Chapter 245: Not Sweet
Although he had declared that all the plundered wealth would be confiscated, Paul, harboring ulterior motives, secretly stashed away a portion for himself.
The sweeping raid went unhindered by the Pope, as if she were oblivious to it.
The residents of Alaye were filled with resentment, fearing the rebel army’s blade would fall upon them.
They had initially believed that the rebels represented their interests, but they soon realized that the rebels only cared about their own gains. Their goals were completely different.
Anxious and fearful, they prayed for someone to step forward and take control, even if it were the Empress. At the very least, their lives would be spared.
The situation in Alaye was changing too rapidly. They feared that someone might lose their mind and perform a terrifying sacrifice, dragging everyone down with them.
Similar events had happened before, just not in Alaye.
Many people stayed up all night, unable to sleep peacefully. As soon as they lay down, they would hear exaggerated cries for help.
It was truly terrible. The Temple had become a chaotic mess.
By seven in the morning, the rebel army had completed another round of purging. Paul returned to his seat and started writing his report. Huallomen and the others, sitting below him, were also writing their reports, creating a comical scene.
The eighth-rank bishop, the only true rebel among them, had been excluded from the core group. He was the one doing all the dirty work.
Although he sensed something was amiss, he never thought that everyone else was on the Pope’s side. It was too absurd.
Paul sent his completed report to the “Pope” via magic letter and then sent messengers to the Cardinals who were rushing to Alaye, extending an olive branch.
He promised them promotions and raises once he became the Pope. He also highlighted the strength of their forces, making it seem like all the notable Cardinals in the Temple had pledged allegiance to him.
Many hesitated. They had heard of this Holy Son, but their impression was that he was just an ordinary Holy Son with rebellious intentions.
They hadn’t expected Paul to become the leader of the rebel army in the blink of an eye. The situation was truly unpredictable.
After some deliberation, some Cardinals first accepted the Temple’s summons and entered Alaye, then found an opportunity to sneak away and join the rebel army.
This number wasn’t small, accounting for over forty percent of the arriving Cardinals.
For a moment, Paul’s power seemed unprecedentedly strong. If all of this were true, he could indeed threaten the Pope’s position.
Unfortunately, it was all an illusion. The one truly “illuminating” the land from above was Kailun.
For some reason, Paul wanted to see Harry again, but he could only return after completing his mission.
Thankfully, his strength had reached an unprecedented level, now equivalent to two and a half ordinary ninth-rank mages. Suppressing Charles wouldn’t be a problem.
Perhaps sensing Paul’s gaze, Charles looked up and met his eyes. “Don’t have any unnecessary thoughts. Both “he” and I are watching you.”
The “he” he referred to was the Pope. As rebels, they couldn’t mention her name directly.
“What are you talking about? You’ve misunderstood. I just wanted to ask if you’re hungry. After we take down the Papal Palace, I’ll treat you all to a feast.” Paul said casually.
Charles returned his attention to his report. “Sure, I’ll sit at the kids’ table.”
…….
“The Cardinals will arrive in Alaye in a few hours. It’s estimated that over half of them will join the rebel army.”
In a spacious living room, Helena reported the latest data to Kailun.
Over the past day, Kailun had recovered from his mental exhaustion with Afra’s help and was now back to his normal state.
He had further refined his plan, and all that remained was to tie up loose ends.
“Speaking of which, does the Pope want to personally deal with those rebels?”
Kailun looked down at Meggie Liran, who was peeling an apple for him.
“Snap!”
Meggie Liran cut the peeled apple in half.
She was furious.
She had witnessed the Temple falling apart under Kailun’s manipulation, unaware that Paul and the others were still under his control.
Deep down, she still held onto a sliver of hope, hoping that Charles and the others had realized that Kailun was a fake and that the rebellion was a ploy to rescue her.
But she also knew that it was just wishful thinking. Everyone was playing according to Kailun’s script. Even her more loyal subordinates had been tricked into signing new contracts under his influence.
Although the previous contracts still held some power, those people couldn’t reach her anymore.
Seeing that Meggie Liran didn’t reply, Kailun continued, “You can’t even peel an apple properly. You’re truly useless. You should know that I won’t stay in Alaye for long, so I still need a proxy Pope. I originally planned to give you this position, but now it seems I’ll have to reconsider.”
Kailun walked over to Meggie Liran, took half of the apple, and ate it. He turned to Helena. “Helena, do you have any suitable candidates?”
Helena glanced at Meggie Liran and then at Kailun. She pointed at herself. “How about me?”
Kailun chuckled.
Helena sighed. “I think Chrissy is a good choice. She’s familiar with the Temple’s affairs and should be able to complete any task you assign her.”
