In the sky above the imperial capital, a pure white airship slowly pierced through the clouds, descending toward the plaza in front of the Magic Tower.
Unlike the ornately decorated airships of the other academies nearby, this vessel's exterior was extremely simple, devoid of any unnecessary embellishments or insignias. The only marking was a golden holy emblem engraved on the side of its hull—a radiant sun hovering above an open scripture.
This was the symbol of the Church of Light.
The airship docked smoothly at a designated berth on the edge of the plaza.
The hatch slowly opened, and a figure emerged from the cabin, accompanied by two guarding nuns.
It was a woman.
She wore a pristine white dress of the Holy Church, draped in a golden shawl embroidered with intricate and delicate holy patterns.
Her style of dress leaned conservative, with a high collar and tightly buttoned cuffs wrapping her body securely. Yet, even so, it failed to fully conceal her impressive curves.
The most striking feature was her face.
She had platinum-blonde hair that cascaded smoothly over her shoulders and back, shimmering with a soft halo under the sunlight.
Her features were delicate and gentle, like an angel stepping out of a holy painting. A faint smile constantly graced her lips, and her eyes were slightly narrowed, as if she were perpetually gazing upon the world with warmth.
Her aura was not ostentatious, yet it made people involuntarily want to draw closer, while simultaneously fearing to desecrate her presence.
This was the current Saintess of the Church of Light—Veronica Keller.
Below the airship, the white-robed Bishop Bernard and the Deputy Director of the Inquisition, Reinhardt, had been waiting for a long time.
Upon seeing Veronica appear at the hatch, both men bowed slightly in unison, performing a standard church salute.
Veronica descended the ramp at a leisurely pace and stopped before them.
Her voice was soft and soothing, like a flowing stream in spring. “Bishop Bernard, Deputy Director Reinhardt, thank you both for coming to welcome me.”
Bernard looked up and responded respectfully,
“Your Highness the Saintess has traveled from afar, so it is only natural for us to wait here. The Archbishop had already messaged us in advance, specifically requesting your assistance. We are deeply grateful.”
Veronica nodded gently, maintaining her warm smile. “In that case, please tell me the current situation.”
Reinhardt took a step forward and reported in a lowered voice,
“To report to Your Highness the Saintess, some anomalies have occurred deep within the imperial capital's dungeon in recent years. Monsters have frequently broken through from the lower layers to the upper layers, and this situation has begun to gradually worsen lately.”
Veronica said calmly, “If it were just that, I do not think the Archbishop would have been so anxious to have me come and assist you.”
“Yes...”
Reinhardt fell silent for a brief moment before continuing,
“In fact, half a year ago, there were signs indicating that a monster seemed to have left the dungeon and successfully reached the surface.”
“Currently, the Director of the Inquisition is personally leading a team to investigate this across the Empire, but we have yet to uncover the specifics or find any exact traces of it since it left the dungeon.”
He paused, a trace of solemnity in his tone.
“Generally speaking, monsters in the dungeon rarely leave their original floors on their own, let alone escape the dungeon entirely. Such an occurrence is almost unheard of in our existing records. Therefore, to avoid causing panic, we have blocked all news of this internally. Even the royal family remains unaware.”
Veronica's expression did not change in the slightest after hearing this.
She continued to smile, her eyes still slightly narrowed, as if she were listening to a trivial matter that had nothing to do with her.
Seeing that she did not respond, Reinhardt hesitated for a moment but still took the initiative to voice the proposal that Bernard had previously rejected:
“Your Highness the Saintess, if possible, I hope you will allow me to lead a team into the dungeon to investigate. Though it may be dangerous, I am willing to bear this risk for the sake of the Church.”
Veronica finally reacted.
She slightly opened her perpetually narrowed eyes.
They were eyes as beautiful as the stars.
But when Reinhardt met those eyes, he felt an invisible pressure, as if a massive mountain were slowly pressing down on his shoulders.
His breath caught involuntarily for a brief second, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.
Veronica's voice remained soft, but there was a trace of unquestionable sternness in her tone:
“Deputy Director Reinhardt, your devotion to Lady Serafina is commendable. Your willingness to face danger and brave death for the sake of the Church is truly precious.”
Just as Reinhardt was about to respond humbly, Veronica continued,
“However—your faith in Lady Serafina does not seem devout enough.”
Reinhardt's expression froze.
“Although the Church's doctrines do not explicitly forbid entering dungeons, Lady Serafina herself once exhorted Her believers—never to enter any dungeon.”
Veronica questioned, “And yet, with your current proposal, do you intend to violate Lady Serafina's restriction?”
Reinhardt's face instantly turned pale.
He quickly lowered his head, a hint of panic in his voice:
“I absolutely have no such intention! I only... I only wanted to resolve this issue for the Church as quickly as possible to prevent the situation from escalating...”
Bernard also hurriedly spoke up from the side to assist,
“Your Highness the Saintess, Deputy Director Reinhardt had absolutely no intention of offending Lady Serafina. He was merely anxious to eliminate the hidden danger as quickly as possible and lost his composure in his speech. Please forgive him.”
Veronica watched them silently for a moment, then slowly closed her eyes again, returning to her gentle and harmless appearance.
Her voice became soft and soothing once more, as if the brief pressure from moments ago had been nothing but an illusion:
“Ah, is that so? Then make sure not to make such a mistake again next time. For everything Lady Serafina says and does is the sole truth of this world, and as Her believers, we must keep this engraved in our hearts.”
Reinhardt and Bernard bowed their heads simultaneously. “We shall obey the teachings of Your Highness the Saintess.”
Veronica nodded gently.
“As for what exactly snuck out of the dungeon... I already have an idea. And I am absolutely certain that it is still in the imperial capital. If your Chief Inquisitor ultimately fails, then I will personally find an opportunity to clean up those remnants lingering from the previous era. Therefore, you no longer need to worry about this matter.”
Her tone was casual, as if she were speaking of a trivial matter.
Yet, both Reinhardt and Bernard knew just how heavy those words were.
The two bowed their heads once more, responding in unison, “Understood.”
The gentle smile returned to the corners of Veronica's lips. She looked up, gazing in the direction of the Magic Tower, and her tone became slightly lighter:
“Right, I still need to make an appearance at the exchange. After all, my official purpose for coming here is to audit the exchange and learn. I hope I won't be late on my very first day.”
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