"On one condition," Alice said.
In exchange for agreeing to my plan to attack the cathedral, Alice imposed a condition.
"You can’t go today. We all ca here together, after all. Since we’re already here, let’s relax and enjoy ourselves for a bit before carrying it out."
She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and added, "No matter how your powers work, there’s always a chance you might not be able to rewind things. If that happens, we might as well make so good mories first."
Alice had a point. If it weren’t for the presence of the Masked Woman, I could proceed without hesitation. But if she interfered while we were in the middle of causing an incident, the situation could spiral out of control.
Would there be a relic hidden inside the cathedral? The chances were slim. In the original story, no relics were ever found in a cathedral.
The cathedral held sothing else entirely—a hidden underground base that served as a dungeon in the ga, housing troops in hiding and a repository of various reports buried deep within.
They could have sent the reports directly to the Holy Nation, but they needed a secure space to compile and analyze the data first. Besides, in the original story, the Holy Nation was working hand-in-hand with Belvur.
Until now, the Masked Woman had only appeared in locations where relics were present or were about to appear. That ant we were unlikely to encounter her at the cathedral. Still, I couldn’t discount the possibility.
"Understood," I replied.
There was no need to act imdiately.
I also needed preparation ti. I had to gather the weapons I had smuggled in on the train, assemble the over-tech exosuit Browning had crafted, organize the ammunition, select the appropriate weapons... It was better to take our ti and prepare thoroughly than to rush in recklessly.
When I gave my straightforward response, Alice exhaled a long sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted.
"Good. In that case, I’ll help you with the preparations. But for now, let’s keep things quiet, especially when we’re with the others."
I nodded at Alice’s suggestion.
*
Spending ti with my friends turned out to be quite beneficial for as well.
Charlotte diligently guided us around the city, ensuring we got a good grasp of Lutetia’s layout. Thanks to her, I now knew the locations of key landmarks, including the distance from our hotel to Saint Latina Cathedral and even the positions of nearby police stations… things like that.
"If industrial facilities are introduced, parts of Lutetia will inevitably be torn down. It’s a beautiful city, but modernization cos at a cost," Charlotte said occasionally, her expression tinged with bitterness.
“Rondarium isn’t much different,” Alice chid in. “Factories are popping up everywhere, gas pipes are being laid… Honestly, I envy Lutetia’s air a little. The capital’s central district barely has any clean air left to breathe.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened in surprise at Alice’s agreent.
“Did you just say you’re envious of Lutetia?”
Alice’s expression changed instantly. Just monts ago, she’d been gazing off into the distance with a wistful look in her eyes. But Charlotte’s remark seed to snap her back to reality.
Alice’s new expression could be sumd up in a single word: Hmph!
“Still, Rondarium’s the more convenient place to live. Let’s be honest, it’s a lot easier to get by there,” Alice retorted with a touch of pride.
“But if we’re talking about a place that’s genuinely good to live in, that’s a different story,” Charlotte countered smoothly.
Alice decided not to push the point further.
In the end, Lutetia, too, would inevitably be swept up in the wave of industrialization. Breathing in air as clean as this would beco a rare luxury.
When that ti ca, Lutetia might fall behind Rondarium in terms of modernization, ending up as a second-rate city. An ironic fate, really.
Yet, neither Alice nor Charlotte chose to voice that thought aloud.
Perhaps it was because no one could truly predict what the city would look like in the future.
*
Saint Latina Cathedral wasn’t just a target I intended to attack—it was also a historically significant monunt.
While it didn’t hold the sa stature as Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, it was the largest cathedral outside the Holy Nation and boasted the highest number of visiting worshippers. Naturally, it also collected more donations than any other cathedral in the Holy Nation.
Both as a sacred site and as a practical resource, it was imnsely valuable to the Holy Nation.
Granted, it was located in Belvur, and Belvur had been the one to build it in the first place.
