Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 579 The "Holy Blood" Knights
If Bishop Alfonso Durant could be reborn...

The Pope's exact words...

"..."

What Franya said to Luo Xiu made his head ache even more.

What's the meaning……

This refers to the "Cemetery Pope" Lorient, who hoped that the Holy See could follow the path pioneered by Bishop Alfonso Durand and more broadly accept other extraordinary beings and saints on their destinies to embark on the path of "glory".
The Holy See did indeed achieve final victory in the "Holy War" a century ago using this method. But what if that Pope of Laurent had further ambitions…

Does he intend to use the power of "faith" to overthrow the empire's rule?!

No, probably not...

"..."

Luo Xiu's thoughts suddenly became somewhat chaotic.

He racked his brains to search for memories of his past life, recalling things about that Pope Lord Laurent.

In his previous life, Pope Laurent will perish in version 2.0 of the "Crimson Tide".

He will die at the hands of the "Crimson King" Azagus, and at that time, the highest level a player could reach was only "Fourth Fate," meaning they were not qualified to meet the Pope of Lorend before his death.

Therefore, players know very little about this "Holy Crowned" Pope. The information they have comes from records in ancient texts or from other NPCs' accounts of the Pope.

Therefore, Luo Xiu didn't know what the "Holy Crown" Pope of Lorend was thinking, but he probably didn't have any intention of overthrowing the Empire's [Supreme] rule.

"..."

"you……"

Luo Xiu's expression turned somewhat bitter for a moment.

Saintess Franya simply smiled at him, and when Luo Xiu's voice became slightly hoarse, she nodded slightly and said softly:
"You don't need to think too much, Luo Xiu."

“I know you come from the Church of Sina, so you must know about ‘Alfonso Durant.’ I’m just telling you what you should already know.”

"There was once an excellent bishop from the Church of Sina in the Songyuan City Church. But because of Alfonso Durant, he eventually turned away from us and went down a path that went against both the Worldly and Pure factions."

"What happened to him afterward?" Luo Xiu blurted out.

"he died."

Franya responded in a somewhat low voice:

"That bishop wanted to collude with the Holy Kingdom to secretly sabotage the Matsubara Law Office in order to steal information about 'Alfonso Durant', in order to uncover the 'truth' of what happened back then and clear Bishop Alfonso's name."

"But he failed. And he was discovered on the spot by the patrolling Divine Knights. He, along with the heretics of the 'Primordial Cult' he brought, were all killed, and their corpses were exposed on the city walls for three days."

"Because of this incident, Archbishop Sid was personally questioned by the Lord of Songyuan, Marquis Bakal. At that time, the Holy See sent the Third Cardinal to Songyuan City to meet with Marquis Bakal, and only after paying some price was the matter settled."

"The reason I'm telling you all this... Luo Xiu, you can also understand it as me not wanting you to follow the same path as that bishop."

"To us, your talents and abilities... represent the future of the Holy Court. We do not wish for you to embark on an irreversible path because of this."

"But what if we go a step further?"

At this point, Franya deliberately lowered her voice—

“You might try to follow the path that Bishop Alfonso Durant once walked.”

“It’s an intuition, Rosh. Both I and Pope Lawrence feel that you are capable of doing this.”

"You did not accept Teacher Monigne's invitation to go to the Holy See, which is exactly what Pope Laurent wanted. Because your eyes can see more, and your hands can touch more."

"You don't need to get caught up in the struggle between purity and the world. Even if you're on the most dangerous battlefield, it will be the safest place for you. I've witnessed that, Luo Xiu. Just as you once said, this battlefield of judgment is your true home."

"..."

That night, "Saintess" Franya spoke many things to herself.

Luo Xiu listened quietly, but he felt more and more that his head was about to explode.

Franya's words completely overturned her preconceived notions about [Radiance] and the "Holy Court".

Franja even said that the "Holy Crown" Pope of Lorient hoped to follow in the footsteps of "Afonso Durant"...

