Rows of flickering candles illuminated the room. Wax rolled down the pristine bodies of the candles as an elderly man dressed in Father Dalaris' robes, with gray hair at his temples, stood before the statue. He nodded and closed his eyes as if listening to the Goddess's teachings, his expression devout.
Suddenly, the door to the room was pushed open; a black-clad Divine Servant hurried in and whispered a few words into the old man's ear.
The old man slowly opened his eyes, touched his forehead with fingers full of wrinkles, and then turned around. His brown eyes fixed on the black-clad Divine Servant, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Did you hear it clearly?"
"Father Satuk, I heard it loud and clear; Father Marvin of the Church of Truth indeed told the believers as such," the servant answered respectfully. "He not only refrained from distributing Holy Water but also kept the church doors tightly closed until he suddenly appeared not long ago and made a proclamation."
Father Satuk's face was expressionless. He extended a withered and dry hand, skin clinging to the bone like tree bark, and picked up a wide-mouthed chalice in front of the statue, adorned with gold patterns. He swirled the blood-red liquid inside while slipping into deep thought.
"Clever...."
He suddenly let out a sigh.
"Clever?"
The Divine Servant was puzzled: "Those believers didn't believe a word he said. Can that also be considered clever?"
"Not believing now doesn't mean they won't believe in the future..."
Father Satuk took a sip of the red liquid, and murmured, "I was too anxious and made a grave mistake; I hope the Goddess of Health Verthandi will forgive my rashness..."
The servant beside him was still confused. In his view, the decision Father Satuk made tonight could not have been more correct!
A simple ploy that forced the other churches to act was a stroke of genius he could never have conceived.
"In a time of chaos, a dazzling new star is bound to rise. Bishop Fowler was right; we should hold our forces and wait for the Pope's decree."
Putting down the chalice, Father Satuk asked indifferently, "Where is the file on the Church of Truth?"
The black-clad Divine Servant hastily took out a thin document from the drawer of a nearby table and handed it to the priest.
"Marvin Enders, 26 years old. A deputy commander of the Saint Matier Fleet, former Royal Navy Lieutenant; King Rod IV personally awarded him the Royal Honor Badge. He has participated in numerous missions directly commissioned by the King and commanded the fleet to sink a total of 35 ships of the Boupon Kingdom's joint super fleet during the battle in the Perea Sea... after Commander Turey Crowly was shot and fell overboard... Damn it!"
Thud!
Father Satuk slammed the document onto the table, his face clouding over: "How could a man like this end up in New Ross City as a mere priest? He had a promising future in the Royal Navy!"
Seeing the priest's rare display of emotion, the black-clad Divine Servant became more solemn: "Is he that difficult to handle?"
"Huff..."
After taking a deep breath, Father Satuk steadied his emotions and said, "The King's Capital is currently not at peace; the scales of power have yet to tip in our favor, and King Rod IV will not easily relinquish power... Why am I telling you this, you don't need to know."
The Divine Servant's eyes darted around; in a lowered voice, he said, "Father, something just occurred to me, I'm not sure if I should speak of it."
"What do you want to say?"
"You see, this Marvin Enders, being a recipient of the Royal Honor Badge, signifies that he has made significant contributions to the Kingdom. Such a man, usually having a bright future and limitless potential, has for some reason given up the glory within his grasp to come to a remote town to become a priest...."
"Isn't that suspicious?"
Father Satuk narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint passing through them, "Are you implying that Marvin Enders becoming a priest in New Ross City is part of a huge conspiracy?"
"If he were a fool, even a conspiracy wouldn't be something to fear, but Father, you just said yourself that he's very clever, a tough character. So, I thought a bit more. If I spoke out of turn, please forgive me...." The black-robed Divine Servant lowered his head in earnest fear, presenting himself very humbly.
"No, not only did you not speak incorrectly, but you also reminded me."
With a wave of his hand, Father Satuk 'generously' forgave him, "Bring me paper and pen. I must report this matter immediately. Regardless of whether Marvin Enders has ulterior motives behind establishing a church, we must be on guard!"
"Yes, Father, in this way, the mistake you made today can quite justifiably be turned into a meritorious deed...." The black-robed Divine Servant said, smiling as he prepared the paper and pen.
"What did you just say?!"
"I... I misspoke, I'm sorry...."
With a fierce gaze, Father Satuk stared at the Divine Servant; then, after a long moment, his expression suddenly softened, and he said with a smile, "I just so happen to need an assistant divine servant by my side to deal with everyday trivial matters. Would you like to take on this role?"
"Oh! That would be more than wonderful!" The black-robed Divine Servant pointed a finger to his forehead, excitedly saying, "I would like to!"
"Very well, first go to the cellar and fetch me a bottle of aged red wine from the Boupon Kingdom. They may be extremely arrogant, but they do make good wine. Also, remember to inform the others to distribute the Holy Water. At this point, there's no need to keep hiding it."
"At your command."
After watching the black-robed Divine Servant leave, the smile on Father Satuk's face gradually faded. He pulled a folded document from his bosom, which surprisingly contained information about the black-robed Divine Servant!
"No matter how well the fledgling disguises itself, it cannot escape the seasoned hawk's talons.... A small spy from the Church of Wisdom, did you think you could deceive me?"
In a cold laugh, Father Satuk picked up his wine glass and took a sip. As he savored the rich aftertaste on his tongue, he mused aloud:
"However, the suggestion he gave is genuinely useful. Hmm... quite interesting."
..................
"The Divine Envoy! The Divine Envoy has really descended!!!"
"My God... You truly can hear my sincere prayers...."
In the middle of the night, one small figure after another darted across rooftops, organized and with clear divisions of labor, clearing out rats hidden in every tiny crevice they came across, brave and fearless, without even taking a sip of water from their masters.
In every place their presence graced, the homes would always echo with the excited cheers of people, and even if these people had not hesitated to mistreat the street cats on normal days, from this day forward, they wished they could worship Kitties as if they were deities.
"Hurry up! Hurry up, meow! Why has no one gone to Mr. Hete's house? Whose area is that supposed to be?!"
Little Black sat atop the ridge of a roof, observing the Kitties dashing before him, and let out an angry roar, "Bo Bo! Bo Bo! I remember Mr. Hete's house is your responsibility. You can't hold a grudge just because he chased you down the street for a fish the day before yesterday, meow! A Kitty's heart should be broad!"
"Wait a minute, meow! Little Mei, what's that in your mouth? A piece of meat?"
"Didn't I tell you not to steal things from your masters? How will they look at us afterward? We're to be made official someday!"
"What? You're hungry? This piece of meat was a reward from your master?"
"Alright then, seeing as you are a little female cat, I'll let it slide this time, but don't let it happen again, meow!"