The West of Lyran... a peaceful land full of mountains... Also the place where the church, the magic observatory, and the great library are located. The most important places in the world are hidden by large and majestic mountains around them. The place was like a valley protected by those mountains, a place where not just anyone can enter. In one part, two mountains were very small to allow entry for those capable of reaching this majestic place. Furthermore, the valley was divided into sections: the first, the lowest part; the second, the middle part; and the third, the highest part.
The observatory was the one located in the third. Its walls reflected the sky, and one could see how the clouds moved. It had its gigantic telescope, which used magic to float over the structure that had two openings at the top to allow its use.
Lower down was the grand and beautiful church, which had four floors and was white with golden details on the outside, along with a large golden bell floating above it in a tower. The tower itself was a bright sky blue, almost transparent. The sun illuminated the beautiful grass of the place and the large colored windows it had. Behind it was a terrace with a glass door and two medium-sized trees. In front of it was an underground waterfall that gave life to a river flowing towards the library, which used the water to generate energy with a watermill floating to the right of the library.
The library was the one at the very bottom. It was completely round, not including the watermill. The building had two floors, the second narrower than the first, made of oak wood with a large skylight in the center and windows all around the second floor.
Above the underground waterfall, two quite large figures observed the horizon, where the two smaller mountains stood. Beyond them, the sky was filled with white clouds.
"Rei is a bastard, how much longer will we wait...?" said a lion-man with a very deep and booming voice. He had a large mane, stood at two and a half meters tall, and had a robust build. His eyes were yellow, and he wore a long-tailed coat, blue with black, sleeveless, which revealed his large, muscular arms. He also wore pale golden armor on his chest and wide white pants with golden details. He had a burn scar on his face and on all his hands, and around his neck, a silver necklace with a golden insignia featuring the letter "L." Additionally, he didn't wear shoes, revealing his feet, which resembled a lion's with large claws.
"Knowing him, he could probably be delayed even one more day," replied an octopus-man with a calm, strong, slow, and respectful voice, with a touch of softness and, at times, a bubbling sound due to his crystal-clear water mask that revealed his mouth with dark, somewhat elongated lips. He was 2 meters and 6 cm tall, with a robust build. He wore a red jacket with a hood, covering half of his arms and upper torso; the jacket had a medium hole with yellow lines on its back. He wore a black leather chest plate and black compression pants that highlighted his muscular legs. He had a yellow metal belt with an insignia featuring the letter "R." He wore red metallic boots. His sclerae were yellow, and he had no pupils; his irises were thin black circles, visible only by their edge. His skin was red with small black spots. In his right hand, he carried a wrist weapon adapted to his size, and in his left, he wore a long metal glove with a yellow gem on the palm.
"Are you going too...? Pol? If not, I don’t understand what you’re doing here..." The lion-man stared at Pol as he said these words.
"Of course... I’ll just be more discreet. You’re impulsive, Rhorn. Strange you haven’t gone to look for him already," replied Pol while continuing to look at the horizon, with some bubbles forming in his mask as he spoke.
"Hahaha, I’m trying to change..." Rhorn laughed as he remembered something.
"I see... Oh no... Here he comes... with his weird things," he said, seeing Rei approaching from the horizon on a carriage while Rei played a piano created by his magic.
The green carriage was lifted by Rei’s green magic. "Greetings, everyone! Here comes the best magician of Alahead!" As he continued moving, he played a cheerful and catchy melody. He also created trumpets and violins around him with his magic to accompany his music.
"I’m coming over there...! To get you out of that... p... lace! You thought you’d get away... with it... well, now a big... surprise...! You’ll... see..." he sang confidently and slowly, resonating with every pause he made and changing the melody, making it deeper and somewhat mysterious, while continuing to approach the church.
"This guy is crazy," Rhorn was stunned to see Rei doing such a thing.
Finally, the carriage arrived, landing behind Pol and Rhorn. "Good... gentlemen, how are you?" Rei said excitedly as he got out of the carriage and approached them.
"We’ve been waiting for you for almost two days!" Rhorn said, annoyed, crossing his arms.
