After the crowd in the square had almost completely dispersed, Elin learned from his colleagues about the final content of Hylan's speech. In the last days before Benedictus's death, he couldn't eat and was in great pain. To commemorate him—"my longtime friend, fellow seeker of the Light, and competitor"—Hylan announced he would fast for fifteen days, sustaining himself only on a small amount of bread and water. He believed that Benedictus's suffering must have a deeper meaning, encompassing the pain that all believers acknowledged during the earthquake, rather than merely personal torment. Through this ascetic practice, he aimed to see if he possessed the same endurance as Benedictus and to understand everything Benedictus felt before his death, thereby reaching a final consensus on the way of the Light.
This decision caused a sensation, especially among the believers. Overnight, Hylan transformed from a mysterious hermit into the most watched figure in Stormwind. Although his speech mentioned the differences in beliefs between him and Benedictus, it leaned towards recognizing the deceased as a saint, and in a humble way, he elevated himself to a similar status. Without mentioning that he was one of the three candidates, it seemed to suggest that from the beginning, the only person on par with him was Benedictus. Fasting as a form of asceticism is sacred and should not be disturbed. Given Hylan's advanced age and the greater risks he faced, Lindy and Nehari would have to remain silent for the next fifteen days—any overt actions would invite criticism.
To Elin, this was a form of intelligence warfare: creating a noticeable event to control the focus of public opinion and limit the opponents' actions. Of course, this didn't fully explain the nature of Hylan's behavior, as thousands of believers would kneel, cry, and pray for him. If nothing unexpected happened, Hylan would gain the upper hand after fifteen days and, with the end of the fast, would have new opportunities to expand his influence, such as another public speech. During the period of asceticism, no unrelated person would be allowed to visit, which meant that neither the Seventh Department—nor anyone outside the church—could approach him, not even the king. The inability to quickly gather information about Hylan was a critical blow to the Seventh Department: a lack of intelligence.
Of course, Hylan had not yet expressed his stance on the existence of the Seventh Department. His advocacy of purity and restraint, and his acceptance of suffering, subtly aligned with the Seventh Department's methods, so it was unnecessary to prematurely deem him an enemy. Gaining Hylan's approval would provide more stability for the Seventh Department's future than relying on Lindy.
At least for Elin, that was enough consideration.
When he returned home that day, he found that Glocara had arrived ahead of him. Elin thought she probably hadn't seen his brief encounter with the tailor's daughter, because she would never keep such things to herself. He also didn't ask her why she went to the square. Maybe it was just out of boredom. Glocara had quit her job at the hospital to accompany Elin to Refuge Pointe, initially estimating that she would soon be preparing for their wedding upon returning to Stormwind, so she hadn't returned to work and had been idle ever since. Having nothing to do was hard for her, but for obvious reasons, Elin couldn't suggest she go back to work. He couldn't find a suitable opportunity to ask about her thoughts.
The events in the square added another layer of discomfort to Elin's mind. If Glocara had not only seen him but also misunderstood, it might have been better because Elin would have the chance to explain, allowing his feelings of self-reproach and regret to find an outlet. For Elin, discomfort meant always worrying about what the other person was thinking and constantly questioning his own actions. In the past, when he was with women, he would end the relationship before it became uncomfortable. But applying this habit to his current situation was impossible; considering such a possibility felt absurd, as if it were a foreign concept he had just encountered in his life. Things would eventually need to be resolved, but the time wasn't right yet—this thought did little to calm him, as it was essentially another way of saying when he would resign.
In the following days, his main task remained to discover and stop the spread of various rumors, ensuring the stability of the public's emotions. The people who had briefly gathered outside his house at night secretly slipped flyers into the door cracks of nearby neighborhoods. Elin arrested them and followed the clues on the flyers to a small brewery one evening.
Since losing one eye, he was no longer suited for infiltration and disguise work, as his encounter with the tailor's daughter had shown; but for some reason, he became unusually stubborn and decided to investigate personally, despite his subordinates' advice. Perhaps by doing this, he could justify his first encounter with the tailor's daughter, making the incident in the square seem less wrong.
At the door of a wine cellar in the brewery, Elin gave the guard the password obtained through interrogation and entered the room. The low, dimly lit room was filled not with wine but with over a hundred people. At the far end, a makeshift platform had been set up, where a middle-aged man in a red robe, resembling a poorly tailored cleric's garment, stood. He raised his right hand, with his index finger pointing towards the ceiling, trembling with the highs and lows of his voice:
"Yes, I, Bedro, saw it! I swear, not only by the Light that illuminates all but also by the earth that nurtures all. I am even willing to swear by my mother's name! On that night, the violent shaking woke me up. The panic lasted only a moment; I immediately knelt down, prayed towards the spire of the Cathedral of Light, and knew in my heart that this would soon pass—I was praying for others' lives, not my own safety. So you could say, at that time, my heart was completely pure and selfless..."
