“Go on now, all of you! I already said the church isn’t accepting new followers right now, and there’s nothing for you to do here. If you don’t leave, I’ll have to throw you out!”
In the middle of the crowd stood a young man dressed in a black robe trimmed with red—the official vestments of a Candlelight Church ritual priest.
With arms outstretched, he stood guard at the church entrance, barring anyone from entering.
“But Father…”
An older woman pushed her way through the noisy crowd.
“I only wanted to come in and pray for my son. He suddenly began vomiting and having diarrhea this morning. Poor little John… I don’t know what he did to deserve this.”
“May the Radiance bless your son. I’ll deliver the holy water to you myself later.”
“Father, my husband…”
“Please, Priest, I beg you…”
After patiently sending away the believers one by one, the young priest turned his gaze to a different group—outsiders who neither spoke up nor left, simply standing there staring at him, making his head throb.
“Yes? Can I help you?”
“I already said the church isn’t accepting anyone right now…”
“I’m not here for that.”
A black-haired girl stepped out from the crowd, her face calm.
“I’m looking for Priest Mog. My teacher, Seathwell, asked me to deliver a message to him.”
“I’m Mog, the current priest appointed by the Holy Church to serve here in Ark Town.”
Inside the church’s modest receiving room, the young priest eyed the girl before him with suspicion.
“You know Seathwell?”
“He’s my mentor.”
Li Wen lied without so much as a twitch in her expression.
In truth, she had never met Seathwell.
She had only heard of him in her previous life.
The elderly elf, once hailed as the greatest mage in the Arthurian Kingdom since Merlin, had served as the kingdom’s court magician for over a century before retiring.
In recent years, he had become an honorary professor at the Mystic Society’s Solaris Institute.
“You’re a student of the Solaris Institute?”
Mog didn’t buy it—mainly because the girl in front of him didn’t look like a mage at all.
“Then prove it. As far as I know, the institute only trains mages of the Aether or Primal Order.”
The Solaris Institute was the largest magical society in Arthur, a sanctuary for mystics, historians, mathematicians, and artists alike.
Every graduate was a renowned sorcerer.
There was no way this young, fresh-faced girl could be one of them.
“That’s your prejudice speaking,” Li Wen said calmly.
“Besides, I never said I was from the Institute. My mentor Seathwell often reminds me: ‘Beneath the brilliance of Radiance, the Deep Dark hides.’”
As she spoke, her figure began to fade, dissolving into the surrounding shadows as if she were merging with the darkness itself.
Mog’s pupils contracted.
That was power from the Deep Dark Order.
In a nation that revered Radiance and upheld strict order, practitioners of the Deep Dark were outlawed.
Anyone who sought that path had to turn to hidden, illicit sects—like the infamous Dark Dawn, which preached that Radiance and Darkness shared the same source.
Mog rose and lit four black candles in each corner of the room.
Their dim glow flickered, sealing both light and shadow within the chamber.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Even though he had confirmed her identity, Mog remained on high alert.
“There’s no need to be so guarded, Priest Mog… or should I say, Tilrog Zach. My mentor has already told me everything. He gave me a revelation: you are to follow my instructions.”
Hearing his true name, Mog actually relaxed a little, no longer concerned about her identity.
“Seathwell! My beloved master, wise and glorious mentor—what instructions has he given? If it’s to get me out of this gods-forsaken dump, then thank the stars. I’ve had enough of this backwater!”
Though his tone remained stiff and cold, the fervor in Mog’s eyes was undeniable.
Li Wen sighed inwardly.
Who would’ve thought that Seathwell—the kingdom’s most renowned mage, former court magician, and beloved professor—was, in truth, the greatest traitor the Arthurian Kingdom had ever known?
The secret society he had founded, Dark Dawn, was a thorn in the kingdom’s side.
It spread forbidden knowledge and dark rituals, corrupting countless minds.
And Li Wen knew what others did not: in the years to come, Seathwell would personally orchestrate the downfall of the Arthurian Kingdom, plunging it into a ruinous catastrophe.
After that calamity, the Strategy Division, alongside the Holy Candlelight Church’s Red Knight Order, would raid Dark Dawn’s headquarters.
From that ruin, they would recover a complete list of its members.
Among those names was Mog—the obscure ritual priest stationed at the kingdom’s edge, here in little Ark Town.
“The society doesn’t need you to leave this town for now. I’ll be staying in the Black Dragon Province for a while and will need a secure place to stay and a stable identity. That’s your responsibility.”
“Fine. But I want to know why.”
“That’s not your concern, demon,” Li Wen snapped coldly.
“Do you intend to sabotage the great mentor’s plan?”
A flicker of fear crossed Mog’s face.
“I only wish to lighten our master’s burdens.”
“Then you’d do best to hold your tongue.”
Li Wen’s voice hardened.
“I’ll also need access to a path under the Radiance Order—either Sacrifice or Judgment.”
“Impossible!”
Mog’s calm cracked instantly into irritation.
All he wanted now was to send this girl away and wash his hands of the whole affair.
As for the great mentor’s plan?
Let someone else handle it.
“I’m just a rural priest stationed in some backwater. How could the Church possibly entrust something like that to me?”
“I’m not asking you to hand it over now. The Candlelight Church is already monitoring the outsiders. Soon, they’ll select the first batch of candidates. All you need to do is reserve one of the slots for me.”
Mog stared at the girl hidden in the shadows, expression dark and uncertain.
After a long breath, he finally rasped out, “I don’t have Sacrifice. I don’t have Judgment.”
“Then what do you have?”
Li Wen smiled faintly.
Mog assigned Li Wen temporary residence in the church, sharing the nuns’ quarters.
To the outside world, she would be known as his niece, orphaned after her village was attacked by bandits and now seeking refuge under his care.
“The building ahead is the nuns’ dormitory. As you can see, this is just a small church. There aren’t many nuns, so don’t complain about how cramped or shabby it is.”
“The rest is up to you to figure out. And remember—never slip up in front of those nuns, especially with any trace of Deep Dark magic!”
“Of course. Mentor Seathwell will remember your service.”
Li Wen offered him a courteous smile.
But Mog didn’t even look back.
Face cold, he turned and left.
There were still holy waters to bless and filthy peasants to tend to.
Tftc!