Chapter 4 : The Beginning of Desire

The Sundonia Congress''s test results showed that the reagents and potions were all Shadows extracted from the bodies of magical beasts. It was highly likely that they were conducting blasphemous human experiments in the valley.

As soon as this report was released, the sanctuary in the Agnez Mountains received a letter by holy dove, demanding a thorough investigation of the children who had been injected with the agents.

Georgeia Yang returned to the sanctuary again nearly four months later—closer to four months than three. This time, she came alone.

The weather in Agnez was still as unbearable as ever. It was winter now, but it didn''t snow—just cold. Light rain fell on the ground, and the entire sanctuary was damp and clammy.

She wasn''t in a hurry to fulfill her promise. Instead, she first asked the priests about recent events.

"The children said they weren''t injected. The ones who were taken for injections all disappeared."

"Then they''re dead."

"I''m afraid so," the high priest said cautiously. "You know, this is just a remote hermitage. We''re short-handed. Raising twenty children is very difficult…"

"I understand. When I return to the holy city, I will find new homes for these twenty children."

"That''s not what I meant… Sigh, Surveyor-General, to be honest with you, many of these children are unruly and uneducated. In the past three months, two ran into the forest and disappeared. Three more… died in various accidents. We were supposed to keep watch, but we failed…"

"It''s not that you failed in your discipline. Even though we saved them, not everyone is suited to monastic life in a sanctuary. This is a calling that can only be received by those who can uphold order and responsibility and praise God''s great power. Oh—what about the golden-haired child? How is he doing?"

"He is the one who gave us the least trouble. In three months, he has already memorized all the psalms of the scriptures fluently. But he doesn''t belong here either. He should serve closer to God. I beg you to take him away."

"Oh, bring him to me. But if he recites incorrectly, I will punish him according to the rules of the holy city and Holy Land."

He wore black monastic robes and looked gaunt.

As soon as he saw Georgeia, he knelt to show his submission. Georgeia raised her hand, signaling him to begin reciting from the first section. The priests all withdrew, leaving the room to him and the Surveyor-General.

He recited from dawn until evening. His voice grew hoarse, until only breath remained—and still he continued. Georgeia raised her hand, telling him to stand.

He tried several times but couldn''t get up. Georgeia rose to help him, but he dodged away. His eyes were wide and glistening. He said to her with great effort: "I have not yet earned your approval. I cannot receive your grace."

Georgeia stepped back and called the priests back in. "I remember you were there that day. Do you remember the child who came with him?"

"Ah, that one." When speaking of him, the priest''s face showed clear disgust. "He was the most unruly. No matter how we disciplined him, it didn''t work. One night, no one was watching, and he ran to the tower. He fell and died."

"Very well." Georgeia''s All-Seeing Eye veil turned back to the boy. She took his hand and asked, "Tell me—were you injected with any drugs?"

His eyes glistened with tears. He shook his head.

"Then you may come with me."

He knelt again. At her feet. Bending close to her.

She was so startled she practically jumped back. "What are you doing?"

Realizing he had been presumptuous, he quickly looked up. "This is a gesture… a gesture of submission to you."

"No, no need. I have already understood your intention. There is no need to emphasize it with action."

If Georgeia had been traveling with the scribe at this moment, the scribe would have stopped her from taking in this child.

His sense of purpose was too strong—almost fawning. The Temple could not accept such a person.

But now, only Georgeia was there. She only remembered the promise from three months ago. He had completed a flawless recitation. No matter what his ultimate purpose was, that was an undeniable fact.

And so, Georgeia named him Zalerus Yang and took him to Ilantris.

By rule, unbaptized non-family members could not enter the holy city. But he now bore the surname Yang. He was family.

She introduced him to the cardinal-priest: "Zalerus Yang. That''s the name I gave him. I''ll train him in Ilantris. If he doesn''t pass the selection, I''ll send him to Luminous."

"Why wait so long? The child can already recite the entire scripture. I doubt it will take a year before he''s ready for selection."

"That''s too soon."

"Care to make a bet?"

"Fine. What do you want?"

"If you lose, you have to give me five ice magic stones made by your own hand. If I lose, I''ll go tell the matrons that you''ve been fasting all along—twice a month is enough. No need to put you through more suffering."

