**#210. The Place to Return To (1)**
—
A quiet chapel, bathed in sunlight.
“Solite, has there been any trouble in the parish while I was away?”
Bishop Sardio asked as he took old religious tools, including a worn Bible, from his travel bag and placed them on the altar.
Solite, standing before him with his head bowed, replied,
“No, Bishop. It’s been a stretch of peaceful days.”
“You must’ve had a hard time. With me away learning my new position, there must have been many duties falling on you.”
“Not at all. I simply did what I was supposed to do.”
At Solite’s humility, Bishop Sardio gave a warm smile.
“I do believe I’m truly blessed. To have walked in faith for so long with someone as competent and devout as you… Our time together has been quite lengthy, hasn’t it?”
“Yes. It’s been ten years now. I first met you when I was twelve, at the seminary in the main cathedral.”
“That’s right. Back then, you were a trainee, and I was just an ordinary priest. And now, after all these years, here we stand, both changed… It’s quite moving.”
“No, Bishop. I don’t think anything has changed.”
Solite’s firm voice made Sardio lift his head.
Solite also looked up, meeting his gaze squarely.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Your unwavering faith hasn’t changed one bit.”
“Haha, I see. That’s what you meant. Yes, my faith remains steadfast. Ever since I joined the Order, my life’s direction has been solely devoted to the doctrine.”
“When it comes to the purity of faith, I don’t think there’s anyone in the entire Order who surpasses you, Bishop Sardio.”
Solite emphasized the phrase *purity of faith*.
“Haha, that’s high praise. Though I must admit, I have no shame in my faith.”
Sardio seemed pleased.
Perhaps that’s why he failed to notice that while Solite’s lips were smiling, his eyes were not.
“Did the recent meeting at the main cathedral conclude well?”
“It wasn’t easy. The central cathedral wants each parish to devote even more resources to the search for the Saint. The black clouds covering the sky continue to grow.”
After a few more exchanges, Bishop Sardio stepped down from the altar and turned toward the chapel’s door.
“There’s too much work piled up. I regret not being able to spend more time with you. I’ll see you at morning service tomorrow.”
“Yes. See you tomorrow.”
Creak—Thud!
With the smile gone from his face, Solite stared at the door for a while before turning to the curtain by the window and speaking.
“Every word was a lie. Just like you said.”
A section of the curtain shimmered with green mana, and a boy appeared, two chameleons perched atop his head.
It was Ray, using maximum concealment magic and a double disguise with the help of spirits.
Momentarily distracted, Solite forgot what he was originally going to say and changed the subject.
“But… it’s truly fascinating. This is my first time seeing a spirit in person. And they’ve taken the form of an animal I’ve never seen before.”
“They’re called chameleons.”
“Chameleons, I see.”
“They’re common animals in forests, supposedly.”
“Hmm? Forests are real places?”
“According to Grine. I’ve never actually been myself.”
Throughout the conversation, Solite couldn’t take his eyes off the spirits.
“May I touch them?”
“Probably? Their names are Salt and Pepper.”
“Quite… savory names. Wait, are they the same as the seasonings I know?”
“If you’re thinking of jerky spices, then yeah.”
“Those names were definitely chosen without much thought.”
“I didn’t name them. An elf with a very careless lifestyle did.”
As Solite’s hand approached, the two chameleons shifted colors to blend with their surroundings, then returned to normal, repeating the cycle.
Mesmerized, Solite repeated the motion, until he sighed softly and returned to the original topic.
“So Bishop Sardio was disguised just like this, then. I and the 7th priest squad have been working with him in Sector 30. To think that none of us noticed he was a spy for ten whole years—it’s truly shameful.”
Seeing the dark guilt stirring in Solite’s vessel, Ray said,
“Well, at least Sector 37’s parish has no spies apart from Sardio.”
“A small blessing amidst the misfortune.”
In the Grand Cathedral, Sardio was the only one with a mixed circle.
Solite’s line of questioning had also confirmed there was no one else colluding with Sardio.
“I think the other parishes are probably similar. The real problem is… the central cathedral, the head of the Order.”
“Have you visited the central cathedral recently?”
“Not since I graduated from the seminary ten years ago. Back then, I didn’t sense anyone with corrupted faith….”
Hid voice trailed off.
He explained that as a trainee, he’d lacked control over his ability to perceive truth. As a result, he had unintentionally evaluated the faith of everyone he encountered.
“…But ten years have passed. I can no longer say with confidence that the central cathedral remains untainted.”
After a moment of thought, Ray offered his view.
“If the leadership of the Order has been overtaken by the Azure Dawn Society, then any command from the central cathedral is essentially a directive from the Society.”
“Exactly. Just now, Sardio told me to increase manpower for the Saint search.”
The Azure Dawn Society and the Solar Church.
A navy orb and the artificial sun.
The orb emitted a dark, gloomy light. And the Saint was said to be the only one capable of imbuing permanent light into the artificial sun.
