Vitale watched Nikolai exit the room with the air of cocksure authority that came so natural to him. It was always a fascinating thing for the alchemist, to witness such brazen confidence, especially at the king's age.
As a priest in Casteria, there were many vices that humans were innately prone to that had to be prayed, reprimanded, or punished away, organized in something of a caste system. The three deemed the most egregious to Pater Deus – otherwise referred to as the Unholy Iniquity – were hubris, avarice, and dubiety.