Chapter 70: Extermination Order

The Hall of the Sacred Council had never been so full.

Cardinals.

Bishops.

Inquisitors.

Commanders.

Even representatives from the Church's various branches had been urgently summoned.

The news of the second Absurd Entity had spread across the continent like wildfire.

And fear…

Had arrived before any explanation.

In the center of the hall, on a huge white stone table, two magical projections floated.

One showed the Little Fat King yawning with absolute laziness.

The other…

Sir Dogerino proudly raising his Sacred Stick.

Two creatures.

One summoner.

Something that, according to all known records, should never have happened.

The Supreme Elder slowly looked at everyone present.

"The session is open."

No one spoke.

Until a man dressed in white armor stepped forward.

He was Grand Inquisitor Aldren.

The same one who had lost several men during the confrontation against the Fat King.

His eyes were filled with a mix of rage and shame.

"There's nothing to discuss."

His voice echoed throughout the hall.

"That boy must die."

A murmur ran through the room.

Aldren slammed his fist on the table.

"Every minute he stays alive increases the risk!"

He pointed at the floating images.

"He already possesses two Entities!

Are we going to wait for him to get a third?

A fourth?

Five?"

No one answered immediately.

Many, deep down, shared that fear.

However…

Another man stood up.

He wore a dark blue robe, completely different from the traditional white of the inquisitors.

He was Cardinal Lucien, head of the Sacred Archives.

His voice was much calmer.

"You speak out of fear."

Aldren glared at him.

"I speak from experience."

Lucien slowly shook his head.

"No.

You speak like someone who lost."

The atmosphere grew heavy.

Several inquisitors stepped forward, annoyed.

Lucien didn't even look at them.

He continued speaking with absolute calm.

"Until a week ago…

We believed there was only one Absurd Entity.

Now we know there are two."

He pointed at the projections.

"And your solution is to destroy the only source of information we have?"

Aldren immediately replied.

"Information is useless if the world disappears!"

"And how do you know it will disappear?"

"Because everything points to it!"

Lucien sighed.

"No.

Everything points to the fact that we understand absolutely nothing."

---

The Supreme Elder remained silent.

Listening.

Watching.

Letting the discussion run its course.

Because he knew that division had been brewing for years.

Kael had only accelerated the inevitable.

---

A third man raised his hand.

He was an elderly bishop with a completely white beard.

"I propose we capture him."

Several eyes turned toward him.

"Alive."

Aldren let out a dry laugh.

"Capture him?

The boy who defeated an inquisitor squad?

The summoner whose cat sent a Holy Warrior flying?"

The old man nodded.

"Precisely.

Because if we manage to isolate him…

We can study the bond between the Entities and their Bearer."

Lucien immediately supported the idea.

"I agree.

We need answers."

Another priest added:

"We could even learn to separate the Entities from the boy."

The hall began to fill with murmurs.

For the first time…

The proposal seemed to gain strength.

But Aldren intervened again.

"And if we fail?"

Silence.

"What if a third Entity appears during the capture?"

No one answered.

"What if those creatures decide to protect him?"

More silence.

"How many more men are you willing to sacrifice?"

The words weighed on everyone.

Because he spoke from experience.

He had seen the Fat King up close.

He knew perfectly well that that creature didn't fight like any known being.

---

A young inquisitor, who had remained silent until then, stepped forward.

His voice trembled slightly.

"With permission…"

Everyone looked at him.

"I was there."

The hall fell completely silent.

"I saw the cat."

He took a deep breath.

"No…

He didn't fight.

He just…

Pushed us aside.

As if he didn't even consider us important enemies."

The young man's hands began to tremble.

"And that was what scared me the most."

Many looked down.

That testimony was much more impactful than any written report.

"If he had wanted to kill us…

None of us would have come back."

Aldren clenched his eyes shut.

Because he knew it was true.

---

Lucien seized the moment.

"You see?

We don't even know their true intentions.

Or the Entities'.

They could be hostile.

Or they could not be."

He pointed again at the image of Sir Dogerino.

"According to the reports…

The second Entity protected the boy even during simple training."

Another scroll floated up.

"There are also records where both creatures avoided unnecessary casualties."

Aldren replied coldly.

"Because they haven't needed them yet."

Lucien shook his head.

"That's an assumption."

"Yours is too."

The looks began to divide.

Some nodded with Aldren.

Others with Lucien.

The Church of Order…

Had never been so fractured.

---

A stern-looking cardinal struck the table with his staff.

"Enough!"

The noise silenced everyone.

His voice was deep.

Authoritative.

"We've been arguing for two hours.

And we're still exactly where we started."

He looked first at Aldren.

"Some want to exterminate him."

Then at Lucien.

"Others want to capture him."

Finally, he looked at the Supreme Elder.

"But no one is making a decision."

The elder breathed slowly.

Not yet.

Because first he needed to know something else.

He looked at the head of intelligence.

"Tell me.

What is the boy doing right now?"

The man consulted a communication crystal.

Then he replied.

"Training at Arkanis Academy.

With his two Entities.

And…"

He frowned slightly.

"It seems… they're learning to cooperate."

That last sentence made several faces pale.

Two Entities.

Learning to fight together.

Aldren clenched both fists.

"You see?

It's already too late!"

While Lucien, on the contrary, smiled slightly.

"No.

It means he's still acting like a student.

And that gives us time."

The discussion was far from over.

And for the first time in centuries…

The Church's most dangerous enemy wasn't a monster.

It was the divided opinion of its own leaders.

---

The discussion continued for several more minutes.

Every argument found another that contradicted it.

Every proposal generated new doubts.

The Church of Order, which for centuries had prided itself on acting with a single will…

Now looked like two different organizations sharing the same building.

