A grand structure appeared before the two of them. It was a cathedral with a style completely different from the academy's, or rather, its design was entirely distinct from the Church of Redemption. However, to Li Yue, cathedrals of different designs were essentially the same.
The products of faith... devoid of elegance, devoid of charm... If a day ever came when travelers stepped inside not to pray, but simply with a sense of reverence and appreciation for art, that would be the metamorphosis of religion into culture.
Li Yue was quite dismissive of things like faith. Aside from the murdered principal—his faith, or perhaps his loyalty, was something she was willing to respond to. Perhaps this was just human hypocrisy? Or maybe not; she simply didn't want to see anyone sacrifice their life for her again.
Many flowers seemed to be planted beside the cathedral, perhaps by the staff within or by nearby residents. Regardless, these plants significantly diluted the somber aura inherent to the cathedral, instead adding a touch of faint tenderness.
Li Yue's footsteps halted. She stared at the small acre of flowers in the rain, speechless for a moment.
“What is it?” Clo, who was holding Li Yue's hand, stopped as well. She glanced at the flowers, her eyelids drooping slightly. She didn't understand why Li Yue, who was indifferent to most beautiful things, always took a fancy to these flower fields.
Their first meeting had been in a field of white flowers. Their most beautiful memories also occurred on a hillside they passed during their journey, where flowers bloomed all over the mountain. She had always thought it was because Li Yue was still naive then, having not yet recalled her memories as a deity. It was only later that she realized Li Yue seemed to always care deeply about flowers that bloomed in clusters.
Clo didn't understand, but the demon hunter walking ahead and the magic user from the cathedral also stopped. They didn't show any confusion or impatience; they were used to the shock and admiration of outsiders every time they brought travelers here. However, Li Yue only cared about those few flowers.
Clo gave Li Yue's small hand a tug. The latter seemed to snap out of it belatedly, following with small steps. Most of the wounds on her arms had scabbed over, appearing dark red. As her fair arms swayed before Clo's eyes, Clo felt a pang of heartache looking at the scars.
“I was just spacing out. It's nothing... let's keep going.” Li Yue regained her composure. She steadied herself and walked slowly behind Clo. The deep crimson in her eyes remained deathly still, without a spark of life. There was no beautiful sunlight here to illuminate the darkness in her eyes; there was only continuous silence, gloom, and the unending drizzle.
Her grey-white hair lacked luster. Like this, she looked more like a prisoner than a noble. Her own explanation was simply that her hair had turned white due to a past illness, and as for her blood-colored eyes, they were a family trait from the Western Continent.
Humans are prone to believing in past memories. If they cannot find them in memory, they look for them in history.
They had never heard of any member of the Royal Court's imperial family having an appearance like Li Yue's in the past. Li Yue didn't care. No matter how high a secular identity labeled her, it could never be as noble as her true status as a deity.
Li Yue remained silent as she stepped into the building that gave her the sensation of a cage. The wailing of souls echoed here—of course, only Li Yue could hear it. Her authorities were dormant, but that didn't mean they were useless.
“Clo... before I met you, I actually wondered if it was possible to return to the beauty of the past,” Li Yue said suddenly. The believers on either side exchanged information with the magic user who had led them in. They were taking them to meet the bishop of this cathedral. Clo hadn't yet recovered from her thoughts about the cathedral and couldn't immediately grasp the meaning behind Li Yue's words.
“But later... I gave up. Although I can't clearly remember what happened afterward, I know that the beautiful and happy things I do remember will never return.” Li Yue murmured. She stared at the black crystal floor, walking for an unknown amount of time until she looked up to see a man in heavy robes seated on the main throne. Knights stood on either side; silence was the base color of this place.
“Your soul... is utterly turbid.” His voice seemed to carry an echo. Looking down from above, he projected a mysterious sense of pressure. However, Clo and Li Yue had already roughly gauged his strength—somewhere between a Great Mage and a Calamity Warlock, just a step away from ascending.
Being within his own cathedral, his strength might even be further enhanced, perhaps reaching the Calamity class level. Yet, before him stood two powerful Calamity-class girls—one without a staff, and one currently imprisoned by her own state.
“Aren't you hot... wearing that?” Li Yue mimicked the bishop's sentence structure to speak her mind. However, she quickly remembered that human Great Mages no longer had much concept of heat or cold. She was used to wearing seasonal clothes, or rather, she was very sensitive to temperature. Even after becoming a Great Mage, she still had a very intuitive perception of it.
“...” The corner of the man's mouth on the throne twitched. Clo, however, felt nothing. She was still thinking about Li Yue's words. Li Yue rarely discussed the past with her; this was the first time she had proactively mentioned it, and she had described it... as so beautiful...
She had originally thought Li Yue's past was like a cacophony of slaughter soaked in blood and hatred. Now it seemed there had also been a long period of beautiful times. She thought she knew her lover well, but in reality, no one who truly understood Li Yue ever existed; even Li Yue didn't understand herself.
Clo silently gritted her teeth. Seeing Li Yue's indifferent expression, she realized that her own efforts didn't seem to have much significance. But none of that mattered anymore. What mattered was that they had reached this point and had to finish this journey, even if it meant having a meaningless conversation, like talking to a stationary NPC in a game.
“Is there still hope?” Clo asked bluntly. She suddenly felt a wave of frustration and weariness. For some reason, she wanted to escape from here, to return to that carefree summer...
“Of course. Our sacred duty is to cleanse their souls.” The bishop rose slowly, a hint of interest appearing in his eyes. “I will personally preside over the ritual. The process may be long. If you are interested, you may also move to view the murals here.”
“They record a different ancient history... a story that sounds very warm.” The black-robed bishop smiled faintly, his gaze seemingly staring straight into Li Yue's soul.
It was a bloody soul, entwined with heavy black chains. Faintly, there even seemed to be the shadow of a giant snake.
A follower of Death, to think you would come here. Have you lost your memories to the price? How very interesting. Let me see...
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