During the nighttime in Glamorne, a gentle breeze rippled across the calm surface of Star-Tethered Lake. Under the moonlight, the lake shimmered with faint ripples. At this moment, the entire vast lake lay in tranquil silence—except for the towering chapel at its center, where bright lights still shone. Guarded strictly by the Church’s sentinels, the rest of the lake was peacefully quiet.
At a secluded edge of the lake, a lone figure stood hidden in the shadows—a nun clad in an ordinary habit, with short brown hair. She was none other than “Sister Gray,” a false identity recently assumed upon arrival in Glamorne.
“Sister Gray” stood among the trees by the shore, glancing around cautiously, as though waiting for something. After several minutes of quiet waiting, faint wisps of crimson blood mist suddenly materialized in the surrounding air. The mist thickened and gradually coalesced in front of “Sister Gray,” forming into a tall feminine figure. At last, Gossmore’s silhouette slowly emerged from the shadows.
“Lady Witch Regent…”
Upon seeing Gossmore appear, “Sister Gray” bowed respectfully. Gossmore didn’t comment much, instead speaking directly.
“Looks like you weren’t able to fool that zealot nun, huh…”
“My apologies, Lady Witch Regent. I’ve done my best to entice the target. While she does show interest, she hasn’t agreed outright. It seems she still doesn’t fully trust us. After all, in her eyes, we’re just part of the advance team.”
Hearing this, Gossmore didn’t look angry. After a glance toward the chapel at the lake’s center, she said:
“So that celebrity nun is still, at her core, a goody-two-shoes who plays by the rules, huh? I thought that after going through what she did back in Addus, she’d have more ambition and boldness… Tsk tsk, I rarely misjudge people…”
“Tomorrow—tomorrow I’ll try again to persuade her. Please don’t worry, Lady Witch Regent. I won’t disappoint you next time.”
“Next time? No need. You’re heading back after this. Don’t make further contact with that nun. If you keep pestering her after failing once, she’ll start getting suspicious.”
That was Gossmore’s instruction. “Sister Gray” blinked in surprise and asked with confusion.
“If I return, then what about the nun…”
“I’ll handle the nun.”
As Gossmore said this, her face and body began to shift. Her features wriggled and morphed, and her 1.8-meter-tall frame began to shrink visibly. Soon, her face became identical to that of the “Sister Gray” standing before her.
“Now, hand over the identity you’re impersonating…”
Gossmore said again. Hearing her command, “Sister Gray” paused briefly, then bowed respectfully.
“Yes, Lady Witch Regent.”
…
As the moon set and dawn approached, the darkness receded. When the first rays of sunlight touched the waters of Lake Starbind, a new day arrived in Glamorne.
As citizens within the city stirred from their slumber and rose to begin their day, several figures could be seen walking side by side along the lake’s edge. Upon closer inspection, they were dressed in Church vestments—among them were Vania Chafferon, the Sacrament Knight serving as Holy Relic Bearer, “Sister Gray” from the Tivian Church’s advance team, and several attendants from both sides, including Gaspard.
“Good morning, Sister Gray. How did you sleep last night?”
Vania asked with concern as they walked beside the lake in the early morning. The other nun replied calmly and unhurriedly.
“Quite well. The environment here is much better than Tivian’s. The lake view is beautiful—I slept very comfortably.”
“Sister Gray”… or rather, Gossmore now wearing her likeness, responded with a faint smile, appearing to genuinely admire the scenery. Nothing about her demeanor seemed unnatural.
“Yes, I feel the same. These past two days in Glamorne have been very pleasant—so much so that I almost don’t want to leave. Unfortunately, once your report goes back and the follow-up team arrives, we’ll have no reason to stay. Our pilgrimage must continue.”
So replied Vania, to which Gossmore, in her disguise, responded with a serene expression.
“Sister Vania, are you already thinking about resuming the pilgrimage? Wouldn’t it be a pity to miss out on such an important ritual like this? Have you reconsidered what I mentioned yesterday afternoon?”
