As Jonah watched the image of the three flying back toward the headquarters of the Church, he really didn"t know how to feel.
Beside him, he had felt many commanders initially rubbing their eyes as if they wanted to make sure that what they were seeing was real, and after that, many took to grinning widely and then muttering between themselves about how they had been unnaturally affected by someone like this.
They had all seen how the bow and his words had made the Saint smile. All he had done in response was wave his hand to dispose of whatever he had conjured in the air before flying in a certain direction, but from the way in which these actions, themselves, seemed much livelier than before when they had been filled with displeasure, they all knew that he was very happy with the situation.
And why wouldn"t he be? Deciding to act would have meant another major blow to the resources of the Church. Jonah knew very well that it was extremely difficult to transport the large amount of Energy that was required for Saints to be effective, so if all that was saved along with the Church recruiting someone who could potentially become a Saint, wouldn"t it be a major victory?
Until now, he had stopped himself from thinking about what Daneel had proposed, but it seemed that he had no option now. The best case now would be that the Saint would agree to all of his demands.
He could already imagine that Daneel would definitely ask for some time during which he would establish a branch of the Church that would transmit a considerable amount of Energy. This way, no one would have to die, and it would not be a complete loss for the Church, either.
Of course, the countermeasures would also be placed along with this branch. Jonah could imagine that they would mostly be in the form of expensive, long-lasting Artefacts that could be detonated in a single second if there was even a hint of disloyalty. After the detonation, the Church could simply continue the plan that they were pursuing now to obtain the full Energy of the continent.
At that point, even if Daneel did become a Saint that could threaten them, what could his power do against the three that the Church was reported to have? It might be difficult to bring him to heel, but wasn"t this entire scenario more favorable than going ahead with the war and potentially shooting themselves in the foot by spending many more resources?
He expected that this was how the Saint was seeing it, but it was also possible that he could carve formations into Daneel"s bones like they had done with him before destroying the continent anyway. This was the worst-case scenario, but he hoped that this would not come to be as they would be ensuring that Daneel would turn on them in the future… if he was not killed.
How the h.e.l.l did we even get here? Weren"t we winning?
This thought came to him unbidden, making him stop all the a.n.a.lysis and bury his own face in his hands like the Bishop had done before. He felt as helpless as she must have when she had seen the second wave destroyed so completely, and for a few minutes, he could only struggle with the fact that the happiness and peace he had been feeling before had all been false.
He only looked up when one of the commanders near him whisper that they had arrived. When he laid his eyes on the image again, he felt like cursing as he saw that Daneel was actually merrily chatting with the Saint.
After listening for a few moments, he saw that the Saint had been goaded into an explanation about the history of the Church, which is a topic that all Saints liked to expound upon. Jonah knew it well and it wasn"t even that impressive a tale, so his gaze wandered to the Bishop, who was watching the two men conversing with eyes that were narrowed with doubt and suspicion.
He could tell that she was as troubled by the situation as he was. But for some reason, the Saint simply seemed to be happy with what was on the surface instead of looking down below. Most of the commanders had also taken this approach, and he couldn"t even blame them as there was just no other plan that would make his actions make sense.
Soon, they were above the third wave. Daneel slowed down to see them, and noticing this, the Saint turned back towards him and said, "I will need a few minutes to set up a… What do you call them? Formations? Yes, a formation to check your consciousness and your body to see what you"re capable of. Until then, do what you wish within the headquarters. I don"t think I need to…"
This last sentence that was uttered menacingly was actually interrupted by Daneel.
"Of course not! If I attempt to leave or do anything suspicious, I know that you can crush me where I stand! It hurts my feelings that you suspect me so, but I guess it is to be expected… please, your Holiness, carry on."
This was followed by another deep bow, and seeing it, a sudden fit of anger over Jonah"s mind and he almost felt like slapping his disciple.
He just couldn"t help it! All the pride he had been feeling had melted away, replaced by the sight where the one he had placed so many hopes on was groveling to the force that was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Angarians.
He tried to keep telling himself that there must be a plan behind it all, but with each second that pa.s.sed, this notion seemed sillier and sillier. Although this was a secondary headquarters, it was filled to the brim with all kinds of formations and Artefacts that would make it impossible for anyone to enter or exit unless they were as powerful as a Saint, too. Daneel had walked in here as if it was nothing, and his mannerisms were making it seem as if they had all been very, very wrong about him.
