Chapter 20: Hathaway, the “Nun”

This unusual night was destined for unrest.

The panic caused by the Dream Sanctum’s sacrificial ritual in the heart of Kolun County a few days prior had yet to dissipate. Instead, it intensified, driving waves of terrified citizens toward various churches to beg for protection and blessings.

The Church of Storms made a fortune selling holy water. The bishops were practically patting each other on the back in celebration; they even showed a rare lack of impatience when receiving the Enforcement Guards.

Most of the churches within Kolun County belonged to the Church of Storms. In the past, the Kingdom of York was known as the “Maritime Carriage.” Its massive foreign trade was conducted entirely through sea routes, and it once possessed a magnificent, giant fleet that claimed to be invincible on the waves.

Consequently, followers of Yster, the God of Storms, were the most widespread.

Of course… the Kingdom of York had long since declined. It had not only lost its past dominance over the sea but was even struggling to protect its original territories.

Under the current landscape of constant political upheaval, the once-mighty “Maritime Carriage” sat on the verge of collapse. It would take only a slight external push for countless smaller nations to be born from its vast lands.

However, for the time being, these issues had little to do with Kolun County, which was far removed from the capital. It was precisely because of this convoluted environment that the Dream Sanctum was able to act so rampantly within the county.

Unlike the crowded cathedrals of the Church of Storms, the Church of Serenity—the only one of its kind in Kolun County—appeared quite desolate. Followers of the Gray Goddess were rare in this region; in fact, they were rare across the entire Kingdom of York.

Inside the central prayer room of the Serenity Church, Eliana, clad in streamlined light armor, walked in with a grim expression.

She tilted her head slightly toward the sacred statue of the Gray Goddess, Nanala. The rapier at her waist reflected faint, cold glints off the frozen marble floor.

While gods did not possess fixed physical forms in a literal sense, all churches used “Divine Revelations” to shape the images of the deities they glimpsed and understood, making them easier for mortals to comprehend while showcasing their respective authorities.

The Gray Goddess, Nanala, held dominion over the night and silence. A mysterious veil lightly shrouded the statue’s face, a divine power concealing its features. A long, black gossamer dress reached almost to the floor, sketching an elegance belonging to the night.

The walls surrounding the prayer room were adorned with a ring of silently burning candle-fire, yet not a single ray of light fell upon the statue.

A somewhat petite girl knelt before the statue, wearing pitch-black nun’s habit.

Her eyes were closed, her fingers interlaced, as she prayed in silence.

Eliana stared deeply at her back for a moment before speaking slowly.

“Hathaway, I need your help.”

Nun Hathaway, though called a “nun,” was actually the sole Priest within this Serenity Church, making her essentially the equivalent of a Bishop for the Church of Serenity in Kolun County.

The faith of the Gray Goddess was unpopular, largely because the Church of Serenity was the only Orthodox Church among all her followers—an institution that depicted the deity as gentle and dignified.

But… the other factions were a different story.

The “Children of Silence” were obsessed with burying their profanities within various sealed archives; the “Nocturnal Secret Society” constantly attempted to banish the day to make the night eternal…

In short, the various disasters sparked across the world by these cults dedicated to the Gray Goddess had caused the Church of Serenity to suffer by association, leading to their faith becoming incredibly weak.

Furthermore, though they all converted to the Gray Goddess, the relationship between the Church of Serenity and the other factions was one of absolute mutual loathing.

After all, as the saying went, a heretic was more hateful than a pagan; there were intolerable differences between them.

For instance, the “Children of Silence” referred to the Gray Goddess as “Mother,” while the statue fashioned by the “Nocturnal Secret Society” was that of a strange, angry-faced old crone…

Similar situations existed among the followers of almost every deity. There were multiple factions under every god, and internecine strife was a common occurrence.

Hathaway opened her eyes, stood up slowly, and turned to look at Eliana with a gentle, faint smile.

“Long. Time. No. See. Eliana. Doing. Well?”

“…Hathaway, you should just stick to smiling.”

Eliana’s eyelid twitched at the greeting, but her expression softened considerably.

She and Hathaway were classmates who had studied together at the York Royal Academy in the capital, only to part ways after graduation.

Hathaway converted to the Gray Goddess, while Eliana joined the Enforcement Guards.

Ten years had passed since those days of living side-by-side. Although they were both within Kolun County, they rarely interacted.

Eliana was constantly busy with the affairs of the Kolun County Tribunal, while Hathaway had established the only Church of Serenity in her hometown, spending her days in the silence of the prayer hall.

However, this did not affect their relationship. Even though Eliana’s attitude toward the various churches was far from friendly, Hathaway was the sole exception.

“What. Matters?” Hathaway asked curiously. “If. Sleep-talking. I. Cannot. Help.”

Had it not been for her habit of pausing after every single word, her delicate, gentle voice would have been as melodious as a nightingale’s song.

Ten years ago, Hathaway had consumed the Magic Potion before the statue of the Gray Goddess to enter the “Silence” sequence. Since then, she could not exceed a certain number of words in any given sentence.

Furthermore, as the sequence progressed, the number of words she could speak would grow fewer and fewer until she was completely transformed from mortality.

Currently, Hathaway could only speak one word at a time. This meant she had already entered the ranks of Sequence 7 and was only a step away from Sequence 6.

Because she followed the “Silence” sequence, Hathaway was more adept at deciphering the occult; she lacked direct combat power, at least until she achieved the qualitative leap of Sequence 6.

To ensure her own protection, she had specifically purchased a shotgun loaded with 9.5mm buckshot. She kept it hidden under her loose, conservative nun’s habit at all times, prepared to pull the “big guy” out from under her skirt should she encounter a powerful enemy.

And so… she had never been of much help regarding the matters of the Dream Sanctum.

“Don’t worry, this falls under your professional duties.”

Eliana pulled out a folded piece of paper. It was clearly the wanted poster for the Dream Sanctum that could be seen everywhere in Kolun County.

Needless to say, it was the “report letter” that had thrown the Tribunal into chaos.

Eliana had to know the mystery hidden within this letter.

Simply because the image of that sunken Kolun County refused to leave her mind.