North Tivian, Cathedral District, Inquisition Headquarters.
The Inquisitor Anreves strides briskly down a stone corridor. He wears lightweight armor over his priestly robes, and his helmet has been removed, revealing a neatly trimmed brown crew cut and a stern, serious expression.
As Anreves walks down the corridor, everyone he passes bows their heads in respect. His gaze, however, is fixed on a figure standing at the far end of the hallway—a man dressed in a white lab coat, resembling a doctor.
"Inquisitor Anreves."
The doctor-like man bows respectfully as Anreves approaches. Anreves nods and speaks in a deep voice.
"Have the results from the Historical Scripture Department come in?"
"Yes. After thorough examination, we’ve confirmed that they’ve all been infected with cognitive poison related to Lantern and Chalice. Fortunately, the contamination is mild, and they should recover after a short period of treatment."
The doctor responds, and Anreves mutters to himself.
"All of them are affected... Hmph, the damage caused by heretics is immeasurable. The tip-off this time was absolutely correct."
After a pause, Anreves looks back at the doctor.
"What about the nun who reported this? How is her condition?"
"Completely normal. The nun shows no signs of cognitive poisoning. Her mind is perfectly clear."
The doctor replies. Hearing this, Anreves fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
"Understood. You may leave now. Arrange for the immediate treatment of the Historical Scripture Department staff."
"Yes."
After a brief acknowledgment, the doctor retreats, and Anreves continues walking until he reaches a heavy iron door at the end of the corridor. Two guards, dressed similarly to Anreves but in simpler attire, stand on either side of the door. They nod slightly as he approaches.
Without a word, Anreves opens the iron door and steps into a small, dimly lit room. Inside, a nervous Vania sits at a small table, while an elderly nun stands on the other side.
Anreves closes the door behind him and sits down across from Vania. After studying her for a moment, he speaks.
"Sister Vania Chafferon, thank you for your report today. We’ve investigated the Historical Scripture Department and confirmed that the Mystical Text Observational Device was indeed tampered with, as you described. The staff there have also been mildly contaminated with cognitive poison. The department’s operations have been suspended, and the affected personnel have been sent for treatment."
Hearing Anreves’ words, Vania blinks in surprise, then lets out a relieved sigh.
"Everyone’s been sent for treatment? That’s great. Blessed be the Holy Mother, nothing worse has happened."
Vania says devoutly, but Anreves continues in a serious tone.
"Actually, something worse has happened. The Deacon Ludo Cork, whom you primarily reported, has disappeared. We’ve conducted thorough searches of the Historical Scripture Department and his residence but found no trace of him.”
"What... Deacon Cork is missing? How... He was still there when I left..."
Vania says in surprise, and Anreves continues gravely.
"According to information gathered at the Historical Scripture Department, Cork left the premises ten minutes before we arrived and hasn’t returned since. We believe he may have received some warning and fled in advance. He’s likely no longer in the Cathedral District, and it seems he took a mystical text from the library with him. His current whereabouts are unknown."
Anreves speaks solemnly, and Vania begins to think to herself.
“Deacon Cork... He’s probably been turned into one of Miss Dorothy’s marionettes by now... I hope she keeps her promise and returns the church’s mystical text after reading it…”
As Vania ponders, Anreves speaks again.
"Cork’s disappearance is suspicious, Sister Vania. Think carefully—did you tell anyone else about your suspicions regarding Cork?"
"Ah... Inquisitor, after I realized Deacon Cork might be involved in something wrong, I was too scared to tell anyone. It wasn’t until today, when I saw Cork trying to use our joint letter to access the library, potentially causing harm, that I decided to report him. I didn’t discuss this with anyone else during that time."
Vania explains, and after hearing her words, Anreves’ expression grows even more serious. If Vania, the whistleblower, didn’t tell anyone about Cork... then how did Cork manage to flee in advance?
This question lingers in Anreves’ mind. He considers three possibilities: first, Cork’s original plan was to steal the book from the library and then flee, so his disappearance is part of his plan. Second, Cork might possess a mystical item that warns him of danger, allowing him to escape. However, this is unlikely, as such items, involving divination and foresight, are related to Lantern and Revelation and are extremely rare. A mid-level deacon like Cork wouldn’t have access to such an item.
