'Alright, I guess I am part of the House of Light now...'
In the end, Cedric decided to accept their offer and become the Holy Son of the House of Light. That said, he explicitly told them that this should remain a private matter for now.
From Cedric's point of view, it is way too early to make a splash. Besides, it contradicts his desire to remain low-profile. Sure, he could've used his other persona - Derrek, as a proxy, but he can't be in two places at once. His whole con is to confuse demons, besides, Derrek isn't trying to become a celebrity.
Still, he will cooperate with the House of Light. What Princeton and the Archbishop told him was true, with or without him, the House of Light had their own matters to attend to. They have tasks, goals, etc. He isn't required to take office and manage them directly, they can function on their own.
However, he did leave them with a gift that made the Archbishop incredibly emotional...
- Flashback -
"Don't look so surprised, I know that you know about my true identity. I see no reason to keep wearing a disguise in front of you."
This is what Cedric said after seeing the surprised faces of the Archbishop and his guards after he removed his disguise.
"Well, pardon us, Young Sage. We're just not expecting you to be so direct." Gabriel cleared his throat and after recovering from his surprise. "Thank you for accepting our offer. If you need anything from us, please do not hesitate to say it. We are here to help you, after all."
"...are you all serious when you said that all you need from me is to become a 'Leading Figure' for your organization? You expect nothing aside from that? Please, be honest." Cedric asked and requested because he seriously couldn't believe it.
"Yes, Your Holiness." Cedric prevented himself from physically reeling upon hearing how the Archbishop changed how he addressed him. "That's all we require from you. The edict left by our founder was clear on that, and we all joined knowing what was in store for us. We will be your allies, you only need to say the word and we will do our best to fulfill your orders."
Cedric felt a bit pressured, which was ironic because these people weren't even requiring him to do anything. He felt like they were gaslighting him, and if that was true, then he hated that it was working.
"Okay, uh...first of all, the whole 'Your Holiness' thing is too...formal? Yeah, it's too formal. I...don't deserve to be addressed as such, for now at least. Just call me by my name or Young Sage, either of those works."
"As you wish." Gabriel readily agreed with a smile on his face.
Cedric then looked at Gabriel and said: "We will start with small things for now."
He then took out about 100 yellow array discs from his Inventory and began engraving them with the Aspect of the Sun. Due to his expertise in Symbols, this was but a simple task for him. He finished in less than a minute and then handed the stack of array discs to Gabriel.
Cedric wasn't done though...
Next, he took out a large stone boulder...which was far from ordinary. The stone boulder had an ancient air to it and gave off an impression of stability and solidness.
He then took a deep breath and released the full might of his Sagely Powers. With a hammer and chisel, he physically carved the sigil into the center of the stone. He converted his Astral Energy into Solar Power to ensure that the sigil would never fade. He also included his insights with Concept Laws as he carved the sigil and he included his Sage Arts within.
By the time he was done, the room was scaldingly hot and illuminated by a golden light. Still, neither Gabriel nor his guards complained about it. They even relished in it.
The Aspect of the Sun which contained everything that Cedric knew about Sage Arts and the Solar Concept Law, was firmly carved into the stone. The entire stone was visibly changing before their eyes, but it's gonna take time before these changes finish and become permanent.
Cedric then turned to Gabriel and said: "The array discs can serve as a replacement for the core of the Lighthouses. I've learned everything to know about them so those should work. Just give them a constant supply of energy and they will be capable of releasing True Sunlight and Sunfire." see-more-MVLeMpYr
"Once you installed them, the feeling of the real sun will finally be felt by everybody again."
Gabriel's lips trembled as he heard these words. He's even close to crying at this point. His guards were no better. Cedric pointedly ignored this, not because he didn't care but because he felt uncomfortable seeing them act this way.
To him, this was just the bare minimum. In his opinion, he hasn't done anything that would warrant a reaction like this just yet. But he also understands what they're feeling at some level.
'To commemorate the Sun and provide light to the civilization'. This has always been the main goal of this organization, after all.
"As for this stone..." Cedric continued, "It contains the complete inheritance. The Sage Arts I've learned, techniques that may or may not allow you to gain inspiration or harness the real power of the sun...all I know is in there. It ain't much but it should help."
"I'll leave this to you to decide how to use it. This is all I can offer right at this very moment. In the future, I'll think of a way to bring back the Sun, the Moon, and the expansive starry skies above our people and world. It's gonna take me some time but...well, I'm confident I can do it."
On that day, Cedric's cult started, and his gospel was formed by the first three people who personally witnessed the miracle he created.