On the one hand, Juliette felt proud of Luka and appreciated his strong sense of justice and duty as a noble. Luka executed noblesse oblige to perfection in her eyes when he frantically practiced and raised his magic proficiency to cure a stranger's mother. Then Luka acted above and beyond when he protected the commoners and even captured the culprits.
But at the same time, Juliette was familiar with the reputation of the Milstein family. The archbishop was an ambitious man who desired to become Pope Demetrius' successor. Having Trevor in the Western Order's custody with an official complaint filed against him would mar the Milstein family name. Thus, the duchess fully expected the archbishop to apply indirect pressure to convince Luka to withdraw his complaint.
However, Juliette declined to share her new worries with her son. Instead, she wished to support his actions and protect him from the Milstein family's machinations from behind-the-scene. "Where are the boy and his mother now?" she inquired.
"They're at the inn; I prepaid another week's stay," Luka responded. "Are you upset with me for creating conflict with the Milstein family? The knight captain explained a bit on their background," he noted.
Juliette shook her head. "While the Enforcer of Church Doctrine is indeed powerful, you shouldn't belittle yourself either. Since you have a unique relationship with Altima, Archbishop Milstein cannot hurt you without incurring divine retribution."
"Frankly, I'm more concerned for the family you helped because they lack Altima's protection that you enjoy. Luckily, Lumina city is the best place for them to take refuge. If possible, you should pay for them to stay at least a month at the inn. By then, the trial against Trevor would be over. Before the trial, the Milstein family may seek to silence the victims," she pointed out.
Luka took a deep breath because he began to appreciate the dangers which Leen and Auselka faced now. "Would it be better for us to shelter them in our domain?" he asked.
Juliette shook her head. "They won't be safe there," she admitted with a frown.
The son was startled by this admission. But when he thought a bit more, Luka agreed with her assessment because the Divine Church of Light had many church buildings and other properties in the Heavensfell dukedom. Thus, it would be easy for Milstein to slip in an assassination team to target the Granden family. Luka COULD send the duo to either his private dungeon or the shadow plane. But neither place was suitable for commoners to live, especially a growing boy like Leen.
Juliette waited while Luka considered what to do with the two victims.
Finally, he answered her. "I will follow your suggestion."
"Good," she nodded. The woman appreciated Luka's open-mindedness and ability to accept advice from other people. Her son was different from his late dad in that regard. "You should go to sleep right away so that you could wake up early tomorrow morning. Don't be late for a third time, or else you'll run twenty laps around the house," Juliette warned sternly.
"Yes, mother." Luka nodded his head stiffly because he felt embarrassed. "Good night." He left the dining room and went straight to his bedroom.
Bel and Gripper quickly entered before Luka closed the door.
[Are you going for a late-night stroll in the city? Or will you obey mommy?] His familiar asked.
Luka shook his head. "My mind is weary from today's events. I'm better off turning in early tonight," he answered.
The two animals jumped into bed but reserved space in the middle for him.
Luka smiled at their thoughtfulness and joined the two companions in bed. He enjoyed their warmth and fell asleep.
* * *
Luka awoke before dawn and quickly changed into his set of exercise clothing. He quietly ventured out of his room, descended the staircase, and opened the door -- to find his mother waiting for him! "Good morning, mother," Luka greeted politely. "Am I late?" he asked cautiously.
She smiled faintly. "You're here on time," Juliette answered. "Let's start stretching before we spar."
The two faced each other and performed their warm-ups silently. Then Juliette brought out her wooden sword and took up her stance.
Luka copied her and waited for her to make the first move.
The woman abruptly slashed at his neck!
Bang! The defender raised his hands, and his sword blocked the blow in time. Luka pushed forward and heaved his weapon at her torso in hopes of knocking her off-balance.
However, Juliette did something else: She sidestepped to the left and smashed his wrist!