"Well, now you don’t have to wait! I’m here..." Rei said, opening the carriage and pulling out a folder full of pages and a round object. Then he approached Pol. "How are you, Garden? I heard you’re with someone, is she human?" Rei lightly nudged Pol with his elbow after asking.
"Whatever, Rei... We need to go to the meeting room. Be glad they didn’t send the kid to be killed yesterday because you didn’t show up," Pol calmly avoided the question, moving away from Rei and heading towards the church.
"When they give the verdict, I’ll immediately go look for him. We’ll see how strong your supposed disciple is," Rhorn said, smiling a little and stretching.
"Don’t worry, you won’t have to bother, no one will go to look for him," Rei expressed confidently as he entered the church with Pol and Rhorn.
"That confidence tells me you’re going to do something stupid," Rhorn stated, following them from behind.
"Every time I enter this place, it feels so welcoming. The most impenetrable place in the world. Rhorn, be careful, maybe it won’t let you in," Rei expressed with admiration as he looked at how large and majestic the church was and how the sunlight passed through the large windows, illuminating the place filled with benches made of beautiful, perfect wood. Inside, there were several white particles, and the altar was made of a precious golden Gyverna. The walls were completely white, with no trace of dust.
"What are you talking about? I don’t have bad intentions!" he said just before entering the church.
Rei continued walking alongside Pol. The floor was covered with a red, silky carpet. "Hahaha, I know, it’s a joke."
"I always wanted to verify the rumor that magic can’t be used inside here. Thanks to the priestess, I’ve succeeded," commented Rhorn, admiring the place as he followed Rei and Pol.
Rei gestured for Pol to crouch down and whispered, "Pol, stay alert and close to the meeting room."
"Why?" Pol asked, confused by the comment.
"The priest might destroy it all, since the meeting room is separate from the church, so he’ll be able to use his magic," Rei responded, his gaze serious.
"What will you do?".
"I’ll reveal some things that were hidden." Rei extended the arm holding the folder full of papers.
"Look who finally decided to show up." Near the right door, at the end of the corridor and the benches, appeared a woman carrying a long line of books in her hands.
"Gladys! It’s been a while, you look good!" Rei said cheerfully with a smile.
"I’m glad to see you. Thank them for convincing them to wait for you," said Gladys with her deep, resonant voice and a warm, friendly tone as she approached them. She was a woman with dark skin and afro hair; her eyes were honey-colored, and she was 173 cm tall. She wore a short brown leather trench coat in a steampunk style, black jodhpur pants, thick-heeled leather shoes, and dark green gloves that covered her wrists. She had protective goggles in her hair with intricate lenses and internal mechanisms; she also had a mechanism with a small brown pearl on her neck that glowed slightly.
"Thank you so much, Gladys, I appreciate the help, I’ll go immediately!" Rei ran to the meeting room.
Gladys stopped Rhorn before he could follow Rei. "Ah, no, you’re coming with me, I need help."
"What are you talking about? You don’t give me orders!" Rhorn said a little annoyed, trying to pass, but Gladys looked at him for a moment and then took him with her, dragging him by his coat.
"Pol! Tell me, why do I let a 45-year-old human give me orders?" he asked as he was dragged with his arms crossed.
"Hmmm, maybe, because she’s seven years older than you?" Pol replied after touching his head.
"I can assure you that when she turns 60 and gets old, I won’t follow her orders. I live longer than her and mature faster!" he said, crossing his arms while still being dragged.
"Well, it doesn’t show! And for your information, us humans don’t age all of a sudden when we turn 60, it’s pretty mild!" she mentioned, irritated at hearing his comment, easily carrying the line of books with one hand.
Rei kept running down the hallway until he reached the entrance of the meeting room, but before entering, he heard a discussion between a woman and Priest Krief.
"How dare you change my law! Now all the paladins will be lazy because they won't have to do anything to maintain their rank," shouted Priest Krief.
"They chose to be what they are, not just anyone can be one. Your law simply makes strong people not want to be paladins. You over-exploit them with this law, thinking they have to do millions of things wherever they are to not lose their rank," said the woman in a respectful tone, controlling her annoyance a bit.
"Only the capable, responsible, strong, and those who know what it means to be one can be paladins. It's not child's play!" retorted the priest.
