Volume 1 Chapter 540

Chapter 540: Just Like Coming Home

The next day, early morning.

At the southwest border of the Holy Lieto Empire, a pair of sisters arrived.

The elder sister wore the robe of a missionary from The Church of Light, while the younger sister was dressed in simple commoner clothes, leading a tall South Sotua horse, standing in line at the border for inspection.

This was, of course, Lolth and Dorothy, who still maintained their original character roles.

Although it was early morning, there were quite a few people in line.

Pilgrims, merchants, Superoperators seeking healing, and other returning priests lined up slowly, waiting for inspection.

This is hard to imagine in other countries.

Even the Republic of Seychelles, which prides itself on "equality above all," treats Superoperators and ordinary people differently, not to mention the differences between nobles and commoners.

But when entering the Holy Lieto Empire, everyone must line up in the same place because of the "teachings" of The Church of Light.

Of course, the real reason is the inspection methods used here.

The towering walls made of a shimmering light stretch endlessly across the vast plain, like a miraculous wonder from legends.

The various openings in the light walls also form simple fortresses.

These fortresses usually have three to five knights stationed inside, but they do not carry out this "inspection."

It is completed by the "Power of Holy Light."

This enormous light wall was created by the legendary first pope using the long-lost Supreme Divine Spell, able to identify anyone with ill intentions or tainted blood.

In the days when dark creatures were still quite active, The Church of Light relied on this to block many who wished to enter its territory.

Of course, it is not always completely effective.

At least Lolth was confident that this thing would definitely not recognize her identity.

Although her identity was actually a one hundred percent blasphemous "succubus."

But standing in the middle of the line, watching the ordinary people and pilgrims pass through the thin gate of the fortress, feeling the ripples on the pure white barrier, Lolth already understood how it worked.

No matter how exaggerated the legends were, removing those completely unreasonable parts, like "the pope turned the God-given omniscient authority into sacred light" and such…

Beneath those decorations, religious words, and mysterious appearances, it was still the same essence as "magic."

It was merely using a more pure Holy Light energy to recognize the magical characteristics within each person’s body.

Even ordinary people without magical fluctuations and extraordinary powers could still have their souls recognized.

The magic environment of this world was like air; living in a place for a long time would inevitably bring the scent of it.

And as long as she figured out the principle, for Lolth…

It can completely handle it.

Even her original disguise is enough to deal with this.

However, considering that the guys from The Church of Light seem to be quite sharp, and a bishop almost saw through her disguise, Lolth decided to add two more layers of targeted disguise for herself and Dorothy.

Holding Dorothy’s hand, Lolth slowly walked forward with the group while observing those who wanted to enter the Holy Lieto Empire.

Those followers looked very poor, but their expressions were very sincere, as if they firmly believed that once they passed through this thin curtain of light, they would gain some kind of salvation.

As a "powerful religion," Lolth was well aware that the teachings of The Church of Light were replete with passages offering "hope" to those who felt utterly despondent in this life.

Through their piety, they could earn a chance to enter the Divine Kingdom.

Upon entering the Divine Kingdom, they would attain peace and bliss.

And it didn’t stop there…

The teachings of The Church of Light were filled with tales of individuals who, despite being unable to wield extraordinary powers, suddenly gained recognition from the Holy Light due to their devotion.

It seemed to subtly suggest, whether intentionally or not, that not only after death but even in life, one’s destiny could be transformed.

However, Lolth knew full well that this was a fallacy…

The affinity for extraordinary powers was an innate "gift," something one was born with.

Faith was indeed crucial for priests and paladins, as it could enhance the potency of their divine spells and even fortify their physical constitution.

After all, faith was, in a sense, an indicator of a unique kind of spiritual strength.

But first, one had to be able to take the first step.

It was impossible for someone who couldn’t use extraordinary powers to suddenly awaken formidable abilities.

At most, it meant they had never encountered extraordinary powers before and had just come into contact with them.

Magic was both fair and cruel; it bestowed upon everyone a different "upper limit" while also granting a minimum "lower limit."

