88 The Last of us III

Jacob stood at the entrance of Saint Michael's, where the priest's eyes who were sweeping the courtyard stared in his direction. The way they focused their attention on him was as if they found some lost relic. It was weird, and Jacob could not get used to their stares.

Frankly, it bothered him. It caused him to rethink his decision to pick up another holy class.

"Can you inform them that it is rude to stare at a noble?"

Jacob spoke loud enough for Amelia to hear him but without turning his head to meet her gaze.

Amelia quickly caught on as she opened the door for him, allowing Jacob to enter first. As he stepped into the temple, his figure disappearing to all the other priests in the courtyard, Amelia glared at them all.

"You all should be lucky the Lord has not ordered his knight to remove your eyeballs from their sockets."

Amelia told the priest in a harsh voice before she stepped into the temple.

Outside, a male priest with a bald head clicked his tongue.

"Who is she to tell us how grateful we should be?"

He spoke with a bit of malice in his voice.

In his eyes, it was warranted too. After all, the little apprentice was worming her way into the good graces of not only Lord Lezhalt but the Lady of the frost family as well. If that did not upset you, then her being under Leah would. The woman was pushing her way towards becoming the Bishop. If that happened, then Amelia's status would rise.

So was he upset with her? Yes, but it was all just in his eyes. She has not been here that long but was quickly rising in power. That should be his spot, and everyone in this temple knew it.

For ten years, he has served the Mother above. Ten years he has gone without recognition.

The bald priest was not the only one who thought this way. All those in the courtyard had the same belief. They were just not willing to voice their opinion on the matter.

Inside the temple, Jacob, Jack, Anglia's mother, and his knight,- Amber we're greeted by a familiar-looking woman dressed in white with her face being hidden by a veil.

"Greetings Lord, we have much we need to discuss."

Leah told Jacob as soon as she spotted him. However, she paused for a second, blinking her eyes that were hidden behind the veil.

"Lord..."

Leah muttered in a startled voice, unable to finish her second sentence.

Unbeknownst to her, she reached out her milky smooth hand towards Jacob. Quickly snapping back to reality, she stopped herself right as her right hand was two feet away from Jacob's face.

Snatching her hand back, she brought it up to her mouth and coughed.

"Apologies, Lord, I don't know what overcame me. But I have to ask, have you been blessed?"

Leah asked, genuinely curious.

Jacob furrowed his brows. He did have Nessa's Blessing, but that had nothing to do with Leah's behavior. It couldn't be due to his new class either, because being an Inquisitor was of equal status to that of a priest. Therefore, him obtaining that class should not affect her.

The only conclusion he could come to was his prestige class, 'Mystic Inquisitor.' It had to have some passive effect he did not know of. That or reaching three-hundred points in his light attribute caused some unknown effect.

"Not that I know of."

Jacob told her bluntly as he turned his sight towards the room upstairs.

"I've come to see my fiancee. I believe we can talk later."

Jacob wanted to know what happened, and being here with Leah would not answer his questions.

He could even see the worriness in Angelia's mother's eyes. Her blue eyes darted around the hall, looking for her daughter.

"As you wish, Lord. Let Amelia guide you to her, and when you are finished, I would like to meet you in the Grand Hall."

Leah said as she moved her arm in a motion showing the way that their group should go.

Amelia nodded slightly as she took the lead and started to walk up the stairs.

"Why is everyone acting funny?"

Jack asked Jacob as he followed right behind him in a whisper.

"I am wondering the same thing; I'll be sure to ask Leah when we meet later. For now, we should find out what occurred at the estate. This could be a precondition to war or something much worse."

Jacob whispered back as he followed behind Amelia.

A few seconds of silence passed before Jack decided to speak again.

"I hope not. That is the last thing we need right now, especially if what we were told is true. That just means we will be in the middle of all this mess."

Jacob laughed a little, breaking the serious expression he wore on his face the entire time.