How much do the “Holy Court”...or rather, the “Holy Crown” Pope Lorend, and the “Saintess” Franya in front of them, really know about all that they have been hiding?
Franya's words had already alerted Luo Xiu.

The fact that she would suddenly say these things to herself was definitely not just a passing whim.

That means that she and the Pope have access to far more than just what is registered and stored in the archives of the Holy See.

How much do they actually know about themselves? Do they know they've stepped into the abyss...? No, that's unlikely.

If they knew they had stepped into the abyss, they would never have been so gentle. In any case, this would be a truly untouchable blasphemy and taboo for the saints on the path of glory.

Most likely... perhaps the "Holy Crowned" Pope of Lorient knew about his relationship with the former "Afonso Durant" bishop.

He might also know that his real name is "Rossi Durant," which is why he told Franya and had Franya tell him these things.

However, Frania may not know her real name, because she did not show anything unusual when she called herself "Roshu Carlos".

After spending several days together, Luo Xiu already knew.

The "saint" Frania before me truly possessed an aura of holiness, solemnity, and inviolability, and she was the one person who would never lie—

She may not know much. But behind her stands Pope Laurent…

"..."

Luo Xiu's mind raced as he pondered these thoughts.

But in any case, at least for now, it seems that Frania and that "Holy Crown" Pope Laurent are friendly towards her.

Frania is trustworthy and reliable in crucial moments. This includes her supporter, the "Holy Sword" Monine—these are forces she can depend on.

With these "guarantees" from Franya, he could then obtain Franya's and even the "Holy Crown" Pope Lord of Lorend's protection if he were to do anything that deviated from the "Radiance" in the open.

"……I see."

Luo Xiu nodded slightly in response to Franya.

“I will try to follow the path that Bishop Alfonso Durant took. But it is not an easy path.”

"I will protect you."

As Luo Xiu spoke with some concern, Franya interrupted him, saying—

“Not only me, but also Teacher Monigne and Pope Laurent, we will protect you.”

"So there's no need to worry. As long as you don't do anything... that will leave us all unable to clean up the mess for you." "..."

Something that even the Holy Court couldn't handle? That's quite possible—

Things like "brainwashing a Divine Knight of the Round Table," "killing Marquis Bakal's illegitimate son," and "being targeted by a 'Guardian King' and a 'Red Crown Prince'," and so on...

Luo Xiu thought to himself with some dissatisfaction, and a wry smile appeared on his face as he reflected on his thoughts.

Franya noticed the bitterness in Luo Xiu's expression and had no idea what he was thinking. However, Franya didn't say anything more, knowing that what she had just told Luo Xiu would be a difficult task for any bishop to accept and accomplish.

"……Um."

Luo Xiu nodded somewhat hesitantly.

Franya rose from her seat, smoothed the hem of her pure white dress, nodded to Luo Xiu, and finally said:
"It's getting late."

“I should go back now, Luo Xiu. I hope you can think carefully about our conversation today.”

“…Yes, I will.” Luo Xiu nodded.

"I'll take you back."

……

After escorting the saint back to her residence and returning to the church compound, it was almost four in the morning.

The sky was no longer completely dark; a faint glimmer of light was slowly rising from the horizon. On the way back, Luo Xiu was still somewhat troubled, thinking about what had just happened.

On the way back to Franya, the saintess also reminded herself that these words were not suitable to be told to anyone else.

That was something only he and Franja knew. She... and the Pope of Lorend behind her, seemed to have already placed their bets on him.

And it's a very heavy bet.

"..."

Luo Xiu didn't yet know what impact this would have on his future. However, looking at the foreseeable future, at least his advancement to the "Seventh Destiny Path" was secure—with the protection of Franya and the Pope.

These were the thoughts in his mind.

After all that fuss, the moment Luo Xiu returned to his residence and his gaze naturally fell on the bed, an intense feeling of drowsiness surged up like a tide.