With training, anyone could at least reach the level of an apprentice.

Yet, some people might never have such an opportunity in their entire lives.

In essence, extraordinary power was a monopoly.

It was imposed upon everyone in the main plane under the guise of "heritage," "family," "church," "nobility," and so on.

To gain entry, except for a very few fortunate ones, the rest had to adhere to the rules to obtain it.

Alternate planes like the Abyss might not require this.

However, what replaced it was another form of cruelty.

The cruelty of not being able to survive without mastering extraordinary power.

Lolth didn’t wish to judge which side was worse, but as she watched each person, burdened with what seemed to be all their worldly possessions, step into the light…

She felt an inexplicable sense of helplessness.

"Oh dear…"

She sighed and slowly approached the light.

The light was pure white, yet not entirely opaque.

Through the light, Lolth seemed to glimpse the silhouettes of many tall buildings with pointed roofs, arranged in a scattered pattern.

Dorothy tightened her grip on Lolth’s hand.

"Teacher, I… feel a little nervous."

She also gazed at the light, as if recalling something, and spoke timidly.

"It’s okay, I’m here with you."

As Lolth spoke, she took Dorothy’s hand and stepped through the shimmering light curtain.

A faint ripple spread across its surface.

The two of them effortlessly crossed into the territory of the Holy Lieto Empire.

Dorothy, like the other commoners, remained completely unaware.

But Lolth sensed a profound "change."

She turned back in astonishment, her gaze lingering on the flowing Holy Light power known as the "Miracle Light Veil."

Only after stepping into the Holy Lieto Empire did she realize that this light veil served another purpose.

It wasn’t merely screening those who entered—it was also filtering "magical power."

She could feel it: the concentration of Holy Light power within the Holy Lieto Empire was more than ten times greater than outside!

The magical energy here was almost suffused with the essence of Holy Light.

Suddenly, Lolth understood why The Church of Light’s dominance had remained unchallenged for so many years, and why no local wars had ever erupted.

This entire nation was, in essence, a vast extension of God’s Domain!

Of course, the light curtain alone couldn’t entirely prevent the dissipation of Holy Light power…

Lolth activated her Magic Perception.

This place was thousands of miles away from Papal State and Eden Palace.

Yet, the moment she activated Magic Perception, Lolth could sense…

Far to the North, in the direction of Papal State, an unending stream of Holy Light power was surging forth.

It was as radiant as the sun itself, impossible to overlook even from such a distance.

This ceaseless outpouring of Holy Light power was what gave the main plane the aura of God’s Domain.

Lolth had no doubt that the core of Papal State could even facilitate the brief descent of the God of Light.

It was important to remember that for most gods, venturing beyond their Divine Kingdom was an immense challenge.

Especially on the mainland plane.

While gods of other planes could still operate within the "plane" where their Divine Kingdom resided, the deities of the main plane faced numerous restrictions even when descending to it.

Yet, the entire Holy Lieto Empire could be considered a place where the God of Light could manifest!

Lolth felt an even deeper understanding of the terror wielded by The Church of Light and the Holy Empire, as well as the overwhelming power and dread inspired by the God of Light.

But the God of Light was in no way comparable to the "alternate plane evil gods" Lolth had encountered before.

The leader of the main plane’s divine pantheon… so formidable, so fearsome!

Moreover, the thought that this might have been the work of the first Pope rather than the God of Light himself sent a shiver down Lolth’s spine.

Gazing at the light curtain that soared nearly a hundred meters into the sky, Lolth could only conclude…

She had likely underestimated The Church of Light and the Holy Empire.

"But I’m just passing through, finding a Holy Spring for Dorothy to soak in… surely that’s harmless, right…"

Lolth murmured to herself as she hurriedly led Dorothy away.

What she did not know was…

After she left,

The ripples born from the light curtain she passed through did not dissipate as they did for others.

Instead, they spread wider and wider, until they extended across the entire light curtain.