"It has no justification! Being a paladin is already very difficult, and if you say that, why didn't you create a law for the knights too?" she replied.
"Your words are pure nonsense, you're nothing but a girl, priestess! Reducing their quota will help nothing," the priest slammed what seemed to be a table.
"The strongest waste their time doing things the knights could do, and the knights lose their lives fighting criminals they can't defeat." After the priestess's words, a loud sound of a table being struck was heard, stopping them both.
"Calm down!" said a man. "The decision has been made, time will tell if we were wrong," added a woman.
After hearing this, Rei took a deep breath and opened the door a bit forcefully, causing green ribbons to surround him with his magic. "Sorry to have kept you waiting! I have finally arrived," he said confidently, extending his hand and lowering his head.
The place was quite spacious. To the right, left, and front of Rei were tall seats, as well as a tall white table that looked like a pillar. There was also a staircase at the back of the seats. To the left, there were three long windows with silver frames. On the left and right of Rei, six people were seated on each side, wearing a white tunic with a golden cross on the chest, and they stood (these were called leaders, who helped make decisions, as well as organizing and listing knights and future paladins).
"You were late, Rei. We summoned you yesterday, not today," said the priestess with a loud, authoritative, and determined voice. Her hair was white and long, quite neat with some intertwined strands. Her eyes were orange; she was 188 cm tall and 26 years old. She wore a white tunic with black, leaving her shoulders exposed; she had a golden-orange bow that looked frosted at her waist and a black choker that covered her entire neck. She also wore a cape that, from the back, was white, but from the front, the cape was golden-orange frosted. She wore tall black boots fitted to the foot and leg with a golden-orange frosted sole. She also wore two earrings with a small cross. "Everyone may take a seat." She climbed to the seats in front of Rei. Above, Priest Krief was already there with Edgar to his right, and between this table, there was an empty seat between the priest and the priestess.
"Hmm... And my... seat?" Rei asked, looking for his seat everywhere after absorbing the ribbons he had created. The room was quite large, with white walls and long windows on the right wall.
"You don’t have one, for being late," the priest quickly replied, giving Rei a smile while patting his head. He smiled too, but the priest immediately looked at her, and the priestess quickly covered her mouth with her fist and cleared her throat. "Let’s begin with this. Paladin Rei Fordesthmans... tell me, why didn't you tell the truth about Louis A. Keeper being a demon? And why did you hide that his magic is lava? Is he a dangerous person we need to keep under extreme surveillance?" she asked respectfully and directly, taking a sheet from the table.
"One thing before everything... King Mathius wonders why he is affiliated with you, since he hasn't received any benefits despite your paladins having provided their services. You yourself can go to the kingdom, and you’ll see it’s the same as when he wasn’t affiliated," Rei said ironically, with his arms behind his head.
The priestess turned her gaze toward the priest, who simply ignored her.
"Priestess, first of all, Louis is a human half-demon, as you call that race. Now, I preferred not to tell his true race due to the obvious rejection that would arise from the priest. Secondly, I hid the truth about his magic for the same reason. The priest wouldn’t have accepted it... In fact, I think... No, I’m sure he would have ordered his death." Rei was interrupted by the priest when he heard his last words.
"It seems you’ll never change! You’ll always be arrogant and conceited!" the priest expressed angrily, his voice deep and rough, with a slight tremor of cynicism.
"Priest... don’t interrupt me, please, and be careful with what you say to me," Rei responded seriously and confidently, snapping his fingers on his right hand with force.
The priest jumped up from his seat furiously. "How dare you?! You disrespect me!"
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"Priest! Sit down. And Rei... don’t make any more comments like that and continue," said the priestess, who also stood up, putting order in the room while the leaders murmured.
"Louis is a boy trained by me. I wasn’t easy on him at all, despite his tragedy." Rei cracked each finger of the six he had on each hand as he continued speaking.
"What tragedy are you talking about?" asked one of the leaders on the left.
"Does it even matter?!" commented the priest, slamming the table.
"Of course it matters. Tell us about this... tragedy." The priestess lightly hit the table, her gaze fixed on the priest.
