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She was surprised to see the witchers there, but she had no time to catch up with them. She smiled at them and came to her spot to start the morning ritual. The witchers could not leave just then, so they stood with the knights and guarded Adda for the time being.

The Church of Virtue would hold a ritual at the temple every morning. It was like the church mass Roy heard of back in his old world, though this ceremony was less of a hassle. Adda held the scriptures and sang the hymns along with the ladies standing beside her. The hymns spoke of Vivienne’s holy name and her sacred deeds. The believers would listen or pray in silence as this happened.

The witchers knew what to do. Back when they were in the temple of Melitele, Nenneke would force them to join the evening prayer every day. They had seen this happen before, and they knew the etiquette involved. Adda would then begin to recite the creed and question the believers about it. The believers would answer her questions. Most of them were on the lowest hierarchy in society. Beggars and the handicapped were present, and a minority of them were the wealthy of the trade quarter who were intrigued by the belief. They were all kneeling and were as close to the statue as possible.

Adda stood with her head raised up high. She was proper, sacred, and seemingly glowing golden. With every question she asked, magical energy would ripple out and cover all the believers around the statue. That was the magical ability Vivienne bestowed on Adda. Her voice used to be hoarse and husky, but now it was clear and sonorous. The believers answered with fervor, and everyone was whipped into a frenzy. What started out as a mutter eventually turned into shouts and cheers.

The high priestess would lead the next part. They would sing praises to Vivienne, and the believers’ fanaticism was at a tipping point. When they sang, it was a roar of praises.

“Praise the goddess. You baptize the sinners. We are your believers. We pray for your mercy. Your mercy. Grant us your blessing.”

Even the knights joined in at the end, singing the song of praise. Roy was reminded of the bonfire during Lammas. The people were as fanatic as these believers were. That fanaticism spread like wildfire, and none was spared, save for the witchers. They were no believers, but the sight of this was shocking enough for them.

If the high priestess so wanted, she could turn these believers into a furious mob. It was then Roy understood why Foltest was so worried about this new religion.

The believers had vented all the frustrations after all that singing, and they were smiling in peace. They lined up in a few rows, and the priests and knights took the cloth off the wooden barrels. It was filled with gifts of the goddess: oatmeal, rye bread, and soup. It was a simple meal, but a delicious one. The air was filled with a tantalizing aroma and the warmth of the food. The free food provided by Lebioda’s hospital paled in comparison.

Roy kept casting Observe on the statue and the believers. They would give the statue looks of gratitude as they enjoyed their meal, and a sliver of light would come out of them and float into the statue, replenishing it with faith.

The goddess gives them food, and they give her faith in return. Roy made a connection in his mind. Vivienne is like a shepherd, and her priestess rounds the sheeps for her. These believers are the sheeps. She feeds the sheeps and keeps them full, while they give her their wool and milk in return. “I wonder where their souls would go in the afterlife. Does the kingdom of god exist?”

***

“Oh, you should have told me you’d come. I could have shown you around.” Adda came to the witchers, smiling. “It’s all thanks to you that the church is growing well.”

The princess of Temeria did not sound as demanding and bossy as she had the last time they met. The witchers realized that the Lady of the Lake must have changed her a lot. Roy also noticed a knight with a thick beard behind Adda.

He was about forty years old, and he was wearing plate armor. He had a sword strapped to his side, and the man was even taller than letho. He was built like a bear, and his thick black beard was connected to his hair. His hair covered his forehead, revealing only his aquiline nose and eyes that had a cold, calculating look in them. He was eyeing the witchers as if they were his prey.

‘Rudolf Valaris

Age: Forty years old

Gender: Male

Status: Leader of the Order of the White Rose

Strength: 11

Dexterity: 9

Constitution: 10

Perception: 7

Will: 8

Charisma: 7

Spirit: 6

Skills:

Sword Mastery Level 6, Horseback Riding Level 6, Crossbow Mastery Level 3, Emergency Healing Level 2

Well Trained (Passive): Underwent rigorous military training for a long time. +1 to Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength.’

This world is filled with talented people. They might not be sorcerers or witchers, but they’re formidable warriors in battle, just like this guy here. “Who might this be, Princess?” Roy asked carefully. He could feel a hint of danger coming from Rudolf, and not many people could do that.

“He’s Rudolf, the leader of the knight order. He’s my bodyguard.”

“Your Highness, we’re here for some private matters.” Roy emphasized the last part of the sentence. Adda realized he wanted to talk to her alone, so she told Rudolf to keep everything under control before she went into the church with the witchers.

After they got out of the knights’ sights, Roy told Adda about the conspiracy against Vivenne. Adda was silent the whole time, though she looked flabbergasted, shocked, and pale with anger in the end.

“Foltest is going to attack the goddess? And he hid that from me?” Adda gnashed her teeth, and her face was contorted with rage, while her eyes gleamed with insanity. Her old self was pushing through again. “It’s their fault. Rudolf and Azar must have banded together and lied to my father! Heretics! Traitors!”

“What will you do, Your Highness?” Roy asked, sounding a little sympathetic. What will she do? Take her family’s side or protect Vivienne at all costs? “Will you keep running the church in Vizima?”

“I follow the goddess’ orders.” Adda had a tense look on her face, and the look in her eyes was cold enough to freeze an entire lake. “Those who try to destroy the church shall pay the price. If I get rid of them, nobody can deceive my father anymore. Everything will go back to how it was.”

She wants to make them pay? Roy was surprised about that. And Vivienne doesn’t sound like she’s going to back down. But how is she going to fight the order and the sorcerer? Azar did find out a part of her weakness.

“I will take them to Black Tern Island tomorrow. They shall meet the goddess themselves.” Adda gazed at the young witcher. “You possess the goddess’ sword. She trusts you. You should come as well. Come and witness the end of the scoundrels who try to conspire against her.”

The witchers had no choice. If they were forced to take a side, Roy would stand with Vivienne. “Hey, where’s Jacques de Aldersberg? I don’t see him around here.”

“He believes in the Eternal Fire. He went to their headquarters in Novigrad to learn more about it.” Adda sighed. “It’s a shame I couldn’t induct him into the church, but I respect his choice.”

Roy nodded. “The goddess wants you to have this.”

“Good.” Adda raised the gemstone and the scale up. She put the gem under the sun and observed its bizarre inner workings, her face filled with delight and infatuation. “Mortals can never win in a fight against gods. Now that I hold these items, I have nothing to fear from the Order of the White Rose.” She let out a hearty laugh. “But the goddess advocates mercy and sympathy. I shall grant the traitors a chance to repent.”

***

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