Chapter 608: The Witch
'There's no doubt about it. It's definitely the same emblem!'
Vale expressed his confusion as he observed the emblem of the Church embedded in the token given to him by Marquis Morgan.
The Marquis appeared unconcerned by Vale's recognition of the emblem. In fact, he seemed to expect Vale to notice it.
"Yes... I mentioned how I secured the support of the Kingdom's Neutral Faction. It's all thanks to the assistance of the Church of the Divine Sorcerer... They will be sending us their finest Sorcerers to aid us. Once they learn about our cooperation, you can expect them to visit you to introduce themselves and provide you with various resources..." Marquis Morgan explained.
At this point, Marquis Morgan paused to clear his throat.
"Ahem... That also means they might ask you to convert to their religion and serve the Divine Sorcerer. However, you are not obligated to follow them. Once we remove the King, they will be able to establish their own Holy Kingdom and claim a southern part of the Kingdom for themselves. That was the agreement we made."
Upon hearing this, Vale wryly smiled. "Sorcerers, huh... Can you tell me more about them?" Vale inquired.
"Of course! I'm more than willing to share what I know about them and my experience dealing with their ministers..." Marquis Morgan replied.
With that, Vale extended another invitation to Marquis Morgan to the castle's reception to discuss details about the Church.
After all, Vale had encountered the Church of the Three Paragons and the Church of the Fortune Goddess, but he had no knowledge of the other churches, as they were not taught in the Academy.
***
Then, as Vale listened to the Marquis' words, he discovered that the Church of the Divine Sorcerer was home to practitioners of Mystic Arts, particularly those who had chosen the path of Sorcery.
Similar to the Dark Arts, which encompassed Necromancers, Dark Magicians, Ritualists, and others, the Mystic Arts also included Shamans, Witch Doctors, Sorcerers, and various other disciplines.
It seemed that the practice of Sorcery represented an extreme path within the Mystic Arts, distinctly different from the other branches.
According to Marquis Morgan, the members of the Church sought to acquire a substantial territory and establish their independence, aspiring to create the largest Holy Land.
"They have great ambition..." Vale remarked as he didn't expect a Church to have such a grand ambition.
However, after thinking about it, it certainly made sense, considering they also command a powerful force.
With thousands of Arcanists in their command, it was even surprising that they were able to contain their greed for a long time.
"Yes, that's great ambition. I even conducted an investigation, and it feels as if the Divine Sorcerer himself is on the verge of descending, and they are preparing to welcome him in their holy land" The Marquis revealed.
"Mhmm? It sounds similar to the Order of Fatality's mission..." Vale remarked as he shook his head.
Nevertheless, he was open to meeting with the members of the churches, feeling curious about them since they would essentially become his neighbors once they acquired land in the southern region.
After more than an hour of discussion, Marquis Morgan expressed his intention to depart in order to prepare for their plan and organize the workers he would dispatch to repair the Vale's Airship.
"Ah... Before you leave, I wanted to ask why your Knights failed to use the Anti-Magic Stones that they have during the duel..." Vale inquired.
"Hmm? Isn't that because your companions fought from a distance? Anti-Magic Stones don't target the formed spells after all... They target the source or the Arcanists instead. However, they only cover about a meter, so the Knights have to get closer to make it work." Marquis Morgan explained.
'So it's different from my Spell Dispersion...' Vale pondered to himself as he thanked the Marquis.
Once the Marquis had left, Vale finally had some time to himself and decided to work on fusing Spells.
He felt the need to combine them!
***
Meanwhile, in Kirkham City, situated at the border of the Millton Kingdom, a group of people wearing what seemed like merchants or businessmen arrived.
There were a total of eight of them, and their leader was the first to disembark the carriage.
Their presence did not initially raise suspicion, as they blended in with the numerous other businessmen and traders entering the city.
Since the railway had not yet reached the city, everyone still relied on horse-driven carriages.
Nevertheless, despite their unassuming appearance, they suddenly drew the attention of many passersby when their leader, a woman in her early thirties with long silver hair and captivating blue eyes, removed the thick coat that was covering her body.
She was none other than Gale Evans.
"It isn't as cold here. Anyway, I can sense another practitioner of the Dark Arts. They have concealed it well and probably enough to deceive those Priests." She remarked.
"Professor— I mean, Miss Gale, I noticed that there aren't any Holy Knights or Priests at the city gate, unlike the ones in the central part of the Kingdom. I think they have a weak influence in this region... The Dark Magicians could probably stay here for a long time before being exposed," one of her companions behind her commented.
"I think so too... It seems as if the Holy Arts Faction's alliance and the Church of the Fortune Goddess are only focusing on their area of influence," another added.
"Yes, that's also what I'm thinking." Miss Gale concurred after a moment of thought.
"Continue with our plan. I will meet you all in an hour."
With this, she immediately walked in a different direction.
The others didn't seem bothered by her sudden change of plan, as if this had already happened before.
"We'll do so, Miss Gale. Please take care," her companions responded.
Miss Gale simply waved her hand in acknowledgment as she followed the trail of the Dark Arts Practitioner she had detected.
After a while, she arrived at the part of the city where the Arcanist Guild was located.
"So it's here..."