Making the Church Competent Through the Power of Faith!(Gacha): Chapter 20 (Patreon)

Griselda frowned slightly.

She held her sword in hand and brought it up to block another. The clash of steel rang out in the training room with each successive collision of weapons.

Cardinal Lucian was opposite her, swinging his weapon with precise strikes.

Two great swords meeting each other became louder and louder with each passing moment.

Griselda found herself having to continuously put more power into her blocks as she noticed Lucian slowly getting acclimated to the strength levels she was using.

Though that was reaching a limit soon, she could tell. His strength and speed, someone of her experience, she could more or less estimate their limits after clashing for as many rounds as they have.

What made her contemplative was that he, by all means, should not have reached this level yet. While it wasn’t some unfathomable talent or progress, it was still above what could be considered 'normal.'

Not to mention, she noticed that his usage of Light was significantly better than the last time she had seen it.

Using it to enhance himself, using it to coat his weapon, every little use that an exorcist would generally make use of in battle. He was doing so in a way that made almost none of it go to waste or leak outwards.

His swordsmanship had improved again. It wasn’t as significant as the other things she’s noticed, but it was worth mentioning. Before, he was waving his sword around like someone who had only practiced swinging before.

Now…well, it was more or less the same, but there was a hint more of a bite to it. The kind of instinct you start to develop when you have been forced to test your blade against a real opponent, not a training partner.

Overall, it was like night and day compared to when she first met him.

And the thing is, she didn’t know how he trained. She had seen him lock himself away for hours, even days at a time, then come out utterly exhausted. 

She had never seen a cardinal quite as peculiar as him. The only other example was Cardinal Vasco Strada, but he was a unique case. That, and he was already exceptionally strong before becoming a cardinal.

There were a few other peculiarities.

The Half-Angel Cardinal boy who assumed the position because of his heritage as well. But that was, likewise, a rather unique situation.

For the most part, the other Cardinals…they simply didn’t put in the same effort. The majority of them were not very strong. Only a few were in fact previous exorcists before they retired.

Beyond those minimal outliers, she had never heard of a cardinal taking to the field as well. Which cardinal, in charge of an organization, would be grabbing their word, taking a mission, and running off to do grunt work?

Though, in truth, it was one of the reasons that Griselda had taken a liking to him.

“Come, Cardinal. Give me your strongest strike, then let’s call it a day.” She invited him to give it his all in one last attack.

“As you wish, Sister.” He replied, and his Holy Power noticeably enveloped his sword. “Crusader Strike.” It was a simple swing, the simplest of swings.

The kind that you would see someone practicing hundreds of times a day.

But it was deceptively simple because Griselda noticed right away that it carried with it more force and power than his evaluated disposition should have put out. That which is called ‘technique’ that allows one to put forth greater power than the sum of the parts.

Griselda also flared her Holy Power to meet it head-on.

The Holy Power erupted outwards, spreading to all four corners of the room as she forcibly pushed his sword to the ground, leaving a nice-sized chunk carved out of the floor.

It wasn’t her first time seeing this technique, but it was her first time being on the receiving end of it. 

Simple and effective.

A good technique.

Lucian let out a breath, pulling his sword up after she released it. “That should be good enough.” He wiped away the sweat from his brow. “I don’t want to tire myself out too much; we do have an appointment to keep.”

“A shame, Cardinal. I do hope you can last longer in the future.” Her lips curled up. “I do so prefer a man who can keep going past one round.”

Lucian’s eye twitched because he knew she wanted him to say something, so he chose to ignore it.

He put his Cloudcrack away, adjusting his clothes to make sure they were straight. “Are you sure you’re okay with the plan? Using your invitation as the mother of Xenovia for us to enter during the Holy Sword Selection.”

She returned her sword to place too, looking much less tired or messy in comparison. For her, it wasn’t much of a workout, more of a benefit towards Lucian than anything. “There should be no problems. I’m allowed to bring in a plus one. What you do before the selection portion—well, what does that have to do with me?” 

