Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 375 - 374: The Priest Who Lost the Holy Light

At the dock, Wright took a long time to conduct the handover—only after seeing the refugees from the Plains of the Holy Spirits complete all registrations, undergo medical checks, and be guided by soldiers to the buffer camp to rest did he finally feel at ease.

These people chose to leave their homes and come to the southern borders, a land unknown to them, because they trusted him. Although the Holy Light and the leader attacked them locally, leaving them with no way out, they were not without choices. They had more than one path to follow, but since these people chose to follow him, he must bear the responsibility to the end.

Only when everyone fulfills their responsibilities can morality be discussed—this is what the Holy Light told him.

Holy Light...

Wright stood on the edge of the dock square, glanced down at his strong hands. On his palms, two healing wounds were still visible, left from a conflict with several local Church Soldiers while passing through the Carol territory. These two small wounds were exchanged for the life of an innocent girl deemed an evil cult follower; it was a worthwhile price, but the fact that these small wounds had not completely healed only showed that the Holy Light had truly left him.

Wright sighed softly, then raised his head, looking at the vibrant and bustling streets of the city.

"Cecil Clan... I’m back."

He walked through the busy streets of the dock area, which carried the scent of fish, passed Pine Nut Street and Cobblestone Park, and finally arrived at the mansion where the leader resided.

In the study of the feudal lord’s mansion, Gawain saw Rhett Aiviken, dressed in ordinary cloth, somewhat surprised by his early return. However, before Wright entered, he had already heard from Amber about the events at the dock square. He nodded to the robust priest, "Welcome back—I heard you also brought a dozen refugees? Was the journey smooth?"

"Thank you for your concern," Wright lowered his head slightly, "I encountered these people on my way back—it was an unexpected situation."

He hadn’t anticipated bringing back so many people. Initially, he only intended to bring back the young couple he met in the northern villages of the rocky ridges Fortress, but unexpectedly encountered more people in need along the way, gradually forming a small group following him—luckily, he met a merchant convoy preparing to return to Cecil after crossing the Carol territory, otherwise the journey would’ve been much harder.

"Where is your Holy Light Cleric’s robe?" Gawain asked curiously, "And the Prayer Book usually hanging at your waist?"

"Sold them," Wright said frankly, "a dozen people need to eat, and I didn’t have enough funds for the journey—they are poor people, most of whose belongings were taken by the local leader or church, leaving them penniless as they followed me. So, I sold my robe and Prayer Book."

Gawain was surprised, "Sold? Aren’t those important to you?"

Wright smiled faintly, "The robe was just an old garment, though the material was good, it was merely clothes. The Prayer Book was also transcribed by me, and I can recite all its contents, I can copy another later. The teachings of the Holy Light are not bound to physical objects, but lie within the heart."

Looking at the seemingly indifferent Holy Light cleric, Gawain felt slightly moved and gently nodded, without discussing the robe and Prayer Book further, he instead inquired about Wright’s experiences in the Plains of the Holy Spirits: "You returned early, I suppose you saw what you wanted to see?"

"To be honest, I’d rather not have seen it..." Wright sighed, "The church has fallen... It’s been corrupt for a long time, I just chose to ignore it, using the phrase ’everyone shares the faith of Holy Light’ to numb myself. The current Plains of the Holy Spirits is no longer a sanctuary under the Holy Light’s protection; greedy priests and aristocratic leaders collude, squeezing the last bit of sweat and blood from the common people, expelling anyone who disobeys them from the lands their families have lived on for generations. The only thing I can’t believe is how quickly and thoroughly they’ve fallen in the two years since I left..."

"According to intelligence from the Plains of the Holy Spirits, ever since the Holy Light Cathedral held a cardinal level meeting last year, their methods have become increasingly extreme. This is partly due to the Church of the Holy Light, which has long been at the apex among the religions, swelling with corruption, and partly due to directives from the church’s higher-ups," Gawain shared what he knew, then looked into Wright’s eyes, "Yet I believe a church cannot be entirely corrupt, like you, in my eyes, are a true Practitioner of the Holy Light—Mr. Rhett, welcome back to this still pure land, the key to the church is with the Preaching Square Manager. I have already instructed that you can return to manage the church anytime."

"...Leader, this is precisely what I wanted to say," Wright suddenly gave a bitter smile and spread his hands, "I’m afraid I can no longer serve as a Holy Light cleric—nor manage the church."

This indeed surprised Gawain, who paused his report review, looking astonished at the territory’s only priest before him, "What happened? You didn’t quit the clergy due to excessive shock, did you?"

Wright did not answer directly but raised his hands, after a moment a faint, holy white light flickered between them, yet it dispersed before lasting a second.

Gawain only sensed a very faint Dark Wave, which was so weak it could not even be called a trick, let alone formal Divine Arts or Magic.

