Chapter 158: The Church of Vows

Bai Shi rested at the Site of Grace and quickly fell asleep.

The next day, with Melina's wake-up service, a refreshed Bai Shi set out on his journey once more.

Behind the painter's shack were two rock formations jutting out from the mountainside like a pair of horns.

By crossing these rocks, one could reach the other side of the mountain, saving the trouble of circling around from the base.

In the morning light, all of Liurnia was shrouded in mist, giving it an unreal, illusory quality.

As he drew nearer, however, the image of the Raya Lucaria Academy became remarkably clear.

Beside Raya Lucaria stood a plateau of astonishing height, upon which abandoned clusters of buildings could be seen.

Bai Shi stared at the distant plateau for a few extra moments.

He knew it was the Moonlight Altar, but he couldn't get there yet.

He had to continue his search for the moon.

Crossing the natural bridge formed by the rocks, Bai Shi reached the opposite mountain peak.

The terrain on the other side was higher, with a continuous uphill slope that stretched almost all the way to the foot of the Altus Plateau.

However, on the open hillside, there was a very conspicuous group of people.

The leaders wore bright red surcoats over black iron armor, their breastplates carved with a one-eyed face.

They were Fire Monks.

Behind them followed the Guilty, wearing red hoods with thorns wrapped around their heads.

They were numerous, setting up camp every few dozen people.

The camps were surrounded by walls of vertical logs, with crooked arrows sticking out of them.

Bai Shi wondered if the arrows had been shot by the Cuckoo Knights and thought it highly likely.

The Fire Monks should have been guarding the flame of the giants in the Mountaintops, but their sudden appearance in Liurnia was rather strange.

Bai Shi quietly committed their location to memory.

The Fire Monks must have secretly descended from the Mountaintops, which meant they couldn't have passed through Leyndell, Royal Capital.

Perhaps in the future, he could find a way to bypass the capital and get to the Mountaintops through them.

It was clearly unreasonable for this world to only have one path from the capital to the Mountaintops of the Giants and the Consecrated Snowfield.

Bai Shi guessed that the Fire Monks' appearance in Liurnia was likely related to Adan, Thief of Fire, who was imprisoned in a Liurnian evergaol.

Adan had stolen the flame of the Fell God, which was a secret the Fire Monks were hiding—

The flame draws those who watch it. Thus, the guardians of the flame are also its believers.

As guardians, they had become obsessed with the giants' flame.

If Adan's existence were discovered by the Golden Order, their secret betrayal would be exposed.

What fate awaited treacherous guardians? In any case, it would be nothing they'd like.

As for fighting the Cuckoo Knights, it was probably because the newcomers were spotted by the Cuckoos, who decided to follow their tradition of plunder.

But it seemed the Cuckoos had picked the wrong opponent.

The war chariots parked on the opposite mountain were not something the Cuckoos could stop with flesh and blood.

However, this didn't seem to explain why there was a war chariot outside the academy gates.

Was it the Cuckoos' spoils of war? Surely they couldn't have groveled before the Fire Monks and then reconciled, even starting to trade with them.

Haha, that's unlikely, right?

Bai Shi dismissed his own casual speculation and skirted their camp, heading toward the Church of Vows on the hillside.

What Bai Shi didn't know, however, was that the Cuckoos had done exactly that.

The Cuckoo Knights were a group devoid of honor, who used foot soldiers as cannon fodder and shamelessly plundered from both friend and foe during wartime.

After all, the only ones who died were some foot soldiers leading the charge and a few grunts; the core knights were completely unharmed.

With the war chariots, the benefits they could gain far outweighed the loss of this cannon fodder.

Thus, they decisively proposed a truce to the Fire Monks.

When they suggested reconciliation and cooperation, even the traitorous Fire Monks were stunned.

But they had no reason to refuse.

The Cuckoos would help them conceal their movements, ensuring the Golden Order wouldn't find out.

In return, they sold the war chariots to the Cuckoos at a high price.

The war chariots were meant to be sold as commodities anyway, as they were one of their sources of funding.

