Chapter 162 Chapter 161: The Sanctuary Lacks No Talent
A stack of reports was tossed onto the table, the papers spread out to reveal a neatly formatted title: “Regarding Ji Ma’s Renunciation of the Demon King’s Extraordinary Material Guarantee.”
The cardinal wearing a bright brass mask asked, “What do you all think?”
There were only three cardinals present; Gregory had gone to the Duchy of Carsson on a mission, another was absent, having died on the battlefield at the Obsidian Pass, with the ashes only delivered to the sanctuary last month, and another cardinal was stationed to guard a remote holy site.
Now the sanctuary was left with only three cardinals in attendance.
Another cardinal, as round as a ball and rarely showing his face to avoid affecting the sanctuary’s image, said, “The authenticity of the document is assured.”
“That’s nonsense.” Compared to the fat cardinal, the thin cardinal next to him looked as slender as a bamboo pole. “If that’s the case, why don’t you just abstain?”
In the sanctuary, as long as the report complies with the regulations, they would accept its content regardless of any biases against the author.
“You make it sound easy.” The fat cardinal said, “Are you going to restore George’s rank or not? You make the call, but you must swear to God that you will bear the consequences, no matter what.”
“Alright then.” The thin cardinal replied, “Just hand the Holy Sword to George directly. If he regains his diamond-level strength, the sanctuary needs him. If he can slay Marus, the world might survive until the next ‘apocalypse.'”
“And what about the other candidate for the hero?”
“He is devout, loyal, and has talent; he hasn’t fallen in love with anyone he shouldn’t, and he has a family—loving marriage, both parents are alive.” The thin cardinal said, “But he doesn’t have the same talent as George; his child can already call him ‘dad,’ and he hasn’t reached diamond level yet.”
The sanctuary preferred to believe in those with families.
“Fine, but what if George falls from grace with the Holy Sword?”
This underage hero, who had already proven himself by slaying the Demon King Ji Ma, would be another headache for the world if he switched to the evil camp.
“The chances of such misfortune have become acceptably low.” The thin cardinal said, “Instead of imagining that, why not think about how the world would survive if the Demon King Marus gathers all the fragments of the Demon King’s crown?”
“We could do this: first restore his rank, then evaluate him and examine the influence of the succubus on him. If he’s qualified, we can then hand the Holy Sword back to him and restore his title as a hero.”
“Speak up if you have something to say; let’s see what other mistakes you can point out.”
The fat cardinal said:
“You, temperamental old goat, if you’re angry, jump around on the table a few times—I’ll agree. It’s more difficult to get an evil succubus to voluntarily make guarantees than training an old goat not to spit.”
The thin cardinal didn’t hold back, personally attacking: “You fat pig.”
Outsiders would find it hard to imagine that discussions among high-ranking members of the sanctuary could be so crude, hardly different from common folk; it felt anything but grand.
Compared to his two colleagues, who left a more profound impression with their physiques, the middle cardinal didn’t stand out at all. So, they simply referred to him as the middle cardinal for clarity.
The middle cardinal said, “I oppose this. As for Gregory, he left a message stating that as long as George does not break ties with the succubus, regardless of what happens, he is against it.”
The thin cardinal said, “Then it’s two against two; too bad he died at the hands of the greenskins.”
He was referring to the cardinal who died at the Obsidian Pass.
“But I believe, once you all see this secret document, it will break the voting deadlock.” The middle cardinal took out an opened envelope and tossed it on the table. “This is the original record of George’s interrogation.”
The last interrogation of George directly led to the sanctuary losing faith in him, but not many could see the original record.
“I know the assessment result last time was almost the worst; what was the comment? George is highly likely to go astray and betray his faith.” The thin cardinal said, “But this time is different.”
“Take a look.”
The fat cardinal asked, “Your security clearance allows you to see this document; why don’t we have the opportunity to see it?”
“Gregory’s note said that if George’s rank is to be restored while he is still entangled with the succubus, then all attendees must see this record.”
The thin cardinal took the envelope, pulled out a sheet of paper, squinted at it, and said, “He really is quite strict with his son.”
The fat cardinal also pulled out a few sheets from the envelope to look.
The content on the paper read:
….
….
Interrogator: “When did you start to like her?”
George: “When I first saw her, she looked like a cute and pitiful chick when she was in the egg. When she emerged, I liked her tail.”
Interrogator: “Are you attracted to her body?”
George: “Yes.”
Interrogator: “Only to her body?”
George: “No, at first, I just thought she was cute.”
Interrogator: “When you brought her back to the sanctuary, you insisted on redeeming her and opposed her confinement, mostly because you liked her appearance?”
George: “No, I believe she is a victim. It’s tough for a victim to escape from suffering, and she hasn’t committed any crime. How can she be subjected to endless imprisonment simply because of potential future misdeeds?”
Interrogator: “Do you feel this is an excuse you made for yourself?”
George: “I referred to my old diaries; I’m not deceiving myself.”
Interrogator: “Were you captured by the succubus after Marin City?”
George: “Correction: I was not captured by her. I rationally thought that if I could spend my life with her, it would be wonderful.”
Interrogator: “Many heroes in history fell into similar situations as yours—first meeting, then companionship, love, and finally betrayal.”
George: “I know.”
Interrogator: “Have you considered drawing a clear line with her?”
George: “No, because I am different from my predecessors.”
