Only God

Under the lead of a maid, Eden passed through the long corridors and arrived outside a palace with Veldor, where the faint scent of burning spices wafted out.

The maid had the two priests wait in place for a while before she went in to knock on the door. After receiving the Queen's permission, they were invited into the palace.

Inside that palace, besides the Queen, there were two guests.

One was Danschel, the Great Shepherd, and the other was Pastor Bade of Lorondo.

With two such high-powered personages from the Church gathered here, Eden couldn't help but feel nervous. He slowly stepped into the palace following Veldor and bowed to the three people present.

With the appearance of Eden, the air inside the palace seemed to grow a fraction more somber.

Great Shepherd Danschel looked at Eden with a complicated gaze.

Whatever the case, Eden was a heretic, a priest subject to minor excommunication. He had been prohibited from carrying out his priestly duties and from presiding over any sacred rites by the Church.

Soon, the pleasant words of the Queen relieved the tension in the room,

"Priest Eden, by God's mercy, His compassion has delivered you from peril."

Once the Queen began to speak, the atmosphere softened, and the Pastor of Lorondo was the first to offer his blessings to Eden, followed closely by the Great Shepherd.

After the blessings, Veldor stood up and directly inquired about the reason for their summons by the Queen.

The Queen did not answer immediately; instead, she began to discuss Eden with the two Shepherds present,

"To be honest, Priest Veldor, the way you defended Eden truly startled me. I saw you pleading with Shepherd Casas earlier, but I never imagined that Eden would be valued by the Prophet. If I had known this sooner, I would have done everything possible to persuade His Majesty.

Come to think of it, Eden resembles a righteous person from Scripture. How steadfast he is, and his words move people so deeply."

Pastor Bade of Lorondo looked at Eden and whispered in admiration,

"When the Lord opened our hearts, who knows how many were moved to tears by Eden's words."

Saying this, Bade slightly closed his eyes, as if deeply moved and immersed in the proclamation that Eden had made at that time.

Great Shepherd Danschel was somewhat at a loss for words. Unlike Bade, as a Shepherd supporting the Emperor, his position was quite awkward.

"May God bless the rest of his life."

After a pause, the Great Shepherd said hesitantly.

At that moment, the Great Shepherd felt a twinge of regret. If Eden truly was a person valued by the Prophet, then overturning the verdict of heresy was only a matter of time. Not only that, but his story would undoubtedly be recorded in history, and perhaps even in Scripture. By that time, would he, een remembered as the one who also opposed the Emperor, be recorded as a negative and timid figure?

Thinking of this, the Great Shepherd mourned inwardly and couldn't help but pray in his heart for God's mercy, hoping that all this was a lie.

The Queen instructed Veldor and Eden to sit, and they did. They began explaining Scripture to the Queen, expounding the profound meanings and God's intentions. This atmosphere continued for about an hour and a half.

After an hour and a half, the meeting concluded, and the Queen sent away the Great Shepherd and Pastor Bade of Lorondo, but she kept Veldor and Eden behind.

Eden was somewhat puzzled, unable to understand the Queen's intentions.

Therefore, he secretly entered the state of Spiritual Cultivation and started to scrutinize the Queen.

"This soul…"

To his surprise, the Queen's soul was exceptionally pure, with barely a stain within. Her heart seemed to be filled with love and devotion.

Even though Eden had heard of the Queen's good reputation, he was still taken aback. Such a soul, he saw it for the first time.

Yet, with a soul like that, she had a husband who used God's name falsely and a daughter who seemed as sinful as anyone.

It seemed to be such a contradiction.

"Your Highness, why did you have us come here?"

Veldor asked once again.

The Queen said softly,

"Good priests, there is something I would like to earnestly ask of you."

After saying this, she turned her head to instruct the maid beside her to bring over Arsia.

Upon hearing that Arsia was coming, Eden couldn't help feeling somewhat irritated.

But he didn't show it, and at that moment, the Queen began to speak,

"You should know that Arsia, she is to marry into Ausenco."

The marriage of the Empire's Princess to the successor of the Ausenco Kingdom was almost common knowledge within the Empire, and a celebration would be held on the day of her marriage.

"We are aware of that."

Veldor said slowly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Eden followed with,

"Your Highness, may I ask... what does the Princess's marriage have to do with us?"

Although Eden's words were polite, anyone could hear a hint of impatience.

The Queen didn't mind, and after glancing around, she lowered her voice and said,

"For this matter, please swear in the name of God that you will not tell anyone else."

The Queen was being rather secretive, and the gaze of both men grew more serious.

This matter entrusted by the imperial figure clad in the purple of the Empire seemed to carry great significance.

"These things, I heard unintentionally from the mouths of envoys from Ausenco."

The Queen's voice was very low, and she explained nervously, word by word,

"During the reign of the previous King of the Ausenco Royal Family, although they were friendly with the Empire, they repeatedly refused to convert to the True Religion, and even after the current King Charles V ascended to the throne, he initially also refused to convert."

Eden was puzzled, as it wasn't uncommon for a royal family to initially refuse to convert and then do so after encountering some miracle. Why would the Queen bring this up?

