Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 299 (Part 2):

‘Alea better make it out safely.’

Her brow furrowed. Not because she doubted Alea, but because escaping from the Forest of Roots itself was an extremely difficult task.

They had to break through the barrier, and once outside, they would still need to maintain their magic to stay aloft.

If they fall down and collide with the barrier, it would be disastrous.

‘Just as things have gone smoothly so far, I hope it continues that way.’

Heike was not just wishing, but preparing to take action.

*

“Hostages have been taken, you say. As many as fifteen priests, including three high-ranking priests who are candidates for the High Priest position. How could such a thing happen?”

High Priest Levina murmured with a calm face.

The temple was known for being harsh to outsiders, but they valued their own members deeply.

Moreover, those taken weren’t ordinary priests—they were key figures and too valuable to simply discard.

Two High Priests had died in recent years. Though replacements had been made, it was hard to say they had fully recovered.

The newly appointed High Priests were still far from ready to fulfill their roles as representatives of the temple.

The weakening of the temple’s power meant, in other words, the weakening of its military strength. It also meant losing influence over the human world.

High Priest Agato raised his head while skimming through the report.

“It seems they had prior knowledge of the priests’ movements. These were envoys dispatched to the empire. They struck when the escort disappeared after leaving the empire’s borders. It was on the return journey, so they must have let their guard down.

The holy knights were scheduled to rendezvous just a day’s journey away. Being in a so-called safe zone, they probably didn’t pay much attention to safety.”

Just as the combination of a mage and a swordsman increases combat power, the relationship between priests and holy knights was similar.

Holy knights protect priests, and priests, under protection, assist holy knights and attack enemies with holy magic.

If there were only priests with little combat experience, unless they were High Priests, they would be helpless against two archmages targeting them.

“Two archmages, both declared enemies of the temple, moving together? Mages are usually individualistic, so moving together means their interests align. This is certainly a worrying issue. It’s not a good sign.”

“And their demands are somewhat…”

“They want to meet face-to-face with High Priests Levina and Agato, as well as Paolo, at the border of Basor. They say they have matters to discuss? What on earth do they want to discuss with the temple? How can such incidents keep happening one after another!”

One High Priest burst out in frustration.

Levina shook her head.

“They must have something to demand. Didn’t Archmage Heike covet the temple’s sacred artifacts in the past? It’s said that Antiol is also collecting things from the temple.”

They chose a location advantageous for a face-to-face meeting quite well. The Basor border is an area where the temple cannot rapidly deploy large-scale forces.

The temple and the Kingdom of Basor had been at odds for years. While the temple could undoubtedly defeat Basor in a war, the cost would be enormous.

The temple did not desire full-scale conflict with Basor either.

The temple, long accustomed to peace, sought to avoid such conflicts unless it was an enormous situation that threatened the temple’s very existence.

High Priest Levina tilted her head.

‘Myself, Agato, and Paolo…’

The temple holds a grand ceremony every time a new High Priest is appointed.

There are portraits of the High Priests in each temple, and their names are inscribed on the altar, so anyone who wants to know can easily find out which High Priests exist.

Yet they specifically named the oldest and most powerful among the current High Priests.

With the threat of killing one hostage at a time if their demands were not met.

Considering recent events, what they want is…

Levina raised her head and spoke clearly.

“I know their intentions.”

“What is it?”

But it wasn’t Levina who answered—it was High Priest Agato.

“They want to keep us, the three high priests with the most power and experience, occupied at the Basor border. That way, we can’t take action to repair the sacred barrier. Because they’re the ones responsible for weakening it in the first place.”

High Priest Paolo leisurely continued.

“They don’t want us focusing on the sacred barrier, so they’re staging this hostage situation as a distraction.”

“What could mere mages do to a barrier imbued with Lumen’s will!”

“But the barrier has already shown signs of weakening. And it’s our duty to restore it.”

High Priest Levina cut in firmly.

Her transparent green eyes held a colder light than ever before.

“We know what we must do. We’ll tell them we’ll agree to their terms, but we will proceed with our original plan. Restoring the barrier to its original state is our most important mission.”

Someone asked in bewilderment.

“Then, what about those who were captured…”

“If they die, that must be Lumen’s will. Martyrdom is the greatest glory for priests. They will find eternal peace and blessing in Lumen’s embrace. Now, let’s hurry.”

High Priest Agato, who had spoken coldly, rose from his seat. It was the end of the round table meeting.

And so, the temple’s movements began to unfold in a direction undesired by the two archmages.

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