Luka instinctively twisted his body and took the hit on his bicep! He ignored the sting in his arm and threw his shoulder at her. This time, his gambit worked as she lost her balance for a split-second. He made a quick jab at her abdomen!
Incredibly, Juliette extinguished the brief opening by hopping back. Simultaneously, her sword directed his tip away from her figure.
Now, the roles reversed as Luka was the person off-balance with his arms leaning forward.
His mother reacted faster than him; she whipped his butt with her weapon and kicked him in the same spot.
Luka inhaled a sharp breath to alleviate the pain. He turned around to face her again and reset his stance.
"Good!" Juliette praised her son because he didn't give up despite losing the initial exchange. "Come at me!" she invited.
Luka used his Critical Insight ability but couldn't find any hole in her defense. Nonetheless, he charged at her like a raging bull. "HA!" A warcry escaped his throat as he slammed his sword at her chest.
Instead of sidestepping the bull rush, Juliette's eyes gleamed as she met his challenge directly. Bang! She slammed her weapon to block his. The duo committed to swinging their swords with full strength. Neither yielded an inch of ground. Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!
After several minutes, Luka started to breathe heavily while his mother barely broke a sweat.
Juliette's eyes glowered as she struck her sword time and time again like a jilted lover set on revenge against a philanderer.
Luka gritted his teeth and focused solely on defense. His stance finally broke, and he fell backward.
"HAH!" the swordswoman screamed as she slammed her wooden blade at him.
Time suddenly crawled as the Luka's back landed on the cold, hard ground. The impact jolted him out of his weariness. The sudden adrenaline boost made his body react faster. Luka instinctively rolled to his right. BAM! Crack!
Her heavy blow created a small crack on the ground. But the second noise derived from Juliette's kneecap, which fractured when Luka made a backhand swing at her knee.
The woman gingerly sat down as she sucked her teeth to tolerate the sharp pain.
Luka crawled over to his mother with a guilty face. His hand was an inch apart when the healer cast Medium Cure to fix her broken kneecap.
"You got me good," his practice partner admitted with a faint smile.
"I was lucky," he replied modestly.
However, Juliette began to feel nauseated, and her skin broke into hives. "Roll away from me!" she ordered.
Luka became stunned by her sudden mood swing but obeyed. He moved until his body was five feet away from her.
Juliette breathed easier. She looked at her son with a guilty face. "To retain my status as a pegasus rider and a valkyrie, I cannot stay in close contact with males for long," the woman explained.
"I understand, mother," the son nodded. Luka remembered that Juliette became a valkyrie to give thanks to the church for saving their lives. Thus, he couldn't begrudge her desire to maintain her status and continue her service.
"It's getting late. Let's go back inside," the woman said and pulled herself up.
"Yes, mother." Luka followed her into the guesthouse and returned to his room. With a servant's assistance, he took a bath and changed into his church uniform. He ate a small breakfast before leaving for work.
When Luka left the house, he remembered to make a detour. The mage teleported to the Gold Leaf Inn and accosted the innkeeper. He placed a bag of gold co
ins on the counter and said, "I want to extend my two friends' stay for another three weeks."
The owner quickly counted the money. "I received 600 gold pieces," she confirmed. "I will make a note in my guest log and notify your friends of their extension," the innkeeper added.
"I appreciate it." Luka nodded slightly and exited the inn. He teleported again. His new destination was the church dormitory.
When Luka arrived, he noticed a white carriage in front of the building and several templars guarding the vessel.
Matty stepped out of the cabin and waved at him. "Good morning, Luka! Please come inside for a moment," he requested.
Luka groaned as he walked over to the carriage. He climbed in and saw Pope Demetrius. "Good morning, godfather," the teenager greeted politely.
"Good morning, Luka," the pope responded with a gentle smile. His face turned serious. "I received a copy of the complaint you filed yesterday with the Western Order of Knighthood, and I'm here to discuss the serious allegations with you." He handed the form to Luka. "Please reread it and confirmed the report's accuracy. I'm asking because you didn't fill out the complaint personally," he explained.
