Sixth Hundred and Fifteenth Chapter Wavering Faith

Hermes Holy City, the Cathedral's towering pagoda.

The hurried footsteps of the guards broke the tranquility of the circular hall. The sound of iron boots falling on the marble floor was crisp and loud. Tevlen put down his breakfast with some displeasure and looked at the flustered messenger, "What is it?"

"Your Excellency Bishop, something has happened in the Coldwind Ridge," the guard whispered in his ear, "Lord Solly Dahl seems to have suffered heavy damage there." Then he recounted what he had learned as quickly as possible.

"What did you say!" Tevlen was so surprised that he couldn't believe his ears. "More than half of the vanguard was lost, and Solly was seriously injured?" The old bishop grabbed the guard, "Where is he now?"

"He has been sent to the hospice."

"What about those Divine Punishers?"

"They were ordered to wait in place and are now gathered in the church hall."

"Immediately notify His Holiness the Pope and Lord Earl, report this matter to them, and concentrate all the personnel involved in this expedition under surveillance. Close the church gate and temporarily prohibit other believers from entering and leaving!" He couldn't even bother with breakfast. "I'm going to the hospice now."

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

How could this happen?

Tevlen felt his heart pounding. The team of thirteen hundred people, including three hundred Divine Punishers, should not have had any problems dealing with Coldwind Ridge. Before being promoted to bishop, Solly was also a battle-hardened chief inquisitor and one of Lord Maine's most capable subordinates. Even if he encountered demons or wasteland beasts, he shouldn't have suffered such heavy losses!

Despite the storm raging in his heart, the old bishop was very clear that the most important thing at the moment was to block the news to avoid undermining faith. The second thing was to find out as soon as possible what Solly Dahl had encountered in Coldwind Ridge!

When he arrived at the hospice, Earl was already there—obviously, the other party had other channels for obtaining information. The two looked at each other and walked into Solly's medical room with gloomy faces.

A Purifier was applying medicine to the injured archbishop. One of his arms was gone, and the wound had been tightly bandaged. When he saw the other two archbishops, Solly's dazed eyes suddenly focused, and he struggled to sit up.

"You go down first," Tevlen asked the Purifier to leave and helped him up. "How is the injury?"

"I want to see Lord Maine!" Solly roared, "Take me to the Secret Bureau!"

"Tell us what happened first," Earl said coldly, "and then we'll consider whether to send you to see the Pope, or throw you into the dungeon and wait for the tribunal to judge you."

"Damn it, this is not the time to bicker," he said through gritted teeth, "Coldwind Ridge is a trap. Roland Wimbledon has firearms that are more terrifying than those of Tiefecco. I must let His Holiness know—"

"I don't want to be kept in the dark and have to clean up your mess, Mr. Solly Dahl!" Earl's voice suddenly rose a few decibels. "Do you know how embarrassed you were when you came back? Everyone saw the incomplete and dejected vanguard when they passed through the city gate! People in the Holy City have already begun to inquire about the news. If I hadn't had the tribunal arrest a few nosy people, this damn rumor would probably have the whole city buzzing tomorrow!" She grabbed the archbishop's collar, "You should understand how serious this is!"

Tevlen knew that Earl was right. More than one hundred Divine Punishers was almost equivalent to the total losses of the church in the past two years, and the enemy was just a small town in a mountain range. This was definitely a disgrace to the church.

More fatally, once the news spread, the believers' confidence would be severely hit.

Since the Divine Punishers were sent to fight against the Evil Beasts, these invincible warriors had become the subject of invincible rumors. The facts seemed to be the same. Even the terrifying and ferocious giant Evil Beasts were no match for the Divine Punishers. What kind of enemy could defeat them?

Just as he was about to say a few words of persuasion, the door of the ward was suddenly pushed open.

"I hope I'm not too late," the white-haired witch, Jieluo, walked in. "His Holiness the Pope wants to see you and asks you not to reveal the specifics of the battle for the time being. Can you still walk on your own?"

"Lord Jieluo, we can't—" Earl protested.

Jieluo interrupted her, "Don't worry, the Pope is just worried that the secrets of the Divine Punishers may be leaked. After he asks about this matter, I will repeat it to you in full."

"What secrets?"

"I'm sorry, I can't say," Jieluo smiled, "because I don't know either."

"I... can walk," Solly struggled to get out of bed, but fell to the ground after taking two steps.

"Don't try to be brave," the Purifier snapped his fingers, and two guards in blue cloaks immediately walked in and carried him up. "When you get to the Secret District, you can move around freely in a wheelchair."

"Damn bitch," Earl spat fiercely after Solly and Jieluo left, and walked out of the medical room without looking back.

Tevlen watched the departing Purifier's back with a gloomy face, and remained silent for a long time.

…

Following the stone steps into the deep cave under the church, Solly's expression became excited. Obviously, this was his first time in the core area of the church, and even his breathing became rapid.

"The Divine Punishers suffered heavy losses this time. How do you plan to explain it to Lord Maine?" After transferring to a wheelchair, Jieluo personally pushed him to the Secret Forbidden Area.

"This failure was indeed due to my negligence, and I accept any punishment." The archbishop hesitated, "Moreover, I... want to apply to His Holiness to become a Divine Punisher."

"Are you sure? Abandoning the good position of bishop to become a Divine Punisher like a puppet?"

"They are not puppets!" Solly couldn't help but argue, "Every Divine Punisher is a brave and firm warrior. That's why they dedicate their lives to fight for the glory of the church! But I failed them and brought immeasurable losses to the church. The best way to make amends is to personally invest myself in it and fill the mistakes I have made!"

"Is that so?" Jieluo shrugged, "But I don't think the Pope will approve your application."

"I will try my best to persuade him. I believe Lord Maine will definitely..."

"That's not the reason," she shook her head, "Converting Divine Punishers requires witch's blood, and every witch is hard-won. You have now lost an arm, and even if you are successfully converted, your combat ability will be greatly reduced... Tell me, how could the Pope waste witch's blood for a defective product?"

"What are you saying? Wait... stop!"

Jieluo pushed the wheelchair through the long corridor and stopped at the end of the Secret District.

"Is there a problem?"

"The Divine Punisher conversion ceremony is a secret that only His Holiness the Pope can master. How could you know what the ceremony requires?" Solly's eyes widened. "Lord Maine would never tell you such a thing!"

"You're right, he really couldn't," After the guards opened the cage railing, Jieluo calmly pushed him into the cage. "And I don't need him to tell me, because... I am the Pope."

"What—what?" Solly turned his head in disbelief, only to see a faint light rushing towards him.