16. The Ugly Side

Sylvester had nothing to do but train himself and pass his time with the cat in the coming weeks and months. He also went with Xavia to her classes now and then to see if they were teaching anything new. But other than the healing magic classes, everything else was useless.

Even with Sir Dolorem, Sylvester could not learn anything other than fire and wind magic. The knight suggested that he focus more on light magic as he had monstrous talent in it.

Sylvester did just that, and he trained every single day. He knew that to grow powerful, he needed to have firm foundations. So he spent most of his time trying to control the flow of Solarium in his body.

The easiest way was to use the light magic, concentrate it into a small ball, and keep it that way. However, he did not know how destructive light magic was and reckoned this magic was only usable on dark creatures.

Other than magic, he got to read books about geography and history. But for some reason, the world map was incomplete and only showed one continent. He had heard the Pope talking about a peace treaty with the East, so he knew there was more.

Talking about the Pope, Sylvester kept his shenanigans going on and met the Pope every single month. His goal was to create a place for himself in the man's mind, so he'd give him candy every single time.

Slowly but surely, he became a part of the Pope's life, as he could feel the old man caring about him.

Time passed, and Xavia was close to finishing her five-year training to become a Bright Mother. But before she could complete it, all Bright Mothers were given a mission. They ranged from simple preaching to teaching. Xavia was a medical wizard, so she was given the task to go to a far away town and heal the ailed.

Bright Mothers were supposed to be the mouthpieces of the Church, as people usually listened to kind women and respected them. Not only that, the Church was highly protective of each Bright Mother, to the point that if someone harmed a Bright Mother in any town or village, the Church would send an army and destroy the place. If it's a city, the families of the accused will be purged, from the youngest to the oldest generation.

As for Miraj, his previous caretaker never returned. That was all Sylvester needed to believe that the cat was a magical being that had lived in isolation for hundreds of years, waiting for a person who could see his presence.

…

"There you go." Xavia made Sylvester wear new clothes. A pair of cotton, black, long shorts and a white shirt.

He had grown into a handsome little young man, just shy under five years. Yet, Xavia pampered him like he was born yesterday. Initially, he didn't like it, but Xavia grew onto him slowly.

Above all, he respected the woman for doing everything for him. In return, he tried to keep her as happy as possible. And if that meant he had to act a bit childish towards her, he did.

"Where are we going, mum?" he asked while fixing his silky hair.

She was packing her luggage. "I have to work to prove my training is completed. People in Pitfall Town in the North suffer from some disease. I must go there and help with my healing magic."

"I'm coming with you?"

"Of course, you are coming along. You will get bored here otherwise, and I will forever be worried if you ate food or not. You are also turning five soon, and we have just a few more years before your formal education starts. When that happens, we won't get time for each other." She sounded disheartened at the end.

Xavia knew that her son's life as God's Favoured would be harsh, even more difficult than all other children. The expectations on him will be a constant weight pulling him down, and his responsibilities will never allow him time for himself. The only thing she wished was for Sylvester to never lose his innocent smile, but knowing the Church, it was just a pipe dream.

"Don't worry, mum. I will never leave you." He responded innocently. This was the least he could do for her happiness.

As always, the woman was too emotional. She never leaves an opportunity to hug him, and neither did she miss it this time. "Oh, my Max. Why are you growing so fast? Can't you wait… maybe by ten years?"

"..."

Sylvester reckoned staying silent was the best thing to do at the moment. But he couldn't ignore the cat that had also jumped on his back to hug him. 'Great, I've got two hug-loving cats now.'

After their short mental health session, they moved out of the Bright Mother Complex. A stagecoach waited for them at the gates with Sir Dolorem waiting. Beside him, two more Knights were accompanying them for Sylvester's safety.

The Church was not too scared of letting Sylvester go out this time because their destination was in the Gracia Kingdom, a land that was under the tight grip of the Church. It was filled with monasteries, administration offices and inquisitor outposts. No other kingdom on the continent enjoyed this level of intimacy with the Church.

Sir Dolorem introduced the two new faces. "Mother Xavia, Master Maximilian. This is Black Knight, Sir Charles Smith. He shall be the reinsman on this journey. The other man is a Bronze Knight, Sir Adam Silvereye. He shall provide security with me."

"Let's depart quickly, Sir Dolorem," Xavia said and entered the stagecoach.

But Sylvester didn't enter and instead glared at Sir Dolorem. He had made an arrangement with this guy earlier that day.

"Uh… Mother Xavia, I believe Master Maximilian wants to sit with the reinsman at the front."

Speaking was counterproductive right now. So Sylvester attacked her with the best puppy eyes he could make. He even perfected the art after taking lessons from Miraj.

Xavia tried to fight herself, tried her best to avoid his charms. But, alas, she couldn't win. "Fine, but you must return inside before sunset."

"Yes!" He quickly climbed the passenger seat and sat beside Sir Charles Smith.

