Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 578 Purity and the World

It's late at night... Monigne and Frania came to find me?
Luo Xiu looked at the priest before him, whose face showed fear, smiled and nodded gently, responding to him:
"I see."

"You go and rest first, Jon. I'll personally greet them."

After receiving such a gentle response from the archbishop, the clergyman named "Jon" bowed respectfully to the archbishop and withdrew.

Luo Xiu also stood up from the table and walked towards the archbishop's tent.

……

The church's temporary residence was located in a rather spacious manor.

On the outer courtyard along the street, two serene and graceful figures stood quietly. Monigne, the "Supreme Sword" of the Holy Court, and Franya, the "Saintess," were waiting there.

They came specifically to see Luo Xiu because they wanted to talk to him about something.

Previously, they hadn't had a suitable opportunity—as the "Supreme Sword" and the "Saintess," they were tied up with too many important yet tedious matters. Only now had they finally had some free time, so they came here under the moonlight.

They waited quietly until they heard footsteps and saw another figure in the archbishop's robes walking towards them.

The "Ancient Dragon Bishop" Rosh Carlos has arrived.

Luo Xiu quickly arrived before them, offering his late-night greetings.

"Greetings to you, Lord Monigne. And greetings to you, Princess Franja."

"I apologize for disturbing you so late at night, Lord Luo Xiu." Monigne smiled and nodded, responding gently.

"We haven't affected your work or rest, have we?"

Franya's ethereal voice also came through. She looked at Luo Xiu and felt that he seemed a little tired.

She thought it might be because she was working too much and not getting enough rest.

"..."

"No, there isn't."

Luo Xiu looked at Franya, whose face had finally regained some color, no longer as pale and weak as when they first met.

“Come on,” he then invited Monigne and Franja, “the lights are still burning in the tents. Please follow me.”

They then went to the archbishop's tent.

Once inside the tent, Rosh, Monine, and Franya took their seats. After exchanging greetings and chatting about recent events, Monine said:

“Lord Roshchuh. I have come to you to ask you again about ‘Pamié Skardia,’ about that child.”

“As I said before, I hope to take that child with me after the threat of the ‘Devouring Dragon’ is resolved, and I hope to raise her myself. And now is the time, Lord Luo Xiu.”

Monigne came for Pamieux.

Since it wasn't anything else, Luo Xiu's initial nervousness subsided, and he nodded in response to Monigne:
“I have no objection, Lord Monigne. I am truly happy for Pamié that she has received your guidance.”

"As for Pamie, she is still in Val Fortress. After you told me about her before, I went to see her again, and she seems to have signs of an impending promotion."

"Once the Holy Blood Templar Knights arrive and Lord Demosth receives the sealed Devouring Dragon, I will return to Val Fortress. Lord Monigne, although our goal is to reach the Dark City, we must pass through the passes of Val Fortress once again."

"Go see Pamie then, and you can ask her what she thinks."

“I understand,” Monigne nodded.

She asked Luo Xiu about "Pamié Skardia" again this time in order to finally confirm Luo Xiu's attitude on the matter.

She knew that many archbishops, even if they initially agreed, might later change their minds and be reluctant to release people.

However, it seems there's no need for such concerns anymore. Monigne nodded and smiled, saying:

“Then, once we return to Val Fortress, I will go to find that child myself. If she is willing, let her stay with me for now. Later, in the final battle against the Dark Grand Duke, I can protect her and also teach her something else.”

"..."

"Ah."

Luo Xiu had no objection to Monigne's arrangement.

It seems that Monigne came to him only to ask about Pamieux.

After receiving the answer she wanted, Monigne rose from her seat, bid farewell to Rosiu, and left.

As the "Supreme Sword," Monine was very busy. It seemed she would have to go down to the bottom of the Blood Cave again to investigate the remaining cocoon of the dead dragon's embryo. Luo Xiu also got up and saw her off from the manor.

When he returned to the tent, only he and Franya remained.