Rei created a table and a seat with his magic, placed the folder full of papers, and then pulled out an old round device from his bag, resembling an ancient communicator, as it looked quite worn. "You all think the first magical disaster was five years ago in the Mordigan kingdom... But no, the first magical disaster was six years ago in the Alahead kingdom. As you know, when a person doesn’t awaken their magic by ten, it’s either because they don’t have any or because their magic is accumulating. Louis was the first victim of this phenomenon. At twelve, he awakened his lava magic, which caused a disaster in the Alahead kingdom. Many people died, including his father, who sacrificed himself to put the collar I made with the sky blue sword of my father on him. This collar prevented Louis’s magic from going out of control and from taking his life. That was the method I used to stop something like this." After finishing, he sat down and began selecting papers from the folder.
"Pure nonsense, none of it is relevant," thought the priest, looking at Rei with disdain from the high seat.
"Incredible, could it be true?" asked one of the leaders, a woman with short red hair. Her eyes were brown, and she wore earrings shaped like a cross.
"It’s sky blue magic, it must be," replied another leader next to the woman. He wore a white hat and had gray eyes.
"The boy could still be dangerous," added another, who was arguing with the other leaders to Rei’s right. He wore black-framed glasses, had very neat brown hair, and brown eyes.
"He hasn’t caused anything so far. In fact, he helped capture many prisoners in Ystir, and he helped when the farmers' shield fell. In the same video, we see him fighting three criminals, and he’s been working as a courier in this kingdom," mentioned one of the leaders on Rei’s left. His hair was long, slicked back, and yellow, with blue eyes.
"Also, he could be a good asset in case... he returns. He has potential and must be used," replied a female leader with pink hair. Her nails were painted a grayish-pink color, and her eyes were dark.
"But he could destroy an entire kingdom, just like Trownlian," added another, who also wore a white hat with a golden clasp, sitting to his right, as well as a white mask with golden lines that covered his mouth and made his voice more robotic. His eyes were pitch black.
After the leaders finished their brief discussion, Rei continued: "When it all ended, I myself saw how his cheeks were covered in magical cracks, which, as you all know, happen when your magic runs out and you sacrifice your life to keep using it. I spent six years training him hard, helping him with his trauma, and teaching him how to be a true paladin."
"And we’re supposed to feel sorry for his story? You said it yourself, the boy is a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment. That collar won’t last for years," the priest expressed, trying to hide the disgust he felt, with a worried look.
"He talks about Lion's sword. I think he underestimates sky blue magic a lot, don’t you think?" said Rei, with a smile on his face, fully challenging.
The priest ground his teeth, and the priestess said, "It could still stop working and cause a catastrophe."
"I’ll take care of him myself and take responsibility for whatever happens. I’m fully responsible for anything he does, but I assure you, that won’t happen. The collar is very powerful. I can guarantee that he will be a great paladin. He’s more than aware of what improper use of his magic could cause, and he’s well-prepared. He worked hard to get where he is," Rei responded confidently and seriously, winking at the priestess.
"Yes, yes, I’ll take responsibility, haha. Will that solve the death of several people? It’s very dangerous for a demon like him to be roaming the kingdoms. We can’t allow such a thing," the priest expressed, shifting his gaze to all the wise ones and the priestess.
"I think you’re wrong, and even you know it," Rei said, noticing the priest’s trick.
"Of course not. We know you started a war against Alahead for fun. Think about it! That race has caused too many problems," the priest said cunningly, standing up so everyone could see the gestures he made with his hands.
"That war was the fault of their king. They killed him when they found out he was doing it for fun, and King Mathius forgave them," Rei shouted, mimicking the way the priest moved his hands, as mockery.
The priest slammed the table with the palms of his hands, interrupting Rei to say, "But many of them supported the king. Don't think we don't have the whole story. These demons could take us back to having thousands of exorcists, like in the Dark Age!"
"Both you and I know they aren't really demons... Have any of you seen them possess anyone or cause catastrophes like Clency? I think you know very well who named them that and why he didn't remove that decree," Rei replied, standing up and walking near all the leaders, finally stopping in front of the priest, looking up at him from the large table.
"Are you accusing me again of something?" the priest asked angrily, making a displeased grimace with his lips.
