CHAPTER 769: CONDITIONAL SPONSOR

"Whatever am I to do with you. . ." Solaris looked at Gwen who, despite almost being unconscious, glared at him with a burning anger in her eyes.

He knew of her dislike towards him but that wasn’t always the case.

It was only after her mother passed and her father became busy did she begin harbouring this hatred. This hatred that caused her piety to waver and it’s only gotten worse recently.

"But on account of Arax, I’ll make an exception for you. Just once since you never failed these trials in the past." Solaris snapped his finger.

A green flame enveloped Gwen’s body as she was healed in an instant.

Walking past the mirror, Solaris made himself comfortable on his throne and postured himself lazily, resting his head on his hand.

"Now then, Guinevere, for what reason have you sought and audience with me? Even though you risk yourself due to your wavering faith." Solaris stared at Arax’s daughter.

He was beginning to grow tired of this song and dance between him and her.

Gwen hated him for making her father work and yet, is that not expected of an Apostle?

Why else would a God even think about splitting off a portion of their authority for a right hand if he were not to make use of it?

And it’s not like he was forcing Arax either. As the Apostle of Protection, he takes pride in protecting the masses.

Thus, all Solaris has done was point Arax in the direction where he can be of use. And if he begins to slack on his duty well. . . Solaris didn’t mind giving the authority to someone else if someone more capable came along.

But Arax has been too handy. A faithful tool that’s continued to prove its worth throughout the ages.

He had hoped his daughter would prove to be a fantastic tool in the making. But. . . This defiance towards the divine. . .

Solaris narrowed his gaze for a moment.

’Should I take care of her?’

The thought flashed through his mind for a brief moment but he shut it down.

Arax was too useful right now. Getting rid of his daughter would simply be shooting himself in the foot. Plus, Arax has given him zero reason to dismiss him. Forcing an. . . early retirement was not necessary.

Therefore, he will give Gwen this exception in hopes that she changes her standing.

"I seek a bounty. A power that will allow me to alleviate my father’s burden. I wish to tread upon the path of Lordship." Gwen spoke slowly looking down at the floor and avoiding eye contact with Solaris.

If she continued to stare at him, she fears that her anger may become too obvious and annoy him instead.

She already knows that he’s pardoning her on behalf of her dad.

"Oh? I’ve already done you a favour in forgiving your attitude. But you wish. . . To gain a sponsorship from me? In your current state?" Solaris raised an eyebrow.

It wasn’t quite amusement but rather the disbelief that Gwen would have this kind of audacity.

Sponsorships for a God are akin to treasures. Treasures that they ’should’ bestow to their most loyal subjects. A reward of sorts where it is not subjected to the randomness of compatibility or luck.

However, it’s not as though sponsorships are easy to obtain either.

Specific beasts with specific requirements had to be met. And once they are eligible to become a ’sponsor’ bounty, the three Gods will have to fight over who gets it.

Each sponsor is acquired with a great deal of difficulty.

And if the subject who received a sponsor from a god was to change sides, that’s essentially wasted effort.

With Gwen’s faith wavering, Solaris understood that the chance of her betraying the Church was high. And giving her a sponsor on top of that would be akin to shooting himself in the foot.

But, at the same time, her father’s devotion was not to be underestimated.

Arax had already requested for Gwen to receive a sponsor in the past and Solaris had put it off, saying that they should wait for the moment it’s important.

One person one sponsor.

That’s the unspoken rule.

If he was to invest too much into one subject, the potential losses were too great for him to accept.

In the past, he sponsored one of his disciples with three bounties yet they swapped sides and died.

An absolute waste of resources.

"I just don’t want you to keep overworking my father. If I become a Lord, a powerful one at that, I can make his life easier."

Solaris was silent.

Indeed, while her faith towards him have been faltering these last few years, her piety towards her father has remained all the same. No matter how little time he has, no matter when he has to leave, she has always believed in him.

Believed in Arax who took his job as the Apostle seriously even at the expense of his family.