Lucian’s lips twitched. “As grateful as I am, I would not want to cause any damage to your relationship with your daughter.”

Her expression softened as he said that. “Oh Cardinal. I assure you, my daughter wouldn’t take offense even if we blatantly used it as an excuse to cause some true trouble. If anything, she would be upset that I didn’t tell her ahead of time so she could join in.”

The plan was rather simple.

This year, one specific Exorcist Organization was holding the Holy Sword Selection Process. Where all the various factions of the church come together, bringing in some rising stars or talented members of their groups to see if a Holy Sword chooses them or not.

The venue and host of it change every year. 

Part of it is prestige, and part of it is a power play.

It used to just be held in the Vatican’s Vaults, but…there were complications with that. Specifically, the event had been used by outsiders to infiltrate into the Vaults because it was the time most susceptible to sneaking in.

Now, they transport the Holy Swords to another location and host them there.

That might sound even worse on the surface. Some group may ambush or try to steal the swords in transit. However, there is a simple workaround for that. 

Father Vasco Strada, each yeah, acts as the guard.

Woe be to anyone who tries to steal a holy sword under the eyes of the Violence of Heaven.

And it’s a much simpler process than him trying to keep an eye across the entire Vatican vaults. Most of which aren’t directly connected, have different access points, or are otherwise separate entities.

All in all, it was the decision they deemed the most safe.

“Shall we get cleaned up and head out?”

@****@

Lucian and Griselda walked up to the meeting spot.

The streets had been barricaded off a distance away so anyone approaching was in the know.

Dozens of exorcists were acting as security; nearly every visible location had them standing guard, as the church took this event very seriously.

“Your Eminence.” One bowed as Lucian passed.

“Your Eminence," another said.

A group stopped chatting, quickly bowing their heads. “Your Eminence.”

“Your Eminence.”

“Your Eminence.”

Lucian just casually waved a hand up in silent greeting.

He was still unused to this, but he put on a good face for it. Rarely did he venture out in his proper Cardinal car. Amidst the Black exorcists' clothing, the priest's attire, and the nun's robes, his red clothing certainly stood out.

Eyes were bearing down on him. All of these were people belonging to other groups, all with other interests and competent for sources, recognition, or just glory. Another cardinal, for the most part, represented another enemy. Perhaps not in the strictest sense, but when it came to interchurch politics, Lucian may as well have been walking into enemy territory.

For a grand heist like this, he decided, he would just walk right in the front door with full audacity.

If they wanted to cut off his funding and resources, well, he would just take from their own vault.

Of course, my eyes were on Griselda as well.

One does not get the moniker of the Purifier without having a reputation amongst their fellow Exorcists.

“Your Eminence. "The man at the front door bowed in greeting but was still blocking the way. “I was not aware that your Eminence was attending…” What was left unsaid was that Lucian's name wasn’t on the list.

That is, the list of attendees.

“It is with me, Father.” Griselda stepped up, providing the 'invitation,' as it were. “My daughter is participating; as her mother, I will be here to support her. Cardinal Graves is my Plus One.”

The priest's expression briefly looked like he sucked a lemon, but quickly oriented him. “As you say, Sister.” He nodded at the guards as the doors opened. "Please…enjoy the gathering, Your Eminence.”

As a cardinal, he could have forced his way in regardless. But that would have caused more problems than it solved. This way, no one could say anything or try and put pressure on him because of it.

They stepped into the venue, and it was like a big party.

Part of the reason to hold the event under one’s roof was for the acclaim and presentation. The Big Exorcist Organizations also used it to show off and potentially gather more recruits. If some no-name younger person gets a powerful Holy Sword choosing them, well, the house gets the first attempt at recruitment.

It was sort of an unspoken rule.

There were plenty of people inside the main hall already.

Lucian barely made it three steps inside before someone else approached him.