“That probably won’t work. Chrissy needs to stay by my side. I’ll be taking her back to the Xiya Kingdom. But your suggestion reminded me of my wine server, Queen Rose. I’m sure she’s getting impatient.”
Kailun deliberately brought up Rose.
Whether Rose was truly suitable was irrelevant. His main goal was to pressure Meggie Liran.
Surely the proud Meggie Liran wouldn’t allow a mere wine server to ascend to the position of Pope, right?
As expected, Meggie Liran’s expression became conflicted and pained after Kailun mentioned Rose.
Unfortunately, this pain was far from despair. Otherwise, Kailun might have taken it a step further.
Based on his understanding of Meggie Liran, the only way to completely break her and maximize her goodwill rating was through Chrissy. However, having given up once, Kailun naturally wouldn’t try again.
Meggie Liran cut the remaining half of the apple into several pieces. “Appointing someone unfamiliar with the Temple as Pope will only harm everyone.”
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t need a powerful Temple. I need a powerful force under my control that can do my bidding. Does Your Holiness understand?”
Kailun took another piece of apple and ate it. “But I’m also willing to give you a chance. It depends on whether you want to change. Last night, Chrissy was lying in my arms, saying good things about you. She said you’re capable of handling great responsibilities. Do you know how much Chrissy has sacrificed to ensure you have warm food and decent treatment?”
He took a larger piece of apple from the plate and forcefully stuffed it into Meggie Liran’s mouth.
“Mmm~”
Meggie Liran put down the fruit knife and struggled against his actions, her mouth stretched wide by the large piece of apple.
“Uncomfortable, right? It should be uncomfortable. This is Chrissy’s daily routine. Now you know how much she has sacrificed for you?”
Kailun released his hand and pushed the hesitant Meggie Liran again.
He needed someone obedient, not someone who constantly plotted against him.
“Let’s go, Helena. It’s time to meet the bishops working in various kingdoms.” Kailun stretched and led Helena out of the room.
After a while, Chrissy entered the room and walked behind Meggie Liran, patting her back. “Kailun is truly despicable. I’ll talk to him tonight and ask him not to bully you anymore. I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I should have made it clear beforehand.”
Meggie Liran wiped her mouth, swallowing the apple. “You don’t have to comfort me. I’m not an idiot. I know what he wants. I can see that he wants to control everything, that he’s waiting for me to submit. In the past, I would rather die than bow to him, but seeing you suffer like this is unbearable.”
She sighed and continued, “Don’t worry about me. I know what I have to do. I just need some time. Both you and the Temple need me. I won’t break down in front of Kailun. The demon can’t defeat me. He can only make me stronger.”
Hearing Meggie Liran’s self-analysis, Chrissy smiled meaningfully. “Okay, I’ll listen to you. I hope we can fight alongside each other one day, that we can go back to how things were before.”
Meggie Liran smiled. “Yes.”
……
That afternoon, Kailun, disguised as the Pope, clashed with the rebel army several times. Both sides were mainly testing each other and didn’t engage in a full-fledged battle.
The remaining bishops had all arrived in Alaye and chosen their sides. Through the gathered intelligence, Kailun obtained a precise list of those who needed to be dealt with.
He glanced at it. About four-fifths of the bishops had to be eliminated. It was safe to say that the Temple was rotten to the core.
If it weren’t for their powerful military might, they would have been overthrown long ago.
Kailun sent the list to Charles and Paul for review, asking them to separate the people on the list. When the time came, he would let the “tumors” on both sides fight each other.
It would be a real battle, but the only casualties would be these expendable “tumors.”
It was worth mentioning that the Empress had sent another invitation, asking Kailun to join her for lunch.
Yes, the Empress’s second invitation specifically mentioned Kailun’s name, not the Pope’s.
This meant that she knew the current Pope wasn’t Meggie Liran, but Kailun.
Kailun naturally accepted the Empress’s invitation.
But before that, he had a special visitor.
After dinner, Kailun was alone in the library, studying high-level magic books. Meggie Liran walked in with a plate of fruit and sat down across from him.
Facing his puzzled look, she asked directly, “What do you want me to do to get the Pope’s position back… I mean, the position of acting Pope will do.”
After spending some time together, the Pope had clearly figured out Kailun’s temperament. Being forceful would only excite him.
Meggie Liran wanted to change. She couldn’t remain stagnant.
She had lost Chrissy, lost the position of Pope, lost the prestige she had accumulated over the years… If this continued, she would only lose more.
She wanted to bite Kailun to death, but she couldn’t. The slave collar around her neck had turned her into an ordinary person.
If it weren’t for Chrissy, Meggie Liran might have gone to extremes. A fight to the death would have been the natural outcome.
But it was Chrissy’s existence that stopped her from going down that path, giving her a glimmer of hope, allowing her to deceive herself into lowering her proud head before Kailun.
