"The royal notary immediately sealed the box and stored it in a guarded room in the church. Since the archbishop's personal property had already been allocated—half donated to the church and the other half to civilian welfare organizations—not everyone was interested in the contents of the box. Bossia was an apostate and had been missing for years. No one expected her to appear in the archbishop's will, but the archbishop's wishes were paramount and should not be interfered with. It might just contain some of Bossia's belongings left with the archbishop before she left Stormwind. As for those eager to open the box, some were simply admirers of the archbishop, hoping to understand him better before he was enlightened by the Light, while others... I can't say. What could be so important that if not opened within twenty years by a single pair of hands, it must be burned?
'If it's related to religious matters, there's no reason not to give this right to the next archbishop.'
'Exactly, so I tend to think it's personal and not worth pursuing. Maybe it's something like relics of Bossia's parents. I know the archbishop had tasked you with finding her. How is that going? Have you given up on it?'
'She was supposed to go to the Western Plaguelands but never arrived. Her unit got involved in a fight with Dragonmaw orcs at Menethil, and then she disappeared. If she died, there should be records, but there's no trace of her name on the soldiers' rosters in the Western Plaguelands, as if someone covered up their negligence by erasing evidence of her service. I suspect she left the unit and sailed to Kalimdor. My people have been following this lead for about four years.'
'And then?'
Jorgen did not immediately respond. Lindy gazed at him with an urgent silence, his shoulders tense like a young cat learning to hunt. There were few times when Jorgen felt he became prey in a conversation, but this was one of those moments.
Initially, the search for Bossia was more Jorgen's personal mission than the archbishop's order. He didn't deny that the name held special meaning for him for a long time—even if he believed the embrace on the Heroes' Bridge was simply mutual compassion after surviving together. The search for her deepened his resolve; he didn't allow unfinished business. Thus, the process and purpose fused into a single aim: finding Bossia. The archbishop's support provided convenience but didn't influence his established determination. The frustrations encountered turned into fuel to continue the search.
One day, this resolve began to waver due to lack of results and the archbishop's words: 'It seems I caused her too much harm, Jorgen. I thought everything was clear back then: I raised her, nurtured her faith, but she left me and abandoned the teachings. But... I never believed our rift would make her disappear for years. She wasn't one to take such risks. Something strongly pulled her away, and my hostility continues to torment her. I shouldn't force you to keep searching. My mistake lies in compelling her to accept my correction. What matters is her forgiveness, not mine. If she doesn't want to return, I hope she lives peacefully elsewhere... under the Light's protection.'
These were Jorgen's rationalizations. There was also an unspoken influence he subconsciously acknowledged: as a direct agent of MI7, he rejected common humanity. After the Darkshire mission, memories of Bossia blurred. Scenes from the Heroes' Bridge faded into staged projections, and the emotions involved dissipated, like trying to understand why one cherished a pebble as a child. The essential link remaining was the golden key. When his men found the key in Gadgetzan's auction house but lost track of Bossia, Jorgen felt the task was complete. To avoid the archbishop's attention, he ordered the key thrown into the sea and ceased the search. He had no reason to continue; since the archbishop intended to give up, it was time to stop. The woman he needed to protect was before him, not in Tanaris's desert—
'No results,' Jorgen answered Lindy and recounted the archbishop's words.
Lindy frowned, looking at Jorgen. At first, Jorgen thought he noticed his hesitation, but Lindy quickly looked up, obviously pondering something else.
'Maybe that makes sense,' Lindy said. 'The archbishop wanted Bossia to choose. If she's alive, she'll eventually hear of his death. If she still doesn't return under these circumstances...' His voice weakened. 'That's not fair, Jorgen. Bossia is an apostate. The archbishop entrusting his final wish to an apostate to judge. I don't know her or the past well, but honestly...'
'Don't overthink the archbishop's thoughts. It's unnecessary trouble.'
'You should resume the search, Jorgen. I understand the archbishop's intent, but half his will shouldn't be ignored. The last trace was in Tanaris, right? Can't you send more people, expand the search, maybe post notices—'
'Impossible,' Jorgen interrupted. 'Too public actions might push her deeper into hiding, not to mention her disappearance must remain secret. Do you want everyone to know the archbishop had an apostate goddaughter and a second will?'
'I misspoke, Jorgen. I'm not in your line of work. I desperately want her to surface. She must. You must resume the search, Jorgen. Even if not to bring her back forcibly, at least to track her. At least... to know if she's alive.'
Lind's attitude and last words reminded Jorgen of his past urgency to find Bossia. He barely remembered her face—after all, eight years had passed. Memories weren't reliable, but he couldn't accept she might be dead. With time, the likelihood grew. He began recalling any leads on her whereabouts. No re-entry into Stormwind's military. Seemed to live as a mercenary in Tanaris. Adventurers there often joined westbound caravans or went to sea—
As Jorgen pondered, Lindy suddenly buried his head, shoulders shaking.
'Are you alright?' Jorgen asked."
"I am fine." After a dozen seconds of silence, Lindy raised his head. "I must look ridiculous to you people in MI7, but I've finally figured it out, Jorgen. I've known my own desires for a while, just didn't want to admit them in front of others. But since you are the most distant from faith, talking about my secular side with you probably won't do any harm. I've never thought I could convert you anyway... I very, very strongly want to become the next archbishop and inherit Benedictus's will. At the very least, I can't let Nehari take the title. I could list a ton of doctrinal reasons, but to you, I'll put it this way: I dread the future if he becomes the archbishop. I can't stand being around him on a regular basis. Today, when I walked out of the church, he was definitely waiting on horseback to weaken me mentally. There's another feeling for sure... jealousy. Yes, jealousy. I finally said it. You must understand how hard it is for a bishop to admit such a feeling. It's not jealousy of his merits... he gets more respect than he deserves. I'm jealous of a facade. Light, I can't believe these words are coming out of my mouth. Don't tell anyone, Jorgen."
"Of course. So, are you ready to be on the same side as us?"
"No, not to fight. No one needs to be defeated or hurt. This is peace, blessed by the Light, a competition representing order. If you have any plans, I will cooperate, but only within the Light's approval. One more thing, I won't do anything against Bishop Hylan. My only opponent is Nehari. If Bishop Hylan wins, I will wholeheartedly bless and serve him without any resentment."
"It's too early to say these things."
"No, you don't understand Bishop Hylan. I'm serious. So, if MI7 does anything to harm Bishop Hylan, our cooperation ends immediately."
Jorgen knew Lindy was serious. In the years they had known each other, Lindy had never expressed his views so urgently and firmly.
"I understand. Frankly, suggesting that MI7 might harm your opponent is quite irresponsible. I won't mind, though, as you've never fully understood how we operate. Actually, our first priority now is to protect him. Tomorrow, we'll make great efforts to ensure his safety."
Bishop Hylan was about to give a public speech in the square in front of the church, with an audience that would include church and royal personnel, as well as a large number of civilians. Even at the archbishop's funeral, he had kept a low profile, and tomorrow would be his first real appearance before the public in over a decade.
"Do you understand how important tomorrow is?" Lindy asked.
"Of course. You can rest assured," Jorgen said.
Sorry, Lindy. Whether action needs to be taken against him is not up to you.