Chapter 631: Promises Then and Now
After hearing Isabella’s description of the Soul Battlefield, Nightingale’s composure cracked. “Do you mean you don’t know how to wake His Majesty from the coma either?”
Isabella shook her head. “This is unprecedented. I have no idea how to address it.” She paused. “But Zero fell absentminded once while devouring Garcia. She said she’d found interesting things in Garcia’s memory—that it took her longer than usual. Zero had a more complicated life than anyone else. If Roland is sorting through her memories, it may simply take more time. But as long as he’s alive, he’ll wake on his own.”
Nightingale could not verify any of it, but she could tell Isabella was not lying. At least the conjecture came from genuine belief, not performance.
That did nothing to comfort her.
Would two hundred years of the church’s memories overwhelm Roland’s own? Would he get lost in that labyrinth and never surface? And even if he accepted Zero’s memories intact—would the man who opened his eyes still be that Roland Wimbledon, fourth prince of Graycastle? The one she was waiting for?
The questions piled up until her mind felt like a room filling with smoke.
Then she understood why Wendy had asked Agatha to come along.
“Let’s speak of the church,” Agatha said, after a beat of hesitation. “How much do you know about the Union—the church’s predecessor?”
“Everything Zero learned.” Isabella answered without evasion. “Are you still uncertain about what was written in the letter? Since Zero assumed the papacy, all pure witches cleared for Pivotal Secret Authority could access the library and read the four-hundred-year record. The accounts of the Witch Empire and the demons are true.”
“The letter told us very little.” Agatha’s expression was mild, almost amused. “The Witch Empire is history to you. To me, it’s memory. I am a witch of the Union.”
Isabella went rigid. “What did you say?”
“I came from the Holy City of Taquila more than four hundred years ago. I witnessed its destruction.” Agatha’s voice held nothing sentimental—only the flat weight of fact. “The demons are no myth. They hold most of Dawn Ridge. There are demon battalions at the edges of the Misty Forest and along the Redwater River west of Graycastle. Roland has encountered them before.”
Isabella stared at her, speechless.
“We will fight the demons. All of us know the Battle of Divine Will is near.” Agatha let that settle before continuing. “Roland chose to strike the church now—to remove one threat before facing the other. What I want to know is how the Union became the church.”
The silence stretched. When Isabella finally spoke, she sounded steadier than she had any right to be. “As the histories record it: during the retreat, a civil war broke out in the Union somewhere northwest of the Impassable Mountain Range. The records give no clear cause. The Union split into two factions. One—the Taquila witches—withdrew into the labyrinth ruins inside the mountains. The other, led by the witches of Starfall City, carried Lady Alice’s will northward and founded their settlement on the Hermes Plateau. That became the church.”
“A civil war during the retreat.” Agatha’s frown deepened. “That was suicide.”
“The historian who recorded it said the same.” Isabella exhaled. “The losses were catastrophic. Two Transcendents died. The common people fled when the northern faction finally reached its destination. As for the later campaigns against non-combat witches who hadn’t come from Starfall City—that was how the church buried its origins. There was no other way to keep the past buried.”
“Hunting witches wantonly.” Nightingale’s voice came out cold and flat. “Building an unconscious God’s Punishment Army. You’re all insane.”
“Without that civil war, the Union would have controlled all four kingdoms from the beginning,” Isabella replied. Her tone held no apology—only arithmetic. “The God’s Punishment Army would have been far larger. Of course, since Roland Wimbledon has found a better path, Holy City of Hermes is no longer necessary.”
“You feel nothing for the church.”
“As long as the demons can be defeated, I don’t care who governs the continent.” Isabella closed her eyes. “That was always the Union’s intention. Zero was deranged by the end, but her faith in defeating the demons was stronger than almost anyone else’s. That’s why I chose to help her.”
Nightingale’s hand found the hilt of her dagger before she knew it.
“If killing her would wake Roland, I wouldn’t stop you,” Agatha said quietly.
The silence was long. Nightingale sheathed the dagger.
“One more thing.” Isabella spoke just as they turned to leave. “Zero permitted pure witches to enter the Temple and use the library, but she forbade anyone from approaching the prayer room. Even going near it was prohibited. She told me that standing there was the only way she could speak directly with God.”
Nightingale drove her fist into the wall the moment the door closed behind them. “Damn it. We still can’t find a way to wake him.”
“We’ve done what we can.” Agatha kept her voice even. “All we can do now is wait. Let’s report what we learned to the others.”
“I swear she’ll pay for this.”
“While she’s alive, she’s critical—for cracking Holy City’s defenses and understanding the God Stones.”
The witches gathered outside the bedroom and listened to Agatha’s account. Nightingale let the words flow past her. Her mind had already slipped away.
She stepped back, opened the Mist, and passed through Roland’s door.
The room was quiet. Only Anna remained, seated at the bedside, holding Roland’s right hand. She was murmuring something.
Nightingale held her breath to hear it.
“Do you remember what I told you?”
“If you were dead, I would go to Sleeping Island with the ones willing to follow you. We would fight the church to the end.”
“But you’re still alive.”
“You’re only sleeping.”
“So I’ll wait—however long it takes.”
“As long as you still breathe, I’ll be here. One day, one year, my whole life.”
“Sleep soundly.”
“I’ll take care of you.”
Something seized in Nightingale’s chest—sharp and total, worse than any wound. She bent forward before she realized she was moving, pressing one hand over her sternum as if to hold herself together.
Her eyes blurred. A warm current ran down her face.
Chapter 631: Promises Then and Now
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
After hearing the description of the Soul Battlefield from Isabella, Nightingale began getting depressed. “Do you mean that you also don’t know how to make His Majesty wake up from the coma?”