"What? Do you want proof?" Rei grabbed some papers that were left on the table, creating a hand with his magic. "Priest, you're going to love this. Here, I have everything you and your father did against this race." Rei began handing out the documents, creating many hands with his magic, extending them so everyone in the room had a copy, including the priest.
The priest read the document and was surprised, giving a slight smile. "Hahaha, please, no one would believe this. It's obvious it's fake."
"Oh, do you want to go to the best part? How about we talk about how you shouldn't even be holding the position of priest?" Rei said, smiling slightly and creating an image of a man with his magic. His face and body looked completely human, but he seemed to have some sort of shell covering his entire body, including his face. "Does this remind you of anything, Mr. Krei? Maybe... the incineration of an entire kingdom?" Rei said, adopting a serious and completely aggressive tone.
"What are you talking about? Priest?!" asked the pink-haired leader, becoming a bit agitated.
"This must be a joke," said the leader with the white hat.
"Hey, answer! What are you talking about?!" shouted the leader with the white mask and golden lines.
"This bastard... Where did he get all of this from?" thought the priest, not losing his composure, staring hard at Rei, who was smiling and staring right back at him. "Gentlemen, remember who I am... Rei, accusations like these will get me thrown into prison... (Or executed)."
"I know... (But you'll be the one going to prison). Want to talk about Darren, the first... lava mage?" Rei said, grabbing the round communicator from the table and playing a recording. "Listen... carefully."
The recording started with some static, then a voice filled with sadness and fear, but determined, with moments of labored breathing. "Elio... I can't take it anymore, I'm sorry... Tell your mother thank you for forgiving me and... I love you, son. Please take care of her."
"Darren! Don't hide, hahaha, give me your Power! Let me destroy this world!" shouted a deep, grave, and catastrophic voice, with such resonance that the room shook and the windows rattled. Pencils and objects on the leaders' tables moved. It felt like a small earthquake, and the communicator began shaking violently. The leaders were stunned, speechless, not moving a muscle. And the priest... his eyes were wide open, filled with fear.
"It's... Mayestad..." said the priestess, frightened by the recording. "You weren't joking when you told me about this," the priestess thought.
"You won't get anything!" After these last words, a great explosion was the last sound, and the recording ended.
"Rei, tell me where you got this from?" asked the priestess, standing up when she saw that none of the leaders wanted to say anything.
"Not until I finish! Remember Guelmy? Old bastard," Rei said, pulling out another communicator from his bag. It was white and a bit dirty.
[Second recording of Guelmy Angel] said a voice from the communicator. Rei began to simulate everything happening in the recording using his magic, showing a younger version of Krei and Guelmy, a man with semi-long hair combed back. He wore a fur coat with sleeves that hid his hands, tight pants, and a badge on his right shoulder with the letter "M."
"No, Guelmy. I was confirmed that Mayestad is still in the rift. We must go to the church to start planning with the others," said Priest Krei, but with a younger voice in the recording.
"Are you sure?" asked Guelmy, who looked worried, scanning his surroundings.
"Of course..."
[Eighth recording of Guelmy Angel].
"Krei, what have you done? You're an idiot! You said you were confirmed that Mayestad was in the rift," shouted Guelmy, furious, grabbing Krei by the shirt.
"I had to do it. That demon, Darren, will now die like the filthy trash he is!" replied Krei, breaking free from Guelmy's grip.
"Son of a bitch! We could've helped the kingdom of Trownlian! Don't think I don't know..." The recording ended after a loud crash sound.
"Oh my God... Krei..." said the priestess, staring at Krei.
"What are you seeing, stupid?! It's obvious it's manipulated. Think about it! He doesn't have access to those recordings!" Krei shouted furiously, standing up from his seat. Edgar moved away from the priest, scared by what he'd just heard.
"Of course it's not manipulated, bastard! You're the reason the kingdom of Trownlian turned to ashes. You didn't report anything during Mayestad's attack, and out of hatred for Darren's race, the same race as Louis..." Rei dispelled the entire simulation he'd made with his magic.
"You...! Bastard, piece of trash! How dare you!" Krei began to radiate a white aura, and all the leaders stood up from their chairs.
"Call the paladins here! And inform the Supreme Leader!" said the leader with the white mask.
