Chương 181

Dealing a public blow to Morliana the moment they entered the Sanctum was pretty thrilling, though the high didn't last very long. As they ascended the main staircase, the reality of the situation began to sink in, and Orion had to reevaluate. Sure, Seraphina intervening in our favor probably wasn't expected, and it set her back quite a bit, but to be so confident as to confront us immediately upon our return? She must have been working very hard to take control while we were gone.

For all her faults, and there were many, Morliana was no fool. She would soon see how dangerous the situation really was and adapt accordingly. There would be no overreach like the one they just averted, not if she hadn't gone insane, but it was very likely she would continue her campaign in the shadows.

"Moonbeam, I want you to stay silent unless you're spoken to from now on, alright?" Asteria asked as they stepped onto the seventh floor, drawing his attention away from his dark thoughts.

"Hm? Oh, alright," he muttered. The fact that he, who was technically still a student, was being included in this meeting was a stretch and only possible because he had already been present for too long. Having never personally stepped foot on the seventh floor, despite having spent most of his second life within the Sanctum, Orion took a moment to look around, even as he followed his mother and the Elder.

Like the rest of the coven, it was carved from stone, with silver accents and the occasional tapestry or statue depicting ancient witches or the Moon Mother's history. All in all, there was nothing that distinguished it from the other floors, except for the incredibly pure feeling he was getting from the Field. The Sanctum was a light-oriented place, much like the Collegium was Arcane and the Twilight Lands were darkness and shadow.

But here, on the seventh floor, that was elevated even further, so much so that Orion doubted he'd be able to cast anything more than basic cantrips without using light mana. And as they continued down the corridors, the density increased until, by the time they reached a large pair of stone doors, it was difficult to even walk, let alone cast.

"Come in," a melodious voice echoed from inside, and the heavy doors opened on their own. What was revealed wasn't much different from the main prayer chamber at the bottom of the Sanctum, although it was clearly a more private space, with only a quarter of the size and fewer than a tenth of the seats. Above their heads, a massive crystal dome revealed the sky, filtering only the purest sunlight, giving the entire room an ethereal feeling.

It reached the point where Orion suspected that coming here at night might be too much for him, if this was the amount that could be drawn from the sun.

"Welcome," the voice echoed again, and his eyes were drawn to the altar, behind which the most powerful witch in the Sanctum and one of Cyril's great powerhouses waited for them. Seraphina had not changed since the last time he'd seen her. Her robes were made of layers of the purest silk, in shades of white and silver, so fine they seemed liquid. A veil covered her face from the nose down, making her gold eyes stand out even more.

Instinctively, Orion inclined his head in respect, while the two Veil Priestesses performed a more complicated gesture.

"You've had a rough journey, sisters," Seraphina said as she slowly descended the altar's steps and joined them. She didn't seem interested in offering them a seat or having tea, like Hassel had, and Orion couldn't bring himself to be offended. It would almost feel sacrilegious to humanize her like that, which was strange to even think about, given his stance on anything religious. Being so close to her messes with my mind.

She's probably not intentionally manipulating my emotions, but even if this is just a natural side effect of her power, I don't like it. Fortunately, he'd learned enough social decorum to know better than to say that out loud. Instead, he kept his head bowed until he felt her eyes pass over him, and only then relaxed just a little. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

"We have brought the hammer of vengeance upon those who attacked our people, High Priestess," Asteria said, sounding strangely formal. It took Orion a moment, but he finally realized that his mother was probably just nervous. She was a seasoned witch and the rising star of the Sanctum, but this was also her first meeting with Seraphina since being elevated to Veil Priestess, and despite her power, she was still in her thirties.

"Ten times, as the tradition states," Candra grunted, still apparently not back to her doddering facade. Seraphina hummed, the melody flowing smoothly through the room.

"That was well done," she said, crinkling her eyes and conveying more emotion than any smile could. It figures the only thing that makes her happy is the enemy's elimination.

"I do believe," she continued, and the warmth disappeared as quickly as it had come, "that you might have something more urgent to report." Asteria inclined her head and provided a detailed explanation of what they discovered during the campaign, including their suspicions about Behenien's motivations, the confrontation with her, and her eventual defeat. She then recounted their adventure in the Crimson Wheel, the Vampires' lands, and finally, what they found at the Tower of Ambition.

"The fishermen genuinely weren't able to describe what they saw, but even what little they understood was enough to hint at the nature of our enemy," she finished grimly.

