Treatise Of A Failed Knight-Chapter 274: Investigating The Church

Unable to bear the weight of the news, I return to the Holy City.

The other disappearances rattled me to a great extent, but the disappearance of the Bishop is a far greater loss simply due to his immense use in this case. A part of me even believes he was specifically targeted due to what he knows, but this is an unfounded belief that I have yet to justify properly.

Another reason I have decided to rush back to the Grand Cathedral is Seth.

He personally wrote me that letter, and he sounded rather rattled by the grim development.

I understand this.

Father Gerome raised him since he was a child.

The Bishop is like his father.

There is no one Seth loves or trusts more than that man.

Thus, having someone like that be abducted by a mysterious cult, who are likely to use him for their sick sacrifices, or even worse, would naturally make Seth deeply fearful.

The matter is deeply troubling.

I still haven’t been able to process my emotions, especially coming to terms with the possibility that Seraphina and the others are already dead. That they met brutal ends through the sick rituals of these cultists and were further humiliated by being consumed like livestock.

I can’t think like that.

I know.

So, I continue to bear hope in my heart that they are and will continue to be alright.

Until I find them!

Until they are rescued and returned to their loved ones!

Hope!

That is what I must also give to Seth!

************

"I understand, Javier..." Seth sighs, his voice shuddering. "I just want to find these bastards as soon as possible."

He is currently in his priestly garment, a long black robe with a thick collar that circles around his neck. White fabric clings to the top fringe of the collar, as well as the center. And, this white hue, coupled with golden lines, stretches down until the bottom of the attire.

He appears collected despite his deep emotions, and although his voice continues to shake, an unwavering resolve shines forth from his gem-like blue eyes.

I can tell that he wants to be a part of this.

He is determined.

In that case...

"We need to sort through every document in the church. There’s a chance the Bishop had new information, and he was abducted before he could inform me of them." I finally reveal one of my true intentions for coming all the way here.

In the absence of the Bishop, I have sufficient justification for investigating the church and finding out everything they know about Leviathans.

I feel bad doing this at such a time, but this could also provide much-needed information as well.

It’s killing two birds with one stone.

’If I had wanted to find this out when the Bishop was present, it’s possible he could have somehow hidden certain things, but in his absence, I should have some freedom.’

Unlike Seth, I don’t fully trust the Bishop.

"That makes sense. We should inform the Head Priests." Seth’s eyes brighten up, but the opposite effect comes up in my own demeanor.

"I... am not too sure about that."

"W-what do you mean?"

My brows furrow in suspicion.

"It’s likely that there are spies in this place that could have exposed the Bishop’s involvement in the case, which prompted the Enlightened Witnesses of Truth to abduct him."

"That’s impossible! Our members are vetted and—"

"The Church was able to send spies into the ranks of that Cult. How sure are you that the opposite isn’t also true?"

"T-that..."

"Also, have any of your members disappeared before now? Why would they suddenly abduct someone, and of all people... they take the Bishop?"

"...."

"I believe there could be a mole in the Church. Someone who informed the Enlightened Witnesses of Truth about my visit and how the Bishop cooperated with me. Based on what the Bishop told me, only he and you know of my identity as a Leviathan, but he involved others in this investigation of the Cult. I can’t rule out the possibility that one or more of the most trusted members of this Cathedral is working for the other side."

"I-I see...." Seth murmurs, entering deep contemplation. "You make some sense."

Of course, I do.

The truth is that I do not have a deep belief in a spy here.

However, as long as that is a possibility, I have the justification for not informing the higher-ups of my actions.

After all, it’s possible that they take certain measures to hide things from me.

What I seek is the pure, unfiltered truth.

Sort of like an audit.

I don’t believe the church is my enemy, and I have no intention of making them one.

I simply need to satisfy this curiosity of mine.

Hopefully, something involving the Enlightened Witnesses of Truth also turns up.

"What do you say, Seth? Why don’t we secretly investigate? With my abilities and your help, we can cover a lot of ground and rescue Father Gerome as soon as possible."

"Y-yeah... You’re right!"

’Sigh, Seth... You are simply too trusting.’ I feel a prickling sensation in my heart for manipulating my friend like this, but I quickly justify it by reminding myself of the benefits associated with this action of mine.

Besides, I can simply think of this as revenge for Seth ousting me.

’I guess we are even now...’

"But this Cathedral is too vast. The library is also too abundant. How do you expect us to find any information without telling the appropriate authorities?"

"Aren’t you aware of any hidden vaults?"

Seth shakes his head.

"There are no such secrets in the Cathedral. Besides, although I hold a high position due to my abilities, I am not a High Priest, so there are many things I do not know of."

’So he only holds a ceremonial position...’

"There’s also the fact that many secure places are guarded by Sentinels. It will take too much time if we sneak around all the places, and even if we get in, we probably won’t have much time to investigate due to the patrol officers. There is also..."

Seth rambles on about the sheer inefficiency of my current strategy.

