Chapter 497: The Aftermath Settles

An unprecedented “battle” had come to an end. The common folk had broken through the defenses of the grand cathedral, dragging the once untouchable clerics out into the streets to face the wrath of the people. The pent-up anger of the masses was finally unleashed, justice seemed to have been served, and everything appeared to have settled.

But for those who led and orchestrated these events, the aftermath was far from over.

As soon as the fighting inside the Lu’an Cathedral ceased, the White Knights sprang into action. They first gathered all the volunteer mercenaries and adventurer groups, ensuring order among the armed forces. Then they organized teams to haul the grain stored in the cathedral’s warehouses out to the square, distributing food to the people. Once the crowd had received their rations and calm began to return, a delegation composed of Lu’an citizens, mercenary representatives, and merchants set out to the outer districts to meet the Cecil Combat Battalion, which had been waiting outside the city.

Only after the Cecil Combat Battalion entered the city could the situation be considered tentatively stable.

Amber and Light emerged from the cathedral’s underground chambers, displaying fragments of Flambert’s tattered robes to the crowd. They told the people that the wicked bishop had been utterly consumed by the White Knights’ holy light. Though many regretted not witnessing Flambert’s death firsthand, the outcome was enough to send the populace into jubilant cheers. After all, given the reality of supernatural powers in this world, expecting Flambert to die beneath the stones and clubs of the commoners was unrealistic. From a safety and strategic standpoint, the elite White Knights’ surprise assassination of the Lu’an bishop had been a necessary part of the plan.

After these formalities, Amber and Light didn’t linger in the square. Instead, they quickly made their way to an unassuming residence on the edge of the cathedral district.

From the outside, the house looked ordinary, but the soldiers guarding the door and the two White Knights standing watch made its importance clear. Amber pushed open the door and, sure enough, saw a tall, familiar figure in the main room.

“So you really snuck in on the sly,” the half-elf woman said breezily as she approached, patting Gawain’s arm with a playful tap-tap-tap. “I knew it—you wouldn’t want to hide out in the rear for something this important…”

Gawain, clad in full armor, had sensed her presence before she entered. Turning around, he gave her a wry look. “What do you mean ‘snuck in on the sly’… Can you not use your spy jargon when talking about me?”

Amber crossed her arms, confident. “You came in with the troops but hid away all this time without showing yourself. If that’s not sneaking, what is?”

Gawain’s lips twitched. He looked at the newly appointed head of military intelligence, who had just pulled off a major feat. According to previous mission reports and the situation in Lu’an, this half-elf had been diligently working all these days, skillfully controlling everything with sharp, seasoned hands. He had expected to see a mature, reliable Amber—but instead, she was the same as ever…

How to put it? Half a minute ago, she was a ruthless, cunning spy leader out there, and the moment she stepped inside, she turned into a silly goose, wobbling over to him, poking her head close, and chattering nonstop…

Annoying, asking for a smack, and completely oblivious to it.

“Hey, why aren’t you saying anything?” Amber noticed Gawain’s silence and immediately started babbling again. “No way you’re actually taking it to heart… It’s just that you snuck into the city…”

Gawain quickly shook his head, trying to banish the mental image of a goose babbling incessantly in front of him. He glanced at Amber. “This was a highly dangerous operation, prone to unexpected developments. Civilians storming a supernaturally empowered cathedral—even with the White Knights and many volunteer mercenaries as vanguard—was bound to spiral out of control. Especially considering the suspicious circumstances you mentioned about Flambert… I had to come personally to oversee things and prevent any accidents.”

Amber blinked, her pointed ears twitching slightly, a strange smile playing on her lips. “Really…”

“Really what?”

“Nothing,” Amber shook her head. “Flambert did act strangely. Honestly, it was a bit dangerous at the time, but luckily it turned out to be a false alarm. Big guy, where’s that crystal?”

Light, who had been quietly standing nearby, stepped forward when Amber called him. He didn’t mind the nickname and pulled from his container a faintly glowing, pale golden crystal that looked as if it had been forged from light itself. “My lord, here it is.”

Gawain took the crystal with some surprise. “What… is this?”

Amber shrugged. “Believe it or not, this is Flambert’s remains. The rest of his body was burned away by the holy light—only this thing is left.”

Gawain’s eyes widened. How could a holy light bishop’s body leave behind a relic like this? Was Flambert some kind of high monk?

He kept his thoughts to himself, instead fixing Amber with a curious look. “What exactly happened?”

Clearing her throat, Amber began to vividly recount her and Light’s experience. “Here’s the story: we found…”

Gawain furrowed his brow, listening carefully to every detail Amber described. Ignoring the embarrassing self-praise from the elf, he gradually pieced together the entire operation to kill Flambert in his mind.

He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the temporary Lu’an bishop’s death.

