The Nonconformity: I Am an Anomaly-Chapter 19: The Leontara Church

𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗚𝗹𝗮𝘇𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗵

Thirty minutes had passed.

Hastora, Priest Aldren, and Darnel had arrived in northern Glazareth by train.

Mountains loomed in the distance, and grand, magnificent houses lined the streets.

The three of them alighted from the train.

"We’re here," Priest Aldren announced.

"Come, follow me."

Priest Aldren strode towards a large mansion near a tower that was 30 meters tall.

Hastora followed him from behind.

Darnel, who had been assigned by Elowen to guard Priest Aldren and Hastora on their journey just before they left the palace, walked at the rear, watching over them both.

His face was sullen, resentment clear in his eyes.

Yet he had no choice—an order from his superior bound him.

Hastora noticed this.

But he didn’t care at all.

The three of them walked through the city until they finally arrived at the mansion.

A maid in the courtyard quickly opened the gate when she saw Priest Aldren.

"Welcome back, sir," the maid said, bowing.

"Thank you," Priest Aldren replied. "You two, come in."

Priest Aldren stepped inside, followed by Hastora and Darnel.

Once inside, the three of them headed towards the storage room.

Upon arriving, Priest Aldren went inside, while Hastora and Darnel were told to wait outside.

A few moments later, Priest Aldren came out with a collar shirt and gave it to Hastora.

"Wear this," he said.

Hastora took it and put it on.

After he was done, Priest Aldren led them both to a large church located near a hill.

A tall, neo-Gothic building with towering twin spires.

At its peak was a statue of a golden crowned lion facing east, symbolizing hope and victory.

Stained glass windows (vitrails) depicted the story of the sacred lion, protector of the people.

Its main bell was called the "Bell of Valor," only rung on major holidays or when the city was in danger.

The crowned lion stirred a memory within Hastora.

The Leontara Church.

The Leontara Church was a religious institution and a symbol of strength representing protection, courage, and glory, with the crowned lion emblem as its guardian.

It was said to have been built by the first leader of Glazareth after winning a great war.

They did not worship gods, but an allegorical figure in the form of a crowned lion, considered a symbol of strength, courage, and the light of truth. This symbol was revered as a representation of the "guardian of the people" without being considered an absolute God.

Legend had it that the lion statue on top of the church once shone brightly when enemies besieged the city, causing the enemy forces to retreat.

Therefore, the people believed the Leontara lion was an invisible protector.

Of course, Hastora didn’t believe all that nonsense.

Even though it was true that the Leontara church was a religious institution and a symbol of strength representing protection, courage, and glory.

But that was all that was true; the rest was not.

It was all just nonsense created and spread by demons in the past.

To Hastora, the crowned lion was nothing more than a statue, carved by slaves, stripped of any sanctity.

Demons disguised as humans wrote a fictional story that was spread to people to create deception.

With the help of magic, people were easily deceived by the fictional story.

The people who had been deceived flocked to the church and worshiped every day.

The number of people praying increased day by day, making the influence of the magic stronger and still active today.

Everyone who worshiped in this church was influenced by the magic used by the demons to deceive people with their fictional stories, including Priest Aldren himself.

"Is this the Leontara Church? The most prominent church in Glazareth?" Darnel asked.

He was curious.

Priest Aldren answered, "That’s right, this is the Leontara Church, the most prominent church in Glazareth. Is this your first time here?"

"Yes, this is my first time coming here."

"Oh, I thought you had been here before."

"No, I have never been here before."

"I see... Well then, how about we go inside now?"

Hastora and Darnel nodded in agreement.

The three of them entered the church.

A group of priests was visible after they entered.

The priests noticed them, turned swiftly, and bowed.

"Greetings, Priest Aldren," they said in unison.

Priest Aldren raised his hand in response to the greeting.

The priests understood, they rose from their bows and lined up.

Hastora glanced at them one by one.

It didn’t take him long to realize that these priests were Priest Aldren’s main subordinates.

The aura they exuded suggested that they were more suited to being elite battlemages than priests.

And all their eyes burned with the same crimson hue.

In Glazareth, red eyes signified that someone possessed a very large amount of holy energy.

In fact, the people of Glazareth believed that someone with red eyes was destined to become a priest.

This was not just nonsense, but it was a fact.

All the priests in Glazareth had red eyes; not one of them had a different eye color.

Hastora knew this, and he also used this to carry out his plan.

He took advantage of his bright red eyes to get noticed by Priest Aldren.

He knew Aldren would notice his crimson gaze—and would surely recruit him.

That way, he could carry out his plan perfectly.

Starting from revenge, survival, and becoming stronger, everything could be done by him now.