Chapter 254: Assumption was a dangerous path

​"Master, look!" Lucius whispered, holding up a map that was larger than his own torso. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

It was a depiction of the continent from before the Great Divide. The colors were faded, but the detail was immense.

"It has the Blackspire mountains on it. See? They look like tiny teeth."

​Julian walked over and leaned down, looking at where the boy’s small finger was pointing.

Seeing North drawn in the ink of the Holy Empire felt strange. It was a reminder that while the borders were closed, the world’s history was still shared.

​"It’s a beautiful map, Lucius," Julian said quietly as he stroked Lucius’ hair. "Keep it nearby. We might need to compare it to the newer ones later."

"Yes!"

​Julian stood back up and continued his slow circuit of the room. He was looking for the gaps—the places where the history felt too polished or where the records suddenly stopped.

He eventually found himself at the back of the circular hall, where the shelves grew deeper, and the dust began to settle more thickly on the wood.

​This area was clearly less frequented by the acolytes. The books here weren’t about current doctrine or the lives of the saints; they were old ledgers and census records from the early days of the Sanctum’s expansion.

This was a part he shouldn’t go near, but there weren’t any physical restrictions, so it should be fine.

Julian walked toward the back of the library, where the shelves were thick with dust. He found a small window tucked behind a stack of books. It was dirty, which was a relief; it didn’t blind him like the rest of the city.

So, they don’t pay attention to every little detail after all. He thought.

He looked out the small dusty window, wondering where it oversaw, only to see a group of men in grey robes.

Grey? Why grey? Wasn’t the city all white?

And what they were doing definitely caught his attention.

They were moving quickly, carrying heavy crates into a dark entrance at the bottom of the spire. It looked secretive, nothing like the open, holy image the city usually projected.

This... What were those people up to?

"Master? What is it?" Lucius asked, standing beside him.

"Just looking at the city," Julian said, though his mind was on those crates.

He turned to the shelf next to the window. He pulled out a thin, leather book with no title on the dusty cover.

When he opened it, his eyes widened. This was a list of orphans from the war. It recorded their names, ages, and the strength of their holy powers when they were brought in or discovered over time.

Subconsciously, Julian started flipping through the pages as if looking for a specific name. He was, in fact, looking for a name. Castor. He was curious about this boy.

But when he finally found him, his information was blank.

There were other names that had blank information, but he didn’t exactly know what that meant.

Did that mean he had no usefulness, or was he so useful that they couldn’t leave his details out in the open?

Julian grimaced. He couldn’t understand it, and that made him feel a little bit nervous. Was the child in danger after all? He looked up at the grey men moving crates.

Was there a shady business going on in this Holy City after all?

In a city where everything was designed to be blindingly white and perfectly transparent, the presence of grey felt like a smudge on a clean canvas. It felt like a foreboding.

"Master, you’re making a scary face again," Lucius said softly, pulling Julian’s robe.

Julian blinked, quickly closing the leather-bound book and sliding it back into its dusty slot.

Julian knelt to Lucius’s level, his voice steady. "I’m just curious about how they build things here. It’s quite different from back home."

​He stood up, casting one last glance at the grey-robed men before leading Lucius away from the dusty corner.

​"Let’s head back to the main table. I should probably look at that big book Elian recommended," Julian said.

Lucius nodded and followed Julian back to the table.

They sat down, and Julian opened the iron-bound volume.

For the next hour, he forced himself to focus entirely on the text, drowning out the questions about the crates and the blank records.

He could very well assume that the children with blank pages were in danger. But then again, it might just be like that because the information hadn’t been updated.

Or there was a separate book where their information was stored.

But then again, why did he have to go that far?

Assumption was a dangerous path, and Julian preferred the safety of the written word. He was here for two months—no more, no less.

​Beside him, Lucius eventually grew tired of the maps and curled up in a large, velvet-cushioned chair, falling into a light sleep.

Julian went to sit on the chair as well to make sure Lucius did not roll off. He placed the boy’s head on his lap and kept reading.

There were records of the ’Purification Era’, filled with grand illustrations of the Church’s expansion, right from the part of where a ’voice’ was heard and the first miracle happened.

A land that had fallen into barren famine and drought had been rejuvenated in a day as rain constantly fell, and the ’voice’ said, "Plant and eat," the crops grown on that soil grew in a week, which shouldn’t be possible.

It completely saved the villagers and that very land... Julian looked at his feet... was the land he was currently threading on?

The Holy City.

It was fascinating, and if this were not a fantasy world, he would’ve found it hard to believe.

Here, the impossible is made possible.

​The heavy thud of the silver doors echoing through the hall eventually signaled the end of the session.

Ah, it had been a few hours, and he did not even realize it.

Julian looked up as Elian walked back into the room, his expression as unreadable as ever.

​"I hope your first day was productive, Saint," Elian said, his eyes scanning the table. "The sun is beginning to set, and the evening meal is being prepared in your quarters. I shall escort you back."

​Julian carefully closed the chronicle and gathered his things. He woke Lucius with a gentle hand and stood up, his posture straight.

​"It was very informative," Julian said. "There is much to learn about the history of the Sanctum."

​"Indeed," Elian replied, stepping aside. "And we have only just begun."

​As they walked back through the silent, white corridors, Julian kept his gaze forward.

He had a plan: stay cautious, stay busy, and avoid any trouble that didn’t directly concern his survival. Unless there was something wrong going on right in front of his eyes, he did not plan to uncover anything.

The secrets of the Holy City could stay hidden; he just wanted to go home and have nothing to do with the Church.

​They reached their quarters, and Elian bowed slightly before the door.

"I shall leave you to your meal. I will not be able to come tomorrow morning to pick you up as I did this morning, but do not worry. A servant will arrive in the morning to escort you to the plaza for the first communal prayer."

​"Thank you, Purifier," Julian said, stepping inside and closing the door.

The first day was finally over. And thankfully... There were no conflicts.