“What you said yesterday afternoon…”
Vania pondered briefly as she listened to Gossmore’s words, then responded.
“Yesterday, you said you could allow me to participate in the Sanctification Ritual, and even take up the role of the chief officiant… That just feels a little too sudden. I’m merely stationed at this cathedral temporarily, safeguarding it until it’s handed over and witnessing the Sanctification Ritual. I had indeed thought about taking part in it, but only in a minor supportive role. I never considered officiating it.”
Vania replied in this way, while Gossmore continued with a gentle smile.
“Sister Vania is the Church’s brightest rising star in recent years, and presently, within the borders of Pritt, second only to Archbishop Francesco in importance. From a status standpoint, no one is more fitting than you to be the chief officiant of this Sanctification Ritual. What’s more, it was you who first discovered this significant heretical cathedral. Might that not be a sign of providence?”
“Th-this… isn’t the role of chief officiant something that should be determined by qualification, not status? I’ve only ever heard of the Sanctification Ritual before. I’ve always been curious about it, but I honestly have no idea how to conduct it. Before becoming a Holy Relic Bearer, I worked at the Historical Scripture Department—I wasn’t trained in ceremonial rites or liturgy and rarely had exposure to them.”
Vania offered a slightly awkward smile as she explained. Her meaning was simple: she had no idea how the Sanctification Ritual was performed—this wasn’t her area of expertise.
“It’s fine if you don’t know how it’s performed. We can teach you on the spot.”
Gossmore continued calmly. Vania blinked in surprise and asked in disbelief.
“Teach me on the spot? Isn’t that too late?”
“There’s enough time. Although the Sanctification Ritual is grand in scale and runs long, most of the rituals are simple and repetitive. The overall process isn’t difficult. If you’re willing to learn, we can guide you. I believe it won’t take long for you to master it. The key question is whether you’re willing.”
Gossmore’s words left Vania momentarily hesitant. After a pause, she responded slowly.
“So you mean… I can learn the Sanctification Ritual directly? But even if I learn it, would Tivian agree to let me officiate as the chief officiant?”
“Sister Vania, perhaps you’re unaware, but when it comes to selecting the chief officiant, we don’t necessarily have to follow Tivian’s arrangements. Since our advance team has developed a deeper understanding of this heretical site, we have significant advisory authority over how the ritual is to be conducted—including the choice of officiant. And from our perspective, no one is more suitable than you to preside over this ritual.”
So said Gossmore. Hearing this, Vania’s expression showed a hint of wavering.
“Ah, is that so…”
Seeing her reaction, Gossmore seized the moment and pressed on.
“Sister Vania is the pride of the Pritt Diocese. Allowing you to preside over such a major Sanctification Ritual here in Pritt is a shared aspiration of mine and many other servants of the Lord in the Diocese. It will increase the influence of our region. At the same time, this will add a unique event to your pilgrimage record, which will surely aid your future path within the Church. That’s why you are the best candidate for chief officiant.”
As she said this, a barely noticeable shadow flickered across Gossmore’s pupils. Then, without a sound, she released a hypnotic ability belonging to the Crimson Blood Shade Path, subtly implanting a suggestion into Vania’s mind.
“…Hmm… Sister Gray, you make a convincing case. This Sanctification Ritual is an opportunity both for me and for the Pritt Diocese. It would be such a waste to let it slip by. Very well… I accept your suggestion. I’ll give it a try and preside over this important ritual…”
Under the influence of the silent suggestion, Vania was finally persuaded and made up her mind. Hearing this, Gossmore smiled and spoke again.
“That’s wonderful. I’ll inform the others right away to prepare for your training. We can begin rehearsing this afternoon. The formal ritual must wait until the main team arrives, but before that, we can conduct rehearsals within the newly discovered ruins near the lake. Once everyone arrives and you’re familiar with the process, we can immediately begin the official rite.”
Gossmore said this to Vania, and at that moment, Gaspard, who had been quietly accompanying them, spoke up with concern.