“Your Eminence.”

Lucian had barely crossed into the main hall before another man approached.

“Father Antonio Bellini, Your Eminence.” The priest bowed his head. “Church of Saint Mark in Verona.”

“Father Bellini.” Lucian offered him a polite smile. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine, Your Eminence. I hope you enjoy today's selection."

“I'm certain I will.” They shook hands before the priest politely excused himself.

Lucian made it another five steps.

“Your Eminence.”

An older nun approached this time.

“Sister Maria Francesca. Convent of Saint Agnes.”

“Sister.” Lucian inclined his head. “It's good to meet you.”

“And you, Your Eminence.”

“Have you traveled far?”

“Only from Florence.”

“Then hopefully the journey was pleasant.”

“Very much so, Your Eminence. Thank you.” She smiled politely, not wanting to take up his time, but looking rather jubilant to have been greeted in return.

“Your Eminence.”

Lucian resisted the urge to look at Griselda.

“Father Louis Marchand.” A French priest extended his hand. “Saint-Pierre, Lyon.”

“Father Marchand.”

“It is an honor, Your Eminence.”

“You're very kind," Lucian returned. “I hope Rome has been treating you well.”

“As well as Rome treats anyone.” The priest chuckled politely before shaking hands, and another approached almost immediately after.

“Your Eminence, Brother Tomasz Nowak.”

“Brother.”

“I'm with the Church of Saint Casimir in Kraków.”

“You've come quite a distance.” He noted.

“I wouldn't miss the selection, Your Eminence.” The priest smiled. “I have a young lad who is very talented, someone to keep an eye on.”

“Then I hope it proves worth the journey.” Lucian nodded. “I’m sure the Lord will look down favorably upon your ward.”

“Thank you, Your Eminence.”

It was easy to forget that beyond the power plays, the views for power, and the overall games played between the higher-ups, the majority of those under the Church’s shadow look upon a cardinal with awe and reverence.

To many of these people, they would never speak with a cardinal in their life. And here one was, walking among them, openly exchanging greetings, putting on no airs. For Lucian, it was a small one or two moments of polite greetings. For many of them, it was something they would remember for their lives, something they would share when they got home to their friends and family.

“Excuse me, Brothers, Sisters. But Cardinal has an appointment to keep.” Griselda, however, stepped in because it was becoming cumbersome. She pulled him away rather quickly, and the remaining people were considerate not to push anything.

Lucian gave her a small thanks in response because he wasn’t quite so good at handling situations like those. 

She instead walked him out of the main hall, past many of the guards set up around the perimeter.

Even as they approached doors, they really had no business going; the guards there had no intentions of blocking them.

What were they supposed to say? No, Cardinal, you’re not allowed down here?

That was how Lucian just walked straight down into their vaults without so much as a question by everyone else.

The identity of a cardinal was certainly coming in handy.

“I’m curious, where are all the children?” He asked.

“They’re in a separate building. The Church wanted the younger ones to mingle a bit, introduce themselves, and get to know others their age that may or may not stand on the same stage as them as time goes on.” Griselda answered as they descended further down.

“It makes things easier.”

“Yes, it makes it easier to sneak down here and steal from our compatriots.” She nodded, a bit sarcastically.

“Sister Griselda, for shame.” Lucian called her out, to her confusion. “While we may be acquiring goods with dubious purpose, we are doing so in an open and above-board manner. There is no sneaking to be had.”

Griselda stared at him for a moment before laughing. “Is this the ‘grand heist’ you claimed?”

“Ah, that. It just made it sound more impressive and exciting," Lucian said honestly. “Compared to ‘we walked in the front door, grabbed everything we could carry, then walked out.'"

They descended downwards until only torches lit the way, not even proper lights.

It was almost like a dungeon, with cold stones and barred passageways emerging on every side. 

