Chapter Thirty: Chloe

The Church offered no resistance, only a verbal protest?

This was wrong, deeply wrong. The Church was no pushover; as the state religion of the Empire, the Candlelight Order possessed a history even longer than the Empire itself.

Its control over the various regions of the Empire was in no way inferior to that of the Imperial family. Even on a small island like Castle, there was a church—and this was no recent construction. Long before the pirates took control here, the reach of the Candlelight Order had already extended deep into the region. In many remote areas, the local farmers might not know the name of the Emperor, but they certainly knew the names of the priests and nuns in the local chapel.

Regardless of the circumstances, the Church’s reaction did not befit such a colossal entity. There had to be some unknown secret hidden beneath the surface.

"We’re here, my lord. This is the place." Connor pulled on the reins and brought the horse to a stop outside the church courtyard.

Huss drew the horse to a halt and looked up at the building before him. It was a tall, spire-topped structure; aside from the metal emblem at the peak, which still looked relatively new, the entire building was weathered by the passage of time.

To put it simply, it was quite dilapidated.

"My lord, there used to be a resident priest here. After he passed away from an illness, the Church never sent a replacement. Now, there is only one nun managing the daily affairs."

A resident priest was essentially the overseer of a remote church, belonging to the third rank in the Church hierarchy. Typically, small chapels had little contact with the central organization; it was entirely possible the Church didn't even know what the situation was here.

Huss let his gaze linger on the shattered glass of the windows and the boards hastily nailed over them, then walked inside without comment.

He had not given notice of his arrival, so naturally, no one was there to greet him. As he walked through the courtyard, seeing the vegetable patch planted there, Huss felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. It was slightly run-down, but kept clean and orderly, reminding him of his old home back on Blue Star.

Pity that was so long ago.

He pushed open the heavy church doors. The rotten hinges let out a creaking groan, and a clear female voice called out from within, sounding rather anxious:

"Don't push! Lift the door up before you push! You're going to knock the panel right off!"

A girl in a black nun’s habit ran over, shot Huss a glare, and lifted the door panel to nudge it back into place.

"How many times have I said—why are you still... hmm? Who are you?"

She wedged the door panel against a triangular wooden block and stood with her hands on her hips, looking him over. Her eyes flickered with confusion as she scanned the fine attire of Huss and his companion, eventually landing on the crest at Huss’s collar. She froze.

Then, as if struck by a thought, she clapped her hands together, a look of sudden realization dawning on her. "You’re that new Lord, um..."

"Huss."

"Right, right, right, Huss. I heard the people coming for confession say you claimed you were going to impart knowledge to them, for free."

She then seemed to realize that standing with her hands on her hips was hardly appropriate. She quickly lowered her arms, pulled her legs together, and tried to subtly hide her mud-stained leather shoes behind her.

"My Lord, I am pleased—well, honored, that... you have come to the church for confession..." She strained to soften her voice, trying to appear delicate—or at least, not too intimidating. She had to be careful not to scare off this new Lord; after all... "Are you here to deliver... a donation?"

*Of course not. Get lost, I'm already dirt poor.*

"Yes, I am." Huss smiled elegantly and gestured for Connor to take out his coin purse. Amidst Connor’s pained expression, Huss counted out a few coins and handed them to the nun.

The nun reached out to take them, then hesitated, turning back to retrieve a ledger to record the transaction first before accepting the money.

"Thank you for your support of the Church. May the candlelight in the darkness always guide your path, and may you be fearless in your pursuit of the light." The nun folded her hands and bowed to Huss.

Watching the earnest young woman, Huss found it somewhat amusing. "Is it just you in the church now?"

"There is also an assistant priest, but he was injured some time ago and cannot manage the church affairs. You may come to me for anything you need." She looked up. "My religious name is Chloe."

Chloe. The storm petrel. Taken from the seventy-two line epic describing the creation myth. Few used such a name; it carried a tragic quality. The storm petrel spent its whole life chasing storms, only to sleep forever within one.

Huss smiled, noncommittal, and paced through the church. He looked at the pews, which were worn but immaculately clean, and asked, "What kind of activities does the church hold now?"

"Activities?" Chloe tilted her head in confusion. "There is only me... two of us now. If we can get enough people, we hold services. You know how it is—the believers here are mostly fishermen. They live at the mercy of the elements; when the weather is good, they must go out to sea to fish, so they cannot come."

"I recall there being many craftsmen on the island who brew sweet fruit wine?"

"Yes, but they are much more stable. The island never lacks fruit for brewing. As long as they work hard, they can make wine. They control their own fate, so why would they come to the church?"

Huss was taken aback. He turned to look at Chloe, who wore an expression of utter indifference. "It is the truth, sir."

Huss truly had not expected such profound clarity from a nun. Indeed, people only prayed when faced with things entirely beyond their control. The dying in hospitals were often the most devout. This was, in fact, one reason why clergy often moonlighted as physicians. Yet, hearing it from a nun was somewhat surreal.

Huss gave Chloe a deep, searching look and bypassed the topic. "Are there any activities where the doctrine is explained?"

That was his true purpose in coming here. He knew little of the Church and figured it best to start with the doctrine to see how they described the alien races; that would essentially reflect their stance.

"Doctrine..." Chloe looked troubled, biting her lip in hesitation before speaking. "I am only a nun; I don't actually know much about the doctrine. Usually, I just listen to confessions and maintain the church's daily operations."

"Isn't there another cleric in the church? I recall you mentioned a priest?"

Those called priests were at least second-rank clergy. They were required to pass examinations on the doctrine and should have a solid understanding of the scriptures. Explaining the doctrine should be a simple matter.

"His situation is... rather special," Chloe said hesitantly.

Suddenly, the door to the inner chambers of the church creaked, and a tall man opened it.

Huss’s gaze locked onto the priest’s robes he wore.