Chapter 243: No Need
Poor Paul was once again toyed with by Kailun.
Although he had doubts about the Pope’s identity, he didn’t connect her to Kailun.
After accepting Kailun’s task, Paul immediately left the hall. Kailun hadn’t given him much time to prepare.
Taking advantage of the remaining time, Kailun met privately with some easily manipulated Cardinals. After confirming their intentions, he put his new plan into action.
Now, the Temple not only had a huge power vacuum but also accumulated a great deal of internal conflict.
Some were eager to fill the vacant positions, some wanted to eliminate their rivals and rise higher, and some had their eyes on Paul, intending to “devour” him.
The Temple was on the verge of collapse, just a spark away from igniting the bomb Kailun had planted.
And Kailun had already lit that spark.
He also received a magic letter from the old Dragon King, Bolton, who informed him that the secret construction of the teleportation magic circle was almost complete.
Now, the Xiya Kingdom, the Abyss, and Alaye were connected, further expanding Kailun’s advantage.
Only the White Jade Alliance and the Empire remained outside his control. In a way, he had conquered half the world in just a few months, an astonishing speed.
Another day passed, and the Temple was like a pot of boiling oil, any disturbance could cause it to boil over.
Kailun, moving within the Temple, became busy, which gave Pope Meggie Liran an opportunity.
After more than a day of “guidance,” she believed that Chrissy had shown significant improvement, gradually recognizing Kailun’s “evil” nature.
This was excellent news for Meggie Liran. At this rate, in a few more days, she would be able to further purify Chrissy’s corrupted heart.
But time was of the essence. She didn’t have enough time to slowly persuade her.
Last night, Meggie Liran learned from Chrissy that Kailun would be leaving today, and Afra would most likely accompany him.
This meant that only Chrissy and Helena would be guarding her.
Speaking of Helena, Meggie Liran recalled her strange and terrifying power. She couldn’t understand why Helena had become so strong.
This power definitely didn’t belong to Helena herself. It must be related to Kailun. Now that Kailun was gone, would Helena still possess that power?
Meggie Liran decided to gamble. This was her last chance.
If she waited for Kailun to return after completing his tasks, she could only hope that the Empress would eliminate him, and then… she would have to face the Empress’s purge.
Since she had to gamble anyway, she preferred to take the initiative.
“Chrissy, let’s escape together. This is our best chance.”
Meggie Liran’s voice was laced with a hint of pleading.
Being forceful wouldn’t sway Chrissy. She decided to use a different approach, appealing to her emotions.
“But… even if I take you out of this room, what then? Kailun’s people are everywhere. He controls everything.”
Chrissy shook her head, her face filled with worry. “Moreover, Kailun is incredibly cunning. He won’t give us any chance. There might even be other traps waiting for us. I don’t dare, I really don’t dare.”
Chrissy’s acting skills were on full display, further solidifying her persona.
Meggie Liran held Chrissy’s shoulders, trying to calm her down. “Don’t be afraid. Even the wisest make mistakes. Kailun isn’t a god. He can’t foresee everything. There’s a secret passage under the Papal Palace, connected to a hidden teleportation magic circle that can take us far away from Alaye. As long as we can get away from Kailun, we’ll have a chance to start over.”
Every Pope would leave behind several backup plans, and secret passages were a common practice.
But many of her plans were useless against Kailun. To enter the secret passage, she needed Chrissy’s help.
Chrissy asked, “Are you planning to make a comeback?”
Meggie Liran shook her head. “I had that thought, but it’s incredibly difficult. Without the Temple’s power, I can’t overthrow Kailun’s forces. All we can do is watch him and the Empress fight each other to the death. Kailun is strong, but the Empress also has many tricks up her sleeve. It’s still uncertain who will win.”
Thinking back, she had missed many details. The Empress must know many secrets.
“Oh, so that’s your plan.” Chrissy’s eyes flickered.
“So let’s leave now, okay? Please, my Chrissy…”
Meggie Liran shook Chrissy’s shoulders.