The Holy Knight Captain, stationed in the guardroom of the border fortress, noticed the anomaly in the light curtain and wore a perplexed expression.

He hesitated for a moment, about to use a magic device to contact the nearest lord when…

A pair of hands pressed down on him.

"Shh—"

The Superlative Level Paladin sensed several waves of Holy Light emanating from behind him, each far more potent than his own.

Simultaneously, he sensed "danger."

Though it was Holy Light, it was not the usual "gentle" kind; this Holy Light was more inclined towards the "severe."

It felt as though, with the slightest misstep, his soul would be utterly "purified."

It was akin to being targeted by a ferocious predator.

His body stiffened, and he cautiously turned to see a shadowy, pale gray.

This gray held a natural deterrent for everyone in the Holy Empire.

The Paladin was no exception.

He gulped, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"The Heretic Tribunal is handling this."

A deep voice intoned from behind.

"Pretend you saw nothing."

Another voice chimed in.

"Otherwise, it will be considered a ‘crime of leaking secrets.’"

As the last voice faded, the Paladin nodded numbly.

The moment he nodded, the oppressive sensation and the feeling of being watched by a venomous snake vanished instantly.

The gray disappeared without a trace.

The Holy Knight Captain collapsed to the ground.

"Clang!"

Even the longsword in his hand fell.

The sudden noise alerted the Paladins outside, who left the light curtain and opened the door to the guardhouse beside it.

Seeing their captain sprawled on the ground, the approaching Paladin was puzzled.

"What happened, Captain?"

The Captain looked at him and opened his mouth.

Finally, he slowly waved his hand.

"It’s nothing… I just over-trained yesterday and didn’t get enough rest."

He rose from the ground and peered through the lookout window at the retreating figures of the sisters, a shiver running through his heart.

Who exactly are those sisters?

The Heretic Tribunal is secretly protecting them!

And that’s not all…

He distinctly saw that those individuals wore gray robes adorned with dark gold patterns.

And there were at least four of them.

What kind of person would warrant the simultaneous deployment of three or more members from the highest-level group?

Even the princess of the Holy Lieto Empire… no, even Her Majesty would likely not have that privilege!

This is the Heretic Tribunal we’re talking about!

Unless it’s Her Holiness… or…

The esteemed Pope or the mysterious Lord Director’s illegitimate daughter?

The Holy Knight Captain’s mind was in turmoil.

But he shook his head vigorously, trying to dispel those thoughts.

"No, I can’t dwell on this any longer… it’s far too dangerous."

"I must act as if I saw nothing at all."

He picked up his long sword and turned to his subordinate.

"Starting tomorrow, we’ll take a week off… You haven’t used your family leave yet, have you?"

The team leader inquired, and the Paladin nodded.

"I haven’t… But why?"

"Don’t ask; it’s probably because the times are changing, and it’s best for people like us to lay low."

The team leader replied.

He gazed up at the sky, the sky of the Holy Lieto Empire, always a brilliant blue on clear days, dotted with a few pure white clouds so sacred that just looking at them brings a sense of peace.

The newcomers below felt the same tranquility.

But the team leader couldn’t find peace.

To him, the sky was filled with invisible shadows.

When did it all begin…?

Has the Pope stopped making public appearances, or is Her Majesty’s health declining?

Was it when the Sixth Prince began to form factions, or when Her Holiness and the commander of the Oracles Knight Order, Lady Irene, were captured?

He couldn’t make sense of it.

But today, the appearance of these gray-cloaked figures from the Heretic Tribunal finally made him realize…

The situation in the entire Holy Empire and The Church of Light had long reached a state of "turbulent undercurrents."

And now, even this group of "death heralds" has emerged.

Soon, the hidden currents will rise to the surface.

The winds and waves, along with the whirlpools, will engulf all those who believe the sea to be calm.

And at this moment…

Lolth, who had just helped Dorothy back onto her horse, looked at the wide, smooth road beneath them and the sign pointing to the city, her expression one of curiosity and delight.

"I must say, the infrastructure of The Church of Light is quite commendable!"