Father Daniel woke up from his sleep and looked out the window, noticing the sun had just risen on the horizon. As usual, he grabbed his pipe and enjoyed a smoke in the church's backyard garden. It was rare for him to have a peaceful night like the previous one, where he could sleep soundly without any disturbances. Father Daniel savored the cool morning air with a glass of homemade wine, gazing at his vineyard—now obscured by the village wall—and silently asking the wind when he could return to his former life.

  The sound of footsteps came from the side of the church. Standing there was Ipsilas, alone, wearing a hood that covered his face. Ipsilas observed Father Daniel relaxing by himself, wondering if this old man was truly the person he was looking for. A million doubts filled Ipsilas's heart, questioning whether the information he had received was accurate or just an exaggerated lie.

  "Good morning, Marshal. What brings you to this humble church?"

  Ipsilas approached and sat beside Father Daniel, who then took an empty glass and poured some of his wine for him.

  "Thank you, Father."

  "It's a beautiful morning, isn't it? You rarely find mornings like this these days."

  "The city is unusually quiet today. I can't remember the last time I slept as soundly as I did last night."

  Father Daniel took a puff of his pipe and exhaled the smoke contentedly. He looked at Ipsilas and said, "So, Marshal?"

  "Is it true that you are Peter of the Order of Longinus?"

  Father Daniel smiled and replied, "That's absurd. I am Daniel, a priest enjoying my old age."

  "I’ve often heard stories about you on the battlefield. Of course, we were on opposite sides, but your achievements and abilities were the talk of everyone."

  Father Daniel didn’t say a word, continuing to enjoy the morning by smoking his pipe and sipping his wine. Ipsilas rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a church order emblem, which immediately caught Father Daniel’s attention.

  "We both know what this symbol means. We know Valentinus's ambitions and what needs to be done."

  "We? Why would the Priest Slayer of Corsica care about the church's internal affairs?"

  "The safety of Duke Kleon and the survival of Isildus are my top priorities, but I can’t act alone."

  "Does the Duke know about this?"

  Ipsilas held up the emblem again and said, "No, and even if he did, there’s little he could do."

  "This whole thing reeks of something foul, don’t you think? A Marshal with your reputation suddenly comes here, asking me, an old priest, to help fight against diocese agents? There’s too much you’re not saying. I’m not some naive child."

  "I just don’t want Duke Kleon dragged into your church’s conspiracies! Every day, Valentinus gains more political allies. Sooner or later, this city will be his, and we both know what Valentinus wants."

  "And why should I care at all?"

  Ipsilas looked furious but knew Father Daniel’s words held truth. The priest had no obligation to care about any of this. Suddenly, Apollonia came running, her face filled with panic. She looked around and immediately approached Father Daniel.

  "F-Father, did Sebastian stay over last night?!"

  "Sebastian? No, I left him at the training area yesterday. I assumed he stayed there until night."

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  "Sebastian didn’t come home last night! Please help me find him!"

  Father Daniel glanced at Ipsilas and said, "Our conversation ends here. Don’t come here again."

  Father Daniel quickly stood up and ran after Apollonia. The two of them headed to the training area, where they found a few people. After asking around, some said Sebastian had indeed trained until night, while others claimed they saw him walking home. Apollonia looked so panicked her face turned pale, while Father Daniel tried to figure out where Sebastian might have gone.

  Meanwhile, Ipsilas continued to follow Father Daniel and Apollonia, pretending to be indifferent as he observed the village while keeping his hood on. Occasionally, Father Daniel glanced at Ipsilas’s movements, unsure of what the man wanted now. He had outright rejected Ipsilas's proposal, so why was he being so persistent?

  "It’s better if we search around your house now. Maybe he left some clues about where he went."

  Father Daniel and Apollonia immediately went to the house and checked the surrounding area, but there were no clues to indicate where Sebastian had gone. Sebastian’s room was still neat and untouched, but the dinner plate Apollonia had prepared was completely empty. Father Daniel concluded that Sebastian had returned home last night, but where he went afterward was a mystery.