“Sister Vania, you’ve never conducted such a significant ritual before. Are you sure a short crash course will be enough? If anything goes wrong during the actual rite, the consequences could be serious…”
Gaspard voiced his worry, but it was Gossmore who responded once more.
“Sir Knight, you worry too much. With our training, the final ritual will proceed without any issues. Since you’ve followed Sister Vania through many trials, surely you should have faith in her, no?”
As she spoke, Gossmore once again activated her suggestive ability. After a brief pause under the Crimson’s subtle influence, Gaspard nodded and said:
“…Yes, you’re right. We really should have confidence in Sister Vania…”
Watching as these key members of the pilgrimage team walked step by step into the path she had prepared, the smile on Gossmore’s lips deepened—now tinged with a hint of malice.
…
At the same time, within the hidden space behind the mirror surface of Lake Starbind, Dorothy floated amidst the colorless expanse. Beneath her, the massive Mirror Lake reflected the world of the present, and her gaze at this moment was fixed on the nun standing beside Vania. Dorothy was well aware that beneath the nun’s ordinary façade was a terrifying and extraordinary presence.
“I didn’t expect such a big shot to personally step in just to ensure success…”
Gazing at Gossmore—disguised as Sister Gray—Dorothy murmured softly to herself. The Eight-Spired Nest was steadily advancing its plot, and Dorothy, too, was progressing with her own plans. And now, both the Nest’s conspiracy and Dorothy’s scheme were approaching their final stages.
“…Looks like it’s time to make the final arrangements.”
As she murmured, peering down at the scene in the material world below, Dorothy slipped her hand into her clothes and rummaged for a moment, then pulled something out.
It was a finely crafted owl figurine.
…
Afternoon, beside Lake Starbind in Glamorne.
Clad in a white nun’s habit, Vania Chafferon now sat on a bench by the lake, holding a sheet of paper in her hands. Her face bore a clear expression of confusion. Not far from her stood “Sister Gray”—that is, Gossmore in disguise—watching Vania with her seemingly ever-present gentle smile.
“On this piece of paper… what exactly is written here, Sister Gray? Could this be the ritual instructions for the Sanctification Ritual?”
Vania looked at the sheet Gossmore had handed her earlier. Upon it were a jumble of letters that formed no coherent words, utterly chaotic. Her puzzled voice reached Gossmore, who immediately responded:
“This is the incantation of the chief officiant for the Sanctification Ritual. It is one of the key elements of the entire ritual. Sister Vania, please make sure to memorize every word of this incantation.”
“An incantation? Memorize it? But… I don’t understand a single word on this page. These aren’t written in Pritt language, are they? How am I supposed to memorize this?”
Vania voiced her confusion, and Gossmore replied promptly.
“That’s correct. These aren’t written in Pritt language—or in any known national language, for that matter. These are phonetic notations, to help you with pronunciation.”
“Phonetic notations? You mean these are just phonetic symbols? But they don’t even resemble Pritt pronunciation… Is the Sanctification Ritual incantation recorded in some other language?”
Vania pressed on with her questions, and Gossmore answered calmly.
“In the Sanctification Ritual, the chief officiant’s incantation is of utmost importance. Because of the presence of cognitive poison, we cannot directly speak the incantation to you. There’s cognitive poison encoded in the incantation itself—if you understand the meaning behind the words, you’ll be affected by it.
“Our time is limited, and we no longer have the luxury to let you undergo a formal neutralization process for the cognitive poison. So we must employ other methods to help you master the incantation quickly.
“The incantation on that sheet is transcribed using ancient Pritt phonetics—only the pronunciation is recorded, not the script. That way, Sister Vania, you can learn the full pronunciation without ever understanding the meaning of the words.
“The corruption of cognitive poison is triggered through comprehension. As long as you do not attempt to understand the meaning of the incantation, you’ll remain unaffected. In this Sanctification Ritual, all that’s required is for the incantation to be recited aloud. Understanding it isn’t necessary for the ritual to proceed smoothly.”
“…I don’t need to understand what the incantation means?”
Listening to Gossmore’s words, Dorothy quietly contemplated.