After the gang entered Alexis' house, they realized that the work to clean up would be extended. All the furniture was covered with a dense layer of dust, and the floor's wood creaked when shoes were stepped on. Although the house had two floors, and all the rooms were huge, different types of weapons and books were scattered throughout the residence.
Being curious, John picked up a book on the floor and opened it. On the pages of that book, there were hundreds of notes, symbols, arrows, and drawings about magic runes.
"Do you know runes?" John asked Alexis because the last time he had the opportunity to see this kind of knowledge was during his childhood.
"I know the basics so I can extinguish demons more simply."
The black-haired teen already admired Alexis for being a Class-S, and also because she had saved Luke from a demon when the two met, but when he learned that she knew how to use runes, he was even more appalled. Many people consider runes to be a type of knowledge with a power superior to Genes Skills. The main reason for this is that it is very complicated to learn to read and use runes because there are millions of variations of symbols, which allow almost infinite possibilities for powers.
"Forget about that and get a broom, John." Matthew spoke and handed a broom to John after giving two others to Ynosuke and Zack.
The boy did not debate; after all, Matthew was the second-oldest gang member, right after Zack.
"And you guys, don't waste any time and go talk to the woman you commented so much on. We have the advantage of knowing about the demons' possible plan, but we don't have all the time in the world." Said Matthew to Alexis and Luke, "We will clean up around here."
The half-dragon and half-wolf nodded, and before they opened the front door, Luke called Meredith to accompany them. After that, they had to walk for a few minutes to the Cardinal Church.
However, during the way to the place, Luke noticed that the locals were looking at him differently than before until he heard a group of adventurers whispering:
"Isn't that Alexis Dmitry, that Class-S who got famous?"
"And doesn't the one on her side exactly match the descriptions of 'Half-Wolf'?"
"Exactly! That's them both!"
"I heard that the 'Half-Wolf' was here to kill 'The Beast', but I didn't think he was still here. Could it be that he was in the Dungeon?"
"I don't care about that, man. I just want to know are they dating?" That last sentence made both the half-fox's ears and also the half-wolf's ears prick up.
Luke was relieved to hear people wonder about this, which could mean that the half-dragon didn't have a boyfriend; however, he didn't know why he was relieved at this assumption. He just saw Alexis as a woman he admired, didn't he? Suddenly, a hypothetical scenario crossed Luke's mind, and his heart raced.
The half-wolf only came back to normal when they were past the gates of the Cardinal Church.
" Halt there! What do you want?" Amelia's voice rang out. She was hiding behind one of the main pillars and also behind the ten spearmen.
"We came here to have an audience with the Pontiff." Alexis said.
"Rest!" The black-haired woman ordered the guards, who slammed their spears into the ground and straightened their columns. "What will be the subject of the hearing?"
The two women knew each other, they were friends, and it had been a while since they had seen each other, but still, they needed to first keep their duties and authority as priority number one.
"We are here to talk about the monsters on the 50th floor." This code was used by exterminators and emissaries to talk about demons.
Luke, Meredith, and Alexis were immediately allowed to enter. Amelia was glad to see Luke again and even more glad to see her friend Alexis.
"Where have you been that took so long?" Amelia asked.
"I've been through many places and towns. I've been to Sheltered Halv?y, Vasconcelos, then Oukiwa, and now I'm here. What about you? Why are you still working as a receptionist here?"
"I have been..."
While the two friends chatted, the group walked down a few hallways and up long staircases. At some moments, Meredith felt uncomfortable in that place, fearing that she was not part of that world, but when she looked to the side and saw Luke, she knew that she was exactly where she wanted and should be.
The interior of the Cardinal Church was frighteningly large, with many different rooms and theologians everywhere. A few times, the group crossed paths with clearly powerful people in the hallways and other persons who recognized the half-wolf by his gray ears. Architecturally speaking, the Cardinal Church was one of the most beautiful places Luke ever had the opportunity to enter. The window panes were filled with detailed designs, and each wall of the building looked like a unique work of art, hand-carved with care. The ceilings, which even in the Central Palace of Oukiwa were white in the Cardinal Church, alternated between illustrations of the four great heroes: Demiurge, Hera, Leto, and Arani.
After climbing a long flight of stairs, Amelia was about to tell them that they would have to wait because a Secular was in a meeting with Rebecca at that moment, but as soon as they reached the waiting room, the distinctive sound of a large door opening resounded.
From inside the hall, hidden by a white door with blue crystals, a middle-aged man came out. He had matted red hair, the same tone as his full beard. The sides of his head were shaved, and there were black tattoos of the branches of a tree on both sides.
Barrett, the Secular present, looked at the group that had just climbed the ladder and marveled to see Alexis after so long:
" Hey there, half-dragon." He greeted her briefly and walked down the stairs, ignoring everyone else.
Luke Lange didn't even dare to open his mouth and felt that Nebezial was an insolent one for thinking he was on the level of a Secular. Barret was clearly on a level above any S-Class Luke had ever met. This made Luke believe that whenever he thought he was getting strong, he met someone even stronger to slap him back to reality.
Then the quartet went through the giant white door and entered the Hall of Pontiff Rebecca, aka Queen of the Cardinal Realm.
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