The two groups, like birds of a feather, were now getting along splendidly.

——

As he approached, the dilapidated church became clearer.

Like other ruined churches, the broken walls of the Church of Vows were covered in moss and vines.

Its former glory was gone, leaving only desolation and wilderness.

The front of the Church of Vows was filled with gravestones, but fortunately, no Those Who Live in Death appeared.

Bai Shi rode all the way to the entrance of the church, dismounted, and walked inside.

Unlike the desolate exterior, the Church of Vows was filled with small blue and yellow flowers, blooming nearly everywhere.

"Oh? I did not expect we would have a visitor."

Inside the church, a large tortoise turned its head to look at Bai Shi, who had just entered.

The tortoise was massive; Bai Shi's current normal height didn't even reach the top of its shell.

It also wore a white pastor's hat, signifying its status as a cleric.

"You look to be a Tarnished... Welcome to the Church of Vows."

"My name is Miriel. I am the caretaker of this church, though I am ashamed to have let it fall into such a state..."

"If you see anything you fancy, please, feel free to take it with you."

"But might I ask your name, and whether you have heard any tales of this Church of Vows?"

Bai Shi nodded, recalling the plot from the game, and struck up a conversation with Miriel.

"My name is Bai Shi. There's no need for honorifics; just call me by my name."

"I've heard this was once a place where the moon and the Erdtree were joined, but I don't know the specifics of the story."

Miriel was overjoyed that someone still knew about the Church of Vows.

"Oh, my! To think you know of this. I am moved."

"It is more than enough that you know the tale of the union, even if only the outline."

Miriel delightedly began to educate Bai Shi on the story of the Church of Vows.

"After the Shattering, people forgot so many important things. Even the story of the union of the moon and the Erdtree is rarely known."

"In the past, to seek peace and coexistence between the royal houses of the Erdtree and the Moon, it was in this very church that Lord 'Red-Haired' Radagon and Lady 'Full Moon' Rennala made their pact."

"That this church still maintains a connection with the Royal Capital's Erdtree and the Raya Lucaria Academy is for this very reason."

Seeming to realize he had been rambling, Miriel spoke apologetically.

"Forgive me. The old are prone to chatter, hahaha... I hope you'll excuse me. It's rare to have visitors, so I seldom have the chance to speak with anyone."

Bai Shi waved his hand, not minding at all.

Miriel was indeed a very old tortoise.

How old was he? No one knew.

Since he was willing to talk, Bai Shi decided to follow his lead and see if he could glean some information.

"You seem to know a great deal about the past. I was wondering if you could tell me more."

"I'm very interested in the story of 'Red-Haired' Radagon and 'Full Moon' Rennala, but I've never found anyone who could explain it to me."

Hearing Bai Shi's words, Miriel's happiness was plain to see.

"Oh, wonderful! It is a rare thing for someone to be curious about this tale. If you wish to know, then I shall tell you everything I know."

"But, hmm... where should I begin?"

Miriel pondered for a moment. After a good while, he seemed to have organized his thoughts and began to speak slowly.

"Right, let's start with Lord 'Red-Haired' Radagon."

"Lord Radagon was a hero with a head of flowing red hair. He led the armies of the Erdtree here and met Lady Rennala on the battlefield."

"Lady Rennala was the queen of the Carian Royal Family and the head of the Raya Lucaria Academy."

"She was a great and beautiful sorceress, hence her title, the 'Full Moon Queen'."

"The Carian Royal Family has a long history, with some connection to the deeply buried 'Eternal City'. You can see it in the design of their crest."

"Speaking of which, our Church of Vows has a rather significant connection to the underground Nox Dynasty. See the pool over there?"

Miriel turned his head toward the pool in the middle of the church.

Bai Shi's gaze followed Miriel's head.

It was an exquisite circular pool. Even though the church was in ruins, this part remained exquisite and intact.

Upon closer inspection, the statue in the middle of the pool was that of a Nox monk.

"If one wishes to mend a fractured and seemingly irreparable relationship, one can bathe in Celestial Dew there."