"Because of you, my whole kingdom...! My entire family...! My friends!" Rei pressed his bag tightly. His gaze was full of fury, and tears fell from his eyes. "They're dead!".
The priest created a large shockwave that destroyed the windows, cracked the walls, and pushed all the leaders, causing them to fall to the ground. He shattered most of the table and, with his right hand, shot a white sphere at Rei. Rei stopped it by extending both hands and using his green magic, trying to prevent it from exploding, covering it with a shield.
"Do you think you can come here and accuse me?! I am Authority! I AM EVERYTHING!" Krei shouted with fury, starting to levitate and approach Rei with his right hand extended, while continuing to create several shockwaves.
"Edgar, do something!" shouted the priestess, who stood up and stayed behind the table, which was starting to crack severely. She extended her hand, and a frosted magic emerged from it, covering Edgar and coating him with black, red, and green frost.
"Earth magic... Total imprisonment!" A huge amount of earth covered Krei, but it was all expelled at high speed, crashing into the walls and tables. "Demons!"
"Hahaha, look! The great power I possess! There's no one like me! Humanity's abomination, disappear... FROM THIS WORLD!" Krei shouted. His face wore a huge grin, and several white cracks that glowed appeared on his face. The white sphere grew larger. Rei created several shields to protect the leaders, the priestess, and Edgar from injury. Even the floor and the ceiling of the room were covered by that green layer. "It won't... Work!"
Suddenly, the door was torn down, and Pol appeared. "What's happening?!" said Pol, surprised to see what was going on, covering himself with his left arm from the shockwaves.
"Pol... Show that your kingdom is worthy! Kill this disgusting creature, redeem your race!" shouted the priest sadistically, his gaze fixed on Pol.
Pol frowned and raised his right hand, which emitted a pink and white aura. In an instant, an energy sphere shot from his weapon, and upon hitting Krei, it blasted him forcefully against the wall. The sphere became a ring that immobilized him, pinning him to the wall. Pol took a great leap toward him and kicked him in the stomach. The blow was so brutal that Krei coughed up a lot of blood before crashing through the entire wall. Then, Rei placed a shield to prevent Pol from being caught in the explosion.
"Damn it, Rei!... Where's the Supreme Leader?" Pol asked, seeing that he was nowhere to be found, while binding Krei with his magic.
"He's in a meeting with the paladins assigned at the rift of the world, but he was supposed to be here before the verdict!" replied the priestess, who looked very worried about Rei. Her hands trembled, just like her voice. "Rei! Stay away from that thing!"
"It'll be fine! Thank you!" Rei said with a slight smile. Then, he made the green shields around everyone thicker, making it impossible to see anything through them.
"Rei!" screamed the priestess, extending her hand covered in multi-colored frosted magic, before her shield prevented her from seeing anything. A frosty green aura surrounded Rei, and all the shields filled with that same frost, including the one stopping the white magic sphere. Rei placed a large amount of frosted green magic around the white magic sphere and around himself. Then, he stopped extending his hands, covering his face with them and jumping backward. A massive explosion tore through the entrance to the room, and Rei was launched at high speed, crashing through the building's walls and colliding with one of the mountains that surrounded the valley.
From the great library, Gladys, Rhorn, and others emerged, shocked by the explosion.
"It's Rei! What happened?" Rhorn mentioned upon seeing him from a distance. Gladys climbed onto his back, and he ran at great speed on all fours toward Rei.
In the church's meeting room, all the shields were severely cracked and started to disappear, allowing everyone to leave the room.
"Rei! Where are you!?" the priestess said, searching everywhere, only to realize Rei had flown out of the building. "It can't be... Tell me he's okay!" The priestess ran through the room to leave the building with Pol by her side. All the leaders began to leave the room with difficulty, greatly distressed by what had happened.
"Hahaha... 'sigh' I beat you, old man... I beat you," Rei said, looking at the sky, embedded in the mountain. He pulled out a badge from his bag with the letter "T". "Maybe with this, my kingdom, my family, and my friends... will forgive me for not being there. Also... I think I kept my promise to you, Elio... Your son will be fine, he's too hard on himself, but he will be fine... He'll learn, but he’ll have to suffer the reality of this world." Rei got up with difficulty and launched himself off the mountain. He was diving, but with his magic, he managed to stop before touching the ground.
