Chapter 8: The Church of God’s Light
“It would seem you did not properly kill that Beloved.”
“My humblest apologies!”
A middle-aged man dressed in a pitch-dark vestment embroidered with silver thread stood as a person clad in only black kneeled in front of him, bowing their head and apologizing profusely.
“It matters not. It appears that the person in charge of taking care of the Nation of the Beast King’s Beloved has fouled things up as well. Apparently, the Beast King got to them before they could get to her. I suppose we should be thankful you made it back in one piece.”
“I am greatly obliged for the kind words. I will return immediately to finish off the Beloved.”
“The Beloved has already left the country and is heading to the Nation of the Dragon King. Slipping past those dragonkin eyes and infiltrating their castle shall be no easy feat. Are you up for the task?”
“Please, leave it to me! I will be certain!”
“I see. Word has it that a Beloved has cropped up in the Nation of the Dragon King recently. We had designs to infiltrate them sooner or later, so eliminate their nation’s Beloved while you’re at it.”
“As you command.”
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
“Excuse me?” asked Euclase.
While they were normally a tad ill-tempered, there was no one more qualified as a chancellor of a nation than Euclase. They had smiled and nodded at every one of Azelda’s selfish requests, but this time, Euclase was thrown out of their element.
They tensed their cheeks and struggled to keep a smile, but they just couldn’t keep it up. “A million pardons. Might I have you repeat that once more?” Euclase asked the member of Azelda’s entourage.
The follower opened his mouth. “As I just said, Lady Beloved says she desires to have a tea party. We would like for you to prepare enough garments and accessories for the occasion for both Lady Beloved and us. As well as her maids and servants.”
Euclase managed to regain their smile, but they stared at the follower coldly. “...Yes, I understand the part about Lady Beloved holding a tea party and preparing garments. However, why must our nation buy all of the belongings for attendants from Cerulanda who weren’t even invited in the first place? Should that not be prepared for by Cerulanda themselves?”
“We serve to entertain Lady Beloved, and in order to entertain our mistress, our appearances must be in order.”
“Yes, as I said, I understand that, but why must...” Euclase started, pushing down their anger. They wanted to ask why the Nation of the Dragon King had to be in charge of their preparations.
However, the man cut Euclase off, telling them, “For that is what Lady Beloved desires.”
Hearing that, Euclase couldn’t argue the man’s point any further. If they were to brush aside Azelda’s wishes and anger the spirits because of it, then it would mean catastrophe. Not wanting to cause any issues while Jade was away, Euclase had no other choice but to quietly give in to the man’s demands. However, on the inside, expletives that dare not be uttered flew in every direction.
Even though Azelda’s selfishness was becoming the bane of their existence, the added demands of her entourage as of late weren’t making things any better. The people of the royal castle were willing to comply in the name of hospitality to a certain degree, but they were demanding far too much. And if they tried to refuse, the Cerulandians would name-drop the Beloved, stating it was “her desire.”
“Aah, blast it all! I wish they would catch that raider already!” Euclase said, echoing the sentiments of everyone else in the castle. But just then, Euclase received the news they had been eagerly awaiting—Jade was returning from the Nation of the Beast King.
“He is?!” asked Euclase.
“That is correct.”
“Whew, finally.”
His return had no effect on the fact that the Cerulandians, the source of everyone’s headaches, were still in the kingdom, but Euclase could at least discuss with Jade a way to cope with the newcomers.
“There’s one more thing...” stammered the person who came to report the news, looking awkward.
“What else?”
“It’s that His Majesty will be arriving with the Beast King and the Beloved of the Nation of the Beast King.”
Euclase’s revelry over Jade’s return was short lived as they were informed of the bigger news—Arman, the Beast King, and Celestine, the Beloved of the Nation of the Beast King, were both visiting.
They now had two Beloveds hailing from different nations in their midst...
“How did this come to pass...?” Euclase asked, exasperated, holding a hand to their face. Their woes took an even more dire turn.
