Chapter 613 : Return to Sanctity

In the afternoon hours in Glamorne, by the shores of Lake Starbind, large crowds of citizens had gathered, pointing and gesturing toward the massive structure that had suddenly appeared at the center of the lake. Murmurs and discussions spread among the people. City police were urgently dispatched to the lakeside to disperse the onlookers, who, under pressure, had no choice but to gradually leave the scene.

The sudden appearance of the cathedral on the lake stirred a frenzy around the urban edge of Lake Starbind. But on a more remote stretch of the lakeshore, atop a small hill, a tense atmosphere was rapidly spreading.

At the hilltop, a few plain-clothed men and women stood anxiously, gazing at the enormous cathedral in the distance across the lake as if waiting for something.

Then, without warning, the air turned crimson—blood mist materialized out of nowhere and thickened rapidly. The fog condensed into two humanoid forms, and in no time, the figures of Boade and Gossmore emerged. Upon seeing them, the people on the hill immediately bowed in greeting.

“Priest Boade! Witch Regent Gossmore!”

Boade and Gossmore paid no attention to their subordinates. Instead, they turned their sharp gazes toward the distant cathedral on the lake, a look of undisguised astonishment spreading across their furrowed brows. Gossmore was the first to speak, unable to hold back.

“That’s the moon-bitch’s temple!? Why did it suddenly appear? And in broad daylight? What’s going on, Boade? We’re still a few days away from the full moon!”

Turning her head, Gossmore addressed Boade with a sharp, high-pitched voice. Boade, however, replied with a solemn murmur.

“This isn’t right… it shouldn’t be. Is that truly the temple of the Queen of the Night Sky? It really was hidden beneath the lake… But why has it appeared now, of all times?”

Looking at the sight before her, Boade was full of doubt. She then turned toward her subordinates and questioned.

“What happened just now on the lake? Was anyone performing a large-scale ritual? How did this temple suddenly emerge?”

“N-no ritual, we didn’t see anyone doing anything large-scale. That thing just appeared out of nowhere. There was no warning at all. It shocked all of us.”

One of Boade’s followers answered with a hint of panic. Just as he finished, he suddenly remembered something and added quickly.

“Oh, right! When the temple appeared, that nun from the Church—Sister Vania—was just finishing her relic tour over by the lakeside. The exhibition had just ended when the temple suddenly rose out of the lake!”

“That nun? Where is she now?”

Boade paused at the mention, then quickly asked again. The subordinate pointed out over the water and replied.

“After the temple appeared, it looked like she took her people out onto the lake in boats. They seem to be heading into the cathedral.”

“What...?”

At that, Boade and Gossmore exchanged a glance, and then, without a word, both turned into clouds of blood mist and swiftly drifted toward the distant temple.

…

Meanwhile, at the center of Lake Starbind, before the massive cathedral, several small boats had docked along the wide platform encircled by grand pillars. From the boats, several uniformed Church knights and Holy Guard soldiers disembarked. Clad in a white nun’s robe, Vania stepped onto the surface of this mysterious structure and instinctively looked around.

“This building… It’s real after all. Not an illusion. Incredible… Something this large just appeared out of thin air?”

She spoke in wonder at the surroundings. At her side, Gaspard followed her up with a vigilant expression.

“Can’t believe we came aboard so easily. Seems like there really are no seals or guards around. But now’s not the time to let our guard down.”

Gaspard glanced warily around with the other knights and guards. They marveled at the exquisite columns, the arched entrances, the massive vaulted dome—until Gaspard spoke again in awe.

“What a massive structure. From the architectural style, it seems somewhat similar to our Radiance Church cathedrals… though the design has many differences. Could this be the temple of some heretical sect?”

Gaspare voiced his suspicion cautiously, and Vania responded.

“That’s a possibility. The columns and corridors… many of the details share features with Radiance Church architecture. If this wasn’t built by heretics, then it might be a lost relic from the early days of the Church. The architectural style from a thousand years ago was very different from what we see today…”

As she spoke in a scholarly tone, Vania gently ran her fingers across one of the ancient stone pillars. Having been born into the Historical Scripture Department, she had long studied secret histories and mystical texts. Even though she had once been only a lower-tier member, her academic knowledge was exceptionally high within the Church system—especially compared to someone like Gaspard, who came from a militant background. In this domain, Vania was the true expert.

“A lost relic from the early Church?”

Gaspard’s eyes lit up at her words. He looked around again, then said excitedly.

“Sister Vania, if this really is an ancient relic of the early Church, rediscovering it would be a great honor. With its size, if it once belonged to the Church, it must have held great significance.”

“Indeed… but we still need to confirm exactly what it is. Come—we should go inside and take a look.”

With that, Vania stepped toward the grand entrance of the massive cathedral, and Gaspard, along with the escort team, followed closely behind.

Treading the long stone-paved path, Vania and her party advanced cautiously while observing their surroundings. At last, they passed through the open grand doors and entered the vast sanctuary. As they looked around, they were stunned by the immense space beneath the domed ceiling—an enormous interior devoid of any supporting columns.