"Fine. No problem. It''s settled."

Adults were always like this—they didn''t think children could understand, so they didn''t bother to lower their voices when discussing secrets.

After Zalerus learned the terms of the bet, he assumed Georgeia would certainly not teach him. But instead, after assessing his foundation, she was delighted. "I''ll teach you the sword forms for the selection first. Once you''ve mastered those, I''ll teach you my own style."

Everyone said Zalerus was extraordinarily talented. Georgeia naturally didn''t want to waste that talent. The bet was just a joke between friends.

By the time Georgeia baptized him, Zalerus had already mastered the sword forms for the selection. His heart, too, had become devout.

Life in the holy city was good in every way. Because of his surname, everyone treated him well.

He was glad he had chosen correctly. That priest with the purple sash was indeed different from the others. Everyone treated her with utmost respect—even the ruler of the city.

The only thing was, she left for three weeks every month. During those weeks, the city ruler''s husband took over his lessons.

When he asked why, the answer was that she was returning to the Holy Land. The Holy Land was where she was permanently stationed.

To become a Silver Star Knight was to enter the Holy Land, to earn the right to live alongside the priests of the purest place.

In the previous bet, Zalerus had wanted Georgeia to win—so that he wouldn''t have to sign up for the selection. But now, he decided to accelerate his progress. By the time Georgeia returned, he had already earned his Silver Star Knight insignia.

He had to climb higher. If he couldn''t secure a place in the secular world, he would have to achieve perfection in the sacred.

Georgeia was nothing more than a stepping stone.

She was a responsible adult, duty-bound to support the growth of the younger generation.

That was how it should be.

That was how it should be.

Georgeia happily patted his head and handed over the bet: "Thank you for all your help these past months. I never expected this child to be so remarkable. From now on, I''ll entrust him to the Silver Star Knights."

Not long after the selection ended, he boarded a ship to cross the Sea of Light with the others.

The Knight-Commander, a priest, and Georgeia stood at the bow. But Zalerus was not yet qualified to sail with them—though Georgeia''s stated reason was that the Holy Land was too cold, and new arrivals couldn''t handle it.

He witnessed for the first time the marvel of a night that never fell. He saw for the first time the light-feather petals dancing in the wind. They fell alongside the snow, so that one could no longer tell flower from snow. Their petals were translucent. He had never imagined such flowers could exist in reality.

The carved bridges of the Holy Land and the scriptures engraved in gold upon countless doorways made him dizzy. His senses received so much complex, magnificent, holy information that he fainted in the Temple.

For those not raised in the Holy Land from childhood, seeing its grandeur for the first time always produced this reaction. Everyone was told to move freely for a while and familiarize themselves with the environment.

Zalerus was assigned a private room—no different from the holy city. Except now, he was in the Silver Star Knights'' quarters, far from Georgeia.

When he tried to seek her out, he happened to see her speaking with the Knight-Commander in the hallway.

"I was wondering who had raised this child—already holding his own among older kids. So it was you, Mentor. Boy, you''re lucky."

He was indeed lucky. Happiness was about to make him faint. He hadn''t realized Georgeia''s weight in the Holy Land was so great.

He was her child. The child she had raised herself. Just thinking about it made him happy. He wanted to monopolize Georgeia. To monopolize the title of her child.

"Don''t you want to place him closer to you?" the Knight-Commander asked.

"No need. Let him stay with you. I haven''t done much to raise him. It''s his own talent. He should be cared for by professionals. He was born to serve God. I leave him in your hands."

She turned and walked away. Zalerus called out to her: "Georgeia, won''t you teach me anymore? You promised me your sword forms."

"You''ll train with the Silver Star Knights. It''s like parents sending their children to school—you need to live and study with everyone. As for the sword forms, if you still have energy after training, you can practice with me anytime. You can come to my office or my home whenever you want."

This was how it should be. He should have been happy. Because his surname was Yang, everyone respected him even when Georgeia wasn''t there. He should treat her as a stepping stone.

This was how it should be. This was how it should be.

When had his purpose changed? When had he stopped wanting to use the sacred to oppress the secular—and instead wanted to serve the sacred with filth?