Without informing the higher-ups, we will simply experience a hard time finding the things we seek. In that light, it could actually be more helpful to involve the High Priests.

I sigh deeply.

This might have been a little difficult if I hadn’t prepared for a possibility like this.

"The last time I was here, I was given a tour of the Cathedral. If you can give me schematics of the building, it’ll help me with navigating things as quickly as I can."

"How?"

I turn to Seth and smile at him. "Conceptions."

Indeed!

There’s no need for us to physically investigate all of these places as long as I utilize the Fragmented Conceptions at my disposal.

’I’ll use Clairvoyance and my Existential Resonance to figure out suspicious areas with Mystical Characteristics. Then, I’ll use Frontflow to go all these places without being detected, and then with Tracing, I can return there or switch locations anytime I want.’

It shouldn’t be too hard.

’I’m guessing there is a hidden structure somewhere within this Cathedral, so I may have to scour through the Bishop’s journals to find that out. There’s no need to tell Seth this, though.’

All I need are schematics.

Those will provide me with enough clues regarding the position of everything in this Sanctuary.

Once I have those, I’ll be able to use Clairvoyance to ’see’ the areas I wish to investigate. Due to just how much he’ll hold me back, it’s better I conduct the investigations alone.

Of course, I’ll share some of my findings with him.

It’s only fair.

"The Schematics, huh? I can get you that much."

"Thank you, Seth."

Both of us shake hands, and I find myself excited about this new alliance of ours.

Hopefully, it yields some fruit.

*********

It has only been three days since we began investigating, and just as I suspected, there is a hidden place in the Cathedral.

I expected it to be more well-hidden, but it merely exists as an underground room.

At first, I thought of investigating it myself.

But Seth has shown increasing curiosity regarding this place, so I have chosen to bring him with me. He was the one who told me "No such secrets exist in the Cathedral," so I can imagine how shocked he is now.

This ’hidden place’ is guarded by an order of Holy Sentinels that even Seth appears unaware of.

This Order is led by one of the High Priests.

If we had informed them of our investigation, there’s a chance it could have been sabotaged.

It’s actually better this way. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Also, although I found all of this out some time ago, I’ve actually spent the last day figuring out their movements. Once every twelve hours, they patrol the hidden area before locking the gates and returning to their role of secretly guarding its entrance.

So, my plan is pretty straightforward.

I’ll use Frontflow to sneak myself and Seth into the hidden area once the gates are opened and hide until their patrol is done. Once they leave and shut the door behind them, the two of us will have twelve whole hours to see through the hidden documents.

Once they return, I’ll use Frontflow once again to leave with Seth, leaving no trace of our presence behind. Since I’ll be too fast for them to perceive anyway, and I’ll also take some Potions, just in case, I’m confident in not being caught. Also, in a situation where twelve hours isn’t sufficient, and I end up not investigating to my satisfaction, I can always use Tracing to return there.

"Are you ready?" I ask Seth, who is dressed in a pitch-black robe, one that can easily blend with the darkness around us.

Since we’ve decided to explore the hidden area at night, this is the perfect getup.

Although I’ll be moving fast and will also be using a Potion that makes me invisible, Seth will still have to be visible. If he ingests any Potion, his presence could be detected by the Sentinels, since they possess Armaments that can detect Trace Elements.

Thus, this method is the best way to hide him as much as possible.

Fortunately, I have a lot of experience with stealth. Couple that with my speed, and there’s no way these people are catching us!

"I am!"

"This might feel a little weird."

"I understand."

After seeing his nod, I activate Frontflow and softly grab him, before proceeding towards the hidden area.

I have swapped my Minute Layer with my Hour Layer, which means I am currently experiencing an hour while everyone is experiencing a minute.

In essence, I am sixty times faster than the rest of the world.

I can only wonder what Seth is experiencing as I carry him through the Sentinels, who are about to shut the doors after their patrol.

Since everything is terribly slow in my eyes, it is not at all difficult for me to enter the closing gates. Not only do I encounter no resistance, but it doesn’t appear that the Sentinels even notice my presence.

At most, they will likely feel a gust of wind brush past them.

The gates eventually close.

Seth and I are in the hidden room, an expanse as vast as a banquet hall.

How abundant is the information here?

Curiosity ebbs within me.

I can only imagine how many secrets the church has kept hidden here. The duration and frequency must also be astounding.

Of course, there are also many Potions and Armaments present, but those do not interest me. The Royal Family has a much better collection of these things in the Royal Vault.

What I truly value at the moment is information.

So, rather than wait for Seth, I set him aside and use my remaining Hour to flip through a few scrolls and study a few inscriptions.

It doesn’t take me very long to realize something rather horrid.

’There’s barely any information on Leviathans, but... what are these things I am seeing?’

I become so engrossed in these discoveries that I don’t realize when Frontflow’s effect runs out, and Seth starts to move normally again.

He approaches me and catches a glimpse of the document in my hand.

"W-what... is that?!"