“My dear boy, thank you for saving Prince Wales from the Bloods.” The Pope’s hair was white, and the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes looked like they had blossomed when he smiled.
He gently patted Yaphisor’s shoulder and said kindly, “As previously agreed, you are the next Chief Cardinal, and in the meantime, you can go to my study to learn the Great Light spell.”
“It’s just that…” the Pope said with a slight pause and mulled over his words, “ although it is understandable for you to be Chief Cardinal, it is not convincing to the rest. My son, you are only a junior priest. “
Yaphisor did not reply but looked back at the Pope with a calm, unruffled expression.
The Pope nodded gratefully, “Good, you have a calm temperament. For the sake of convincing the people, from today onwards you are Cardinal Calmeron’s adopted son and his disciple. What do you think? “
Yaphisor was stunned for a moment and followed the Pope’s hand to look at Calmeron.
Calmeron stood behind the Pope, his slightly aged face serious, different from the Pope’s kindness and amiability.
Calmeron placed his hand on the Pope’s shoulder and said coldly, “Your ability is too poor as of now. If you become my adopted son, be prepared mentally. I will start devil training from today.”
Yaphisor remained silent, but the Pope smiled broadly and patted the back of Cameron’s hand tenderly with his backhand, “Calmeron, don’t frighten the boy.”
“My son, time is like a river, and faith is like a rock in the water. The river keeps flowing, but the rock is steadfast. If you are firm in your faith, you will surely reach heights that none of us can reach. “
A shocking thought suddenly came to Yaphisor’s mind as he saw the intimacy between the two.
The thought passed in a flash, and Yaphisor regained his calm and collected expression.
He rose to his feet and solemnly offered Calmeron the grandest of salutes, saying respectfully, “Father.”
Calmeron accepted his adopted son, but the Pope’s expression was as pleased as if he had taken in a son himself. He fumbled with his hands and smiled, “Yaphisor, I have watched Calmeron grow up, and we are like brothers. Now that you are his son, call me “Godfather.”
Yaphisor was dazed. The relationship between the two men was definitely not as pure as that of brothers.
Yaphisor was an orphan, brought up in the church, and had no parents. It was no loss to him that he suddenly had two fathers, the most powerful ones in the church.
And with his sixth sense, he was confident that these two men were simple-minded and had no harmful thoughts; they were people he could befriend.
He nodded, smiled gently, and half-kneeled before the Pope, gently kissing the back of his hand, which had grown old with the polish of time, and said respectfully, “Godfather!”
……….
Cusi stood in the crowd and looked up at Yaphisor, who was atop the dais with jealousy eating at him.
Although he was still wearing his ordinary junior priestly robes today, he had become the chief Cardinal’s adopted son!
Even the Pope, who rarely appeared, had appeared on the dais, demonstrating how important Yaphisor was to him.
Hadn’t Yaphisor become a vampire? How had he become human again? Something must be wrong!
He thought of the humiliation he had suffered among the Bloods, of standing naked in front of countless Bloods, without dignity, and being pointed at like he was an object.
Things that were about to be forgotten suddenly came back to his mind with an unusually ferocious intensity of impact.
What kind of luck had Yaphisor, that fool, gotten to save Prince Wales?
How had he tricked all the Bloods into mistaking him for one of them when he was just his errand boy before, unable to recite even the simplest of Light incantations proficiently?
A conspiracy? This had to be a conspiracy.
If Yaphisor hadn’t secretly left the message that Orvis was a Blood, he wouldn’t have followed Orvis, and if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have been caught by the Bloods, and he wouldn’t have been treated in such a humiliating way.
Fortunately, Orvis had him in mind and disobeyed the Blood King to save him.
Cusi’s eyes snapped open, Orvis!
Yaphisor had seen Orvis’s face! Yaphisor knew that Orvis was a Blood! He even knew that he was connected to Orvis!
Cusi bit the corner of his lip. There was a kind of conspiracy here.
There was no way that Yaphisor had the power to save Prince Wales from the Bloods, unless it was…
Unless it was that Yaphisor had turned into a Blood and this was a plot for them to infiltrate the human race.
Orvis could use medicine to take human form, so why couldn’t Yaphisor?
As the clouds had lifted and he saw the essence of the matter and the intrinsic conspiracy, Cusi’s eyes instantly steadied and he sprang to his feet, shouting, “My Lord Pope, Lord Cardinal, I have an objection!”
The Pope turned his head and frowned slightly as he looked at Cusi, “What is your objection, my son?”
“Venerable Pope, I would like to ask the priest, Yaphisor something. According to his account, Prince Wales was rescued from the hands of several Bloods, and I hold a doubtful attitude towards this. How did Yaphisor, who is only a junior priest, overcome the siege of several Bloods? I suspect there is a conspiracy. “
The Pope gave Cusi a deep look, a look that seemed to see through Cusi’s eyes to his decaying soul, “And what do you mean, my son?”
