Guest Priest, and Heresy Arrest

As Luo Wei and the others approached, Sheriff Raymond quickly put on a respectful smile.

"Your Highness, the Fifth Princess."

Only then did the police colleagues and church personnel realize that the woman before them was the Fifth Princess of the Empire, and they promptly offered their greetings.

"No need for formalities." Ophelia gave a slight nod before asking, "Inspector Raymond, what is the current situation?"

"The opposition group has caused significant casualties, particularly targeting the church in Kent City," Raymond reported truthfully. "Agents from the Special Affairs Department have already killed the monster responsible for the earthquake and captured three individuals. However... those three have already taken poison and died..."

At this point, Sheriff Raymond suddenly leaned closer to Luo Wei with a mysterious air.

He cautiously glanced at Tilis beside Luo Wei and whispered, "Luo Wei... could you ask Miss Tilis to lend us her help again? Just like last time during the interrogation of that gang member..."

"Of course," Tilis answered directly. "Take me there. But let me make this clear—if their brains are completely dead, there's nothing I can do."

Sheriff Raymond didn’t dare to look at Tilis for too long and quickly nodded.

Having a top-ranked wanted witch standing right beside him—it was impossible not to feel nervous.

But Sheriff Raymond also knew that since she was with Luo Wei and now had the Fifth Princess of the Empire present, his worries were probably unfounded.

So, don’t ask unnecessary questions!

That was the survival principle Sheriff Raymond firmly believed in.

While Tilis interrogated the members of the resistance group, Luo Wei stood nearby, quietly waiting. Just then, a severely injured person covered in blood was carried out from the nearby ruins.

As soon as the wounded man was rescued, church personnel immediately began treatment. Luo Wei watched as two healing priests used divine magic—a faint white glow enveloped the wound on the man’s abdomen.

The healing spell lasted for a long time, until beads of sweat formed on the priests' foreheads.

Yet, despite their efforts, the wound had only barely closed.

The injury was too severe, and blood continued to seep out. The man’s breathing grew weaker—if this continued, he would surely die from blood loss.

Luo Wei stared at the two helpless priests, thinking to himself: If this divine magic had even the slightest use, it wouldn’t be this useless...

Had the local church’s divine magic deteriorated to this extent?

The two priests began murmuring complaints under their breath.

"Divine magic these days is becoming less and less effective. I’d say the God of Light is never coming back..."

"But I’ve heard that the folks from the Eastern Church—their divine magic is incredibly powerful. Supposedly, it’s because of that Saintess’s reforms..."

"Shh, shh... don’t say that out loud..."

Luo Wei quietly noted their whispered conversation before stepping forward. He wanted to test his new skill.

[El Tuga School Healing Spell: An ancient primal nature-based witchcraft, collected and refined by the Magic Association. Upon casting, it accelerates wound healing and stops bleeding...]

The two priests looked at Luo Wei in confusion as he suddenly approached. They were about to shoo him away, but when Luo Wei placed his hand gently over the wound, their eyes widened in shock.

A much brighter white light flared up, and within half a minute, the gaping wound visibly closed. The man’s breathing steadied—he was clearly no longer in danger of bleeding out.

Church personnel gathered around in amazement, assuming Luo Wei was an expert sent from Saint Callen.

Given the astonishing efficiency of his "divine magic," Luo Wei ended up playing the role of a healing priest, assisting in the temporary post-earthquake relief efforts.

As more and more wounded were brought in, the local church’s priests became overwhelmed. Luo Wei noticed a passing figure in white robes hesitating before finally making his way over.

"I’m Riel, the bishop of the Western Latran Diocese," the middle-aged man in white introduced himself with a smile. After lending Luo Wei a hand, he moved to treat another injured person nearby.

His divine magic was far more advanced than the two priests’. A warm, gentle white glow radiated from his hands, and the wounded beneath his touch healed swiftly—just as fast, if not faster, than Luo Wei’s spell.

As they worked side by side, Luo Wei struck up a conversation. Bishop Riel had recently been promoted to his position and was on his way to the capital, Saint Callen, for a meeting. Passing through Kent City, he had stopped to help after witnessing the disaster.

"Your divine magic is quite impressive," Bishop Riel remarked curiously. "Are you a high-ranking clergyman of the Holy Edict Church?"

"No," Luo Wei shook his head. The healing spell he used was magic, not divine magic.

"Not a high-ranking clergyman, yet you possess such skill? Your talent is remarkable," Riel praised.

"You think what I’m using is divine magic?" Luo Wei frowned at him. "How can you be so sure?"

"Isn’t it obvious? You can tell at a glance whether it’s divine magic or not," Riel replied, puzzled.

Luo Wei stared at the faint glow emanating from his palm, a strange thought forming in his mind.

The El Tuga School Healing Spell... the magic I’m using is identical to divine magic?

His expression grew increasingly odd. Had it not been for this chance encounter with Bishop Riel, he might never have noticed this peculiarity.

But just as he was about to question Riel further about divine magic, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

A fleet of silver-white carriages stormed in, kicking up clouds of dust. Then, the Holy Edict Knights—uniformly clad in light armor, armed with cruciform longswords and large-bore shotguns—suddenly arrived on the scene.

The knights swiftly cordoned off the area, and one heavily armed squad marched straight toward Luo Wei.

At first, Luo Wei thought they were coming for him—but instead, they immediately seized Bishop Riel, forcing him to the ground and arresting him on the spot.

"The Holy Edict Knights? What is the meaning of this?"

"I was healing the wounded! You must have the wrong person! On what grounds are you arresting me?"

Bishop Riel shouted furiously in protest.

The response came from a familiar voice. "You were the one using the Eastern Church’s new form of divine magic, weren’t you? Then we have the right person."

Luo Wei looked up—it was the Third Prince, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Narrowing his eyes at the stunned Bishop Riel, the prince declared, "The Holy Edict Church has explicitly forbidden such divine magic. Your crime is heresy, and I have sufficient reason to suspect you are a spy for the Siston Church. Take him away!"

Bishop Riel struggled in vain—soon, the knights hauled him into one of the carriages.

The Third Prince's gaze shifted to Luo Wei in the distance. He froze for a moment before his entire expression darkened.

"It's you again? Why do I see you everywhere?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that?" Luo Wei glanced at his insignia and smirked mockingly. "I heard you were confined for two whole months and even demoted?"

The Third Prince's subordinates had been infiltrated by followers of Nyarlathotep, leading to the chaos in the fog. The Emperor was deeply disappointed in him. Ophelia had previously mentioned his demotion—apparently, he’d been stripped down to a mere ordinary enforcer in the Inquisition.

The mention of this incident made the Third Prince seethe with anger. He glared at Luo Wei with a venomous look. "You, a researcher of the occult—how do you know holy light magic? You’re suspicious too!"

With that, he immediately turned to the knights nearby. "Someone! Arrest him as well."

"I’d like to see who dares!" Ophelia stepped forward with a cold laugh.

At the appearance of the Fifth Princess, the knights exchanged uneasy glances, none daring to move.

"Why are you here?" The Third Prince’s expression grew even frostier.

As the two royals stood in tense opposition, an elderly man slowly descended from the carriage and hurried over to mediate.

"Your Highnesses, let us all take a step back. The situation is urgent—the safety of His Majesty the Emperor should be our priority."

The Third Prince looked at the old man. Despite his resentment, he nodded politely before turning and leaving the scene.

Luo Wei observed the elderly figure, and Ophelia leaned in to whisper in his ear, "That’s the current Pontiff of the Holy Edict Church, Adrian."

Luo Wei nodded. So, this was one of the three elite guardians personally protecting Charlton II.