330 SLEEPING BEAUTY 1

But out of all the city in the territory of the Holy Zun Empire this city is probably the one city people recognize the most.

It used to be a small city that have no importance whatsoever to the kingdom that occupied it. But the rise of its people, and the rebellion that have sparked from the holy proclamation all started in that city

To some, this is the place where the Pope appeared and this is also the staring place of the Pope and his Apostle, the Maidens of Armagnac Ariana of the South rise to power. 

Even though the matter of the south and north, west and east were all considered moot point at this current time, the title of Ariana of the South stuck.

Like Vanheim and Veva who have their capital city decorated with splendor thus it is so for this city where the dawn of the church began

Once you enter the city, there is no longer the trace of the old city of Arleans which is dirty and unregulated.

Cleanliness is very important here and there is a church everywhere you look. But there is also a great few changes that had happen since a few years ago

When the Apostle and the Pope return back to the world, the Church was in divisive state. 

The Apostle of the Church Arianna took matter to her own hands and in one might of tragic events, slaughtered the Bishops and those who rebelled against the Pope decree, their blood flooded the tile roads of the city.

That night was a stormy night and when dawn came, there is as not as many priest or bishop as it was the night before.

And even though almost two years had passed since that event, there is still trace of that terrible massacre everywhere you go especially around the St Alex Square where the Apostle faces a lot of resistance. 

To those who come to the city of the Holy, the first thing that probably would enter this sight is the magnificent Priest Forum

It used to have a tall pillar but now, there is a mark of the tall pillar being sliced. 

No Priest debated about the religion there anymore. There is even still the mark of blood of people that died that day.

Some said the Church leave it there so that it could deter rebels. Others said that the blood by the grace of God did not disappear as reminder.

Whatever the case, the sight is very ghastly

The destruction of the Priest Forum was lamentable but at least the St Alex Basilica, the marble structure is still there even though there were some damages on its east side.

The Church had sent all kinds of builders to repair the damage. 

If one looks inside there is hundreds of sculptors that is recreating back the statues that used to adorned the inside of the basilica.

It is said that during that stormy night, Arianna with her sword enter the basilica to brought out Byantikous out from the area.

Each one was cut down mercilessly and they all died with one slash. 

Her slash is said to form a powerful resonance with all the status inside the basilica causing the entire Basilica to shake and tremble as thunders and lighting roars up in the sky.

Blood flowed down the marble staircase of the Basilica, dying the white marble read and dark.

For those who saw the scene form the outside, they saw the blood flowing out from the entrance.

There is also a slash mark that stretched for sixty acres. 

The countless work of arts there were scrapped as the Pope once again commissioned work for famous painters to adorned the church.

Leonardo is once again sought by the Pope and Araphel is once again summon by the Church. It is a city of art, of culture and of soul.

Even the terrible act that day did not diminish this reputation. The square of St Alex is still one of the most beautiful sight of the city, a staggering open space in the city.

Hundreds of columns swept outward in four concentric arcs of diminishing size, an architecture brilliance to heighten the piazza sense of grandeur.

The city appeared at calm and gained their stability as one of the great powers of the world. 

But only those who is high enough in the chain of command knows that Holy Zun Empire is not as stable as the world outside believes them to be.

The world outside believes that the enemy of the Church right now is only Veva to the north and Nero Republic to the east.

The truth is much darker. There is a lot of problem bubbling underneath just the surface

There is an Antipope now. 

The Church is actually split into two. 

This matter to the highest in command is the more threatening threat. War while not easy for them, it could be won. 

Arianna ability to boost her energy in battle and her ability to lead her army to victory is undeniable. Even if they could not conquer back Nero now, there would be a chance. 

The Faith is still strong among the common people and those who first follow the Pope and the Apostle

But the Antipope is an internal problem that must be solved as quickly as possible. 

If the people began dividing their faith, then the Pope and the Apostle of the Church both would experience dip in their strength.

Ariana both gain power according to faith. 

If the faith is dangerously low, she probably could not fight against a normal warrior. Her path was different than anybody else since she relies on faith for power

More faith, more power. No faith, no power

The thought of adventurers is not the same like those of the native people. 

To the native people, the church is their faith. To the adventurers it is a means of power, a quest that has been given to them by the Divinities.

They are all playing a role. The boy named Alex playing the role of the Pope. Ariana playing the role of a Holy Maiden and so on and so forth.

Dawn had passed and now morning had come. Arianna look out from her windows. She lives in one of the most beautiful structure in Arleans.

People called it the Holy Maiden Palace. It is a suite of rooms that used to be one of the palace of the royalty of Zun.

It was adapted by her for personal use when she first conquered Zun kingdom. She even commissioned a Venicia painter, a native of this world Pinturrichio to lavishly decorate the apartment with frescoes.

It took him two years to complete the frescoes and the paintings that decorate this structure. It drew on themes of celestial bodies and adding an eschatological layer of meaning and celebrating the divine origins of the Holy Maiden and the Pope.

But the beauty of the room is not in her mind right now. 

In the past, this kind of residence calms her heart. 

But maybe at that time, her problem was simple so she could still relax herself when it is a long day. But nowadays, even a hundred paintings could not dispel the uneasiness in her heart.

She then gazes back at the bed. 

This is her guest room. 

And on top of that bed is a woman. Ariana frowned looking at that woman. For some reason, she felt that she knows this woman. 

When she was in Purgatory, this is the woman that fought alongside her. Even though they don't know each other, for some reason they felt like they do.

Arianna attributed this to the fact that they might have close relationship in Western Heaven before they were transported completely into this world

Like most people with power and resources, Arianna had tried to investigate about the matter of Western Heaven. 

She too knows that there is a lot of memory that she had lost. 

And she knows she is not the only one. This matter seems to affect a lot of people

She did not remember who her parents were, whether she had siblings or what kind of life she had led in the Western Heaven

For some odd reason, when she was in Purgatory, she seems to accept all the orders and the explanation given to her like she is in some sort of hypnosis state

She also found out and realize that as time passes she only had certain vague memories about her life in Western Heaven 

These memories sometimes would come to her when she is dreaming or when she is not thinking of anything, some parts of this memory would reveal itself to her.

But the memory is too fragmented for any of it to make sense. 

Unlike Aero who had many responsibilities or Zeus who had to govern his kingdom, Ariana had a lot of free time to uncover this mystery. 

That and resources that no other adventurers possess.