Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Within St. Sarl City, at the Temple of Light, the hall had a display showcasing the Sword of the King. This was called the Divine Hall, and it was created expressly for displaying the sword granted by the Divine. On both sides of the hall were paintings with the imagery of Heaven. In the front, was a painting depicting God himself. Specifically, it showed the image of Him granting the first king of humanity, Ahenaten, the legendary sword.
Originally, the Sword of the King that was depicted within the mural on the wall was only used by the Church for large scale ceremonies and the coronation ceremonies of leaders. Only then would the sword be taken out. By possessing the sword, the Pope had a symbol representing the legitimacy of the Church of Light.
Understandably, the protection on the Divine Hall was extremely tight. Every day there would be specialized clergy chosen to guard and polish the sword, checking it to make sure that it was in pristine condition.
The identity of each security person was set, and throughout the year, only these individuals were allowed to interact with the blade. No other personnel were allowed to approach the sword. Even these chosen clergy members had to go through rigorous checks every time they entered.
At this time, Pope Hodap stood at the center of the Divine Hall, just below the feet of Lord Faross. His face was so dark, it seemed to drip water. He had no courage to face God directly, apparently. All of the guardian knights and clerical members were kneeling on the ground, not daring to utter a single word.
All of them knew that Pope Hodap was already completely enraged. A lot of relevant personnel were trembling, with cold sweat dripping down their foreheads.
The Sword of the King that Hodap held looked identical to the real one. However, it had recently been proven that the handle was fake. The real Sword of the King had already been switched, having been taken for several days before anyone even discovered that something was amiss. The reason for this was that it had been an actual clergy member that had swapped the sword, then promptly disappeared!
Hodap gripped the duplicate Sword of the King tightly. He squeezed it with his fingers, causing a white light to shoot forth from his palm. The sword shattered into pieces.
Hodap then turned around to say, “All of the members who failed their jobs must be dragged out and interrogated. Don’t dirty the floor of the Divine Hall.”
Immediately, dozens of Executioners from the Judges of Light appeared. They then dragged all of the trembling guards and attendants of the Divine Hall away.
Everyone knew that those who were dragged away by the Executioners would never be seen again. Even if they had not betrayed the Church of Light, they would have to take responsibility for allowing the theft of the Sword of the King.
Archbishop Arthur opened his mouth. Although it was the best opportunity to attack Hodap, to lose the Sword of the King was a serious offense. It was one of Pope Hodap’s main responsibilities to protect the Sword of Light, which was a symbol that displayed his God-given authority to rule. It was impossible to sum up the significance of the Sword with only a word or two, as its standing in the Church was only second to the Saintess and the Mask of Faross.
If Hodap was attacked at this time, with the support of the College of Cardinals, or even the Saintess herself, it would be possible to dethrone him from his position as Pope. To the other members of the College of Cardinals, this was an important opportunity.
Yet, for now, it was essential to reclaim the Sword of the King. No matter who took the spot of the Pope, the Sword of the King could not be lost. All of the members of the Church of the King knew the extreme importance of this vital fact.
Archbishop Arthur hesitated, then completely gave up trying to reprimand Hodap. They could find the Sword of the King first. “The Judges of Light have already been notified, and they are investigating the matter. Sean will most likely report back soon.”
Sean, the Chief Justice of the Judges of Light, stepped inside. He was clothed in a severe black priest robe that had an insignia of the Judges of Light on it. That insignia was a symbol out that was synonymous with terror and nightmares of the people of the Kingdom of the Church of Light, as well as every surrounding nation. Sean’s grave countenance carried the same sinister quality as an eagle out for a hunt.
Hodap saw Sean and immediately questioned him anxiously. “How is it? Is there any news?”
Sean approached Hodap. “Your Holiness, according to the investigation, Peter Rodman, the thief of the sword, has headed towards the Tuten Dynasty. But, according to sources, the day before yesterday, which was the day he swapped the sword, he had a secret meeting with several individuals. We think these people may have been from the Crete Empire. Therefore, the Sword of the King may have already fallen into their possession.”
Sean continued his report. “The escape of Peter Rodman to the Tuten Dynasty is a diversion, bait. According to my estimates, this affair may be an action of the Gathering of Darkness, another scheme targeting the Church of Light.”
Hodap erupted into another bout of rage. “Those dirty rats! Heretics, hiding in the alleys! How dare they target the Sword of the King? And, what shames me the most, is that they actually succeeded and attacked the inner circle of our Church, the core of the Temple of Light! Does this mean that even the interior of the Temple has fallen under their control?!”
Mad with rage, Hodap scanned the people in front of him. All of them lowered their heads, including the highest ranked clergy. “Everyone must be searched! I want to weed out all of their pawns within our ranks. The rats of the Gathering of Darkness must be eradicated!”
Sean nodded. This loss of the Sword of the King would lead to a dramatic hit upon the name of the Church, especially if the public were to get wind of the affair. All of the coronation ceremonies of kings needed the Sword of the King. If the Church of Light tried to conduct a coronation ceremony without the Sword of the King, they would definitely be rebuffed and mocked by the kings and nobles.
Sean spoke. “According to my investigations, their original targets were the Mask of Faross and the Saintess. However, due to errors, they abandoned that plan. Our internal affair intel is definitely full of loopholes. Yet, we do believe that the Sword of the King has a great chance of being in the Crete Empire. I will go personally to investigate this matter, but I will need the assistance of His Excellency, Elliot VIII.”
Hodap looked at Sean, his gaze changing into one of panic. It took some time for him to regain his calm.
Once calmed, he said, “Good, good. These guys are completely audacious. What is even more hateful are the traitors in our midst. I will ask for the Saintess herself to step out of her shrine and personally search. Sean, due to the importance of the task at hand, I do need you do go personally. Go to the Crete Empire, which has a core that has already escaped our grasp. During your visit, investigate both the disappearance of the Sword and the activities of the rebel schemers. They must all be found and annihilated.”
Hodap thought that wasn’t quite enough, so he then added, “I will also command Charles to bring the Knights of Light to assist you. Remember, you must bring back the Sword of the King and not let a trace of this information escape.”
Sean frowned. “That may be difficult. The nobles and the kings of the surrounding nations may have already received this information. If so, they will quickly spread the information of the theft.”
Hodap scrambled to speak. “And we will deny it! So, do you understand the importance of your mission?”
Sean gave a heavy nod. “Rest easy, Your Holiness. I will definitely bring the Sword of the King back and return it to the glory of God.”
All of the Knights of Light that were stationed near the Crete Empire were deployed. After the incident of the Wizard Alliance, the Church had canceled the independent stationing of the Knight of Lights squads and redistributed them into three armies to deploy in rotation. Yet, the emblematic legendary status of the Knights of Light remained unchanged, as being something that none of the other armies could compare to. It was still the most elite corp of the Church of Light.
At the same time, in various countries, the rumor of the theft of the Sword of the King was being spread throughout every street and alley. Many people started debating in murmured whispers.
The Sword of the Light was seen symbolizing the God given right to rule, as well as it being seen as the guarantee of the authenticity of the Church. The impact of losing this divine artifact was clearly no small matter.
But, since this most chalked this up to being nothing but a rumor, the believers of the murmuring were few. Yet, as the amount of rumors increased, many more people began to adopt a stance of skepticism. Then, after a push was given by malevolent actors from the shadows, it seemed as if everyone knew about the theft of the Sword of Light.