In the spacious and luxurious room, a huge red carpet with intricate patterns was spread across the floor.
Around a beautiful stone round table too large for a dozen men to encircle, many soft chairs with gold-trimmed red cushions were arranged.
Their exquisite craftsmanship guaranteed comfort while showcasing opulence.
On the northern wall of the room hung a fantastical and vivid painting.
In the painting, a beautiful woman dressed in a white dress stood, her smooth golden hair fluttering in the wind, her face veiled by a piece of white gauze.
She leaned forward like a goddess descending from the heavens, reaching out her hand from the end of her jade-like arm to touch a naked man.
The man, kneeling reverently on one knee, extended his arm toward her.
Their fingers met in midair.
The lifelike scene seemed like a real event unfolding before the eyes. The painting depicted the moment from the scriptures known as the “Event of Divine Gift,” where the God bestowed wisdom upon humanity.
The master of the room was a slightly plump elderly man whose intellectual eyes carried a sharp, commanding gaze.
Without raising his voice, he exuded authority as he solemnly looked at the ten men seated around the table.
“Why hasn’t Arthur Lily arrived yet?”
The old man spoke first, his tone carrying the dignified weight of a superior, tinged with slight displeasure.
“Your Holiness, why concern yourself with a fallen noble from a lost kingdom? Even if she doesn’t come, it won’t affect our decision,” replied the man sitting to the right of the Pope, occupying the seat of a Cardinal.
His words dripped with contempt and disdain, revealing his dislike for the woman named Arthur.
“Cardinal Urban, please watch your words. Miss Arthur is the Head Priestess blessed by the Goddess. She holds the same rank as you in the clergy and is not some insignificant former noble,” another man corrected with a warm, spring-like smile, eyes narrowed gently.
“Valentin, don’t put on airs. You just want to push me out of my position as Cardinal. Your opinion of that woman isn’t any better than mine,” Urban retorted harshly.
The offensive remark failed to anger the man with the narrowed eyes.
“Perhaps you’re right, but under the Goddess’s watch, is such crude speech appropriate?” Valentin’s words almost branded Urban as disrespectful to the divine.
Cardinal Urban glared at his ambitious deputy, about to retort when the Pope interrupted.
“Silence! Valentin, Urban is the Cardinal. It’s not your place to criticize his faults.”
“My apologies, Your Holiness, Cardinal Urban,” Valentin bowed humbly.
Power balance was a delicate art. The Pope had placed Valentin as Vice-Cardinal to check and balance Urban and his family.
Valentin would ascend to Cardinal someday, but not yet.
“Hmph!”
The Pope’s words restored Urban’s dignity. He snorted coldly and said no more.
“Knight Commander Gawain, go and find Head Priestess Arthur.”
“At once!”
In the Holy Nation, Knight Commanders were usually chosen from the temples, serving simultaneously as knights and temple heads.
This man named Gawain was the Head Priest of the Temple of Light.
However, when addressing one another’s positions, they usually just called each other “Head Priest.”
The Pope’s choice to call him “Knight Commander” was deliberate—he and Arthur were close. If even he didn’t know where Arthur was, no one else would.
The religious bureaucracy of the Holy Nation was not complicated. The Pope was the highest authority under the Goddess.
The Cardinals and Vice-Cardinals served as prime ministers, assisting the Pope in leading the faithful.
The remaining important officials were the heads of the temples of Water, Fire, Earth, Wood, Ice, Thunder, Wind, Light, and Darkness.
The Temple of Darkness had long been abandoned because dark magic was mostly “humanity’s enemy” and therefore forbidden.
As a replacement, the Temple of Support was established to handle auxiliary magic.
The Head Priestess position was newly created. The reason was simple: the one blessed by the Goddess could not be ignored.
Since other posts were filled, a new position had to be created to accommodate her.
Too low a rank would make it hard to command respect; too high would upset the balance of power.
This was one reason why Arthur Lily, equal in rank to the Cardinals but seen as a mere “figurehead,” was so disliked.
The nine temple heads, the Cardinal and Vice-Cardinal, and the Head Priestess—these twelve seats around the round table, together with the Pope, decided on all major matters of the Holy Nation.
Their gathering today meant something significant was about to unfold.
“Sorry for being late.”
The white door with golden edges opened, and a blonde, blue-eyed female swordsman with short hair stepped in.
Her beautiful, youthful face bore a determined expression that belied her appearance.
Yet, as she entered, a flicker of disgust and self-mockery crossed her face.
No church follower had informed her of the meeting. This was understandable—how could church higher-ups treat someone their followers despised with any respect?
The female worshippers who cared for her daily life acted as if she had committed a grievous sin; others avoided her as if fearing contamination.
Perhaps doing so would curry favor with the Pope and Cardinals.
They likely thought this way, but Arthur didn’t care.
She stayed here not for the comforts and salary.
The Goddess had chosen her, and she wished to repay the Goddess—nothing more.
“Next time, be punctual.”
Pope Alexander’s reminder was stern but mild. He probably understood what had happened; driving Arthur away wasn’t his intention. There was no need to be too harsh.
“Ahem, now that everyone is here, let us begin discussing today’s agenda.”
The authoritative voice slowly rang out.
Then, the Record Crystal on the table activated, showing a first-person perspective of someone’s adventure inside a Dungeon.
Before her eyes was the labyrinth, how her teammates defeated monsters, how they disarmed traps, opened treasure chests, and collected rewards…
The men around the round table stared in amazement at the images playing from the Record Crystal, watching meticulously from entry to the end of the Dungeon adventure.
Some were shocked, some curious, some captivated, and of course, some greedy.
“These are ‘Potion of Life’ and ‘Magic Potion’ brought back by our people from that Dungeon,” the old man said, picking up two bottles from the tray. “Upon examination, their effects are identical to the ‘Goddess’s Blessing’ in our Holy City, no—perhaps even superior.”
“Do you all know what this means?”
His words sparked a loud discussion around the table as they whispered and debated, but Arthur watched coldly.
“A Dungeon with a ‘God’ has reappeared. Whether it is friend or foe remains unknown, but it may affect the status of the Holy City!”
“Impossible! Gods are unique and supreme! Humanity needs no gods other than Lady Athena!”
“I think this isn’t a bad thing. If this Dungeon becomes a Holy City of the Holy Nation, wouldn’t that be perfect?”
…
The Pope’s question ignited fierce debate. The self-proclaimed devout emphasized the “God” and “authority,” while the profit-hungry tried to claim the Dungeon as Holy Nation territory.
Ultimately, it was all for themselves.
Watching this farce unfold, Arthur sighed in disappointment…