A Dragon's Curiosity

On her way out of the back area of the [Seven Stars Church], Nisha pondered over the information she obtained from the story of the old priestess.

Miss Thana had excused herself from accompanying the elf any longer, she had to instruct the other Halls and her subordinates about the incoming threat of the [Blackroot Plague], a pressing matter that the dragon fully understood after hearing that personal account.

Before leaving the Hall of Life and Death itself, she spotted the priest that she had seen earlier in the courtyard.

Currently, he stood behind the altar and recited a prayer, although there were not many believers in the hall itself.

Approaching the man and bowing in greeting, he soon sat down on the bench next to her.

“May your life be ever peaceful, patroness.

How may this servant be of service?”

As the priest had seen this girl visit Miss Thana in the back area earlier, he showed the highest respect possible, reserved for those with great contribution to the church and nobility.

“Greetings, elder. To my immense pride, I was invited by Miss Thana to discuss a topic that troubled me.

We discussed the last outbreak of the [Blackroot Plague], and the esteemed priestess shared her personal view on the course of events that happened back then.

While receiving her guidance, I sensed that Miss Thana had some strong feelings for the topic, but she did not explain them to me.

I wanted to inquire from you whether there’s something that’s difficult to mention for her?”

Bowing her head somewhat instead of a curtsy due to sitting on the benches, Nisha did her best to politely voice her request.

Even though the elf counted among the higher level of nobility in Thurgau, church and state acted independently of each other, hence her family name did not have any deterrence on clergymen.

Additionally, being friendly never hurt when making a request, either.

“I see, a troubling topic indeed. Perhaps your discussion touched upon a painful memory, our head priestess rarely discusses that time period with us, and my humble self joined later than the period you mentioned, so my knowledge is also only marginal.

But perhaps my grasp on the circumstances can allow the young patroness to understand the query that is troubling you.”

The priest clasped his hands in prayer and collected his thoughts.

In his opinion, his earlier assessment on the elf must be correct, not just anyone had the qualifications to discuss that period with their Hall leader.

Miss Thana is the leader of the Hall of Life and Death? I didn’t know!

She never mentioned it, isn’t it amazing to occupy a high position in the church?

I wonder why Miss Thana concealed that from me.

Not entirely surprised, the dragon agreed that it made sense for the old priestess to have a high office, considering that she was a part of the church all those years ago already.

Without advancing her cultivation, it was impossible for Miss Thana to live until this day, and higher capability also meant stronger responsibilities.

“Please, go ahead. All information is welcome, there is certainly a chance that it can lift my confusion.”

Remaining as polite as before, the dragon disdained using personal relationships to coerce others into doing tasks for her.

Whether her acquaintance was the Head of the Hall of Life and Death or a common priestess, her attitude remained the same.

“Without a doubt, the leader has already explained to you the circumstances about the two disasters back then, correct?”

Seeing her nod in affirmation, the male priest immediately continued.

“Before that incident, the senior members of the Hall were treated just like any of the other Halls in the [Seven Star Church].

Adept in healing complex injuries, mending tricky illnesses and holding grand funeral services, the domains under Life and Death all brought plenty of believers into our Hall.

Unfortunately, the double disaster had many links to us as well.

The traitor who stole knowledge from our scriptures and turned into a necromancer originated from here, and the expedition that contracted the plague also followed the commands of the previous head priest.

He was the first to name the issue as the [Blackroot Plague] and contracted it among the earliest victims as well.

Despite sacrificing his health and wellbeing to restore peace and order to Leandar, the following investigation on the origin of the Undead horde and the plague revealed the name of our hall and the head priest too often, which gave birth to various rumors.

And since the leader of the Hall just passed away, none of the remaining priests had enough seniority or face to clear up the doubts that befell us.”

Finished with his prayer, the priest sighed and looked at the young elf next to him.

With a simple introduction, Nisha already made some mental connections already.

When she first visited the [Seven Stars Church], the introduction to the seven Halls also explained their duties.

The Earth, Fire, Water and Wind Halls governed the elements and the problems that fell under their domain, while the Hall of Light was the place of choice to treat her injury.

Purification, healing and righteousness all belonged to the Light, while the Hall of Darkness became the patron symbol for the less upright businesses.

Thieves, criminals and their ilk all prayed towards the protection of the night when they exercised their activities, although there were plenty of regular citizens that wished to avoid becoming mixed up with them when going to pray there, solely due to their inborn Dark element.

Only the Hall of Life and Death lacked many visitors and a clear purpose, making them stand out from the other Halls.

Now the dragon knew that this was not a deliberate development from the internal struggle of the church, but rather the public opinion that grew doubtful and fearful of them.

Undead, plague and the involvement of priests all cast long shadows over the formerly majestic place.