Elin observed the audience in the room. Judging by their clothing, they were mostly lower-class citizens. Their silence to hear the speech was not solemn; it wasn't just due to their intimidating mixed odor but also because of the strange anticipation on their faces. They were not expecting something kind and beautiful but staring as if seeing an illusion rising from a distant black sea. A small number of them were physically disabled, clearly victims of the earthquake. No one noticed Elin.
"Perhaps it was precisely this heart completely turned towards the Light that allowed me to see that holy scene." Bedro lifted his head until his neck could no longer tilt back and closed his eyes. "A faint, mist-like Light rose from the ridge of the cathedral. At the same time, golden light appeared in the clouds directly above—not just light, but a pair of hands formed by light. Yes, like human hands, but incomparably large and majestic hands of Light! These hands gently opened, and the bright mist slowly rose, finally embraced by the hands. In an instant, the sky returned to normal. I swear by my mother's name, I saw it all with my own eyes, and I can still feel the shock of that moment. My entire body trembled with happiness, and I was moved to tears. This happened at 10:35 that night—the exact time when Archbishop Benedictus passed away. What I saw was the holy soul of the Archbishop returning to the Light. I witnessed a miracle. When I woke up the next morning, I felt reborn. Everything I saw and touched was different. Only then did I realize that I had gained divine power beyond mortals."
He reached out and brought an old man onto the stage.
"This is Mr. Qilingwos, who lives just two streets away. The neighbors are all too familiar with him. He has been deaf for twenty years. The morning after witnessing the miracle, I went to his house to deliver milk. When I handed him the bottle, I touched Mr. Qilingwos's arm. At that moment, I felt an indescribable warm power emanating from my heart and passing through my fingers into his body. A day later, he could hear again!"
The old man chimed in, saying how keen his hearing had become and how he felt the holy power entering his body, despite never receiving any treatment.
"Since then, I have used my newly acquired power to heal several patients whom doctors couldn't help," Bedro continued. "This power may be different from the Light because, as you all know, priests do not possess such miraculous healing abilities. It must have been witnessing the Archbishop's holy return to the Light that awakened something dormant within me. With continued focus, I increasingly felt its presence. I began to understand that this was a divine responsibility. I must lead the people of this world away from suffering."
"Bedro," said someone in the front row, "ever since the earthquake, I've been having constant headaches. At first, they occurred several times a day, but now they never stop. It feels like someone is driving nails behind my eyes. I've seen doctors twice, but it was a waste of money. Please take a look at me."
"Come here," Bedro motioned for the old man to return to the crowd and brought the self-proclaimed headache sufferer to his side. "Kneel down and close your eyes."
The man did as he was told.
Bedro stood behind him, extended his right hand, placed it on the man's forehead, and closed his own eyes.
"Please, everyone, be quiet. Quieter, so as not to distract me. And you, sir, please clear your mind of any distractions. Let your heart be filled with holy and pure beliefs; only then will your body accept my power. Remember, no distractions, especially not selfish desires. If you are merely thinking about curing your illness rather than cleansing your soul, you will close your heart and create an evil barrier that rejects my power..."
The performance lasted a few minutes. The man with the headache opened his eyes, stood up, and said his ailment had indeed lessened, though his tone seemed uncertain. Bedro told him that the miraculous power wouldn't take full effect in an instant, just like the old man, who regained his hearing the day after receiving the power.
"The key is to keep your heart pure, otherwise it might clash with my power," Bedro repeated this in various ways several times before changing the topic to avoid a rush of people demanding treatment. "This is not my only power. Now, I can easily see the true nature of things and foresee their future..."
Elin thought that if any of these people were followers of the Light, they belonged to the group that Hylan could not sway. Perhaps Hylan's speech on asceticism was too profound for them. They needed more direct and worldly spiritual salvation. What was happening here was no worse than the rumors about Benedictus contracting the plague. According to the original plan, Elin should have left to inform his subordinates waiting not far outside the brewery, but he felt a strong urge to play around, just like when he had posed as a customer instead of bringing the tailor back to the Seventh Department immediately. He pushed through the crowd in front of him and walked forward.