Chapter 96: The Church of the Stars (8)

Much like their namesake, the Cobweb seemed to be everywhere.

Simon did his best to avoid staring at Silk and showing his unease at her presence; not because he feared her, but because she shouldn’t be here. She had to either be in Valne or Magvolia at this point in time, not in the High Confessor’s office. How could she be in so many distant places at once? She had to either have a teleportation ability, or a small army of body doubles running around.

Moreover, the fact that Mastemo knew a shifter trafficker well enough to invite her into his office raised many red flags.

“Beatrice, Simon, let me introduce you to Elsa Nightingale of the Bert Trading Company,” Mastemo said, waving his hand at the assassin. “I have commissioned her organization to search for specific artifacts.”

“A pleasure to meet you both,” Silk replied with utter insincerity.

Artifacts? Wait… did the Church commission the Cobweb to collect the Zodiac Fiend crystals? Simon suppressed a scowl. What game are you playing at, High Confessor?

“Are you familiar with the tributaries of Bujan and Fablan?” Mastemo inquired.

“Yes, Your Excellency,” Beatrice replied dutifully.

“Only in passing,” Simon admitted. “I’ve visited neither of them.”

“That does not surprise me. Both territories agreed to surrender to His Majesty Balzam in exchange for relative autonomy. Keeping access to their nation’s Noble Crestone was part of the accords, among other privileges.” Mastemo steepled his fingers. “What most are not aware of, however, is that these treaties include secret clauses relating to Bujan’s sacred Mount Perun and Fablan’s Royal Mausoleum.”

Simon’s head perked up. He recalled that Mount Perun was one of the highest mountains in the world and that Fablan’s Royal Mausoleum was the place where they entombed their first king, but little else.

“Access to these places is restricted by imperial army detachments by order of His Majesty, officially to protect populations from monsters dwelling in these areas and protect sacred grounds,” Mastemo explained. “However, Miss Nightingale informed me that the true reason is to safeguard two particular artifacts of interest to the Church.”

Demonbarrows. Those two places were demonbarrows. Simon recalled seeing Bujan and Fablan on his father’s maps of them.

The Church was investigating the Zodiac Fiends.

“Both of these artifacts are dangerous tools of the Dark, and thus belong in Church custody,” Mastemo concluded. “I am first sending you to Bujan with a squad of templars to recover the one hidden on Mount Perun by any means necessary, and Fablan will eventually follow.”

“Forgive me, Your Excellency, but wouldn’t this violate Endymion’s treaty with Bujan?” Simon inquired, trying to gauge the High Confessor’s intentions.

“It is an unfortunate necessity, and why I can only entrust this mission to you, Beatrice,” Mastemo conceded. “No word of what you do there can get out, or else we would find ourselves in a very difficult position. Do you understand me?”

Lady Beatrice nodded calmly, the hidden message not lost upon her. “There shall be no witnesses, Your Excellency.”

One way or another, her tone suggested. Simon could tell this wasn’t the first time she received such an order.

“Miss Nightingale and I have arranged for a Bert Trading Company ship to transport you to a hidden smuggler’s cove near Mount Perun,” Mastemo said. “You will gather a team of our best templars, infiltrate the mountain, recover the artifact, and return here with teleportation gems. You will leave tonight at sundown, and Miss Nightingale will brief you on what we learned of the mountain’s defenses.” He turned his head to Simon. “And you will take our new recruit with you.”

Simon all but bolted out of seat. “Me?”

“Forgive me, Your Excellency, but while I do not doubt Simon’s talent, he is nowhere near ready to partake in such an important mission,” Beatrice argued. “He has only just received his Crestone and needs to level-up first.”

“Simon is the very reason why I decided to proceed with this operation in the first place.” Mastemo turned his mirror mask to focus on his newest recruit. “I believe his unusual prophetic gifts and connection to the light megalith will be powerful assets in your quest.”

For the first time since the discussion began, Silk suddenly appeared to pay attention to Simon’s existence. She raised a quizzical eyebrow at him. “Is that it? The light megalith blessed you, Lord Magnos?”

“I am a lord no longer,” Simon replied evasively. Catching the Cobweb’s attention was the last thing he wanted. If they hear anything about Eole…

Simon’s heart skipped a beat. Of course they would learn about Eole. The Cobweb had to have heard rumors about her presence in the Lighthouse if one of their agents could visit the High Confessor’s office. This was bad.

