Chapter 7: The Sorcerer and the Church

Early the next morning, Nicole, the female guard, escorted Victor to the carriage with an expressionless face.

Sitting in the carriage, Victor recalled Nicole’s gaze—half reproach, half resentment—and found himself feeling a twinge of guilt. He shook his head, banishing the strange thoughts from his mind.

Now the most urgent matter was to set out for his new fief before the Wimbledon family could react. After all, Victor had rendered the family’s investment of hundreds of thousands of gold sols in the arrangements at the Centaur Hills utterly futile. The Prince’s faction would certainly retaliate, and Victor could not withstand their coming blow. Yet, as long as he reached his new territory, it would be far more difficult for the family to pursue him.

First, even if Marquis Sophia sent envoys to summon Victor back to the capital for questioning, he could simply hide within his lands, refusing to see them, and they would be powerless against him. Second, the Williams faction had long considered the Centaur Hills their own and would never stand by as the Prince’s faction sent troops or powerful knights into its heart to bring Victor to account.

Thus, Victor resolved to swiftly recruit guards and settlers, purchase supplies and equipment, and depart within three days at most.

Upon entering Black Castle, Victor went straight to his own chambers. He had barely settled in when he heard a knock at the door.

“Baron, Bishop Perot will conduct a purification ritual in the Black Castle square before noon. As is customary, the church invites all nobles from the town to witness the ceremony. Your presence is required,” said a castle attendant, bowing respectfully to Victor as he opened the door.

Victor’s heart stirred. He asked the attendant, “Have they caught a wizard? When did this happen?”

The so-called purification ritual was the Church of Radiance’s term for publicly burning those with wizard blood at the stake, body and soul reduced to ash. Each time, the church demanded the local nobility and commoners witness the event, to demonstrate its justice and authority.

In Victor’s memory, the Church of Radiance had a history of over nine thousand years, older than any empire of mankind. It was, in fact, the most powerful force in the human world.

Wizards were born with extraordinary powers. Before awakening, they were no different from ordinary people, but once awakened, they possessed a myriad of abilities—elemental control, bodily mutation, animating the dead, commanding spirits, and more. Their powers varied: some could shift stars and stir oceans, some could spread plague and annihilate cities, while others could perform only minor feats, like lighting a stone. Regardless, all wizards were sworn enemies of the church.

According to the church, nine thousand years ago, the human realm was ruled by those wielding supernatural power—wizards who claimed divine selection, governed cities or nations, and subjected the common folk to brutal rule, including cruel blood rituals to barter power from demons.

The cries and prayers of the people awakened the sleeping Lord of Radiance, who saw through the wizards’ true nature. He sent forth twelve radiant archangels, delivered divine commandments, and chose saints from among the people to found the Church of Radiance. Leading the masses through a century of bloody struggle, the church finally overthrew the wizards’ dominion, declaring them agents of demons and embodiments of evil.

Through the centuries, kingdoms rose and fell, but the church alone endured. It healed the sick, mediated wars, cared for orphans, and punished cruel lords to protect the people, earning immense influence among the populace. Yet the church never ceased its relentless crusade against wizards, sacrificing much for the cause.

The wizards, unwilling to accept extermination, formed many organizations over the millennia to resist the church—the most famous being the Pantheon.

Fifteen hundred years ago, the church faced the Pantheon’s powerful Blair siblings in a decisive battle. The church lost seven archbishops, a pontiff, a pope, and over two thousand clergy; only with the arrival of six radiant archangels were the Blair siblings finally purified. After that, wizard organizations were forced underground, unable to openly contend with the church.

Though the church destroyed the Pantheon, its own strength was greatly diminished, and its grip on the human world weakened. The nobility seized the opportunity, rising to prominence and demanding a greater voice. Hardliners within the church chafed at their waning authority, and conflicts with the nobility grew ever sharper.

Three hundred years ago, upheaval struck within the church. The nobility attacked, marching on the Holy City, capital of the Ael Theocracy. The crisis ended in compromise: the church and noble representatives signed the famed New Covenant of Light.

Thereafter, the Church of Radiance declared secular authority belonged to the nobles, spiritual authority to the church. The Ael Theocracy was renamed the Kingdom of Ael and joined the Lante Empire.

The Holy See lost its control over church and state; the hereditary pope became a figurehead, while daily affairs were managed by the pontiff and bishops, monastic orders by the council of elders, and the Inquisition by its chief and deputy. Though the church’s powers were checked as never before, its campaign against wizards continued unabated.

This time, a wizard had been captured near Black Castle. According to the New Covenant, the church sent a cleric to preside over the ritual and required the Black Castle lord to sign the execution order to show respect for secular authority. At last, the church would conduct the purification ceremony before the nobles, proving it had not abused its spiritual power.

“Sir, ten days ago, three corpses were found in the basement of the Lamb Inn in Black Castle town. The sheriff determined it was an evil summoning ritual. After reporting to Father Ivan, the resident priest, he conducted a prayer of detection and discovered that Will, the town’s florist, was an evil wizard. Only then did he invite Bishop Perot to oversee the purification,” the attendant explained to Victor.

Victor’s pupils contracted. Ten days ago was precisely when he had arrived in this world.

He remembered the demon that shattered the young baron’s soul in his memories—could there be a connection?

“You said Bishop Perot will personally conduct the ceremony?” Victor steadied himself and asked again.

“Yes, sir.”

Bishop Perot was the bishop of the western Audrich province in the Kingdom of Gambis, a figure of great status—normally, he would not preside over an ordinary purification.

Unless the wizard captured this time was exceptional.

Yet, though the Centaur Hills covered a vast area, the church’s influence in these newly settled lands was still weak, with only a handful of priests preaching in a few places. Now, with a wizard captured, it was reasonable for the church to send a bishop to enhance its influence in the new territory.

“Was the captured wizard a recent arrival in Black Castle town?” Victor asked, eager to learn whether the wizard’s capture was connected to the young baron’s death.

“Sir, Will the florist has lived in Black Castle town for three years. He settled here from the eastern province. No one suspected he was a hidden wizard.”

After dismissing the messenger, Victor sank into thought.

Judging by the timeline, Will, the wizard who had lived here three years, was probably not the murderer of the young baron. Nor did Bishop Perot’s arrival reveal any clues.

Unable to reach a conclusion, Victor set his doubts aside, deciding to see for himself.