Chapter 271
Chapter 271
Chapter 271
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 271 – A Rival Worthy of Lan Qi
Meanwhile, on the other side—
Unlike the bustling, lively commercial district, the area around the Temple of the Silent Knights in the imperial capital Helrom remained cold and deserted, the streets swept by bone-piercing winds.
This spire-piercing structure, weathered by centuries, bore the chiselled marks of generations of craftsmen who carved ancient legends into its austere surfaces—heroes and demons locked in timeless confrontation upon every stone.
Now, however, the Protos Empire had reassigned it to the Church of Resurrection.
In the main council chamber deep within the temple—the most important and most secret place of the Silent Knights—the dim light from high windows spilled down in solemn, sacred shafts.
At the end of the round table sat a young man in a fitted dark-gray suit. He looked nothing like the other clerics, wearing no emblem of Silence, as if merely passing through on business. Yet his calm, profound eyes, his every gesture, radiated stability and authority. Clearly, he was the one in command.
Originally, three senior clerics were stationed here to handle logistics and coordination with provincial branches. Now, with Caius stripped of office, only the other two remained, seated nervously at his sides, waiting for him to speak.
The Silent Archbishop in the North, after hearing about the results of the final assessment, did not rebuke them. Instead, he sent one of his personal soldiers to take over Caius’s work.
At this moment, the chamber was busy yet orderly.
Before the newly arrived Commissioner Sandel lay stacks of neatly organized documents, each detailing candidates from the final assessment two days earlier.
He looked them over, smiling from time to time.
“Rocky McCarthy—without a doubt, he displayed extraordinary talent both in the written test and the final assessment. He is the finest talent we’ve gained this round.”
Sandel spoke with satisfaction:
“As long as this Rocky can make some achievements, he’ll likely be promoted to Senior Cleric or even a Personal Soldier. At that time, he will personally meet the Silent Archbishop.”
At his words, the other two clerics secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
They had almost been dragged down along with Caius, but it seemed their merits offset their faults; the Archbishop did not plan to punish them.
As for Rocky—based on his talents, perhaps in a few years he might even challenge the Silent Son.
After all, the Silent Son had secured his position through unparalleled talent and blood-soaked deeds.
If this Rocky, still young and with sharper means, honed himself with time, he could pose a great threat to the Silent Son.
Naturally, the Silent Son would not allow him to grow unchecked.
Sandel continued reviewing the clerics’ evaluation reports. Over ten passed both the written and oral exams, but only half cleared the final assessment.
Most who succeeded managed, alone or in cooperation, to secretly assassinate an elite Silent cleric within a single day.
Thus, their evaluations began at the “Elite Cleric” level.
But Rocky McCarthy was assessed at “Senior Cleric” level. Still, since only the Archbishop himself could grant the purple-tier or higher Proof of Resurrection, the Empire’s capital Helrom could not confer it yet.
Sandel finished Rocky’s file and barely skimmed the others, tossing them aside quickly—until his wrist froze on the last one.
He read it through completely.
“Another talent? Why didn’t you tell me?”
He glanced at the two clerics.
“Apologies, Lord Sandel. We couldn’t properly evaluate her… and she carries heavy suspicion. Caius passed her in the re-test for that reason.”
Their fates depended entirely on Sandel’s judgment.
Sandel’s interest grew. He set her file beside Rocky’s.
Across the table, the recording scribe sneaked a glance.
The file showed that Sid had chosen Caius as her target.
When Caius was arrested and taken by imperial police, Sid tore down his house—not secretly, but openly.
To the public, it seemed she was destroying evidence on his behalf.
When questioned by the Imperial Guard, she answered, “Yes, it was so,” and even under truth-verifying relics, it proved true.
Unable to reveal Silent branch secrets, Caius could only grind his teeth to dust, unable to refute.
The demolition was exposed as a staged farce. Sid faced no charges, while Caius endured heavier suspicion and multiple accusations—heresy, evidence destruction, espionage. His situation became unsalvageable.
The scribe’s pen trembled. Though Caius wasn’t dead, his post was lost, his house demolished, mortgage unpaid—death might have been kinder.
“Could these two be plants from the Domination Branch?”
The clerics worried aloud.
Powerful talents, if mishandled, could be more dangerous than useful. Both Rocky and Sid—two uncontrollable wild cards.
Caius’s ruin was warning enough.
Sandel dismissed it:
“Frankly, the Domination Archbishop has no talents like these. And even if he did, he’d never waste them on infiltration.”
He glanced at them coolly:
“Do you know of the Domination Saintess slain by the Silent Son?”
They nodded. The Domination Branch often fought with the Silent Branch, but that time, after the Saintess’s death, no vendetta followed.
“So the Domination Archbishop doesn’t care about his subordinates’ lives?”
“On the contrary,” Sandel corrected. “For a Cardinal approaching godhood, subordinates are mere property. The Archbishop values his ‘possessions’ more than anyone else. That he swallowed his fury that time is terrifying—he won’t risk them again.”
The clerics nodded gravely.
If Sid and Rocky had to choose, neither would have gone to the Domination Branch.
Sandel tapped Sid’s file:
“Keep an eye on her. She may well be a priestess of the Goddess of Fate.”
“And Rocky?”
“No need to doubt him. He’s utterly black—born one of us, completely apart from the Goddess of Fate’s flock.”
He smiled thoughtfully.
“According to our agents in Aether Tyran, infiltrators from the Kingdom of Aether Tyran have entered the Northwest Province—some with ties to the Ice Witch herself. Next month, send Rocky and Sid with other recruits to the Northwest Province, where the Silent Son’s inspection unit is. Let them show their worth as hounds.”
If they caused trouble, it would fall to the Silent Son to deal with.
“And if Rocky and Sid fight each other?”
The clerics worried—they were both headstrong.
Sandel smirked:
“Then let them kill each other. Whatever the outcome, our merits outweigh our faults, don’t they?”
A simple filter and test.
If Sid was a traitor, Rocky would expose and kill her. If he couldn’t, then he wasn’t as capable as hoped—let him die.
(End of Chapter)