Kapitel 38: Seven days Six nights XI

Each of them held their breaths, while their hearts sped up. The room was silent, the only thing one could hear was the sound of the door opening up.

Jacob dreaded the thought of it being the bishop. That would be a real headache especially if he overheard their conversation.

However, once he saw the veil he calmed down a little.

"I knew you would come here, Amelia."

The veiled woman spoke as she eyed Amelia.

Amelia rushed to the woman as she clasped her hands.

"Leah, please do not tell the bishop! This was the only way I could think of to save my mother."

Leah shook her head.

"Please child, I would not tell that man a word. Not after what he suggested. Although… I predicted you would try to leave the temple not save your mother. You have yet to take the oath, which means you are not bound to be here."

"But I cannot just leave you here! If he leaves the bishop is sure to blame you. The punishment you would receive would be dire, I cannot sit back and watch."

With a weak voice, Amelia sounded like she was crying.

It touched Leah's heart to know that Amelia cared so much for her. They have not known each other for a long time, but Leah did enjoy Amelia's company. She reminded Leah of herself and Leah wished that Amelia chose a different path.

Both Leah and Amelia were talking to each other, while Jacob was lost in his own thoughts. He just escaped one scheme with his life barely intact, now another one was going on.

Granted, it was somewhat his own doing but he still couldn't believe it.

He still has yet to know what happened at the estate. Surely the noble's that were invited to attend the party saw the scene. Would they think that he was dead or taken? Being trapped in here for some time meant he did not learn any information of what was going on outside.

Facing off against the temple was a bigger obstacle than dealing with Lezhalt. Lezhalt was one person, the temple was made up of thousands. They even had templars at their beck and call, warriors who were on par with Renold but were protected by spells.

Going against a templar was a tall order, one that he was not ready to face. In all honesty, he was really considering just hauling it out of this place right now. Just as Jack suggested.

While it would pain him to not learn the spell, he may be able to find someone to teach him somewhere else.

Going down that path would delay his progression in strength, but it was much better than being forced to do something he was against.

The bishop was his biggest problem right now, he needed to go.

If not, Jacob was sure grand figures would be aiming for him. Haunting him like some wild animal until they caught him, and dragged him back to the temple.

"Lord, if I may ask why do you not take Amelia with you? She can be useful."

Leah was not too sure what all was said, but she wanted Amelia to leave this place. She did not know the lord in front of her that well, but it would be better for Amelia to be with him than stay here.

She could just leave if the lord tried to force her to do something.

In reply, Jacob just groaned.

He really was not listening to a word anyone was saying.

"Wait. Amelia, this Ash has your mother under his control, right? Do you know how many others he is forcing to do his bidding?"

Jacob had an idea, it was a terrible one but if he played his cards right it would flip the entire situation.

Amelia looked up as she thought about it but shook her head.

"This I do not know, but we can ask my mother. She is bound to have more information on this matter than I do."

Jacob nodded his head.

"You are Leah, right? How was it now that you know the true face of your bishop?"

Hearing this, Leah could only roll her eyes.

How could someone with a heart of darkness be the face of this temple? If others knew, it would tarnish their reputation.

"Hmph! That is not the man I know, I truly do not even know who he was."

"You'll be surprised that more are like him. The order you serve is not what you envisioned. However, if you are willing to work with me I can help you change it."

Leah's ears twitched.

"How would you do that? If it is as you say and there are more figures who act the same as the bishop, the order would need a deep cleansing. One that could take years."

Even Jack was intrigued by Jacob's words.

What plan did he have in mind to change the way the temple worked?

"I cannot change everything, that is out of my reach. But, if you were to become the bishop you can start the change here. Mold this part of the order into what everyone believes the temple to be. Then, work your way to the top eventually becoming one of the cardinals."

Jacob gave her a vague overview of what could happen if she worked with him. It was a tempting offer, one that anyone would find hard to refuse.

Leah stared at the young boy in front of her.

He spoke big words, but how could she trust him without any proof?

Climbing the ranks in the order was a lot harder than climbing ranks as a noble. You needed great status, influence and recommendations. Skill was last, and some archbishops could not even cast barrier on themselves.

The thought of gaining a status akin to a king never came into her mind.

She only wanted to help those in pain, gaining a higher status mattered not to her.

From her silence, Jacob had a feeling she found him lacking. After all, he was young and probably did not know a lot.

But who was Jacob? The developer of this world, he knew information she did not.

There were various ways he could help Leah establish her power in the temple.

"Do not take my word for it now, give me some time and i'll show you my power. All I need you to do is delay the message to the archbishop. Give me six, seven days of time and you will have this temple to yourself."

Jacob was confident.

Everyone wanted to plot against him, then he would show them that he was not an easy target.

Leah nodded in agreement. However, she took his words with a grain of salt.

Even if Jacob could not accomplish what he said, she would be happy that he tried. She always thought that nobles were out for themselves, but now she could see that she was wrong. Not everyone thought that way.

He was a noble, and all nobles kept their word.

That was like an unwritten law. Nobles were proud, and if they said they would do something, they would do it or at least try to. Which is why their words carried weight and caused the citizens to believe in them.

"Jack, I will need you to take Amelia to see her mother. Find out anything you can about Ash and report it back to me."

Jacob had faith in Jack, he could tell that Jack would not betray him. He has shown it before.

Considering that Jack saved his life, Jacob felt that Jack was the most trustworthy person around.

Jack, however, saw Jacob in a new light. If he did not know that Jacob was just a common boy he might think he was a real noble. They were only going to play this role while they were here, but Jacob really took it to heart.

Jack could not help but think that Jacob was worse than the other nobles.

The way he had a plan in his mind, and wanted to put it into motion was just like the others. Yet, Jacob did not say what he was going to do. He only told Leah he could help her ascend in ranks.

How was he going to do it, no one knew.

Same way with Amelia, Jack listened closely. Jacob said he would help her, not save her from Ash.

His wording was different, but Amelia did not catch it.

Giving him the identity of a noble could have been a mistake.

It was just a feeling, but Jack sensed that if whatever Jacob was planning worked out. He would be the one to win in the end. All the words he spoke were just covering up his real plan.

Jack only came to that conclusion due to spending so much time with him.

The reason Jacob could somewhat trust Amelia was because she cared for her mother. She wanted Jacob's help and would not do anything to mess that up. As for Leah, she cared for Amelia and wanted her to be free from the temple.

Both of them had their own ideas but neither knew they were being bound to be under Jacob's control.

At the time, Jacob could not see the changes but he was adapting to this world in a way no one foresaw.