Volume 2 – 3. Temple of Mercy
Some time later, the three of them arrived at Temple Vigil.
At the center of the district stood the Temple of Mercy, a sprawling multi-faith complex and the largest building in the Temple Core.
As they approached, a familiar blonde paladin walked toward them with a welcoming smile.
“Lucien, Sylphie, and Kira! I wasn't expecting to see the three of you together. What brings you here?”
It was Lynn.
Lucien chuckled.
“We ended up working together after... something came up.” He gave a small shrug. “We're here to see Gregorius.”
Apparently, Sylphie shared a relationship with Gregorius that was somewhere between mentor and student. She regularly came to learn from him while also helping care for the people living in Temple Vigil, so her visit wasn't unusual.
“Father Gregorius?” Lynn nodded without hesitation. “He's in the Rooftop Garden right now. Come on, I'll take you there.”
She quickly led them inside the temple.
The spacious hall on the first floor was lined with twelve statues, each depicting one of the gods. Kira looked around with undisguised curiosity, his ears twitching now and then as his gaze wandered from one statue to the next. Beside him, Sylphie's expression softened into quiet reverence, while Lucien simply took in the surroundings without saying a word.
After climbing several flights of stairs, they emerged onto the rooftop, where a modest garden had been built by the refugees themselves. Tomatoes, medicinal herbs, and flowering weeds grew side by side wherever space allowed, giving the place a slightly crowded but lovingly tended appearance.
Several young residents, including a handful of children, tended the garden together. Their cheerful voices drifted through the air, bringing a surprising warmth to the rooftop.
Among them, one figure immediately caught Lucien's eye.
A particularly tall, stooped old man in white robes was quietly tending to the plants.
“Father Gregorius, you have a few visitors.”
“Hm?”
The old man looked up at the sound of Lynn's voice. As he turned, a gentle smile spread across his weathered face, and his deep-set gray eyes moved from one visitor to the next. A hint of surprise flickered across his features before he let out a quiet, raspy chuckle.
“The three of you...” He shook his head with mild amusement. “I never would have expected to see you together.”
His gaze eventually settled on Lucien.
“And Lucien.” His expression softened further. “I never had the opportunity to thank you for what happened yesterday.” He inclined his head slightly. “Please forgive me for that.”
Lucien dismissed the apology with a casual wave.
“Don't worry about it. I was compensated well enough.”
His gaze briefly drifted toward Sylphie before returning to the old priest.
“Do you happen to have another Lightbringer besides yourself who's especially knowledgeable?” he asked. “There's something I'd like to discuss while you and Sylphie take care of whatever she came here for.”
Kira's ears immediately drooped.
“What about me?”
Lucien glanced at him.
“You're staying with Sylphie. Isolde sent you here to keep her company, remember?”
“You're supposed to accompany me too,” Sylphie said, looking at him with a faint tilt of her head. “Couldn't you just ask Father Gregorius yourself?”
Lucien gave a small shake of his head.
“My questions are... a little unusual.” A faint, self-conscious smile crossed his face. “Besides, I still don't know why you asked me to come here in the first place.”
Sylphie opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out.
The reason itself was simple.
She had simply wanted the chance to get to know Lucien a little better.
Growing up, Sylphie had heard countless stories portraying the Inferni as terrifying beings. Those tales had frightened her as a child, and when she first met Lucien earlier today, she couldn't help approaching him with a measure of caution.
Yet everything she had witnessed the whole day had steadily chipped away at those expectations.
Lucien's personality was, for the most part, no different from that of anyone else she had met. More importantly, none of the uncontrolled impulses people so often attributed to Inferni blood had shown themselves, not even once.
After a brief hesitation, she lowered her eyes.
“...I'll tell you later.” Her voice softened. “Will your questions take long?”
“They shouldn't.”
“I'll be helping with the garden while you're gone. If you can... please come back as soon as you're finished.”
“I'll do my best.”
Only then did Lucien turn toward Gregorius, who still wore the same gentle smile, while Lynn stood patiently beside him with a composed expression.
“You heard her, Gregorius.”
The old priest chuckled under his breath.
“I did indeed.” He looked to Lynn. “Please take him to Fauli.”
“Of course.”
With that, the group split up.
As they made their way through the temple corridors, Lynn was the first to break the silence.
“So,” she said, glancing at him with a faint smile, “how have you been?”