"As long as one repents with a sincere heart, the Celestial Dew will convey that sentiment to the other person."

"Often, people simply lack the courage to apologize. When it comes to interpersonal relationships, even the most resolute warriors can face such troubles."

Miriel turned his head back.

"I digress. In short, the Carian Royal Family's origins are quite ancient, and Lady Rennala's status was extraordinary."

"During her reign, numerous allies stood with the moon, be it trolls, dragons, or beasts."

"In comparison, Lord Radagon's origins were somewhat more humble. He was but one of the many champions of the Erdtree."

"Although among the champions of that time, his fame and strength were top-tier, the leader on this battlefield, Lady Rennala was a queen, after all."

"A difference in status between the two certainly existed, yet these two ultimately became partners. This is the incredible miracle of union that our Church of Vows witnessed."

"They met and came to know each other on the battlefield, and in the end, they understood one another and fell in love."

"Afterward, Lord Radagon sincerely repented for waging a war of aggression."

"He relied on the miracle that lies within this Church of Vows, an unfathomable, ancient ritual."

Miriel held the miraculous ritual of this church in high esteem, even shaking his head back and forth as he mentioned it.

"In the ritual, Lord Radagon bathed himself in Celestial Dew."

"This act was to show his sincere repentance for the war of aggression, and it was also a vow—that his love for Lady Rennala would be eternal."

"Lord Radagon and Lady Rennala thus became partners."

"With this, at the moment the Golden Order and the fate of the moon were joined, all things were reconciled."

Miriel's face showed a nostalgic expression as he recalled that peaceful scene.

But then he sighed and continued with the story's unsettling second half.

"If only the story had ended there..."

"After Godfrey, the first Elden Lord of the Erdtree, was exiled from the Lands Between, Lord Radagon abandoned Lady Rennala."

"He returned to Leyndell, the Royal Capital of the Erdtree, to become Queen Marika's consort, her second husband... and the second Elden Lord."

"As for his partner, Lady Rennala, she lost her heart the moment Lord Radagon abandoned her."

"The sorcerers of the academy soon discovered this and staged a rebellion."

"When the academy betrayed the Carian Royal Family, Lady Rennala was imprisoned within the Grand Library."

"Although the Carian Knights fought desperately to protect her and saved her life, one has to wonder if that was a good thing at all..."

"But to be forsaken after such a union... the pain is immeasurable."

"Having lost her heart, she now clutches the amber every day, researching forbidden secrets..."

Realizing he had said more than he should have, Miriel quickly changed the subject.

"Those detestable sorcerers, so selfish and greedy."

"Alas, if only Lord Radagon were here, those sorcerers would never have succeeded."

"Why did you have to abandon Lady Rennala, Lord Radagon...?"

After finishing, Miriel fell into his own troubled thoughts.

Bai Shi called out to him softly, but there was no response.

He wasn't sure if Miriel was feigning it to gloss over the part about the forbidden secrets.

Seeing Miriel in this state, Bai Shi didn't disturb him further and began to wander around the Church of Vows himself.

In a chest, Bai Shi found a set of tailoring tools, including the Golden Tailoring Tools.

Since Miriel had said he could take whatever he wanted, Bai Shi didn't hesitate.

Boc would surely be happy with this gift.

Other than that, there was nothing else here.

By the time Bai Shi finished his circuit and returned to Miriel's side, the tortoise had returned to his normal self.

Miriel looked at Bai Shi and nodded.

"Lord Bai Shi, thank you for chatting with me today. It has made me very happy to be able to share the story of the Church of Vows."

"As thanks, if you have an interest in sorceries and incantations, I am willing to teach you all I know."

"Be it sorcery or incantation, all knowledge is worthy of study. Especially here."

Bai Shi nodded. Although he hadn't found a Dragon Cult Prayerbook yet, he had another prayerbook.

Bai Shi retrieved a prayerbook from Torrent's saddlebag and handed it to Miriel.

It was the Godskin Prayerbook, a treasured item from the storerooms of Stormveil.