Ed sent Bailis back to the inn again.
Although the girl expressed that she was also very curious about the reason the church was hunting her, considering that there were quite a few people in Hilos city eyeing that bounty right now, Ed still didn’t agree to her request to come out together.
“Stay here nicely, wait for me to come back, and we’ll set off.” He instructed the girl like this.
Bailis’s eyes clearly dimmed for a moment.
But she seemed to know that she would only bring trouble to Ed, and in the end, she obediently nodded.
The matters after that were simple.
Ed left the inn, heading straight to the upper district, casually demonstrating the most basic first-tier spell—Fireball—to the two guards.
The two guards immediately let him in respectfully and even thoughtfully pointed out the location of the Mages’ Tower.
However, Ed felt that this thoughtfulness was somewhat unnecessary.
He stood on the street looking up; aside from that magnificent palace, the most eye-catching was a tall tower—that was the Mages’ Tower affiliated with this city, undertaking quite important functions such as early warning, defending against external enemies, and spell research.
To what extent was it eye-catching?
Even an ordinary person, glancing over, would never think it was any building other than the Mages’ Tower.
A rather absurd thought even popped into Ed’s mind: if this city encountered an invasion, the first to be struck would definitely be this Mages’ Tower.
But he was just thinking about it; if the Nordvian Kingdom really went to war with some country, it definitely wouldn’t allow the enemy to invade its capital.
Ed no longer thought about that tall tower.
He shifted his gaze from the Mages’ Tower to another pristine white building.
Hilos Grand Cathedral.
In terms of scale, it was countless times larger than the small church Father Andrew was in charge of, and the exterior was also renovated extremely neatly and beautifully; overall, the sacred and majestic aura was quite evident.
Ed walked along the road for a while and soon arrived at the base of the cathedral.
He looked up; the enormous emblem of the Radiant Church stood quietly at the top of the cathedral, as if that legendary Holy Father was sitting there, overlooking the humans below.
***
Inside the Hilos Grand Cathedral.
“Bishop.”
A monk hurriedly stepped forward.
“Speak.” The man with a solemn expression, holding a scepter, said faintly.
The monk bowed in salute.
“There is a mage outside seeking an audience.”
“Mage?” The man raised an eyebrow, his tone becoming a bit colder.
“If it’s for prayer, tell him the time has passed; come back tomorrow.”
“No, it’s not.” The monk hesitated, but continued.
“He said he has some matters to discuss with you, Bishop, about the witch.”
“Witch?”
A glint of interest flashed in the eyes of the one called Bishop.
He thought for a moment, then waved his hand.
“Just now idle, bring him in.”
The monk didn’t say more, saluted again, and retreated.
When he appeared before the Bishop again, behind him was a boy with a head of conspicuous golden hair.
“Respected Bishop Frederick.” The boy saluted, although not very standard, at least not as crooked as before.
“May the Holy Father bless you.”
“No need for formalities.” The Bishop had one hand behind his back, slightly nodding.
“Speak, what are you seeking me for?
Since you didn’t bring that witch’s head, presumably not for the five thousand gold coins bounty.”
“Your observational skills are admirable; indeed, I’m not standing before you for the bounty.” Ed lowered his head in admiration.
“I just want to chat with you about some truths regarding witches.”
The boy raised his head, staring directly at the man holding the scepter.
“For example, the real reason the church hates witches so much.”
As soon as these words came out, he immediately felt a heavy, substantial gaze fall upon him.
“Young man, you have great courage.” The Bishop said in a deep voice.
“But courage alone is far from enough.”
“I understand what you mean.” Ed nodded.
“So, I brought this for you.”
Only then did the Bishop notice that the boy was holding a tattered gray-brown cloak.
A trace of doubt flashed in his gray eyes.
“Young man, what you want me to see shouldn’t just be this garment.”
“Of course.” Ed spread the cloak flat before the Bishop.
“This is clothing the witch once wore, still stained with some mana.
I’ve learned from some books that the church has its own method to detect witches; if you don’t believe, please use it on this garment.”
Upon hearing, the Bishop’s brows trembled slightly.
He indeed felt an unusual “evil” aura from this garment, as to whether it belonged to a witch or demons…
The man closed those gray eyes, and when he opened them again, they had turned into a brilliantly golden color.
“As you wish.” He said.
Suddenly, a slight commotion arose among the surrounding monks.
Ed could vaguely hear words like “divine art,” “Eye of Judging Evil” from their fragmented conversations.
Perhaps that’s the name of those peculiar eyes.
He thought silently to himself.
Those eyes only manifested for a short while, sweeping over the cloak and then Ed’s body in turn.
Then, they were retracted by the Bishop.
“Indeed worn by a witch.” He said.
But this time, there was a solemnity in his voice.
“Moreover, your body also has a strong witch aura.”
The surrounding commotion became more evident.
“Quiet.”
The Bishop tapped the ground with that scepter, and the surroundings immediately fell silent.
“State your thoughts, young man.” The Bishop, whose eyes had returned to gray, stared at Ed, saying.
“I will consider whether to give an answer based on your explanation.”
Ed nodded obediently.
“What I want to say is,”
“I have the strength and the means to deal with that witch, that trouble of the church.”
The Bishop was silent.
He didn’t ask something like “What makes you guarantee that,” which seemed quite foolish right now—since this young man had brought clothing once worn by the witch, he must have clashed with the witch and had the leeway to bring back a “trophy.”
And the strong witch aura on him was also proof that he had personally fought with the witch.
As for him being the witch’s accomplice?
This thought was indeed cautious, but the Bishop didn’t think anyone would be willing to become a witch’s accomplice—that meant being enemies with the entire human world.
“Alright.” The Bishop relented.
“What specifically do you want to chat about?”
Ed subtly glanced at the surrounding monks.
“I think the matters we’re discussing might not be suitable for everyone to hear.”
“Of course.” The Bishop didn’t hesitate, waving his hand at the group of monks.
“All leave; I’ll chat alone with this young man.”
Although the monks had some concerns, under the Bishop’s stern gaze, they still slowly exited the place.