Lucien thought about the question for a moment before answering.
“...Pretty well, I guess.”
Looking back, he had adapted to this world with surprising speed after his transmigration. Then again, perhaps it wasn't adaptability at all. It felt more as though one situation after another had crashed into him without pause, leaving him no choice but to adjust if he wanted to survive.
Honestly, it really feels like I'm cursed to attract every unfortunate event the moment I arrived here…
The thought made him let out a quiet breath.
There were several things he wanted to learn while he still had the chance at Temple Vigil.
Foremost among them were the prevailing scholarly and religious theories surrounding the Eclipse, the original source of the creation myth Sylphie had recited earlier, and perhaps even the concept of alternate realities. Considering that places like the Planars truly existed, the last idea doesn’t feel nearly as far-fetched.
“How about you?” Lucien asked, turning the conversation back to Lynn.
Lynn let out a weary sigh.
“Not great.” She rubbed the back of her neck with a tired smile. “Leading the volunteer soldiers day after day is exhausting, y’know.”
“You don't get any days off?”
“Of course I do.” She shrugged lightly. “The problem is that when I finally get one, I'm so worn out that I end up spending the whole day lying in bed.” She laughed softly at herself before another sigh escaped her. “I'd love to go out and do something fun once in a while, but I never seem to have the energy.”
Lucien couldn't help smiling.
“Well, I guess we're not that different.”
Lynn chuckled.
“I suppose not.”
They continued through the temple in companionable silence for another minute before stopping outside a plain wooden door at the end of a quiet corridor.
Just before knocking, Lynn leaned toward him slightly and lowered her voice as though sharing a piece of gossip.
“Fauli's tiny,” she whispered, “but she's got a huge ego and an even worse temper whenever someone says something she considers stupid.” She paused for emphasis before adding, “Oh, and she can tell when people are lying, so don't even think about trying it. Just be honest... and maybe don't act quite as relaxed as you usually do.”
Lucien gave her a sidelong look.
“...I'll keep that in mind.”
Seemingly satisfied, Lynn knocked on the door and announced herself.
A calm voice answered immediately.
“Come in.”
Lynn pushed the door open, and the two of them stepped inside.
The room was small but packed nearly floor to ceiling with bookshelves, stacked documents, loose manuscripts, and labeled wooden storage boxes. An astrolabe rested on one side table beside several neatly arranged measuring instruments, while jars of ink, quills, and wax seals occupied another. Despite the overwhelming amount of material, everything was meticulously organized, giving the room the unmistakable feel of a scholar's workspace.
At the back of the room sat a sturdy wooden desk, where a genuinely petite woman—barely five feet tall, if Lucien had to guess—was calmly reviewing a document.
She's really small.
Even so, it was strangely difficult to think of her as childlike.
The way she carried herself, her composed posture, the cool and stern expression behind the monocle resting over one eye, and the practiced confidence with which she turned each page all gave the impression of someone who had long since outgrown her youthful appearance.
Her eyes lifted from the document, first settling on Lynn before shifting to Lucien. A faint crease appeared between her brows.
“Why have you brought someone with Inferni blood into my office, Lynn?” she asked evenly. “Are you trying to have my workplace torn apart?”
“Not at all, Fauli.” Lynn smiled with practiced ease. “He's only here to ask a few questions.”
“Is that so?”
Fauli's gaze sharpened as it settled fully on Lucien. Without taking her eyes off him, she adjusted the monocle over her right eye with one hand, studying him for several quiet seconds.
“You.” Her tone remained calm but carried an unmistakable edge. “Answer my question honestly.”
“I will.”
Lucien answered more politely than usual, deciding it was wiser not to test Lynn's warning.
“Do you intend to disrupt my office, damage my research, or believe that the disorderly instincts of your Inferni blood will eventually compel you to do so?”
“No.”
Fauli watched him in silence for another moment.
“Hm.”
She raised her chin ever so slightly, as though reaching a conclusion.
“Well, it seems your Inferni blood is fairly dilute.” She set the document aside and folded her hands atop the desk. “Now then, what is it you wish to ask? I don't have much time, so get to the point.”
Lucien looked around the room one last time before returning his gaze to her.
Between the books, instruments, and meticulously ordered documents, he had a feeling he'd come to the right person.
Whether she would actually answer him, however, was another matter entirely.