In less than half a day, the news of the Knight Commander’s rebirth through fire spread throughout the entire capital city. Both nobles and commoners were discussing it, drawing the holy sword, and slaying the invincible giant monster. Adventurers even gave it the title of "Blizzard King."
The heavily injured Knight Commander candidate, Abaddon, became a stepping stone for rumors. The army composed of elite knights and high-tier priests confirmed the terrifying power of the Blizzard King.
Adventurers said that Abaddon and his troops were wiped out by the Blizzard King in just one encounter, and in the battle at the Holy Sanctuary, this Knight Commander candidate was so frightened that he hid behind the statue of the Knight Lord, not daring to come out.
Reporters from the Horned Owl Beast Daily added fuel to the fire of these rumors.
He interviewed the survivors returning from the Northern Territory, receiving a unanimous response from them. Everyone had witnessed Keroy rebirth from the flames of the Firebird and pulling the holy sword from the solid ice, her eyes shimmering with golden glory.
"Oath and Sword of Victory."
In the afternoon report, this name was bestowed upon the holy sword, revealed to the reporter by an adventurer who wished to remain anonymous. He discovered such a description in the Knight Lord’s Sanctuary.
Abaddon lay in the church’s compartment, unwilling to open his eyes. The church’s priests healed his wounds, but for a Tier Four Knight, broken ribs were hardly a severe injury. Yet he would rather bury his head in the pillow like an ostrich.
He knew very well that the rumors of Keroy’s return would quickly spread throughout the capital city, and he understood what that meant.
It meant he had once again become a failure, losing his value to the church.
But now, he had to open his eyes, as the imposing figure had left the Holy Seat and entered this compartment.
When Abaddon opened his eyes, he immediately met a gaze filled with disappointment and anger.
"Your Holiness, I..."
"Where is Keroy now?"
The Pope did not want to waste words with the waste before him. The plans he had painstakingly orchestrated had now become someone else’s triumph, leaving him only with a waste that cowered under the blankets.
Perhaps Keroy had already crossed that chasm and reached the realm of saints.
If that were all, it would not be worth fearing. What truly made the Pope apprehensive were the rumors of "rebirth through fire," for resurrection is the greatest miracle the people of the Empire can imagine, as if her return were the will of the Knight Lord, destined by fate.
This would clothe her in the garb of a rightful god.
The Pope, well-versed in such matters, knew exactly what this meant. In the Empire, the Goddess of Life and the Knight Lord were supreme, inviolable presences.
Their words were absolute. All along, the church had used this point to send one stumbling block after another to the stake.
"I, I don’t know, she left quickly."
Abaddon averted his gaze.
The disgust in the Pope’s eyes became even more apparent. He cast a deep glance at Abaddon and turned to leave.
Moments later, he returned to the Holy Seat Hall, restrained his anger, dismissed the clergy, and locked himself inside alone. He closed his eyes, calming his emotions until they subsided. Only then did he place his hand on the candlestick, igniting the candle with a silvery glow, revealing a secret door on the portrait of the first Pope with a rumbling sound.
He approached a copper mirror, but its reflection showed only a blurred figure.
"Master, some unexpected developments have occurred in the capital city."
The Pope spoke with a humble tone, feeling as if he had returned to the role of an apprentice in front of that blurred figure.
A moment later, a deep voice emerged from the copper mirror, "I have already heard, the Knight Commander reborn through fire, the one chosen by the Knight Lord..."
"Do you think the rumors are true?"
The Pope’s expression grew heavier. Once Keroy donned the guise of a "divinely chosen," his usual methods would no longer be effective. The representative of the Goddess of Life could not convict another rightful god’s chosen, nor could he judge her.
This made him anxious, as not even the Goddess of Life had ever bestowed a miracle of resurrecting the dead.
"That is not important, Julius. There are always things we do not know in this world. The key lies in how we interpret this world. That is what I have always taught you."
The old voice from the copper mirror said, "Even divine spirits are no exception. ’Rebirth through fire, destined by fate’ is just one way of interpretation. By looking at the problem from a different perspective, the sacred garb can be stripped away. For example, she may have feigned death to deceive everyone to cover up the fact that she broke an oath. The so-called holy sword and monster invasion were merely a carefully orchestrated performance by her."
These words left the Pope stunned, his expression constantly changing, sometimes joyful, sometimes morose. His hands trembled uncontrollably. Every conversation with his teacher yielded great insight.
"She could be the hero who drew the holy sword and brought salvation; or she could be the one who orchestrated everything behind the scenes, the sinner who caused the deaths of adventurers and Kingdom soldiers. Julius, you must remember, truth is of no significance. The initial bearer of the death news was the Margaret Clan’s heiress, who has coincidentally returned to the capital... Go, your people await your interpretation of this world."
"I understand, Master!"
Meanwhile, the "Child of Destiny" who brought salvation to adventurers buried her face blissfully in Keroy’s feathers, muttering strange phrases, "Miss Keroy, hehe, Miss Keroy!"