All Vivian had to do was speak to the librarian herself!

"Very well, I’ll make some time later to have a conversation with Mr. Percival."

Rosaline turned and began leaving the room, but Leonart spoke up in a serious tone that stopped her in her tracks.

"If you intend to speak to him, then make sure you heed my earlier warning, Rosa. Treat him with all the respect you would usually reserve for me, and listen to his words very closely. He might be a simple librarian, but he possesses great knowledge about magic. There is a lot you can learn from him."

Rosa stared at her grandfather’s serious expression, and she knew that he was not playing around at that moment. If Rosa showed any form of disrespect to this librarian, then her grandfather would be very disappointed in her. Rosa nodded once to show that she understood, and her grandfather smiled and allowed her to finally leave.

....

[Central City of Marivak]

[Verati Central Cathedral]

The Central City of Marivak was the largest and most populated city in the Kingdom of Andura. Marivak was known to contain the largest military presence in the entire kingdom as well as the highest number of businesses and tourist attractions. Most people who came to Marivak would always find themselves heading towards many of the museums that displayed the artefacts, attires, or weapons that had once been used by the hero Verati during the demihuman war. Before his disappearance, Verati had donated most of these items to the kingdom, and they had been preserved in museums to ensure everyone could see them!

In Marivak, there were bars that advertised themselves as the places Verati would go to drink with his comrades, and inns that advertised themselves as the places Verati would go to rest after a battle! Although the central city of Marivak was hailed as the royal city where the king’s palace was located, it was more reasonable to call this city a tribute city where every corner store or establishment told stories of the hero Verati!

But none of these places had more of a connection with the hero than the Verati Central Cathedral located on the west of the city map. The cathedral had existed long before Verati came to this world, and it served as the headquarters for all holy maidens, seers, warriors, and healers who had dedicated their lives to serving the Fates.

These holy people did not associate with the commoners in the city, and every holy person was treated in the same way a religious fanatic would treat a saint! With exaltation and praise!

But the popularity of the Cathedral had only gone up after it was discovered that this was where the hero Verati began his journey. Before going out into the battlefield and becoming the warrior who ended the demihuman war, it was said that Verati first came to the cathedral and received the blessing of the Saintess!

That moment was so impactful to every single person in this world that there were songs and stories woven about how the great Hero had been blessed by the Fates themselves. And after the war ended, the King suggested that the Cathedral change its name to the Verati Central Cathedral as a tribute to the Hero! Many people supported this idea, but no one thought that the religious people would do it since the cathedral had existed for so long! But everyone was stunned when the Saintess herself came out and announced the name change!

It was the first time something like this would ever happen in Andura, and it was a testament to how much of an impact Verati had on the lives of everyone in the kingdom!

The Verati Cathedral was divided into three sections; one of the sections was reserved for the mages who had awakened a ’religious’ magic affinity. Affinities like ’Seer’, ’Healer’, or ’Supporter’ that allow a mage to aid other mages in battle were seen as a gift from the great Fates, and these mages are welcomed into the Cathedral and trained on how to properly utilize their gifts. The second section belonged to knights or warriors who had dedicated their lives to the church. Holy Knights, Paladins, and Warrior Priests all belonged in this section, and it was common for the warriors here to work together with the healers and supporters when carrying out missions in the church’s name.

The third and most important section of the cathedral was the tower of the Saintess. The Saintess was seen as the highest authority in the church, and it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that she possessed power and influence that was only lower than what the King himself possessed!

As the most powerful religious mage in the kingdom, the Saintess was blessed with extraordinary talent in all spiritual-type magic. She is a Seer, healer, supporter, and cleric! Her magic prowess is so high that people began to refer to her as the ’Instrument of Fate’ since she was capable of connecting and communicating with the Fates better than anyone else!

In every generation, there could only be one Saintess, and the Saintess born in this generation was hailed as the most powerful Saintess to ever live since she had been instrumental in the Hero’s journey to end the Demihuman war.

The Saintess was a woman named Diana, and she lived at the very top of the Saintess’s tower in the central region of the Cathedral. The Saintess tower was a massive structure protected by multiple paladins and warriors. It was against spiritual law for any man to enter the main quarters of the Saintess, so there were nuns wearing long white robes constantly moving around the building to take care of all the Saintess’ needs.

Currently, the Saintess was sitting at a table in her small dining room and drinking a cup of tea while looking out the window at the beautiful rising sun. The best way to describe the Saintess’ appearance would be like a delicate flower that had never been touched by mortal hands.

Beautiful red hair that fell down her shoulders framed a small, cute face that was filled with innocence. Crystal clear green eyes that glittered with innocence reflected the deep yellow hue of the sun, and although she was wearing the long white robe reserved for all women of the cathedral, her thin waist and wide hips made her perfect figure obvious for anyone to see!

Saintess Diana had lived in this tower for over two decades now as the head of the Cathedral, and the only time she left this tower was when she accompanied the hero to stop the demihuman war more than ten years ago!

And even though Diana returned to her duties right after her mission, it was obvious to anyone who saw her now that she had lost the joy and excitement that she possessed when she first became the Saintess! Diana had seen the world outside this tower while travelling with Verati, so returning made her feel like a bird whose wings had been tied after just a few hours of flight.

"Saintess, I offer my humble greetings."

A voice from the side drew Diana’s attention, and Diana turned her gaze to the door to regard the young woman standing there. Diana smiled beautifully and spoke in a low, breathy voice.

"Hello, Nina. It’s quite a lovely day today, isn’t it? Would you like to join me for some tea?"

Nina was one of Diana’s closest aides in this tower. Diana’s daily job consisted mainly of handling the finances and religious issues in the cathedral, so the nuns were the ones responsible for helping Diana with all her chores and cleaning duties.

Nina bowed to Diana once more and spoke while looking down at the ground respectfully.

"I-I wouldn’t dare to sit at the same table as you, Saintess. I am not worthy."