radicalducati Chapter 256 The Garment of Faith
Chapter 256 The Garment of Faith
Chapter 256 The Garment of Faith
Gregory's white is not absolutely flawless.
It is more like a piece of marble that has turned yellow with age. Perhaps its interior is still pure and clean, but its surface is full of decay and worldliness.
At this moment, all sorts of people are gathered at the gates of the holy city.
They wore all sorts of strange costumes, proclaiming that they came from a distant civilization.
Their goals were surprisingly similar: to leave the city.
Since Gregory announced the opening of the city yesterday, Anne has seen people beginning to surge towards the city gates.
Some of them were residents eager to go out to do business or visit relatives, while many others, like Anne, had come at the invitation of the Vatican but were inadvertently drawn into a bloody murder case and thus trapped in the city.
Fortunately, the case is now closed.
With the city finally open to the public, everyone was eager to leave this place of trouble.
Nobody knows when the next lockdown will be.
Right now, there's a long queue at the city gate.
Although Annie tried to avoid yesterday's peak hours, it was clear that there were still quite a few people today.
But their luggage had already been packed and loaded into the car, and they had to leave the city today.
The guards protecting Annie were not Seth, but four mercenaries.
Ignazio was among them. He was Seth's most trusted subordinate. If Seth hadn't personally protected Annie, he would have definitely sent Ignazio with men to guard her.
Seemingly sensing Anne's gaze, Ignazio bowed and said:
"Miss, the carriage is ready, and my brothers are waiting outside the city."
"Yes," Annie nodded.
And she was also curious about something, and now was the perfect time to ask:
"Seth has never assigned anyone to protect me alone. Does he not trust your abilities?"
Ignazio shook his head: "The commander trusts every member, but he trusts his own judgment even more. If we can complete a task on our own, he won't send extra men."
"And protecting me shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
"It's not just about your situation, miss; we also need to weigh the value and impact of the mission."
Ignazio explained,
"This mission was commissioned by the Herald Academy, and its success or failure will greatly affect the reputation of the Unswearing Knights, so we cannot afford to fail."
Anne nodded: "So, Seth, who has protected me alone on several occasions, must be very strong?"
Upon hearing this, Ignazio exchanged a glance with his brother beside him, then sighed and smiled:
"Very strong. Few in the Unswearing Knights can defeat Vice-Captain Brown-Braid Jarl, while Jarl has never defeated the Captain."
In other words, Seth's strength is at least two levels higher than that of the average member.
It is said that any member of the Unswearing Knights is stronger than a mid-level knight of Cheng En.
But just how powerful is it?
Anne had no idea; all she knew was that Lola had been hurt by that brown braid.
Therefore, it can be inferred that these people are no less powerful than Lola.
Of course, it was Lola from over a year ago.
Anne believed that Lola must have become even more formidable during this time.
But after spending time together, Annie realized that Seth's true strength lay not in his combat prowess, but in his all-around abilities.
No matter what unexpected events occur, Seth can always come up with a solution immediately.
If Annie is unsure whether Seth can do something, then he most likely can.
It was for this reason that Anne, without realizing it, began to trust Seth a little.
Just like now, Seth isn't with Annie.
The group moved forward slowly, and Annie and the others finally arrived outside the city.
Ignazio pointed to the carriage ahead and led Anne over.
After boarding the carriage, Anne found that her luggage had already been placed inside.
In the parrot cage in front of me, a black and white parrot was standing quietly on its perch, its amber eyes filled with jet-black pupils.
Annie took out a small cookie, broke it into small pieces, and put them into the feed box in the cage.
The black and white parrot immediately used its sharp beak to peck at the cookies in the box and eat them.
Seeing this amusing scene, a smile appeared on Annie's face.
These aren't ordinary cookies; they're mixed with Annie's blood.
Black-and-white parrots are exotic birds, which, to put it simply, are creatures with extraordinary powers.
It can deliver messages thousands of miles away, but how can it know where its owner wants to take the message and to whom it is to be delivered?
