"Here, take this."

  The Proof of Devotion! And it was given by the Grand Inquisitor himself!

  "Thank you, Grand Inquisitor."

  Kenley bowed deeply before accepting the Proof of Devotion.

  Once Terence had departed, the bishop finally spoke."Children, and Her Highness, the princess from the Elven Kingdom—please, come inside for a private discussion."

  "You… You recognize me?" Sylph's face was full of astonishment.

  The bishop smiled mysteriously."With such a pure aura of natural life, how could I not?"

  Without further explanation, he turned and led the way. The three exchanged glances before quickly following.

  Tia, however, stole glances at Kenley along the way, her heartbeat quickening slightly.

  So Master is the child of a hero… Was that why he saved me that day?

  Yet, he didn't seem to be aware of his own lineage. Why is that? Is it the will of the Holy Mother guiding him?

  Though she had become one of the darkborn, Tia was not entirely ignorant of the world. She had overheard slave traders speaking in hushed tones, picking up fragments of history and truth.

  During the Fourth Age, the Era of the Dark Invasion, many of the Golden Lineage perished on the battlefield. Countless heroes lost their lives far from home, standing against the Dark Sovereign.

  The Gaifei Kingdom was no exception. Her father, her uncles, her elder sister, and her brother—every one of them had fallen on the Eastern Coastline, sacrificing themselves to defend the light.

  Back then, her father had risked everything to protect her—the youngest of the royal bloodline—sending her through a secret escape tunnel to ensure that at least one heir of the Gaifei royal family survived.

  But who could have foreseen that a terrifying Vampire Earl had already laid an ambush within the tunnel?

  Even now, she still remembered his name.

  Though she had been turned—corrupted into a vampire's thrall—her unyielding will, born of her Golden Bloodline, had given her the strength to seize an opportunity to escape.

  Yet fate had not been kind.

  She had only barely broken free, only to fall into the hands of slave traders.

  It was as if the Holy Mother herself were playing a cruel joke on her…

  But now, she had met Kenley.

  Kenley had saved her from those very same slavers, helped her reintegrate into human society, and even gone so far as to shield her from a Paladin's blade.

  Master… just how many more secrets do you have that I don't know?

  Tia continued to watch Kenley in silence.

  "Please, come in."

  The bishop personally opened the door for them.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Kenley gave a slight bow before stepping inside, followed by the others. The room had a distinct atmosphere—somewhere between a study and a private chamber.

  It was clean and minimalist, furnished with a desk, a fireplace, a long table, and a plush long sofa. Two smaller sofas flanked the table, while bookshelves brimming with ancient tomes lined the walls.

  Once they were seated, the bishop finally spoke.

  "Children, the reason I have called you here… is because of a confidential mission regarding the Gaifei Kingdom."

  Kenley's eyes flickered in surprise. A hidden side quest?

  Meanwhile, the moment Tia heard mention of Gaifei Kingdom, she immediately tensed.

  She leaned forward and asked,"Your Excellency, may I ask… what exactly is this mission?"

  The moment she finished speaking, Tia immediately realized her mistake. As her master's servant, it was Kenley who should have spoken first. By speaking out of turn, she had overstepped her bounds.

  "Ah… I apologize, Master." Tia quickly lowered her head and apologized to Kenley as soon as she realized her error.

  Kenley merely waved his hand dismissively, unfazed by the matter. Instead, he turned to the bishop and asked,"Something related to Gaifei Kingdom? But the Cain Empire and Gaifei Kingdom are separated by a vast distance. Even if there were a mission, completing it would be extremely difficult for us."

  The bishop chuckled softly."There is no need to worry, children. First, allow me to explain the full context."

  "Please go ahead, Your Excellency," Kenley replied.

  The bishop then began,"Ever since Gaifei Kingdom was consumed by darkness, the Cain Empire, the Holy Light Theocracy, and the Misty Sea Empire have been working tirelessly to cleanse the corruption left in its wake. We seek to restore order and the presence of light on the Eastern Coast. However, we lack capable individuals who can purify the land. That is why we need people with deep roots in the region—those who can pave the way for the light's return."

  Kenley immediately exchanged glances with Tia before responding,"But Tia and I are still young, and our strength is shallow at best. If we were to venture to the Eastern Coast now, it would be no different from walking to our deaths."

  The bishop nodded in agreement."Of course. We do not expect you to go immediately. Based on our current plans, this purification process will take two to three years. It is not something that needs to happen overnight. You will have time to grow stronger, and once the moment is right, we will embark on this mission together. For now, I merely wish to discuss it with you and hear your thoughts."

  Tia felt a surge of urgency. She wanted to go. Desperately.

  She longed to uncover the fate of her father, her mother, her brothers, and sisters. Were they still alive, or had they, too, been turned into darkborn? Or had they already returned to the embrace of the Holy Mother?

  Yet, she forced herself to hold back. Instead, she fixed her gaze on Kenley, her eyes filled with silent plea, hoping—praying—that he would give the answer she wanted to hear.

  Kenley, however, remained silent, not rushing to respond.

  To be honest, he was quite tempted by this mission. A task involving the Golden Bloodline was bound to come with significant rewards.

  But two to three years… That was far too short.

  This wasn't a game. It was reality.

  Unlike in a game, he couldn't be certain that leveling up would be as quick and straightforward.

  Ever since completing the Dwarven Quest and the Golden Scissors Quest today, he had only received treasures and money—not a single bit of experience points. His level had remained exactly the same.

  That meant he either had to hunt monsters to gain experience or test other quests to see if they rewarded any experience.

  And from what he remembered of the game…

  The Eastern Coast during the mid-game phase was crawling with powerful enemies.

  Everywhere, formidable bosses and high-level foes roamed freely. Even the smallest monsters weren't to be underestimated.

  Although he had earned a massive sum of experience from defeating Dane, enough to level up five times in one go, he wasn't in a hurry to use it.

  His plan was to unlock the Alchemist profession first—then invest the experience points into it.

  After all, Alchemists possessed many highly practical skills worth mastering.

  Right now, in the early game, leveling up was still relatively easy. But once he passed level 30, the experience required to progress would skyrocket.

  And in the Eastern Coast… Silver-tier bosses were everywhere.

  Even in the current game version, that region still remained a high-level danger zone.

  Even if a level 99 player were to venture there, they would still need to tread carefully, lest they fall prey to the monsters lurking about.

  The reason?

  Because Aude Continent was a game that prioritized realism.

  Levels existed, but monsters were categorized by tier—such as Silver-tier.

  Even a low-level Silver-tier enemy could still pose a lethal threat to a higher-level player.

  Faced with the bishop's proposal, Kenley knew he had to carefully weigh his decision.