That was when Jade finally made his return to the Nation of the Dragon King.
When Euclase went to greet him, they were met with more than just Jade and his aides—Arman the Beast King, Celestine the Beloved of the Nation of the Beast King, and other members of their kingdom were all there together.
“Welcome back, Your Majesty. And salutations to the both of you, O Great Beast King, Lady Beloved,” Euclase humbly greeted.
“Were there any problems while we were away?” Jade asked.
“...”
Euclase couldn’t answer that simple question right away since there were actually a host of problems—so many, in fact, that they didn’t know where to begin.
“Is something the matter?” Claus asked, noticing Euclase’s somewhat sour disposition.
“Quite. There is much that needs to be said. Not just by me, but everyone.”
The workers of the castle who came to greet their guests from the Nation of the Beast King resoundingly nodded in agreement to Euclase’s statement.
“What happened?” asked Jade.
“The Beloved that arrived from Cerulanda, Your Majesty,” replied Euclase.
Jade tilted his head, perplexed. That sentence alone wasn’t enough to explain the situation.
Euclase had a great number of grievances to voice, but since Arman and Celestine were also present, they decided to move the conversation somewhere else.
Relocating to a guest room with Jade, Arman, Celestine, and Jade’s aides, Euclase was going to recount the turn of events since the Cerulandians arrived, but they had a question that needed answering before they started.
“Why is the Beloved of the Nation of the Beast King here now despite the Beloved of Cerulanda currently being in the kingdom?” asked Euclase.
In the Nation of the Dragon King, Beast King, Spirit King, and the Imperial Nation, there was a rule that forbade Beloveds of nations outside of the allied four from meeting other Beloveds. Regardless, there had to be a good reason as to why a Beloved of the Nation of the Beast King would come to the Nation of the Dragon King now that they were housing the Beloved of Cerulanda.
“Celestine was nearly assaulted by an unidentified raider clad in black,” explained Jade.
Euclase was taken aback. “Would this person be...” they started, their keen intuition realizing the correlation.
Jade simply nodded in affirmation to what he assumed Euclase was going to ask. “It would be a safe bet to say they were from the same organization as the person who assaulted Cerulanda’s Beloved.”
“How can you conclude that an organization is perpetrating these crimes and not individuals?”
“After Arman fended off Celestine’s would-be assailant and went to apprehend them, they took their own life. As a result, we weren’t able to interrogate them for answers, but we found items bearing the mark of the Church of God’s Light among their possessions.”
“The Church of God’s Light... So, they still exist?” Euclase asked with a rather grim expression.
The Church of God’s Light—they were an organization that, in this world where faith in magical spirits reigned supreme, worshiped a singular god who was not a magical spirit. There was no shortage of these types of churches, but the point of concern with the Church of God’s Light was that they were radicals who advocated for their church to be the only one to be followed. They labeled any others as heretics and disavowed the existence of any other religion. In the past, they’d forced people to convert and incited several conflicts in the name of their church. When they went silent in recent years, everyone had naturally assumed their organization had collapsed. However...
“While it’s not certain that the Church of God’s Light employed these raiders, they would have motive to assault Beloveds,” Jade elaborated.
Beloveds, those adored by the spirits, were also known as symbols of spirit-based faith. Seeing as how the Church of God’s Light tried to assert their religion as the one true faith, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume they wanted to eliminate that symbol.
“I understand there is a possibility of the Church of God’s Light being involved, but wouldn’t that give more reason to assume that Lady Celestine would be safer from a security standpoint if she remained in the Nation of the Beast King? It would have spelled disaster if she had been assaulted while en route to the kingdom, wouldn’t it?”
Jade paused momentarily before explaining. “...When Celestine was assaulted, the spirits didn’t react at all. In fact, they took absolutely no action against her assailant. No, perhaps it’s more accurate to say there were no spirits by her side at the time.”