Interrogator: “From our perspective, you are not much different from the failed predecessors. Everyone thinks they are special, but they all fell into the succubus’s trap.”
George: “I know, but I am different.”
Interrogator: “What makes you feel different from them?”
George: “History will remember the unique case of me and her.”
Interrogator: “You are quite aware of the consequences.”
George: “Yes.”
Interrogator: “Repeat it.”
George: “Demoted from a prospective hero to the observation group and forbidden from accessing sanctuary confidential documents.”
Interrogator: “Isn’t your dream to become a hero?”
George: “Yes.”
Interrogator: “Why do this?”
George: “I can soar over mountains. In other words, I can have it all.”
Interrogator: “Alright, the interrogation ends here. I can give you a heads-up; your evaluation will be very unfavorable.”
George: “I understand. What about my marriage application submitted to the sanctuary?”
Interrogator: “Gregory tore it to shreds.”
George: “That’s unfortunate; I’ll write another one.”
…
…
The fat and thin cardinals exchanged documents and, after finishing reading, placed the pristine paper on the table.
For a moment, no one spoke, and several minutes later, the thin cardinal broke the silence: “He is too arrogant, too young. Gregory was right—youthful arrogance.”
The fat cardinal asked, “What happened? Have you changed your mind?”
“Nonsense.” The thin cardinal said, “This is a hundred times scarier than the assessment result. He has completely fallen for the succubus’s love, losing his rationality and wavering in faith.”
“Even if he fell in love with his mount, it would be better than loving a succubus.”
“There are a hundred ways for such an evil creature as a succubus to kick him into an abyss.”
“In my opinion, we should have listened to Gregory and directly burned the succubus on the stake; that would resolve everything.”
“He is too arrogant; he may be a genius, but the sanctuary lacks no geniuses.”
The fat cardinal said, “That doesn’t comply with the regulations.”
The thin cardinal retorted, “You fat pig, try saying one more word.”
“Old goat, spit out some words.”
Since they couldn’t lie, they often skipped politeness and went straight to insults.
The middle cardinal said, “Enough, enough! If you want to argue, take the opportunity to fight it out in the arena. We’re here to take care of business—let’s vote.”
“I oppose restoring George’s prospective hero rank.” The thin cardinal said, “That should be undisputed, right?”
The fat cardinal responded, “I oppose; I support restoring George’s rank.”
“Reason?”
The fat cardinal said, “It doesn’t matter if opposing is ineffective, but I don’t want to have the same opinion as some old goat.”
“You!”
“Don’t argue; after the meeting, you can sort it out in the arena.”
The meeting concluded with the sanctuary deciding not to restore George’s rank.
However, considering he had regained diamond strength and there were no other dangers regarding the Demon King’s extraordinary material mission, they sent a “Light Letter” to Gregory, allowing him to participate in the mission at his discretion.
After the meeting, a fierce battle broke out in the sanctuary’s arena among the powerful, with significant light pollution.
…
…
Meanwhile, at Quinas Castle.
George shattering a wall was not a big deal and didn’t delay anything.
As for what exactly happened, apart from Ji Ma and George, no one knew.
Because Eve Frostleaf blocked the other arrivals, allowing the two of them some uninterrupted time in the ruined room.
Burning the books didn’t waste any time; instead, handling the ashes of the burned books took more time for Ji Ma.
She divided the ashes into three portions: one to scatter on the spot, the second to scatter in the air, and the third to spread through dreams, sending some to a thousand miles away, thoroughly eliminating all potential repercussions.
Ji Ma clapped her hands, waking from the dream of the sleeping orange cat, bent down to pick up the Lianxi cat that had been fed a whole bottle of sleeping medicine, and wiped her somewhat dirty hands on its shiny fur.
George, Eve Frostleaf, and the others were waiting nearby for Ji Ma.
“I’m here.” Ji Ma threw the sleeping Lianxi cat onto the saddle, mounted her little mare, and waved to George, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
George pulled on the reins, “Let’s go.”
The celestial warhorse carrying George bowed its head and exclaimed, “Another day of carrying burdens; it’s really not just a matter of carrying an iron turtle; I’ve got to bear armor as well when I have feet of my own.”
As the celestial warhorse said this, it left deep hoof prints.
Naturally, no one could understand what the celestial warhorse was saying.
Ji Ma commented, “George, your horse seems to be slacking off?”
“I know him; he must just be waking up and feeling off.”
As the group set out from the castle, the number of mounted knights increased. Seeing many of its kind carrying iron turtles, the celestial warhorse began to feel more at ease, lifting its head proudly.
Many knights had ladies’ ribbons tied to their sword hilts, and the walls of the castle were crowded with noble girls waving handkerchiefs to bid farewell to the knights below.
This reminded Ji Ma; she looked at the hilt of George’s sword, which was bare—he hadn’t found a lady to bless his journey or choose a ribbon.
Ji Ma glanced at Eve Frostleaf beside her, noticing the sky-blue ribbon tied in her silver hair.
She must also be hoping that her ribbon would be tied to George’s sword hilt.
Suddenly, Ji Ma had a thought pop into her head.
What if she brought the Saintess Jenna along… George surely couldn’t tie three ribbons to the sword hilt; that would surely drive him mad.
The corners of Ji Ma’s mouth couldn’t help but curve up slightly; a good show was in store.