"Rei! Are you okay? What happened?" Gladys asked, getting off Rhorn so he could stand on two legs.
"I knew you'd cause trouble. What did you do now?" Rhorn added, crossing his arms and letting out a sigh of annoyance.
"Everything's fine... Don't worry, now we can move on without any obstacles," Rei tried to act strong, but his body collapsed, and Rhorn and Gladys tried to help him back to the church.
"What happened here!?" a man with a deep, calm, yet slightly disturbed voice asked. He wore a white hood with several golden lines. It appeared he had no face, as only a white aura was visible. His hands were transparent but emitted a faint white light, making them distinguishable. He wore golden Gyverna armor and was descending from a flying white carriage that had arrived at the location.
"Supreme leader... Let's just say I revealed something that would've interested him greatly. Hey, your mane itches a bit," Rei responded with his arms over Gladys' and Rhorn's shoulders.
"You’re ungrateful," Rhorn remarked, looking at him with anger.
"Rei...! He's back," the priestess shouted, running with Pol toward them. Upon seeing the supreme leader, she gasped in surprise.
"Priestess, explain to me what happened, please," the supreme leader said, approaching the priestess before she reached Rei. Pol lowered his head and then approached Rei.
"Yes, sir..." the priestess responded, looking at Rei worriedly, but more relieved now that he was talking and standing with the others by his side.
After the commotion, all the leaders, the priestess, and the supreme leader gathered in another room on the fourth floor. It was completely closed, with a large round wooden table for about 16 people. There was a large crystal chandelier on the ceiling, and the floor had a white carpet. The only door in the room was dark brown wood, quite large, and above it was a large painting of a person.
"I see no one has words for what happened... Priest Krief had many secrets that... Honestly, I don’t even want to talk about it. Simply put, this man will be placed under complete magical confinement. We need recommendations for the next priest, I want to know who you have in mind," the supreme leader said with great disappointment. None of the leaders, not even the priestess, said a word. They were completely bewildered. "Definitely, this will be a very delicate matter. It must be kept in complete secrecy."
"I suggest Exorcist Yang Angel as the new priest... The son of Guelmy Angel and the one who delivered his father's record to me," Rei mentioned, entering the room with difficulty breathing and leaning against the door to avoid collapsing onto the floor. Everyone turned to look at him as they heard his voice.
"Paladin Rei... You should be resting. You received the explosion of a white magic charge," the supreme leader said, clasping his hands.
"Let’s go, Rei!" Gladys whispered, who had come looking for him.
"Wait... You should consider it. That guy is very capable... I'd say he's more mature than me, even though he's only 20... I assure you!" Rei added. Gladys took him away after seeing the supreme leader gesture for her to take him.
"Alright... I want to hear names. Any suggestions, priestess?" the supreme leader said, and everyone turned their gaze to her.
"I... think Yang Angel is a good candidate. He also possesses white magic and has practiced it a lot, plus he has an incredible sense of responsibility and... Rei is right, his maturity is impressive," the priestess tried to be very clear. She was a little nervous since everyone's eyes were on her.
"Hmm... Priestess, tell me you're not recommending him just because your boyfriend suggested him," the supreme leader said sarcastically.
"What!? He's not my boyfriend! He's way too old for me! And..." the priestess became even more nervous, and her cheeks turned bright red.
"Hahaha, calm down, I was joking. I also heard about this guy named Yang... It benefits us a lot to have a leader with white magic... Well, what do you all think? Don’t you have another suggestion?" the supreme leader reclined in his chair and stretched his arms.
"It seems correct what you're saying, sir. It’s very fitting for one of the three leaders of the church to have white magic," the leader with the white mask mentioned.
"I agree, but tests must be done. Each leader, including the chiefs, should conduct a test to see if he's suitable," mentioned an older female leader. She wore round glasses, her white hair was rolled into a ball, and she wore a golden bracelet on her left hand.
"Great idea, grandma! I mean... leader Yamile," the supreme leader sounded quite pleased. After saying "grandma," he cleared his throat and continued. "Now... let’s talk about Louis A. Keeper... Do you think he’ll cause problems? Is it a good idea to give him a chance?"
