I’ve got this, Myrla told herself as she stepped away from the field as the entrance exams came to an end. I may have messed up the obstacle course, but I won five duels in a row— without any Skills too!

  Unfortunately, she was too exhausted by the end of the fifth duel to continue, so she had to give up before the sixth duel even started. Considering that she was a little girl beating mostly much larger, older men in a fistfight, she was certain she had left an impression on the examiners today. Acing two tests definitely made up for failing one.

  I wonder how Eli did… she thought as she swept her gaze across the mass of candidates leaving the testing grounds.

  While she had initially been annoyed by his sudden appearance, she decided that it was a blessing he showed up, instead of a curse. He had motivated her to push herself that much harder than she would’ve beforehand, since she had assumed that she was pretty much guaranteed entry into the Holy Academy.

  And now, she saw that boy as her rival.

  That was why she even wondered how he had performed— because while she was certain that she had done better than him, she also wanted him to get into the Holy Academy. Because she knew that his presence in the school would motivate her and push her even harder.

  There he is! Myrla perked up when she spotted Eli in the distance. He was walking alongside a [Nun], being ushered off into the entrance of a nearby building. Another pair of [Nuns] greeted them as they reached the doorway.

  What’s he doing? the young girl wondered for a moment, before shaking her head. She stepped forward as she raised a hand to get his attention.

  “Eli—” she started.

  But then an arm suddenly wrapped around her shoulder, cutting her off. “Let’s get going, my daughter.”

  Looking up at the source of the familiar voice, Myrla could only blink at the woman standing there.

  “Mother? What are you doing here?” the young girl asked quizzically.

  With long blue hair tied into ringlets, and silken garbs lined with diamond accents, her mother looked no different than the last time Myrla had seen her. Except for one small detail. Her ordinarily calm and collected mother wore a grave expression, speaking seriously.

  “Come, my daughter, let us make haste back to our estates. I am certain your father is interested in hearing about your results today.”

  Myrla’s mother spoke as she faced straight forward, not looking back even once as she led her daughter away from the testing grounds. That was strange. And what was even stranger was the fact that she should have known that the baron cared very little about the results of this entrance exam.

  The young girl frowned as she glanced towards the building Eli and the [Nuns] had disappeared into. “What’s wrong, mother? And who were those [Nuns] with Eli?”

  The question made the baroness ground to a sudden halt. Myrla bumped into her mother from the suddenness of it all. Taking in a deep breath to steel herself, Melania Arthus, wife of Wilfred Arthus, and Baroness of Rucius, turned to face her daughter with a… sudden smile?

  “What are you talking about, sweetie? They were just [Nuns]. I’m sure they were probably taking your new friend to a chapel to cure some sickly folks.”

  Melania just nodded reassuringly as she ran a hand over the young girl’s braided hair. Myrla tilted her head at that. There was something especially strange about her mother’s behavior today. However, she was not a foolish girl like most others her age.

  There had to be a reason for Melania’s behavior. So Myrla simply kept her head down and acquiesced to her mother’s words.

  “Of course, mother. Let’s return home.”

  ***

  Sister Frida had told me that she worked for an organization that operated within the Church of Life that could potentially be a great ally for me in the future— that they could be interested in the influence and power I could offer them as a prodigious [Healer]. However, I hadn’t expected a follow-up from her so soon.

  Now, she led me through a dormitory that allowed only [Nuns] inside. Or at least, that was what I assumed, since every single person I had passed in the middle of the hallway leading to the room had been dressed in the same veiled clothes as her.

  Eventually, we reached an inconspicuous doorway that was no different than the myriad of other rooms we had passed by beforehand. One of the [Nuns] who had let us into the dormitory— that had been accompanying us the entire time— opened the door and stepped aside.

  Frida stepped in and ushered me to follow her. I took one step into a dark room and paused, eyeing the ground curiously.

  This is a teleportation spell, I thought as the door swung closed behind us.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “What are we doing, Sister Frida?” I asked, playing coy as I faced the [Nun].

  She shook her head as she turned to face me. “[Healer] Eli, two weeks ago, I offered you the friendship of my sisterhood after you saved my life. Today, our leader— the Reverend Mother— has asked to speak with you to officialize this friendship.”

  As she spoke, the ground began to shimmer at my feet. I raised a brow at the [Nun].

  “This ‘Reverend Mother’... where is she?” I asked innocently, still pretending to be clueless.

  “You will be transported to her location shortly. There, she will tell you more about our sisterhood’s role in the Church, and she will ask you various questions that you will have to answer truthfully. Otherwise—” Frida started.

  I eyed her curiously. But she hesitated. The ritual circle carved into the ground beneath me shone even brighter as she stepped back, lowering her head.

  “Just be careful,” that was all she said.