During Monine and Luo Xiu's conversation, Franya listened quietly without offering any opinions on what Monine and Luo Xiu were saying.

As for her, she didn't seem to care about "Pamié Scáthya". Given the blood ties, it was only natural that Monigne cared more about Pamié.

After Luo Xiu saw Monine off and returned to his tent, sitting down again in his seat, Franya finally raised her head. Her bright golden eyes gazed silently at Luo Xiu, and she finally spoke:
"I have some questions for you, Luo Xiu."

"Please ask," Luo Xiu said with a smile.

"..."

“In our previous battle against the ‘Devourer Dragon,’ you used an authority that was not ‘Radiant’ but rather similar to ‘Supreme.’”

The saintess's voice was calm and ethereal; to Luo Xiu, it sounded as if she were simply calmly stating a question.
“That authority directly isolated and dispersed the dark erosion surge gathered by the ‘Devouring Dragon.’ It protected you and it protected me, Lord Luo Xiu.”

"I want to know... what is that?"

"..."

Frania asked about the authority of [authoritarianism], specifically about "Isol's Lock of Time".

In the heat of the moment, I used this power, which may have made the Holy Maiden think of something else.

Luo Xiu gazed at the saintess before him, listening to her ask these questions, but he did not feel himself enveloped by spirituality, nor did he feel his soul being probed.

This was just a simple inquiry from Franya out of "wanting to know," not an interrogation... This made Luo Xiu feel at ease. Regarding "Isol, the Lock of Time," there was actually nothing he couldn't say.

“That is not the authority of the Supreme, Your Highness Franya.”

Luo Xiu then responded to Franya, saying:
"...That is a power from the 'ancient heritage'. In my understanding, it should belong to the destiny before the 'supreme' and belong to 'authority'."

A saint of Franya's caliber would also be aware of matters of authority. And since she is not the "Supreme," it doesn't matter if I tell her these things.

"I obtained it from an ancient seal. However, that seal is no longer accessible, having completely collapsed for some reason."

"The name of this authority is 'The Lock of Time'. Its effect is just like its name, possessing the ability to lock time within a certain range, causing the flow of time within the locked range to completely stop, without being affected by any external factors."

"It was able to isolate and block the previous 'Devouring Dragon's' dark corrosive attack because I used it to 'seal off' a space in front of me. That's how the 'Chronological Lock' works, and like most Level I authorities, I can only use it once a day." "..."

Luo Xiu finished telling Franya all of this.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Franya's face, as if she was pondering what Luo Xiu had said earlier.

The atmosphere suddenly became quiet. Luo Xiu waited for Franya's response. After a long while, she emerged from her contemplation, looked up at Luo Xiu, and said:
“I understand, Luo Xiu.”

"This authority of yours comes from an ancient seal left behind by [authoritarianism]. That is enough for me to know."

"However, if it's [authoritarianism], I suggest you... use it less. You should understand the relationship between [supreme] and [authoritarianism], and I don't want you to come under suspicion because of it."

"..."

Franya said these things.

She meant well. And Luo Xiu had heard the same thing from "General Thunder" Albert.

"Mm." Luo Xiu smiled and nodded, responding sincerely to her:

"I know."

"..."

"There's another question I want to ask you, Luo Xiu."

Franya spoke again, seemingly casual yet serious, and asked Luo Xiu:

"What kind of person do you think Alfonso Durant, the former bishop of the Church of Sina, was?"

"..."

"...?"

Saintess Frania... she actually asked me about that 'Alfonso Durant'?

As far as Luo Xiu knew, the attitude towards Bishop Alfonso within the 'Holy Court' was that his name was defined as blasphemous and taboo!
"you……"

"Don't be nervous, Luo Xiu."

Franya suddenly smiled gently, her voice no longer so cold or distant, and said to Luo Xiu:

“I’m not asking you these questions on behalf of the ‘Holy Court.’ Right now, I’m just Franya, and Franya is curious about your thoughts.”

