Chapter 125: Meeting the Chaplain

"Do I look okay?"

"Yes, you look amazing, Brother!"

"Really? This is a little uncomfortable..."

"It’s just because you’re not used to it yet, Boss. That suit is carefully crafted with high quality materials by the skilled tailors in the whole fortress!"

"If you say so..." Regis stood in front of the mirror as he tried adjusting his collar.

Currently, he had a strange expression on his face as he tried moving his arms around and looking at himself from different angles.

The elegant black suit he was wearing was the so-called formal attire commonly used between noble gatherings.

Since they had been formally invited by the head of the Light Temple Corelli Branch, they ought to make themselves look as presentable as possible.

In fact, Killian and Pandora also sported their own elegant outfits as they both sat inside the carriage.

Like Regis, Killian also wore an elegant suit with the only differing aspect being its brown color.

On the other hand, a beautiful black dress softly cascaded down Pandora’s legs.

She was also wearing various jewelries and accessories that complemented her attire, bringing forth her elegance.

Killian had also made her try something called "heels", but she couldn’t walk with it so they had to make do with flat footwear.

At this moment, Regis glanced at Killian and asked, "Still, I didn’t expect the carriage to be this steady..."

"Heh, this carriage is only one of the two of its kind in the whole fortress with the other owner being the Orpheus Family. This carriage has the latest suspension system that originated from the Royal Capital."

Killian ranted proudly about the carriage of his family while rubbing his nose smugly.

Seeing this, Pandora only rolled her eyes with an annoyed expression as she looked outside the window.

The busy streets of the Corelli Fortress greeted her sight.

Children were playing, merchants were bargaining, workers were sweating, people were doing their own things.

’It’s just like Toran...’

Remembering her hometown, a somewhat nostalgic look appeared in her eyes.

Regis soon stopped checking himself out in the mirror and sat back beside Killian, facing Pandora in front of him.

Seeing that she seemed to be in deep thought, he didn’t disturb her and went to look out the window.

"Oh my, that girl looks awesome..."

However, it had only been a few seconds before Killian’s mutterings soon broke the peaceful atmosphere.

***

"We’re here!"

The coachman shouted, catching the attention of Regis, Pandora, and Killian.

"I guess this is it, huh..."

Regis spoke with a somewhat nervous tone.

"Relax, Boss. Chaplain Alexis is very kind so he won’t pressure us or anything like that."

Appreciating Killian’s attempt at comforting him, Regis smiled, ’That’s not exactly why I’m nervous, though...’

That was right.

He was in fact nervous because of his fear of being exposed.

However, he steeled himself and got down the carriage along with his companions, ’It’s going to be fine. He didn’t detect my demonic power last time, so it should be fine...’

Regis continuously comforted himself internally as they walked inside the Temple of Light.

Creak—

The double door opened as a nun greeted them, "Greetings, Esteemed Guests. The Chaplain has been waiting for you in his office."

Regis greeted back and followed behind the nun along with Pandora and Killian.

The short journey was uneventful as they all remained silent until they arrived in front of a door with the emblem of a cross.

Tok— Tok—

"What is it?"

A voice was heard from the other side as the nun knocked on the door.

"Chaplain, the Esteemed Guests are here."

"What do you mea– Oh, I remember now. Let them come in."

The nun opened the door for the three children, before bowing towards Alexis and leaving promptly.

’Shit...’

Regis closed his eyes and calmly cursed in his mind.

Alexis was still the same as before with his long blonde hair that fell past his shoulders and radiant silver eyes.

"Long time no see. I can tell that you’ve been recovering these past few days..."

He hurriedly moved the documents on his table to the side while gesturing towards the sofa, "Come, take a seat first."

"Thank you, Sir." Regis spoke as they promptly sat at the sofa.

Hearing his anxious tone, Alexis glanced at them and chuckled, "There’s no need to be nervous. I didn’t invite you here to prosecute you or anything like that. I just like to have a little chat with you."

After he finished cleaning his table, he went and sat at the sofa in front of the three.

"Before I start, would the three of you perhaps want a drink? Water? Juice? Milk?"

Regis glanced at Killian and Pandora before shaking his head with a smile, "We’re fine, thanks for the offer."

"Hm, well if that’s the case..." Alexis leaned forwards with his hands supporting his chin.

"I just want to thank you all for the contributions that you have made not only towards the Temple of Light, but also to the human territory as a whole."

Seeing him bow his head, the three were flabbergasted as Regis replied, "Chaplain, please raise your head. We only did our duties as humans..."

Upon hearing him, Alexis looked at him and smiled, "I’m glad that you have that mindset despite being so young."

"With children like you, I can be assured that people turning to damned demonic humans will decrease."

The hatred in his voice was apparent, making Regis gulp subconsciously.

An intangible pressure also made breathing heavier for both Pandora and Killian, making them heave and cough.

Noticing this, Alexis seemed to snap out of his rumination, "My apologies, it looks like I have been carried away."

"Do you happen to have some bad memories regarding demonic humans, Chaplain?"

Hearing Killian ask a question, Regis felt even more nervous, ’Can we please just move on to the next topic...’

Fortunately, Alexis didn’t seem to be interested in talking about it as he only replied, "Yes, though it’s not something I wish to remember..."

"Anyways..." He clapped his hand as he looked at the three in admiration.

"As the Chaplain of the Light Temple here in the fortress, I would like to reward you because of your great contributions."

After a moment, he added, "Of course, I don’t wish anything in return. Rest assured as this is just my way of thanking you in the place of Ligera."

"Ligera...!?"

Not only Regis, Killian was also dumbfounded as they heard his words.

Meanwhile, Pandora only listened from the side. She had little to no interest and wasn’t even aware of what Ligera was.

"That’s right. By inviting you here, I’m expressing the gratitude of both me and the Holy Kingdom itself."

"You see, the research materials you have given us are just that valuable. It will greatly help us look into what the demons are planning, specifically the corpse of the chimera you had surrendered."

Upon mentioning the chimera, a serious expression appeared on his face, "We are still trying to analyze the corpse, but I can already tell that those damned demons are up to something again."

Alexis continued talking about the corpse of the chimera and what they had found out so far, as well as the soul core of the Four Star Realm Lich.

After a few minutes later, he finished talking and clapped his hands, "Well, that’s enough of the boring parts."

Regis and Killian, who had been listening since earlier, relaxed.

Meanwhile, Pandora, who had been dozing off since earlier with her mouth opened, flinched and tried to act normal.

Alexis stood up and gestured for them to follow, to which the three obediently did so.

"I have been thinking of the best way to reward all of you. After all, I have also received orders from the headquarters to be more generous..."

Regis, Pandora, and Killian listened as they silently followed behind him.

"...and so, I have decided to let the three of you choose something from the treasury."

Regis and Killian glanced at one another with surprised expressions on their faces,

’What!?’

Was the thought in their minds.

Creak—

Alexis opened the luxurious golden door and smiled, "Please take your time to look around the treasury."

"A friendly reminder, choose what will aid your growth and what will be useful for you now, okay? The Corelli Branch is one of the largest branches of the Temple of Light outside Ligera and the Royal Capital."

As he heard his words, Regis was amazed as soon as he stepped inside the treasury.

It was like a hall where items encased in a cube of glass were neatly arranged in a uniform distance away from each other.

There were also plaques that described what each item could be used for and their effects.

Although it was called a treasury, it looked more like a museum.

Unbeknownst to Regis, an antique book that looked like it had survived milleniums was waiting for him quietly in the corner.

A book that would make him vastly stronger than he was right now.