Chapter 5: Surprise!

The light dimmed until, finally, Adryan could see again. The setting was not the strangely warm basement; now, they were standing on a white marble floor.

His scarlet eyes moved calmly around. 

Huge white marble pillars, with fine details and symbols traced by them, surrounded the place where they stood, which appeared to be the basement of some cathedral that had been modified.

The orange flame lamps illuminated the place with their warm glow trapped in their glass cages.

They stood on a platform slightly raised off the ground, beneath them was the same symbol that Charlotte had drawn and Adryan noticed that it was on the reverse side of it.

The scent of it and its coloration were a perfect mirror image of it.

'So this is point B...' Putting that aside, Adryan turned his gaze away from the circle to look at the only other person besides them in the place. The person standing in front of them was a man.

The man in front of them had a long, wrinkled face. Silver-rimmed circular glasses rested on his nose. Deep, knowing eyes looked at all of them through the lenses. He wore a long white robe with fine grey detailing and the symbol of the Church of the God of Wisdom and Knowledge engraved in the middle of it.

The church's symbol was an open book with the omniscient eye reading its pages.

"My name is Zelig Ritter..." The older man said serenely, his voice gravelly and old, "And I welcome you to the Holy Temple of Knowledge."

Adryan gave only a faint nod at the man's words and then smiled knowingly, "Thank you for having us, seeing as it is only you here. It seems the Church was quite satisfied with my proposition, eh?"

The man's old eyes looked at him unwaveringly. After a few seconds, a small smile grew on his face. "The rumors and reports did not lie. You certainly are quite a character, Mr. Kenway."

"Thank you for the praise. I try not to disappoint." Returning the smile, Adryan stepped down from the platform where they stood, followed closely by his team, whose more inexperienced members looked around nervously while the older ones kept their cool.

Giving a slight nod, Zelig turned around and began to walk in the direction of the only exit from the basement, "We'll have a little chat before we introduce you to our city...

"If I may ask Mr. Kenway, how many languages are you fluent in, and how would you consider your knowledge?"

'Ah, there it is. I was wondering what took you so long to show it.' A small smile formed on his face as he followed the man, as he easily detected the slight contempt in the tone. 

'The discrimination against the low I.Q. If you're an idiot, you can forget about staying here.'

Honestly, he found it hugely ironic and hypocritical that a Church that preaches knowledge is power would be so harsh in judging people who, in their eyes, are dumb or not sharp enough for their tastes.

'If you are not a genius, you can forget about rising through the ranks. And if you're stupid, they won't shake their hands at kicking you out.'

'This is another reason why I don't want Serena to take the Reader's potion; I'm sure to even give it to her, she'll have to go through some kind of exam, and they'll tear her apart.' Sighing inwardly, the redhead nodded to Zelig and replied in perfect Elvish.

"I can speak Loen, Feysac, ancient Feysac, Hermes, ancient Hermes, Jotum, Dragonic, and Elvish. I consider my mystic knowledge to be quite good, and if you like, I have no problem demonstrating it". Every few words, Adryan switched between the languages he knew and demonstrated his mastery of them.

The slight contempt in Zelig's eyes disappeared and was replaced by a warm welcome.

"Oh, that's wonderful to hear. And don't worry about your mystical knowledge. Lord Isengard filled us in on that." Turning and looking at the man's face, he continued, "Sequence 7 in less than 2 months, that's all-" 

"6" Adryan interrupted with a small grin, and Zelig's pacing stopped for a moment.

"...Excuse me?"

The red-haired man's grin only grew as he saw the older man's confused face. "I am now Sequence 6 and have fully digested my potion."

The man's eyebrows rose until they disappeared into the hood of his robe before dropping as quickly as they rose. The warmth in his gaze grew stronger and even a gentle smile graced his face," That's wonderful to hear Mr. Kenway, I hope you don't mind if we confirm that later."

Shaking his head, Adryan replied, "Not at all. So, where were we going?"

Realizing they had been left standing in the middle of the hallway, Zelig resumed walking. "I'm sorry. I was just surprised by your words. Now I see why we agreed to take you in despite what you did. A mind like that can't just wander off without leaving his contribution."

