"Never Lie Inside the Goddess' Sanctuary"

Upon hearing the eatery owner's statement, they immediately went to the Sanctuary to see for themselves who he was referring to. Their group passed by crowded yet narrow pathways, before they reached the entrance to the shrine.

There were plenty of knights situated at the gigantic arc of the shrine. According to the city guard, these knights were not allowed inside the Sanctuary because of their records of violence, and their only duty was to make sure that no suspicious people lurk around it. Since these people desperately wanted to become disciples, there were instances that they attempted to go inside despite failing the Test of Purity.

"What do you need?" clad in metal armor, one of the knights asked. He was also holding a spear, and he had a Golem Servant in its inactive state which rested on his shoulder.

"We're here to speak with this person," the city guard told the knight as he showed the scroll of the sketch. "We were told that she is one of the disciples."

"Just a moment," he said, then went to the side of the arc where several thick strings were tied. Each string led to a certain part of the Sanctuary where the disciples worked, and pulling a string meant ringing a bell, which served as a signal that a disciple should go to the arc to meet his or her visitor.

The knight pulled the rightmost string, and after a while, a female disciple reached the arc. She was wearing a white chalice sleeved dress, which displayed her simplicity and purity as a disciple of the Goddess.

She first introduced herself and shook hands with them. For some reason, when she touched Ivory's hand, it took longer than the others before she let her go. Her beige-colored irises intensely gazed at her light blue irises as she sniffed her.

Afterwards, she received the sketch of Euphorie and asked them to wait for a while as she had to look for her. It took around thirty minutes of waiting when she returned, but she was all alone.

"Uhm… Is she not inside?" Ivory worriedly asked.

"I apologize, but the Sanctuary Priestess would like to see you," the female disciple pointed at Ivory. "Only you."

Hearing this, Sigmund got annoyed, "What are you saying? Why will I let my Master go there alone-"

"Sigmund, I will be alright. This is the Goddess' Sanctuary. I don't think they'd do anything bad to me," Ivory squeezed his hand and smiled. "There must be a reason why, so don't worry."

He didn't want to admit it, but Ivory might be right. The Sanctuary is said to be a place protected by the Goddess herself, and it is the holiest and sinless place in the whole Kingdom.

Ivory went with the disciple and gasped as they reached the bridge. Her eyes glimmered in awe as she witnessed the beauty of a huge structure with turrets and arcaded corridors enameled in white. The four-level water fountain and beautiful landscapes of moss and a variety of flowering plants on the facade of the sacred place were definitely a feast for the eyes. She also felt calm and peaceful while listening to cascading water from the fountain and the chirping of the birds. As they continued to walk, she observed the other disciples wearing the same clothes.

"This place is so lovely," Ivory told the disciple.

"It is, yes," she responded with a bright smile. "If you want, you can join us here."

"Huh? I'm sorry… But I don't know if I have a pure heart-"

"But you are one of us."

"One of… What do you mean I am one of you-"

"We're here."

It was only a short walk because the Sanctuary Priestess' room was nearby. Ivory was amazed by the multicolored angel-stained mosaic windows in which an angel had beautiful colored wings and clothing. In front of the tinted windows, she gazed and admired the ginger-haired angel statue, whose hair was floating in the air. It was dressed in an all-white sleeveless satin ruffled top and silk pants.

The Sanctuary Priestess was kneeling in front of the statue of the Goddess Destinia, with her hands together. She was wearing the same clothes as the disciples, but what differed was that she had a white veil. Under her veil was her long light silver hair and her icy, light blue round eyes were very noticeable under the tinted windows.

She opened her eyes when she was done praying, then stood up. As she approached Ivory, she widened her eyes in surprise. The silver-haired girl looked like a teenager, yet she's the head of the disciples.

"Anything wrong?" she asked her.

"Uhh… I was just surprised to see you so young."

The priestess giggled. "Oh! I get that a lot," she gazed into Ivory's light blue eyes, which were of the same hue as her. "I am this Sanctuary's Priestess, Althaia."

Ivory extended her hand and shook hands with her, "I am Ivory Sprucemint."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. May I ask why you're looking for the woman in the sketch?"

"Ah, about that..." Ivory furrowed her eyebrows, not sure what to say.

If she told her that her Servant told hers and Euphorie's mana are of the same kind, she might ask her how her Servant sensed it. She was not sure if the priestess knew that only the Vampire Class had this ability. His cover as a Spirit Servant might be blown.

"Priestess, I-"

"If you're not comfortable telling me about it, I can understand," she said with a kind smile. "Apologies, but lies are not allowed here in this sacred place."

"Oh, I can tell you some of the details," Ivory explained. "I was told that the woman in the sketch, Euphorie, might be my relative. I am an orphan, and I have a hard time controlling my mana. They said that if I know the nature of my mana, I can easily control it."

"I see, I understand," she nodded. "Then, I shall take you to the person who might be in that sketch."

Ivory followed Priestess Althaia, together with six other disciples who lined up behind her. Whenever Ivory looked back at them, they would always give bright smiles, and she would greet them politely.

She started talking about the place, "Miss Ivory, this Sanctuary was built twenty-three years ago. The late King Ulysses Silverblade had a very strong faith, and believed in the Oracle's prophecy at that time that something bad will happen in the palace which can shake the people's faith," Althaia then asked Ivory to walk beside her, which she immediately followed. "However… a rogue Vampire Servant killed everyone in the Silverblade Castle two decades ago."

Ivory suddenly stopped walking. She widened her eyes in shock upon hearing about this rogue Vampire Servant.

"Miss Ivory, you look pale. Are you alright?" Althaia asked worriedly.

But she didn't answer, because she was not allowed to lie in that sacred place.