Eros had considered these dangers before. The reason he hadn't initially explained things to the Storm High Priest was simple: Regexima belonged to the Church of the Sea, while Eros was the God-Son of the Church of Reincarnation.
Even though the three major Churches were allies, reporting a sensitive matter to a foreign Church before his own could be seen as a slight. It might imply he didn't trust the Church of Reincarnation's ability to handle it. While the higher-ups might not necessarily take offense, as Regexima himself had said: it was best to avoid complications in the details.
Now that Regexima had brought it up himself, Eros adopted a humble and receptive posture, offering his sincere thanks.
Regexima nodded at Eros’s earnestness and remarked casually, "After I destroy this Sin Realm tonight, I'll be returning to Intiles. You can board my ship and return with me."
Eros froze. A direct route from Hydalam to Intiles by sea? In his memory, no such shipping lane existed. Had he remembered incorrectly? And more importantly—destroy the Sin Realm?
Eros looked up at the High Priest with a look of stunned realization. Regexima, seemingly sensing his confusion, explained further:
"That Sin Realm has been contaminated by an Evil God. The risk has become uncontrollable, making it unsuitable for use as a resource-type realm. No one knows if it will attract that deity’s gaze again. For that reason, it’s better to simply destroy it."
"I see," Eros murmured, a flash of understanding in his eyes.
They finished dinner in silence. Eros then excused himself to find Undine and tell her about the High Priest’s invitation.
Undine was just as baffled as he was. To her knowledge, there was no sea route between Hydalam and Intiles either. They both knew a High-Positioned One wouldn't be mistaken about geography—did a secret route truly exist?
Looking at Undine’s bewildered face, Eros cleared his throat. "Do you want to come with me? If the High Priest is choosing a ship, it’s bound to be faster than the steam train. You’d get home much sooner. You must be exhausted from the assessment."
Undine hesitated for a moment, but ultimately shook her head vigorously. "The pressure of being near a High-Positioned One is just too much. I’ll stick with Joni and the others on the train. Besides, you’re the one who worked the hardest; you should go back early and rest."
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Eros gave her an aggrieved look. To be honest, the prospect of being alone with a High-Positioned One who "liked little boys" was a bit stressful. What if the man got tired of "refined grains" and decided to try a "wild boar" for a change?
While it was unlikely the man would move against a God-Son, the discomfort was real. Eros had considered declining, but the High Priest’s "invitation" had been phrased as an undeniable command. The decision had already been made for him.
Undine looked at Eros’s sulky face and reached out with her fair, slender hand to pat his head. "Poor you~" she teased with a giggle.
"Hey!" Eros sighed, dropping the act. He had originally planned to use the train ride to have Barbara scan the surviving students once they were away from the High Priest’s influence. He was still incredibly curious about the "Angel-blood" descendant hidden among them.
But it seemed he would miss his chance. Once they returned to Intiles, the academy would be on break. The students would scatter to their respective homes, making it impossible to check them—unless that descendant also lived in Intiles.
At seven o'clock that evening, the academy official called all students to assemble. They were to board the steam trains back to Intiles.
Standing before the gathered survivors, the official spoke in a raspy voice:
"The academy bears heavy responsibility for the failure of this assessment. As such, compensation will be provided for this incident. Every participating student will receive 1,000 gold pounds in cash. This will be delivered along with the liquidation value of the materials you collected."
"Furthermore, the twenty students with the highest contribution scores will receive an additional 5,000 gold pounds and the privilege to choose one Grade 3 Sealed Artifact from the academy’s containment vault as a reward."
"Do not doubt the validity of these claims, for these compensations were authorized by His Eminence, High Priest Regexima."
Under normal circumstances, such a massive expenditure would require a long deliberation process with the Church. But with a figure as high-ranking as Regexima on-site, he could bypass the bureaucracy and make the call instantly.
Shock rippled through the crowd. The students hadn't expected their ordeal to draw the personal attention of a High-Positioned One. To them, it was an unimaginable honor.
The official signaled for silence and concluded, "That is all. It is time to return."
The doors of the waiting steam trains hissed open.
On a nearby rooftop, Eros watched the scene from a distance. Standing beside him was the elderly Senior Deacon of the Night Watch, Bartos Vatuta.
Eros withdrew his gaze and looked at the old man, asking as if in passing, "Lord Bartos, does modifying memories affect a person's future path to promotion?"
It was Bartos who had done it. Eros had been startled when Regexima mentioned the memory alteration; Ayesha’s disguise certainly wouldn't fool a High-Positioned One. If Regexima had looked closely at her, she would have been sent to judgment immediately. But since she was still fine, Eros had formed a different theory.