And this secret mission on top of it… what was Mastemo thinking?

“Your Excellency, I don’t think I’m ready,” Simon argued. “I need more time and training.”

“You will not gain levels without field experience,” Mastemo replied. “You appear to us in a time of need with powerful abilities. This is not a coincidence. I do not believe the Light would grant you such boons if it wanted us to keep you in a tower, and I suspect your powers will prove decisive.”

Either he has a truly unshakable faith in me and the Light, or he knows more than he lets on, Simon thought while shifting in his seat uneasily. It has to be some kind of test…

“If you have no more questions, then the two of you are dismissed,” Mastemo told Beatrice and Silk. “I leave it to you to pick the most appropriate team for this operation, Beatrice.”

“As Your Excellency commands,” the Godsblade replied before exiting the office. Silk sent Simon a small sideways glance before following in her wake.

“You are free to speak your mind,” Mastemo said once the doors closed behind them. He must have sensed Simon’s suspicions.

“With all due respect, Your Excellency, I have heard rumors about the Bert Trading Company back in Frightwall,” Simon said. He was wary of overusing the ‘dream vision’ excuse. “My sister says that they partook in shifter trafficking and other unsavory activities. They are honorless criminals who will betray us for enough coin.”

“That they might, yet even thieves and sinners have their use. There are places where the righteous cannot dwell nor enter.” Mastemo looked at the sky beyond his window. “Simon.”

“Yes, Your Excellency?”

“The Light forgives the penitent, but it does not hesitate to burn those who revel in wickedness. If the Bert Trading Company tries to betray us as you fear, or if anyone becomes witness to our operation… it is in your purview to eliminate them.” Mastemo stressed the last two words, his voice sharper than steel. “Too many lives are at stake if this artifact falls into the wrong hands. You must understand that.”

It was only a matter of time before the High Confessor showed his more ruthless side. Simon would be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to the possibility of slaying Silk during a reign for her organization’s countless betrayals. “I will keep that in mind, Your Excellency.”

“I sense that it is not for us that you truly worry.” Mastemo’s voice softened. “You fear for young Eole’s safety.”

Simon didn’t deny it. “I am. She was sold into slavery once, and such thieves would kill to put their hands on a kish.”

“Yes, I understand. You have my word that nothing will happen to Eole so long as she remains in the Lighthouse. She is quite safe here.” Mastemo clasped his hands. “I will assign her a small escort to ensure her safety, and I suggest you assign young Leonard and Meredith to her protection on top of it.”

“You do not want me to take them on this operation?”

Love what you’re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

“They are loyal to the Overlord, not to us,” Mastemo replied shrewdly. “There can be no chance of the artifact falling into any other hands than ours. Meredith and Leonard are good people, but they are not of the Church.”

In short, Simon was part of an institution now, which meant only absolute loyalty to it would be tolerated. “I understand,” he replied. “But if I may ask, this artifact… is it linked to my visions?”

“I believe so,” Mastemo confirmed. “Besides the fact that such artifacts belong safely sealed in our vaults rather than left in the open for adventurers to pilfer and misuse, your and Her Grace Euphemia’s visions of a black comet have aroused my curiosity. If the artifact is what I suspect it to be, it should help us to uncover part of this great mystery.”

So Mastemo was taking Simon’s visions seriously enough to investigate Abraxas. This reassured him. With luck and diplomacy, he could access the observatory and hopefully observe the comet when it approached the planet.

“Your faith in me honors me, Your Excellency,” Simon said.

“You should try to have as much faith in yourself as the Light and I do in you, Simon.” Mastemo studied him a moment before speaking up again. “There is another matter I wish to address with you in private.”

Simon frowned. “What is on your mind, Your Excellency?”

“Your marital status, Simon.”

Simon would have been more surprised had Norbelle not already warned him, but the suddenness of it all still gave him pause. “I must admit finding myself a wife is not on my mind yet, Your Excellency.”

“You are a young man with an esteemed bloodline and full of promise,” Mastemo praised him. “A woman completes a man, Simon. Besides the fact that we must ensure your gifts are passed on to the next generation, we will need all the allies we can gather to defeat Louis. Time is not on our side.”