Finally, Castorice carefully inspected the cellar one last time. Whenever the blue mist drifted near, she summoned Styx water to shield herself, confident that even its frigid temperature couldn't freeze the river's waters.
Tap, tap.
Castorice occasionally knocked on the adjacent walls, searching for hidden doors or secret passages, but found nothing.
As Castorice and Aisha emerged from the cellar, dusk was settling outside. Castorice sighed softly, thinking, So, finding a Divine Artifact isn't going to be as easy as I thought?
After all, the city had stood for three centuries. Countless others had undoubtedly sought traces of the Divine Artifact, only to fail. It was unlikely Castorice would stumble upon it on her very first day.
Still, this expedition hadn't been entirely fruitless. They had discovered a Demiplane, the corpse of a Hero, and... Castorice pulled out the gemstones and asked Aisha, "Do you know what these are?"
Aisha shook her head. After all, she was a priest, not a wizard, and only knew about the "Create Demiplane" spell because it was so famous.
"I doubt anyone but another wizard would recognize what these actually are," Aisha said. "But there aren't any wizards in Chaos City. Unless... Holy Maiden, should I send someone to capture one from the Alliance?"
Capture... 'a' wizard???
Castorice waved her hands frantically. "That won't be necessary..."
"Alright," Aisha said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. But she quickly perked up. "Holy Maiden, Holy Maiden! It's getting late. Are you hungry? Is there anything you'd like to eat? Are you tired? Would you like to rest?"
Without waiting for an answer, Aisha grabbed Castorice's arm and began pulling her toward the Death Church's stronghold.
Castorice still had plenty of bread that Cipher had "acquired" from merchants outside the city, but she figured the Death Church, one of the three local tyrants, must have better food than that. It was always good to mooch a decent meal.
Earlier that day, Castorice had been fretting about where she would spend the night. She had even considered huddling under a bridge for warmth, but now, unexpectedly, she had a place to stay.
The two women left the chaotic heart of Chaos City, weaving through its labyrinthine alleys. Aisha, intimately familiar with the area after living there for ten years, navigated every turn without a moment's hesitation.
Finally, after some time, Aisha stopped before a towering, remarkably well-preserved building with a pointed spire, rising at least five stories high.
At first glance, the structure resembled a church. However, Cipher, who had seen Life Church cathedrals in the Grand Duchy of Kandela, knew they were never this tall or imposing.
Besides, this was the Demon Lord's City. Could the Demon Lord truly worship a god?
Aisha explained, "When we first arrived, we assumed this was the Demon Lord's cathedral and claimed it as our base. But after exploring inside, we discovered it wasn't a church at all. There were no idols, no grand halls for worshippers."
"Instead, we found a vast network of identical rooms, each containing a desk, chairs, and stacks of paper. Still, the place was remarkably well-preserved, so we decided to use it as our stronghold."
As Aisha spoke, she pushed open the door. Kaia, whom Castorice had met earlier, stood guard at the entrance. He bowed deeply to both women and announced, "Archbishop, I have relayed your orders. All priests have now shifted their objectives."
Aisha nodded, adopting a cool and aloof expression. "Excellent."
However, her haughty facade shattered within seconds. Aisha suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Oh, you missed out! You have no idea what the Holy Maiden and I went through!"
Kaia replied calmly, "Didn't you ask me to leave and relay the new orders to the other priests?"
Ignoring him completely, Aisha continued, "We ventured into a demiplane and discovered the skeletal remains of one of the Seven Heroes from three centuries ago! The Holy Maiden even engaged in a fierce battle with a formidable Guardian of Faith! You should have seen how magnificent she looked in combat—she was so cool!"
In reality, Castorice had merely thrown a few basic punches, none of which landed until she resorted to tying up her opponent.
As Castorice recalled the details of the battle, she realized her memory clashed sharply with Aisha's exaggerated description.
Yet, astonishingly, Kaia nodded in apparent belief. "A Guardian of Faith that has endured for three centuries? The corpse of one of the Seven Heroes?" he exclaimed in awe. His gaze toward Castorice suddenly brimmed with reverence. "Truly worthy of the Holy Maiden."
Aisha was like a fervent fan meeting their idol. No matter how extravagantly she praised Castorice, everyone knew it was just the rosy glow of infatuation.
But Kaia was different. He appeared refined and composed, like a meticulous butler—someone utterly dependable. When such a person earnestly repeated the same hyperbolic praise, it carried an entirely different weight.
"Um..." Castorice's mouth hung slightly agape, eager to correct the misunderstanding. But Aisha cut her off. "Hey, stop envying her! Go prepare dinner! And make it a feast!"
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Aisha turned to Castorice. "Should we prepare a portion for Lord Pollux too?"
"Lord Pollux?" Kaia raised an eyebrow, his expression puzzled. He glanced around, then followed Aisha's gaze to the small Round Sparrow perched on Castorice's shoulder.
Kaia's initial confusion gradually morphed into utter bewilderment. "???"
Aisha explained, "The Holy Maiden said Lord Pollux is incredibly powerful!"
Kaia's lips twitched slightly as he muttered to himself, But it's just a bird!
While Aisha was a blindly fervent believer who would accept anything Castorice said, Kaia, though equally devout, retained a degree of independent thought. He questioned anything too outlandish.