“This place… it’s huge. Is this really a temple? Wait, that over there is…”

As Gaspard marveled at the space, his gaze suddenly locked onto the center of the great hall, where a towering white statue stood. The moment his eyes landed on the statue—a goddess figure with eyes closed, long hair cascading down, dressed in a translucent veil, and holding a round mirror—his expression became tense.

“That statue—is that the Holy Mother? No, wait… she looks too young. No Holy Mother statue has that kind of bearing, and none hold a mirror. This isn’t the Holy Mother… it’s a foreign god! Sister Vania, this might be a heretical shrine!”

Gaspard said this with a stern expression, but when he turned to Vania, he found her standing frozen in place. Her wide eyes were fixated on the statue’s face, her pupils dilated in visible shock.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

“Sister Vania, do you recognize what foreign god this is? If it’s heretical, we should destroy it immediately!”

Gaspard spoke decisively, but his words seemed to shake Vania out of her daze. She blinked, pulled her gaze away from the statue, and turned to respond.

“…I’m sorry. I don’t know what deity that is. In all the mystical texts and scriptures I’ve read, I’ve never seen a figure like this described.”

Vania said this calmly, and after a pause, she continued thoughtfully.

“But, Brother Gaspard, don’t be too hasty. Given how closely this architecture resembles that of the Holy Church, it may not be heretical. This could be an early depiction of the Holy Mother—or perhaps a version distorted by heretical reinterpretation.”

“An early Holy Mother depiction… or a heretic-altered image of her…”

Gaspard echoed her words in confusion. On matters of religious history and esoteric doctrine, he couldn’t match Vania’s expertise. Since she had made her judgment, he had no reason to object.

“So… can we confirm if it’s a corrupted depiction or an authentic early one? If it is heretical, we would need to destroy it, right?”

“There’s no way to be sure yet,” Vania replied.

“But even if it is heretical—or the image of a foreign god—we can’t simply destroy it. It may become a critical part of an upcoming ritual.”

“Ritual? What kind of ritual?”

“The Sanctification Ritual… also known in the hidden mysticism world as the Image Replacement Rite.”

Vania explained this calmly and elaborated further.

“When the Radiance Church encounters shrines of foreign cults, or even ancient Church buildings that have been lost and reclaimed but are now too different from modern standards, we don’t always destroy them. Instead, we assess whether they can be transformed into functioning Radiance Church sites. The most crucial part of such a transformation is the Sanctification Ritual.

“This is a medium-scale ceremony that redefines the meaning and symbolic associations of a religious site, establishing new connections in line with the Church’s faith. For a foreign temple, it severs the ties to its pagan deity and sanctifies it in the Lord’s light. For heretical or ancient churches, it enables the site to be reclaimed and restored to the Radiance Church.”

Vania’s expression grew more solemn.

“This ritual is commonly used by the Church when dealing with external religious venues. The key to it lies in the treatment of the shrine’s central icon—and that statue is clearly the focal symbol here. That’s why we must not touch it lightly.”

Hearing this, Gaspard nodded in understanding.

“Sanctification… I’ve heard of it. The Church uses it for valuable religious sites. Sadly, back when I was in the knight orders, most of the heretical sites I encountered were worthless little shrines—we just smashed them. I’ve never actually witnessed such a ritual...

“Sister Vania, are you saying this cathedral is worth performing the Sanctification Ritual on? So we shouldn’t disturb anything?”

“Yes. I can feel the deep significance of this place. It’s absolutely worth sanctifying—returning it to the Lord’s radiance. This could become another vital beacon of faith in Pritt. If possible, I’d like to personally oversee the ritual myself.”

Gazing at the massive sanctuary, Vania’s eyes glinted with hope. Gaspard then asked.

“Then… we can’t perform the ritual now, right?”

“Correct. I only know of the Sanctification Ritual from scripture. I don’t know the full process. It requires specialized knowledge, complex arrangements, personnel, and considerable time.”

“But none of that’s a problem. Once we finish surveying the area, I’ll report this to Tivian, explain the situation, and request they dispatch experts for evaluation and execution of the ritual. Depending on the outcome, we might even be allowed to assist.”

Gaspare nodded silently.

“You’re right, Sister Vania. Whether this once belonged to pagans or heretics… whether that statue is of the Holy Mother or not—once we take over this place, it will become a sanctuary of the Church, and that statue will become the Holy Mother.”

“There’s no time to waste. Let’s continue the investigation. We need to inform Tivian as soon as possible and ensure the site remains secure until they arrive.”

“Mm.”

Vania nodded firmly, and together they led their group deeper into the cathedral.

But outside their line of sight, beneath one of the stone beams above the sanctuary, a small black bat was hanging upside-down, quietly watching them.

Meanwhile, outside the cathedral, atop the massive domed roof, the figures of Boade and Gossmore stood, observing everything with their own methods.

Watching the Radiance Church members—who had arrived first and entered the very structure they had targeted—Boade’s eyes were cold and sharp. A ball of blood mist gathered in his hand. But after a moment of deliberation, he sighed deeply and dispelled the mist—though the killing intent in his eyes did not fade in the slightest.