#248: *The One Who Radiates Light (3)*
—
The light that had engulfed the scene disappeared.
Everyone who had witnessed the miracle—inside and outside the cathedral—trembled with awe and emotion.
“The light, it’s the light! The light has come to us!”
“My god… To think I’d live to see Terranote shine with my own eyes.”
Even the priests, who were always solemn and composed, could not contain their overwhelming emotion.
Amidst this wave of chaos—
“……”
Ray could see it.
The bishop of Sector 30 turning his head to silently gaze at the Saint.
Noticing the gaze, the Saint flinched and staggered dramatically, as if putting on a performance.
Her attendants quickly supported her, and the bishop stepped forward to address the crowd.
“The power of miracles is not something that can be easily wielded. A great deal of energy must be consumed, to the point of exhaustion. Let us be grateful to the Saint for willingly demonstrating a miracle.”
Consumed her energy, huh.
‘I doubt that.’
Ray watched the Saint disappear into the cathedral with her attendants.
The heat lingering in the air slowly began to dissipate.
“Everyone, this way please.”
The transport group was then guided into the cathedral’s guest rooms, arranged by district.
Over 200 people in total.
But accommodating them wasn’t an issue.
The cathedral matched the bustling size of the sector—it was grand in scale.
“I’ve never seen a building this big in my life. And it’s so fancy inside too. The headquarters of the Order must be on a whole different level, huh?”
Veronica bounced slightly on the bed in Ray’s room as she spoke.
The luxurious-looking mattress visibly shifted under her weight.
Ray answered as he unconsciously followed the motion with his eyes.
“I heard the headquarters is in Sector 28. The level of development between sectors may not differ drastically, but considering it’s the main building, it’s probably even bigger. But Veronica, didn’t you say you would keep up the act even when no one was watching?”
“Oh, right. I forgot for a second. I’ll be more careful, Ray.”
“You’re mixing things up.”
Knock knock.
Just then, a knock sounded.
Ray gestured with his hand in the air, and the door opened silently. Solite appeared.
“Apologies. The corridors on either side connect to rooms used by other districts. I had to avoid attention, which caused the delay.”
After checking outside and closing the door, Solite bowed his head.
The group was being as cautious as possible to avoid suspicion from the Azure Dawn Society.
After all, the minority in the transport group weren’t Dawn Society members—it was them.
Rustle.
Solite took a small notebook from his coat and scribbled something:
[If it’s not an inconvenience, may I inspect the room before we speak?]
“It’s fine. I already checked for any eavesdropping spells. It’s just an ordinary room.”
“Ah, that’s a relief.”
The three of them sat at the table.
A peculiar silence and tension filled the space until Ray finally spoke.
“The Saint is a fake.”
The other two asked in unison:
“My lord, why? That light we saw—there’s no way to explain it except as a miracle. I couldn’t sense any traces of magic either.”
“That’s what I found as well. The light seemed exactly like the divine radiance from a revelation.”
Rey responded without hesitation.
“Because the piece of Terranote she was holding was a fake.”
Then, he pulled out a small, transparent white shard from his coat.
“This is the real one. Can you see the difference compared to what the Saint had?”
“Hmm, honestly… not really.”
“…I can’t say I do either.”
Why can’t they tell?
Ray paused to think, then began to explain everything he knew about Terranote in detail.
Solite summarized:
“So, you’re saying that a minute amount of mana always flows through the human body, and the type varies depending on one’s nature.”
“Right.”
“And that Terranote has a trace amount of mana flowing inside it, forming a specific internal pattern.”
“Correct.”
“That pattern reacts with certain kinds of mana in living beings and emits light.”
“Exactly.”
“And lastly, the Terranote the Saint held had a very artificial mana pattern, unlike the one you’re familiar with. Is that right?”
“Exactly.”
Ray nodded.
Veronica asked from beside him:
“Then what we saw at the entrance earlier was just a fake made to imitate the real thing?”
“Right. A fake that can emit light whenever manipulated. The Saint was just pretending to hold the Terranote.”
Solite murmured solemnly.
“…They created a fake Terranote and put forth a fake Saint. I can’t begin to guess what the Dawn Society is planning.”
“The movement itself might be the goal.”
“The movement?”
“Because it’s extremely rare for priests from all the districts to be moved to the headquarters like this.”
In other words—
It could mean the Dawn Society was planning to seize the headquarters by overwhelming numbers.
“…That’s definitely not a good situation.”
“It’s not all bad. If they had to move this many people to mount an invasion, it might also mean they weren’t able to convert enough of the headquarters’ priests to their side.”
Ray presented two choices to Solite:
“First, we gather the unconverted members of the transport group and confront the traitors. If we finish our preparations and strike first, we might be able to deal meaningful damage. But given the sheer numbers, we can’t guarantee a victory. The city’s civilians are also a concern. We’d have to keep fighting in guerrilla fashion.”
He took a breath and continued:
“Second, we trust in the faith of the headquarters’ personnel and continue to the HQ as planned. If we can expose the truth about the traitors and get the others to understand, we might be able to respond more effectively.”
“But if the headquarters has already been infiltrated by traitors…”
“Then we’ll be in a much worse situation than if we had started fighting now.”
Solite remained silent, and Ray said quietly:
“I’ll respect your judgment. You know far more about the Order than I do.”
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Only the sound of the second hand echoed in the stillness.
