Volume 1 Chapter 606

Chapter 606: An Ordinary Dinner!

Inside the Holy Capital, the night slowly grew deeper.

This was the seventh night Dorothy and Patricia had spent in the territory of The Church of Light.

It had already been four days and nights since they arrived at the Holy Capital.

Everything here, and the fact that even after nightfall, it was still not "pitch black" inside the Holy Capital, had become somewhat familiar to Dorothy and Patricia.

Although it was dim, Holy Light rose towards the sky all around, like fireflies sinking into the sea, and like smoke evaporating into the air.

This Holy Light softly illuminated everyone and the buildings that also glimmered with radiance.

Compared to the brightly lit Hillenbrand Town, there were no streetlights or public lighting here.

Yet all around, it still resembled a scene of the white night.

There was no need to be cautious, no need for lamps or candles.

Even though the streets were mostly empty, with only the occasional patrolling Paladin team passing by, it still provided a sense of peace.

In a way, the Holy Capital had truly achieved safety at night, where doors could be left unlocked and items left behind were not taken.

Even the outer area was very safe.

In the Bright Holy Capital, there had been no serious incidents for almost ten years!

Of course…

This record was just recently ended by Kanor and Lalea.

However, what Kanor did was so "strange" that it alarmed the Heretic Tribunal.

So, to avoid panic, this news had been suppressed by the Heretic Tribunal.

Besides the people present, not even the citizens in other parts of the Holy Capital or the higher-ups in The Church of Light knew what really happened in the friendly area of the Holy Capital.

Everyone could only sense that there seemed to be some magical fluctuations, and the only information they could gather was that there was a "fire"…

Therefore, the news hardly spread within the Holy Capital.

So…

Dorothy and Patricia, of course, knew nothing about this.

They still followed their original plan to attend the dinner hosted by Duke Dena Bennett.

Along the way, they did not encounter any surprises or obstacles.

Soon, they arrived at the Bennett family’s manor.

Although it was called a manor, it was still the Holy Capital of The Church of Light.

Even in the powerful Bennett family of the Holy Lieto Empire, the head of the family’s manor here…

was merely the size of a large church.

The Loyal Area of the Holy Capital was a section next to the "River of Holiness" of The Church of Light.

The environment here is pleasant and the land is high, so many nobles choose to live in this place.

The Bennett clan manor is located above the valley crossed by the Sacred River.

Because the manor has limited space, aside from the front and back gardens, the whole manor only has one castle with a single stone tower.

Besides the tower, the castle has only three floors.

For the "nobles" of this world, this is quite modest, and you could even say it’s simple.

Although Dorothy is not well-liked at the Golden Peacock, she is the only legitimate daughter and has seen many grand events.

Patricia, as the Great Sage Morning Star… while the Wizard Association doesn’t promote extravagance, she is always treated as a guest of honor by nobles during her travels.

Seeing this castle at this moment, both of them noticed again that the nobles of the Holy Lieto Empire have to act modestly, even with the support of the Cardinal and the three Grand Knight leaders in the Holy Capital.

They couldn’t help but feel a little more at ease.

As they arrived at the castle gate, the heavy iron door opened immediately.

A polite butler greeted the two at the entrance.

"Lady Holy Maiden, Master Bishop Hume… Our master has been waiting for you for a long time."

"The dinner has not yet started, but the other guests have already arrived."

"I will take you both to the banquet hall, where you can chat with the other guests for a while."

He wore what seemed to be a simple linen outfit at first glance, but upon closer inspection, the stitching was fine, and the sleeves were neat; aside from the material, it was hard to say the clothing was of poor quality.

Coupled with his naturally graceful demeanor and the faint aura of Holy Light around him…

Dorothy and Patricia both understood…

This old butler was a skilled person.

Once in the Holy Lieto Empire, most people were not very good.

Patricia listened and nodded calmly.

"Then I ask for your assistance."

At the same time, Patricia and Dorothy were quite surprised.

There were actually other "guests" as well…

Originally, they thought this "dinner" would be more like a private meeting.

Being informed so early by the old butler means the other guests are likely important too.

Dorothy and Patricia seemed to sense this…

It seems they underestimated the significance of this dinner.

It is very likely a negotiation and exploration between multiple forces.

However, it is not appropriate to turn back now that they have come this far.

Besides, things are even more complicated than the two girls imagined…

They are not very worried!

After all… it surely can’t be more impressive than the array at the central cathedral!

The feeling of having the Pope preside, with all the top leaders of The Church of Light gathered…

After experiencing that, thinking back to other similar scenes, one couldn’t help but feel a sense of "after seeing the vast sea, the rest seems ordinary."

Even though Duke Dena Bennett was quite a character, he still could not match the scale of the central cathedral.

Following the butler’s lead, Dorothy and Patricia quickly arrived at the banquet hall.

Walking through the long corridor, they pushed open the heavy wooden door carved with images of angels and the church’s forefathers.

A huge banquet hall appeared before them.

It was a spacious hall that reached up to three floors high.

Above them, a beautiful crystal chandelier hung from the tall dome.

Although there was no carpet on the floor, the tiles beneath were engraved with magical patterns, making the ground feel warm and comfortable.

Round tables were arranged in two rows, filled with drinks and snacks in a church style.

On the opposite side of the banquet hall, there were two symmetrical, curved staircases leading up to the third floor, connecting to a walkway corridor, where a similarly heavy and ornate door stood in the middle.

It seemed that soon, Duke Dena Bennett would make an entrance from there.

Inside the banquet hall, there were people dressed in church robes and noble attire from the Holy Lieto Empire.

There were only just under twenty people.

