Chapter 49: It Couldn’t Have Been Qin Chu
Loseweisse didn’t pursue the thief.
She didn’t even know how they had entered or escaped. How could she possibly chase them?
She couldn’t raise the alarm, couldn’t order the Holy Knights to investigate. The stolen items were too incriminating.
She slumped against the wall, her body numb, her mind reeling. She couldn’t even muster the energy to move a finger.
She was on the verge of a breakdown.
Seven hundred million Mana…
She had spent years, using every dirty trick in the book, accumulating that wealth.
Did anyone know how much effort she had put into embezzling those funds?
And the thirty thousand Saint Quartz… She had paid a hefty price for those precious stones. Now, it was all gone.
But what worried her most were her notebooks and diary. They contained her darkest secrets, her most shameful thoughts. If they were exposed, her carefully crafted image would be shattered.
It would be a scandal of epic proportions.
And the most devastating loss… the seven divine scrolls.
As the Holy Maiden, Loseweisse, like her predecessors, was tasked with serving the divine.
It wasn’t a difficult task. It involved cleaning the statues, ensuring their pristine condition, and praying for the gods’ blessings.
Occasionally, a Holy Maiden would receive a divine revelation.
But such occurrences were rare. Many Holy Maidens lived their entire lives without experiencing a divine message.
Loseweisse, however, had been different. During her first prayer session, the seven statues had erupted in a blinding light. When the light subsided, seven scrolls lay scattered on the ground.
She had picked them up, her heart pounding with trepidation. As her fingers touched the scrolls, she had sensed a powerful, ancient energy, a mysterious consciousness guiding her, urging her to grow stronger.
The mental magic she had mastered, the intricate wards she could create… she had learned it all from those scrolls. She hadn’t experienced the mental assault, the taint of corruption, that Qin Chu had suffered.
She had understood the scrolls’ value instantly. Since there was no Holy Son this generation, she was the only one present. She had concealed the scrolls, unwilling to share their power with anyone.
They contained countless secrets, knowledge, power… If she had enough time, if she could decipher even a single scroll, she would surpass Augustus, the Pope, becoming the first female Pope in the Holy See’s history.
After Jie Luo, the First Hero, had appeared, her focus had shifted, her research neglected. Otherwise, she would be far stronger now.
And after his death, she had been consumed by her desire to resurrect him…
The value of even a single scroll far exceeded the combined worth of the seven hundred million Mana, the thirty thousand Saint Quartz, and her notebooks and diary.
And now, these priceless artifacts were gone.
She couldn’t understand how it had happened. The Holy See was protected by a powerful barrier, patrolled by countless Holy Knights. How had the thief breached their defenses?
Could it be… Qin Chu?
Her dislike for the Second Hero made her suspect him instantly.
But she quickly dismissed the idea.
He wasn’t capable of such a feat.
He was currently training in the residence’s training grounds, learning the Star Flame Battle Qi technique from Ekaterina.
If he had entered openly, as the Hero, he would have been surrounded by priests and bishops, leaving him no time for such mischief. And if he had tried to sneak in, he wouldn’t be able to bypass the Holy Knights or the barrier with his current strength.
Most importantly, she had passed by the training grounds on her way back. He was still training. She had even questioned the guards, who confirmed that he hadn’t left the training grounds all afternoon.
He had been diligently practicing, his focus unwavering.
The guards, though disliking the Hero, were impressed by his dedication. It seemed unlikely that he was the culprit.
If not him, then who?
The thief must be incredibly skilled, perhaps even a Master Thief.
Master Thieves were rare in the Heavenly Continent. If a Master Thief was responsible, retrieving her stolen possessions would be impossible.
Wait…
Loseweisse, her mind regaining its clarity, assessed the situation. All five storage rings were gone. The Stunning Love potion in her desk drawer was missing. She didn’t know if Maggie and Sana had succeeded, but even if they had, it was useless now.
She couldn’t gather the necessary ingredients to create more Stunning Love within a week.
She continued her analysis.
This might not be the work of a Master Thief.
She hadn’t offended any Master Thieves. They wouldn’t risk antagonizing the Holy See by stealing from her, especially since she had a reputation for integrity.
And her wards were exceptionally crafted.
Even Athena, the Grand Magus of the Hero Squad, could only sense them, not disable them.
A thief wouldn’t possess such advanced magical skills.
Only a more powerful mage could have breached her wards.
And had the thief truly entered undetected?
Could it be someone who had legitimate access to the Holy See?
That would explain how they had bypassed the barrier and the Holy Knights. They were an insider, recognized by the barrier.
The Holy Knights wouldn’t have questioned them.
The priests and clergymen wouldn’t have suspected a thing.
And they possessed superior magical skills, enabling them to disable her wards…
Within the Holy See, only one person fit that description:
Augustus, the Pope!
Could he be responsible for this?
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