The third possibility is far more serious: Cork might have received a tip-off from someone else, allowing him to escape. But according to Vania’s account, she only reported the matter to the Inquisition, meaning the leak could only have come from within the Inquisition itself.
If this is true, the situation is extremely grave. Heretics within the Inquisition? Such an issue would have to be reported to the Holy Mount, and the fallout would involve a large number of people.
“It seems we’ll need to conduct an internal investigation…”
Anreves thinks grimly to himself. Then, with a sharper gaze, he looks back at Vania and continues.
"Your report has helped the church uncover a hidden heretical threat. This is your merit, Sister Vania. However, before we officially recognize your contribution, there are a few things we need to clarify.”
"All members of the Historical Scripture Department were mildly contaminated with cognitive poison due to the tampered device. Yet, you alone were unaffected and even detected the presence of the poison, eventually realizing Cork’s suspicious behavior... Can you explain this?"
Anreves asks sternly. Hearing his words, Vania swallows hard and responds somewhat awkwardly.
"Well... it might have something to do with my personal habits. When we work in the Historical Scripture Department, we pray after reading mystical texts for a while to cleanse the effects of cognitive poison.”
"As for me... I often feel tired while reading and prefer to spend more time in prayer, giving thanks to the Holy Mother. So, compared to others, I sometimes pray a bit more and read a bit less... As a result, by the end of the day, I might be slightly less affected by cognitive poison than others..."
Scratching her head, Vania smiles awkwardly. Hearing her explanation, Anreves’ lips curl slightly, and he chuckles inwardly.
“She’s being so diplomatic, but what she’s really saying is that she slacks off at work, using prayer as an excuse. That’s why she’s less affected by cognitive poison. Interesting.”
“But the fact that she prefers prayer over reading mystical texts also shows her piety.”
Anreves thinks to himself. Meanwhile, Vania continues.
"Because of my habits, I was exposed to less cognitive poison. When I was having dinner with my colleagues in the cafeteria, we started talking about the mystical texts we’d been reading. I noticed something off about her speech and realized she might have been affected by cognitive poison…”
"After that, I checked with a few other colleagues and found they were in the same state. That’s when I suspected our device might have been tampered with, reducing its ability to counteract cognitive poison. But the device had just been inspected the day before, so the issue must have been introduced during the inspection.”
"From there, I began to suspect that someone had tampered with the device and that there might be a traitor within the church. But I wasn’t sure, so I kept it to myself. I just prayed more often and pretended to read the texts while keeping my eyes closed when using the device... It wasn’t until this morning, when Deacon Cork acted strangely over the joint letter, that I started to suspect him..."
After finishing her explanation, Vania falls silent, her heart filled with anxiety. Anreves ponders her words for a moment before speaking.
"Sister Vania, we’ve investigated your background and recent activities and found no issues. Combined with the fact that your report was accurate and the examinations revealed no problems, your account is credible.”
"Observant, composed in the face of danger, devout and steadfast... It’s a blessing that the Lord has a servant like you. I’m glad you’re one of us."
Anreves says earnestly, and Vania humbly replies.
"Not at all, I’m far from being an exemplary servant of the Lord. There’s still much I need to do..."
"There’s no need for modesty in this matter. As I said earlier, Sister Vania, your report has helped the church eliminate a hidden threat. The church does not withhold rewards from devout believers who contribute... Sister Anlei, I’ve finished my questions. It’s your turn now."
Anreves turns to the elderly nun who has been standing silently nearby. She smiles at Vania and says.
"Sister Vania, the Archbishop has been informed of your actions. As a reward, he has granted you a promotion to Intermediate Deacon."
“A promotion…”
Hearing the elderly nun’s words, Vania blinks in disbelief. She had only hoped to get through this ordeal unscathed, but now she’s being rewarded with a promotion.
"Th-thank you so much for the Archbishop’s generosity. I will continue to dedicate myself to serving the Lord."
Vania places her hand over her heart in gratitude, and the elderly nun nods before continuing.
"Indeed... We hope you’ll continue to strive for excellence. By the way, since you’re being promoted to Intermediate Deacon, your Beyonder rank will also be elevated to Black Earth. You’ll need to choose one of the Three Holy Paths as your advancement route. Once you’ve made your choice, we’ll prepare the corresponding ritual to help you accumulate the remaining spirituality."
