What do they expect—that a man who has already devoted himself wholeheartedly to endless work could make any progress with a beauty? Progress with his work would be far more likely.
Thus, with one person being utterly clueless, a few others harboring disdain and aversion, and the rest simply watching for amusement, Olivar’s well-practiced act of feigning vulnerability to win sympathy fell completely flat. Eventually, he could barely maintain the expression of “beautiful strength tinged with fragility” on his face.
In the end, Owen Dee and Kurle grew tired of arguing with him and decided to simply tie him up and take him away to “reunite” with his family.
However, Olivar, realizing he was doomed, couldn’t believe it. As someone who had transmigrated knowing the original plot and was supposed to become the world’s protagonist and child of destiny, he never imagined he would end up like this. Clinging to his so-called “protagonist halo,” he rushed to the place where Os Tianluo had met his demise, ultimately following in his footsteps.
Owen Dee and his group were momentarily stunned by Olivar’s actions. Finally, Owen Dee curled his lip and said, “He ran off pretty fast. Whatever. A couple of you, go make preparations. We’ll need to give an explanation to the higher-ups in the Lumian Empire later.”
After all, a fugitive from the Lumian Empire had met a tragic end in their territory. For the sake of future cooperation and development, the Dark Church would have to provide some kind of account.
The others quickly sprang into action, but Kurle frowned slightly as he gazed at the spot where Olivar had rushed to—a place that had given him a strange sensation when Olivar charged forward, only to return to calm after Olivar’s death.
Davist, who had been watching Kurle closely, asked with concern, “Kurle, what’s wrong? Did you notice something over there?”
Kurle shook his head, seemingly struggling to put it into words. After organizing his thoughts for a moment, he said hesitantly, “That place… gives me a very… peculiar feeling.” Peculiar enough to make him want to rush toward it.
Having witnessed Olivar’s death and seen Os Tianluo’s corpse, Davist grabbed Kurle’s arm worriedly. “Kurle, you—”
Kurle patted Davist’s hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Davi. I’m perfectly lucid and not under any spell. I won’t recklessly take risks when we know so little. It’s just… the feeling I get from that place is… familiar, intimate. But I won’t endanger myself needlessly. You can rest easy, Davi.”
If he were alone, Kurle wouldn’t mind taking a gamble—after all, risk and opportunity often went hand in hand. Expecting reward without risk? The world didn’t work that way. But now, with Davist as his anchor, Kurle had to be more cautious.
He knew that if anything happened to him, Davist would be heartbroken, and Kurle couldn’t bear to see that. So, if only for Davist’s sake, he would protect himself and avoid unnecessary danger.
However, the Dark Church’s First Cardinal, standing nearby, encouraged Kurle to take the risk. “Go take a look. You might find something valuable inside.”
Hearing his subordinate’s words, Owen Dee’s brow twitched involuntarily, his expression twisting into something complicated—bitter, sour, and hard to describe.
Kurle and Davist glanced at the First Cardinal, then at Owen Dee, both looking puzzled. Meanwhile, Anshura, who knew some of the backstory, laughed openly at Owen Dee and also urged Kurle to venture inside. After all, who knew what astonishing discoveries might await?
This was, after all, the Dark Church’s territory. Though the Light Church could investigate certain matters due to their cooperation, they were still at a disadvantage compared to the Dark Church’s home-ground advantage.
As the one being pushed forward, Kurle remained perplexed, but his curiosity was undeniably growing. Though Davist was still worried, he knew Anshura and Owen Dee wouldn’t harm Kurle. Reluctantly, he loosened his grip on Kurle’s arm.
Kurle pulled Davist into a hug, kissed his cheek, and reassured him, “Be good, Davi. Have faith in me.”
The kiss and embrace did soothe Davist, who pressed his lips together and nodded with a small smile. “Then I’ll wait for you outside, Kurle. Don’t forget that.”
Kurle ruffled Davist’s hair. “Don’t worry.”
With a nod to the others, Kurle stepped forward. Davist’s eyes never left him, his heart tightening as Kurle entered the dangerous zone. When Kurle was attacked, Davist nearly rushed to his side—had Anshura not held him back.
To both Davist and Kurle’s surprise, though Kurle was attacked, the injuries were minor. Compared to Olivar and Os Tianluo, who had perished here, Kurle walked in almost unscathed.
Outside, the First Cardinal’s face remained expressionless, but his eyes gleamed. “As expected. It’s him.”
Owen Dee sighed mournfully. “Ah! So it really is him!” He never thought the fragmented clues they’d uncovered would turn out to be true. The world was truly unkind to him—exhausting and loveless.
Once past the misty barrier, Kurle was stunned by what lay inside: the complete skeleton of a dragon. The faint golden glow still clinging to the bones marked it as an incredibly rare Golden Dragon.
This was Dark Church territory, where dragons allied with them were usually Blackflame Dragons, not the exceedingly rare Golden Dragons, who were more inclined toward the Light Church. Yet here lay a Golden Dragon’s remains, resting atop a pool of pitch-black water swirling with intense dark magic—a jarring, dissonant sight.
But Kurle’s shock went deeper. At the sight of the massive dragon skeleton and the dark pool, an overwhelming urge to approach and connect with them surged within him.
Ever the rational one, Kurle suppressed the impulse and moved forward cautiously. Eventually, he discovered a journal—a diary left behind by a powerful dark mage and his beloved wife. The mage, it turned out, was the previous Dark Pope, Owen Dee’s mentor.
Unlike the current frivolous Owen Dee, the previous Pope had been steady, mature, and reserved—more like the solemn, unflappable First Cardinal. Even within the Dark Church, he had been the epitome of restraint—until he met his destined one: a Golden Dragoness, with whom he fell deeply in love.
(Many events omitted here.) In the end, the two became partners and lived happily. Later, the Golden Dragoness became pregnant and laid a radiant egg adorned with dark purple patterns—mysterious and beautiful.
The joy of having a child born of their love was immense. But as the couple prepared to hatch the egg, disaster struck the Dark Church. This incident was later documented, and Kurle, as the Light Church’s Saint, knew fragments of the story.
The previous Dark Pope had married a dragoness, but another dragon had secretly loved her. Heartbroken and enraged by her union with another, this dragon sought revenge.
Unbeknownst to the dragoness, who had never noticed his feelings, she had simply followed her heart. Little did she know the chain of events this would trigger.
Consumed by jealousy, the dragon infiltrated Dark Church territory and allied with a group of fanatics—rebels who sought to overthrow the Church’s rule by murdering innocent followers.
Together, they wreaked havoc.
With the dragon’s power and the fanatics’ ruthlessness, the Dark Church was caught off guard and suffered heavy losses. The previous Pope, after managing the aftermath, entrusted the Church to his disciples—including Owen Dee—before closing his eyes forever.
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