"So, what do you think of that Bishop 'Alfonso Durant'?"

"..."

"That was a bishop who... led the Church of Sina to glory, and also led it to its decline."

Luo Xiu answered Franya in this way.

In his mind, this was the safest and risk-free answer.

Even though Franya said that she was not asking these questions as the Holy Maiden of the "Holy Court," Luo Xiu still did not want to tell Franya his true thoughts.

After all, Frania is still a "saint," and she is wearing the "laurel crown" that symbolizes her status and sitting in that sacred position.

"……so."

Franya nodded, a fleeting look of disappointment crossing her face, but it vanished quickly and was concealed by Franya.

This was clearly not what she wanted to hear. Luo Xiu watched her, waiting for her to say something more.

After a long pause, Franya finally spoke softly, saying:

“Perhaps you really think so. But Luo Xiu… now it’s just us. You are a bishop from the Church of Sina City. I want to tell you what Pope Lawrence once told me in private.”

“His Holiness the Pope told me, ‘Alfonso is great.’ He also said, ‘Without Alfonso, there would be no Holy See as we are today.’ To define Alfonso Durant as a blasphemous and taboo name is not the will of us, the ‘Radiant Ones,’ but a deal between the separated ‘Pure Order’ and the ‘Supreme Ones.’”

"..."

A deal between the Pure Order and the Supreme Being?

As Luo Xiu listened to Franya say these things, he vaguely sensed that there was a deeper meaning behind Franya's words.

"The Puritans and the Cosmopolitans are separated, and His Holiness the Pope is a representative of the Cosmopolitans. The 'Holy Church,' which is now recognized as having religious and faith status, is also dominated by the Cosmopolitans, but the Puritans were once an integral part of us."

Franya spoke these words in a somewhat low voice.

"You already know that the Supreme is wary of Alfonso. After the Purists handed Alfonso over to the Supreme, many members of the Purists launched a purification campaign against the Supreme in Alfonso's name, which finally solidified Alfonso Durant's reputation as 'forbidden' and 'blasphemous'."

"Because of the influence of that history, although the Holy Court is now dominated by the 'Worldly Faction,' it is no longer allowed to embark on a second path. This is the price we have paid for it."

"...This can also be seen as the purification of the worldly faction by the 'purists,' a victory for them."

"Although I did not personally experience that dark period of history, His Holiness the Pope told me about it. This led to a complete split between the Purists and the Worldly Faction, and ultimately almost all the high-ranking members of the Purists left the Holy See to create the 'Pure Order,' which is the one you know."

"Although the Empire defines the Pure Order as a heretical cult, as far as I know, there are several princes within the Empire who are the real power behind the Pure Order. They were also the ones who caused the split between the Pure faction and the Worldly faction, perhaps in order to... allow them to counterbalance the current Holy Court."

"The power of faith is terrifying, and it is something that even the rulers of the Supreme can fear. But if fear can be forever buried deep within this faith, then the torrent of true upheaval will never be able to materialize, and the Supreme can then confidently use the Holy Court as a tool of rule without fear of the danger we bring."

“These are His Holiness the Pope's exact words to me, Rosh.”

"..."

Franya calmly recounted these events to Luo Xiu.

There were so many things Luo Xiu didn't know before in those words. As Franya spoke to him, he felt his heart beating faster and faster, and his mind becoming heavier and heavier.

Among them were not only clues about the bishop 'Afonso Durant' that I had been searching for.

There are also deeper relationships and power struggles between the Pure Faction, the Worldly Faction, [Radiance] and [Supreme].

Why...why are you telling me all this?

After Franya finished speaking, Luo Xiu's smile finally faded. He raised his right hand, rubbed his forehead, and asked Franya.

But a calm smile appeared on Franya's face.

"Because we don't want to be like that."

She said:
"—'If Alfonso Durant could be reborn, it might not be a bad thing.'"

"These are also His Holiness the Pope's original words."

……

(End of this chapter)