There were many exorcists guarding above, but there weren’t any as they descended. The question is, were they lax? Did they get sloppy? Were they just being lazy? The truth is, it was none of that, for simply, there was no need for any of them to be down here.

Because their presence would have been irrelevant.

Within the continent, there was quite possibly no other place as safe as this underground dungeon right at this moment.

Because there was a singular person standing guard.

His hulking figure, sitting in a chair, almost comical in the size comparison. Under torchlight, he was reading a book, barely glancing up at them as they stepped into view.

Vasco Strada, the Violence of Heaven.

“Sister Griselda.” Vasco Strada spoke, his voice oddly soft, yet still carrying across the room. 

“Vasco.” Griselda smiled. “Having fun playing babysitter to a bunch of swords?” She was very casual with him.

“It’s a job assigned to me; I will fulfill my expectations regardless of boredom.” He said rather casually, but the hint that he was in fact bored out of his mind was obvious. “I remember your daughter is participating this time? She resonated with Durandal already; I expect it will be a good showing.”

Griselda couldn’t hide her pride. “One can only pray. If she can get acknowledged by another few, well, more isn’t worse.” She chuckled.

Vasco Strada closed the book, looking at Lucian. “And you must be Cardinal Graves.”

“Lucian Graves. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Cardinal Strada.” Lucian was polite. 

Part of that is because he respected the man. The other part was because he could also fold Lucian like a pretzel, blindfolded, deaf, and blind, with every limb tied behind his back.

“I have heard of your burial agency." He spoke. “Not many were pleased.”

“I suppose they wouldn’t be.” Lucian was unperturbed. “They’re going to be a lot more displeased soon.”

The larger man’s lips slowly curled up as he found the amusement in Lucian’s words. “Have you come to look at the Holy Swords?”

“I have come to steal the Holy Swords," Lucian said rather cheekily.

Vasco Strada hummed. “I have been ordered by his Holiness to prevent the theft of the Holy Swords during the selection process. It is my duty to make sure none are taken.”

“Then it appears we are at an impasse. I will have to use force.” Lucian held his Bible out and pulled his sword free from the pages, making Vasco raise an eyebrow.

There was no movement from Vasco Strada, but in a singular moment, Lucian erupted with every bit of Holy Power he could, using every strand of power to enhance himself and to attack.

“Crusader Strike!” He put everything he had into the one swing, stronger than even the one Griselda took beforehand.

His blade sliced through the air, wrapped in Holy Lightning, the edge of the blade capable of slicing through steel like butter, yet a single finger was raised to block it.

The edge of Cloudcrack became unmoving as it pressed against Vasco Strada’s index finger, not even a drop of blood given for the effort.

Lucian, while not surprised, clicked his tongue. “It seems that’s where I’m at then. I thought maybe you would at least use two fingers to catch the blade. It seems I need to work harder.”

“It was a good strike," Vasco Strada replied.

“I appreciate the sentiment.” Lucian shook his head, putting his sword away. “Actually, we came to steal other stuff, not the Holy Swords.”

“Don’t just tell him that.” Griselda sighed. “At least leave some plausible deniability.”

“For shame, Sister. Lying is a sin.” Lucian held a finger up, wagging at her. 

Griselda’s eye twitched slightly. 

Vasco Strade was simply amused by the whole thing. “I am only here to prevent theft. If you wish to inspect them, you are welcome. If anyone chooses you as well, it would not be theft to take those either. However, your own sword is impressive enough. One I have not seen before.”

“If we’re here, I wouldn’t mind taking a look.” Lucian weighed it and decided, "Why not?" 

Vasco Strada didn’t stop him as he walked past the man, Griselda following along into the Vault.

Within the Vault, there were hundreds of swords lined up on sword racks. Some in individual boxes, some even chained or sealed.

Lucian let out a whistle. “More impressive than I anticipated.”

“None of them are reacting to you.” Griselda noted.