“I suspect that Priest Yaphisor has received the first embrace of a vampire and is now a Blood!”
This statement caused an uproar in the room.
The Cardinal Archbishop took two steps forward and said in a stern voice, “God teaches us to speak truthfully and kindly. If you do not tell give a reason, I will not spare you!”
Satisfied with the effect his words caused on the field, Cusi smiled confidently when he heard the Cardinal’s words and said, “The vampires have a drug that, when taken, can make them take on the appearance of a human and cover their scent. The vampire relies on this medicine to blend in among the humans.”
“Priest Yaphisor couldn’t even recite a primary light incantation skillfully, so how could he defeat several vampires at once? Even I, who has become an intermediate level priest, have some difficulty in killing several vampires. So I suspect that he has been assimilated into the Blood race. “
“Because his human identity is that of a priest, and the Bloods are insidious and cunning, they must have sent him to blend in with our church. I don’t think I need to tell you what is at stake, but you all know it well. “
Cusi’s words once again caused an uproar among the priests present. If it was as Cusi said, then the matter would be terrible.
All the priests knew that if they could save Prince Wales, they could become the next Chief Cardinal. What does that mean? It meant that one would be at the centre of the Church’s power and that all the movements of the Church were in his hands!
There were already many doubts among the people about Yaphisor, a young junior priest, becoming the next Chief Cardinal. And now that Cusi has exploded this speculation, how could they not be afraid?
There was also another thing that they could not ignore: was what he said true? Was there really a drug that could turn a vampire into a human?
That was simply terrifying! Were the people around them evil vampires or humans?
Yaphisor was unaffected as he replied, “Is that what you suspect me of with your crude guesses, Priest Cusi? You can question my abilities, but you can’t question my devotion to the Church or my faith in God! I am human and will only ever be human. I have never heard of that medicine you speak of. Can you tell us where you heard of this drug, priest Cusi? If what you say about that medicine were true, wouldn’t the human world be a terrible place? We would forever live in suspicion, and we would not care whether we questioned whether the friends around us were human or Bloods. “
“At that point, the humans will no longer be able to trust each other, and the Bloods will see an opportunity. You are more terrible than the Bloods, Magister Cusi. You have dismantled the human world with your mere words. “
“Besides, Priest Cusi. Do you doubt that I can defeat the Bloods just because I am a junior priest? “ Yaphisor raised his head and looked down on Cusi from above, “Priest Cusi, how long has it been since you competed with me in a light spell? Since you became an Intermediate Magus a year ago, you have stopped competing with me in Light Spells.”
“A lot can happen in a year, some people use that year to stay busy falling in love with alchemists, while others spend it desperately learning Light Spells. If you have doubts about me, we could test some light spells against each other in front of everyone, as we often did a year ago. Or ask the Lord Pope to cast the True Word spell, which, when used, will immediately make all lies null and void. That way, even if I am a Blood, I cannot lie, right? “
“Life is like flowing water. If you do not advance, you will fall back. In your free time, if you had taken the time to look at my efforts, you would not have said what you did today. “
Cusi’s face flushed red at Yaphisor’s accusation.
To tell how he knew about this medicine? Wouldn’t that be the same as implicating Orvis?
Wouldn’t that be admitting his connection to the Bloods?
How would he be able to stand in the church?
He had always been the best of his contemporaries in the church, the most promising to become a bishop, and if he worked hard for another ten years, he could become the bishop of a church.
If such a thing were revealed, what would happen to his future?
Use the True Word spell? He can’t agree to that even more. Once a True Word spell is used on someone, all his secrets would not be secrets anymore.
This would include his ambitions, his relationship with Orvis, and Orvis’s identity. It would not only jeopardize his interest but would bring Orvis down with him!
Cusi tightened his lips and frowned slightly.
He regretted the thoughtless remarks he had just made.
He was only thinking of how to take credit for exposing Yaphisor’s plot but had forgotten to make away out for himself
The pope looked at Yaphisor and then at the Cusi.
Suddenly, he coughed and said: “Since priest Cusi doubts priest Yaphisor’s ability, let them have a contest. If they are equal, then it will be clear that priest Yaphisor’s ability has reached the level of an intermediate priest. If he is no match for priest Cusi, I will then use the True Spell on priest Yaphisor. This would be unfair to priest Yaphisor, but it would dispel any doubts in your hearts, right? “
The priests nodded, since the Pope had spoken, they would do as the Pope wished.
Cusi was relieved that the Pope had only asked the two of them to compete and not use the True Word spell.
Glaring at Yaphisor on the dais, Cusi said firmly, word for word, “I will accept the offer.”
Yaphisor turned to the Pope and smiled, “I’ll take it too.”
