Chapter 296
The Maya Empire, Capital City.
Within the inner city stood a magnificent and grand cathedral. This was the headquarters of the Holy See and usually the residence of Your Eminence the Pope. After the great war a hundred years ago, Your Eminence the Pope had lived in seclusion, recuperating within the headquarters, and rarely appeared in public.
Deep within the church was a vast, unremarkable hall. Aside from its considerable size, the hall lacked much in the way of decoration; there wasn’t even a table or chair. In the center of the hall, however, stood a colossal and majestic stone statue of the Goddess of Holy Light. The statue bore an identical appearance to the one in Livia Church, which Luo Xiu oversaw. The only difference was the color of the twelve enormous wings behind the statue.
They were pitch black, radiating an aura of mystery, as if they could swallow all light. At this moment, before the statue, a hunched old man with silver hair clasped his hands together, his expression devout. He murmured prayers in a low voice.
After a short while, his daily prayers concluded, the old man slowly opened his eyes, his voice ethereal. “Speak, what is it?”
As his words echoed in the vast hall, a shadowy figure materialized from the void. Upon appearing, he knelt on one knee and respectfully stated, “Your Eminence the Pope, it concerns Lord Luo Xiu again.”
The old man’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly at the words. He hummed in acknowledgment. The shadow figure continued, “Five days ago, the Third Prince Lance, along with a squadron of Imperial Guards from the outer city, stormed Lord Luo Xiu’s residence, claiming to want to help Lord Luo Xiu resolve his troubles and punish the witch.”
As the shadow spoke, he subtly glanced at the old man’s expression. He then recounted everything that had transpired at the manor that day, with meticulous detail, as if he had been an eyewitness.
The old man listened quietly and suddenly asked, “He didn’t discover you?”
Upon hearing this, the shadow figure’s expression became slightly conflicted, but he honestly replied, “Lord Luo Xiu likely discovered me, but he did not expose me at the time.”
The old man nodded, his expression unreadable. He continued, “Did you see the witch?”
The shadow shook his head. “That door was not opened, so I did not see the specific situation.”
The shadow then couldn’t help but add, “Your Eminence the Pope, forgive my directness, but Lord Luo Xiu truly went too far this time. How could a mere priest engage in such outrageous behavior?” He hesitated, stammering, “And, and, the Third Prince’s mental state is currently very poor. I imagine the blow he received was too great. Even if his body recovers, he will still occasionally go mad, and violence against servants is commonplace…”
The old man paused at his concern, then chuckled. “Luo Xiu will be a good dog. When raising a dog, especially one that bites, you have to feed it some bones.” As he spoke, a hint of confusion crossed his face. He murmured, “However… why is he interested in a witch?”
Seeing this, the shadow figure seized the opportunity to remind him, “Your Eminence the Pope, no matter what, Lord Luo Xiu is a man, and a man in his prime. Having certain peculiar hobbies is, I believe, understandable.”
The old man denied it, shaking his head gently. “No.” The Pope’s eyes, narrowed, shifted uncertainly before finally resting on the colossal statue before him. He spoke softly, “Luo Xiu’s personality… it doesn’t seem like him. Furthermore, there have been no such rumors before. The specifics of the matter still need verification.”
The shadow figure remained silent, though he inwardly disagreed. “We are all men; how could I not know what goes on in their minds? Your Eminence the Pope, though astute and wise, is perhaps too naive in this regard.”
Unaware of his disrespectful thoughts, the old man pondered for a moment and then inquired, “How many Cardinal Archbishops are currently stationed in the capital?”
Hearing the question, the shadow figure quickly dismissed his extraneous thoughts and replied respectfully, “Only Archbishop Jacob is here; the others are all outside.”
A gleam flashed in the old man’s eyes. “Instruct all the Cardinal Archbishops outside to return to the capital immediately via secret orders. Also, aside from Luo Xiu, summon the other two priests. Have them come directly here to see me.”
The shadow figure’s heart pounded. His pupils dilated slightly, but he dared not ask further, merely lowering his head and acknowledging the command. He harbored some suspicions. It seemed the Holy See was about to make a significant move…
The old man straightened his voluminous, pure white robe and continued, “Furthermore, for now, you need not concern yourself with Luo Xiu’s matter. Let Ichitia handle it. Have her thoroughly investigate Luo Xiu’s motives.” He added, “I have a feeling this matter might not be as simple as it seems…”
The old man looked up at the statue again, his expression growing more perplexed. *Luo Xiu. What exactly are you trying to do?*
The shadow figure accepted his mission and silently vanished into the darkness. The vast hall returned to silence, leaving only the old man muttering to himself.
…
…
That evening. Luo Xiu received two notifications.
One was from the Holy See, informing him of the time for a scheduled visit. The letter made no mention of his recent beating of Lance. It seemed the Holy See’s stance on the matter was indeed ambiguous. If not for the extremely unfavorable public perception, they might have even commended Luo Xiu. The fault lay with Lance himself; if he had possessed stronger capabilities, even if not on par with Luo Xiu, but at least able to put up some resistance, the Royal Family’s attitude would not have been so weak. It was akin to two children fighting, with the parents implicitly allowing it. When one was completely defeated by the other, even if the parents wanted to intervene, they would lose face.
The second notification was from Anna. On the first day of bringing back the two little “witches,” Luo Xiu had asked Anna to begin preparations. However, the items Luo Xiu required were rather specialized, and the demand for newly forged pieces, coupled with the need for discretion, meant the preparation time was quite extended. It wasn’t until today that everything was finally completed. Upon learning of the completion, Luo Xiu led the two girls directly to a certain room.
The room was on the second floor, and Selena and Eileen were very familiar with it. It was the same room where they had hidden when Lance had visited previously. But when Luo Xiu pushed open the room door again, both girls were stunned by the furnishings within. Selena brought a slender finger to her lips, her mouth agape, forming an “O.” Her eyes flickered, and she quickly averted her gaze, blushing. Eileen, on the other hand, crossed her arms, wearing an expression that suggested, “So the pervert finally shows his true colors.”
She tutted, and her sarcastic words soon reached Luo Xiu’s ears. “Tsk, as expected, no matter how well some people hide their true selves, they can’t help but reveal their fangs eventually, can they?” Oddly, beneath Eileen’s disdainful expression, a strange sense of delight bloomed in her heart. It was as if her words had finally been proven: men were indeed perverts. The girl proactively stepped into the room, her hand trailing over the cold, gleaming iron objects. The icy feel of the metal sent a tremor of excitement through her.
(End of this chapter)
