Chapter 165: Count Cecil
Behind the most magnificent cathedral of the Holy Temple, there was an inconspicuous small shrine, one of the most important forbidden places of the temple, guarded by eight elderly priests.
Inside the small shrine, there was the only magical teleportation array in the Glory Empire.
Each time the teleportation array was activated, it consumed an immense amount of power. Only the Pope and two Cardinals were permitted to use it.
Moreover, there was a restrictive condition: it could only be used when it was necessary to rush to a fallen city.
The priests guarding the shrine diligently maintained the operation of the magic stones. When they noticed a ripple forming on the teleportation gate, they immediately understood who was returning. As soon as a foot stepped out of the flowing gate, they bent over in salute.
“Lord Peruth, you have returned!”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work, Jacob.”
“Not at all, it is you who worked the hardest!” Jacob noticed that Cardinal Peruth’s robes were covered in black ash, and there were even traces of blood.
Another priest, Job, hurried forward to help him remove the heavy and dignified outer robe. “Lord Peruth, the sacred water for cleansing is ready.”
Peruth walked into another room and washed his hands in the flowing clear water.
Job followed behind, asking with concern, “Lord Peruth, was the situation very severe this time?”
“Ah, it was indeed somewhat serious, but we arrived just in time. Nephis City has been temporarily secured.”
Peruth’s tone and demeanor were calm and soothing. Despite having just experienced life-and-death situations, there was no heaviness or gloom, making it feel like everything was still under control, not utterly disastrous.
Job thought to himself, Lord Peruth always had this reassuring strength.
“That’s good. Another city has been saved. As long as the people there faithfully believe in the God of Light, everything will be fine in the future,” Job said happily.
He had never actually seen what a fallen dead city looked like, nor could he even imagine it, so he still retained a naive optimism.
Peruth only smiled and continued washing himself.
Of course, he wouldn’t say that although Nephis City had been saved, the western regions had completely fallen, with not a single living soul left.
Job, like most who lived within the Glory Empire, had never left this safe haven, blessed and protected by the light.
The terms “plague” and “fallen” were distant concepts to them.
“How is His Holiness, the Pope?” Peruth asked.
“His Holiness is much the same,” Job replied, feeling his answer was too brief, so he quickly added, “But Cardinal Croft left the teleportation array just a short while ago, and he didn’t look well. I’m not sure if something went wrong.”
Cardinal Croft was the other cardinal and quietly at odds with Peruth in the temple.
After all, Peruth was much younger but stronger, standing as Croft’s equal. Even the temple’s priests and holy disciples preferred Peruth. Naturally, Croft could not help but feel jealous of him.
Job firmly believed this.
After washing away the ashes of burnt corpses, Peruth once again wore his spotless, pure white cardinal’s robe.
The grand cathedral of the temple stood on higher ground. As Peruth walked down the corridor toward the main plaza, he glanced outward.
The bright morning sunlight painted the temple’s nearby spires and distant pavilions in gold. The hourly bell rang in the distance, and a flock of pigeons from the central plaza flapped past the golden spires.
But miles away, flames consumed a city, and a vast cloud of black smoke and dust hung over the entire area, shrouding it in darkness like nightfall.
“The capital is as peaceful as ever today,” Peruth murmured softly.
Job glanced at the familiar scene, much the same as every day, and echoed, “Yes, the sun’s been so nice these days! Are you planning to sun your books, Lord Peruth?”
Peruth caught a faint fragrance on the breeze—white roses were blooming all around the columns ahead.
Seeing the white roses reminded him of a certain night and a certain person. Suddenly, he asked, “Has Baron Cecil come to see me lately?”
Job hesitated for a moment but answered truthfully, “No, and Baron Cecil has now been granted the title of Count.”
As one of the priests who cared for Cardinal Peruth, Job scoffed at the rumors circulating outside about the cardinal and the dark-haired baron.
Cardinal Peruth was the most devout of believers, a man who had dedicated his life to the service of God. How could he possibly have an impure relationship with another man, something both unclean and against church doctrine?
Yet, Lord Peruth certainly seemed to care a great deal about this Count Cecil.
Peruth’s steps faltered. Just as he thought of someone, he happened to see him.