It seemed Flambert had prepared an ambush in the prayer chamber. Somehow, he had gained strange powers and set a deadly trap in the room. But he clearly hadn’t anticipated the White Knights’ tactics—they bypassed the usual “enter secret chamber, disarm traps, fight enemies” routine and instead blew up the entire chamber before entering. Flambert’s ambush was cut short before it even began.

Then, the half-dead man pretended to be struggling to revive himself, hoping to spring another trap. But he miscalculated again—Amber’s faith was sharp, Light could break mental seals on his own, and the other White Knights were terrifyingly resilient to the holy light due to their new doctrine. Flambert’s final attempt fizzled out, and he was thoroughly finished.

Honestly, it was a frustrating way to die. It would have been better to be publicly stoned to death in the cathedral by the people—at least then he might have made the papers, or even become a case study…

Thinking about it made the death feel even more humiliating.

After Amber finished, Light added some details, and Gawain stared thoughtfully at the crystal in his hand.

The crystal was indeed “dead,” but it still emitted a faint warmth and glow. Within the shimmer, countless shifting shadows flickered, as if Flambert’s hollow soul still echoed inside, unwilling to accept death. When Gawain held the translucent crystal up to the sun, he could see faint ripples on the surface of the great solar disk through it—

This ripple effect proved the crystal had strong magical coherence. It was a crystallization born in a powerful magical environment and contained stable magic itself.

Could a human body really produce such a crystal?

Or… had Flambert tried to use some kind of crystalline holy artifact to boost his power, but the ritual backfired, turning him into a flesh-and-crystal hybrid monster?

Or maybe… Flambert was just holding a crystal-made magic tool behind the door, waiting to ambush intruders, but when the door opened, the White Knights mercilessly threw in a bunch of explosives, blowing him and the crystal to bits…

Gawain shuddered. His third theory was too wild and absurd. Though entertaining to think about, in this sword-and-sorcery world, it was better to stick to the local logic.

Seeing Gawain’s changing expression, Light stepped forward and asked, “Do you have any ideas, my lord?”

“Not at the moment…” Gawain said, but halfway through, a sudden flash of insight struck him, as if he’d caught a clue he almost missed. “Wait… I think I remember something…”

Amber and Light immediately quieted down. After a moment’s thought, Gawain finally grasped the fleeting piece of information. “Do you remember when Kamail and Nicholas described the early ‘Divine Aberrations’ created by the Gondor Empire? The initial failed ‘Divine Aberrations’ had a characteristic: crystals growing within human flesh…”

“Divine Aberrations?” Amber’s eyes widened. “You mean… Flambert tried to transform himself into one?”

Gawain considered carefully. “Not necessarily… I suspect this is just a byproduct of a failed experiment. According to Kamail’s intelligence, all Gondor’s human descendants carry the genetic factor for Divine Aberrations. In other words, with the right external stimulus, any human might become a ‘Divine Aberration’… But the Gondor Empire’s technology eventually stabilized and neutralized this factor, safely embedding it in humans. That’s why no uncontrolled aberrations have appeared among ordinary people for centuries. But who can guarantee it will never mutate again?”

Amber and Light exchanged thoughtful looks. Gawain sighed softly. “It’s a pity… no clues remain. We may never fully understand what happened to Flambert—a mere mid-level cleric suddenly gaining such power.”

Light’s face showed a hint of regret. “My lord, our operation was too reckless…”

“No, your plan was sound. It was the best option. Losing clues was unavoidable—it was a battlefield,” Gawain waved his hand. “And my Divine Aberration theory is just a guess. Fortunately, you found this crystal. I can take it back to Kamail for analysis—maybe we’ll uncover something.”

Putting the matter aside for now, Gawain exhaled and smiled at Amber and Light.

“In any case, everything went smoothly. Well done.”

Light immediately straightened and said solemnly, “The holy light guides me.”

Amber waved her hand. “It’s not over yet. Lu’an might still be unstable. Let the rookies handle the rest.”

Gawain nodded gently. He knew Amber was right—the events in Lu’an might have reached a pause, but the work of pacification and reconstruction was only just beginning.

The enraged people unleashed a storm of action that shattered the oppressive grip of the clergy. Yet without timely and effective follow-up guidance and the rebuilding of order, such uprisings easily spiral into uncontrollable violence and prolonged chaos. Thanks to the efforts of the White Knights, Cecil’s soldiers, and representatives from the common folk, the first phase of restoring stability has been successfully set in motion. This uprising did not immediately descend into lawlessness, but whether the city will endure long-term turmoil now depends on the intelligence agents and the propaganda department.

To restore Luan City’s core functions as quickly as possible, a new governing body recognized and accepted by the locals must be established. The city needs to be integrated swiftly into the Cecil system. At the same time, the events in Luan must be publicized throughout the realm, highlighting the positive impact of this movement to the greatest extent. Vigilance is also required against sabotage and counterattacks from the stubborn remnants of the old church…

There is a mountain of work ahead, but at least the hardest part has been overcome.

(End of chapter)