Then, a smile began to appear on his face.

Gwen is someone very capable if she puts her mind to it. But due to her faith, she’s been rather lazy when it comes to performing the tasks needed for a cardinal.

Thus, he had another thought in mind.

"Alright, I’ll give you a sponsorship." He chuckled as Gwen looked up in surprise.

She was half expecting him to reject this notion and yet. . . he agreed?

"However, it’s on a condition. I’m sure you’re aware of the person I’m trying to hunt down yes? A Hunter capable of killing Kazira, the Apostle of War." Solaris smiled.

Then, Gwen frowned.

"Seems like an understanding can be achieved between us after all little Guinevere." Solaris nodded.

"I want you to hunt her down, bring her head to me. Of course, if that’s not possible, finding her location is good enough as it is. If you find the culprit, crush this orb and I will descend. It seems like this rat has been rather careful due to the presence of your father and Shiera." Solaris created a golden orb and tossed it towards Gwen.

"I’m sure something like this is possible for you right?" Solaris narrowed his gaze as Gwen paused and nodded her head.

That was her intention to begin with, to eliminate the threat towards her father.

And if doing this can give her the sponsorship she needs, then it was killing two birds with one stone.

"Then I will bestow upon you a selection of bounties for you to choose one from. And once you do, know that the conditions are set. Of course, if you never meet the culprit, then nothing can be done about it. But. . ." Solaris trailed off.

"On the off chance that you fail despite finding the culprit, well I don’t need to say much else. I sincerely hope our relationship does not sour to that extent or else your father will be both saddened and disappointed. And I will be the same."

Gwen furrowed her brows.

That warning felt like a mockery but she knew how important sponsorships were for the church.

Had he chosen a different condition, Gwen would’ve been more careful.

But this condition was easy enough as it is.

Plus, she can’t deny her wavering faith so something like this was actually far better than killing her should she betray the order.

With Gwen accepting the orb, Solaris wrapped himself in a spiral of flames before disappearing from his throne.

Meanwhile, Gwen felt a headache assault her mind, knocking her out. The markings on the side of her face began to fill with a golden radiance, a divine connection.

###

’Seems like Gwen’s meeting with Solaris now.’ Alice narrowed her gaze. She could feel the surge of divinity from the very centre of the island. Therefore, the best thing for her to do was to steer clear of that portion of the island.

As Astrelya warned, Solaris would be able to see through her disguise with ease.

And honestly, had she not gas lighted Shiera into thinking they were master and disciple at one point, she would’ve investigated further and found the gaps in her disguise.

But right now, what Alice wanted to investigate, was whatever was being held in the centre of this island.

There were two suspicious points. One, this branch was being kept away from the mainland.

Two, despite having no off limit locations, Alice could sense a large storage of energy far beneath the ground.

A reservoir of power that’s too big to ignore.

Yet, despite spreading her blood through the different buildings, Alice wasn’t able to find a path leading down.

[Using your Void powers would be too risky, especially with Solaris being here. There’s no doubt that he’ll sense something going on.] Cayla reminded.

’Do you want me to force a path through?’ Alyss offered but Alice shook her head.

They won’t be explain why there’s a hole leading to the centre of the island after all.

While Alice was thinking of ideas, she noticed Elior approaching.

It wasn’t like he was looking past her either. No, he was staring directly at her.

"Yo~ Do you need me for something?" Alice asked, folding her arms with a smirk.

Instead of saying anything, Elior simply stood in front of her and glared.

*BANG!!!

Grabbing the air to his left, he slowly opened his palm to reveal a set of blood threads that were invisible a moment ago.

"I believe you dropped these, Lady Guinevere has given you the authority to explore the branch. However, I do not believe it would be wise for you to snoop around with these threads. Simply walking around would suffice." He smiled before walking away.

Alice furrowed her brows.

’I suppose a Cardinal is not something to be underestimated after all.’

The fact that he was able to discover her threads. . .

’How dangerous.’