However, it appeared that his dear Eloren hadn’t come to see him.
In a corridor of the cathedral, Eloren, dressed in formal attire, was standing with his younger sister, Charli, speaking to someone.
That someone was none other than Cardinal Croft, dressed in cardinal’s robes just like Peruth’s.
The conversation between the two did not seem to be pleasant. Cardinal Croft’s already stern and rigid face had grown even harsher, his eyebrows drawn together like a sharp blade.
He spat out quick, commanding words, his tone full of intimidation. But the dark-haired young man standing before him, facing his anger head-on, was not the least bit affected. He responded calmly, unwavering in his composure.
As Peruth walked closer, he couldn’t help but let his gaze settle on the person he hadn’t seen in half a month, a smile creeping into his eyes.
He realized that Eloren seemed to be fearless. He was this way not only with Peruth, but with everyone else as well.
Just like how the moon shines equally upon everyone.
Peruth’s arrival abruptly interrupted the tense conversation. He smiled warmly, but with a subtle gesture, he effortlessly dispelled the sound isolation magic that Cardinal Croft had cast.
“Eloren, Cardinal Croft, the weather is wonderful today—what are you discussing? Do you mind if I join?” Peruth asked with a calm smile.
Not expecting him to appear, Yu Mo was slightly surprised but politely nodded. “Lord Peruth, it’s been a while.”
Cardinal Croft’s expression, however, turned even more unpleasant. His thin lips pressed tightly together in silence.
Sensing Yu Mo’s cool attitude, Peruth’s smile subtly faltered, though no one seemed to notice. He still spoke kindly, “Eloren, it’s been some time. If you’re free, why not come to my quarters and read for a while?” He glanced briefly at Eloren’s younger sister, Charli, who stood behind him. “Your sister is here too—would she like to join us?”
“No, we haven’t finished our conversation. Peruth, please excuse us!” Cardinal Croft snapped.
“Lord Peruth, I do have important matters to discuss with Cardinal Croft,” Yu Mo added.
Peruth’s smile shifted slightly at these words, a change even Charli, who was silently standing by, noticed.
But Yu Mo seemed oblivious. He gently nudged his sister toward Peruth. “Once we’re finished, I’ll come find you. In the meantime, could I trouble you to look after Charli for a bit?”
Managing to placate the unexpectedly present Peruth, Yu Mo followed Cardinal Croft into his private quarters.
The room they entered wasn’t set up for comfort. There wasn’t even a chair, only a statue of the deity and a cushion placed before it, more resembling a prayer or confession room.
“A mere count, daring to threaten me, and even braving to follow me here alone—who gave you such audacity? Was it Peruth?” Cardinal Croft glared at him, his cheeks twitching with rage. “But let me tell you this—no matter how much Peruth likes you, if you dare deceive me, you will face the punishment you deserve.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t dare deceive you. Besides, what I rely on is the fact that you truly care about your child.”
Yu Mo raised his hand, and a smooth copper pendant swayed between his fingers.
“This is a token, taken from that child. Cardinal Croft, you should recognize it?”
Cardinal Croft’s cobalt-blue eyes narrowed sharply as he snatched the necklace.
The small copper sun pendant, with an engraved cursive “K” on the back, was so worn that it had become blurred, as though it had been touched countless times.
His fierce, angry expression faltered, as if he had been struck by an unbearable memory. Pain and regret briefly flickered across his face, beyond his control.
Yu Mo watched him quietly, waiting for him to regain his composure.
No one knew that Cardinal Peruth, so favored by the light, had another hidden identity. Likewise, no one knew that the devout Cardinal Croft had once loved a heretic, and that the two of them had a child together.
Upon discovering the heretic’s identity, Croft had wanted to kill them, but after grievously wounding his lover, he couldn’t bring himself to deliver the final blow. In the end, he defied his faith and spared the mother and child.
Before parting, he had even tied the copper necklace he had worn since childhood around the child’s neck.
For years, Croft had been tormented, unable to confess this secret to anyone.
That child, of course, was the protagonist of this story—Makin. His forbidden and complicated background was typical of most main characters.
It was precisely because of Makin’s unique heritage that, in the original storyline, he managed to gain some support in a world dominated by religious authority and eventually became the new emperor.