Grand Inquisitor Aldren took a deep breath.

Then he stepped to the center of the hall.

"Enough theories."

His voice echoed among the enormous white columns.

"I'm going to say what everyone here knows, but few dare to admit."

He pointed at the images of the Fat King and Sir Dogerino.

"Those creatures don't belong to this world."

No one responded.

"They don't follow our laws.

They don't obey our classifications.

They don't respect logic."

He looked directly at the Supreme Elder.

"And you want to wait?

Wait for what?

For a third one to appear?

For that boy to destroy a city by accident?

Or for those creatures to decide they no longer need a summoner?"

Silence returned.

Because, although many didn't share his methods…

No one could say he was wrong.

---

Lucien walked slowly until he stood in front of him.

His tone remained calm.

"Now I'll answer."

He looked around the hall.

"How many here have personally seen the boy?"

Only four people raised their hands.

"How many have seen him attack civilians?"

No one responded.

"How many reports confirm that he has used his summons for personal gain?"

Silence again.

Lucien smiled slightly.

"Exactly."

He turned toward Aldren.

"Everything we know about Kael Veyron indicates the opposite."

He began walking slowly.

"He protected students.

Protected teachers.

Even during the attack on the academy, he avoided pursuing the inquisitors when they were able to retreat."

He opened another scroll.

"And just a few days ago, he rejected millionaire offers from noble houses and guilds."

Several cardinals exchanged glances.

That was also recorded.

"If he wanted power…

He would have accepted.

If he wanted wealth…

He would already have it.

If he wanted influence…

He wouldn't keep attending classes like a regular student."

Aldren clenched his jaw.

"Or maybe he's just waiting for the right moment."

"Do you have proof?"

"No."

"Then?"

The Grand Inquisitor didn't respond.

Because he had none.

---

Another high-ranking official intervened.

She was a middle-aged woman with a silver cross engraved on her forehead.

"Maybe you're both wrong."

The looks turned toward her.

"We don't need to capture him.

Or kill him.

We just need to get close."

Aldren let out a laugh.

"You think he'll agree to talk to us after we tried to execute him?"

The woman remained serious.

"No.

But maybe we can talk to those around him."

She opened another file.

"The heiress of House Frost.

Seraphina Frost.

The heir of House Solaris.

Aurelion Solaris.

His little sister.

Luna.

The Academy professors."

She flipped through the pages one after another.

"Every Bearer has bonds.

And bonds…

Are easier to understand than Entities."

Lucien slowly nodded.

That was the first proposal that actually seemed useful to him.

---

The Supreme Elder finally stood up.

He didn't raise his voice.

He didn't slam the table.

But the entire hall fell silent immediately.

"I've heard enough."

His eyes slowly swept the room.

"Aldren.

You want to eliminate the boy."

The inquisitor bowed his head.

"Yes."

"Lucien.

You want to study him."

"That's correct."

"And others want to negotiate."

Several present nodded.

The elder took a deep breath.

"The answer is…

None of the three."

A murmur ran through the hall.

"Because we still know too little."

He slowly approached the floating images.

First he looked at the Fat King.

Then at Sir Dogerino.

Finally, a third projection appeared.

Kael.

A boy with orange hair.

In a school uniform.

A permanent tired expression.

And two impossible summons by his side.

"Look closely."

Everyone fell silent.

"That child…

Doesn't seem to understand the magnitude of what he possesses."

Lucien nodded.

That was exactly what all reports showed.

Kael acted with absurd naturalness.

As if living with two legendary creatures was an everyday thing.

"And precisely because of that…"

The Supreme Elder looked up.

"We still have a chance."

---

He took the Church's golden seal.

Pressed it onto a completely new scroll.

The sound of metal echoed through the entire hall.

"From this moment on…

Attacking Kael Veyron without direct authorization from the Supreme Council is prohibited."

Several inquisitors showed evident displeasure.

But no one protested.

"The Special Observation Division is officially created."

Lucien stepped forward.

"It will be under my responsibility."

The elder nodded.

"Your mission will be to study the Bearer.

The Entities.

And any related anomaly."

Then he lifted another document.

This time with a black seal.

Much smaller.

Much more discreet.

Only a few people managed to see it.

"And also…

A second unit is created."

Aldren slowly lifted his head.

"The Contingency Division."

The Grand Inquisitor smiled for the first time during the entire meeting.

"If the boy loses control…

If a third Entity appears…

Or if he represents a direct threat to the continent…

Then…

And only then…

The Extermination Order will be authorized."

No one spoke.

Everyone understood the true meaning of those words.

The Church had just created two completely opposite paths.

One sought to save Kael.

The other…

Waited for the moment to kill him.

---

Far away from there…

On the same hill where the mysterious hooded man had listened to the previous meeting…

A small crystal spider stopped glowing.

The man smiled.

"So they decided to split up…"

He carefully tucked the tiny artifact into his cloak.

"It was inevitable."

He looked toward the horizon.

In the direction of Arkanis Academy.

"They have no idea…"

He murmured with a mix of amusement and concern.

"That the real danger has never been Kael."

He slowly closed his eyes.

Remembering ancient documents.

Old ruins.

Forgotten names.

And a phrase written hundreds of years ago.

"When the Second awakens… the observers will begin to fight among themselves."

The man opened his eyes again.

"The prophecy…

Has already begun."

A strong gust of wind stirred his cloak.

And, like a shadow among the trees…

He disappeared.

Meanwhile, completely unaware of all of that…

Kael was arguing with the Little Fat King because he had refused to walk three meters to his food bowl.

Sir Dogerino, trying to help, had carried the bowl in his mouth… along with the table.

The crash made Kael sigh.

"A normal day…

Was that too much to ask?"