They were scattered in small groups, chatting quietly with each other throughout the banquet hall.

Clearly, the scale of this "dinner" meant that even in the Holy Capital, it would not be too large.

When the big door opened, everyone naturally looked towards it.

After that, their eyes could not look away.

Because everyone looking at the pair of Dorothy and Patricia realized…

The visitors were Her Holiness and the Lady of Light!

Most of the people standing there… no, I should say all of them, did not know Dorothy and Patricia.

But from their clothing, it was clear they were key figures from various factions within the Holy Empire and The Church of Light!

The powerful Cardinal, high-ranking Paladin, Lady Marquis, and officials of the imperial cabinet…

Young and talented, with a promising future.

Their identities were all very noble.

But…

This nobility, even what they might achieve in a smooth future…

Was nothing compared to the innate nobility of the "Lady of Light" in The Church of Light!

Everyone immediately stopped negotiating and looked at the Lady of Light, bowing slightly in respect.

The banquet hall, which had been slightly noisy, suddenly became quiet.

This, I fear, could not be accomplished even when Bishop Dena Bennett made his appearance later.

This is the value of "Divine Favor!"

"Lady of Light."

Among them, some with higher status, who were qualified to greet the Lady of Light…

A cardinal who was clearly of higher rank than the others, a legend-level paladin, and an ordinary boy with the Bennett family crest sewn on his chest.

They approached and greeted Dorothy as if to pay their respects.

Dorothy simply smiled and nodded gently.

"There is no need to be so formal. When you are not in need of confession or assistance, and not in the church, we are all just followers of the Lord."

As she said this, the three people in front of her stood up straight.

Then, the boy with the Bennett family crest spoke softly.

"This time, my uncle invited Her Holiness and Bishop Hume just to try… I never expected Her Holiness to truly come."

As he said this, his face showed a hint of natural joy.

"This is truly an honor for our Bennett family!"

His identity, of course, was the biological nephew of Dena Bennett and also the cousin of the leader of the ‘Judgment’ Knights.

When the young boy said this, Patricia smiled and nodded, answering on behalf of Dorothy.

"It is also a great honor for me and Her Holiness to receive an invitation from the Bennett family."

As she said this, the young boy spoke again.

"Not at all, Bishop Hume… Upon hearing that you and Her Holiness would be coming, my uncle specially called back my cousin, Rutherford Elvis, the leader of the ‘Judgment’ Knights—but both he and my uncle have matters to attend to and will arrive a bit later… I hope you understand."

"The banquet is just a matter of leisure; of course, important matters come first."

Dorothy spoke calmly.

"I am glad you understand," the young man seemed relieved, then called to the butler again, "Butler, since Her Holiness has arrived and all the ‘guests’ are here, we can serve the main dishes now… I am sure my uncle does not want everyone to wait on an empty stomach."

As he said this, the butler nodded in agreement.

"Understood, Mr. Harkins."

"I will also go check how the kitchen is preparing… Her Holiness, please wait a moment."

Harkins said this and bowed again before leaving.

The cardinal and the paladin came forward to chat with Dorothy.

Since Dorothy did not know who the two were, and they clearly assumed that Her Holiness had "met" or "recognized" her.

So whatever they said, Dorothy could only smile and nod.

However… fortunately, the things the two of them talked about were nothing special; most were just simple ideas about teachings, scriptures, and insights about the power of the Holy Light.

Dorothy was still able to handle it.

On the other side… inside the kitchen of the Bennett clan — I’m sure you’ve noticed that every time a "kitchen" appears, it is always inevitable to have either Lolth or Kanor present.

This time, in the bustling kitchen, Chef Kanor and Helper Lalea were busy preparing The Church of Light’s special meat platter together.

Half an hour ago, Kanor brought Lalea into the manor’s back garden from the valley, then knocked out a chef and his apprentice, letting them loose in the wilderness outside the manor.

After that, Kanor and Lalea, without any disguise or makeup, boldly walked into the kitchen.

The other chefs in the kitchen seemed completely unaware that anything was wrong.

In fact, it wasn’t long before someone assigned them work, and Lalea quickly discovered…

She and Kanor were clearly being mistaken for the previous chef and apprentice.

Although the unconscious chef was a bald, overweight man in his forties, the apprentice was a hardworking, shy young man who kept himself clean.

But they still successfully "replaced" them.

This made Lalea feel a bit eerie!

Finally, taking advantage of an opportunity to be near Kanor while handling a pile of shrimp, Lalea couldn’t help but lower her voice to ask.

"What trick is this… a mental spell?"

She clearly did not notice Kanor using any Star Spirit magic!

Kanor merely shrugged her shoulders.

"A secret recipe… Don’t ask too many questions; you just need to know we are very ‘safe’."

As she said this, Lalea grew even more curious and restless.

However, she also knew that trying to push Kanor to talk wouldn’t work.

She could only sigh.

"Okay… but why are we sneaking in here to cook as chefs?"

"Don’t tell me you just have a craving for cooking…"

Lalea certainly noticed that many important people were gathered here.

Kanor smiled when she heard what Lalea said.

"Actually, I was planning to add a bit of this to the meal."

As she said this, she took out an Abyss Daydream Fruit.

"This is something that can make everyone fall asleep… With this, even if there are many people here that we can’t fight, we can still create confusion and make a name for ourselves."

"But now it seems there is no need for that."

As Kanor said this, Lalea was stunned.

One reason was Kanor’s daring behavior…

The other reason…

"Why do you say there is no need?"

She instinctively asked.

"Because, soon this place will really become chaotic."

Kanor said this…

The next moment—

"Darkness" covered everyone’s sight!