"What’s going on?" He frowned, asking—he knew Wright’s original skill, this priest might have a peculiar demeanor, but his skills in Divine Arts and priestly level were solid. Due to his strong faith and high affinity with Holy Light, his Divine Arts were among the top in his rank. How did he return from a trip unable to even produce a Spark of Holy Light?

"I have done things against the Holy Light," Wright said with a bitter smile, "I assaulted fellow believers of the church, and continued to do so after rendering them defenseless. After this, my Holy Light Power rapidly declined."

Gawain’s expression turned serious, he focused on Wright’s eyes, "What exactly happened?"

Wright didn’t hesitate and recounted his experiences in the small village north of the rocky ridges Fortress without reservation. He did not shy away from admitting his anger and violent actions when confronting those two soldiers and that priest, nor from showing his disdain and aversion towards them. Yet, after recounting the events, he sighed deeply: "I do not regret my actions, but I did go against the teachings of the Holy Light, I should have handled the situation more appropriately—yet was overcome by anger."

Gawain furrowed his brow: "And after that?"

Wright spread his hands: "After that, I started heading back, and along the way, I saved a dozen people... and also taught a dozen people a lesson."

Gawain thought to himself that this Priest seems to have let his anger get the better of him quite a few times... or perhaps he has just given up?

He stood up from behind the desk, pacing in front of Wright, deep in thought as he walked. After a moment, he looked up again: "Do you think it’s your actions straying from the Holy Light that caused you to lose its power?"

Wright nodded: "That’s the only explanation."

Gawain stroked the beard on his chin, pondering for a moment before looking at Wright and asking: "Then do you think, compared to the priest you taught a lesson, who among you strayed further from the Holy Light?"

"Well..." Wright, still shaken by the experience, hadn’t considered this until Gawain asked, making him ponder it now, "I don’t know..."

"You know, no one has a deeper understanding of the Holy Light than you do, no one is a stronger practitioner of the principles of the Holy Light," Gawain interrupted Wright. "It’s obvious, if beating a priest is deemed as defying the Holy Light, then those who collude with local aristocrats for money, falsely accuse and harm innocent civilians using Divine Arts are essentially enemies of the Holy Light, they are the dark side of the world."

Wright was momentarily at a loss for words: "This..."

Gawain didn’t give him time to continue thinking and went on: "The current situation is you’ve lost the power of the Holy Light, yet those priests who contravene the teachings of the Holy Light more than you can still wield Divine Arts. Why do you think that is?"

Wright fell into deep thought, and Gawain, looking at this priest who had lost the power of the Holy Light, also fell into contemplation.

He had always been curious about the gods and the related religious beliefs of this world, but he hadn’t dared to delve deeply because of the mysterious nature of the gods. Now, a special research sample had appeared—perhaps calling Wright this is somewhat unfair, but this Priest truly had become a unique research sample.

Right in front of Gawain was a living example of someone losing their Divine Arts due to a crisis of faith.

Did Wright’s loss of the Holy Light’s favor reveal some secrets of Divine Arts? Or perhaps... it revealed some secrets about the connection between humans and gods?

Could the so-called Divine Arts merely be a process of "self-suggestion," "self-affirmation," and "self-identification"? Or did this process strengthen the connection between humans and gods, leading to the manifestation of Divine Arts?

As he pondered, another thought arose in Gawain’s mind—if Wright could reestablish his self-affirmation, if he could sincerely believe that his actions were in line with the true intent of the Holy Light, would his Divine Arts return?

But as soon as this thought came up, he dismissed it. Although Wright kept saying his actions went against the teachings of the Holy Light, his current demeanor showed that deep down he didn’t truly believe this. He knew clearly that the one truly defying the Holy Light’s teachings was the priest he had beaten... So his belief in the Holy Light had not been shaken subconsciously...

His crisis was on another level.

The speed of Gawain’s thoughts was rapid, these numerous ideas passed through his mind in mere seconds. After a slight pause, he broke the silence: "Mr. Wright, you are still the priest of the land."

Wright raised his head in surprise: "But my lord..."

"I know you have lost your Divine Arts," Gawain raised his hand to interrupt, "but is Divine Arts truly everything for you as a priest?

"Your faith in the Holy Light, your adherence to those moral virtues, your passion for leading people toward the good, none of them have changed, and as long as these things don’t change, you are the best choice for a priest on this land.

"Mr. Wright, you are merely temporarily lost, but remember, losing Divine Arts does not mean you cannot continue to help others—you brought back those dozen people, most of whom you saved after you lost your Divine Arts, correct?"

Wright paused for a moment, finally nodded slightly: "As you said."

"Go back to the cathedral and think it over," Gawain gently sighed, "these days, many people have been inquiring about you to the Preaching Square Manager, they are waiting for your return."