PARALLEL MEMORY

Two women were seated in a room which was adorned with intricate tapestries and paintings depicting scenes from religious lore, and the walls were lined with shelves filled with ancient scrolls and holy texts. Soft, flickering candlelight illuminated the space, casting a warm glow across the opulent furnishings.

"So, what is the progress of our plan? Did that bodyguard of Saintess Amelia agree to become Holy Knight Commander?"

Priestess Helena asked.

"That damn commoner! He actually refused my offer."

Cardinal Hildred roared.

"Not only that, he dares show such disrespect to me. Who gave him such courage? It must be that woman. Just like the owner, that slave is equally ignorant."

Cardinal Hildred continued yelling. She was pretty angry with Zero, even more so than the Saintess.

"So, our plan failed?"

Priestess Helena asked, disappointed. She seemed neither angry nor hateful for Saintess and Zero, but she was indeed disappointed.

The Cardinal's face turned red with anger as she clenched her fists. She slammed the table.

"Yes, our plan has failed!"

She spat out, her voice seething with frustration.

"That insolent commoner has actually refused to become the Holy Knight Commander and has shown disrespect towards me, all because of that woman."

"I have underestimated that man. Never did I expect that he would refuse such a position. I thought he was just some pretentious bastard."

Priestess Helena looked surprised. She thought that she was rejected by Jester/Zero because he didn't know her position but even when he was offered a higher position, the response was the same.

"Humph! Just an ignorant guy!"

Cardinal Hildred said with hatred in her voice.

"Anyway, in the first place, it is all those Devil Contractors' faults! If they had done their job, we wouldn't need to do anything. Even after giving every information, they still failed to kill the Saintess. What a bunch of useless people!"

Cardinal Hildred yelled. Good thing that they were inside a room that blocked sounds and vision from outside. Other than the people inside the room, no other information would go outside.

If not, people would have known that Cardinal Hildred, the second most powerful person in the Church, is a traitor who planned to kill the Saintess.

"What do we do now, Your Eminence?"

"Execute the emergency plan! We will kill the Saintess as soon as the Pope goes out. I thought we should do things discreetly but it looks like we have no choice."

Cardinal Hildred said. Her eyes burned with hatred and determination.

"O-Okay!"

Priestess Helena replied nervously. She didn't think that they would need to resort to this. If their plan was known by others, she knew that she could no longer live in the Human Domain.

*******

After the meeting with the Pope, Zero wasn't disturbed by anyone anymore. ｂ𝚎𝚍𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎ｌ.ｎｅｔ

During that time, he tried to investigate Cardinal Hildred but couldn't find anything. The room of the Cardinal was protected by some strong spells that he couldn't infiltrate. And there was also a guard of Rank A. So, he can't carelessly use his Shadow Dance as it would be detected by them.

Even though he was confident about his abilities, he didn't underestimate the Church which probably had around 10-20 S-Rank Holy Knights. Even if he could run away, he shouldn't do that before making sure that Saintess Amelia was safe.

Aside from that, he also tried his best to monitor Saintess Amelia, in order to see whether she is being approached by someone suspicious. However, it seems that Saintess Amelia is really loved by people as many people would approach her just to see her.

And among that, Zero could not see anyone who has abnormal status or someone who is strong. Anyway, Sanctum Aurea is filled with Holy Knights so it was unlikely that assassins could infiltrate the city unless the Holy Knights themselves are traitors, which is likely.

Although with Zain, there would not be any lunatics who would attack Saintess in his presence. Even if there was, Zero was confident that he could reach Saintess in time to save her. With him monitoring her, her life was guaranteed.

Anyway, that was what his usual day at the Sanctum Aurea was.

He would also look around the city. It was a very peaceful city with not much busy activity like in other cities. One could see Goddess believers praying around while at the training ground, Holy Knights would be training.

This situation made him think that maybe he shouldn't need to protect Saintess Amelia anymore. However, there was an uneasy feeling in his heart and he continued to stay by Saintess Amelia's side.

He wants to stay with her until she moves to another Church or after he knows that Cardinal Hildred is not a danger to Saintess Amelia.

During this time, Saintess Amelia was preparing for the farewell of the Holy Knights who died protecting her from Devil Contractors.

Zero kept a vigilant eye on Saintess Amelia as she prepared for the farewell ceremony for the fallen Holy Knights. He couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling in his heart, knowing that danger could still lurk around. He remained by her side, always watchful and protective.

That feeling only grew larger when the Pope announced that he would be away from the Sanctum Aurea. It seems that all the Devils that had invaded the Human Domain had been taken care of and now high-ranking people are having some kind of meeting which includes the Pope.

The Pope left with guards who were all Rank-A and Rank-S Holy Knights. It was unlikely for him to be killed unless someone sent Rank-SS which would not happen because Rank-SS would never stoop low to become an assassin who would work for others.

Anyway, even with the Pope gone, there was no unusual movement from Cardinal Hildred. Zero expected that she would make a move if she planned to during the absence of the Pope. However, his worries were all for naught because nothing happened during that time except the preparation for the fallen Holy Knight had finished.

As the day of the farewell ceremony arrived, the Sanctum Aurea was filled with a somber atmosphere. The fallen Holy Knights were honored with prayers and tributes, and Saintess Amelia led the ceremony with grace and dignity. Zero stood nearby, keeping a keen eye on everyone around, scanning for any signs of suspicious activity.

During the ceremony, Zero noticed Cardinal Hildred's presence, and his suspicions deepened. He couldn't shake off the feeling that the Cardinal was up to something, but he couldn't do anything as he was not sure. But he did keep his eyes on her just in case she showed any suspicious behavior.

Saintess Amelia stood at the front of the altar, surrounded by the grieving Holy Knights and the solemn crowd. She closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and bowed her head in deep prayer.

"O Goddess, we gather here today to honor the brave souls who have fallen in the line of duty, protecting our faith and our people. May their souls find peace in your divine embrace, and may their sacrifice never be forgotten." …

Her voice was soft, yet resonant with emotion, as she offered her prayers for the fallen Holy Knights. The ceremony was proceeding well, however, Zero felt that something was wrong. He didn't see anyone suspicious but felt that something was wrong.

As the farewell ceremony continued, Zero couldn't help but notice something unusual about the families of the fallen Holy Knights. Despite their loved ones being honored and sent off with prayers and tributes, their families showed no emotion. They stood there with blank expressions, not shedding a tear or displaying any signs of grief. It was as if they were unaffected by the loss of their family members.

Even the Holy Knights who were comrades of the fallen showed no sadness nor did they cry.

Zero's suspicions were aroused. He had encountered many grieving families and their emotions were always raw and palpable. But this lack of emotion from the families of the fallen Holy Knights seemed unnatural.

He thought that maybe dying for the Saintess might be considered an honor by the people who work for the Church. Maybe it would be rude if they showed their sadness and broke down in tears. However, Zero didn't want to assume things when they could potentially be a hazard to Saintess Amelia's life.

He discreetly approached one of the families, trying to gather more information. He offered his condolences and asked if they were okay. The family members looked at him with vacant eyes and replied in monotone voices, "We are fine. Thank you for your concern."

Zero's instincts told him that something was amiss. That something would happen.

As time passed, Zero's unease grew stronger. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss, and he couldn't let his guard down. He remained vigilant.

That was when Cardinal Hildred approached him with a smile on his face.