"Sir... I think this kid is very capable, I’ve been following him a lot since we found out about his race. He’s had some achievements in the Ystir kingdom and is currently working as a distributor, plus I received recommendations from Reck Mortz and Mei Teews; paladin and ex-paladin from Ystir," mentioned the long-haired, yellow-haired leader.
"After hearing what we did about Darren, I think we could give him a chance, since Darren was from the same race, and I even looked into it out of curiosity before this meeting, and Darren is Louis' grandfather, sir... I think we owe him," mentioned a leader who covered his entire face with a white cloth mask, wore white gloves, and a white hat with a black ribbon.
"I don’t know... I’m not very sure, what will we do if something happens due to his magic?" mentioned the white-masked leader.
"Nothing will happen, Rei said his necklace keeps him under control, it’s sky blue magic, not just anything," mentioned the leader with the white hat.
The supreme leader took a holographic tablet from the middle of the table and began reading more details about what had been discussed during the trial. "Sky blue magic, huh... Uy... A magical disaster... Well, we could try it! I think the kid hasn’t had it easy at all... but we’ll take our precautions. Put some agents with water and ice magic to watch him for a month and inform Paladin Reck Mortz to stay prepared with plenty of devices, ice and water objects, preferably alocuar, or we could lend him the legendary mariorich object. Also, I want you to do those tests for Yang quickly, and of course, we need to see if he accepts. On the other hand, I received an illegal letter from Reck saying that Count Jens is stealing from the kingdom. If Krief was total trash, I need Yang to start working really hard to solve the problems caused by this man... Damn, it seems he really was trash, from what I see Alahead hasn’t received any benefits, we need to hurry. Let’s go!" the supreme leader said, spinning in his chair while reading the tablet rapidly and checking some things. In the end, he stopped, stood up, and lightly hit the table so everyone would go to work. The leaders and the priestess stood up and exited one by one.
"Priestess... Stay alert with the kid and also... Make changes to the mail so that the letters from each kingdom... aren’t taken lightly," the supreme leader said seriously, before the priestess left the room, and he sat back down in his chair. "One more thing... I think Rei and you make a good couple!" When he said this, the priestess turned red and released a large amount of frost magic from her hands that covered the entire room. Everything was bright there, including the supreme leader, who shone in a white and yellow color. Then the priestess left the room a little upset, but she smiled while still blushing. "Awww... Love is so beautiful... Hello, could someone come clean the fourth-floor meeting room?... Thank you," the supreme leader said, standing up from his chair and pulling out a communicator from his pocket.
*Kingdom of Ystir - PT Agency - Waiting Room*
"Please don't move," the pink-haired girl mentioned while fixing Louis. The room had a large yellow painting behind Louis. He was sitting in a chair, and in front of him was a professional holographic camera.
"I’m really sorry... I thought it would be a good idea, so you would have regained your position as paladins by removing Jens from the throne," Louis said, trying not to move while being fixed.
"Don't worry, I understood the situation because I know him, but you don't... He came alone, without any paladin, so there would be no witnesses... He was going to kill you," Mei said with concern, averting her gaze to the side.
"Do you want to go out in that trench coat?" asked the pink-haired girl after finishing fixing Louis.
"Yes, of course. But... now, how will he remove Jens from the throne?" Louis asked, with some doubts in his mind.
"Sigh... The priest is in charge of this kingdom, but... The only option is the priestess, the problem is I don’t know how to contact her without him noticing... Well, something will come to me. The important thing right now is that you make this video with Amy," Mei replied, opening the door to leave the room. "Well, I’ll leave you now, and... be yourself, Louis." After these words, Mei left the room, and suddenly a sound came from a pocket in her pants. "Hello, did something happen?... What... Alright, I’ll prepare everything." Mei answered the call and, with a slight surprise, a smile appeared on her face, then she hung up and sighed with relief.
"Alright, Paladin Louis... Now!" said Amy, getting ready to start recording.
After a deep sigh full of determination, Louis began with his words, a slight smile on his lips: "Hello everyone... Sorry for the fear or discomfort I caused you... I’m Louis A. Keeper... I’m a paladin from the kingdom of Alahead... And I’m a half-demon human...".
End of the chapter
