Eren felt the critical gazes of the Cardinals upon him. Every person present in this place was among the strongest Cardinals in the Holy Empire, serving the main church.
Even when compared to the Great Demon Sect, these Cardinals could be considered as powerful as their strongest members.
"Are all Cardinals of the Holy Empire as childish as you? I suppose the standard did fall."
Even though Eren didn't care about their taunts, he also didn't ignore their words. He wasn't scared of them. Even if he wasn't in the right state of mind, he was still capable of standing his own ground.
In any case, he was sure that there were going to be no battles even if he was rude. As he was here as a guest, it would be foolish of them to challenge him for a fight at the moment especially since the Holy Priestess brought him here.
"You!" The Cardinals who had been moving Eren felt flustered in the moment. Some took a step forward, as if wanting to teach Eren a lesson.
It was only after they saw the Holy Priestess step out of the portal that they controlled their steps, taking a step back.
"Your Holiness," all the Cardinals greeted the Holy Priestess respectfully.
The Holy Priestess simply nodded before introducing Eren and the others.
"They are from the Demon Sect. They are here to investigate the disappearance of their envoys. Treniel, you will be responsible for guiding them."
"As Her Holiness desires," the Cardinal, who had been the calmest in the place, responded, accepting the authority he was granted.
He was already sure of what the Holy Priestess actually wanted, as he had also been responsible for the disappearance of the previous envoys. If anyone understood the Holy Priestess the most here, it was him.
"I will take care of everything," he said, his words carrying a hidden meaning.
"What do you mean by that? How can the causality of this world get so twisted that even you can't see through it?'
....
"It is truly twisted. To think that the Necromancer Tower would do something like this. They have truly lost all reasoning," Treniel said as he guided Eren through the Holy Church, talking about the disappearance of the Envoys.
"If we had known that something like this could happen, we would have sent our people to escort them safely. I am truly regretful about the oversight on our part," he continued.
Eren simply listened to the Cardinal's words, not having the slightest interest. If anything, he simply wanted silence for now as his head was throbbing.
He felt extremely sleepy ever since he ate the healing pill, but at least it had controlled some of the pain.
"Shall I take you to the place where the remnants of the ship were found? As it is inside the territory of the Northern Continent, we would have to be extremely careful and quick," Treniel offered.
"There is no need to hurry. Where are our rooms? We would like to rest for now if possible," Eren finally said, after Treniel didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
"Oh, your rooms have been arranged in the Royal Palace. Although you are our guests, the Church has its own rules. Outsiders cannot stay here," Treniel explained as he momentarily stopped near the window.
From the window, a magnificent sight could be seen outside. Thousands of people had gathered in front of the Holy Church of Freya, many even carrying their newborn babies to receive their first blessings.
The children hadn't even been held by their mothers yet before they were brought here by their family.
Even more of them just wanted to catch a single sight of the Holy Priestess, appearing as if they had become obsessed in their devotion.
Looking at the scene, Eren was even more certain about the workings of the Holy City. It was truly a place that was filled with darkness beneath that glittering light.
"Still, as our guests, we have made all the preparations in the Royal Palace," Treniel added. "There is even a welcoming banquet arranged by the Holy Emperor to welcome the friends who came from far away."