Captain – Chapter 216 – Sanderwina Cathedral

The crisp sound of bells broke through the morning mist, awakening the sleeping city of Elvet.

The morning sun slowly climbed, spilling clear light upon the ringing Sanderwina Cathedral, making its snow-white exterior walls gleam brilliantly, dazzling to behold.

And at this moment when night had just faded and all things were awakening, two inconspicuous carriages, surrounded by soldiers, slowly drove into the spacious square before the cathedral. Under the guidance of several priests who had been waiting for quite some time, they came to a stop at the edge of the square.

Accompanied by the gradually fading bell, the door of the first carriage was opened briskly.

Dressed in ordinary formal attire but with his customary stern expression, Governor Naren stepped out and quietly asked the priest standing at the front: “I hope we haven’t kept Bishop Daniel waiting?”

The priest smiled and shook his head: “The Bishop has just finished his ablutions and prayers not long ago. He should have only just arrived at the main hall.”

The Governor nodded slightly: “Good. Let’s go in first.”

Seeing the confusion on the priests’ faces, Naren smiled uncommonly and explained: “Don’t worry, they’re familiar with this place. They just need a little more time to prepare. I might as well go see my old friend whom I haven’t met in a long time.”

In the Auran Empire, the Holy Church held a transcendent and independent position. Within church districts, the power of church decrees even surpassed Auran laws.

Under such circumstances, the Pope who presided over church affairs and the sixteen bishops under him wielded power sufficient to rival the Empire’s most important figures. In extreme situations, they could even mobilize the numerous and well-armed Holy Cross Army to maintain the safety of the church and the stability of the Empire.

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Daniel Bett was one of the sixteen bishops, and also Naren’s lifelong friend since childhood.

Though they rarely met due to their respective government and church duties, they made sure to correspond at least once every few months to maintain their childhood friendship.

“Yes, Governor.”

After learning the reason and curiously glancing at the still-closed carriage door, the priest quietly acknowledged, then led Naren and the other priests away from the square. They walked up the steps engraved with holy text, heading toward the already open light brown wooden doors.

Because church decrees prohibited military personnel from entering church districts except under special circumstances, the soldiers who had accompanied the Governor remained in the square, quietly guarding the carriages.

“This… this is far too tight.”

A deliberately lowered voice echoed inside the carriage, accompanied by the soft sound of a tulle dress rubbing against a shirt.

“I told you to get up earlier, but Captain, you insisted on sleeping in. Now look—we’ve been on the road all this time and you still haven’t finished changing.”

Watching the captain, who had just tightened and fastened her corset and was now pulling the wedding dress over herself, her face full of anxious expressions, the First Mate sighed helplessly.

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“Damn it, when you were knocking on the captain’s quarters door loud enough to wake the dead, there wasn’t even a hint of light outside. If you had clearly explained earlier that we needed to rush in the dark, I wouldn’t have drunk so much last night.”

Squeezed uncomfortably by the corset, Roy’s voice had become noticeably higher. She pulled the wedding dress on from bottom to top, then reached behind to fasten the laces, all while complaining about the young man’s failings like rapid gunfire.

“Yes, yes, yes, it’s all my fault. Let me do it, Captain.”

Seeing the young woman struggle yet barely manage to tie a few laces, Caine smiled wryly as he stepped forward, untied the two laces she had fastened incorrectly in her haste, and then tied them properly one by one.

“Also, I really don’t understand why you insist on wearing a shirt and trousers under your dress, Captain. No wonder it feels so tight.”

Covering the trouser cuffs that were exposed beneath the tulle dress, Roy pursed her lips and said: “Please, how am I supposed to fight in this thing? This captain isn’t really a young lady from a noble family, but a wanted criminal on the Auran Empire’s list, who must always be ready to escape.”

“Besides, wearing just a dress… it feels a bit drafty.”

With a deep sigh, Caine turned his gaze to the wooden box containing the items needed for the engagement, noticing the white shoes with gold trim inside. But before he could say anything, the captain’s righteous refusal had already hastily sounded.

“Forget about those shoes. They’re like stilts. I probably couldn’t even walk in them, let alone do anything else.”

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“Fine, but Captain, wearing a shirt and trousers under your wedding dress is one thing, and not wearing formal shoes is another, but could you please not strap daggers to your legs?”

Discovering what the young woman was secretly doing, the First Mate rubbed his temples in frustration and emphasized: “After all, we’re going to an engagement ceremony, not to battle. Besides, carrying weapons in a church district is considered extremely disrespectful and might even get you arrested by the Holy Cross Army as a dangerous person.”

Caught in the act, Roy froze, looked up at the young man, and gave an embarrassed smile: “It’ll be fine, I promise to hide them well. Those fellows with heads full of doctrine surely won’t lift my dress to check, right?”

“Absolutely not.” Caine said with a stern face.

Seeing the First Mate’s resolute attitude, the young woman finally untied the pair of daggers with their fierce blood grooves and tossed them aside carelessly. Then she straightened up and said somewhat dejectedly: “Alright, alright, today is a special day after all. This captain will indulge you just this once.”

Having completed all preparations, Caine tucked the box containing the engagement rings into an inner pocket, then took Roy’s hand and descended from the carriage. Under the watchful eyes of the soldiers, they walked toward the towering white cathedral.

After startling a flock of white doves that had been foraging, the pair crossed the square in front of the cathedral and ascended the smooth marble steps.

After being inspected by the solemn armored Holy Cross Army guards, they entered through the cathedral’s main door, officially entering Sanderwina Cathedral.

Walking past marble pillars carved with mythological scenes, after passing through the central cloister, what greeted their eyes was a spacious and serene hall.

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The dome above was perforated with intricate and beautiful openings, inlaid with stained glass skylights. Sunlight passing through them cast rainbows of colorful beams.

Looking forward along the simple, neatly arranged wooden pews, at the end of the hall was a massive arched floor-to-ceiling window. Behind the window flowed a gentle stream amid fields of irises swaying in the breeze.

Pleasant sunlight poured through the window, illuminating the hall and the pulpit where priests delivered sermons, as well as the two men standing near the pulpit, smiling and conversing.

They were the Governor Naren, who had arrived earlier, and Bishop Daniel, wearing a black robe adorned with a white-gold cross necklace and a dark crown, holding a shepherd’s staff.

Noticing Roy and Caine’s arrival, the two elders stopped their casual conversation and simultaneously turned their attention to the young couple.

Looking at the young man who approached, Bishop Daniel, with a gentle expression and a temperament seemingly opposite to the Governor’s, smiled and said: “It’s been a long time, Caine. I never expected that mischievous little boy to grow up so proper and dignified.”

“Thank you for your kind words, Uncle Daniel.” Despite having only met the bishop a few times many years ago, Caine’s tone showed little distance.

After examining the young woman who kept her head down and was glancing around nervously, the bishop nodded slightly and said: “Since everyone is here, let’s not waste time…”

“Let’s begin the engagement ceremony.”