Chrissy quickly put on a conflicted expression. “I’m sorry, I don’t dare. I don’t dare to defy him. How about this, I’ll take you to the entrance of the passage. You can go on your own. I’ll stay behind and stall Kailun. If he wants to punish someone, he can just punish me.”
Seeing that Meggie Liran wanted to say something, Chrissy continued, “Don’t try to persuade me anymore. My mind is made up. I won’t change it.”
“Why? Why? What kind of spell did Kailun cast on you?”
Meggie Liran let go of Chrissy’s shoulders and turned away, her back facing her. “Since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t force you. Forget it.”
She sighed softly, pretending to give up.
In fact, she had already decided to trick Chrissy. They could talk about the rest later. The most important thing was to escape this hellhole. Once they reached the secret passage, they would be much safer.
“Thank you for your understanding. I’ll go and prepare. Wait for me.” Chrissy smiled at Meggie Liran and left the room.
“Sigh…”
After Chrissy left, Meggie Liran sat on the chair and sighed.
Life was hard and bitter. She was only in her twenties, but she had already experienced the vicissitudes of life.
In just a few months, she had experienced separation, betrayal, and usurpation… Now, she was just a prisoner.
Damn Kailun, he deserved to die!
Ten minutes later, Chrissy returned, carrying a small suitcase.
“This is the luggage I prepared for you. There’s a thousand gold coins, a few scrolls, and some daily necessities. I hope you can start a new life after you leave. Please don’t come back. There won’t be a second chance like this. As for me… please forget about me.”
Chrissy handed the heavy suitcase to Meggie Liran and lowered her head.
Meggie Liran looked at the suitcase in her hand, her heart heavy. She whispered, “I told you not to use honorifics. You can call me by my name, or you can call me ‘Mother.’ Although there’s not much difference in our age, I adopted you to train you as my successor. Perhaps it was for fun at first, but I became genuinely invested later. So it’s not wrong for you to call me ‘Mother.’”
Hearing these words, Chrissy’s heart skipped a beat. If it weren’t for Kailun’s deep influence, she might have wavered.
She shook her head firmly. “No, that would be too disrespectful. Let’s leave first. I heard that Kailun might be coming back soon. We won’t have time if we wait any longer.”
She quickly took out a bunch of keys and handed them to Meggie Liran. “One of these keys can unlock your slave collar. We can try it on the way.”
After saying that, Chrissy deactivated the magic sealing the room and led Meggie Liran towards the entrance of the so-called secret passage.
Along the way, Chrissy skillfully avoided all the guards, narrowly dodging Illusion’s search.
After more than half an hour, they finally reached the secret passage beneath the Papal Palace.
“I think this is where we say goodbye.”
Chrissy looked at the narrow passage with a forced smile.
Her emotions were complex. Now that they were at this point, it was hard to make a decision.
Knowing that the Pope truly cared about her, even she hesitated.
Kailun’s position in her heart was undoubtedly above everything else, but Meggie Liran was also very important to her.
She suddenly understood what Kailun had told her before.
Before assigning her the task, he had said, “If you can’t choose, then do nothing.”
Kailun had anticipated the possibility of Chrissy’s change of heart, so he had made preparations for Meggie Liran’s escape.
The destination of the teleportation magic circle had been altered, and Afra would be waiting there.
Being a villain was his specialty. He was used to it.
“No rush. We still have a few minutes. Stay and chat with me.”
Meggie Liran unlocked her slave collar, her strength returning to normal.
She was ready to knock Chrissy unconscious.
“Alright.”
Chrissy glanced behind her and asked, “By the way, can you tell me about the history of the Temple? Like its origins, and its connection to Fate?”
Meggie Liran: “I didn’t expect you to be interested in these things. There’s nothing I can’t tell you now. I’ll tell you everything you want to know. According to the Temple’s records, Fate is the origin of the Temple. She created it to collect something. But after the great war ten thousand years ago, she disappeared. No one knows where she went or if she’s still alive…”
Chrissy listened to Meggie Liran’s narration, gathering information.
