Ciel smiled and said, “Prepare a larger private prayer room for me. Bring them down one by one. I will personally explain the scriptures to them. Every brother and sister will have their turn.”

“Really?!”

Hearing Ciel’s words, the maid’s excitement was palpable. She took a moment to compose herself before saying, “I will prepare it immediately!”

Soon, the maid had arranged a private prayer room for Ciel. After ensuring Ciel was settled inside, she rushed upstairs to bring down the first transcendent.

Word quickly spread that the “Bishop” was offering private scripture readings and imparting supreme knowledge from the Mother Goddess. Everyone eagerly awaited their chance to meet the Bishop. Each person called down had an irrepressible fervor and excitement on their face.

...

Twenty-one hours later.

A carriage sped along a narrow road, quickly coming to a stop before Deton Manor.

Bang—

Bang bang bang bang—

Bullets tore through the carriage’s rear window, piercing the coachman’s head. The brown horse pulling the carriage also had its head blown off by the gunfire.

Kitty, breathing heavily, stumbled out of the carriage, dragging a sack behind her. Her entire body was soaked in blood, and she couldn’t even summon her white shadows to help her carry the bag.

“Help me dispose of this!”

Kitty, wearing her black chip mask, looked towards the front of the manor, but frowned when she saw that the usual attendants were nowhere to be found.

“Mother Goddess above... those lazy hounds...”

Kitty cursed under her breath, laboriously dragging the bloodstained sack step by step towards the manor entrance.

Something inside the sack seemed to be struggling, but a swift kick from Kitty silenced it for the moment.

“Damn heretic scum... Let’s see if you’re still this tough when you meet the Bishop.”

Kitty spat, paused to catch her breath, then continued dragging the sack through the entrance.

She didn’t go through the main hall but quickly hauled the sack to the side, opened the door to the reception hall, looked around to confirm no guests were present, and dragged the sack inside.

As soon as she entered the reception hall, Kitty was hit by an indescribable stench. She looked towards the chip-laden desk and saw the corpse slumped there, already starting to decompose in the heat. It had clearly been dead for some time.

What happened here?

Kitty frowned but couldn’t dwell on it.

Capturing Uris had taken longer than the Bishop’s deadline. She had to reach the underground sanctuary quickly before the Bishop lost patience.

Despite ambushing Uris while being of the same rank, she had almost lost the fight. The thought filled Kitty with shame and anger.

Passing through the reception hall, Kitty dragged the sack to another hidden passage, opened it, and hurried down the stairs, dragging the sack behind her.

Hearing the pained cries from the person inside the sack as they were dragged along, Kitty felt a surge of satisfaction.

“Hurts, doesn’t it? Cry now while you can,” Kitty taunted with a chuckle as she ran. “You won’t be laughing when you meet the Bishop.”

Thump—

She kicked open the secret door and saw the empty sanctuary.

Breathing in the cool underground air, Kitty finally felt like she was home.

Aside from the persistent metallic smell of her own blood due to her broken nose, nothing felt out of place. The underground sanctuary always brought her a sense of peace.

Especially when she looked at the grand, faceless idol in the main hall. The memory of the previous Bishop leading all the brothers and sisters in worship, a scene of thriving prosperity, was still vivid in her mind.

After this plan succeeded, she would request this Bishop to lead another worship service, allowing everyone to experience the Mother Goddess’s grace up close.

As Kitty’s gaze shifted towards the side corridor entrance, a unfamiliar figure clad in black robes made her pause momentarily.

But she quickly recovered, dragging the sack towards the side corridor and stopping before the figure.

“A... Sister,” Kitty almost called out the person’s name but quickly corrected herself. “Where is the Bishop?”

Adele had been treated. The most brutal part of this judgment was something the Bishop wanted to carry out herself. Kitty couldn’t spoil the Bishop’s anticipation.

Adele, shrouded in black robes, raised a bandaged hand, opened the side corridor door, and pointed towards the cell where she had been held earlier.

Is the Bishop still waiting? In that case, she probably won’t hold my lateness against me...

“Follow me.”

A grin spread across Kitty’s face as her gaze shifted from Adele to the sack at her side.

She was already imagining the look of despair on the High Priest’s face when judged by the Bishop.

This was the fate all heretics deserved.

Kitty dragged the sack and stopped at the cell door, lowering her head. Adele stepped forward and knocked.

Knock, knock, knock—

The wooden door opened, but at that moment, a flicker of doubt entered Kitty’s mind.

Was... the carpet always this dark red?

Before Kitty could figure it out, the wooden door swung fully open. She pushed aside her confusion and dragged the sack inside.

The oil lamps cast long shadows. Kitty dragged the sack forward and knelt in the shadow cast by the figure within.

“Your Excellency, Bishop, I have brought the person.”

Kitty calmed her heavy breathing, took a deep breath, and continued, “Forgive me, Your Excellency, for breaking my promise and arriving late. I have failed the Mother Goddess’s expectations.”

Kitty preemptively admitted her mistake, hoping to gain the Bishop’s forgiveness.

“Uris.”

The Bishop stood under the oil lamp, speaking slowly.

“She’s inside.”

Kitty quickly reached out, loosened the sack’s opening, grabbed the bottom, and tipped it upwards, dumping the person inside onto the floor.

Uris, her exquisite robes torn and tattered, tumbled out.

Her legs were clearly broken, bent at unnatural angles. Uris struggled, using her hands to push herself backward until her back hit the iron bars of the cage behind her.

“Heretic...”

Uris’s pupils were gray and unfocused. She stared blankly ahead, gasping and cursing.

“You have no right to speak...”

Kitty was about to say something more, but caught sight of the Bishop raising her right hand out of the corner of her eye. She immediately shut her mouth, saying no more.

Although she knew the rest of the process had little to do with her, she still felt the need to retort, and demonstrate her loyalty at the same time.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com