There wasn’t anything he could do but shrug. He walked over to a sword rack, grabbing one off it and holding it up. “English? Oh, that’s interesting; it will ignite in holy flames.” It was similar to his Cloudcrack, if fire rather than lightning.

He wasn’t going to inspect each and every one, but he didn't look at some of the more impressive ones.

“Is that Arondight?” He bent down to look at the description of a sword box with a glass lid on it; he saw a blade that was chained up. “Shouldn’t that be with the Pendragon family?”

“It’s a holy sword that became cursed.” Vasco spoke from his seat. “It was originally under the control of the Pendragon Family. However, two generations ago, their named ‘Lancelot’ went berserk, losing control under the sword’s curse and having to be killed. Many church believers and clergy were killed; thus, they took the sword away and sealed it here.”

It made sense; the Pendragon Family wouldn’t be able to demand it back if the Church suffered under its effects.

“Stained with betrayal and the blood of brothers and sisters.” Lucian shook his head, understanding the cause immediately. Even if it was a wonderfully powerful Holy Sword, it can become corrupted under such circumstances. “Ah, and this is Durandal.”

It wasn’t sealed, but it had its own sword case.

“May I?”

“You’re welcome to try.” Vasco told him.

He grabbed the sword, picking it up. He immediately felt it; if he tried to ‘use’ it, it would become very dissatisfied with him. It wasn’t sentient like one may think, but rather, it had a 'will.' Many such powerful weapons in the world had a similar sort of will to them.

“Good sword, but it’s not to my preference. And it seems to think the same too.” He put it back. “Is your daughter going to claim it?” He asked Griselda.

She gave a small nod. “It’s technically already hers; however, it will become official after the ceremony. She has been practicing with it for a bit now, but never outside of the Vatican’s secured walls. Once the ceremony is over, she will become the recognized wielder of Durandal.”

"Impressive," he acknowledged. He could feel the will of Durandal; it was rather unyielding and arrogant. So to recognize Xenovia, she certainly had qualities that it approved of. “Shall we go take a tour of their personal vaults?”

“They are in that direction.” Vasco used his thumb to point down another hallway.

Lucian couldn’t help but laugh.

The older cardinal just sat there unmoving even as Lucian and Griselda went to loot the vaults.

They ventured down the corridor as the older exorcist left view.

“He’s nice.” Lucian noted.

“He is one of the kindest men I have ever had the pleasure to meet.” Griselda agreed. “So, how do you plan on getting through the vault door?” They approached it, and unlike where the Holy Swords were being held, this one was a true 'vault.'

“Hmm.”

“Please tell me you have a plan.” She looked at him. “It’s not just thick steel doors. That’s magically reinforced iron; the code lock is unhackable, nor destructible. Even if you somehow tore off the door, it would sound an alarm. Not to mention there are other traps. I seem to recall there being a powerful poisonous gas that will spill into the room if there’s an intruder who triggers the alarms. And of course, teleportation is blocked as well as many forms of magical communication.” She listed off everything she knew about it.

Lucian squatted down, poking at a hole in the wall. It looked like glass but wasn’t. It was a breathing hole or something like that. You could see inside the room from the outside, which was also a layer of security for guards that would presumably be on the outside standing guard.

“I had a brilliant plan, but it won’t work now.”

“What was your plan?” She asked.

“Break inside through brute force.” He nodded to himself. “However, the designer of this vault is clearly a genius and anticipated me.”

Griselda gave him a flat look.

“Therefore, I will utilize a secondary method.” He tapped his shoes on the ground. “We walk in the grace of God.” They transformed into his Ash Lock, and in front of her eyes, he just disappeared and reappeared on the inside. “Hmm, that worked. How convenient.”

That is, the magical protections blocked teleportation, but he didn’t teleport.

The concept of ‘closing distance’ between two points.

If he could see it, if there was technically not an obstruction, he could move from one place to another.