Between Kailun and Meggie Liran, she chose Kailun.
‘I’m sorry, Mother.’
Chrissy apologized silently in her heart.
“Strange, why is the mana transfer so slow?”
A few minutes later, they arrived at the teleportation magic circle. Meggie Liran opened the wooden box containing magic crystals and poured them all into the magic circle.
Strangely, the mana transfer, which usually took only ten seconds, now took a full minute to show any effect. At this rate, it would take at least five more minutes.
“Is there a problem?” Chrissy asked, feigning ignorance.
“It’s nothing, just a minor issue. It’ll be fine soon.”
Meggie Liran inconspicuously moved closer to Chrissy. Just as she was about to knock her unconscious, she suddenly heard a noise.
“Who’s there?!”
Meggie Liran looked back and saw a pair of green eyes gleaming in the darkness.
“Pell? Why are you here?” Meggie Liran’s eyes widened in surprise.
Helena played with the dagger in her hand. “Is it strange for me to be here, Your Holiness? I patrol every hour. I didn’t expect you to actually escape. So, did you convince Chrissy?”
Meggie Liran jumped off the magic circle and walked ten meters towards Helena. Without looking back, she instructed Chrissy, “Chrissy, please help me transfer the mana. I’ll deal with Pell.”
She sensed that Helena was quite strong, almost as strong as herself. She had miscalculated.
Chrissy replied, “Okay.”
After receiving Chrissy’s confirmation, Meggie Liran focused all her attention on Helena.
Helena: “I’m sorry, former Pope. You probably can’t escape without defeating me. Even if I can’t defeat you, I can stall you until Lord Kailun arrives. Do you regret it now?”
Meggie Liran smiled. “You’re wrong. Even if I can’t escape, I can buy time for Chrissy. I’d rather she escape this hellhole than escape myself.”
Helena chuckled. “You might be disappointed. The truth is often cruel.”
She charged towards Meggie Liran, and they quickly engaged in battle.
Chrissy, standing by the magic circle, watched their fight while playing with a magic crystal.
As Kailun had instructed, she would betray Meggie Liran in the most profound way.
But…
A few more minutes passed, and the teleportation magic circle was ready. This type of single-use circle could only be activated once.
Meggie Liran, fighting fiercely, spoke up, “Chrissy, you go. I’ll hold Helena back for you. I hope you can have your own life in the future, that you’ll remember me, not that bastard Kailun. I believe you can remove his mark. I believe you…”
‘I’m sorry, I can’t.’
Looking at Meggie Liran, who was protecting her, Chrissy’s eyes filled with sadness.
She took out the fruit knife she had been hiding and walked towards Meggie Liran.
According to the plan, she would deliver the crucial blow.
But for some reason, her heart, which had been dead and numb, capable of reacting only to extreme stimuli, suddenly twitched.
Just as she gritted her teeth, ready to strike, a figure in a black robe flew from behind Helena and landed between her and Meggie Liran.
“Too bad, I still arrived too early.”
Kailun smiled at Meggie Liran and then knocked her unconscious with a simple hand chop. The difference in their strength was evident.
Chrissy, standing behind Meggie Liran, caught the unconscious Pope. She looked at Kailun with confusion. “Why? Shouldn’t I be the one to do it?”
Kailun shrugged nonchalantly. “I thought about it and decided there was no need. Take her back. I have other things to do. I’ll be going now.”
Kailun waved to Chrissy without turning around, leaving behind a tall, imposing figure.
He could have had Chrissy betray the Pope to maximize her goodwill rating, but there was no need.
Because Chrissy had hesitated, it proved that she hadn’t completely broken. This was good news.
Regardless of whether her thoughts were right or wrong, she had at least regained her sense of self.
Compared to having Chrissy completely break down, he would rather sacrifice some potential attribute points.
He could easily make up for this loss with Paul. After all, he was the best “leek.”
However, what he didn’t expect was that Chrissy had brought him an unexpected reward.
[Chrissy’s Goodwill +1, Total Goodwill 100]
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