The Queen seemed to notice Eden's confusion and continued,

"You might think this isn't remarkable, but... the sect that led the Ausenco Royal Family to convert seems to be somewhat extraordinary."

Veldor spoke up,

"Your Highness, what is extraordinary about it? I have only heard that it seems to have some connection with the Elves."

Upon hearing the word "elves," the Queen instantly became even tenser, somewhat neurotically saying:

"Yes, the elves...

One of their envoys casually mentioned that they were a group of elves with pale blue and purple-grey skin, they said, those are the Zor Elves."

Elves with pale blue, purple-grey skin? Zor Elves?

Eden and Veldor were both stunned.

As clergy, they were no strangers to the people of Logos; on the contrary, due to their status, they encountered Logoan people a few times in their lives, more so than the average citizen.

Yet, neither Eden nor Veldor had ever seen Zor Elves with pale blue or purple-grey skin.

In their understanding, there were only two types of elves mentioned: the elves of Nus and the exiled elves.

"Are those elves diseased? Or have they been cursed?"

Veldor couldn't help but ask.

The Queen shook her head, indicating she did not know the reason,

"I've spoken of this matter to His Majesty, but he did not take it seriously and did not concern himself with it, which is why I have come to you."

Veldor couldn't help but ask,

"Your Highness, what can we do for you?"

The Queen looked at Veldor, then at Eden, having doubts about the marriage alliance from the start due to Arsia's strong opposition. After hearing the envoys mention those peculiar elves, the Queen began to worry.

Her reason for seeking them out was not due to their abilities, but because they had a relationship with the Prophet Xilan. She had summoned both the Great Shepherd of Danschel and the Pastor of Lorondo as a cover, especially from the envoys of Ausenco.

In short, the Queen wanted to add a protective talisman for her daughter going on a distant journey.

"I hope that you can follow Arsia's bridal caravan to Ausenco and ensure her safety for me."

The Queen quietly stated her request, then also mentioned appropriate compensation,

"If Arsia returns safely, I am willing to donate several churches in your names, to fund the construction of monasteries and orphanages, and to pray for your blessing. I believe that one day, Eden will overturn his bad reputation, oh, may God look favorably upon you."

Veldor glanced at Eden as if seeking his opinion.

Eden thought for a moment, not wanting to take on this job; he did not like Arsia and hoped he would never have to see this woman again.

But...

"Which is more important, my preferences or the safety of the faith?

A sect related to the Zor Elves... there is just too much that is peculiar here."

Eden felt that the sect was not as simple as it seemed, and whether it was heretical was still up for debate.

However, this sect was certainly not in line with the mainstream Church.

Being inconsistent with the mainstream did not necessarily define the goodness or evil of the sect. Within the thousands of sects of the True Religion, there were both righteous and wicked, both truth and lies, so conducting an investigation was necessary.

Thinking this, Eden nodded toward Veldor.

Seeing that Eden shared his thoughts, Veldor turned back to face the Queen and said:

"We have no reason to refuse Your Highness's request.

However, how should we accompany the caravan; do we need to conceal our identities?"

The Queen had already thought about this question and explained:

"Praise your holy virtues, I have already considered your query.

Not only will the Imperial Guard escort Arsia's marriage procession, but the Night Watchman of the Church will also accompany them.

I will grant you the identities of the Night Watchman and traveling priests, and order someone to disguise you. Under the effects of the Ancient Language and makeup, no one will recognize you."

As soon as the Queen finished speaking, a maid led Princess Arsia into the Palace.

Princess Arsia walked in with her head down, seemingly lost in thought, not paying attention to her surroundings in the Palace; she even failed to notice who had come.

"Arsia."

Hearing the reprimanding tone of her mother, Arsia looked up, hastily scanned the room in the Palace, and happened to see Eden.

"Ah, is it really you?"

Arsia exclaimed in surprise.

Then, for some reason, she felt inexplicably embarrassed and stepped back a few paces.

Eden, while quickly telling himself inside that he had already forgiven her, tried hard not to look at her with eyes of disgust.

"Mother... What is this about?"

Arsia couldn't help but ask.

The Queen sent the maid out of the room and pulled her daughter over, softly explaining the situation to her.

Finally, the Queen warned her:

"Arsia, do not think about delaying your wedding by tattling; you must understand, even if you do tell on us, you will still have to go through with the marriage, and the oversight upon you will be even stricter.

Your wedding date has been set by your father the Emperor, and no one can defy him, not even me."

Knowing well what kind of person her daughter was, the Queen made this warning explicitly to dispel Arsia's restless thoughts.

The imperial Princess pursed her lips in dissatisfaction and pointed at Eden, saying:

"You say no one can defy father the Emperor, that's not true,

Didn't he defy my wise father and still come out unscathed?"

The Queen was at a loss for words for a moment and could only apologize to Eden with a smile,

"Please forgive her, she used you as a sword and shield in her defiance against her father."

Hearing the Queen's words, Eden remembered something and in that moment, finally understood why Arsia had come to find him back then--she wanted to use him to provoke her father.

After a moment, Eden turned to look at Arsia and retorted:

"Your Highness, stop pining for the splendor of the Empire and just marry off peacefully! Don't see me as a sword and shield; rest easy and regard me as a priest who forgives sinners!"