  And then the teleportation spell took me elsewhere, leaving me only with Frida’s words echoing all around me. My head spun as the world blurred for a moment. But as the nauseating feeling from being teleported faded away, my eyes quickly readjusted to my new surroundings.

  I was still in a dark room. But it was a different room— much larger, and illuminated by a single candlelight. There was an elderly woman sitting on a wooden chair just ahead of me. While her face was obscured by a dark veil, I could tell that she was old by the wrinkles on her hands.

  She held out a silvery orb that shimmered with iridescent colors. And she spoke a single commanding word that boomed around me.

  “Come.”

  I blinked as I felt a compulsion to obey her. I could’ve resisted it— with my immense mana reserve, I knew I could fight back against this magic of hers. However, I decided against it, instead doing as she told and walking up until I was face to face with her.

  Even when seated, we were both at face-level. I would’ve thought she’d make me kneel, but she simply gave me another command.

  “Place your hand on the orb, boy,” her voice boomed once again.

  And I listened to her once more as I didn’t want to arouse any suspicion. Besides, I knew what this orb was— I had recognized it in an instant. It was an Orb of Truth. It could detect any lies I told, and while it almost concerned me, I knew there were ways to work around its effects.

  So I just placed my hand on its surface as a ripple of gold washed over it for a moment.

  “I take it you’re the Reverend Mother Sister Frida mentioned?” I asked, offering the elderly woman an innocent smile.

  But she ignored my question as she spoke simply.

  “[Healer] Eli of Velmond. I am the Reverend Mother of the Luna Gez Sect. We are an organization that operates from the shadows within the Church of Life. Our existence remains a secret except to a select few who are fortunate enough to be recognized as our allies.”

  “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you too,” I replied sarcastically.

  The Reverend Mother continued, “The existence of our sisterhood is predicated on two core goals.”

  As she spoke, the candlelight next to her blazed a bright yellow, illuminating a stained-glass mural behind her. I stared at it, seeing a depiction of Lux. Glorious marble buildings rising from the ground in its full splendor, although slightly distinct from what I had seen of the city. The structures shown in the image seemed… older.

  From a time before ours.

  “The first is that we seek to uphold the values bestowed upon us by the Goddess of Life. We work in silence, purging the Church of any and all of the corruption that plagues its pure hallways and sullies its holy temples.”

  I nodded along to the Reverend Mother’s words, although I had already inferred this much from my conversation with Frida half a month prior. However, what was said next took me by surprise.

  “The second is that we desire to bring an end to the terrible reign of the man who has turned the Church of Life into an apparatus that only reinforces his power— we seek to bring about the death of Archbishop Walden.”

  That made me raise a brow. “You wish to kill Archbishop Walden?”

  “Indeed.”

  And as the Reverend Mother spoke, the blazing golden fire began to turn white. As it did, the mural on the stained glass window suddenly seemed to change. Whether it was because of a refraction in the glass or something more magically-inclined, I wasn’t entirely sure, since my attention was fully fixed onto the new image being depicted.

  It showed a husk of a man standing atop a coffin. He was surrounded by figures clad in crimson robes— Cardinals of the Church of Life. They knelt down before him, like they were worshiping him.

  As if he were their god.

  “Archbishop Walden’s rule over the Church of Life has gone on for far too long. There is no reason for one man to hold this much power, let alone for the centuries he has been in control.”

  …centuries? I thought, narrowing my eyes. But Archbishop Walden is a human— and even elves do not live for longer than three centuries. How is this possible?

  There were a multitude of questions racing through my mind. What the Reverend Mother said made no sense. I had never heard of a human living for much longer than two-hundred years. And even then, she was no real human, but a vampire.

  However, I knew there was no point asking any questions here, because they would be brushed off. So I just remained silent, watching as the blazing fire dimmed back into a small candle flame.

  The old woman shook her head— the first substantive movement she made since I appeared in this room.

  “This is why we exist. And that is why we have sought you out as our ally. So tell me, boy…” She leant forward. Her eyes met mine through her veil, and I saw that they were white— pupils without irises. “Who exactly are you?”

  I just shrugged back at her and answered honestly as the colors on the orb I was holding onto danced with bright colors. “It’s as you said. My name is Eli, and I am an orphan-turned[Healer] from Velmond—”

  “Nonsense!” she bellowed, her voice booming once more.

  My eyes flickered as I looked down at the Orb of Truth. It flashed with a blue light, indicating that my previous answer had been the truth. Good, I thought, before focusing back on the Reverend Mother’s piercing gaze.

  She just stared at me as she brought a finger up. I froze, taken aback by her once again as the tip of her finger began to glow with a yellow light. And I sensed the build-up of mana— preparing a spell that was at least Ruby Rank in power.

  “I am asking you, boy— are you the [Hero] chosen by the Goddess of Life?”

  And for one final time, I was taken by surprise by what the Reverend Mother said, shivering at what I heard.