  Father Daniel used holy magic to detect anything unusual. With his power, he could see faint footprints leading from the house toward the village wall, gradually fading in the wind. He followed the trail until he reached the edge of the Sullar Forest. Looking around, he found no further signs of Sebastian’s whereabouts.

  "If the trail we’re following is the boy’s, he’s probably dead by now," Ipsilas remarked.

  "Why are you still following me? This has nothing to do with you."

  "You might not like what I’m about to say next, but I have an idea about what happened to the boy."

  Father Daniel glared at Ipsilas and said, "An idea? Or are you behind all this?"

  Ipsilas could feel the bloodthirsty glare from Father Daniel. He knew he was walking on thin ice that could shatter at any moment. He had to win Father Daniel over as an ally, or everything he was doing would be in vain.

  "Some of Duke Kleon’s scouts reported something strange in the Sullar Forest last night—a bright flash of light coming from deep within the forest. We don’t know what caused it, but judging by the distance from the village to the source, I can guess what happened."

  Father Daniel tried to detect any lies in Ipsilas's words but found none. However, his heart struggled to accept the information. There was something he wasn’t seeing in this situation—something unsettling that made him feel uneasy. Ipsilas's arrival, Sebastian’s disappearance, and now a flash of light from the Sullar Forest—there was something hidden behind all this.

  "What do you want now? I doubt a simple 'thank you' will satisfy you," Father Daniel said.

  "I want you to declare Valentinus a heretic. The things he’s done and plans to do will entangle him so deeply that all his connections will vanish in an instant. You must still have connections within the Latinum Diocese. This should be easy for you."

  "Reviving a dead order won’t be enough to make such an accusation. Yes, what he’s doing is radical, but the Pope won’t brand him a heretic just for that."

  "Can’t you see? I have a strong feeling that Valentinus is behind the Stampedes of the past few years. I don’t have proof yet, but his behind-the-scenes actions are highly suspicious!"

  Father Daniel looked shocked. Whatever evidence or suspicions Ipsilas had about Valentinus, accusing him of orchestrating such a horrific event was a heavy accusation. If proven wrong, not only would Valentinus be punished, but the reputation of the Diocese, which had been improving, would be shattered.

  "That’s a heavy accusation, Marshal. If your suspicions are wrong, I’ll be the one branded a heretic. What you want is a shield if this all goes wrong, so your hands remain clean."

  Father Daniel could see from Ipsilas's expression that his words were true. This was a tangled conspiracy with threads connecting many people. Given Ipsilas's reputation and prejudice against the Church, it all made sense. There was no way Ipsilas would ask for Father Daniel’s help without some ulterior motive.

  "If the worst happens, I’ll share the burden of my words."

  "Words can be carried away by the wind. I won’t believe a single word you say without concrete evidence."

  "Tonight, I plan to issue an arrest warrant for Valentinus, but I need a strong reason and support from the Church, since you’re diplomatic agents with legal immunity."

  "So that’s why you came to me this morning?"

  "I can’t just arrest Valentinus. No matter how much I despise your kind, I can’t bypass legal procedures."

  Father Daniel approached Ipsilas and extended his hand. Ipsilas shook it firmly. However, not a single ounce of trust was placed on that handshake. Something about all of this felt off, but Father Daniel just couldn’t see through the fog, no matter how hard he tried. Ipsilas, on the other hand, couldn’t contain his smile. He finally got him. Now, it was just a matter of time.

  "I’ll be watching you, Marshal. I hope you don’t mind."

  "Of course not. I’ll be doing the same, Father."

  Father Daniel walked back to Sebastian’s house, where Apollonia was still searching frantically. Slowly, he explained what might have happened to Sebastian, causing Apollonia to break down in tears. Father Daniel could only console the heartbroken woman, while inside, a fiery rage burned in every corner of his heart.