The clues felt just out of reach.
“How is the Saint search conducted, exactly?”
“It’s simple.”
Solite took a small, snow-white fragment from his robes.
“Terranote.”
“That’s the material used to make the artificial sun, right?”
“Yes. The search involves traveling from sector to sector, placing this stone in people’s hands.”
He continued calmly.
“As you know, even non-mages have mana flowing through their bodies. It’s minuscule, but it’s still there. And according to divine revelation, the type of mana varies by one’s natural constitution. If someone with the qualities of a Saint holds the Terranote, it will emit a brilliant light in a specific color.”
“……”
Ray understood what it meant.
Mana in a vessel reflects a person’s fleeting emotions.
Mana in a circle reflects their nature at the time of its formation, often changing over time.
But the trace mana flowing through the entire body reflects an individual’s innate, permanent nature.
In other words, their essence.
“What color does the light become when a Saint holds the Terranote?”
“I don’t know. But they say it’s a light that anyone would immediately recognize. The radiance of a true sun.”
Ray recalled the conditions for being a Saint.
The most important: the ability to care for all creation unconditionally.
What color of mana had people like that shown?
He couldn’t quite remember.
For now, he asked the next question.
“What happens when they find the Saint?”
“There’s one artificial sun in each parish. Once the Saint is found, all of them will be retrieved and melted down. Then they’ll be reforged into one massive artificial sun, which will be launched.”
“Into the sky?”
“Yes. High into the heavens, where the Saint will inject radiant light to shine upon the world. The black clouds will vanish, clear rain will fall. Vegetation will flourish again, and animals that left will return.”
As he spoke, Solite’s face took on a dreamy look.
“All of this is from that so-called god?”
“Yes. It’s all written in the Scriptures.”
“I see.”
“If you get the chance, I recommend attending a service.”
“I’ve been to a few. Didn’t find it all that interesting.”
Solite stared quietly into Ray’s eyes for a moment.
Then suddenly—
“There’s been an incident lately.”
He spoke with a hint of gravity.
“What kind of incident?”
“During services, a voice from the back sometimes says that god is a sinister being. But when they catch the person, they insist they never said such a thing. And when I look into their eyes myself—”
“……”
“They’re telling the truth. They never uttered such blasphemy.”
A hush fell.
Ray, as reflected in Solite’s eyes, was gazing out the window.
“Was it you, Ray?”
“Wasn’t me.”
“Look into my eyes.”
“You’ve got the wrong guy.”
Step. Step. Step.
Solite approached, trying to meet Ray’s gaze.
But the boy had already turned his head the other way.
“……”
“……”
Silence again.
Thud!
As the priest grabbed the mace at his waist in frustration—
“Something came up. I gotta go feed Kelley, Nero, and Lato. See you.”
The boy was already out the chapel door and slipping away.
Creak—Bang!
—A sinister being?! A sinister being?! How could you say such a thing?!
Ray walked away from the chapel, the voice fading behind him.
Somehow…
Even Solite, usually reserved in expression, seemed particularly sensitive when it came to matters of faith.
After exiting the cathedral and walking through the streets for a while—
Screech.
A black sedan pulled up beside him.
The window rolled down to reveal Philip’s face.
“Ray! Get in! This is no time to be hanging around! It’s finished! It’s—”
“Finished? What is?”
“What else could be finished? Our house! The mansion, I mean!”
“Oh.”
The construction of the annex on the mansion grounds.
With everything going on lately, Ray had completely forgotten.
“What are you doing! Hurry up!”
Philip got out of the car and practically shoved the stunned Ray into the back seat.
Swept up in the colorful emotions overflowing from his friend’s vessel, Ray didn’t resist.
“Driver! Step on it!”
The car sped through the streets and stopped at a specific point past the mansion gates.
As Ray stepped out, the first thing he saw was a group of children lined up in excitement.
“It’s Sir Ry!”
“Sir Ray is here!”
The children parted.
And the view was revealed.
Before him stood a pristine white annex, gleaming under the sunlight.
It was only a third the size of the main building, but it surpassed it in elegance and grandeur.
“What do you think, Ray? It was always hidden behind the construction screen, so this is your first time really seeing it, right?”
Philip, unable to hide his excitement, waited eagerly for Ray’s answer.
“I hope you like it…”
“……”
Ray knew that one of Philip’s long-time dreams was to own a home.
Building and operating a hotel in Sector 49 was also part of that wish.
‘That’s why I left the entire construction to Philip after the first design.’
It was a kind of consideration, but the result was more pleasing than I expected.
I liked the clean exterior, and the shape of the mansion showed from the outside that the various spaces were efficiently divided according to their use.
Above all, now there was a place I could return to whenever I wanted.
The light reflected off the pure white mansion dazzled the boy’s eyes.
“What do you think? What did you think of the mansion?”
“…It’s nice. It’s dazzling.”
A faint smile appeared on the boy’s lips.