The Bishop had left after the Saint as it looked like she hadn"t wanted to stay there, and right now, Daneel was watching over the third wave as if they were all his subordinates. He walked forward and back, studying them like a commander who studied his troops, and after a few seconds, he shouted, "Are you supposed to be soldiers? You seem more like villagers come to gawk at the battle! Hehe, you"re lucky the war is over… Otherwise, we would have decimated you!"
What the h.e.l.l are you trying to accomplish?
With this question in his mind, Jonah watched as Daneel reached his next target, who happened to be the Bishop who was overseeing the healing of the most injured of the first wave. Walking up to her as if he owned the place, he spoke in a tone that filled with mockery.
"So you really are that Bishop I heard so much about? Seeing you there, I thought you were just his plaything! Tell me, you must be really talented, right, to obtain this position?"
The sound of the Bishop gnas.h.i.+ng her teeth could almost be heard in the room, and when she nodded after a pause, he laughed and said, "Haha, I knew it! It really takes a lot of talent to mess up things so brilliantly! Carry on, carry on!"
As he turned around and walked away without a fear in the world, everyone present in the room could see that the Bishop had even lifted both of her hands and summoned a powerful spell. Remembering the Saint"s words, though, she forcefully controlled herself, and if the situation hadn"t been so serious, Jonah would have laughed due to how she looked as if she had swallowed something rotten.
Next… Daneel actually arrived at the building in the middle of the headquarters, before entering it and coming upon the room that they were in. It happened quickly and none of them had been expecting it, but when he appeared in the flesh, everyone turned to him to see what he would say now.
Jonah had been the one to turn last. He had envisioned this moment so many times over all these years… but now, he didn"t even want to see this disciple of his.
Still, he knew that he would be seen anyway, so with an impa.s.sionate look on his face, he wondered what Daneel would say on seeing him.
He soon realized that he shouldn"t even have bothered to pay any attention to the man, as his eyes simply glossed over him after lingering for the briefest of seconds without any visible change.
Only… a moment later, Jonah suddenly felt as if he had missed something. Had his anger and disappointment due to how it all looked blinded him so much that he hadn"t even tried to see whether he could find any clue in this encounter?
Closing his eyes, he used a spell he had learned to go back to the memory of seeing Daneel just now.
In the present, his disciple had begun insulting the commanders, too, by saying something about how they must all have looked like headless chickens when he destroyed those Knights, but Jonah was too absorbed in the past to hear anything clearly.
He was studying that moment, and after magnifying the image in his mind multiple times…he saw that Daneel had looked at him with fear.
Now why would someone who had sold his soul in this manner feel fear, instead of regret or sadness?
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the voice of the Saint.
"Everything is ready. Come with me."
Opening his eyes, Jonah saw that Daneel… actually continued to stand there, in the middle of the room, while the Saint waited.
The moment he followed, everyone knew that he would be made to swear so many oaths that he wouldn"t even be able to go to the bathroom without obtaining permission. This was the norm for anyone who was being newly sworn to the Church as they couldn"t be trusted, so in a few moments, his fate and that of the millions who trusted him would be sealed.
Only…as the seconds ticked on, Daneel still didn"t move, and the Saint also noticed the something was wrong.
The smile that had been one of contempt until now transformed to become one filled with mirth and satisfaction, and seeing it, Jonah jumped to his feet and screamed, "I knew it!"
Hearing him, Daneel bowed again, but this time, it was one filled with respect.
"Yes, master. Did you really think I would disappoint you?"
With tears in his eyes, Jonah shook his head even though it was a lie, and slowly, the others started to understand that something was very, very wrong.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Shouted the St, filling his words with power that swept over all those present and made them feel like stepping away with fear.
However, Daneel just stood there without even moving an inch. An instant later, the smile on his face changed again to a malicious grin as he said, "Oh, nothing much…this visit was great, but I really have to go. Well… ba bye!"
He waved his hand as if he was a guest leaving a party, but then… the same hand blurred as it sliced through his head, his scalp, and into his Mageroot and consciousness.
A bloodcurdling scream escaped his lips then, but no one heard him… as in the next moment, it was drowned out by the serpentine roars of two legendary beings of the Mainland.