The melodious hymns echoed above the church, intertwining with the chaotic scenes within the harbor town, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Amidst the sacred songs, Adian felt as though his soul had been cleansed, recalling the teachings of the Bible.
Life and death were of little consequence; everywhere was the Lord's pasture, and the sacrificed townsfolk had merely returned to the Lord's embrace ahead of time.
When the hymns concluded, Antheuk softly declared, "The great and eternal God **Ella** is with you and me!"
Perhaps it was the archbishop's words, or perhaps the radiance of **Ella** had already touched this remote town, but outside the church, the chaotic scenes were rapidly calming.
Antheuk, somewhat surprised, moved to the window, gazing down at the northwestern side of the harbor town. The flames that had previously engulfed the granary had been extinguished, and the townsfolk were being orderly evacuated from the combat zone.
Though he couldn't see the two witch apprentices directly, Antheuk quickly deduced their predicament by observing the trajectory of the gray crows in the sky—they were being driven into a dire situation, forced to flee from the densely populated area.
The destination seemed to be the harbor town's docks?
"Who is currently in command on the front lines?" Antheuk inquired in astonishment.
"It should be Priests Danny and Albert," Adian replied.
The archbishop pondered the usual performance of these two priests. He couldn't recall them possessing such remarkable command abilities. Could it be that a certain captain of the harbor town's guards had made the judgment?
With this thought, Antheuk's heart stirred with appreciation for talent, and he ordered the gate guards to inquire further.
A few minutes later, a guard entered, casting a faintly puzzled glance at Adian before responding in an odd tone.
"Your Grace, according to the militia responsible for the evacuation, the one currently issuing orders is... is Priest Adian!"
At these words, all eyes turned to Adian, who was equally bewildered. He had remained in the church the entire time, never stepping out.
Antheuk's expression darkened immediately. During his decade-long tenure as bishop in Nordland, he had encountered witches proficient in transfiguration magic and knew well the havoc they could wreak.
Under the questioning gazes of those present, Adian appeared flustered, taking a step back, but quickly regained his composure, extending his hand to cast the first-circle divine spell, *Holy Word: Shield*.
Witnessing the divine glow of the Holy Shield manifesting in the void, the priests present swiftly dispelled their doubts.
But then, a chill ran up their spines.
If the real Adian was here, then who was currently commanding on the front lines?
...
Meanwhile, the commander whom the priests were so eager to identify was comfortably seated in a temporary base in the northern part of the harbor town, sipping tea and listening to the reports from his "subordinates."
"Lord Adian, as per your instructions, the hastily formed militia has begun evacuating the townsfolk. It won't be long before we clear an open area, and the fire at the granary has also been brought under control. The isolation method you taught us was very effective..."
Priest Danny spoke quickly, summarizing the current situation in the harbor town, his gaze filled with admiration as he looked at Lynn.
Those damned demonic followers had set fires everywhere, moving through the crowded alleys and even burning the granary, leaving them in a state of chaos.
Antheuk had only assigned them eight hundred troops, who were expected to not only capture the two witches but also evacuate the townsfolk and extinguish the fires, leaving them severely understaffed.
After several requests to deploy elite guards were rejected by Antheuk, Danny had no choice but to continuously reassign troops meant for firefighting and rescue operations to pursue those demonic followers, lest they escape.
Yet, the chaotic situation had turned around the moment "Lord Adian" arrived.
First, he directed them to use divine spells to calm a group of fleeing townsfolk, forcibly drafting able-bodied men from among them, and then disbanded a small squad of regular soldiers to act as commanders, forming a makeshift militia. In an instant, their available manpower was multiplied several times over.
While these untrained militiamen would likely crumble in combat, they were at least capable of handling firefighting and rescue operations.
The isolation method and the sand extinguishing technique that "Adian" had proposed were also incredibly effective...
Thinking of this, Priest Danny felt a pang of guilt. Earlier, he had blamed Antheuk for providing too few troops, insufficient to deal with the complex situation.
But now, he had changed his mind. With the same resources, "Lord Adian" had effortlessly brought the chaotic situation under control.
It could only be said—truly, "Lord Adian" was worthy of being the archbishop's right hand!
Seated in his chair, Lynn listened with a smile to the priest's words, offering praise, "You've done well, Priest Danny. After tonight, I'll make sure to commend your contributions to Lord Antheuk."
"Thank you, Lord Adian! I've merely done what little I could. This is all thanks to your guidance!" Priest Danny responded, visibly moved.
Lynn waved a hand, brushing off the praise, before changing the subject, "Alright, enough of that. Have you passed down the orders I gave you earlier?"
Danny nodded. According to "Lord Adian's" plan, their current task was to drive the two witches toward the open area by the harbor docks, where the Church had already set up an ambush of over a thousand crossbowmen. One volley would turn the targets into pincushions.
This plan would minimize casualties.
Given "Lord Adian's" previous exceptional command, Danny harbored no doubts about the plan.
"Then, Danny, your mission is complete." Lynn stood up, placing a hand on Danny's shoulder, speaking with a sigh, "Now, it's time to send you to meet Priest Albert."
Albert? What happened to him?
Danny hesitated, but before he could understand, a flash of silver light sliced through his neck, and bright red blood gushed from the wound. The young priest clutched his open throat, disbelief etched across his face, before collapsing heavily to the ground.
Lynn looked down at the corpse before him, shaking his head in resignation as he picked up a piece of cloth from the table and wiped the bloodstains from his dagger.
With this, the two pawns sent by Antheuk to fish for him were dealt with, yet Lynn's expression remained grim.
After all, his opponent was no fool. Using Adian's identity to issue orders would soon alert Antheuk to something amiss, leading him to deduce that Lynn possessed the ability to disguise himself as others.
But that was precisely Lynn's goal!
Since ordinary priests couldn't dispel this kind of magic, Antheuk would have no choice but to intervene personally!
Although it took a winding path, Lynn had finally succeeded in luring the archbishop into the fray, redirecting the battlefield back to the harbor docks where he wanted it!