Only God

"Alright, you'll come with me to see the Governor at noon."

The Princess's forthrightness surprised Eden; he had thought Arsia would make some demand, but there were none.

Arsia noticed this and laughed,

"Can't I be a good person without seeking something in return? You said I am full of sins, but can't I do some good deeds?"

"Okay… okay, may God bless you."

Eden sincerely wished.

Arsia sarcastically said without thinking,

"Why would you bless me? How are you related to God to wish me happiness? Oh, you're just a Heresy Priest, with no relation to God at all."

Eden's expression remained unchanged,

"Despite that, I still wish God's blessings upon you."

Arsia huffed coldly and turned away, dropping a statement,

"Just prepare to witness the good news. Convincing a Governor is not difficult for me."

She spoke the truth.

...

...

Things developed more smoothly than Eden had imagined.

When Arsia took the initiative to visit the Governor Mansion, the noble of the Empire received a warm welcome from the Governor, much beyond the Imperial customary treatment.

This was because the Governor, stationed at the frontier, understood the significance of the political marriage.

And when Arsia directly requested Timian's release in person, the Governor first inquired who Timian was, then immediately commanded someone to bring the half-breed to the Governor Mansion.

Not long after, Timian was brought to the Governor Mansion, bewildered and trembling with fear, dreading that the Governor might want to pin a crime on him.

However, when Timian saw Eden, he immediately calmed down as if there was some magic power in Eden, the half-breed no longer felt any panic, believing that Eden would ensure his safety.

Just as Timian believed, the Governor publicly released Timian in his presence, returning his freedom.

At the Governor Mansion, Eden requested to talk to Timian alone, so they were led by a servant to an empty guest room.

"Timian, do you recognize me?"

Inside the guest room, Eden recited a spell and temporarily removed his disguise.

"You… you are…"

Timian exclaimed in complete astonishment,

"Eden, Priest!"

How could he not recognize him, the Priest who had offended the Emperor.

Slowly regaining his composure from the surprise, an endless stream of questions flooded Timian's mind, and he could not help but ask,

"You… how come…"

Eden slowly said,

"I was entrusted by someone to secretly protect the Princess's well-being, that's all I can tell you."

Timian nodded, asking no further, swallowing hard, he cautiously looked at Eden.

"I recognized you on the scaffold, so I asked the Princess to save you. I believe you had your reasons for doing those things," Eden softly said.

Even though he knew that Timian had indeed committed crimes, not as innocent as he claimed, Eden had to try to sympathize with the sinner to close the gap and earn trust.

Revealing his own identity was for the same reason.

Hearing Eden's words, Timian immediately felt ashamed and uneasy. With a trembling voice, he confessed,

"I repent, I deceived you, only God knows how sinful I am."

Then, he knelt down, clung to Eden's legs, and tears streamed down without stopping.

Eden stood still, and after he had finished crying, he helped him up,

"Alright, Timian, sincerely repent, and do not sin again. And now… I need your help."

Timian quickly nodded, excitedly saying,

"Whatever you need, even if I have to walk through fire and water, I am willing."

Eden looked at him and suddenly asked,

"You once asked me in my presence whether the Savior could be a new god."

Timian was taken aback, a shiver of guilty unease washing over him.

However, Eden's next sentence instantly dispelled his doubts, bringing him immense relief,

"Timian, I feel that I cannot conclusively determine that there is no relationship between the two."

As he spoke, Eden silently prayed for God's forgiveness in his heart.

After hearing this, Timian was moved, not only by the slight acknowledgment in Eden's words but more so because his benefactor showed interest in the sect he belonged to.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Timian confessed almost without reservation,

"Yes, the two are not unrelated, I believe that too.

Not just me, I trust that if the brothers within our sect knew of this, they would think the same."

"The brothers within your sect?"

Hearing Eden's questioning, Timian hesitated for a moment but still answered,

"Yes, you must have guessed that I come from another sect.

Our leader is Elder Fahela, hence we are also referred to as the Fahela Sect."

Eden showed a curious expression,

"The Fahela Sect... I have never heard of this sect."

Timian replied,

"Priest, it's normal that you have not heard of us, for our sect is quite obscure, merely active in the borderlands.

I'm not afraid to tell you, the moment our sect's ideology spreads, it will be denounced as heresy.

For this reason, we rarely preach deep within the Empire; we usually target the borders, especially those smaller nations."

Those smaller nations?

Eden suddenly realized something,

"Including Ausenco?"

Timian nodded matter-of-factly, with a tone of pride,

"Yes, including Ausenco.

Good Priest, the conversion of the Ausenco Royal Family required a lot of effort from our sect, so much so that it could be said, without us, Ausenco would not bask in the light of God."

Eden's pupils contracted sharply.

The sect responsible for the assassination attempt on Arsia... the sect associated with the Zor Elves, the heresy proclaiming the 'King of Kings', and the Fahela Sect claiming the new gods, everything... seemed to be interconnected.

It was as if an elusive net had tied all the seemingly scattered pearls together.

Eden quickly calmed down and said without revealing any emotion,

"The Emperor would commend your efforts if he knew."

"We do not care for the Emperor's commendation, we only care for God's cause."

Timian proclaimed fervently,

"Good Priest, I know you've faced persecution under the Emperor; many of my brothers felt deep sympathy for your ordeal. Come to us, in the name of God, we will support you."

After thinking for a moment, Eden nodded slightly.

Originally, his intention was to reach out to this heretical sect through Timian and infiltrate them; now that Timian had offered, what reason was there to refuse?

Moreover, based on the clues he held, it seemed that the heresy developed from the True Religion and that the Fahela Sect was the spring from which the heresy flowed, its waters creating streams and the streams entering into the sea. Who could have imagined that this obscure sect laid the foundations of the heresy?

With Eden's consent, Timian eagerly recited the Scriptures, praising the Divine. In his mouth, he first extolled the Lord of Heaven, then the new god prophesied by the Fahela Sect.

Seeing that he had gained Timian's complete trust, Eden exhaled slowly.

Today, he had finally taken an important step towards unraveling the mystery.

"God, may you forgive my blasphemies, for it is all for your Church, your flock," Eden murmured in his heart.

Then, he spoke,

"Follow along with the caravan, in a few days we'll enter Ausenco, and then you can take me to meet your fellow brothers and sisters in the sect."

Timian nodded hurriedly, as if fearful that Eden might change his mind; he was eager for Eden to join their ranks as soon as possible.

The Fahela Sect, active throughout the year on the Empire's borders, did not lack uneducated commoners, but due to their remote geographical location, they always lacked articulate priests familiar with the Scriptures. Without such priests joining, the Fahela Sect would never gain prominence.