“When this priest joined the church in his youth, the disasters had already become things of the past and the investigations had long since concluded.

Patroness, I cannot stress this enough, but the kingdom, the guild and the other Halls all cleared the Hall of Life and Death from any involvement in the disaster and the plague.

They did not place any members in custody for questioning or ever announce publicly that there is a connection between the traitor and the last head priest.

Nevertheless, public opinion is hard to sway once it’s formed, and the Hall of Life and Death gradually slipped into a marginal role and lost most support from outside and inside the church due to a lack of believers.

And now this humble preacher already counts as one of the senior generation as well, while nothing changed with the outside perception of our Hall.”

Giving way to a helpless smile, the middle aged priest stroked his greying beard.

From his outside appearance alone, the dragon found it hard to evaluate his age.

There were still some traces of brown hair on his head, but the overall trend leaned towards a grey mane and majestic beard.

The soft wrinkles around his eyes and mouth further gave credit to his image as a middle aged uncle, yet his faith and conviction kept his demeanor youthful and full of life.

Still, a lot of time had passed since the two disasters they discussed happened, making it not unusual that he counted as a senior priest now.

“Lady Thana managed to keep the overall standpoint from deteriorating even further through her hard work and dedication to the church.

Normally, it’s not this insignificant preacher’s place to tell you about her personal circumstances, but perhaps it is better to not burden Her Ladyship by going through those memories over and over again.

Miss Patroness, your intuition was entirely correct, there is a connection between the current head priest and the deceased last one.

Although not many remember anymore, the last head of the Hall of Life and Death had a daughter, who abandoned her family name later on due to his death.

Even though this one does not know what Lady Thana was named before assuming the office of high priest, perhaps none of the priests in the other halls do either.”

“She’s his daughter? No wonder Miss Thana showed such pain and hesitation when recounting the two disasters.

I hope I did not hurt her feelings unknowingly.”

The dragon knew the pain of losing a relative, she felt bad for opening old wounds by asking for information.

It was not her intent to hurt the old priestess.

“Please don’t worry, young Patroness. This humble one might not be certain on other topics, yet it’s certain that Lady Thana is no longer shackled by the past.

 Her name is an old word borrowed from a foreign language, which comes with an important meaning.

Since the father of Her Ladyship passed away, her powers turned towards the Death aspect of the Life and Death attribute, and Thana symbolizes that change.

It is Her Grace's commitment to develop spells and rituals that showcase a different side rather than necromancy and disaster, allowing the Hall of Life and Death to return to its previous state.

To be honest, this priest has never seen a stronger leader than Lady Thana.

Please rest your worries, Patroness.

As long as the head priest was willing to share the story with you, you certainly did not hurt her emotionally or otherwise without meaning to do so.”

His conviction persuaded the elf as well.

At all times, she had never seen Miss Thana agree to things she was unwilling to do or bend to the will of others.

Since the old priestess agreed to go into detail and patiently explain the consequences of the [Blackroot Plague], then Nisha did not need to feel bad about it.

Perhaps, the old lady only missed her father, who left her a long time ago.

The dragon missed her late grandfather with every sunrise, the pain never left, it only got duller until it was bearable.

“Thank you for clarifying my doubts, I can understand Miss Thana a bit better now.

It never occurred to me that she was personally involved from the way she recounted the past, yet it’s also understandable as it involves her close family member.

There is still one more item on my schedule, perhaps you are the right contact for it.

The Dharnas estate in Thurgau is currently in need of spiritual guidance for a long period of time and wishes to hire two senior priests for half a turn, if possible, to stay at our residence and provide the residents with counselling and protection.

Can you relay my request to the Hall of Life and Death?

After hearing the story of the current circumstances came to be, I wish to do my part in clearing up the misunderstandings of the past.”

Speaking for a long period of time in a formal tone, showing her court manners, tired the elf.

Perhaps she was still too young to adopt the cumbersome etiquette as her choice of words, or the dragon soul inside her body disdained the artificial niceties.

Nevertheless, the task entrusted to her by Luthais was important, more so than ever, after listening to Miss Thana and the terror that was the [Blackroot Plague].

Thankfully, the male priest did not let her down.

“It is always a pleasant surprise to connect with believers for a long period of time.

This humple preacher can accept the mission on the spot, before the day ends two of our senior priests will report to the Dharnas estate and take residence there as well.

May your life be ever peaceful, Patroness.”

Clasping his hands and returning the bow from the beginning, the priest ended the conversation.

He felt quite surprised, as the youthful girl before him had the authority to hire two senior priests, which required a hefty amount of compensation, for a Duke House.

Being as polite as possible, he had made the correct decision back then, the elf must have either a high position among the followers of the Duke or be part of the family line itself.

Either way, it made sense for such an esteemed personage to enjoy the personal attention of the current leader of the Hall of Life and Death.