The answer is, through blood.
Black and white parrots will develop a bond with humans once they have ingested human blood.
Under this connection, the black and white parrot can obtain its owner's thoughts through a kind of power similar to thought.
Whether this bird truly knows what humans are thinking is unknown.
Just like the legendary stone-skinned parrot that supposedly knows everything, many people say that it doesn't understand the value of knowledge at all, and merely "knows" it.
Anne was playing with the parrot when she suddenly heard a sound outside the car:
"Is everything ready?"
That's Seth's voice; he's back.
Ignazio responded, saying:
"Alright, Miss Anne is on the bus now."
"Then let's not waste any time and set off quickly."
Then, there was a knock on the car door, which was then opened from the outside.
"Miss Anne, let's go."
Seth stood outside the car, peering inside.
Anne hummed in agreement, and then the carriage began to lurch forward.
Seth, clinging to the car door, asked:
"Miss, please allow me to come in and sit for a while."
Anne nodded, and Seth came in.
He sat opposite Anne, staring at the parrot in front of her:
"You seem to really like it."
"It's beautiful," Anne said sincerely.
“You’re right,” Seth said. “Black and white parrots have black and white plumage, and each color makes up about half of their plumage. But the patterns that can be created by combining the two colors are incredibly varied, and this pair of black and white parrots is quite beautiful.”
Annie knew Seth wasn't there to talk about parrots, so she looked up at him.
"So, you've done all the investigation?"
Seth curled his lip:
"This is no easy task. The Vatican has been on high alert lately. First, there was the murder during the ordination ceremony, and then the Vatican was invaded by outsiders."
"I heard that the windows of the Pope's room were smashed, but it turned out to be a trap. It seems that the other party wanted to steal some kind of information from the archives."
"I'm telling you all this so you can understand that I put in a lot of effort this time."
"I know, but the matter is considered closed. I heard that the murderer and the intruder seem to be the same person, and that person died on the spot in the Vatican's courtyard."
Anne finished speaking for Seth.
"But that's not what I want you to investigate."
"I have to complain a bit," Seth shrugged. "After all, helping you with this investigation isn't exactly my job."
"I am very grateful for this."
Seth sighed, his expression turning serious:
"In short, you asked me to investigate several popes, and I found three. And their attitudes toward Sun City before and after their coronation were completely different."
"Especially Paul III, who seems to have left behind a paper on the reform of the duchy, in which abolishing the special status of Sun City was an important part of his reform draft."
"I specifically sought out and read this paper," Anne nodded. "I also read his other works and historical evaluations of him without any problems."
"This person is always decisive and has radical ideas. He is also quite irritable, and if anyone mentions something he disagrees with, he will argue with them until they are red in the face."
"However, after his coronation, he ignored Lieyang City, as if he had never had any opinion about the city."
Seth said, "That's it, and what you asked me to investigate undoubtedly proves that there is some deeper meaning hidden in their attitude."
"According to the investigation, all three popes personally visited Sun City after their coronation. After returning, they refused to discuss Sun City with anyone."
"They even harshly rebuked the person who mentioned it. Of course, these are just oral histories from the past, and their authenticity and reliability cannot be guaranteed."
Anne knew, of course, that these rumors were not worthy of being taken as evidence.
But right now, she's not concerned about her thesis; she simply wants to understand the situation clearly.
That day, in the middle of her conversation with Nicholas, Anne keenly realized that she was probing a very dangerous secret.
She had a premonition that if she continued to probe, the Pope would inevitably see her as a threat.
In that case, she will likely find it difficult to extricate herself from the Vatican.
Even if Seth is incredibly strong, he could never defeat all the paladins of the entire Holy See.
Therefore, Anne decisively lied, pretending to know nothing about the matter, and did not ask any further questions.
But as a heraldry apprentice, her thirst for knowledge was completely ignited in that instant.
Therefore, Anne desperately wanted to know the truth.
