen, focusing on the black-haired youth who was flipping through the Church’s Holy Scripture, seemingly unaware of the darkness about to engulf everything.
Deep within his gray-blue eyes burned a flame of a last-ditch effort:
“Go and confirm, my comrades. Go and confirm whether the salvation foretold in the prophecy… has already arrived!”