Chapter 99: The Firekeeper and the Firewood (Part 2)
The old man and the young paladin exchanged glances as Cardinal Gregory dismounted from his horse, his armor not hindering his movements at all, unlike that of an elderly person.
George almost dismounted at the same time as Cardinal Gregory, removing his helmet and stepping forward together.
As Gregory approached, Jima instinctively pulled on the reins, her chestnut mare taking a few steps back.
The two of them stopped, and Cardinal Gregory glanced at the two women behind George, his eyes narrowing like knives as he scrutinized George. He seemed disappointed, disappointed that George did not heed his advice and was getting too close to the succubus.
George felt a bit guilty and straightened his back even more, mentally preparing himself. If Gregory, who was like a teacher and father to him, demanded that Jima leave in a firm manner, he would have to respond with a resolute and strong attitude.
Even if it led to a quarrel or a physical altercation, he would not mind.
Cardinal Gregory seemed to see through George’s thoughts, shaking his head slightly and saying, “George, your taste is too poor to wear such shabby armor.”
Not just George, but even Jima was taken aback.
Why was everyone talking about George’s armor today? Did they really hold a grudge against it?
Jima began to regret giving George the cheapest and ugliest armor due to her greed for pig fat…
Cardinal Gregory continued, raising his hand and pointing at Eve Frostleaf, who was riding a magnificent silver horse, saying:
“You should seek fashion advice from Eve Frostleaf. Look at her armor; both in aesthetic appeal and practicality, it is just right. While you, on the other hand, have neither practicality nor looks.”
Eve Frostleaf’s pointed ears perked up in delight.
Though Cardinal Gregory’s words were harsh, George had to admit that his description of George’s armor was an accurate reflection of reality.
The right shoulder was adorned with a large pauldrons, which provided more protection but restricted hand movement, making it suitable for cavalry. The left shoulder, however, had a small shoulder piece meant for infantry.
The armor was pockmarked and dull, and the styles of the various parts were inconsistent. The gauntlets were hourglass-shaped, while the breastplate was of Gothic style—the angles on it were even crooked.
Its practicality was poor; the armguards were too short, creating a gap between the armguards and shoulder armor that left only the chain mail for defense…
In short, it looked like it had been pieced together from scavenged armor off corpse from a battlefield.
“You must have seen my battle report; I went to deal with the beastmen,” George said. “Jima took the plate armor to the cathedral for repairs, and while it couldn’t be fixed quickly, she randomly picked a suit of armor from my inventory.”
“Love has clouded your judgment,” Cardinal Gregory shook his head, speaking in front of Jima, “If I were a succubus, to demonstrate my affection for you, I would definitely take the best and most impressive armor from your inventory, but instead, she only took the cheapest one. I suspect she sold the rest of your armor; have you asked her about it?”
“No, I trust her.”
“The more skilled a woman is at deception, the more she likes to elevate rational matters to emotional ones,” Cardinal Gregory said. “A small issue that could be solved with a question should not be turned into a trust issue. If trust can be shattered by a single question, then it is merely a castle in the air.”
What a cunning old fox.
Jima quickly interjected, “I did not sell George’s armor.” I merely mortgaged it and used the loan to invest in a casino, meanwhile using it to “save” fallen women.
George stared at Gregory, saying, “The truth.”
“It seems it’s better for me not to delve deeper,” Cardinal Gregory said, “Get on your horse, we will talk while riding.”
The two mounted up, and with the escort of the cathedral knights, they headed straight for Quinas Castle.
The cathedral knights strategically surrounded George and Cardinal Gregory, keeping Jima at a distance to ensure she could not hear their conversation.
“Yesterday, Jima divined the whereabouts of the Demon King’s extraordinary material. For this, she was struck by lightning twice and got injured, but she managed to push through,” George began, “She even found out who the true culprit was, a very powerful woman.”
“Which woman?”
“A woman who looks like an ant queen with red hair.” George pulled out a sketch he had drawn from his horse’s saddlebags and threw it to Cardinal Gregory.
Gregory received the sketch and unfolded it.
George continued to emphasize Jima’s contributions: “Jima has seen her completely; she is the Mother of All Beasts. I sketched while asking her questions; she explained clearly, and after I revised it a dozen times, it turned out well. Jima said it was almost identical.”
“Smack.”
Gregory rolled up the sketch, his face marred by age spots showing little expression, “Hmm, very well.”
George continued:
“The dark elves are attempting to transfer the Demon King’s extraordinary material.”
“That’s to be expected,” Cardinal Gregory said, “In the divination war, we lost many diviners; the curse of the true culprit is very deadly. Fortunately, the high elf navy intends to participate in this battle for supremacy.”
“We cannot rely on others, not even allies.”
“What do you mean?”
“Directly engaging in extraordinary warfare,” George proposed, “I hope to get support from the cathedral to form an elite team, looking for opportunities to reclaim the Demon King’s extraordinary material. At the very least, we need to prevent our opponents from sending a team to quietly move the Demon King’s extraordinary material.”
Cardinal Gregory almost tightened the reins. He turned to stare at George and said, “There must be a position for a succubus in this elite team, right?”
In extraordinary warfare, the role of a diviner is often the most critical, as it can provide valuable intelligence and suppress the enemy’s intelligence while also being the position with the strongest potential for sabotage as a spy.
“Of course,” George replied, “She is trustworthy.”
“I asked the diviners about the knowledge of divination. The gist is: ‘the closer the relationship to the subject of divination, the more reliable it is.’ Have you asked the succubus why she can do divination?”
“That is a secret she is unwilling to answer.”
“Secrets are important,” Cardinal Gregory said, “I will never approve your request, George. She is not trustworthy; she must have come for the Demon King’s extraordinary material. While you are trustworthy, being with her creates doubts.”
“If you don’t trust her, you can come along yourself.”
“I must oversee the overall situation. In this way, you can have the succubus work under me, and I will relay information to you while you organize an elite team. The cathedral will fully support you, just like last time when we dealt with the Demon King Jima.”
“She won’t agree to that.”
Cardinal Gregory was firm: “You either persuade her to agree, or I will reject your application. I can guarantee you that I will not put her on the pyre, nor will I actively harm her.”
George countered, “Then if she falls into danger, can you guarantee that you will do everything to save her?”
“No, I won’t.” Cardinal Gregory candidly replied, “In fact, I look forward to such a situation, and would burn her body to ashes.”
“Then I cannot accept your orders, Your Eminence.”
“Paladins, this land and our fellow humans need you. You should stay to assist the Duke of the Cason Duchy.”
“I wish to participate in the mission to seize the Demon King’s extraordinary material.”
“Application denied.”
The two men fell into disagreement.