But Annie is equally rational; she knows her own limitations.
She knew that if she investigated rashly on her own, she would not only be unlikely to achieve good results, but would also put herself at a disadvantage.
Anne ultimately chose to ask Seth for help; it was her only option.
Although Annie didn't have high hopes, Seth still chose to help with the investigation.
Based on the current results of Seth's investigation, Anne is still unable to draw any concrete conclusions.
But Anne was certain that there was a secret within the Papacy that circulated only among the popes.
This secret is related to Sun City, which in turn is descended from the Crimson Prince.
Anne had three guesses in her mind.
Firstly, the city lord of Lieyang City is in the know about this scandal of the Holy See.
This scandal could very well shake the foundations of the duchy.
Secondly, the Holy See wants to help Sun City defend the location of Featherfall Island.
Thirdly, Gaia also brought back other secrets, secrets that were enough to force the Papacy to compromise.
Although Annie still couldn't quite grasp the exact nature of the secret.
But this matter was hidden in the shadows of history, and Anne felt that she was already incredibly lucky to have even noticed its existence.
At this moment, Seth said:
"Miss Anne, I've been with you these past few days. Although I never comment, I know you're doing something remarkable, which is why I'm willing to help you."
"But I also know roughly what you're investigating. So I'm curious, can you really draw any conclusions from this negligible amount of information I've gathered?"
Hearing this, Annie felt that Seth had the right to know, after all, he had really helped Annie a lot in this matter:
"I am deep within the thick fog, where I cannot perceive anything around me. Your investigation is like a gentle breeze. A breeze cannot disperse the thick fog, but it can reveal the outlines of what is hidden within it."
"My lord, your investigation has convinced me that there is indeed something in the fog."
"You said you've already seen the outline?" Seth squinted.
"Well," Anne said, "it's just an outline."
Seth nodded: "So, what kind of city is Sunfire City?"
Anne thought for a moment: "Perhaps in the Pope's eyes, it might be even more important than the Holy City."
"Ha," Seth laughed, "This trip was really worthwhile - Miss Anne, you've let me hear something interesting."
Annie shrugged. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"
"That's all," Seth said. "Next, it's time to head back."
"How long will it take?"
"A month or two," Seth said. "After all, you've already seen these cities on the way here, so there's no need to linger any longer."
Just focus on getting there.
"Yes," Annie nodded.
Finally—I can go back.
This trip was fulfilling, but also very tiring.
However, Anne was never afraid of being tired, but she found it hard to bear the longing.
She hadn't seen Lola in a long time, nor had she read the letters Aaron had written to her.
Anne missed them terribly, after all, they were the only two people she cared about in the world.
She lifted the curtain of the car window, her gaze drifting out of the window.
The scenery along the road gradually receded, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Miss Anne, please don't be careless either," Seth said. "You will remain in danger until we send you back to the Herald Academy, and our mission is not yet complete."
Anne looked at Seth, smiled and shook her head. "But so far, I haven't felt any danger."
"Keeping you away from danger is also part of the Unswearing Knights' job," Seth said. "And right now, the Duchy is in a time of great turmoil."
Upon hearing this, Annie immediately realized that Seth had learned something:
"What's wrong?"
"The infighting between sects seems set to intensify," Seth said. "We might even encounter a battle on the road caused by a conflict of faith."
"All religious sects are branches of the faith in God, and they share the same supreme deity. Even if there are disagreements, will they really escalate into armed conflict?"
"Do you remember the Firstborn Cult?"
Seth Road,
"Once something is defined as a cult, the Holy Knights of the Papacy can legally draw their swords. And the Patriarch Felix, who was just assassinated, was the leader of another sect."
Once those in power fall from grace, the sect will also decline.
Anne finally understood some of the principles.
Even under the guise of faith, the struggle for power has never ceased.
It's just become more discreet.
The court Anne was about to visit was likely to be even bloodier than the Papacy.
I, Anne, couldn't help but ask myself, am I really ready?