“That shouldn’t be possible. A Beloved being assaulted without intervention from the spirits is simply...”
Before Euclase could finish their sentence, they were cut off by Arman, who stated, “No, we’re certain of it.”
Not only did Jade concur with his eyes, but so did Claus and Finn, who had accompanied Jade to the Nation of the Beast King. “At the time of her assault, the spirits all practically ran away from Celestine. And when the Beloved of Cerulanda was assaulted, the spirits didn’t act but let the raider flee even though the Beloved was injured, correct?” asked Jade.
“Indeed,” Euclase said, pondering for a bit over Jade’s summary of the events. Then something popped into their mind that made their head jolt up. “No... Spirit Slayer magic?!” Euclase exclaimed, shooting their gaze over to Jade, who gave a single, silent nod in reply.
Spirit Slayer magic was the same magic utilized in the Nadashian war. It siphoned energy from nature and mana from individual reserves. For spirits, losing their energy equaled death, so it was assumed that was the reason they rushed to vacate the area.
“That is the only explanation I can deduce as to why a spirit would mysteriously leave a Beloved’s side. Also, from what Celestine heard from the spirits afterward, they said they were certain it was Spirit Slayer magic,” Jade elaborated.
“You don’t think they have any ties to Nadasha, do you?” Euclase asked.
“That’s still up in the air. It’s hard to consider that anyone from the Church of God’s Light—the same church that asserts they’re the one true faith—would have ties with Nadashian priests, but I’d like you to investigate that.”
“Yes, of course,” Euclase replied, roughly sorting through what they needed to do in their head before returning their gaze to Jade. “If the spirits vacated once the raider infiltrated, then it must be quite easy to detect their abnormal presence.”
“True, but by Lady Rin and Lord Kotaro’s account, only a supreme-level spirit can fend off Spirit Slayer magic. I suggested that we entrust Celestine to the Nation of the Spirit King since the supreme-level Spirit of Trees resides there, but...” Jade shot a suggestive glance at Arman.
Arman picked up where Jade left off, saying, “If Beloveds are being targeted this badly, then chances are the next target is either the Beloved of the Nation of the Dragon King or the Nation of the Spirit King. Geographically speaking, the Nation of the Dragon King is the closest to our nation. I also hear you’re housing the Beloved of Cerulanda at the moment, who they also failed to kill. Seeing how it’s likely they’ll be back to finish the job, then the chances of this nation being targeted are high. In which case, we decided it would be better if we teamed up and caught them. Well, that’s the reason on paper, at least...”
Everyone other than Euclase flashed a glance at Celestine, a simple gesture that was enough to clue Euclase in.
“I figured I ought to see the nation’s Beloved that Master Jade has been doting over with my own eyes while I’m here,” Celestine elaborated with a smug tone.
“Y-Yes, quite,” Euclase replied.
The Church of God’s Light was secondary to Celestine. Her number one reason for coming to the kingdom was to meet with Ruri. Apparently, her appearance in the Nation of the Dragon King as a Beloved came up in the past council about Nadasha. At the time, Jade commented that he wouldn’t let another nation take Ruri, alluding to her possibly being his mate. He didn’t explicitly say that, however, since at the time Jade was still under the impression that Ruri was a cat. Also, Jade hadn’t confirmed Ruri’s intentions for staying in the Nation of the Dragon King just yet, so he intentionally confused them in order to buy time. He didn’t want someone from another nation swooping in and whisking her away, and he assumed that no one would try to steal a dragonkin’s mate.
Jade figured that all he needed to do was clear up the confusion after Ruri told him she wanted to stay in the kingdom, but the misunderstanding only served to shock Celestine to her very core. After all, everyone present in the room knew that Celestine was madly in love with Jade. Her goal in coming was to scout out her romantic rival.