"The Three Holy Paths?"
Vania asks, confused, and Anreves interjects.
"Don’t let your time in the Historical Scripture Department dull your wits. At the Black Earth rank, Beyonders must choose an auxiliary spirituality to determine their future path. The Three Holy Paths are the three advancement routes available to church Beyonders."
Anreves explains. He knows that most Beyonders in the Historical Scripture Department are essentially tools for operating devices and reading mystical texts. They rarely have the opportunity for advancement, and many spend their entire lives as Apprentices, so they’re often unaware of the church’s internal Beyonder advancement system.
"Sister Vania, to advance to Black Earth, you must choose a secondary spirituality and select one of the three paths for your future advancement. These three paths correspond to the Three Saints.”
"If you choose Silence as your secondary spirituality, you’ll follow the Path of the Holy Father. If you choose Stone, you’ll follow the Path of the Holy Son. And if you choose Chalice, you’ll follow the Path of the Holy Mother.”
"Unless under special circumstances, we choose our path based on our primary faith. So, Sister Vania, can you tell me which of the Three Saints you primarily follow?"
The elderly nun speaks gently, and Vania hesitates for a moment before answering.
"I’ve followed the teachings of the Holy Mother since I was a child."
…
North Tivian, Green Shade Town, No. 17.
In the dead of night, inside the study, Dorothy sits at her desk, carefully reading the mystical text she obtained from Cork—a text that was originally stored in the church library and which Cork went to great lengths to steal.
Dorothy frowns as she reads the text, finding it difficult to understand. The reason is that the text isn’t written entirely in Pritt Common... or at least not entirely.
The language used in the text is similar to Pritt Common but differs in many ways. Many of the words are archaic, the kind Dorothy has only seen in ancient Pritt documents in the university library. However, this isn’t purely ancient Pritt, as it also mixes in another language—Old Imperial.
Dorothy has seen Old Imperial before—in the poetry of the King of Light and the inscriptions beside the Mirror Moon Statue. Now, this ancient mystical text in her hands also contains many Old Imperial letters, as if the two languages are mixed together.
No, it’s not a mix. The two languages aren’t written separately—one paragraph in ancient Pritt, another in Old Imperial. Instead, they’re intertwined, as if the writer treated them as a single language.
Faced with this, Dorothy feels a growing sense of curiosity and begins to form a hypothesis.
"Perhaps... this is one language."
Looking at the series of phonetic letters in the text, Dorothy murmurs. The similarities between ancient Pritt and Old Imperial suggest they might be the same language.
Or, more accurately, Pritt Common evolved from Old Imperial. This mystical text was written during a transitional period in that evolution, which is why it contains a mix of ancient Pritt and Old Imperial letters.
"Did Pritt Common evolve from Old Imperial? Does that mean... Pritt was once part of the empire referred to by Old Imperial? The empire created by the King of Light?"
Suddenly, this idea forms in Dorothy’s mind. However, she doesn’t jump to conclusions. Instead, she pulls out another book from her desk and opens it.
This book is also filled with phonetic letters, though not in Pritt Common. Many of the letters are similar.
The book is a foreign dictionary from Falano, a neighboring country across the sea on the Main Continent. Dorothy borrowed it from the library, hoping to learn a new language and perhaps unlock a new Dragon Shout.
Upon closer inspection, Falanoese and Pritt Common are both phonetic languages. While their alphabets differ, many letters are similar, and many words share common roots, indicating a linguistic relationship.
Comparing Falanoese with the Old Imperial in the mystical text, Dorothy finds similarities... Even the letters that differ between Pritt Common and Falanoese seem to have prototypes in Old Imperial.
This suggests that if Pritt Common evolved from Old Imperial, then Falanoese might have as well. Old Imperial could be the common ancestor of both modern languages.
"So that means... ancient Pritt wasn’t the empire itself but part of it... And Falano on the Main Continent was also once part of the empire..."
Dorothy murmurs to herself. Then, she turns her gaze to a world map hanging on the study wall, focusing on the Main Continent.
Based on recent knowledge from the library and news from the papers, it seems that most countries on the Main Continent use similar phonetic scripts. Could it be that all these languages evolved from Old Imperial?
Could it be that the entire continent was once under the rule of the King of Light, part of the empire he created?