She shook her head. “This is unprecedented, and I have no idea how to deal with it… But Zero was absentminded for a while when she was devouring Garcia. At that time, she explained that she had found some interesting things in Garcia’s memory and so it took her a long time. Zero has had a more complicated life than anyone else, so if Roland wants to accept these parts of Zero’s memories, it may take some more time. But as long as he’s alive, he’ll wake up naturally.”
Nightingale could not be sure whether this was true or not, but she could tell that Isabella did not lie. At least these conjectures were heartfelt thoughts from Isabella.
But Nightingale also knew that the situation was not at all optimistic.
Would the 200 years of memories from the church or His Majesty’s memories dominate Roland? Or would Roland get lost in these complicated memories and never wake up?
Even if Roland accepted all of Zero’s memories, would he be that Roland Wimbledon, the fourth Prince of Graycastle that he used to be when he woke up… The one I look forward to seeing?
The many thoughts made were almost impossible for Nightingale to control her mind.
Then Nightingale also understood why Wendy had asked Agatha to come with her.
“Let’s talk about the church,” Agatha said after hesitating for a while, “How much do you know about the Union, the predecessor of the church?”
“I know almost all that Zero has learned.” Isabella responded frankly. “Are you still doubtful about the words in the letter? Since Zero took over the pope’s role, all of the pure witches that have been approved for the Pivotal Secret Authority can enter the library and read the history of 400 years ago. The records about the Witch Empire and the demons in the letter are true.”
“The limited information in the letter isn’t valuable to us.” Agatha smiled. “The Witch Empire is just history for you, but for me, it’s part of my life. I’m a witch in the Union.”
Isabella was surprised at this turn and asked, “What, what did you say?”
“I came from Holy City of Taquila more than 400 years ago and witnessed the destruction of it. The demons aren’t rare and still occupy most of the lands of Dawn Ridge. There are demon battalions at the end of Misty Forest and Redwater River to the west of the Kingdom of Graycastle. Roland has encountered them before.”
Isabella was stunned in place, speechlessly.
“We’ll fight with the demons eventually. We all know that the Battle of Divine Will is coming soon. Roland chose to fight this battle now in order to relieve the oppression of the church.” Agatha paused and continued to say, “What I want to know is, how did the Union transform into the church?”
“This is…” It was a long time before Isabella became calm again. “As mentioned in the history book, during the escape, a civil war broke out in the Union in the northwest of the Impassable Mountain Range. There were no detailed reasons. We just know that the Union was separated into two groups since that time. One group, the Taquila witches, got into the maze remains of the mountains. The other group, led by the witches of Starfall City, inherited
Lady Alice’s will to move northward and settled down on Hermes Plateau, which finally became the church.”
“A civil war during the escape?” Agatha frowned and said, “This is undoubtedly suicide.”
“The writer of that history book also thought so. The Union suffered heavy losses in the civil war. Two Transcendents were lost and totally separated from the migration team of the common people. When the group going north arrived at their destination, most of those common people fled.” Isabella sighed. “As for the war of faith later, it was to kill those non-combat witches who didn’t belong to Starfall City. Only in this way could the church completely bury the history of the past.”
“Is burying the past a reason to hunt witches wantonly? Even to go so far as to create the unconscious God’s Punishment Army?” Nightingale said in a cold tone, “You are all crazy.”
“Without this civil war, the four kingdoms would have been controlled by the Union from the beginning. The size of the God’s Punishment Army would have been far larger,” Isabella said peacefully, “Of course, since Roland Wimbledon now has a better way, Holy City of Hermes isn’t necessary any longer.”
“You have no nostalgia for the church!” said the Nightingale sarcastically.
“As long as the demons can be defeated, I don’t care who’ll take charge of the continent. That was also the Union’s original intention,” Isabella closed her eyes and said, “Although Zero was crazy, she had greater faith in fighting against the demons than most people, and that’s why I chose to help her.”
Hearing this, Nightingale could not help pulling out a dagger.
“If killing her can wake Roland up, I won’t stop you.” Agatha whispered.
After a long while, Nightingale indignantly put the dagger back into the sheath.
“By the way, one more thing,” as soon as the two were ready to leave, Isabella suddenly spoke, “although Zero allowed pure witches to enter the Temple to read the books in the library, she prohibited anyone from visiting the prayer room. Even moving close to it. She told me that it was only by standing there that she could meet God directly.”
…
Nightingale smashed the wall vigorously when going out of the captivity room and said, “Damn it! We still can’t find a way to awaken His Majesty!”
“We’ve done what we can, all we can do is to continue to wait,” Agatha said with comfort, “anyway, let’s report what we’ve got to everyone first.”
“I promise that she’ll pay the price!”
“As long as she’s alive, she’s important for us to tackle Holy City and explore the secrets of the God stone.”
Soon, the witches gathered outside the bedroom and began to listen to the intelligence about the pure witches from Agatha. But Nightingale’s mind had already drifted away.
She quietly stepped back to the corner, cast the ability of the Mist, and went into Roland’s bedroom.
Except for her, there was only Anna left in the quiet room.
Nightingale slowly walked to the bed and saw Anna holding Roland’s right hand, whispering something.
Only by holding her breath could Nightingale hear the whispers of Anna.
“Do you remember what I said to you?”
“If you’re dead, I’ll go to Sleeping Island with those who’re willing to follow you and fight against the church to the end.”
“But you’re still alive.”
“You’re just sleeping.”
“So I’ll wait forever.”
“As long as you still can breathe, I’ll always be there for you. For one day, one year or even my whole life.”
“You can sleep soundly.”
“I’ll take care of you.”
Nightingale felt her heart fiercely tightening up. The feeling of heartbroken was even more unbearable than that of being badly hurt. Somehow, she bent over uncontrollably and covered her chest tightly.
A warm river blurred her eyes.