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Chapter 255: The Church of the Light and the Special Medicine

Stepping out of the courtyard I lived in with Sasha, the winding river in the distance immediately caught my eye.

It was a tributary of the Star River flowing through the Province of Sarnos.

As is often the case in history, during times of resource scarcity, any gathering of life would usually be built near rivers for easier access to abundant water sources and various supplies.

This place was no exception.

The settlement where Miss Vilyric and the others were temporarily residing was a small area nestled against the tributary of the Star River, surrounded by forests on three sides, with only a narrow not-so-wide path connecting it to the outside world.

Thanks to this unique terrain, the area was able to develop rapidly with the resources and help provided by the Church of the Light, avoiding the invasion of demons, and had grown to a considerable scale of over a hundred thousand people.

As mentioned before, the vast majority of these people were refugees from the Holy Kingdom, displaced during the war, while a small portion included scattered Temple Knights and other clerics, or travelers who happened to be nearby.

By a stroke of fate, they found this settlement and, for various reasons, decided to stay temporarily, voluntarily joining the work of the guard.

Of course, there was one crucial component.

That would be the [Church of the Light], which provided the primary support for the settlement and currently had actual control over the situation in the area.

That said, in reality, 99% of the members of the so-called Church of the Light were just ordinary people from various trades within the Holy Kingdom, forming a relatively loose group under the influence and leadership of a few [Missionaries] and [Apostles].

It wasn’t a deliberate facade, but it was indeed very loose. Miss Vilyric had become completely convinced of this during her observations over the past few days.

For example, take Sasha, who was walking beside her. Though a believer of the Church of the Light, she seemed nothing like a typical devotee.

Everyone was going about their own business, with no temples, services, or rituals to speak of, and it was only during abnormal situations like a few days prior, when there were difficulties to face, that these [Lightbearers] would gather, taking on a more organized appearance.

By the way, Sasha had joined the Church of the Light because her caravan inadvertently encountered those exiled people carrying the [Impure] plague during their trade journey through the Holy Kingdom, and thus became infected.

Miss Vilyric had learned about the terrifying nature of the [Impure] during her travels in the Holy Kingdom, where even the seemingly secretive Saintess had deemed it unsolvable. Only with some behind-the-scenes assistance from Miss White Fox did Edwina’s proposition to “temporarily isolate” gain approval.

This clearly illustrated the difficulty of treatment.

However, from what Sasha indicated, it seemed that the higher-ups of the [Church of the Light] could, to some degree, alleviate the harm and spread of this plague-like affliction, which naturally piqued Miss Vilyric’s curiosity.

After some indirect inquiries, the answer she received left the Priestess quite surprised.

The solution was— to become a [Lightbearer].

Of course, joining the Church of the Light was just the first step. Upon arriving in the Province of Sarnos, the missionary who guided them provided Sasha and the others with a special medicine.

She was unsure of its components and source, but it was said that just taking one pill a month could inhibit the continued spread of the plague within their bodies and prevent it from spreading to the outside world, allowing Sasha and the others to live temporarily like normal people.

It was a golden pill, about a third the size of a marble, round and smooth, distributed monthly by the higher-ups of the Church, specifically that missionary.

Under normal circumstances, Sasha would never easily swallow such mysterious medicine offered by such a strange organization. However, the only outcome of being infected was a dead end, which was a consensus well known to all, so their best option was to grasp at that elusive path to survival.

And it proved that the Church of the Light was not deceiving her.

According to some special testing methods, after swallowing the medicine, the plague spread throughout her body was indeed initially contained, as if wrapped by some special energy, unable to expand or spread further.

The results gained through Miss Vilyric’s intelligence gathering were the same.

Of course, considering privacy issues, it seemed the Church of the Light had not disclosed the information that Sasha and the others were carriers of the plague. Their willingness to provide so much information naturally stemmed from the fact that Miss White Fox had purposely shown her identity as [Xī] and their previous assistance during the forest battle.

To be honest, the appearance of this medicine was indeed somewhat unexpected for Miss Vilyric. Although she hadn’t yet clarified the specific production method, if it had no side effects and could be mass-produced, in the Province of Fran…

But could the Church of the Goddess really tolerate its followers converting to other sects, just to contain the plague or— literally—to survive?

After moving a certain distance within the settlement, Sasha led Miss White Fox to a relatively exquisite three-story building centrally located within the settlement.

“This is it! You can consider it the Church of the Light’s office for this settlement. At least before, the President Uncle told me to bring you here to meet up.”

“Xavier, huh…”

When they first arrived at the settlement, the merchant with Sasha seemed to have gone out to handle some matters concerning the Church of the Light’s actual leader and wouldn’t return for a couple of days. That explained Miss White Fox giving him a week to think it over afterward.

Ah, what a coincidence to run into that merchant I’ve crossed paths with twice in the Province of Sarnos.

Of course, for him, this should be the first real interaction with [Xī].

Entering through the unlocked door, avoiding the numerous people moving about the main hall, all looking like at least somewhat proper [Lightbearers], Sasha led Miss Vilyric straight up to the second floor.

While climbing the stairs, Sasha took the time to explain.

“They say this place was designed by Uncle Aland after the Adventurers Guild of the United Kingdom. The first floor mainly handles the various troubles residents encounter, which are then passed on to capable individuals for resolution, with the Church of the Light providing rewards.”

“As for the second floor, it seems to be where the big shots work. I don’t come here often, but after the President Uncle got familiar with them, he seems to pop in here often. Such a busy life~”

With that, they had reached the only unlocked door in the second-floor corridor marked [In Office]. Sasha gave a token knock and then boldly turned the knob, barging in.

“President Uncle! I’ve brought the esteemed guests!”

As the seemingly reckless archer lady stomped into the room without regard, the scene inside immediately unfolded before the eyes of the White Fox Girl.

A very simple and plain office.

A wooden desk, several pots of fresh plants lined up by the window, their leaves greedily soaking up the nourishing sunlight. Opposite, a row of half-suspended bookshelves filled with neatly stacked documents and materials.

In the corner underneath the bookshelf, a tea table for guests stood opposite two rows of sofas, with a freshly brewed porcelain teapot still emanating steam, presenting a lively yet serene scene.

On the sofa sat a young man wearing a light golden robe of the [Church of the Light], his hood pulled back, short hair shining like radiance, talking softly with a human merchant of around forty years old, seeming to discuss something.

 

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