This bird, for example, hardly seemed to fit the description of "incredibly powerful." Could its plump little body really deal significant damage by waddling over and bumping into enemies?
Of course, even with these doubts, Kaia would never voice them in this situation.
At that moment, Castorice turned to look at Pollux on her shoulder and asked, "She... probably doesn't need to eat, right?"
After all, its body was crafted from the waters of the Styx, and this Round Sparrow wasn't Pollux's true form. Whether it ate or not shouldn't matter.
Just as Castorice finished speaking, Pollux fluttered her wings, landed on her head, and gently pecked her forehead.
"Ouch!" Castorice immediately covered her forehead. "Alright, she needs to eat. But there's no need for special preparations. I'll just share some of my portion with her later."
As she spoke, the trio entered the building. The first thing they saw was a spacious hall deliberately kept clear, where priests of the Death Church, all clad in black robes, paced back and forth.
Since they were in their own headquarters, the priests weren't wearing their hoods. Seeing this, Castorice reached up and lowered her own hood as well.
Yes, she had been wearing it the entire time.
The moment she removed her hood, every priest in the hall except Aisha froze, stunned by her appearance.
Kaia, in particular, was taken aback. Though he had been calling her "Holy Maiden" repeatedly, there was no requirement for a Holy Maiden to be a beautiful young girl. Physical appearance was irrelevant; what mattered was her role as the god's messenger.
Kaia was stunned. Having never dared to harbor any expectations, the sight of the otherworldly beauty before him left him speechless, his mouth agape.
Castorice, after removing her hood, casually smoothed the long hair framing her ears. Noticing Kaia's frozen expression, she blinked, tilted her head slightly, and adopted an endearingly innocent expression. "Is something the matter?" she asked softly.
"Ahem!" Kaia cleared his throat awkwardly. "My apologies. I lost my composure."
"Hehe, I bet you're stunned!" Aisha chimed in. "Isn't the Holy Maiden absolutely adorable?"
Aisha had already glimpsed Castorice's face during their first encounter. The wind from her dagger strike had briefly lifted Castorice's hood, revealing her appearance. Thus, Aisha's reaction was the calmest of the group.
Aisha turned to address the other priests present, roughly twenty or thirty in number. Most of the Death Priests were away on missions.
"Listen up, everyone!" Aisha announced, gesturing toward Castorice. "Behold the Holy Maiden sent by the God of Death to guide us!"
The twenty or thirty priests exchanged glances, then without hesitation, clenched their right fists to their chests, knelt in perfect unison, and fervently exclaimed, "Holy Maiden!"
It was clear that Archbishop Aisha held immense authority; none of the priests dared question her words.
Castorice froze, overwhelmed by the sight of the kneeling crowd before her. Part of her hesitation stemmed from embarrassment, knowing full well that she wasn't the Holy Maiden they believed her to be. The other part was pure inexperience. In her previous life, she had been an ordinary worker, toiling under others. She had never held a position of command, let alone been the object of such reverence.
After a moment's hesitation, Castorice whispered to Kaia beside her, "I... what should I say?"
Why ask Kaia instead of Aisha? Between a crazed fanatic and an impeccably composed butler, Kaia seemed the far more reliable choice.
Kaia shook his head with a gentle smile. "There's no need to say anything. Your mere presence here is reward enough for us."
Aisha strode confidently into the midst of the priests, raising her hands in triumphant proclamation. "The God of Death has not forsaken us! Everything we've done these past months has been worthwhile!"
Immediately, some priests clasped their hands together, closed their eyes, and prayed. "O God! Have you finally answered our prayers?"
Others rose and embraced their neighbors, their faces beaming. "I told you! I told you! Perseverance always brings its reward!"
Some even burst into tears on the spot. "This is wonderful... truly wonderful..."
Witnessing this scene, Castorice fell silent for a moment. After a pause, she turned to Kaia, her voice hesitant. "You're just... declaring me your Holy Maiden based solely on Aisha's words? Aren't you afraid...?"
Kaia smiled warmly. "While I don't know the Archbishop's exact reasons for recognizing you as the Holy Maiden, nor what she witnessed during that near-death experience, I trust her judgment completely. All the priests share this faith."
"Since the Archbishop has declared you the Holy Maiden, I firmly believe it to be true. You are the Holy Maiden."
"I see..." Castorice fell silent again, then asked, "So, what exactly is the Holy Maiden's role? What do you need me to do?"
Kaia shook his head. "No, you don't need to do anything for us. You simply need to guide us."
The most terrifying thing in life is not knowing your purpose, and this fear is even more profound for those who worship a god.
When Aisha first arrived, the Death Church had far more than two hundred priests—a full thousand, in fact. Where had the other seven hundred gone?
One by one, they had chosen suicide, seeking reunion with the Death God.
Only Aisha's relentless persuasion had kept the remaining two hundred from following suit. They stayed by her side, obeyed her commands, and desperately sought ways to summon the Death God, hoping for a response.
Over the past decade, Aisha had become the sole pillar of faith sustaining these priests. While they could rely on her, who could Aisha rely on herself?
Castorice hadn't understood this before, but now she seemed to grasp it: Aisha's own pillar of faith had undoubtedly become her. Whether this was a blessing or a burden remained to be seen.