Memories

This is a memory from a black-haired, black-eyed man. He survived a murder plot orchestrated by his own family, but due to his serious injuries and exhaustion, he feared he wouldn't last until the next day... His life would forever be silenced on this night.

It was at this moment, by the familiar lakeside, that he met those two people - Leo, the wealthy merchant's daughter, and Kate, the war orphan who aspired to become a knight. It was because of them that the black-haired young man saved his life and regained hope for his future. He thought at the time, "If only one day, I could use this power to save others..."

The black-haired young man would never have imagined how naive his thoughts were at the time, and how many innocent lives his sword had taken in the name of "protecting" others. As for his dream of "becoming a knight", it had long been discarded along with his name. He had become a "villain" who lived only for his own sole purpose, using any means necessary to achieve his goals.

The memory ends here...

In the Telvis Empire, the central temple is also known as the Imperial Shrine, the most special residence of a few individuals in the church. It is incomprehensible to even ordinary nobles that a palace as large as a small country is only the residence of a few people.

Of course, the shrine's role is not only the residence of those few people. Large-scale rituals such as the Rain Prayer and Christmas Festival are also held here. To the east of the ancient ruins is a temple dedicated to appointment ceremonies, the Valhalla.

The Valhalla, a temple supported by fifty-two giant pillars, gives a strong sense of awe from its exterior, whether it's the decorations made of a large amount of mythril or the lifelike statue of the holy bird Phoenix at the top of the temple. The temple's floor and walls are cleverly paved with marble, and the magnificent interior roof is adorned with legendary figures in the church. The relief sculptures on the interior depict the glorious history of the church, and the 108 Valkyrie statues standing in the hall make the temple full of vitality without losing its elegance.

In the hall of the Valhalla temple, countless priests are kneeling on one knee, paying homage to their ruler, the "Holy King". Compared to the nearby "Saint" Harlan, the "Holy King" is not young. He is a middle-aged man exuding a heavy, majestic, and "domineering" aura like a mountain. His pure white battle armor and over three-meter-long scepter also reflect his dignity.

"Cross Asteros, in the name of the Holy King Selgrayes Hervia, I appoint you as the second chief adjudicator. From now on, everything you have will be devoted to our church. In return, your loyalty will receive the favor of the gods, and the reward for this will be unmatched power and glory!"

The saintly king lightly touched the top of his scepter on the shoulder of the black-haired man bowing before him. "Yes, all shall follow your instructions," he said.

The man, known as "Cross Asteros," replied with a standard priestly gesture. If one looked closely, they could see the priests and judges around them feigning piety, secretly seething with resentment.

The judges were ranked from highest to lowest, with twelve members in total. Cross had been elevated to a position above the others due to the personal preference of the "saint," Harlan. This had naturally sparked the anger of those who desperately pursued power and influence within the church.

Despite this, no one dared to openly oppose Cross's appointment because the reason for their anger was the same reason that Harlan had personally chosen him. This magician, who was as old as the mythologies, could change their fate with a single word. Anyone who dared to oppose Harlan in this church had long since been silenced forever.

"I heard that you are skilled in using countless holy swords and magic swords," said the saintly king, inquiring of Cross with the information he had received from Harlan.

"Yes," replied Cross with a respectful tone.

"Then, I shall bestow upon you the title of 'King of the Black Sword,'" said the king. Although this title did not suit Cross's personality, it would simplify many of his future actions.

"I am honored," replied Cross.

The appointment ceremony ended quickly compared to the grandeur of the occasion. As the ceremony dispersed, Harlan asked Cross to meet him at the ancient ruins at noon. He had something to tell him, but he had more pressing matters to attend to and left first.

After everyone had left "Valhalla," Cross slowly stood up and observed the construction of the temple hall. The hall was surrounded by Valkyrie statues, and the floor and walls were made of marble. Marble had high hardness, and the strange aura emanating from the Valkyrie statues seemed to have a suppressive effect on magic.

Generally, if a magician were to engage in battle here, they would undoubtedly lose. "Heh, I'm such a boring man," Cross couldn't help but self-deprecate, because he habitually performed a special magic ritual at the base of all the Valkyrie statues. Those rituals would destroy the mineral composition of the structure with even a little bit of his magic power, achieving the purpose of neutralizing the suppression of magic power. However, after completing the ritual, Cross wanted to retract his previous self-deprecation—evidently, he wasn't the only "boring" person here.

Being prepared for any situation at any time is a quality that any qualified magician must possess, especially Cross, who survived the battle to the death.

At this moment, the stone door of the hall was slowly pushed open, and a nun who seemed to be preoccupied slowly walked in. She seemed absent-minded and took several steps before noticing Cross standing there.

After a slow realization of Cross's figure, she seemed startled. Although she didn't know Cross, his black lightweight armor and high-necked cloak were undoubtedly the costume of the Judge!

"Excuse...excuse me! Your Honor... I..."

Instantly, the golden-haired nun knelt on the ground with trembling legs, shedding tears subconsciously.

Ordinary nuns are not allowed to come to this kind of place, maybe she thought there was no one here before she came in, but she didn't expect there to still be a Judge here.

Those who violate the rules without authorization will be punished with the utmost severity, and someone as lowly as her might be exterminated due to the associated responsibility.

Thinking of these things, the golden-haired nun couldn't help but tremble all over.

"Don't worry, what's your name?"

Cross didn't have much reaction to the "exaggerated" behavior of the nun. He had really seen too much of this kind of behavior.

"S...Sofia..."

Seeing Cross taking steps closer to her, she felt terrified like she was facing the Grim Reaper.

But...

"Sofia, is it? That's a nice name. How about this, if you don't tell anyone that you saw me here, then at this moment, I won't be able to see you either. It's a fair deal, right? I won't know what you do here next." Cross spoke words that left her incredulous. The man with black hair did not always display an air of superiority like the other priests and judges did. His inflated ego would often treat lowly nuns like her as ants, playing with them whenever he had the chance. However, he proposed this trade that held no significance to him.

"I...I understand," the golden-haired nun agreed to Cross's request immediately, afraid he would suddenly change his mind. She slowly stood up and stumbled away, supporting herself with her hands on the ground.

"Sofia, is it?" Cross looked at her and left the hall.