Chapter 66: 66. Darkness

Over the coming days, Sylvester and Felix tried to cram all knowledge possibly into their young minds. This was an advantage they had over the other old men who were their classmates.

They were God's Favored and trained to be better than the average clergy. So their mental skills were above the ordinary. Naturally, this was the cause of some envy, but Sylvester's unnerving gaze kept all at bay.

And if any of them dared cause even the slightest of discomfort for him, he'd write their name in his little diary of dead people. It was not a list of people he wanted to kill but the people he considered already dead. This means if he ever came across these people, he'd not help them.

Mostly, the education was about the Church Code of Law, often termed CCL. It was a thick book with various punishments and case studies from history. A punishment was written for all kinds of blunders, from the smallest to the gravest.

Usually, there is no need to use CCL when dealing with heathens. But, being Sanctum Inspectors, they may have to deal with various wealthy merchants and nobles, and in those cases, CCL helps as it's a universally accepted book of the law.

Other than this, Sylvester and Felix were taught about how to find allies that are hidden, hidden safehouses, how to contact the Holy Land, and what to do if a local clergy is unruly.

Currently, Sylvester was also living in the school dorm as he had dozens of thick books he had to read and various details to memorize and prepare for the exam. He slowly understood why there was no clause of dropping out of this job if you failed the examination.

Because if he was going to be made to take the exam again and again until he passed, most clergy would try to give their best in the first place.

Yawn!

Sylvester tiredly read the books, and he'd been doing it since he woke up in the morning, and now it was dinner time.

Knock Knock!

His dorm room door was opened, and his friends entered uninvited. However, there was an addition. A girl was there too, behind Gabriel. He had not seen her until now since she had taken a job at Xavia's sick bay.

"Ah, is she Raven?" Sylvester finally saw Gabriel's sister face to face. She was a beautiful woman, slightly shorter than him. She had deep black hair and blue eyes and had a petite form, likely due to malnutrition.

Raven chirped before her brother. "Ah, you must be the famous bard! Can you sing me a hymn, please?"

"Hm, alright," Sylvester raised his right hand and sent out a beam of light magic. However, for some reason, there was no halo behind his head this time.

Unfortunately, the others would only learn why when he was midway finished.

♫O'Lord, bless these children with brain.

Even if it be the size of a little grain.

He's rather plain; Gabriel is his name.

Yes, he's somewhat tame.

Also, we have beauty here.

Bless her so from none she may fear.

May she have a successful career.♫

♫Felix, my brother with a sword.

One too short, and the other long and broad.

Bless him too, for he is unwise.

Surprise him with increased size.

Ignore the brain, however, he has none.

Castrate him even, for he lusts for nuns.♫

♫At last, Markus, the flexible.

His deeds are likely unspeakable.

Even if he may be maidenless,

No worry, he's both the boy and the lass.

May the Lord bless his ass.♫

Sylvester stopped singing and releasing light magic and noticed the shocked and annoyed faces of everyone, while Raven laughed nonstop.

"Castrate me?"

"Bless my ass?"

"I'm tame? Max?"

The three boys cracked their knuckles and slowly proceeded towards Sylvester.

"The only ass that needs mercy today will be yours." Felix barked.

Gabriel and Markus frowned, Sylvester too. "What in the Lord's name, Felix? You're not supposed to say such things."

"I was talking about punching his ass." Felix clarified embarrassingly.

"That, let's do it."

Sylvester scoffed and took a fighting position. "If that's what you want."

Bam!

Just a friendly brawl like any other day, the four fought sloppily, throwing each other as if fake wrestling. However, Felix was physically strong among them, and he was throwing two of them together. That prompted them to get together and beat Felix up first.

"Th-That's cheating!" Felix cried as he got pinned down and spanked.

Pa!

Markus scoffed. "Everything is fair in love and war... and this is war!"

"Pfft... do you four always act like this?" Raven suddenly laughed out loud. They had forgotten she was even there.

Indeed, the four goofed around like this on most days. That was one of the coping mechanisms to endure the harsh training.

Sylvester solemnly fixed his hair and clothes again, cursing himself for acting like kids. All of them were 16 or 17 at this point. While he was...101?

"Let's eat now." He suggested.

The other three agreed and acted as if they were always serious boys.

"Raven, wait here. We will bring food back up here and eat together." Gabriel said and left with the rest.

Their time in the dorms was coming to an end now, and the moment they headed out for their job, they will lose possession of the rooms.

But they will be allotted housing in the common area for Clergy. The houses are different for different ranks, both Clergy ranks, and martial ranks. Sadly, none of them would be staying.