'Oh, you have no idea, ' Adryan laughed darkly as he followed the man. His team behind him looked confused, except for the older members.

One thing that was stressed a lot in the original story was how the more capable you were, the better you would be treated in this Church. That's why Adryan didn't shy away from revealing that he was now a fully digested Sequence 6.

'The more value I show them, the better the investment they will put in me!'

He knew that the only reason they could walk through the Holy Temple was his deal with the Church.

His priority now was to add more reasons to stay.

...

The corridors of the Holy Temple of Knowledge were not unlike the basement from which they emerged. The same white marble covered the floor while the columns stood tall and proud, no longer covered in mysterious symbols.

Unlike what the team expected, the corridors were empty. The only sounds in them were their footsteps.

"It is safest to keep our arrival a secret. After all, the Church is hiding a criminal wanted by the whole world. It would look bad if it were discovered that you were here," Flora commented nonchalantly as she watched from her VIP seat, silently wishing she had popcorn.

For obvious reasons, Adryan didn't comment on the matter; he just continued on his way behind Zelig, who, although he had lost his warmth, still kept that little smile from before.

After a few long minutes of walking and climbing some spiral stairs, the group arrived at a large door with fine silver details.

Zelig stepped forward and gave a few gentle knocks.

"Come in."

A distinctly male voice answered behind the door, and with a nod, the older man opened it and moved to the side to allow them through.

"This is as far as I go. I hope we can talk another time, Mr. Adryan. I'm sure you have much to tell."

Smiling calmly at the man, the red-haired man merely nodded and entered, followed by his team. As soon as Maric entered, Zelig closed the door, and Adryan could hear his footsteps recede into the distance until they disappeared.

Leaving the old man aside, the red-haired man turned his attention to the person who stood with his back to them and was reading a book as if they weren't there.

His shiny, hairless head glistened slightly in the light provided by the office's huge windows. His robes were similar to Zelig's but were much more detailed. Around his neck hung a necklace with the symbol of the church.

The office was much larger than it appeared on the outside, the walls of the room were made up of huge bookshelves that were filled with books and more books. The smell of the place reminded the red-haired man of walking into his old university library to study for his exam.

The man in robes calmly closed the book in his hands. He turned around, and his deep eyes finally fell on the group behind him.

"Welcome, Mr. Kenway... I hope the Temple is to your liking." His voice was soft and wise, an old man with great years of experience behind him. 

A small shiver ran up the spines of those present. Serena and Jerry felt discomfort and hid better behind the group while Xio, Fors, Sasha, and Opera tensed up.

While on their side, Adryan, Maric, and Sarron managed to hide their reaction much better, but a little discomfort still showed.

A small pressure emanated from the man that was almost imperceptible but could still be felt, a force that squeezed the minds of those present wishing to open them to new doors of knowledge.

A sharp smile formed on the red-haired man's face as he looked at the bald man in front of him. Wasting no time, the red-haired man gave an elegant bow as he placed his hand over his beating heart.

"It is an honor to be in your presence."

"Princess, remember the words of that old man. Keep your mouth shut!" Flora stressed earnestly.

'You don't need to tell me Miss Worm.' The redhead thought as he maintained his stance, which was quickly copied by the rest of his team.

Adryan had no doubt the man in front of them was a demigod!

So, swallowing his desire to provoke the lamp head, Adryan showed his 'respect'. He was now something that could hardly be called a guest; it was better to avoid insulting the agency that was covering his ass!

The man in front of them nodded calmly, and while his eyes were watching everyone present, Adryan could feel them watching him in particular.

"I am the Archbishop in charge of the Holy Temple. My name is Thaddeus von Hohenberg..."

The Demigod introduced himself calmly, his eyes closing before opening again.

His expression hardened slightly. In an instant, the man's black eyes turned golden, and the pupil sharpened like that of a reptile.

"Mr. Kenway, we have honored our side of the bargain. It is time for you to honor yours and reveal the information you claim to possess about the Aurora Order."

The pressure was further increased and before Adryan could react, tentacles of shadows shot out of his own shadow and wrapped around his legs and arms, forcing him to his knees.

Adryan's expression remained calm, and his face never expressed any emotion other than pure calm. Curious, the red-haired man rolled his eyes as best he could and watched as his team stood frozen in place, their eyes clouded and their expressions numb.

