Chapter 485 - 201: He’s So Heartless

"Who knows?" Kleia said, her lips curling. "Knowing those Shadow Mages, they’ve probably discovered some secret of the Dawn Church and are looking to make a big score."

"That’s not going to be easy! As far as I know, the Dawn Church already has two Saintesses who wield an Authority, plus four Candidacy Saintesses."

"Five," Menor added coolly. "Just yesterday, the Inheritor of the Authority of Kindness also appeared."

"Oh? Menor, you seem to know something?" Andri looked at him. The faint, runic glow of her gray armor added a heroic air to her elegant features.

"You all don’t know yet, do you? Yesterday, Menor rushed to the Cordo Sea, confronted that deity of Dawn head-on, and even chased it off!"

"Kleia! Shut your mouth!"

A vein bulged on Menor’s forehead. "If you’re so eager, I’ll be sure to bring you with me next time."

’Damn it! What confrontation?’

’Even if she wanted to exaggerate, this is just absurd.’

’With my level of strength, forget a confrontation. I was lucky just to escape in one piece.’

"Er, on second thought, never mind..."

Kleia flinched and made a zipping motion across her lips to show she was staying quiet.

"Menor, tell us more about the Dawn Church’s new Inheritor of the Authority of Kindness."

"She didn’t receive the blessing ceremony in a region under Dawn’s influence, but on the Cordo Sea. At the time, she was with a Judgment Knight..."

"So you’re saying you have a Wizard under your command who can slay a Hand of the Kingdom?"

"More or less..."

"It’s not fair! Why are you always so damn lucky!?" Pedro’s muscles flexed as he spoke, his tone a mixture of frustration and envy. "Why can’t *I* get subordinates like that?"

"Maybe you would if you were a little less of a creep..." Kleia giggled and darted away.

"Kleia, I’m going to rip your mouth off!"

Their playful chasing didn’t distract Andri. She looked thoughtfully at Menor. "So, are you planning to nominate him at this meeting?"

"I’ve been considering it." Menor didn’t deny it, nodding. "He’s currently the only one who stands a chance of passing the assessment."

"What about Thousand Faces?"

"Her? She’d need to break two more seals to match Wei’en’s current strength, and that will likely take a very long time. Unless she herself is willing, no one can break those seals. So... until then, we just have to let her be."

"She still doesn’t know who she is, does she?" Andri’s expression turned cold. "Hmph. I’d love to see the look on her face the day she gets her memory back."

"Yes... I imagine she’ll be quite troubled..." Menor’s expression was calm, but a complex emotion flickered in the depths of his eyes.

"In the last era, if it weren’t for her..."

Just then, a gentle voice sounded in their ears. "So you’ve all arrived."

Hearing this voice, Menor and the others fell silent and bowed respectfully.

"Leader!"

"Lord Leader!"

The voice continued, "Yes, all of you, come inside."

As the voice finished speaking, the great doors of the nearby castle swung open, as if welcoming them.

Not daring to delay, Menor and the others calmly entered the castle. Seeing the figure standing in the center of the grand hall, they bowed again. "Leader."

The figure wasn’t particularly tall. His long black hair was tied back in a casual braid. His angular face featured a pair of narrow, black eyes, which regarded Menor and the others with a hint of a smile.

He wore a robe like Menor’s, emblazoned with the emblem of the Eternal Life Association. His, however, was distinguished by an extra ring of gold trim, signifying his unique status.

"Come. I have a few things to tell you." The black-haired leader led the way to the round table in the center of the hall and took a seat.

"Lord Leader, aren’t we waiting for Vladika and the others?" Kleia asked curiously.

"It’s fine. This won’t affect the meeting to come."

The others had no choice but to take their seats, waiting quietly for their leader to begin.

The black-haired leader leaned back in his chair, looking somewhat relaxed. "The Dusk Sect’s recent activities have been... unusual. After this meeting, I want you to investigate the matter within your respective territories."

"The Dusk Sect? Didn’t you and Alessandro already go to deal with them?" Andri looked her leader directly in the eyes, not lowering her gaze to stare ahead like Menor and the others.

"As you might expect... we failed."

The black-haired leader sighed. "This time, their target was an Extraordinary with the gift of precise prophecy. Those bastards had already located him the day before his gift awakened..."

"Precise prophecy? Are they trying to replicate what happened in the last era?"

"It would seem so. But I have a feeling it’s not that simple."

The black-haired leader gently stroked the ring on his left ring finger. "They failed last time, even with *that one’s* help. The conditions to replicate that event during the Divine Prohibition Era would be even more stringent. That’s why Alessandro and I believe the Dusk Sect must have some secret we haven’t yet uncovered."

"That’s impossible, isn’t it? During that incident, they already managed to get *that one* to act. Could they really have found a being even more powerful?"

The black-haired leader shook his head. "We can’t rule out the possibility..."

At this, Menor knocked on the table. "Sorry to interrupt. Leader, I think the secret of the Dusk Sect might be what I’ve discovered..."