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“It’s a humble place, but I hope you can rest comfortably.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Bishop.”

“Hahaha, no need to thank me. Providing a place for our brothers and sisters to rest is a natural duty for those who follow the holy path.”

Fortunately, Bishop François de Lefebvre, the bishop in charge of Bordeaux, was an extremely devout and friendly person. He discreetly provided meals and accommodations for the group, and he didn’t interfere more than necessary with their affairs.

This was usually the kind of relationship between an ordinary clergy member and a knight affiliated with the Paladins.

The priests devoted themselves to the people and guided the masses, while the Knight Templars and Nun Knights eliminated external threats to humanity. Not interfering excessively with each other’s duties was an unwritten rule to enhance the expertise in their respective fields.

‘But if it’s a matter concerning the city he’s in charge of, he should be informed.’

This case wasn’t something that could be resolved quickly or simply; it was an issue Bordeaux would have to face over time. Ultimately, the problems of Bordeaux would have to be handled and resolved by those who belonged to the city. Therefore, it was necessary to inform the relevant parties about the situation.

Having roughly made up her mind, Sophia subtly mentioned the existence of the Replica of the Royal Scepter of Changhae and the schemes of the Sphiyagons targeting it to Bishop Lefebvre.

“This is the information we obtained from interrogating a Sphiyagon sorcerer captured at the port.”

“This is…”

As expected, the bishop’s long experience wasn’t just for show. Upon hearing Sophia’s mention, Bishop Lefebvre immediately grasped the political and diplomatic implications and fell into deep thought with a heavy expression.

“Could it be that the Sphiyagons have discovered the treasure transferred from the Alb Kingdom? This complicates things.”

“Indeed, it seems the Bordeaux Church is also involved.”

“After all, I do have a foot in the council.”

Bishop Lefebvre answered with a bitter smile.

Suddenly, Sophia asked the bishop a question to confirm something.

“Hmm, so do all the council members know about the Replica of the Royal Scepter?”

“They are all aware of its existence. Of course, not everyone can know about the management of the object, so the custody issue is handled by three pre-selected individuals who take turns overseeing it.”

“If those three are unaware of the true nature of the object they are guarding, and if their custody methods are kept secret from each other, then the object would remain safe except during handovers.”

“Handovers are also conducted under the supervision of council members, making it difficult for the custodians to collude.”

Sophia nodded at the bishop’s words while stroking her chin, lost in thought. Sensing something in her demeanor, the bishop cautiously asked.

“Uh… Sister Sophia? Is something wrong?”

“Huh? No, no. Just some idle thoughts.”

“Haha, what kind of thoughts?”

“Ah, it’s really nothing. Just a thought that if a council member knows about the scepter and supervises the handover process, perhaps the best source of information for someone seeking the object’s whereabouts would be a council member.”

The story that flowed from Sophia’s lips was not something the bishop could easily dismiss. He, too, had been thinking the same thing. If the scepter’s origin had leaked to the Sphiyagons, it must have come from a council member.

As if reading the bishop’s suspicion, Sophia smiled and said.

“Ah, I’m not suggesting that the council members betrayed the city. Frankly, that’s a bit unrealistic. While a regular city council member might do such a thing, someone who has risen to the rank of a council member likely has the majority of their foundation tied to Bordeaux, along with a history and reputation passed down through generations. It’s unlikely they would foolishly betray the city overnight.”

“Indeed, that’s true.”

The bishop nodded in agreement with Sophia’s words. Unlike city council members who could run for office with public support, council members had significant authority in specific areas of the city, and their candidacy was scrutinized much more strictly.

“But the people around them might be a different story.”

“!”

At the meaningful remark, Bishop Lefebvre swallowed hard.

+++++

The next day, Bishop François de Lefebvre and Baron Pierre de Coubertin left the church to bring the issue of the Sphiyagons targeting the Replica of the Royal Scepter of Changhae to the council. Hildegard accompanied them as a witness. They judged that having someone of status and influence within the church would lend credibility to their statements.

Originally, Bishop Lefebvre wanted to ask Sophia, a Nun Knight from Franquia, to testify, but for some reason, Sophia was reluctant to appear before the council, so Hildegard stepped in instead. In return, Sophia gave Hildegard an amulet containing the sealed soul of a Sphiyagon to add weight to her testimony.

“If anyone questions you, stick this on their forehead. They’ll understand exactly what this creature thought and experienced.”

“Uh, there aren’t any side effects, right? Like possession or something.”

“Do you think I wouldn’t have thought of that? It’s safe, don’t worry.”

Hildegard, just to be sure, even tried sticking the amulet on her own forehead, but as Sophia had confidently stated, the amulet was indeed spiritually safeguarded.

“Well, I’m a bit worried about the part where this guy gets tortured by Sophia, but this should be fine.”

The problem was that the standard for “safe” or “fine” was based on a Paladin’s criteria.