“It’s breathtaking…”
Even Alice, who always had a sharp quip ready for Charlotte’s every comnt, couldn’t help but murmur in awe after stepping inside the cathedral.
The towering walls, intricately carved from white stone, the vibrant, multi-colored stained glass windows, and the magnificent murals painted across the ceiling—it was a masterpiece of devotion and artistry.
While the Goddess Faith drew heavy inspiration from Christianity, the two religions weren’t identical. The scriptures available in the ga often felt like a reinterpretation of Greek and Roman mythology into monotheistic beliefs.
Beyond the stories of a great war between the Goddess’s followers and opposing forces, there were myths explaining why certain flowers are red or why so trees have broad leaves, echoing the thes found in Greek and Roman legends.
Interestingly, most people in this world didn’t take these stories literally. Just as many in modern society interpret religious texts as allegories rather than absolute truths, so too did the believers here.
Of course, just like in the modern world, there were still those who adhered to the literal interpretation of the scriptures and believed unwaveringly.
“Hmm.”
Charlotte’s proud expression was understandable, but for so reason, even Sophia wore a similarly pleased look.
Wasn’t that a bit problematic? She was supposed to be undercover, after all.
“But Charlotte, you’re not part of the Goddess Faith, are you?”
Claire’s question made Charlotte flinch, her shoulders trembling ever so slightly.
It was true—Charlotte didn’t adhere to any religion. The Belvur royal family intentionally remained unaffiliated with any specific faith. This neutrality served as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Holy Nation and ensured that Belvur as a whole wasn’t overly influenced by them.
The lore even hinted that so Belvur kings secretly followed the Goddess Faith, though they always officially claid to be non-religious.
“Well, this cathedral’s architectural style is distinctly Belvurian!” Charlotte replied quickly.
Claire, apparently not too curious about the matter, simply nodded in agreent.
“This was built in an era without modern machinery, wasn’t it?” Leo remarked, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. “Every single carving was made by hand.”
“It wasn’t just carved by hand,” Sophia interjected, answering in Charlotte’s stead.
“Both the architects and the laborers were devout believers. Every strike of the chisel, every stroke of the brush, and every word of scripture etched into the walls was accompanied by prayer to the Goddess,” Sophia explained.
All eyes turned to her as she spoke, including Charlotte’s—even though she had been the one to guide us here.
Sophia, however, seed entirely unaware of the attention. She was too absorbed in her enthusiasm to notice.
“Because of this devotion, the building itself is said to hold divine power comparable to structures constructed directly under the supervision of clergy in the Holy Nation. While no single worker could match the holy power of a cleric, their collective faith imbued the cathedral with an aura as strong as a deliberate blessing. It’s a true miracle.”
The reason such devout workers could gather was due to Belvur having just ceased its persecution of the Goddess Faith at the ti.
Although the cathedral was built by the people of Belvur, the royal family provided no support for its construction. The Holy Nation itself hadn’t been formally established yet, so it couldn’t offer aid either. The Saint Latina for whom the cathedral was nad had been executed by burning at the stake ten years before construction began.
It took decades to complete the cathedral. Every penny used ca from donations made by believers, and every laborer who contributed did so voluntarily.
The Holy Nation’s reverence for this place stemd not only from the number of worshippers or the money it brought in but also because of its profound historical and spiritual significance to the Goddess Faith.
While Sophia didn’t explain all this here and now, Charlotte’s expression subtly shifted, as if she were reflecting on the deeper context.
Still, the others simply gazed up at the cathedral with a mix of admiration and awe, so the mood didn’t take a strange turn.
“…”
However, there was one person who cast a distinctly critical glance my way—the rightful Imperial heir, Alice Fangryphon.
“Are you seriously planning to destroy a place with such a rich history?”
Her gaze seed to say it all, and I instinctively averted my eyes.
Yes, I plan to destroy it—but I’ll put it back afterward!
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