"Hypnosis, huh? Nice trick." Adryan complimented, amused, before tentacles of shadows wrapped around his head and forced him to look straight ahead.

Thaddeus had moved and was now standing in front of him, his golden reptilian eyes regarding him with cold calculation.

"I recommend you speak quickly, Mr. Kenway. We have had enough patience with you, and you continue to provoke us.

"If the information isn't as good as you promised-

"What will you do? Kill me? "Adryan cut the demigod off with a small smile, his eyes glinting knowingly.

The demigod's brow furrowed, and his eyes glowed brighter.

"Adryan, you better know what you're doing," Flora whispered, causing the redhead's grin to grow wider and reveal his teeth.

"If you were allowed to kill me, you would have done it already. Let me guess, the Man Upstairs told you that you can't?

"Tell me, what can your beady eyes see in my mind? You know what, you better not say it. I already know exactly what you're seeing..."

"..." Thaddeus said nothing. His sharp golden eyes returned to their normal appearance, but his frown remained furrowed.

"You can't see anything right. I imagien it must be frustrating." Adryan laughed in amusement, but the Archbishop just stared at him.

"You're running out of time, Mr. Kenway." Ignoring the man's provocation, the demigod just stared coldly at the man beneath him.

Rolling his eyes, the red-haired man let out an exasperated sigh.

"I was getting to that. Geez, you guys never let people enjoy themselves in peace. Spoilsport."

Laughing some more at the end, Adryan looked at Thaddeus in the eyes. His scarlet eyes glowed as a sharp grin grew on his face.

"The Aurora Order managed to create a Vessel for the descent of the True Creator using the tragedy in Backlund. Right now, that Vessel is roaming the world freely without anyone knowing about it."

Every sound in the room died, and for the first time since the redhead saw him, the Archbishop's expression broke, and he looked incredulously at the red-haired man beneath him.

"Wh-what?!" Thaddeus cried out dumbfounded, his hands shaking with terror.

"What the fuck Adryan?!!! How do you know that?! This is a joke, right?! RIGHT?" Flora screamed, equally terrified as the man in front of them.

The vessel of an evil god walked the earth?!

"Fufufu..." A dark chuckle came from deep inside the red-haired man, who looked at the terrified demigod in front of him in satisfaction.

"What do you think, Mr. Thaddeus? Does this information satisfy you?" Adryan slithered each word like a snake as he tilted his head slightly.

Thaddeus paled and stepped back unconsciously. Before he could say or do anything, a sudden glow from his desk snapped him out of his shock.

Walking quickly over to it, the man opened the letter that appeared and read it. A shaky sigh escaped his lips, and the man lowered the letter with trembling hands.

Suddenly, the shadows that enveloped Adryan disappeared, and he was able to stand back calmly. 

"Argh... What happened..." Charlotte's groan sounded behind him, followed by the rest of the team.

"Nothing, I just kept my word with Mr. Thaddeus. Am I right?" Adryan asked with a sweet smile to the demigod who looked a little dazed.

After a few seconds, the Archbishop nodded tensely, and the letter in his hands flew with an invisible wind to Adryan, who took it gladly.

"The Church of the God of Wisdom and Knowledge officially welcomes you to Lenburg, Mr. Kenway," Thaddeus said with a slight bow.

"Thank you for the warm welcome~" Adryan said without looking at the Demigod as he read the letter in his hands with a small smile.

'Oh~ This is certainly interesting~' closing it and tucking it into a pocket of his black jacket. The Conspirator winked at the Demigod as he turned and walked towards the door to the stunned eyes of those present.

Stopping at the door, he turned and smiled mischievously.

"I hope the next time we meet, it will be over a cup of coffee and chocolate cookies. This welcome was somewhat regrettable." 

The corners of the Archbishop's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, and he could only give a slight nod.

"I will bear that in mind. Have a good stay."

Smiling sharply at the Demigod sharply, Adryan opened the door and exited being followed closely by the rest of his team who still didn't understand what had happened.

After walking far enough away from the office, the red-haired man heard a tired and resigned sigh inside him.

"Princess, you're out of your mind."