Soon, the five gathered in Sylvester's room and ate their fill. They talked about little old things. Raven silently heard everything, their hardships, and many death-defying feats. Slowly, she came to respect her brother and his friends. Even more so, as she, at most, faced some beating and locking up, these boys literally fought for their lives.

"Folks, I need to head out now and have a meeting with Sir Dolorem. He will be coming with us as I trust him, and he's knowledgeable about world politics and geography much more than us." Sylvester got up to leave.

"Give him our thanks for helping us." Felix waved.

"Sure, but Felix, go and start studying. I won't wait if you fail the test tomorrow," Sylvester warned as he left.

...

Outside, the usual darkness of the night had taken over. He knew that these few remaining nights of peace would be the last ones. Life would become much more dangerous once he's out of the Holy Land, where the creatures of the night roam freely.

He whistled alone and walked towards the Inquisitor Camp. It was, as always, full of activity, no matter whether it was day or night. Someone was always going in and out. Griffin and Louis were supposed to be there too, but he didn't find them, likely asleep.

So he made his way to Sir Dolorem's camp, but the man was not there. So he headed to the Inquisitor High Lord's tent. He was not a kid anymore. He dared to look the man in the eye now, even though the man could kill him with a wave of his hand.

"Ah, Lord's Bard. We heard you got appointed. Unfortunately, it wasn't the Inquisitors." The sentries outside the large tent greeted him.

'Honestly, I'd have preffered to be an Inquisitor. These folks are too kind to me.' Sylvester thought sadly.

"I'm sure I can get a transfer once I prove myself. Is Sir Dolorem inside?"

The two sentries nodded but looked scared at the same time. Finally, one of them came closer to Sylvester and whispered. "Lord Inquisitor was gravely injured a few days ago."

"What?! Who could have injured him?" Sylvester exclaimed in disbelief. It was nothing less than an eye opener to think there were people who could do such a thing to the man.

The other Sentry whispered. "It was the leader of the Anti-Light Sect. Lord Inquisitor fought him, but that heathen had hidden trap runes inside the ground. However, the Holy Father healed the Lord Inquisitor. So he should be fine now."

"Let him enter!" Suddenly a shout came from inside.

Sylvester stiffly walked in and looked around. A huge man covered with blankets was on a large bed in a corner. But the face was still covered with a metallic visor, albeit not having a conical helmet. But the man had no hair either; instead, a coif was covering it.

The small crowd gathered inside didn't spare him a glance. However, one particular person he noticed was the young-looking woman sitting on a chair beside the bed. From the expressions and closeness, he could see she had some relationship with Lord Inquisitor.

However, when she glanced at him, Sylvester recognized her. 'What's Lady Aurora doing here? Are the Tenth Guardian and Lord Inquisitor close?'

He tasted the air. It was tense and full of anxiety. 'How strong is this head of the Anti-Light sect?'

"Come here, Favored one." The Lord Inquisitor raised his hand.

For the first time, Sylvester saw some skin of the man, and it seemed to be burnt to crisp, leaving the tree bark-like skin. 'Did he get burned?'

"Are you okay, Lord Inquisitor?" Sylvester showed some worry for the man as he considered Inquisitor High Lord one of his strongest backers.

"Haha, such injuries are common, young one. On the path to greatness, this is a faith all must witness. I heard you have become a Sanctum Inspector—what a record. You are the youngest Sanctum Inspector in history.

"But, heed my advice, being a Sanctum Inspector is one of the noblest professions. Be sure to show the good ones mercy, but never tolerate hersey. Now you shall be going out into the wild. It's dangerous.

"The Sect of Anti-Light is expanding, so be mindful of that. Be mindful of a name as well—Julius Aurelius Alexander. If you are unfortunate enough to meet him, just run, do not confront! He is now the Holy Father's to hunt."

'Great, another enemy.' Sylvester cursed internally.

"Sir Dolorem, go with God's Favoured, guide him, teach him the world's complexities. Let his wings spread wide so his light may shine far and bright." Inquisitor High Lord ordered.

The bald, dark-skinned Wizard-Knight stood up and thumped his chest plate. "I will do as you command, Lord Inquisitor."

Sir Dolorem pulled Sylvester out of the tent and took him to his own.

Sylvester felt the tension in the air. Sir Dolorem smelled like fear. So he asked, "Is Lord Inquisitor okay?"

"N-No... I'm afraid not."

Sir Dolorem's head fell in tiredness and frustration. "It's a blessing he's even alive this long. But now, only a miracle can save him."

"Who is this Julius Aurelius Alexander?" Sylvester inquired, worried for his own safety too.

"Chaos... Darkness... Death!"

HURT ME WITH YOUR STONES!

**669 Stones = Bonus Chapter!**

APE TOGETHER STRONG!