Chapter 1504: Chapter 1498: The Holy See Trial
Operating independently, Ronald flew without any reservations.
After fully activating the flying spell, his figure swiftly glided through the air, like a meteor streaking across the sky.
On the ground, some orc cities passed by, and even if someone looked skyward, it would be difficult to notice the ’visitor’ passing overhead.
As a result, Ronald’s return speed was extremely fast.
The journey that originally took several days was nearly cut in half with his lightning-fast flight.
As the stars in the sky rose again, Ronald looked ahead from high above and could directly see the towering and majestic forest.
Then, Ronald began to slow down.
The reason is simple—the reconnaissance magic of the Divine Comedy reacted.
Considering the elements of the Nine Commandments Meeting, Ronald would activate the Hell Chapter’s spell whenever he had time in the Songwood Forest, using it to scout possible humans.
And at this moment, he detected them.
In this world of Songwood full of orcs, the appearance of three humans was so unique. No matter how careless Ronald was, he wouldn’t miss such an obvious target.
What surprised Ronald even more was that there were acquaintances among them!
"..."
"It turns out to be them..."
Ronald’s expression changed from guarded to relaxed and then descended towards the ground.
About a day’s journey for an ordinary person away from the forest.
Bang—
Ronald landed, blocking the three humans on their way.
The leading young girl took the initiative to step forward, her expression mixing surprise and delight:
"Mr. Ronald, what brings you here?"
Ronald replied:
"Martha, I didn’t expect we would meet here either."
The remaining three who entered the Songwood Forest were casters sent by the Church for the expedition fleet, with the leader being Martha, the new Saint Priest. Although Ronald didn’t know the other two, he had met them during the months on the ship, as they were all significant figures sent by the Church.
After greetings, the two should have continued their conversation.
But under the night’s illumination, they suddenly fell silent.
"..."
Their eyes met, and the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
Ronald’s journey to the world of Songwood had been guided by various encounters; but for Martha, the situation was much more nuanced.
Strictly speaking, the Church active in the world now consists of people with opposing paths to those dead-locked in the Holy City. Revisiting this place makes it difficult to gauge their current attitude.
In all fairness, Ronald had a good impression of the Church, having received help multiple times.
However, if their views on the Songwood differed...
Ultimately.
Ronald hoped that such things would not happen.
"Mr. Ronald, allow me to explain." As Ronald pondered, the Saint Priestess spoke first, "You know, our Church has an exceptionally lengthy history, and this unique place was once part of the Church long ago..."
Under the night sky, Martha narrated the history she knew.
Ronald listened attentively and realized that what she knew slightly differed from his understanding.
For instance, those who left the southern continent to form the trap church.
In Martha’s account, they became mainstream figures of the past church, with only a small group of stubborn individuals remaining in the Holy City.
Apart from these insignificant details, Martha’s crucial information aligned with Ronald’s understanding. Considering the effects of long-standing history and reasonable embellishments, this wasn’t an issue.
Ronald quietly listened to Martha’s tale.
Once the Saint Priestess tiredly closed her mouth, he pointed ahead and led the way while continuing to ask:
"Pretty much, we know similar things about the Songwood Forest."
"But Martha, given that you know about the Songwood, and haven’t visited this place for nearly millennia, you must have a solid reason for finally changing your approach and entering here now?"
Seeing Ronald peacefully conversing with her, Martha felt a sense of relief.
The matters of Songwood are significant, and if someone as powerful as Ronald were hostile to them, things would get complicated.
"Mr. Ronald, the Holy City sealed in the Songwood is akin to the Wizards of Barrier Mountain and ought not to exist in the present era. Furthermore, in terms of danger, this place is even more perilous than Barrier Mountain."
At this point, Martha gazed into the distance, her eyes resolute:
"Although past paths diverged."
"One cannot deny they are still part of the Church, and we bear undeniable responsibility. Hence, once the prophetic spells revealed this crisis, those among the Church here couldn’t ignore it."
Upon hearing the term prophetic spell, Ronald naturally inquired:
"As prophecy has already warned, why did you not address this earlier, and only act now?"
Martha slightly shook her head:
"Based on previous prophetic judgments, if we dispatched people prematurely, it would only lead to complete annihilation. Until this time, a distinct change emerged."
While saying this, Martha’s eyes focused sharply on Ronald.
The implicit message was ’this time is different perhaps due to your presence’.
Yet, Ronald was uninterested in this.
His mind wandered to thoughts of King of Giant Beasts, Aurel.
The Church’s past failed predictions might have been attributed to this Guardian of Songwood. Besides their initial encounter, this ancient dust giant king must have other hidden strengths.
Considering the Church’s prowess, a physically invincible being wasn’t something they could perfectly handle.
"By the way!" Ronald suddenly recalled a question, "Since the Songwood is so crucial, why didn’t the Church dispatch a more experienced Priest to handle this? Stronger individuals must be better suited, right?"
This question may have been slightly presumptuous.
But it’s the truth.
A long-term Priest has better adaptability and strength for such tasks than Martha.
Ronald couldn’t fathom why this young girl was assigned such a significant mission.
Even if her status was now vastly different.
Facing Ronald’s skepticism, Martha didn’t show any resentment, she candidly replied:
"The Priest needs to assist Princess Claudia."
"Moreover, as the newly appointed, this expedition to Songwood is also a trial for me as a Saint Priest."
A single sentence explained the Church’s regard for the [Gride] royal family.
Then Martha asked Ronald:
"Mr. Ronald, may I know the reason behind your presence here?"
"As I understand, entering Songwood is no easy task; surely you have a very significant reason?"