However, at this point, Makin was still unaware of his own identity. The necklace, taken from him, had been used by Yu Mo to negotiate a deal with Cardinal Croft.
“I will keep your secret, and your child is safe. I will ensure he has a comfortable life and opportunities for education.”
“Please believe in my sincerity. I only hope that Cardinal Croft would agree to take my sister, Charli, as a student and teach her light magic,” Yu Mo said.
Cardinal Croft rubbed the copper pendant in his hand. “I want to meet them.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Yu Mo knew exactly what Croft was thinking and deliberately pressed harder. “The boy and his mother were forced to live as fugitives from a young age. His mother was gravely injured early on, her health deteriorated, and she passed away years ago.”
Cardinal Croft’s body trembled at the news.
“He’s been wandering alone, enduring countless hardships, believing all this time that his father was dead. If he learns the truth about you, he’ll likely resent you and refuse to accept it.”
Yu Mo’s words reflected exactly what happened in the original storyline—when Makin learned of his true parentage, he hated Cardinal Croft and never acknowledged him.
After a long pause, Croft, overwhelmed and confused, finally said in a heavy voice, “I agree to your terms. But I want you to sign a magical contract.”
…
When Yu Mo left Cardinal Croft’s quarters, he found Peruth and Charli in a small garden.
The anxious Charli stood up immediately upon seeing him. “Brother!”
Peruth set down his teacup and, as Yu Mo approached, said, “Eloren, if you’re looking for a suitable teacher for Charli, I would have thought, given our relationship, you’d prefer to choose me.”
Using a gentle tone and a warm smile to express dissatisfaction was one of Lord Peruth’s signature moves.
As he said, it would have been much smoother to choose him as Charli’s teacher. But Yu Mo needed to secure more influential supporters for Charli’s future as queen.
Both cardinals of the Holy Temple would be her allies—or, at least, that’s the message he wanted to convey.
Still, Peruth’s displeasure needed to be soothed. Yu Mo leaned closer to the cardinal’s ear and whispered, “You’re already my teacher. Who else could you want to teach?”
Peruth: “…”
Peruth took another sip of tea and asked with genuine concern, “So, how did the conversation with Croft go?”
“It went very smoothly,” Yu Mo replied, sitting in the chair Charli had eagerly pulled out for him. “He’s already agreed to take Charli as his student.”
“Stubborn Croft, who never gives in to anyone. It makes one curious how you managed to persuade him,” Peruth remarked, taking the teapot from Charli and pouring Yu Mo’s tea himself.
Yu Mo took the cup, blew lightly on it, and smiled faintly. “That’s a secret. But as always, Peruth, you’re welcome to guess.”
Charli, witnessing her brother’s interaction with Cardinal Peruth for the first time, found it different from what she had imagined. Her brother seemed to have the upper hand, if only subtly.
Earlier, when she had been alone with Peruth, she had felt wary. Yet, somehow, he had managed to get her to reveal their true purpose for visiting—the goal of convincing Cardinal Croft to become her teacher.
It was strange. Looking into Peruth’s eyes, it felt like she was being charmed, unable to stop herself from Charling her thoughts.
If her brother hadn’t shown up in time, Charli worried she might have revealed even the secrets she wasn’t supposed to.
“It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. I didn’t even know you’d been made a count. And today, it’s rare to see you step into the Holy Temple—but not to visit me, I gather?” Peruth rested his hand on the armrest, sounding a bit disappointed.
Yu Mo didn’t respond directly. Instead, he asked, “And you, Cardinal, haven’t sought me out lately. What have you been so busy with?”
“There have been some important matters that needed attending to,” Peruth replied smoothly. “Does it bother you that I haven’t come to see you?”
Charli listened more and more, feeling like this sounded familiar. When she and her stepmother went to parties, her stepmother would flirt with others in just the same way.
She couldn’t take it anymore and leaned closer to her brother, purposely “whispering,” “Brother, is the cardinal saying that you aren’t important?”
Yu Mo: “…”
Peruth: “…”
Peruth, who had initially thought Charli was just a shy and obedient girl, was now surprised to realize how sharp her words could be.
