Chapter 25: Maren’s Choice.
The eternal, gentle sunlight of the Extreme Day Moon, carrying threads of scorching heat, was still the time everyone loved most.
Lis sat alone by the livestock pen outside the wooden house.
Her gaze blankly watched the children frolicking in the distance.
A trace of envy and longing unconsciously appeared on her face.
A few meters away, a village woman passed by holding her child.
Her eyes happened to meet Lis’s.
The village woman turned her head away as if scalded, while covering her child’s eyes with her hand.
As a sub-female, Lis knew she must avoid contact with others as much as possible—whether physical touch or eye contact.
Even a greeting required sufficient reason; otherwise, it would be seen as an unclean act interfering with others’ lives.
Lis stood up and silently walked toward the distant woods, proactively avoiding troubling others—this was the duty a sub-female must uphold, even with the Church’s Chapter of Devotion.
These past two days, Lis had been somewhat afraid.
She feared death, because she had learned a massive secret from deep in the Black Domain.
Though nominally a member of the Black Star Mercenary Group, she knew clearly she could be abandoned at any moment.
She turned her head toward Renata’s house, another wave of tension surging in her heart.
Because at this moment, an extremely important ceremony was taking place inside that house.
…
…
‘Eternal Slumber’s Holy Lord Sura, with pure moonlight as lamp oil, ignites the spark in despairing black night.
Even if black mist engulfs the world, the cursed sky still nurtures dawn.
From the lamplight rises broken ballads, contracts written in flesh, Sura’s smile summoning devout warriors.
Feed the abyss with wounds, brew hope’s pure vintage from rotting meat, seek patches to mend the world.
Fear not; praise this mutated glory—it is the sacrifice and self-exile of the divinely favored.
Until anchors to the abyss grow in your palms, until Lantern Bearers live and perish with the darkness…’
In the bedroom, Bishop Arric from Degbrunn Monastery, who had hurried over, presided over the final Lantern Bearer certification ceremony with a solemn expression.
After reciting the “Ode to the Lantern Bearer,” the old man took a deep breath and gently pried open the weak girl’s left hand on the bed, revealing the dim black mark in her palm.
Beside him, Monk Finn quickly flipped through the thick “Book of Atos” in his hands, carefully comparing the mark’s outline page by page.
On the other side, Baron Gerhard and the Lantern Bearer Guild’s clerk both held their breath, staring intently at Monk Finn.
“May the Holy Lord bless—rare profession, Shadow Walker!”
Monk Finn set down the book, excitedly tracing the triangular holy rite on his forehead, his face beaming with joy.
“Devout Maren, you will grow to be the pride of Iceberry Village—nay, of all Hildemark!”
“The lonely warrior walking the rift between reality and illusion—the Shadow Walker is Sura’s most cherished child!”
Bishop Arric smiled with relief, stroking his beard and nodding repeatedly at the tense girl on the bed.
“Now, please tell everyone your choice.”
“In the name of the Holy Lord, witnessing and guarding the sacred covenant of the Draugrheim Agreement—Maren Olsen, any choice you make will be jointly recognized by the Empire, the Church, and the Lantern Bearer Guild!”
Baron Gerhard hurriedly stepped forward, loudly reciting the standardized opening, while coldly glancing at the equally eager Lantern Bearer Guild clerk.
“Miss Maren, as long as you join the Lantern Bearer Guild, we will provide at least one year of new Lantern Bearer guidance, assign a dedicated mentor, and you will receive annual subsidies matching your tier!”
Any faction would spare no expense to recruit a Shadow Walker; the clerk no longer cared about the noble official and monastery bishop present, directly stating the terms.
“Hmph! What kind of mentor is worthy of guiding a Shadow Walker’s growth?”
“Maren has already received invaluable knowledge from Lady Renata.”
Baron Gerhard snorted coldly, disdain on his face.
He then turned to Renata, who had remained silent throughout.
“Renata, you are the village chief and Maren’s closest elder; you should give her better advice.”
“If she chooses to join the Koler family, she will receive the most generous treatment!”
“No, Lord Gerhard! You are openly violating the Draugrheim Agreement—no one is allowed to interfere with Miss Maren’s free will!”
The Lantern Bearer Guild clerk roared excitedly, gesticulating wildly; if not for the opponent being a retired Lantern Bearer, he might have rushed up to snatch the sword.
“Where is Carey…”
Maren withdrew her left hand and struggled to sit up, her gaze sweeping over the room full of adults.
In her mind lingered the image of lying side by side with Carey in the Tear Oasis.
Maren’s question stunned everyone in the room, their expressions varied.
After a brief silence, Renata gently grasped the girl’s hand, her voice soft.
“He is still in the Black Domain; he will be out soon.”
“Then I’ll wait for Carey to come out.”
Maren matter-of-factly tied her choice to Carey.
“Whatever he chooses, I’ll choose…”
But she did not know that she had already been out of the Black Domain for a full three days.
“Then wait a little longer.”
“Monk Finn, take good care of our new Lantern Bearer; the Holy Lord’s throne needs devout believers to guard it.”
Bishop Arric smiled, leaving an overt hint before quietly departing.
After seeing off the guests, Renata and Gerhard returned to the downstairs living room, both preoccupied and grave-faced.
“Rest assured, Rich and the others have been guarding there.”
“Once the Black Domain storm subsides, we’ll know Carey’s situation.”
“Truly the black-haired child of divine favor—more exaggerated than any trial ceremony I’ve heard of.”
Gerhard carefully checked the door, returned to the dining table, and lowered his voice.
“Renata, the Mother of Foolishness secret is known only to us few.”
“The Koler family will secretly organize manpower to hunt it; by then, you can share in the spoils.”
At the word “spoils,” Renata was slightly taken aback, but soon lowered her gaze.
“Gerhard, it seems you all have unanimously forgotten Carey.”
“I know clearly that one Mother of Foolishness is worth far more than a newborn Lantern Bearer…”
Gerhard’s hands unconsciously clenched into fists, his excited voice trembling slightly.
“Renata, don’t you want to regain your Lantern Bearer power?”
“Miss Astrid now needs experienced people like you and me.”
“I’m just a baron now, but if I regain my power, I could even become a court baron in the future!”
“You too—regain your power, join the Koler family; no matter what happens to Carey in the end, you can give him the best future!”
The more one has tasted the sweetness of power, the deeper the melancholy of loss—Gerhard was probably just like that…
Watching the old knight’s overflowing excitement and longing, Renata sighed softly.
“Thank you, Gerhard.”
“I understand you want to use my influence over Carey and Maren to gain more power for Hildemark Province.”
“I don’t oppose pledging loyalty to the lord, but right now, I must confirm Carey’s safety.”
“I’m going in again to bring Carey out—I no longer care if he can become a Lantern Bearer!”
With that, Renata turned and headed upstairs to the bedroom.
Ten-odd minutes later, Renata emerged from the house in neat, compact hunting attire, only to be blocked by a hooded, panic-stricken girl.
“May the Holy Lord have mercy, Lady Renata… I beg for your protection!”
Lis’s shoulders trembled slightly, as if summoning a lifetime’s courage.
Under the hood, amid her gray long hair, a pair of幽 green eyes brimmed with tears.
“Please pity my lowliness… I swear I will keep all the secrets.”
Quietly regarding the sub-female deep in fear before her, Renata roughly understood what the other was thinking.
“Lis, you did very well protecting Maren.”
“If I need you now to enter the Black Domain storm and bring Carey out… Do you dare?”
Lis’s face instantly turned ashen.
After a dozen seconds, she lowered her head, her voice barely audible.
“I am willing, Lady Renata.”