28 Card of Blasphemy

The Capital, Kingdom of Aelius.

The magnificent city was shrouded in a depressing atmosphere, as the majority of people walked around in black clothes, most of them heading towards the cemetery.

Cries and sobs could be heard from everywhere, as some relatives clutched a photograph of their loved one tightly in their hands. While some ladies exiting the carriage in black gowns were dazed and their eyes dimmed, as if they couldn't accept the harsh reality.

The church bells ringing and echoing around the city were the only thing that managed to pull them out of their states and make them continue on with their lives, as this gave them a faint sense of support for they remembered their faith.

They hoped that their loved ones would find eternal rest in God's kingdom.

In a lavish restaurant in the city's central square - a waitress was carrying a plate of three glasses of wine while walking.

She finally came to a halt in front of the last table in the row, which had three unusual guests.

"Your drinks are ready, sir." The waitress placed the drinks in front of the gentleman who had ordered first, followed by others.

"Would you like to order some food?" Then she inquired. "Is there something wrong with the service?" She asked, as she noticed the strange expressions of the two people who accompanied the gentleman.

"We travelled a long way to get here. So, you know..." The gentleman in the black tuxedo spoke in their stead, smiling and trailing off at the end.

"I understand." The waitress gave a nod. "Do you want to exchange with refersments instead?"

"It's all right." The lady with gold-rimmed glasses over her eyes spoke up, and the blonde-haired man next to her nodded in agreement.

"We'll place our order later." The gentleman finally said.

Then, she nodded and left them alone.

They were none other than Aucuces, Lucas, and Diana, who decided to go around the city after the situation with the evil spirit was resolved, on the suggestions of Aucuces.

They toured the city, even visiting a cemetery, the ruins caused by the disaster and even cathedral, led by Aucuces.

To be honest, it was too strange for Lucas and Diana to go to the cathedral where the mass about their lord was taking place, with their lord with them.

They were aware, however, that their lord was simply inspecting the damage and loss caused by the disaster. They didn't understand though, why they had to go there and see everything when their lord could just use his authority.

"Drink it," Aucuces said as he noticed them still in a daze.

They nodded and started drinking their wine, both were thinking the same thing in their heads.

'Lord has really gained more humanity!'

Diana was astounded when she realised this. Because her perception of gods had been refreshed as she travelled with her lord.

She could see a distinct change in her lord now and she an even clearly sense her lord's humanity, for her lord didn't bother to even hide it.

While Lucas had previously guessed it, but he has now personally confirmed it.

"Lord, the blood moon.." Lucas finally asked the most important question for which they needed an answer.

The entire incident was disastrous, and he and Diana were frequently called upon to deal with it. It was a real pain for them without the other two, Angel of Temperance and Angel of Miracles, where one situation was not so good and the other was still within the Solomon Empire.

The sudden appearance of the blood moon stunned them, because the blood moon had not appeared on the world since the fall of the ancestor of the blood race.

They also knew that when the blood moon appeared, various gods took action. For a brief moment, they believed an all-out gods war had erupted.

They had previously prayed to their Lord about this, but he had not responded specifically to them.

Diana put down the wine and focused, but she had a feeling it had something to do with a previous incident that had happened to her. She also intended to inquire about it later.

"That.." Aucuces, who was enjoying his wine, paused when he heard the question. He finally put down his glass and said. "When the time comes, you'll know. It is not yet safe for you."

He was just making an excuse because he didn't want to talk about this.

Aucuces had his own time alone for two weeks, during which he rested. He was also constantly double-checking himself because he was overly cautious, due to fact, he was facing a once-pillar with many methods that humans cannot comprehend.

He was fine in the end, but his alone time wasn't without incident. Because of what happened during the blood moon, the prayers and cries of angels and others poured into his mind.

And, the number of souls entering his kingdom increased exponentially, forcing him to concentrate on the situation at hand.

To be honest, he didn't think the situation would reach this level on a global scale at first. But, this huge disaster didn't cause any waves in his heart in the least. He did, however, visit some of the affected areas to assess the situation first-hand and how much it affected his kingdom.

Then he repeatedly blessed Lucas, Diana, and some saints from his church in order to assist them. This is also when he became aware of the situation with the black knight.

"Is there any other significant news?" Aucuces intrerrputed them, who still wanted to ask more.

Diana and Lucas were a little disappointed because, despite everything, they still didn't get the answer for their lord.

"This is the most recent news, Milord."

Nonetheless, Diana responded, taking the newspaper from the very space that rippled as she did so.

Aucuces sighed as he read the newspaper and saw how the history had changed at the moment.

"The greatest invention of the epoch : Steam Engine."

It was boldly stated in the headlines.

He wasn't surprised; he knew artisan could do it after receiving all of the knowledge.

Artisan's titles weren't just there as a joke. He was truly a most talented amongst of all.

And, because of this, the entire fourth epoch will undergo a significant shift.

'I can't believe I'll be witnessing the industrial revolution so soon...' Aucuces thought with some complexity, however, he pushed away this thoughts.

Then he took out a brown book and began to carry out his first plan, which he still remembers.

He pushed the newspaper aside and opened the book, much to Diana and Lucas's surprise.

Aucuces finally came to a halt in the pages where the entire sequence of hermit pathway was present.

It's the same book where he previously gathered all of knowledge, when he went to save Diana.

He used his authority of "order", while pressing his index finger on the writings in the book.

The power of knowledge in the book is far from ordinary, because it contains the entire path of god and it directly came from the uniqueness itself.

The information emerged from the book and quickly became corporeal. Then, under his "Order" authority, they gathered and morphed together.

It eventually formed a card, which floated in front of them.

The card depicted an elderly man standing alone on the summit of a mountain, holding a lantern in his right hand and a long staff in his left.

The hermit!

Aucuces snatched the card from the air and slid it across the table to Diana.

"This is the card of blasphemy....."