Chapter 989: The Reason for the Problem
“Alright, leave it to me. None of you responded to me back then, but now it seems I’m the one with foresight. Only with trustworthy teammates can we ensure mutual support,” the Female Cultist said.
She was now dressed as a classical German maid, wearing a form-fitting white long dress that covered her completely, her hair even tucked away in a white cap.
“Good. From now on, your codename will be Maid. You’ll be in charge of matters around the Princess. She’s still young and easily deceived, so you must pay close attention and teach her a few things normally.” The Pope acted like a doting father.
“I’m not a child anymore,” the Princess said unhappily. Did her demeanor not resemble that of a child?
The other Cultists couldn’t help but chuckle. They weren’t afraid of her acting like a child, because no one takes a child seriously. What they truly worried about was her being too naive.
Among these cultists who were always thinking about eating, everyone was quite honest and wouldn’t scheme against her. However, in a complex place like the court, danger could come from all directions. Not only from enemies, commoners, and secret societies, but possibly even from family, courtiers, and servants. She couldn’t guard against it all.
“Alright, that concludes this matter. The Princess’s issue is resolved. Now for something more important: the Saintess’s situation. I’ve already received a report from Lavias. The Saintess was attacked and besieged, nearly meeting a tragic end,” the Pope said.
The meeting hall erupted in an uproar, with everyone enraged. Some asked about the situation, others about the murderer and their motive, and some indignantly declared they would immediately lead people to Cando City to avenge me.
“Please quiet down, everyone. I will explain the situation slowly. This was just an accident; I got caught up in an upper-class dispute,” I said, helplessly recounting the events simply once more.
When those cultists heard that the Jester and the Chief Knight were in cahoots and extorting people, they slammed the table in anger, cursing these two fellows as less than human for robbing even the hard-earned prey of others, leaving them no way to survive.
Upon hearing that I was attacked at midnight, they became extremely nervous. I had originally intended to gloss over this part, but Lavias stepped in to add details, particularly emphasizing how difficult the encirclement was and how he fought bravely to protect the Saintess, getting injured before escaping into the Painted World.
Of course, he casually mentioned that I had incidentally wiped out the Old Day Imprinter in the Painted World and then added that, not long ago tonight, I personally killed the Colour Out Of Space left behind by the Old Day Imprinter.
His daughter saw it and returned to tell him. Lavias vividly recounted how the hordes of Otherworldly beings surrounding the Colour Out Of Space had no effect, and the Saintess instantly killed the Colour Out Of Space with a single spatial devour, as if he had witnessed it himself.
Although I knew Lavias wanted to claim credit, demonstrating how dangerous it was when he rescued me, and how he himself was seriously injured, when he spoke of the Colour Out Of Space, it was to boost everyone’s morale, showing how capable we truly were.
The effect was indeed there. The cultists were furious when they heard about my escape, and if the Pope had provided wine this time, everyone would have raised their glasses to celebrate.
However, some of Lavias’s embellishments and imagined scenes made me extremely awkward, and not knowing how to refute him, I could only remain silent.
So, the two of us took turns speaking. We found out that the enemies were the Chief Knight and the Jester by the Lord of the City’s side. I also mentioned that I had defeated the renegade City Defense Army again.
They cheered again, although I just wanted to convey that I could handle the situation myself and didn’t need more people to help.
“Saintess, when will you go to kill that damned knight? We can set off anytime, lay an ambush outside the city, you lure him out, and we’ll surround and kill him,” the cultists suggested, with some saying they could infiltrate the Lord of the City’s residence to assassinate the Jester.
“Alright, quiet down everyone. I’ve already dispatched the General to assist the Saintess and Lavias. There are enough people there. Any more would risk exposure,” the Pope said, clapping his hands.
Everyone was disappointed, and some voiced that the Pope appointing support personnel directly without a meeting was incorrect and should have been discussed with them first.
At this time, I looked at the General. Like before, he was wearing a neat, tight-fitting grey-blue officer’s uniform, with neatly fastened buttons on his cuffs and front. His epaulets, badges, and armbands completed the ensemble, presenting him as a very strict and disciplined person.
He appeared quite old, middle-aged to elderly, with wrinkles on his face, his beard and hair half white, sporting a toothbrush mustache, and a stern expression. Seeing me look at him, he offered a military salute.
“Saintess, I am here by the Pope’s order to support you. I am currently residing in the VIP room of the Lord of the City’s residence. I will closely monitor the movements of the two individuals you mentioned. As for how to eliminate them without exposing the sect’s great undertaking, please give me some time to observe and formulate a perfect plan before taking action.”
I had noticed this General since the first meeting. He spoke very directly, and this time was no different. He got straight to the point, never being polite or rambling, a man of action. It was no wonder the Pope felt secure sending him to assist me.
“The General has a legitimate reason and suitable identity to go to Cando City to assist the Saintess. Others are not needed; they would be of no help and easily expose our target,” the Pope said, naturally referring to the matter of accompanying the reinforcements from the Holy Roman Empire.
“I do wish you could have informed me earlier. I had no plans to go to Iberia with the army. Since it happened so suddenly, I had to pull strings to join the support team, which left me unprepared,” the General even dared to retort to the Pope.
“Ahem, I couldn’t help it. This setback in our great undertaking and the Saintess’s attack happened too suddenly. I only found out recently. If Lavias hadn’t been seriously injured, I wouldn’t have needed to rush you for support,” the Pope explained.
“It’s alright. For the sake of the great undertaking, I will naturally give my all. But precisely because of this, we must be cautious and observant. We must never expose ourselves due to haste,” the General nodded, accepting the Pope’s explanation.
It seemed that the General was a person of very firm belief, as well as being calm and rigid. Such a person should be reliable, but not necessarily easy to get along with. I should be mindful of this.
“Returning to the main topic, if the attack was merely the Saintess accidentally getting involved in a personal conflict, then the obstruction of the spread of Divine Favor has another reason, correct?” the Pope asked.
“I have a slight guess, but I’m not sure. Do you know the reason, Your Holiness?” I asked him back.
“I have some analysis. I believe there are shameless individuals taking advantage of the chaos, seeking to seize the Divine Favor spread by the Saintess and steal our fruits of victory!” the Pope said indignantly.
“Exactly, it’s close to what I thought. Someone is using the chaos to stir up trouble,” I said, throwing a piece of tattered cloth onto the table.