“My dear boy, thank you for saving Prince Wales from the Bloods.” The Pope’s hair was white, and the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes looked like they had blossomed when he smiled.
He gently patted Yaphisor’s shoulder and said kindly, “As previously agreed, you are the next Chief Cardinal, and in the meantime, you can go to my study to learn the Great Light spell.”
“It’s just that…” the Pope said with a slight pause and mulled over his words, “ although it is understandable for you to be Chief Cardinal, it is not convincing to the rest. My son, you are only a junior priest. “
Yaphisor did not reply but looked back at the Pope with a calm, unruffled expression.
The Pope nodded gratefully, “Good, you have a calm temperament. For the sake of convincing the people, from today onwards you are Cardinal Calmeron’s adopted son and his disciple. What do you think? “
Yaphisor was stunned for a moment and followed the Pope’s hand to look at Calmeron.
Calmeron stood behind the Pope, his slightly aged face serious, different from the Pope’s kindness and amiability.
Calmeron placed his hand on the Pope’s shoulder and said coldly, “Your ability is too poor as of now. If you become my adopted son, be prepared mentally. I will start devil training from today.”
Yaphisor remained silent, but the Pope smiled broadly and patted the back of Cameron’s hand tenderly with his backhand, “Calmeron, don’t frighten the boy.”
“My son, time is like a river, and faith is like a rock in the water. The river keeps flowing, but the rock is steadfast. If you are firm in your faith, you will surely reach heights that none of us can reach. “
A shocking thought suddenly came to Yaphisor’s mind as he saw the intimacy between the two.
The thought passed in a flash, and Yaphisor regained his calm and collected expression.
He rose to his feet and solemnly offered Calmeron the grandest of salutes, saying respectfully, “Father.”
Calmeron accepted his adopted son, but the Pope’s expression was as pleased as if he had taken in a son himself. He fumbled with his hands and smiled, “Yaphisor, I have watched Calmeron grow up, and we are like brothers. Now that you are his son, call me “Godfather.”
Yaphisor was dazed. The relationship between the two men was definitely not as pure as that of brothers.
Yaphisor was an orphan, brought up in the church, and had no parents. It was no loss to him that he suddenly had two fathers, the most powerful ones in the church.
And with his sixth sense, he was confident that these two men were simple-minded and had no harmful thoughts; they were people he could befriend.
He nodded, smiled gently, and half-kneeled before the Pope, gently kissing the back of his hand, which had grown old with the polish of time, and said respectfully, “Godfather!”
……….
Cusi stood in the crowd and looked up at Yaphisor, who was atop the dais with jealousy eating at him.
Although he was still wearing his ordinary junior priestly robes today, he had become the chief Cardinal’s adopted son!
Even the Pope, who rarely appeared, had appeared on the dais, demonstrating how important Yaphisor was to him.
Hadn’t Yaphisor become a vampire? How had he become human again? Something must be wrong!
He thought of the humiliation he had suffered among the Bloods, of standing naked in front of countless Bloods, without dignity, and being pointed at like he was an object.
Things that were about to be forgotten suddenly came back to his mind with an unusually ferocious intensity of impact.
What kind of luck had Yaphisor, that fool, gotten to save Prince Wales?
How had he tricked all the Bloods into mistaking him for one of them when he was just his errand boy before, unable to recite even the simplest of Light incantations proficiently?
A conspiracy? This had to be a conspiracy.
If Yaphisor hadn’t secretly left the message that Orvis was a Blood, he wouldn’t have followed Orvis, and if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have been caught by the Bloods, and he wouldn’t have been treated in such a humiliating way.
Fortunately, Orvis had him in mind and disobeyed the Blood King to save him.
Cusi’s eyes snapped open, Orvis!
Yaphisor had seen Orvis’s face! Yaphisor knew that Orvis was a Blood! He even knew that he was connected to Orvis!
Cusi bit the corner of his lip. There was a kind of conspiracy here.
There was no way that Yaphisor had the power to save Prince Wales from the Bloods, unless it was…
Unless it was that Yaphisor had turned into a Blood and this was a plot for them to infiltrate the human race.
Orvis could use medicine to take human form, so why couldn’t Yaphisor?
As the clouds had lifted and he saw the essence of the matter and the intrinsic conspiracy, Cusi’s eyes instantly steadied and he sprang to his feet, shouting, “My Lord Pope, Lord Cardinal, I have an objection!”
The Pope turned his head and frowned slightly as he looked at Cusi, “What is your objection, my son?”
“Venerable Pope, I would like to ask the priest, Yaphisor something. According to his account, Prince Wales was rescued from the hands of several Bloods, and I hold a doubtful attitude towards this. How did Yaphisor, who is only a junior priest, overcome the siege of several Bloods? I suspect there is a conspiracy. “
The Pope gave Cusi a deep look, a look that seemed to see through Cusi’s eyes to his decaying soul, “And what do you mean, my son?”