Euclase shifted his attention over to Jade to see his face, which practically screamed exasperation. He’d had a chance to clear up the confusion while he was in the Nation of the Beast King, but now that Celestine knew Ruri wasn’t a cat, Jade shrank from telling the truth. Therefore, Celestine was still under the wrong assumption that Ruri was Jade’s mate. That being said, he didn’t intend to let it end that way.
“Shall I inform Ruri to make her return?” asked Euclase.
“Right... Considering Celestine was attacked, a raider just might go to wherever Ruri is as well. Then again, I wouldn’t think she’d be in danger since she has two supreme-level spirits by her side. But we can never be too careful,” Jade surmised.
Rin and Kotaro’s presences would prove to be invaluable for protecting Celestine as well. Not only that, but Euclase had a hunch that Jade most likely couldn’t stand being away from Ruri any longer. Even when Ruri initially discussed going to Chelsie’s house, Jade heavily implied that she should make it a quick visit.
Allowing her to meet the Beloved of Cerulanda was an issue, but since she was currently staying in the guest room in sector two, it wouldn’t be too hard to keep Ruri around but also away from her since she lived in sector one anyway. Jade planned on arranging a room for Celestine in sector one to keep her away from the other Beloved as well.
“Now, about the Beloved of Cerulanda?” Jade asked, backtracking.
The very mention of the topic made Euclase’s brows tense. They then went on to complain to Jade, venting the past few days’ worth of frustration. “Her repeated demands for dresses and jewels like she’s in her own nation is just the half of it. She throws tantrums and shouts at the castle staff over the tiniest thing that irks her. And if you try to object, she will use the same ‘I’ll just tell the spirits on you’ line to negate the argument. Everyone, including myself, has been so afraid of earning the ire of the spirits that we haven’t been able to interject at all.”
“So, Cerulanda hasn’t taught the Beloved any manners...” Jade said, grimacing and holding his temple in frustration about what transpired while he was away.
Arman looked none too thrilled either, but Celestine was visibly upset. Proud of being a Beloved herself, Celestine likely found Azelda’s threats of using the spirits to carry out her demands reprehensible. To her, spirits were noble entities who oversaw the world, but it seemed as though Azelda thought of them as tools to carry out her selfish whims.
“Why, I never! I shall not stand for someone using the graces of the spirits as a means of coercion.”
“Settle down, Celestine,” Arman interjected.
“How do you expect me to ‘settle down’?! I simply will not stand for the spirits to be used as objects for a petty child’s demands. I shall go and give her a little lesson in humility!” Celestine said, fuming. She was about to bolt out of the room at any moment.
Arman rushed to stop her. “Hey, c’mon now. You can’t do that. Meeting another foreign nation’s Beloved goes against the rules.”
“Yes, but, Master Arman...!”
“We’re in the Nation of the Dragon King, so leave dealing with her to Jade. Right, Jade?” Arman said, passing the ball over to Jade.
Jade, for his part, seemed very reluctant to catch it. However, so long as they were in his kingdom, this was Jade’s responsibility. He had no choice but to handle this matter himself for many reasons—including stopping Celestine’s rampage.
“Yes, I will see to her, so keep your wits about you and stay here, Celestine.”
“If that is what you wish, Master Jade.” Celestine obediently followed Jade’s orders, perhaps because she was so smitten.
Arman was relieved. Not even the mighty Beast King had any way to contain a Beloved, and Celestine, being the firecracker she was, was always causing him headaches. Even Euclase had sympathy for him.
Arman and Celestine both exited so Claus could show them to their rooms, while Jade and Euclase headed toward the room of the Beloved of Cerulanda.
“A pleasure to meet you. I am the Dragon King of the Nation of the Dragon King,” Jade said, introducing himself. He wore an award-winning smile on his beautiful face.
He thought that leaving a favorable impression on her would help promote a peaceful discussion between the two, but he underestimated the effectiveness of his own appearance. Azelda’s cheeks flushed pink as she stared at Jade in a trance.
“Oh no, I have a bad feeling about this,” Euclase said to themselves, not knowing just how right they were.
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