"The Grandmaster and I arrived at the same conclusion independently. It's possible we might be wrong, and that this is a single being with unknown reasons, but I do not believe that to be the case. That'd be too fortunate. No, it's difficult to determine the nature of the threat, but if they've infiltrated enough to have contacts with the Crimson Wheel's princes, then they're not a minor player. Seraphina seemed to agree with him, as she shook her head.

"I do not believe that to be the case," she said, narrowing her eyes just slightly. Even that small amount of emotion was hard to read, given her naturally neutral face, but Orion guessed she might be quickly piecing together the report with more information she had. That was confirmed faster than he'd expected.

"This fits with the recent reports I have received from our agents in Leviathan Watch." Even ignoring the blunt admission that they, too, had spies in the other major factions — which Orion had long suspected but hadn't been certain of until now — the fact that she was able to connect another incident with these mysterious invaders meant that either someone very reliable had gotten a good look and the descriptions matched, or that they were acting much more aggressively than he had expected.

He knew this issue wasn't something that could be ignored like the conflict in the south, especially if they wanted to still be around ten years from now, but he expected the enemy to be more subtle, so he was leaning toward the initial option.

"What do you mean, High Priestess? What have those crazy sailors done now?" Candra asked.

"Certain sectors of their fleet have gone missing," Seraphina revealed, tilting her head up. The light filtered through the massive crystal dome, shimmering as if coalescing around her, and when she looked back down, her eyes glowed intensely. Strangely enough, Orion didn't feel any shift in the local field, but as soon as he thought about probing deeper, she spoke again.

"The Leviathans from the deep shelves stirred much sooner than expected. I foresaw several disasters that could have led to significant losses in our mineral extraction, and I know for a fact the dwarves have suffered losses on their expeditions. Only the Ironwood Sentinels have not made anything of the sort known, but that is owed more to their insular nature than to their coming unscathed. The enemy's presence is undeniable, even if they are yet invisible to our eyes."

"You can't find them?" Candra asked, and she seemed genuinely surprised, as if Seraphina's failure to divine this mysterious foreign power had never even occurred to her. The High Priestess shook her head.

"They've been very careful not to linger or leave traces. It pains me to admit this, but they are clearly highly skilled professionals, and they had time to get to know our abilities. Whenever I sense even a slight shift in the heavens, they are already gone before I can turn my gaze on them. I can only glimpse them when they try to influence our lands, and they have learned not to act directly." That complicated things. Not that he expected the whole situation to be solved instantly, no.

But something told him she wasn't quite finished yet.

"That is why," she continued, fixing her eyes on him and making him feel remarkably like a microbe being examined under a microscope, "I need your help. Any attempt from my end to find them will inevitably end in failure, but others, less noticeable, people, could serve in my place." Uh oh.

"I want you to tell me that you understand that you can refuse," Asteria said, pacing back and forth. Though there was some relief in finally being back in their apartment, free from the fear of being chased out by inquisitors, Orion couldn't fully relax yet, and not just because of his mother's anxiety.

"I know, but you know that I can't," he answered. Asteria grimaced, clearly showing she disliked the current situation, but she shook her head.

"No, she said you could step back."

"I could. But I won't. This is too good an opportunity, both for us and for the Sanctum as a whole. I'm not going to chicken out now, not after we went on a military campaign," he insisted. Seraphina had made it clear he wasn't being ordered to take part in her plan, but when the fate of the nation was at stake, he couldn't exactly call himself out, not after that whole impassioned speech he used to convince his father to take the mantle of Speakership.

Beyond that, it wasn't even anything he wouldn't have done on his own if he were honest. Orion had planned to adventure around the region over the next few months, but he knew himself well enough to realize he wouldn't have been able to resist poking his nose into this matter eventually. Being officially permitted to work on this, especially by the High Priestess herself, will make my life much easier.

"I wish there was more I could do," Asteria sighed, finally slumping into a chair. She looked nothing like the conquering warrior she'd been in the yard, and her demeanor was uncomfortably close to the last time they'd been in the apartment. But this time, things were different.

"There is a lot you can do," he said.

"You saw what Morliana was willing to do. Pushing back against her alone will be a great help, and you heard the High Priestess. She won't be sending me off to fight the unknown on my own. I will just be part of the vanguard, scouting areas of interest without spooking them out." Seraphina had explained that she was gathering several volunteers to travel throughout the region on her behalf, whether to spy on people, fight monsters, or handle any suspicious activity.

Those missions might send them to a city to infiltrate suspicious noble houses or to the high peaks, where powerful beasts roamed and could fall under the enemy's influence. It was all stuff he'd already been planning to do, plus the added risk of encountering incredibly powerful and secretive beings dead-set on undermining Cyril as a whole.