“I suspect that Priest Yaphisor has received the first embrace of a vampire and is now a Blood!”
This statement caused an uproar in the room.
The Cardinal Archbishop took two steps forward and said in a stern voice, “God teaches us to speak truthfully and kindly. If you do not tell give a reason, I will not spare you!”
Satisfied with the effect his words caused on the field, Cusi smiled confidently when he heard the Cardinal’s words and said, “The vampires have a drug that, when taken, can make them take on the appearance of a human and cover their scent. The vampire relies on this medicine to blend in among the humans.”
“Priest Yaphisor couldn’t even recite a primary light incantation skillfully, so how could he defeat several vampires at once? Even I, who has become an intermediate level priest, have some difficulty in killing several vampires. So I suspect that he has been assimilated into the Blood race. “
“Because his human identity is that of a priest, and the Bloods are insidious and cunning, they must have sent him to blend in with our church. I don’t think I need to tell you what is at stake, but you all know it well. “
Cusi’s words once again caused an uproar among the priests present. If it was as Cusi said, then the matter would be terrible.
All the priests knew that if they could save Prince Wales, they could become the next Chief Cardinal. What does that mean? It meant that one would be at the centre of the Church’s power and that all the movements of the Church were in his hands!
There were already many doubts among the people about Yaphisor, a young junior priest, becoming the next Chief Cardinal. And now that Cusi has exploded this speculation, how could they not be afraid?
There was also another thing that they could not ignore: was what he said true? Was there really a drug that could turn a vampire into a human?
That was simply terrifying! Were the people around them evil vampires or humans?
Yaphisor was unaffected as he replied, “Is that what you suspect me of with your crude guesses, Priest Cusi? You can question my abilities, but you can’t question my devotion to the Church or my faith in God! I am human and will only ever be human. I have never heard of that medicine you speak of. Can you tell us where you heard of this drug, priest Cusi? If what you say about that medicine were true, wouldn’t the human world be a terrible place? We would forever live in suspicion, and we would not care whether we questioned whether the friends around us were human or Bloods. “
“At that point, the humans will no longer be able to trust each other, and the Bloods will see an opportunity. You are more terrible than the Bloods, Magister Cusi. You have dismantled the human world with your mere words. “
“Besides, Priest Cusi. Do you doubt that I can defeat the Bloods just because I am a junior priest? “ Yaphisor raised his head and looked down on Cusi from above, “Priest Cusi, how long has it been since you competed with me in a light spell? Since you became an Intermediate Magus a year ago, you have stopped competing with me in Light Spells.”
“A lot can happen in a year, some people use that year to stay busy falling in love with alchemists, while others spend it desperately learning Light Spells. If you have doubts about me, we could test some light spells against each other in front of everyone, as we often did a year ago. Or ask the Lord Pope to cast the True Word spell, which, when used, will immediately make all lies null and void. That way, even if I am a Blood, I cannot lie, right? “
“Life is like flowing water. If you do not advance, you will fall back. In your free time, if you had taken the time to look at my efforts, you would not have said what you did today. “
Cusi’s face flushed red at Yaphisor’s accusation.
To tell how he knew about this medicine? Wouldn’t that be the same as implicating Orvis?
Wouldn’t that be admitting his connection to the Bloods?
How would he be able to stand in the church?
He had always been the best of his contemporaries in the church, the most promising to become a bishop, and if he worked hard for another ten years, he could become the bishop of a church.
If such a thing were revealed, what would happen to his future?
Use the True Word spell? He can’t agree to that even more. Once a True Word spell is used on someone, all his secrets would not be secrets anymore.
This would include his ambitions, his relationship with Orvis, and Orvis’s identity. It would not only jeopardize his interest but would bring Orvis down with him!
Cusi tightened his lips and frowned slightly.
He regretted the thoughtless remarks he had just made.
He was only thinking of how to take credit for exposing Yaphisor’s plot but had forgotten to make away out for himself
The pope looked at Yaphisor and then at the Cusi.
Suddenly, he coughed and said: “Since priest Cusi doubts priest Yaphisor’s ability, let them have a contest. If they are equal, then it will be clear that priest Yaphisor’s ability has reached the level of an intermediate priest. If he is no match for priest Cusi, I will then use the True Spell on priest Yaphisor. This would be unfair to priest Yaphisor, but it would dispel any doubts in your hearts, right? “
The priests nodded, since the Pope had spoken, they would do as the Pope wished.
Cusi was relieved that the Pope had only asked the two of them to compete and not use the True Word spell.
Glaring at Yaphisor on the dais, Cusi said firmly, word for word, “I will accept the offer.”
Yaphisor turned to the Pope and smiled, “I’ll take it too.”