“Your Holiness, you still don’t understand. It’s not about what I want you to do, but what you want to do. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Kailun glanced at her and then returned his attention to the magic book.
Women would only hinder his learning progress. Meggie Liran alone couldn’t excite him. Perhaps with Chrissy, it would be different.
After all, with Chrissy’s addition, Meggie Liran would gain a new identity: a young and pure mother.
It was a bit strange, but definitely stimulating.
In terms of figure, Meggie Liran was superior. She had everything Chrissy had, but the former was more youthful and lively, while the latter was mature and sophisticated.
Meggie Liran had a stronger aura of authority, which might add a sense of conquest.
When she looked up just now, Kailun noticed that she had changed into a new outfit, probably her usual Pope attire.
Grand, dignified, and luxurious. The pure white color made her look holy and inviolable. If she used white light to create a hazy effect, her charm might even increase further.
His rich experience sparked many interesting ideas in his mind. The once intriguing magic now seemed dull.
As expected, women really did affect his learning speed.
He looked up again and saw Meggie Liran, her expression conflicted. “I don’t know what to do. Chrissy just told me to change into my usual clothes and come see you. She said you would teach me the rest.”
Kailun: “Teach you what?”
Meggie Liran looked at the fresh fruit on the table. “She didn’t say what to teach. She only said you would feed me fruit.”
Kailun chuckled. “So you brought a plate of fruit to see me?”
Meggie Liran’s expression was awkward. “Uh… yes.”
“Hahaha, you’re so interesting.”
Kailun laughed heartily, not caring about his image. He wondered if the Pope was truly clueless or just pretending.
He felt it was probably the latter. This was a form of self-deception. She was still unwilling to face reality.
He remembered she had once told him, “If you want my body, come and take it yourself.” Now, it would be difficult for her to admit defeat voluntarily.
“Forget it, I’ll fulfill your wish to be fed today.”
Kailun pointed under the table. “Come closer, like last time. And remember to bring a few bananas.”
“Can I sit next to you?”
Meggie Liran looked troubled. She didn’t want to kneel under the table. She was the Pope, not a dog.
Kailun smiled gently. “Of course… not. If you’re unwilling, you can go back. I have to cherish my reading time. There’s still a difficult character waiting for me to deal with.”
He had almost finished reading the Temple’s high-level magic books, and his strength had further increased.
Now, the existing magic circles couldn’t contain his vast sea of mana. He could only allocate the excess attributes to other areas.
He wanted to create magic that defied common sense, but he lacked the experience.
“I… alright.”
Meggie Liran cursed silently. She grabbed two bananas and walked over to Kailun.
He extended his right hand and gestured for her to stay below.
Meggie Liran: “…”
She resisted the urge to run away, and the urge to tear him apart, and reluctantly crouched down, crawling under the table.
As a “mother” who had regained Chrissy’s trust, she couldn’t bear to see her suffer alone. She wanted to share the burden of fate’s injustice with her.
Even though it was painful, she had no other choice.
Was there any way to deal with Kailun?
She felt that no one could suppress that demon anymore.
She had given up, completely given up.
“Thud!”
She knelt under the table, her knees aching.
“It seems Your Holiness has made up her mind this time.”
Kailun took a banana from her hand and peeled it slowly. “I’m actually quite reasonable. As long as you behave today and sign a new contract, I can make you the acting Pope. The term can be one month, or even a hundred years. What do you think?”
They had signed a contract before, acknowledging Kailun’s authority as acting Pope. But that contract had many loopholes. Even after the one-month term expired, it wouldn’t affect him.
Meggie Liran hadn’t expected things to come to this. Now, she was the one being restricted by Kailun.
Meggie Liran: “Compared to the promise of being the acting Pope, I hope you can treat Chrissy well and stop bullying her. She’s a good girl. It’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me, she might be living a happy and carefree life.”
Kailun brought the peeled banana to her lips. “That’s not certain. I think she’s very happy and fulfilled every day. You can’t imagine her happiness.”
“Hmph!” Meggie Liran snorted and took a large bite of the banana.
The “feeding” was still relatively normal for now. But soon, Kailun made a new request. “Close your eyes.”
Meggie Liran closed her eyes without hesitation. Unable to change reality, she had resigned herself to her fate.
But that wasn’t all. Kailun made more requests: take smaller bites, use your tongue more, occasionally nibble with your teeth… countless strange requests.
Meggie Liran obeyed like a puppet, not even caring when a piece of fruit fell onto her ample bosom.
After finishing the first banana, Kailun fed her the second one. The process was slow.
Fortunately, the taste was good, and Meggie Liran could barely tolerate it.
After an unknown amount of time, she finished the second banana, and Kailun brought her a third one. But this one was scorching hot.
“Not sweet…”
Meggie Liran licked it.
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