Chapter 20 Bishop Mathers
The Candlemas Cathedral in the Red Queen District is the most orthodox Enneaded Church in Avalon and also the church with the highest status.
The coronation ceremonies of the kings and queens of Avalon were held here, and this is also the location of the royal mausoleum. Other people who can be called "great" in the Kingdom of Avalon are also buried here after the state funeral ceremony.
The fact that it dares to be named after the guardian pillar god of the path of devotion, "Sizhu", is enough to prove its sacredness.
"Come this way, please."
An old man wearing a mitre and a solemn red robe that reached the ground turned around and spoke to Aiwass politely and gently.
Judging from his complexion and features, this bearded, bespectacled man appears to be in his forties, his demeanor giving off the air of a stern class teacher. Yet, he inexplicably exudes an air of "oldness," leading one to instinctively assume he's elderly. Perhaps it's the unnatural paleness of his hair and beard, not the natural graying of hair, but rather the fading of age.
The old man looked up and warned Oswald, who was pushing the wheelchair behind Aiwass, "Be careful, the road ahead is downhill."
The mitre on his head resembled some intricately designed, ornate, sacred candlestick.
You can even insert candles into it - but except on important occasions, they will not actually insert candles and light them.
The design of this miter allowed for up to three candles, a large candle in the front and two smaller candles on either side, signifying the high rank of the holy order of the elder before him.
Even if the Pope of the Eternal Theocracy is included, it can be considered the third level from top to bottom.
Strictly speaking, all high-ranking clergy, including the Pope, are considered "bishops." All bishops have three candles on their miter, and only bishops can wear red robes. The Pope's miter can hold three large candles, while the lowest-ranking bishops can only hold three smaller candles.
The next lower priest had two, and the lowest deacon had only one.
Although all churches in this world worship the Nine Pillars, each has its own emphasis. The vast majority of clergy members follow the path of devotion, and thus the Church of the Nine Pillars honors the "candle bearer," with the red candle, which "burns itself to illuminate others," as its sacred symbol.
Although Aiwass is also a pastor, he has not yet graduated and therefore has not been awarded his own canon. This means that he is not considered a member of the religious system, does not receive a salary from the church, and is not bound by church rules.
"Thank you, Bishop Mathers."
Aiwass politely expressed his gratitude, "And thank you for taking the trouble to teach me the sacred arts in person."
"That's no problem. I was elected as a spiritual councillor thanks to Professor Moriarty."
Bishop Mathers placed his hands in front of him, fingers clasped together, and walked parallel to Aiwass on the eastern path of the Candlelight Cathedral.
He smiled cheerfully, “I saw this morning’s paper—you did a good job yesterday.
"That group of demonologists has committed countless evil deeds. They recently sacrificed an entire village, including a dozen elderly people and over forty children, all of whom were used as ritual materials. Their crimes were so heinous that they even alarmed His Holiness the Pope. Now, they are not only wanted in the Kingdom, but also in the Penalty Hall of the Theocracy.
"You relied on your wits to find them and defeated them with just a pistol, even before you officially gained the power of the Dao... You triumphed over the strong with the weak. That's quite impressive. His Holiness the Pope hasn't received the newspaper yet. But I'm sure if he did, he'd praise you as a 'hero from a young age.'"
"It's not that serious," Aiwass smiled gently, "Without Senior Haina's protection, I might have been killed even if I found them."
"Well, that little girl is pretty good too."
Bishop Mathers agreed: “Be courageous and resourceful – and most importantly, be willing to trust others.
"She's so much stronger than you and older than you, but she doesn't blindly trust her own abilities. She's willing to trust your judgment... When she can't handle the problem herself, she's willing to pass the ball to someone who can. I think that's a form of wisdom."
"You watch the game too?"
The person who suddenly asked the question was Oswald behind Aiwass.
The old elf asked with interest: "Which team do you support?"
"The Mistletoe Club, of course."
The bishop replied without hesitation, "I think there's something to be said for that new guy they brought in this year."
"What about Unicorn? What do you think of Unicorn's performance this year?"
"I'm from Avalon, so of course I support the Avalon team. You're an elf, so you support the Theocracy team. That's perfectly normal."
The bishop spoke cheerfully, lightly passing over the topic.
He looked at Aiwass and said seriously, "Although you have proven yourself capable of defeating the strong with the weak—even without gaining any extraordinary powers, you defeated an enemy that was on the verge of reaching the third energy level. But if we just put you aside with such confidence, it would be a dereliction of duty for us elders.
"Although this may be against the rules... according to the regulations issued by Her Majesty the Queen forty years ago, Avalon citizens must reach adulthood, receive excellent or higher grades in academic subjects, have a good moral character, and have no bad habits or criminal records before they can officially enter the Tao and embark on the path of transcendence.
"But there's only a month left until your final exams. You've already proven your integrity and rationality. I'll speak to Her Majesty the Queen later."
Hearing this, Butler Oswald, who was pushing the wheelchair, suddenly coughed lightly.
"Your Excellency," the old yet still elegant elf butler asked seriously, "Has something happened?"
Bishop Mathers still folded his hands cheerfully, but did not immediately respond to Oswald's words.
It wasn't until the three of them arrived at the small chapel on the east side of the cathedral, and Bishop Mathers took out a huge key that looked longer than Haina's dagger, and opened the tightly closed door... that the old bishop slowly spoke:
"—Today, the Saint-Guinevere Chapel is open only to you.
"In addition to teaching you the three sacred arts of 'Fire Worship', 'Illumination', and 'Blessing', I will also help you complete your first advancement. Don't be too nervous, you don't need to enter the dream world for your first advancement. The situation in Avalon is not good right now, and I believe you need some self-protection skills."
"So, what happened?"
Oswald demanded.
Bishop Mathers closed the chapel door and flipped on the light switch.
The next moment, the lights in this chapel, which looked like a university lecture hall in terms of structure and area, suddenly lit up.
On either side, countless life-size statues nestled in niches suddenly lit up. As if awakened by the light, the statues within the niches slowly began to silently stir, gradually turning their gazes towards them.
Bishop Mathers reached out and lightly tapped the three candles on his mitre, then respectfully greeted the statues of the saints: "Seventy-three pioneers.
"May the candlekeeper watch over your candles."
And Aiwass and Oswald also bowed their heads slightly to show respect.
These seventy-three holy statues represent all the leaders of the Kingdom of Avalon since its founding, including all successive monarchs, who have received state funerals and been buried here. Each of them has their name engraved in the history books of Avalon.
When Queen Sofia passes away, she will become the 74th.
Aiwass had already noticed that there was a niche in the corner of the Chapel of Saint Guinevere that did not contain an image.
Noticing Aiwass's gaze, Bishop Mathers kindly explained, "This is the place Her Majesty the Queen has prepared for herself. The carving of her image began five years ago, and it was prepared two years ago. It is now stored in the Hall of Silver and Tin."
Then he turned around and looked at Oswald.
"The Round Table Hall probably doesn't know about this yet, but I've already reported it to Her Majesty the Queen."
Bishop Mathers said seriously, "Important information has arrived from the Theocracy.
"We caught a Star Antimony spy over there and got some information out of him.
"—Rumor has it that a traitor has emerged among the kingdom's high command. They plan to unleash a prolonged chaos on Glass Island, the time, scale, and location of which are unknown. Their ultimate goal is to 'obtain or approach some divine entity.'
“The capital will probably be thrown into chaos soon, so I don’t think it’s necessary to make Aiwass wait until the final exams are over.
"Just in case, he must embark on the path of transcendence immediately."
(End of this chapter)
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