Chapter 620: The reason why they were here

Inside one of the private quarters of the temple, Adelia and Stella sat together on a comfortable couch near the corner of the room.

Adelia looked at Stella expectantly. "Will you tell me now, big sis? Why exactly did we come all the way here?"

Stella let out a small sigh. "You see, Adelia... I’ve been considering making you the next Archpriestess. You already know that."

"Yes."

Adelia nodded.

Stella raised one hand and gently flicked her fingers.

A faint glow of mana spread from her body. In an instant, a transparent barrier formed around the room, completely surrounding the two women.

The moment Adelia saw the barrier, her expression became serious.

Stella rarely used such precautions during ordinary conversations. Whatever she was about to say was clearly important.

"You know that the position of Archpriestess isn’t simply about managing temples or leading prayers," Stella continued. "There are many things you’ll eventually have to deal with—some of which ordinary priests and believers will never even know about."

Adelia remained silent, listening carefully. "So I wanted to show you experience few things you may have to face in the future."

Stella’s expression softened. "And don’t worry. Even after you become Archpriestess, I won’t simply abandon you. I’ll remain by your side as your advisor, even after I step down from the position."

Adelia immediately frowned. "I haven’t agreed to become Archpriestess yet."

"Hehe. I know." Stella chuckled softly. "I’m only telling you what may happen."

"Fine..."

Adelia sighed before leaning back against the couch.

"So... what exactly did you want to show me?"

She paused, then narrowed her eyes slightly. "You asked Bishop Jonathan some normal questions earlier, but you also asked him several things that seemed completely unrelated. For example, you asked about the surrounding villages and towns near Eldermere."

Stella smiled faintly. "Good. You noticed."

"Of course I noticed." Adelia crossed her arms. "You wouldn’t suddenly become interested in the geography around Eldermere for no reason."

Stella’s expression gradually became more serious. "You’re right."

She folded her hands over her lap. "Adelia, the Temple has been searching for cultists for a very long time."

Adelia’s expression hardened. "We’ve found and eliminated several groups over the years. But for the past few years, we haven’t been able to uncover any major organization or trace their movements."

She paused. "Until this year."

Adelia’s eyes narrowed. "You mean the two incidents?"

"Yes." Stella nodded. "The incident in Mistvale Town... and the attack near Lunari Haven."

Adelia’s expression became grim. "You mean when we were leaving the city with the students aboard the airship and were attacked?"

"Exactly."

Stella’s golden eyes became colder. "Both incidents definitely pointed toward cultist activity."

Adelia lowered her gaze.

She remembered Mistvale. She remembered what had happened there. An entire village had been wiped out.

And two students from the academy had lost their lives.

Even though she had not witnessed everything herself, she knew enough about what Amon had gone through there to understand how dangerous those cultists were.

"That’s why you came here?" Adelia asked.

Stella nodded. "And I believe there may be a connection."

Adelia looked up sharply. "You found something?"

"Not exactly." Stella shook her head. "Our own information network couldn’t find anything concrete."

She paused for a moment. "However, about two weeks ago, an independent information guild sent one of its reports to our regional network."

Adelia listened carefully. "What did the report say?"

"The guild had been tracking several unusual movements in the region surrounding Eldermere for two years now. It was not big deal for them... but after incident involving cultists happened... they decided to inform us whatever unusual they find."

Stella’s expression became thoughtful. "Normally, that wouldn’t be enough to concern us. Eldermere is a major city, and travelers, merchants, adventurers, and religious groups are constantly moving through the surrounding region."

"Then what made this different?"

"The pattern."

Stella’s voice became quieter. "The information guild noticed that several individuals who had entered the region over the past few months had no clear records of where they came from. Some stayed for only a few days before leaving. Others disappeared from the guild’s records entirely."

Adelia frowned. "That still doesn’t necessarily mean they’re cultists."

"No. It doesn’t." Stella nodded. "That’s why we haven’t acted yet."

She continued. "But there was another detail."

"What?"

"Several of those individuals were seen traveling toward the smaller settlements around Eldermere."

Adelia’s eyes narrowed.

"Villages?"

"Yes."

Stella nodded.