The man quickly saluted him with arms crossed on his chest; his voice shivered while addressing. "L-Lord Favoured One, I plead for your blessing."

"May the holy light enlighten us," Sylvester replied. This was akin to a cheat code to him, a perfect conversation killer.

"HA!"

Quickly, the two horses got whipped, and the stagecoach moved fast. Sir Dolorem and Sir Silvereye rode on their armed horses at the sides. The closest to Sylvester was his loyal knight.

Over the past few years, he and Sir Dolorem had become great chums. Although Sir Dolorem may not see Sylvester as a friend but rather as a holy apostle to whom he offers his utmost allegiance. But Sylvester never treated him like a slave and always gave him respect.

This was a simple lesson that all military officials should know in his past world. Treat your subordinates with respect, and they will fight for you until the end of the world.

As Sylvester could speak normally now, he had instructed Sir Dolorem to inform him about various things and landmarks on their way.

"We shall pass through Green City, the capital of Gracia Kingdom, Master Maximilian. The road we're travelling on is called Green Road."

Sylvester looked to the left and noticed a river adjacent to the road. "What is this river called?"

"Gold River, once upon a time it led to the gold rush that made Gracia Family so rich that they expanded into an empire. There is no more gold in the river, however. The Gold Rush happened two thousand years ago."

'Ah, what a great time to be alive. It's like being born in the 21st century Earth. Too early to explore space, too late to experience the pre-internet era.' he sighed at his fate. Even Xavia was dirt poor, so he needed to build his wealth from scratch.

'I wonder who my father was... is? I must have been someone's white snake.'

It was going to be a long journey, taking a whole week going one way. So he had various opportunities to see some villages in this kingdom. Most of them appeared to be under complete Church influence. There were Church symbols everywhere, from doors to windows.

However, technologically, the world seemed stuck in the dark ages. Anytime the stagecoach went off-road to a village to spend the night, they would see the real Gracia Kingdom. Wet mud roads, open animal and human defecation, people with dirty clothes and crooked teeth.

The houses were mostly made of wood and mud bricks. Only the Church in these villages would look good, with its sleek stone, brick and cement work. It transpired to him that the Church and the Royal family had possibly swallowed most of the resources and riches of the kingdom.

Another thing he noticed was that the further they travelled from the Holy Land, the more inferior the quality of life of the villagers became. Then once they passed Green City, the situation became so bad that calling these villages tribes would have been better. But as always, the beautiful church building was present in all of them.

'Why do people even pray at this point?' Sylvester wondered.

"Pitfall Town is beyond this last stretch, Master Maximilian. It's the largest town before the County of Sandwall. It shares a border with the Masan Empire. And the Mountain Tribes in the north and Desert Barbarians in the south constantly invade this land."

'It must be tough looking after that place,' he thought.

CLANK!—Out of nowhere, a loud sound of a sword fight resounded. This alerted Sir Dolorem and Sir Silvereye. They unsheathed their swords and looked left and right.

The stagecoach had just rolled into a small town's large, empty town square. There were two men shouting profanities at one another.

"How dare you caress my wife's buttocks!" a man brandished his sword in anger.

"I didn't perceive she had someone… or that she was married. I was also intoxicated, so pardon me, friend."

"No! I invoke a duel-of-light. Under the warmth of Solis, I shall defeat you and win my honour back. Do you accept?" The first man screamed.

Sylvester glanced at Sir Dolorem for an explanation. "What's happening?"

"It seems… they are having an official duel. As long as duel-of-light is invoked in daylight, they must fight until one side is killed or accepts defeat. Duel-of-light is extremely sacred, and these unfaithfuls are making a mockery of Solis. This is not the place you should be, Master Maximilian. Our abode is planned in the Monastery."

"I want to see it!" Sylvester chirped. It was the best opportunity to see how strong ordinary people were. 'Are they going to be crying dogs, or tis but a scratch type?'

"I accept!" Finally, the other man accepted it.

'Okay, let's see.' Sylvester sat there with complete focus. He imagined the one with better muscle would win.

Clash!—they struck at each other and blocked the swords. Sparks dispersed around, sending some adrenaline rushing into Sylvester's body. These men were genuinely trying to kill each other, he felt.

"Argh!"

The accused gashed the husband's right arm in the next strike, sending him to the ground. The wife-toucher smirked as he looked at the other man. He pointed his sword at the neck. "Don't worry. I will take care of her."

"I-I admit defeat… I…"

But the man didn't stop and tried to strike his sword. He would have been successful if not for a sudden loud horn and shouts.

PA!

"Make way! Here comes the order of the holy inquisition! Make way! Here…"

Out of nowhere, a procession of knights in bloodied inquisitor robes and armours rode into the town on their steeds. A dozen of them were there, and there was a cage carriage at the end of the procession. Inside the cage was a gorgeous chained woman. She looked hurt, her green clothes were ragged, and her long, ashen hair was untidy.

But with a passing glance, Sylvester noticed something strange about her. 'Long pointy ears? Is she an…?''