After saying all this, Shiayar then patted the head of the golden-haired girl beside him, stood up, and prepared to leave.
However, as Shiayar stood and began walking towards the door of the training room, he felt a resistance coming from his clothes.
The miniature Sacred Spear had somehow turned around and hooked onto the hem of his garment.
Looking at the Sacred Spear, which clung to his clothes with seeming reluctance, Shiayar couldn't help but smile.
"I know."
He bent down and embraced the soft, delicate figure before him.
Then, he kissed the girl on the lips.
「...」
After a tender interlude of ten minutes, Shiayar once again appeared in the bathroom.
Indeed, this is always my home, he mused, surveying the familiar washroom and ceiling with a bitter smile.
Only this time, the place he was heading to was not the Echo of History but rather the coordinates indicated on the invitation from the Golden Dawn—a world of black mist similar to the Imaginary Zone in which he was currently situated, equally independent from time and space, even from history itself.
With a mere thought, a pocket watch materialized in the palm of his hand.
Shiayar looked at the watch's hands, silently calculating the corresponding time within the current time node.
Immediately after, ethereal and hazy prayers reached his ears.
Shiayar's spirit stirred, ready to take action. But the next moment, his thoughts momentarily paused.
Within the Spiritual Entity formed in the sea of his mind, Shiayar distinctly sensed a familiar aura.
Su Lun?
「...」
In the Holy Creed Kingdom's capital on the Western Continent—the City of Summer Flowers, Florence—within the Dawn Sacred Court.
The black-haired Dawn Saintess was seated in her room, toying with a small doll in one hand while writing something with the other.
The magictech lamp cast a soft glow, illuminating the scrolls before her.
They contained the punitive measures for the former Divinely Favored One of the Dawn, Histanlia Borgia, as deliberated by the highest echelons of the Dawn Church.
"Severing alliances with the Borgia family, stripping Histanlia of her status as Divinely Favored, and demoting her to an ordinary member of the faithful?" Su Lun read from the scroll.
Just this won't suffice. Su Lun's eyes flickered with a cold light.
Someone wants to bolster their persona as a 'partner of justice' by using the excuse 'ignorance is no sin' to showcase their magnanimity.
But I am different.
What can I say? I'm just that kind of petty and vengeful woman...
Her delicate wrist made a slight turn, erasing the previous decisions from the scroll.
Not only is the Dawn Saintess a symbol of the Dawn Church to the outside world, but her position also implies she is a candidate for the next Archpriest.
Even though she wasn't yet the Archpriest, her mere status as Dawn Saintess was enough to ensure Su Lun's word within the Sacred Court of Florence was second only to a select few, such as the Archpriest and the Cardinals.
Even with verdicts from the highest council, she had the leeway to intervene.
Expel her directly from the Dawn Church's ranks... But if it's just that, she can still live well outside the Church's sphere of influence, given Histanlia's own abilities and the remaining power of the Borgia family.
The Dawn Saintess's pen paused briefly before she began to rewrite.
Retain her membership in the Church, but as punishment, she is to serve as a lowly priest in the newly established branch chapel in a mining town on the outskirts of the Barren Mountains.
After all, I'm not some kind of demon...
She chuckled softly. Though serving as a priest in the mining town might be a bit harsh, at least she retains a connection with the Church, with even a slight chance to become a Divinely Favored One again.
Whether it's for the revival of her family or other reasons... I'm sure Miss Histanlia wouldn't refuse.
CHIME—
Beside the desk, a crystal resembling a warning light suddenly flickered.
Su Lun's movements momentarily halted.
She snapped her fingers.
Next, a symphony of gears and mechanisms began to operate. The doll resembling a youth, the pillows, and even the books lining the shelves—each inscribed with a certain someone's name—were all concealed by mechanical contraptions. They vanished into secondary planes and sub-space storage, leaving only the room's original, basic appearance: sacred and clean, adorned with crucifixes, silver statues, and holy water—everything befitting a believer's dwelling.
Having done all this, Su Lun then adjusted her attire.
Only then did the soft patter of footsteps from the distant corridor become audible.
Su Lun stepped out the door.
In the corridor outside stood an elegantly dressed elderly woman with white hair, wearing a deep red ecclesiastical robe—Cardinal Aulia.
Unlike other Cardinals assigned to different nations within the Order Faction to oversee Church affairs throughout their territories, Aulia was one of those stationed at the Sacred Court's headquarters, a highly esteemed position.
"Your Eminence, Cardinal Aulia, I didn't expect to meet you as soon as I stepped out."
Su Lun's beautiful face showed a hint of joy.
"Are you on duty at the Sacred Court today? Why didn't you let me know in advance? I could have come to you directly."
"It's not about being on duty. I came to you today for something much more important."