The graduation ceremony of Guangming Seminary is scheduled to start on the summer solstice every year, when the sun reaches its highest point.
Pei Huainan stood in the middle of the third row of the queue, wearing a starched white-gold dress and a Holy Light badge issued by the academy on his chest - it was made of sterling silver and inlaid with a rice-sized holy crystal. His head flashed under the sun, making his eyes hurt.
The square was crowded with people, and there must have been thousands of people. The students, teaching staff, and the nobles and ladies who came from the royal capital filled the entire Holy Light Square to the brim. Pei Huainan glanced at the auditorium from the corner of his eye. There were several people in red robes sitting in the second row. They were people from the Holy See. One of them he knew was Cardinal Clermont, who was in charge of the southern diocese. The old man had a white beard and looked kind-hearted, but Pei Huainan knew that this old man had as much blood on his hands as any executioner.
