The envoy from the Alliance arrived on the island.
"Mr. Carl." The envoy handed over a golden token. "This is the Alliance's reward for those with significant merits. Apparently, it can be redeemed for something later on."
"Please keep it safe."
"Thank you." Carl accepted the token and asked, "It seems Earl Bob has been confirmed as a Legendary Knight. The Alliance is quite prompt in its actions."
"It's confirmed, but the Alliance can't take credit for it." The envoy shook his head. "Lately, Alliance members have been assassinating Kolong nobles and generals, and many attempts have been successful."
"The Kolong side has threatened retaliation, especially since the deaths of several key targets enraged the King of Kolon."
"Earl Bob is not only a Legendary Knight but also a dear friend of the Kolong Kingdom and a childhood playmate. Furthermore, your name has appeared on Kolon's retaliation list, and it's ranked very high."
Carl's expression stiffened. He asked dryly, "Really?"
The envoy cast a sympathetic look at him. "It's true. There are even rumors that the King of Kolon personally said he would stop at nothing to kill you."
"..." Carl forced a laugh. "You're joking, right?"
"I'm not one for joking, but you don't need to worry," the envoy advised. "With the Alliance entering the battlefield, Kolon no longer holds an advantage, and they will eventually be pushed back by the allied forces."
"Besides, recently all the Wizard Apprentices of the Alliance have taken on missions to assassinate targets. They're too busy trying to save their own lives to have any energy left for retaliation."
Carl gently shook his head.
He didn't share the envoy's confidence. He had seen the Gando Kingdom's troops. Besides their poor discipline, their weapons weren't even in the same league.
Kolon had Flintlock Guns and cannons.
Gando was still conscripting serfs!
They were products of entirely different eras; how could they possibly fight?
Even if Wizards joined the battle, their usefulness was limited; after all, Wizard Apprentices couldn't withstand cannon fire.
Wizards might. But they couldn't enter the fray.
"When will the Star Gate be able to open?"
"There's no news yet."
The envoy's words extinguished his hope of fleeing anytime soon. After seeing the visitor off, he stood dejectedly by the shore.
At some point, Catherine had come up from behind. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Carl turned around, sighing. "Just some annoying trivial matters."
"Everything will pass, don't be so down." Catherine smiled. "I've made some sweets. Take some back to try. If you like them, I'll make more next time."
Although being possessed by Angel Remiller had aged Catherine, her spirits were greatly lifted.
Death, for her, was a gift.
Catherine didn't long for death's arrival. Instead, she began to enjoy her life, finding various ways to please herself each day.
He followed her into the parlor. Just as he was about to taste the sweets, a complex pattern on the desk caught Carl's attention.
"The symbol of the Lord!" Catherine clasped her hands, looked upward, her face full of adoration, and said, "I can feel the Lord's presence through it."
Carl studied the pattern on the table, his brows furrowing slightly; he couldn't even taste the sweet in his mouth.
"I remember the symbol of the Master of Dawn isn't this complicated. Isn't it just this outer ring?"
Each Divine has their own symbol.
For instance, the Lord of Intense Sun, the Main God of the Kolong people, has a symbol that is a Burning flame.
The symbol of the Master of Dawn somewhat resembles ears of wheat combined with a crescent moon; its design is simple and easy to understand.
"Yes." Catherine pointed. "This is the Lord, this is the Divine Domain, this is Angel Remiller..."
"The night before last, Angel Remiller even responded to me, though I didn't understand what she said."
Hmm? Carl's eyes twinkled. "You mean, this pattern doesn't refer only to the Master of Dawn, but also to Angel Remiller?"
"No!" Catherine shook her head. "The Lord, which includes Angel Remiller." Follow current novᴇls on novel·fıre·net
"Carl, I know you Wizard Apprentices have no faith, but I hope you'll respect my beliefs."
She didn't appreciate Carl's casual tone, as he was referring to the Divine, the Master of Dawn.
"You're right." Carl composed his expression and gave a slight bow in the manner of the Church of Dawn. "The Divine is great and not to be profaned."
"Exactly." A satisfied smile appeared on Catherine's face. "That's more like it."
"So..." Carl began, "if a person wished to... let's say, make the Master of Dawn aware of their devotion, would drawing these symbols be enough?"
"If one is truly devout and the Lord wishes to see them, then it can happen at any time." Catherine shook her head. "These patterns are just a bridge for communication; it's the same with or without them."
She clearly didn't grasp what Carl was implying, or perhaps she did but would not permit any disrespect towards the Divine.
"What I mean is..." Carl spoke again, "how does one contact an Angel?"
"An Angel?" Catherine said, "Each Angel has their unique symbol. If you can draw it and recite the Angel's holy name, she can sense you. However, whether she will see you depends on the Angel's own mood."
"Angel Remiller is just as the stories describe: innocent, kind, and possessing great magnanimity."
Although she was praising the Angel, it was obvious that in Catherine's eyes, the status of Angels paled in comparison to the Divine.
It was still adoration, but not the kind directed at something utterly unreachable.
The Lord. To even mention Him was blasphemy!
"Catherine," Carl remarked with emotion, "you know so much."
"It is a gift from the Lord," Catherine said reverently.