Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

"Ah, of course... that's Lady Seville; her husband was once a famous international merchant who, it's said, had traveled as far as Argos, only to unfortunately lose his life in an accident."

"All his remaining wealth fell into the hands of Lady Seville, and along with her beauty, many wished to join with her... How about it, Mr. Aiven, are you also interested?"

A smile appeared on his face as Jess couldn't help but look towards Laine.

It must be said, gossip knows no era, or perhaps in the ancient times when entertainment wasn't as developed, people were even more interested in such matters.

"...I'm just a bit curious, it seems Lady Seville has been quite busy lately... Speaking of which, I heard that a squad of Saint Knights arrived in town recently, do you know what they are here for?"

Changing the subject, Laine smiled.

"Why do you ask about that? Saint Knights, they are not to be trifled with." His expression shifted, and as soon as the term was mentioned, Wes immediately lost interest in Lady Seville: "But indeed, we should be careful... I'll tell you, but you mustn't tell anyone else."

"As my father told me, it's a team led by a high-ranking Saint Knight, here to investigate incidents related to the cult 'Resurrection Sect.' Their leader, I heard, was once part of the battle to seal demons thirty years ago, and is not someone easy to handle."

The battle to seal demons, Laine had recently heard this name too, and while it wasn't a famous event on the continent—in fact, there were many battles with the same name—for the residents of Turingen, it usually referred to just one thing.

That is, several decades ago, north of Turingen in Hergolan Seaport City, a kingdom-sent expedition followed the direction of the Wila River northwards and discovered a suitable site for constructing a seaport. But unexpectedly, in the midst of the city's construction, a descendant of an Ancient Evil Being emerged from underground there.

To seal it, it was none other than the High Priest of the Church of Knowledge in Athens who had to intervene, finally ending that disaster.

"So that's it, but the 'Resurrection Sect'... What kind of cult is this, one that promotes the resurrection of the dead? Or is it advocating blood sacrifices or even human sacrifices?"

Confirming that his hastily brushed-up history knowledge did not contain this name—which was normal, as few would include a nefarious cult in history books meant for the public, thus helping them to gain notoriety for free—and confronted with Laine's confusion, Jess nevertheless gave a somewhat unexpected answer.

"No, not that, the Resurrection Sect... In my opinion, they hardly count as a cult."

Hesitating for a moment, Jess continued:

"Their main claim is that by worshiping the 'Mother of Resurrection,' one can return to youth and bear more children; they haven't really done any bloody deeds... They were branded a cult mainly because they are enemies of the church—indeed, in terms of how they handle members of the Church of Knowledge, they could truly be considered a 'cult.'

"Probably these Saint Knights are here because of that, likely they did something unforgivable to the church of the Goddess. You don't want to get involved with this kind of thing... Those Saint Knights don't care who you are, they literally have no fear of death, and will kill you just like that."

"...Of course, how could I possibly get involved with a cult."

Nodding, he then changed the subject. However, in his mind, Laine silently noted down this matter.

He simply reached under his coat to touch a slightly warm metal object... and then acted as though nothing had happened.

...

Evening.

In the rented attic.

Leaning back in the chair, Laine held a cup of hot tea in his left hand.

This beverage from the south had started to become popular across the world over three hundred years ago and had even begun to occupy the same position as nectar in recent years.

Especially among the aristocracy, although many verbally denounce heretics or evil wizards, they are often more enthusiastic than anyone about various creations from the other side.

Of course, Laine was not savoring this so-called high-end tea, which in reality wasn't very high-end at all.

At the moment, he was examining a metallic badge in the palm of his right hand, beautifully crafted and clearly not affordable for the ordinary person.

The base was made of a silver alloy, with surfaces decorated with platinum in the shape of olive leaves... Laine had never seen this style of badge before, but its owner was likely an important member of the Church of Knowledge.

However, in Laine's palm, this badge was stained with a trace of blood and, even under spiritual vision, one could see a layer of transcendent aura swirling around it.

"Making one subconsciously overlook its presence, always carried on one's person... Is this drawing trouble away from its sources? No, even though I've just taken office and am still a mortal, my control should not be detectable by anything less than a legendary being."

"Accidental contact? That's unlikely. If it's about simply choosing a target to divert an enemy's attention, the first choice would typically be the western or northern districts so, this is clearly a targeted act... But that makes sense; an outsider, a noble descendant unfamiliar here but likely with some significant identity, is perfect for momentarily attracting the Saint Knights' attention.

Just my luck, it happened to land on me."

Earlier in the day, the reason why Laine had paid extra attention to Lady Seville was not out of an interest in her so-called wealthy status, but because during a momentary brush past her, he noticed she had placed something in his clothes.

Only for some consideration, Laine did not expose or stop her actions at the time.

The blood-stained church badge, her secretive movements, she did not seem like an upright person. Moreover, based on what Jess had disclosed, the situation seemed quite clear.

To speak of cults, and for one to show up at the door was almost serendipitous, but the real question was... was this Resurrection Sect truly a cult?

"The divine powers of deities often carry their own distinct attributes, and the sacred power that is derived and degraded carries this trait to some extent... That woman isn't a practitioner of Godhood, but she must have extensively received the baptism of divine arts, and yet this aura..."

Laine wasn't sure, as his current sensory capabilities were nowhere near as sharp and direct to the source as they once had been, so he decided to go see for himself.

He had no plans of staying long in this city, bound to leave sooner or later, so it hardly mattered if he stirred up any trouble. Besides, one of the problems with heading to Athens was that he again needed money.

Even reborn as a human, Laine had no intention of truly masquerading as a lowly member of society, not only because it was troublesome, but also because it didn't quite align with his thinking. Fortunately, the accumulated resources of a cult branch should suffice for his lavish expenditures for a considerable time.

And if lucky, he might even find materials suitable for high-ranking rituals, an opportunity to hit several birds with one stone. Continue your journey at empire

"So now... let's perform some divination first."

Pulling out a silver coin bearing the image of Athena, Laine prepared to test his divining abilities in his new profession.

Divination was not about foreseeing the future, the former and the latter not only differed in difficulty but also in cost. And Laine's divination focus was on the strength of the Resurrection Sect.

Divination also needed clues, connections, and divining out of the blue had a high chance of failing. Luckily, the badge before him served as a perfect divination medium.

"Snap—"

The coin spun and danced through the air, finally landing face-up on the table, confirming the result of the divination.

"This branch of the Resurrection Sect's actual strength is far less than the Saint Knights, as expected. I was merely fishing to preempt any hidden threats."

Nodding slightly, Laine hesitated no longer.

Unlike others, he might fail in his divination due to insufficient strength, but he was unlikely to derive the wrong results, at least not when it came to past events or objective comparisons of strength.

So, time is of the essence. The Resurrection Sect didn't know that this distracting individual had already concealed the badge's aura, making it impossible to attract the Saint Knights' attention. Should he arrive too late, who knows what might happen.

Moreover, about this strange sect, he was indeed a bit curious.