While there was a physical wall in front of him that he couldn’t physically pass through, the fact that there was an 'opening,' albeit as small as there were little holes meant for the passing of air, made it conceptually open.

Griselda just stared at him dumbfounded.

Lucian ignored her gaze and looked around. “Oh, that looks like gold. Don’t mind if I do.” He took his Bible out and began to stuff things inside. “They even keep cash down here. Dollars, euros, yen, pesos, and rubles are very nice. This will certainly help.”

Griselda still stared blankly at him as he apparently began to stuff things into his Bible.

It wasn’t an extraordinary amount, as the organization had proper accounts and banking necessities. But it was meant for when they needed proper cash on hand, either for exorcists to withdraw for mission purposes or for whatever they needed.

Sometimes, you needed to toss some money around on a mission, for information, or whatever. Some places, they didn’t recognize paper, and you needed precious metals like gold.

“How lovely, some Light Guns, Light Swords, and quite a few Holy Bullets. Over ten thousand on hand, not bad. Let’s just take them all; I’m sure they won’t mind sharing.” 

“Oh! More light grenades, excellent. We didn’t have many of these. Though only a couple dozen, but that’s okay; they’re rather difficult to get ahold of.”

“Pure Silver Crucifixes? Of course. Ah, I’ve been needing these. It’s very rude that they’ve been keeping these to themselves.” Lucian picked up a brass censer with an attached chain. “A special censer to hypnotize an area to clear out people for operations. They even have twenty of them to offer. How kind, I won’t refuse.”

There were a lot of items, the kind that were used regularly by organizations such as this. Consecrated chains for detaining something nasty. Sanctified Shrouds—not to be mistaken for Holy Shrouds. Used for a quick sealing of dangerous items by wrapping them around in an emergency.

Actual sealing containers with dozens of wards and scriptures carved on them for permanent or long-term sealing of troublesome objects.

Barrier stakes for setting up a safe zone.

Special flashlights that emit specific light that’s harmful to vampires and certain dark creatures, even if minimal.

Holy Oil for on-field cremations and purification.

The list could go on.

“I will gladly accept these donations, thank you.” Lucian made a proper thanks as he cleared out a significant portion of the Vault of their supplies.

In the blink of an eye, Lucian appeared on the other side with Griselda again, snapping his bible shut.

She narrowed her eyes at him, then at the Bible. “I remember asking you about that Bible.”

“It’s a normal bible.”

The dry look she gave would make a river evaporate. She reached over and grabbed it from his hands, flinging it open, flipping through pages, only to find that there was nothing abnormal about it.

Her nose scrunched as she saw his very smug expression.

“Just a normal Bible~," he repeated.

“How curious, your normal Bible, apparently just let you steal everything in that vault.”

“Did that happen? I don’t remember that.” He played dumb.

“Then you won’t mind if I keep it.” She tucked it under her arm.

There was a faint show of panic. “Actually, that Bible has a lot of sentimental value to me. I can’t just give it away. It’s far too valuable to me.”

“Oh, then I suppose I’ll have to give you something in return to match its value.” She hummed rather exaggeratingly before reaching up under her robes, and with a tug, her panties hit the ground, and she stepped out of them before tossing them into Lucian’s hands. “What do you think? Is it a fair trade?”

She was very obviously messing with him.

And Lucian knew that it was her way to get back at him for being a smartass.

And perhaps for him lying so blatantly to her face.

Lucian let out a sigh. “Fine, fine. You win.” He put his hands up in surrender.

Griselda let out a harumph, shoving his bible back into his hands. “Of course I do. Now, come along, we’re going to go see my daughter now. She must be very excited.”

“Wait, take these back.” He held up her lacey black panties.

“I don’t take back gifts I’ve given.” A smirk adorned her face as she just kept walking, a noticeable sway in her hips.

@***@

Lucian: It’s time for a grand heist! Proceeds to walk into the place, then walk into the vault and just take everything.

He finally gets to meet Xenovia next too.