Chapter 58, Epiloge 1

The Bishop sat rigidly in a plush chair. She smiled guardedly at the woman across from her. One couldn't reveal their genuine emotions to the queen of the kingdom, after all. The queen sat much like the Bishop, straight-backed, with all of her attention forward. As two of the highest powers of the kingdom, their every interaction could have widespread consequences.

That was why they were in a private meeting and not in the courtroom. This was where the Bishop and her majesty could be far more outspoken.

" We discovered the whereabouts of and retrieved the demon ritual device. My apprentice is currently delivering it here escorted by her four mercenary companions." said The Bishop, holding a glass of chilled white wine on the polished wood of her chair..

" How many people did they find possessed by demons?" asked her Majesty, her expression flitting slightly to that of curiosity.

" No exact numbers as we are unsure if any escaped, but there were twenty we caught and summarily executed." Said the Bishop. The number might have been slightly exaggerating, but it couldn't hurt her cause.

" And what about the rumours of a mind mage?" asked Her Majesty, her face a mask in the light of rune lanterns.

" I am unsure as to the validity of that accusation. The prisoner who they had in custody somehow escaped after the church turned the prisoner over to the city guard." said The Bishop. The Bishop went over the rehearsed lines smoothly, not exposing the deceit within.

" I sent a message by rune transfer and the guard told me he didn't escape. The prisoner was freed. Two figures in dark cloaks used some kind of gas to nock out the city guards and two church soldiers to take the prisoner." Said her Majesty, cocking her head at the Bishop in question.

The Bishop kept her expression cool and indifferent as she thought over Trishas report. Rune inscription scrolls were valuable, giving the Bishop all the information Trisha knew about the mission. The Bishop would have preferred a report from the mercenary leader Elliot, but he was dead.

" I am aware of that. My church is doing everything we can to track to this mind mage and bring them in for interrogation and execution. But you must understand my Queen, we are already spread so thin, our numbers are all tied up on more important matters than that of a young mind mage." said the Bishop forcefully.

" And the people working with the mind mage. What of them?" asked the Queen.

" We have nothing to go on. They were in all black, they didn't talk and they left nothing. We couldn't even find glass from whatever vials they were using." said the Bishop.

No, that last part was a lie. The glass shards could be tracked back to her fool of an apprentice who hadn't realized the danger, and so the Bishop had made sure the glass was cleaned up and disposed off.. The queens private investigators were good, but the Bishop had confidants in her own secret organization.

" They covered their tracks extremely well. I am already looking into some of the organization's skilled enough for that kind of high-profile coverup." said the Queen.

" I will assist with what i can." said the Bishop, crossing her legs in a slight display of discomfort.

" Very well. We will revisit this later. I received some interesting news from the city of Whyndam. Can you fill me in on what happened there? " Asked her Majesty. The Bishop forced a smile. This was the ace up her sleeve. She needed something after that near disaster.

" Lord Noah has captured a demon." said the Bishop, letting a smile onto her face.

" That is nothing special. We capture demons all the time." said Her majesty dismissively.

" No, not like this. Have you ever seen a demon in the flesh before? Because I haven't, we have only ever captured talismans." said the Bishop.

" A living Demon?" asked her Majesty. Her mouth dropping open.

" Yess, Lord Noah and your knights are transporting it here so we can lock it in with the others." said the Bishop.

" To think of all we can learn from a real living demon." said The Queen, finally relaxing back slightly into her chair. The Bishop remained rigid, the Queen never did anything without a purpose.

" My thoughts as well, your majesty. How is the war with the Darva progressing? Have you been able to push them back? No! The Darva rushed their assault, and that is why we won. But we almost made the same mistake. If not for lord Noah talking some sense into my knights, we would be far worse for ware." said the Queen, anger crossing her face.

" How bad was it?" asked the Bishop.

" We lost two of my knights, and another was injured. Without lord Noah's and another's interventions we may have lost all three." said the Queen clenching her fist in anger. The Queen took in a deep calming breath, waving away the topic.

" As for your new apprentice, when will you bring her to meet me?" asked the Queen. The Bishop smiled.

" She is still new. I am not confident she will meet your standards yet, your Majesty." said the Bishop.

"Lady bishop, you are far too humble. I know you have been searching for an apprentice to train for several years now. Whoever this young girl is, if you accepted her, she must be exceptional. I would like to meet her. It would be best if it were at one of the upcoming court functions." said the Queen. The Bishop smiled and nodded to the queen.

The Bishop rose gracefully, letting none of her inner turmoil show on her face. The Bishop kept her face a mask perfectly smooth, respectful. She bowed to the Queen and turned on her heel to leave.

"Lady Bishop, do be more careful next time you bring a mind mage into your employ. You must kill them before they can grow too powerful. You, of all people, know what kind of damage someone with that kind of power can do. I expect you to clean up this mess and recapture the one you let escape." said the Queen.

The Bishop froze, but nodded slightly. She knew something like this was coming. The Bishop was happy that some of the secrets the Queen dug up were incorrect. This was the Queen's way of incentivising her to diligence. Once she was outside of the private sitting room, the Bishop relaxed, if only slightly. She had a lot to think about. And after that meeting, she needed a drink. The queen thought she had hired Reskeme, who was a mind mage, and now he had escaped.

The bishop let a small grin play across her face. This was a good turn of events indeed. Once her spy found the demonic essence trail, Reskeme was as good as caught.

Days passed, turning into a week. Even with a week of nothing, the Bishop was hopeful of a quick hunt and kill until Trisha explained to the Bishop how Reskeme had stolen the time piece from her. It took every ounce of the Bishop's restraint not to yell at the foolish girl. The only thing keeping her from canceling her apprenticeship was the fact that Trisha had completed the other part of the mission flawlessly. Minus a few minor mercenary members. The Bishop ponders the problem. How could she track a demon that didn't radiate demonic essence? That was her own fault. She was the one that had placed a primal skill on the timepiece. Her Primal skill was such a pain in the ass, even she couldn't sense unless it was right in front of her several steps away. That was its power, after all. It was called Obfuscation for a reason.