"According to the report, they were particularly interested in remote villages and areas that rarely attracted the attention of the city’s authorities."

Adelia became thoughtful.

"That’s why I came here."

She leaned back against the couch.

"There is Leonera, one of the larger villages within Eldermere’s surrounding territory. It’s also far enough from the city that an outsider could operate there without attracting immediate attention."

Adelia remained silent for a moment. "But if Bishop Jonathan is responsible for this entire region, wouldn’t he have noticed something?"

"That’s what I wanted to find out."

Stella smiled faintly. "That’s why I asked him those questions earlier."

Adelia suddenly understood. "You were trying to determine whether he had noticed anything unusual in the surrounding villages."

"Exactly."

Stella nodded. "Normally, we would have trusted Bishop Jonathan’s reports. He’s served the Church faithfully for many years, and there has never been any reason to suspect him."

She paused. "But after what happened in Mistvale and Lunari Haven, we’ve stopped assuming that any region is completely safe simply because it is under the protection of the Church."

Adelia’s expression became solemn. "There could be cultists hiding right under our noses."

"That’s the possibility I’m investigating."

Stella looked toward the window.

"And if the information guild’s report is connected to the cultists we’ve been searching for, we may finally have a trail."

Adelia was silent for a moment before asking,

"Did the information guild find anything else?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Stella shook her head. "Their report was based mostly on suspicious movements and incomplete testimonies. Nothing strong enough to identify the people involved."

"So we’re basically following a lead that might not even be connected."

"Yes."

Stella smiled wryly.

"That’s investigation for you."

Adelia sighed. "And you brought me along because you want me to learn how to deal with situations like this."

"Exactly."

Stella’s smile returned.

"I want you to understand that being an Archpriestess isn’t only about standing in front of believers and delivering blessings."

She looked directly into Adelia’s eyes.

"Sometimes, you’ll have to investigate things that people would rather remain hidden. Sometimes you’ll have to make difficult decisions. And sometimes..."

Her expression became cold.

"...you’ll have to confront people who worship something other than the Goddess of Light."

Adelia’s hands slowly clenched. "The cultists of the Devil."

"Yes."

Adelia’s gaze became determined. "I’m ready."

Stella raised an eyebrow.

"Are you?"

"I am."

Adelia’s voice was firm. "I know what those people are capable of."

Her mind briefly returned to Mistvale. He had survived something that should have been impossible to survive.

"If they’re really involved in something here, then I want to help find them."

Adelia’s eyes hardened. "And we can’t let them repeat what they have done before.We can’t let innocent people die... who knows.. there’s something dangerous going on... and we still unaware.. something that even information agency couldn’t find."

Adelia, being kind and gentle by nature, couldn’t help but want to catch those people and stop whatever evil they were planning.

"Yes.. there’s possibility. Not like they go too deep into its related to such dangerous people. They simply inform us."

Stella stared at her for a moment before a warm smile appeared on her face. She reached over and gently patted Adelia’s head. "I knew I could trust you."

Adelia smiled faintly.

Stella’s eyes softened. "And that’s exactly why I believe you’re the best choice to become the next Archpriestess."

---

Amon and Arnold stood behind the trunk of a large tree, keeping themselves partially hidden from view as they watched a small wooden house a short distance away.

The girl they had been following had just entered the house.

Amon leaned slightly to the side, peeking around the tree.

"So, she lives here with her mother," he murmured.

The house was small and rather old, with weathered wooden walls and a simple roof. Compared to some of the larger houses they had seen in Leonera, it looked quite modest.

"From the looks of it, they don’t seem to have much money either," Amon added.

He glanced at Arnold.

"Honestly, she doesn’t look dangerous at all."

Arnold kept his eyes fixed on the house. "Looks can be deceiving."

Amon sighed. "You’re still being paranoid."

"Maybe."

Arnold didn’t take his eyes off the house.

"But we’ve already learned that appearances can’t be trusted. Until we know what’s going on, we shouldn’t rule anyone out."

Amon stared at the house for a moment before reluctantly nodding.

"Fair enough."

He leaned his back against the tree.

"Let’s keep watching, then."

Arnold nodded.

The two remained hidden behind the tree, silently observing the small house and waiting to see whether anything unusual would happen.