"So he’s under control now?" Drael asked with a mix of surprise and disbelief, glancing at the priest Morvain who stood motionless before them.
Daniel didn’t answer. He simply nodded, sat down on the couch, and fixed his gaze on the priest. It was the first time he had ever used this skill, and he didn’t fully understand how it worked.
Still, there shouldn’t be any problem. After all, a fragment of his consciousness now resided inside this body, meaning this priest was no different from a puppet on his strings.
"Interesting. So how does this skill even work? It just... turns anyone into a slave?" Drael asked again, curiosity in his tone mixed with a hint of fear.
Wasn’t this too terrifying? With this kind of power, this man could turn anyone into his servant... including him.
He finally realized that he had never actually seen this man use any kind of skill before. Daniel always fought with pure power or through his Laws.
So if he actually started using skills on top of that, how strong would he become? Drael swallowed nervously.
"Tell us about the shameful secrets of the temple. The truths you’ve twisted." Daniel ignored Drael’s question and lazily turned to Morvain instead.
"There are many," Morvain said after a short pause. "Over the years, the Grand Priest has used every possible method to make people develop absolute faith in God, even the truths of the past were completely altered."
"Tell us the biggest one," Drael added quickly. "Something that could shake the faith of these people."
"The biggest one? That would be the true identity of the Grand Priest, how he became who he is. You’ve seen the statue inside the temple, haven’t you? That headless statue... it’s actually a statue of the Hero."
"Go on," Daniel said, his tone holding faint curiosity. He had already suspected who that statue might represent.
But hearing that it really belonged to the Hero surprised him a little. After all, he’d always felt some strange connection to that statue, as if he knew it, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
If his guess was right, then that statue was the same monster he had fought inside the tomb, the one he barely managed to defeat.
"The Grand Priest and the Hero were childhood friends," Morvain continued. "Both of them grew up in this city. Since he was young, the Hero’s goal was to one day become strong enough to enter the abandoned canyon and slay the sleeping beast that dwelled there."
"His hatred toward that canyon came from the fact that his parents had been sacrificed to the beast by the people of the city. But he held no grudge against them... or maybe he was just good at hiding it."
"As he grew older, his talent blossomed even more. Eventually, he became the city’s leader and helped it prosper." Morvain paused for a moment, giving them time to absorb what he had said, then continued.
"No one knows why, but suddenly, the Hero obtained an immense level of power, power strong enough to split the skies apart. Around that time, he suddenly built the Crimson Temple and introduced God to the people."
"So it was the Hero who first met that god?" Drael asked curiously. He had assumed it was the Grand Priest who had first come into contact with the god and used that connection to remove the Hero from the way.
Daniel shot him a sharp look, signaling him to stay quiet and let Morvain continue. Seeing that warning in Daniel’s eyes, Drael quickly fell silent and didn’t dare say another word.
Daniel turned back to Morvain and gestured for him to go on.
"The Hero began gathering followers," Morvain said.
"He granted them divine power and made them incredibly strong. Then came the fateful day, the day when another round of sacrifices was to be sent into the canyon."
"The Hero refused to allow it and declared that this time he himself would go into the canyon to slay the beast with God’s help."
"Before leaving, he entrusted the city to his closest friend, the Grand Priest. But he didn’t realize what kind of trap he was walking into." Morvain sighed, his tone heavy as he recalled the past.
"The Grand Priest somehow caught the attention of God. I don’t know how, no one does, but he convinced God to grant him power instead of the Hero. And God agreed."
"Months passed quietly, and little by little, the Grand Priest took full control of the city. He began using the people as fuel for divine power. The more they believed in God, the stronger that divine faith energy became."
"He stood at the top of power... but that wasn’t meant to last. Eventually, the Hero returned. He was injured, but alive. None of his followers came back with him, it was clear they were all dead."
"The Hero claimed his followers had died bravely and that, with their help, he had managed to wound the sleeping beast enough to keep it dormant for centuries."
"However, the Grand Priest took advantage of the situation. He spread rumors saying that the Hero had sacrificed his followers as offerings to the beast and then fled. Given his influence and authority, people quickly believed him."
"The people grew furious at the Hero, demanding that he pay for his sins. No one knows why, but the Hero suddenly went mad with rage. He attacked the temple as if he wanted to destroy it entirely."
"In that battle, the first and second generations of priests were all slain. Many guards and temple knights were killed. Even the Grand Priest was severely injured, nearly dying. But with God’s help, he managed to defeat the Hero and cast him into the Cursed Sea. Later, his remains were thrown into the abandoned canyon and buried there forever," Morvain explained in detail, then sighed again.
"So they destroyed the Hero’s reputation with rumors," Drael muttered, sighing as well.
"Now it all makes sense. That monster must have been the Hero, and those Forgotten Echoes that kept chasing him must have been his old followers," he said, then frowned as a thought struck him.
"Yeah, that’s my guess too," Daniel nodded.
"But some things still don’t add up. Who built the tomb for the Hero? And why did the Forgotten Echoes hate him so much that they became what they are? That means either the Hero truly was evil and sacrificed them... or there’s another reason behind it."
Daniel nodded slightly, but he still had questions of his own.
"Tomb? The Hero shouldn’t have a tomb. No one would dare enter the canyon to build one for him," Morvain suddenly said at that moment.