Luka nodded and took the sheet. He read the allegations carefully and returned the complaint. "The secretary wrote it, but the allegations are accurate," Luka confirmed.
"Normally, the inquisitors would question the complainant. But forcing you to submit to an inquisition would be scandalous given your status as Altima's Godson. Additionally, Archbishop Milstein zealously protects family reputation. He will create endless trouble for you if you pursue an official complaint against his nephew. Even though you have Altima's divine protection, he could still strike against your dukedom."
"I won't allow Trevor von Milstein to get away with his abuse of church authority and attempted murder," Luka responded stubbornly.
The church leader raised his hand to alleviate Luka's anger. "I'm not suggesting that Trevor should escape punishment. I'm pointing out that this complaint will lead to dire consequences for your domain, and your subjects will suffer from Archbishop Milstein's retaliation."
"Here's my proposal. I would use my discretion as the church leader to punish Deacon Milstein for misconduct unbecoming a member of the priesthood. I will demote him to an apprentice; his assignment is to create food and water for a year. If Trevor performs his work diligently, I may reinstate him to his former rank. In return, you will withdraw the complaint, and the Milstein family will keep their pristine reputation. What are your thoughts?"
Luka spent some time considering this proposal while the pope waited patiently. "You have a deal as long as Archbishop Milstein agrees not to touch the victims of Trevor's scheme," Luka answered.
"I'll make sure he agrees to it," Demetrius replied.
"I need to report for duty. Please excuse me, Your Holiness," Luka said politely and exited the cabin. He nodded at Matty, who guarded the carriage.
Matty watched Luka enter the building before the escort climbed inside the cabin. "Are you certain that Archbishop Milstein would agree to this deal you brokered?" he asked.
The pope chuckled. "That old goat is sick and tired of keeping his troublesome nephew out of trouble. Trevor is the only male child within the Milstein family. That's why my colleague dotes on him so much. Consequently, Trevor has an arrogant personality and acts like a gangster. I think it's good for the kid to spend a night in a cold jail cell, but don't tell Archbishop Milstein I said that." Demetrius wagged a finger.
"Luka is stuck in the library this week, right? Eventually, he will do a rotation in the food factory to create food and water. When that happens, the two sides will meet," Matty warned.
The pope nodded. "Yes, thank you for your helpful reminder. Would you mind spending next week to keep the peace between the two fellas?" he suggested. "I'll clear your schedule of other church tasks," Demetrius promised.
"If that is your command, Your Holiness," the escort replied with a bow.
"I appreciate your help," Demetrius smiled gently and patted his shoulder.
Chapter 89
Church Apprentice (Part 9)
Luka entered the cafeteria without fanfare. He poured himself a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of tea. Luka scanned the room, picked an empty table, and quietly sat down. He ate his meal in silence. When he finished, Belinda joined his table.
"You're early today!" she exclaimed in disbelief.
"Good morning, Belinda," Luka greeted politely. Since the apprentices were acting normal in his presence, he assumed that the Western Order didn't disclose Luka's involvement in yesterday's incident. Otherwise, they would surely gossip about him today.
Sister Haena came in afterward and led the apprentices to the chapel for morning prayer service. Then they departed the dormitory for their assignments.
As usual, Luka went to the library accompanied by Belinda. The two apprentices checked in with Claire and then separated.
The first week passed by quickly for Luka. Today was the start of his second week of apprenticeship, and the sister gave him a new assignment. "Luka, you will go to the food factory and spend this week creating food and water. Someone is waiting outside the chapel to guide you there," she said and pointed with her chin.
Matty stood at the doorway. He waved at Luka, who groaned inwardly.
Luka made his way over and approached his former escort. "What's going on?" Luka asked with suspicion because he didn't expect to see Matty at the dormitory.
