Chapter 80
Yulis felt a sense of relief wash over her as she sensed her sister sitting beside her, and her trust in Shaer rose just a notch.
“High Priest Yulis, I have a question that’s been nagging at me.”
Shaer looked at Yulis and asked, “I heard from Aivina that members of the Holy Assembly can’t attack each other, but why did I command Adele to kill Jiti, and she seemed to face no obstacles?”
Shaer had previously killed so many cultists and even shot Jiti in the face without any strange repercussions, as she was still wearing the "Substitute Saint's Remains," an extraordinary item that bore the effects of the mark for Shaer.
But the fact that Adele could bypass the mark to kill Jiti, who also bore the mark, left Shaer with some doubts.
Upon hearing Shaer’s question, Yulis held Adele’s hand, her expression momentarily stunned.
…Are you the bishop of the Holy Assembly, or am I?
And when did the bishop of the Holy Assembly need someone who isn’t even part of the church to explain its secrets?
“You… don’t know?”
Yulis asked uncertainly.
“I don’t know.”
Shaer replied honestly.
Still… not lying…
“Are you really a member of the Holy Assembly?”
Yulis finally couldn’t hold back and asked.
“No, I snuck in.”
Shaer remained candid.
Sneaking in and becoming a bishop… and even shooting down that cult priest who had just fought fiercely against him…
In an instant, Yulis felt a deep respect for the bishop before her.
And once she confirmed that he wasn’t a cultist, Yulis finally felt a bit more at ease.
In the time that followed, Shaer didn’t waste a moment.
As the High Priestess of the Savior Goddess Church, which had been in a covert struggle with the Holy Assembly for countless years, Yulis had far more knowledge about the Holy Assembly than Aivina or Xie Lun could uncover on their own.
At the same time, Shaer learned a dark secret about the Holy Assembly from Yulis.
It was about the mark of the Holy Assembly.
This mark indeed allowed members of the Holy Assembly to know each other’s identities without even speaking, serving a significant purpose in maintaining secrecy.
However, the Holy Assembly had greatly exaggerated the mark’s effects in their propaganda, claiming that those who bore the mark could not harm another mark bearer.
An obvious reason for this was to maintain stability and increase cohesion.
The brainwashed followers were loyal only to “Sada Na,” but that didn’t mean they would work closely together. Thus, during their brainwashing, they were subjected to a psychological suggestion about the mark, referring to each other as brothers and sisters to maintain unity.
More importantly, another truth was being concealed.
The mark did indeed have the effect of preventing one from attacking another mark bearer.
But that physical mark could only be held by those of bishop rank or higher.
In other words, the complete explanation of the mark’s effect is: one cannot harm members of the bishop class who hold a higher mark.
“So how can one obtain this bishop mark?” Shaer asked curiously.
“This thing is only circulated internally among them. Unless you can kill a bishop-level figure and take their mark, you won’t be able to use it,” Yulis shook her head and said. “Because you need to have a brainwashing mark on you; the two must combine to activate that mark.”
Isn’t that just perfect?
The “gambler” Shaer had already been brainwashed and was a believer in “Sada Na.”
“Does the Savior Goddess Church have any of these bishop marks in their collection?” Shaer pressed on.
As bitter rivals, they had fought for so long, and there must have been casualties on both sides. The Savior Goddess Church would likely have some marks as trophies.
“I’m not sure about that,” Yulis shook her head. “I’m just the High Priestess and haven’t reached the bishop level yet. This is also my first encounter with someone from the Holy Assembly.”
“Oh.”
Shaer nodded, a bit disappointed.
Suddenly, Shaer thought of something and looked at Yulis, asking, “High Priestess Yulis, is there any hope for Adele in her current situation?”
Suddenly called out, Adele looked up at Shaer, confused about what he meant. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke, “I can heal this injury myself, my lord bishop.”
The air seemed to freeze for a moment; not just Shaer, but even Yulis fell silent.
Shaer: “I’m not talking about her intelligence.”
Yulis: “I know.”
Yulis: “In Adele’s case, if she cooperates, I can take her back to Ansu with me. The bishop has a way to remove the mark from her body.”
Shaer: “What if she doesn’t cooperate?”
Yulis: “Then I’ll knock her out and bring her back.”
To prevent Adele from suffering further persecution, Shaer turned to her and said, “Adele, from now on, you must obey Yulis’s orders without any defiance.”
“But…”
Hearing Shaer’s words, Adele’s expression was conflicted. She said, “Sister is a heretic…”
“This is for the Mother Goddess, for the great cause of infiltration,” Shaer continued to persuade her. “I need you to hide your identity and stay close to Yulis. During this time, listen to her. No other bishop can command you to break your cover except for me.”
Upon hearing it was for the Mother Goddess, Adele straightened her back and replied in a hoarse voice, “Yes, my lord bishop!”
Yulis tightened her grip on Adele’s hand. At that moment, she truly believed that the person before her was indeed there to help her.
At the same time, she felt grateful for Shaer’s command to Adele, as it would spare her some suffering.
“Thank you, my lord.”
Yulis slightly bowed her head, respectfully expressing her gratitude to Shaer.
“Yulis, I have one more request.”
Shaer shifted his gaze back to Yulis’s face and said.
“Please, go ahead. As long as it doesn’t violate the teachings, I can agree to anything.”
Yulis propped herself up, sitting a bit straighter, and replied seriously.
“If I—let’s say if—I had never met you, what could I say or bring that would make you trust me unconditionally?” Shaer pondered for a moment before asking.
Shaer realized that gaining Yulis’s trust always took a lot of time.
If there were something that could make Yulis trust him at first glance or upon hearing it, it would save a lot of trouble in future simulations.
Even in reality, it could quickly earn him Yulis’s trust without exposing too much of his own information.
“But… I already trust you now.”
Yulis looked a bit puzzled, hesitating as she spoke. “I can guarantee that when I return, I won’t disclose any information about you, nor will I investigate Aivina’s potion trade…”
“I’m just saying hypothetically.”
Shaer interrupted Yulis, “If time were to rewind to a day ago, and I wanted to tell you that there’s a Holy Assembly stronghold in Berun City at Dedun Manor, what would I need to say for you to believe me without question and come with me to kill Jiti?”
At the end, Shaer added, “I just like to entertain some wild, unrealistic ideas.”
Once Shaer said that last line, it was clear he wanted Yulis to disregard the rationality of the situation and just follow along with his hypothetical scenario.
Yulis stopped thinking about what was possible and instinctively closed her eyes, seriously contemplating the question.
After a long while, Yulis finally opened her eyes again, facing Shaer as she said, “January 17, 739 of the Holy Era. If you had told me that date directly, I would have been more inclined to believe anything you said afterward.”
Adele, who had been silent until now, slightly trembled at the mention of that date and turned to look at Yulis.
“What’s so special about that date?” Shaer asked.
To enhance the credibility of what he would say to Yulis in other simulations, Shaer needed to understand the significance of that date.
“The day my world lost its color.”
Yulis raised her hand to point at her own eyes, smiling as if it didn’t matter.
“Adele didn’t even know the exact time before.”
What exactly happened back then? Even Adele didn’t know?
It seemed that this was indeed a secret buried deep within Yulis’s heart, perhaps never even written down in her spiritual notes.
“Alright, I’ll remember that.”
Shaer nodded, then turned to Adele and said, “Get on your sister’s back. I’ll take you both back to the church.”
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