High above the Imperial Capital, a pure white airship slowly descended through the clouds toward the square in front of the Magic Tower.
Unlike the ornate airships of the various academies around it, this vessel's appearance was remarkably plain. It possessed no extraneous decorations or emblems, save for a golden holy crest engraved upon its side—an open scripture over which floated a beaming sun.
This was the emblem of the Church of Light.
The airship docked smoothly at a reserved berth on the edge of the square.
The hatch opened slowly, and a figure emerged from within, accompanied by two guard nuns.
It was a woman.
She wore a spotless white clerical gown beneath a golden capelet embroidered with intricate and delicate sacred runes.
Her attire was decidedly conservative, high-collared and tight-cuffed, enveloping her body completely. Yet even so, it could not entirely conceal her impressive curves.
Most striking of all was her face.
She had platinum-blonde hair that cascaded smoothly over her shoulders and down her back, shimmering with a gentle halo under the sunlight.
Her facial features were delicate and gentle, like an angel stepping out of a sacred painting. A faint smile permanently rested at the corners of her mouth, and her eyes were slightly narrowed, as though she were forever gazing upon the world with warmth.
Her presence was far from ostentatious, yet it made people instinctively long to draw near while daring not to desecrate her image.
This was the current Saintess of the Church of Light—Victoria Keller.
Beneath the airship, Bishop in White Bernard and Deputy Director of the Inquisition Reinhardt had already been waiting for a long time.
The moment they saw Victoria's figure appear at the doorway, both bowed slightly in unison, performing a standard church salute.
Victoria descended the gangway at an unhurried pace, stopping before the two of them.
Her voice was soft and soothing, like a stream flowing on a spring day. "Bishop Bernard, Deputy Director Reinhardt, thank you for coming to receive me."
Bernard raised his head and responded respectfully:
"Lady Saintess has traveled far, so it is only fitting that we await you here. The Archbishop informed us in advance of your arrival to assist us, for which we are deeply grateful."
Victoria nodded gently, maintaining her warm smile. "Now then, please bring me up to speed on the situation."
Reinhardt took a step forward and reported in a lowered voice:
"To answer your request, Lady Saintess, unusual occurrences have surfaced in the depths of the Imperial Capital Labyrinth in recent years. Monsters have frequently broken through from the lower levels into the upper ones, and this phenomenon has begun to intensify over recent days."
Victoria remarked placidly, "If it were only that, I imagine the Archbishop would not have been so eager to send me to assist you."
"Indeed..."
Reinhardt paused briefly in silence before continuing:
"In truth, six months ago, signs emerged indicating that a monster seemed to have left the dungeon and successfully reached the surface."
"Currently, the Director of the Inquisition is personally leading a team across the Empire to investigate, but so far, we have yet to uncover the exact situation or find any definitive trace of it after it left the dungeon."
He paused, a shade of solemnity creeping into his tone:
"Generally speaking, monsters in a dungeon rarely leave the floor they inhabit of their own accord, let alone exit the dungeon entirely. Such an occurrence is virtually unheard of in existing records. Therefore, to prevent panic, we have kept this news strictly contained internally. Even the royal family has not yet been informed."
Upon hearing this, Victoria's expression remained completely unchanged.
She continued to smile with her eyes slightly narrowed, as though listening to a trivial matter that had nothing to do with her.
Seeing no response from her, Reinhardt hesitated for a moment before bringing up the proposal that Bernard had previously shot down:
"Lady Saintess, if possible, I hope you will allow me to lead a team into the dungeon to conduct an investigation. Though it may be dangerous, I am willing to take that risk for the Church."
Victoria finally reacted.
She slowly opened her slightly narrowed eyes.
They were eyes as beautiful as the stars.
Yet when Reinhardt met her gaze, he felt an invisible pressure, as if a towering mountain were slowly descending upon his shoulders.
His breathing hitched involuntarily, and cold sweat broke out across his back.
Victoria's voice remained soft, but her tone acquired an unmistakable edge of non-negotiable solemnity:
"Deputy Director Reinhardt, your devotion to Lady Serafina is commendable. To fear not death and be willing to enter danger for the Church is indeed a precious sentiment."
Just as Reinhardt was about to offer a humble reply, Victoria continued:
"However—your faith in Lady Serafina seems not quite devout enough."
Reinhardt's expression froze.
"Though the Church's tenets do not explicitly forbid entering dungeons in writing, Lady Serafina once personally admonished Her believers—do not enter any dungeon."
Victoria questioned coldly, "Is your proposal now an attempt to defy Lady Serafina's restraint?"
Reinhardt's face turned pale instantly.
He hurriedly lowered his head, his voice tinged with panic:
"I meant no such thing! I only... I only wished to resolve this matter for the Church as quickly as possible to prevent the situation from escalating..."
Bernard also chimed in hastily from the side:
"Lady Saintess, Deputy Director Reinhardt harbored no intent whatsoever to offend Lady Serafina. He was merely anxious to eliminate the threat as quickly as possible and spoke out of turn. Please forgive him."
Victoria watched them silently for a moment before slowly closing her eyes again, returning to her gentle, harmless demeanor.
Her voice softened back to its soothing cadence, as though the intense pressure from a moment ago had been nothing more than an illusion:
"I see. Well, do not make such a mistake next time. Everything Lady Serafina says and does is the sole truth of this world, and as Her believers, we must keep that engraved upon our hearts."
Reinhardt and Bernard bowed simultaneously. "We shall follow the Saintess's teachings."
Victoria nodded gently.
"As for what exactly slipped out of the dungeon... I already have a clear idea. What's more, I am quite certain it remains in the Imperial Capital right now. If your Chief Inquisitor ultimately fails, I will personally seek an opportunity to purge those dregs surviving from the previous era. Thus, you need not worry about this matter any further."
Her tone was breezy and casual, as if discussing something utterly trivial.
Yet both Reinhardt and Bernard knew full well how heavy those words were.
Once again, the two lowered their heads and answered in unison, "Understood."
The warm smile returned to Victoria's lips. She looked up toward the direction of the Magic Tower, her tone turning a bit lighter:
"By the way, I still need to make an appearance at the exchange. After all, my ostensible purpose in coming here is to sit in on the exchange and learn. I hope I won't be late on my very first day."
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