“A little electrocution shouldn’t be too dangerous.”

“Besides, the seal reduces the sensory experience to 30%, so it’s even safer.”

The really dangerous part was the soul purification after the torture, but Sophia had taken precautions to ensure it was harmless, so she could confidently vouch for the amulet’s safety.

After sending Hildegard off, Sophia focused on overseeing her disciples’ training.

“Conra, continue with your meditation training. Your spiritual capacity is expanding, but don’t let your guard down.”

Sophia instructed Conra while teaching him a new meditation method.

Just as using the same medicine repeatedly builds resistance, meditation methods also lose their effectiveness over time. To maintain their efficacy, it was necessary to periodically introduce new techniques.

Sophia taught Conra various meditation methods, including dynamic meditation, mandala drawing, mantra chanting, and lucid dreaming, to train his spirit.

“From what I saw yesterday, your overall abilities have grown significantly. But I won’t say it’s solely due to your talent and effort.”

“I can definitely feel the effects of Gias, Master.”

Gias, one of the ancient secrets Sophia carried from her past life, was a powerful oath-based system. By swearing a specific oath, one could gain immense power as long as the oath was upheld, but breaking it would result in severe consequences.

Recently, Sophia had become convinced that Gias complemented Druidic spellcasting perfectly and had taught it to Conra.

Conra had made two Gias oaths under Sophia’s guidance:

One. Conra respects Sophia as his master and mentor and diligently learns from her.

Two. Conra can only create new Gias oaths under Sophia’s supervision, a condition that remains until Sophia lifts it.

The first oath was something Conra would have followed anyway, and the second was to prevent him from making reckless or dangerous oaths in the future.

Despite this, the enhancement effects Conra felt from Gias were extraordinary. His physical abilities, martial skills, alchemy, Druidism, and rune magic all saw unprecedented growth.

Of course, this was largely due to Conra’s innate talent and potential. An average person making a Gias oath wouldn’t have experienced such significant effects unless the oath was extremely demanding.

“But you didn’t think such improvement would come for free, did you?”

Sophia emphasized the importance of Conra’s meditation training, as Gias’s enhancement effects were a form of spiritual contract. To create new Gias oaths in the future, Conra needed to continuously expand his spiritual capacity through meditation.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. I trust you’ll handle it well, but I’ll say it anyway. Remember: empty, empty, empty, yet at the same time, build, build, build.”

Sophia stressed the importance of maintaining balance—observing emptiness without losing oneself, living in the present without neglecting the past or future, and focusing on the essence without ignoring the details.

Meanwhile, Maria was training on her own regimen in another part of the field.

“The beauty of Sphere Exercises lies in freely manipulating the structure, intensity, and direction of power within a space. With diligent practice, your stamina, agility, and sense of balance will naturally improve, and your movements will become more refined.”

Sphere Exercises were inspired by Taoist practices like the Heavenly Pillar and Eight Trigrams Palm. The core of the training involved spinning in circles within a defined space.

Of course, if it were just spinning, it would simply be the Eight Trigrams Palm. Sophia had combined it with Tai Chi Sphere and Qiankun Sphere techniques, adding elements like holding balls of varying sizes and materials, rotating them slowly, tossing them between hands, and spinning in circles.

“Fortunately, you seem to have a natural talent for movement. In a short time, you’ve become quite skilled in the essence of Sphere Exercises, even maintaining balance on a rocking ship.”

“It’s all thanks to your excellent teaching, Master.”

Maria smiled at Sophia’s praise. In her short life, praise had been a rare experience. Since becoming Sophia’s disciple, the frequent compliments always lifted her spirits.

But Sophia’s next words made even Maria pale.

“From now on, we’ll increase the difficulty. Starting tomorrow, you’ll do Sphere Exercises in the morning with sandbags tied to your ankles, and in the afternoon, you’ll practice on poles with bricks placed on top.”

Maria immediately understood what Sophia was saying.

The morning routine wasn’t too bad—just increasing physical load. The afternoon, however, was a different story.

Nine-Pole Sphere Training. Maria recalled the name Sophia had given to this method. It involved setting up nine poles in specific positions, placing bricks on top, and walking across them.

Naturally, this was an extremely precarious and challenging exercise. Walking on thin poles with unstable bricks without dropping them required an extraordinary sense of balance.

‘And now I have to do Sphere Exercises on top of that…’

Maria felt overwhelmed, but she didn’t know what was coming next.

In the future, after she became accustomed to the Nine-Pole Sphere Training, Sophia would have her practice on uneven slopes, smooth cliffs, swaying ropes, and even on the surface of water, eventually performing Sphere Exercises while walking on waves.

Maria’s physical talent was a fascinating subject for Sophia, who kept pushing her limits.

If Maria had known, she might have screamed on the spot.

+++++

That evening, in the church dormitory’s dining hall, they encountered a familiar face.

 

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