"Let's talk along the way," the bodyguard replied and began to stroll through the corridor to exit the building. Once Luka came out, the escort led him to a nearby building. "You will be working at the same site as Trevor von Milstein," Matty said in a low voice.
"Oh," Luka reacted with understanding. After the pope brokered a deal for Luka to withdraw his official complaint, Luka forgot about the incident. "You think Trevor would try something while I'm there?" he asked.
Matty shrugged. "It's hard to say. But your godfather doesn't want to take any chances," he answered.
"I think it's the reverse," Luka replied with a grin. He followed the escort into a big factory. The interior was the size of a football field and full of humongous storage tanks. On the left side was a long trough with many workers hunched over. They repeatedly cast Create Water; the precious liquid entered a human-made river, which soon diverted into smaller steams headed for empty water tanks. To his right, Luka witnessed casters magically create grains to fill up barrels and crates. In his eyes, this place resembled a factory.
Matty noticed Luka's discomfort but misunderstood the reason why. "This place is awesome, right? Since Lumina is a flying city, it cannot import food and water from outside to feed its population. We rely on our church members and apprentices to provide the resources necessary for our survival."
"If they keep casting spells, the workers will soon run out of magic," Luka pointed out.
"You're right," the escort agreed. "Supervisors divide workers into groups and rotate them so that one party takes a long break while their replacements create food and water. There's a rest area for people to recuperate their magic," Matty said while pointing further into the interior of the factory.
Luka trained his sight on where his guide pointed and confirmed this statement. Since the workers sat on the ground, they were harder to see from a distance.
"Let's report to the supervisor for your shift. I will accompany you and join your group," Matty said. He led Luka toward the center of the factory, which held an office without walls. Instead, transparent but movable partitions enclosed a large executive desk and a file cabinet. There were four chairs in front of the supervisor's desk, and a secretary took one of the spots while writing something on a clipboard.
The guide knocked politely on the partition to draw the supervisor's attention.
The middle-aged man with shortly cropped black hair waved them in.
"Hello, Supervisor Duncan," Matty greeted. "This is Luka, a new apprentice assigned to h
elp at this site for a week," he said.
"I'm Luka Heavensfell, and I'm looking forward to working with you," Luka introduced himself.
Duncan grimaced when he heard the surname. "So you're Tsunka's son, eh? I hope you won't be a troublemaker like your dad," he commented.
Luka's eyes widened in surprise. "You knew my father?" he inquired respectfully.
"Yes," the supervisor grunted. "We attended the royal academy together. I was one of his followers and went to war with him," Duncan admitted. "Considering that Tsunka was a big womanizer in school, I'm surprised he only had one child."
Luka didn't know how to react to this revelation.
Duncan laughed and slapped the boy's back. Hard. "I guess you take after your mother, eh? That's a good thing," he nodded to himself. "Okay, let's put you two in a workgroup. Leila, which team needs more players?" he asked.
The secretary consulted the papers attached to her clipboard. "Team M has slots open," she responded.
"Take these two to the team leader. It's Jasodra, right?" Duncan recalled.
Leila checked her papers. "Yes, sir." She stood up and motioned for the newcomers to follow.
"Jasodra will show you the ropes," the supervisor said before the trio departed from his office.
The secretary walked through the factory floor, knowing exactly where Team M was at this precise moment. She arrived at the southern resting area and approached a middle-aged woman who wore a white cotton tank top and dark brown pants over black boots. "Jasodra, you have new teammates!" Leila called out.
The workgroup looked up at her. Some people were happy, while others didn't care. One of the faces belonged to Trevor von Milstein, who sucked his teeth when he recognized Luka. "Why is that shithead here?" Trevor muttered under his breath.
Luka heard the comment but politely ignored it. He took a quick headcount and learned there were eight coworkers. When his eyes met Trevor, Luka gave him a hard stare and intimidated Trevor into looking away.
"Excellent!" the team leader clapped her hands. In her excitement, she didn't notice the two enemies glaring at each other.
The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima Page 72