He then stopped thinking about anything else.

After changing into his bathrobe, Luo Xiu lay down on the bed, covered himself with the soft blankets, and soon his consciousness sank into a dreamless sleep.

……

Until the morning.

Around 10 a.m., two rows of black carriages appeared on the Dragonbone Plain in front of Fafnir's city gate.

A dozen or so carriages were covered with black cloth, and even the horses were clad in black armor. The drivers were also wearing black cloaks, their faces obscured by thick fabric.

They looked like "black merchants" traveling through the territory of the Dark Principality.

Those were "war merchants." Most of them did not have a clear citizenship affiliation, but instead wandered from place to place where war had broken out.

They scavenged the battlefield, collecting everything from corpses and weapons to anything else that could fetch a "price," like scavengers on the battlefield.

They would also "sell" their collections to both sides of the war, but on the battlefield of the trial war, their primary clients were the executioners of the Dark Duchy. The Empire viewed these war merchants as enemies and, with the exception of a few officials who wanted to embezzle military funds, generally avoided any dealings with them.

But in reality, the ones that appeared outside Fafnir were not true "war merchants".

They appeared to be entirely black, traversing the land of the Dark Principality, disguised as "war merchants." Each of them wore a golden sun emblem on their chest, with a drop of gold in the center shaped like a bloodstain, as if flowing from the "Sun."

—They are the Holy Blood Templar Knights.

Around ten o'clock in the morning, they arrived at the city gate of Fafnir. When they stopped the carriage on a relatively flat plain, two "coachmen" wearing black cloaks got off the carriage and went to inform the people of Fafnir.

And in the very center of the carriage.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a man dressed in red armor adorned with golden holy symbols stepped out.

The armor was extremely heavy, almost covering his entire body, with only his head exposed.

The man's face was stern, and his neck and nose were wrapped in dark red cloth; his visible expression was as serious and unsmiling as if cast in iron; when he stepped out of the carriage, his foot made a heavy sound as it hit the ground.

The moment the man stepped off the carriage, two knights in plain clothes came to help him, but the man ignored them.

He simply got off the carriage alone, casually took out a large knife wrapped in red cloth, which was almost three or even four meters long, and slung it over his shoulder.

"……Um."

His eyes, tinged with crimson and gold, immediately fixed their gaze on the most striking target across the entire Dragonbone Plain the moment he stepped off the carriage—

The progenitor demon, Fafnir Ramzanx, the "Devourer Dragon," was suppressed and sealed by the "Holy Sword" Monigne and the "Pillar of Divine Retribution"!
"..."

"It's a dragon..."

The man murmured, his voice low and hoarse.

His pupils, which were originally oval-shaped and golden-red, gradually shrank to needle-like length, like the eyes of a cold-blooded animal.

He gazed at Fafnir Ramzanx, the "Devourer Dragon," who was sealed within the Pillar of Retribution, motionless, and his eyes gradually gleamed with excitement, accompanied by subtle tremors.

"...Lord Demosth."

Beside Demosthenes, his squire knight spoke respectfully to him:

"The 'Primordial Demon' and 'Devourer Dragon' Fafnir Ramsanks mentioned in Lord Monigne's message to us should be it."

"That's also the target we'll be taking over this time. Because it involves ancient dragons and demons, only you can..."

“I know,” Demosth nodded.

His gaze never left the pillar of light of the devouring dragon.

His eyes were filled with excitement, as well as undisguised desire and fervor.

His subordinates knew that their leader, Demosth—the strongest in the entire Holy Court, second only to the Pope, the "Dragonblood Knight Commander" Demosth—was just like that.

After being bathed in dragon blood and absorbing the power of that [authority], Demosth developed an almost obsessive desire to continue pursuing the power of such a powerful ancient dragon.

...I only hope that Lord Demosth will not forget what our mission is because of this.

The squire knight thought with a headache.

……

(End of this chapter)