One More Day

Chapter 23: Empire's Foundations

INDIE'S POV

"PRIESTESS SOLSTICE... EXPLAIN YOURSELF." The Cardinal pierced his eyes right into Indie as she was trying to calculate her ways out of all to get out of trouble. 

"Your Eminence, I was-" She tried to explain but the Cardinal cut her off: "No, Solstice... I am talking about yourself. You have changed entirely. Today you have not presented yourself in the prayer room this morning, you have not finished the duties of the Sage, and you have not presented the information that we entrusted you upon. How are we supposed to trust you again, Priestess?" 

"..." Indie's words couldn't reach her mouth. Her head was spinning with explanations since this morning. Everything was now her fault from this very morning. 

"-Are you perhaps ill, somewhere?" The Cardinal quickly asked. "You not only mentioned that the Church Healer was not doing his job and that the people would come to think inferior of the Cardinal. Are you trying to spread false information?" 

"-I was out of my line," Indie responded. "I quickly acted without realizing it, your eminence. You should understand right?" 

The Cardinal stared hardly at Indie, studying her features with his wrinkled browed face. He coughed upon realizing that the Priestess had returned back to normal. 

"-Hopefully you won't act out of line next time, Priestess." The Cardinal said. "The Church doesn't like imperfect humans, we are devotees of God- we have been chosen to serve flawlessly. Do not act harshly in front of the public to lower our reputation." 

"...Understood."

"Or else you will be kicked out." He said. 

Indie paused when she heard the Cardinal's last line. Kicked out-? 

Wasn't it what she wanted in the beginning? Did she not want to involve herself in this chaotic revolutionary novel?! 

But she remembered that it was too late to be kicked out of the Holy Order. If she died, who would feed information to Reaper so that she could live another day? 

'Damn this life-!' 

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REAPER'S POV

"-Sir, you cannot enter this restricted area..." The Guard's voices fainted slowly when they saw Reaper's deathly glare from his mask. 

"...Are you ordering me?" Reaper said chillingly. His henchmen followed up with the glare towards the Holy Knights, who were moving back away from their glares. 

"-This is the rule set by the Pope himself! You cannot enter this area without any affiliation with the Holy Order!" One of the guards spoke up courageously. 

Reaper raised an eyebrow at this as his crimson red eyes studied the structure of the Cathedral and then said: "Alright then, I will leave then." And his henchmen followed right after. 

Reaper left the restricted area and explored the rest of the public-free Church. He asked his henchmen to leave and guard outside while he investigated inside. He was wondering if he should plant his attack or not. 

His eyes settled upon the dressings of the Churchmen. White godly robes with golden linning and a crest of the Church symbol imprinted into their capes. Seeing that most of the had left out of the prayer room from the far side of the corridor; seeing, Reaper smiled to himself and made a move. 

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It took him less than five minutes to corner a grown-built man against an abandoned and strayed hallway, knock him out, take his 'Holy Order' clothing and enter the Prayer room in guise.