After a long moment, Solite spoke in a resolute tone.
“I believe in the people at the headquarters.”
“Got it.”
After exchanging a few more words, Solite stood up to leave.
“If I learn anything new, I’ll report it to you immediately.”
Creak—thud.
The door closed, and Veronica spoke in a worried voice.
“There are still more people with pure circles at the HQ, right?”
“I can’t be certain, but I believe so.”
From Sector 37 to Sector 30—
Over the course of the two-week journey, Ray had closely observed the many traitors hiding within the transport group.
Those with murky navy-blue circles posed as devout clergy flawlessly on the outside.
They leaked no information about the Dawn Society.
Even spells that should have revealed the altered navy color of their circles appeared normal, likely due to enchanted circles or similar accessories.
But there was one thing they couldn’t hide.
─I’ve just advanced to 2nd Circle.
─If it’s explosive magic, you should be able to blow up rocks like that in one go.
It was their unconscious boasting about power.
That alone wasn’t a problem.
After all, mages pursue power by nature—they are seekers of knowledge who yearn to advance.
The issue was—
‘Their fundamental identity is that of priests.’
Priests, whose virtue is humility, who are meant to lead lives of abstinence.
Even Solite and the 8th Priest Squad didn’t act arrogantly, and their conversations rarely strayed from matters of faith.
But the traitors were different.
It was as if the desires they’d suppressed through faith had now been released in a chaotic flood.
One thought occurred to Ray.
‘Someone in the Dawn Society must have approached the priests and tempted them.’
Perhaps they whispered sweetly, offering to perform mixed-circle modifications.
Maybe that’s how the traitors began appearing within each cathedral, spreading like a drug.
“……”
It was a grim situation, but there was still hope in the headquarters.
The personnel there, starting with the Pope, were said to have unwavering faith that the Dawn Society couldn’t easily corrupt.
‘I need to gather as much information as I can before we reach HQ.’
Ray closed his eyes.
*Whooom—*
He activated a spell by shifting the mana in his circle and aligned his breathing with the ambient mana.
A warm sensation washed over him, like being submerged in heated water. At the end of that calm—
“Huh? Huh? Ray? My lord? Where did you go?”
Ray had completely vanished from the room.
It was an advanced stealth spell, pushing his mental focus to the limit using 4th Circle mana.
Even Veronica, with her extraordinary mana perception, couldn’t sense Ray’s presence right in front of her.
“Just stepping out to visit the Saint.”
“I can still feel you here, but… my brain’s having a meltdown. Wait, did you say you’re going to meet the Saint?”
“Yes.”
Ray moved Veronica’s hand, which was patting the air around his cheek, and slipped out into the hallway.
No one in the cathedral noticed him as he moved through its many halls.
‘Where’s the Saint’s room?’
He mused while drawing a mustache on the solemn face of a man in a religious mural.
Bishop Vassel of Sector 30 seemed unwilling to expose the Saint to the outside world for long.
The Saint herself was an ordinary person with no circle, and seemed quite fearful of Vassel.
That meant—
‘There’s a high chance the Saint isn’t part of the Azure Dawn Society.’
Could she be being held against her will?
If they could have a relaxed, friendly chat over tea, there might be much to learn.
*Tap—tap—tap—*
His silent footsteps moved deeper into the cathedral.
‘That door looks promising.’
At the end of a long corridor, he saw an elegant, ornate door.
But guarding the hallway’s entrance were two bishops—from Sectors 33 and 34.
Both were 4th Circle mages.
A person’s ability to sense mana usually grows with the number of rings.
‘If I get too close, I might be detected.’
Could he get past them?
Just then, a man in kitchen garb appeared, holding a dinner tray.
“Dinner for the Saint.”
“Is it that time already?”
The two bishops’ attention dispersed.
Ray didn’t miss the opening and swiftly moved forward.
*Whoosh—*
A light breeze wrapped around his feet, making each step feather-light.
A shroud surrounded his body, masking even the faintest scent.
*Tap.*
He stopped walking, sticking close behind the chef like a shadow.
Breath, body tremors, mana flow—
He controlled every element, one by one.
“Try a little bit of each dish you brought.”
“Ah, yes, understood.”
The chef seemed slightly flustered, but as if it wasn’t the first time, he followed the instruction with practiced movements.
“That’s enough. You may go. We’ll deliver the meal ourselves.”
“Y-Yes, thank you. Then I’ll take my leave!”
The bishop, carrying the tray, turned and walked down the corridor, and Ray followed behind him.
Then suddenly—
“Hm?”
The bishop came to a stop.
He turned his head and stared intently at the spot where Ray was standing.
Then—
Sliiide.
He slowly reached out his hand.
Ray, completely still, leaned his face back to avoid the approaching hand.
Holding his breath, slowly—ever so slowly.
So as to make not even the slightest presence known.
“Hm.”
The bishop opened and closed his hand in the air, then soon withdrew it and spoke.
“Must’ve just been my imagination.”
He let out a short chuckle at his own delusion.
Someone slipping past the perception of a 4th-circle mage?
Where in the world could such a being possibly exist?
*Tap— tap— tap—*
The sound of the bishop’s footsteps grew distant.
After a sufficient distance had opened up—
“Whew.”
Ray exhaled the breath he’d been holding and started walking again.
In the distance, the Saintess’s room was drawing near.