"We were in the middle of this the moment Oswald launched his attack. Both of our fates are tied to this city. Escape has long passed us by."

Jacob told his friend while keeping his voice down.

His words were not entirely true; there was still plenty of time to escape. They did not have to be in the city, but Jacob had a plan. Now that he had a general idea of Dezomd Frost's plans, he could try to counter it with his own.

Amber could see her Lord and Jack conversing but could barely make out what they were saying. She caught on to Oswald, their fate being tied to this city along with some other bits of information. It left her wondering what was going on between the two.

She made a mental note that this was important, something she had to tell the headmaster of the knight academy.

Amelia stopped at the wooden door and opened it.

"The Lady i-"

Angelia's mother rushed inside without a second to lose, stopping Amelia from completing her sentence.

She felt her heartthrob as if someone took a needle and stabbed her with it multiple times. The pain was unbearable, but now that she was here, she would check her daughter's condition with her own eyes.

These priests may not have healed Angelia to the best of their abilities. She would remove her from this place and take her to Elterton, the next city over which was known for its healing abilities.

The thought never crossed her mind that Jacob would not allow her to leave. Technically she was captured by him; therefore, she was his prisoner. And prisoners did not get a say in where and when they could go.

Behind her was Jacob, who entered. His steps were not rushed but very smooth, as if nothing bothered him.

Jack stayed outside for a moment. He looked at Amelia.

"How is your mother doing?"

He never got a chance to ask her since their departure and figured now was as good of a time as any.

Jack could not see it, but Amelia smiled. The only person to ask her that question was Leah. It was difficult for her to discuss her mother with anyone here because the other priest talked to her every so often. Amelia was not close to any of them.

"Better. Thank you for asking."

Jack smiled and nodded his head.

"What about you? Are you holding up, ok?"

Amelia looked at Jack in his hazel eyes. She never thought about it. A lot has happened in such a short period, and it was hard for her to process it all.

"I... I don't know..."

Amelia replied to him as she dropped her chin, gazing down towards her feet.

Jack placed his hand on her shoulder.

"That is ok. It is better not to know. It means you are not thinking of anything dark. Still, it would help if you took a moment for yourself. You seem to be working hard."

At his words, Amelia raised her hand to see if she was still wearing her veil. How could he tell?

"I don't need to see you to know what you are doing. I can tell from the way you walk, how you talk. You need to sleep."

Amelia said nothing for a second. Did the others notice this as well? She assumed she was ok with her new position and workload. But now that Jack bought it up was she?

"I'm ok, and I'll do what you suggested. I did not realize that I too needed a break."

Jack nodded.

"Take care, Amelia. If you need me, I'm available to talk."

Jack told her before be walked into the room. He knew how it felt to toss yourself into something, trying to ignore the pain. He also understood the wonders of having someone to talk to could do. From what he observed so far, it looked as if Amelia was alone.

That was the worst feeling a person could have—the feeling of loneliness. Not having anyone to turn to, talk to, or have someone to bring you up when you are down.

As for Amelia, she took his words to heart. She did not think Jack meant the words he said when he told her he was available; however, she wished he did.

Inside the room, Jack saw Angelia's mother squeezing Angelia, who had her arm wrapped in bandages.

Jacob had his index finger on the table as his eyes were focused on the paper.

Amber stood behind the door, and Jack barely noticed her until it closed.

"What happened! Who did this?"

Angelia's mother questioned her daughter.

Angelina closed her right eye as her small lips twisted in pain. She tried to push her mother away, but she did not have the strength.

Jacob turned his attention towards them both and placed his hand on Angelia's mother's shoulder.

"You are hurting her."

He told the woman as he pulled her back slightly.

Angelia's mother was surprised by his strength. She did not know how a boy this small could have such a firm grip.

As much as it hurt her to listen to Jacob, she released her grasp on Angelia.

"Care to explain what happened?"

Jacob asked his fiancee as her facial expression returned to normal. Without her mother's tight hug, Angelia was able to breathe normally.