"alchemy?!"

From the audience at the trial of heresy came gasps loud enough to lift the roof off.

Before the Church of the Father and the Orthodox Church separated and were both part of the Taurosk Church, alchemy was a thorn in their side. The reason was simple: one person put immense pressure on and dealt a heavy blow to the Church—the alchemist Sutherland, who helped the heretics escape.

Since their successful escape, the remnants of the alien race have launched a series of attacks on the Church, both overt and covert—spreading rumors, stealing sacred objects, burning churches, and even attempting to assassinate the Pope. Therefore, through the Church's deliberate propaganda, alchemy has become synonymous with "demon art," and alchemists have been equated with "those who manipulate demons."

As one large table after another, fitted with wheels and covered with white cloth, was pushed onto the pulpit in the hall, people's attitudes toward the defendant gradually changed.

The priests who had initially chosen to stand beside Todd raised their crosses and stepped back; the knights who had defended him with honor now looked at him with wary eyes; and the people in the hall looked ahead with expressions that were a mixture of fear and disgust.

Upon seeing this, Father Paul and Bishop Fabian exchanged a satisfied glance.

And at the center of the vortex—Todd.

He stood motionless, staring at the white cloth on the large table, his face expressionless.

The interrogator, Paul, directed the church members to lift the white sheet, revealing the contents of the table. The people in the hall were terrified by what they saw, letting out brief, convulsive screams; some even turned and fled.

Various experimental instruments, bottles and jars with unclear uses, and ugly and bizarre specimens and organs.

That's right, only alchemists possess these things; they are all tools for summoning demons.

Paul looked at the various items on the table, clutching the cross to his chest, and unconsciously took a step back. Then, regaining his composure, he loudly demanded, "Todd! I'm asking you, are these alchemical tools and materials yours?!"

Todd knew perfectly well that if the inquisitors could find the underground laboratory, they could also know his whereabouts in the monastery. At this point, denial was pointless.

"That's right, these are all mine."

The monk's words shocked everyone present.

The priests, knights, and monks who were acquainted with Todd still held a sliver of hope, believing that these alchemical instruments had nothing to do with that truly good man; the others in the hall were terrified and uneasy at the sight of a living alchemist before them; while Paul and Fabian were astonished that the defendant had confessed so readily.

For the first time, Queen Mary, who was hiding on the second floor, lost her composure. She pursed her lips, widened her eyes, and the folding fan in her hand made a creaking and twisting sound.

Paul's face darkened, and he asked his second question: "So, do you admit to being an alchemist?"

Todd tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said, "Yes, at least I think I should be."

Queen Mary leaned back, closed her eyes, and sighed deeply.

At the entrance of the cathedral, the figures of Huggins, Karin, and others flashed by.

Father Paul, however, was already overjoyed. His face beamed with a triumphant smile, and his limbs began to gesticulate with excitement. He loudly proclaimed, "Therefore! I hereby declare Todd guilty of heresy..."

"Wait a minute!"

The defendant's sudden remark instantly silenced the previously noisy hall, and everyone's attention returned to him.

As if watching livestock about to be slaughtered, Paul wore a pitying smile: "Is there anything else you want to say?"

Todd looked into the priest's eyes, his gaze firm yet without a trace of fear, which gave the priest a strange feeling.

“I have a question,” the monk said, raising the cross on his chest toward the air. “Does the term ‘heresy’ refer to those who disobey the Father’s will?”

Unsure of the deeper meaning behind the other person's words, Father Paul pondered for a moment before carefully replying, "You could say that."

"Then why can't I find any words in the Father's and the most supreme Bible and sacred texts that characterize alchemists as heretics?"

All the church staff and monks present were stunned.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of church history knows that the earliest writings and accounts of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were begun around 1,500 BC, undergoing revisions and additions over 1,600 years before being finally completed in 1907. This comprehensive holy book, serving as the fundamental framework of the church, continues to be written to this day.

The condemnation of alchemists as heretics occurred around the 200th year of the Catholic calendar, after the "Great Escape of the Heretics," and was stated in the "Encyclical of the Holy Covenant" issued by the Pope at the "Ecumenical Council."

Does that sound a bit complicated?

To put it simply, the decision to classify alchemy as a heretical discipline was an internal decision made by church leaders and had absolutely nothing to do with the Father or the Holy Spirit.

Looking at the priests and monks below, Todd explained the intricacies of the situation to those around him. He then approached a knight and asked, "May I borrow your weapon?"

The monk with the longsword in his hand walked around the pulpit. Paul and Fabian looked at the blade in each other's hands and retreated in fear.

"Can anyone tell me, is the weapon in my hand righteous or evil?"

Todd's question left everyone looking at each other, unsure how to answer.

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