Chapter 172: I Want to Live in Your Heart
At 3:00 AM, the Pope, who had just fallen asleep, received the latest news from Charles.
The message stated that Paul, the current Saint, had taken advantage of Charles’s absence to call Koya and open the door. Henry, the previous Saint, who had been turned into a bird, was successfully devoured by Paul.
Now, Paul had successfully advanced to the ninth rank, and Koya had also sided with him. This left Charles, alone, unable to take action against Paul.
Fortunately, Charles had been quick-witted and captured Harry as a hostage, giving him leverage in the confrontation.
“Are they trying to drive me crazy?!”
The Pope clutched her head. She wanted to rush to Charles and Koya, scold them both, and then crush Paul’s head with her foot.
Henry, worth three million gold coins, had been devoured just like that!
They were all ninth-rank mages of the Temple of the Celestial God, yet they had been outsmarted by a mere Saint. Wouldn’t they become a laughingstock if word of this got out?
Upon learning of this, the Pope could no longer sit still. She wanted to set off immediately.
However, one wrong move could affect everything. She couldn’t leave the Temple recklessly. She had to make many preparations before leaving.
She had to consider the Empress. If she left and returned to find herself stripped of her power, she wouldn’t even have a place to cry.
Most of her forces were currently deployed outside, mainly focusing on blockading the Abyss and developing the mines. Charles and Koya were also valuable assets.
There were very few top-tier forces left at Alaye, their headquarters. Her departure would leave them vulnerable.
The world was changing rapidly. She had to be wary of the Empress. After all, the existence of both of them was detrimental to the continuation of the Temple of the Celestial God.
The Empress clearly knew more secrets than she did. She must have her own plans, keeping them from the Pope.
“The Temple’s Destiny Divination Device hasn’t been repaired yet, Chrissy is sacrificing herself, and Charles’s mission has encountered problems…”
Troubled by a multitude of issues, the Pope got out of bed, wearing her clothes but barefoot. She walked to a wall in her room and looked up at a huge map.
It was a world map, depicting not only the Temple of the Celestial God and the Abyss, but also the Xiya Kingdom, marked in red.
She had also marked the distribution of forces in each region. There were six marks on the Xiya Kingdom’s territory, representing the six mysterious ninth-rank vice presidents.
There were also six marks on the Abyss’s territory, indicating that the Abyss had weakened to the point where only six ninth-rank mages remained.
She had once suspected that the mysterious ninth-rank mages of the Xiya Kingdom were actually from the Abyss, but this suspicion didn’t last long. The Cardinals stationed outside the Abyss had pinpointed the locations of four individuals from the Abyss.
Then she looked at the newly formed White Jade Alliance’s territory. There was a conspicuous question mark on the map.
The Pope had a vague estimate of their number of ninth-rank mages, but she couldn’t be sure.
After staring at the world map for half an hour, she walked barefoot to the table and picked up her communication device.
She quickly wrote a magic letter to Helena, wanting to know about Chrissy’s situation.
She never doubted Helena’s loyalty. Even if Chrissy betrayed her, Helena wouldn’t.
In her eyes, Helena wasn’t afraid of death.
About ten minutes later, she received a reply from Helena. The content was simple, just one sentence: “Saint Chrissy is working hard.”
……
The world could change overnight.
Rose slept soundly and didn’t wake up until 9:00 the next morning.
At 9:30 AM, after getting dressed and washing up, Rose was about to have breakfast when she suddenly received news. A maid told her that the capital was surrounded by a group of thieves.
Yes, a group of thieves.
Rose repeatedly confirmed with the maid before believing that her vast capital was actually surrounded by a group of thieves.
Moreover, it was said that there was an eighth-rank mage among them.
It was utterly ridiculous! An eighth-rank mage was powerful enough to be a king. Why would they be a thief?
Rose hurriedly went to the city wall and saw a well-organized army lined up in front of the city.
They were dressed like thieves, but their aura was completely different.
There were only about 30,000 soldiers, but their disciplined appearance was clearly not something ordinary thieves could achieve.
Initially, Rose thought that the army in front of her came from the Madden and Kaz Kingdoms, but looking at the heavily concealed figure at the front of the army, she felt a sense of familiarity, but she couldn’t remember who it was.
Rose’s appearance couldn’t be hidden from the “thieves.” A knight beside Bruce stepped forward and shouted, “We heard that Queen Rose is stunningly beautiful and the most desirable woman in the world. Our lord wishes to have a taste of your beauty. If Queen Rose is willing to surrender, we will spare the lives of the people in the capital.”
“Is the lord you’re referring to the eighth-rank mage beside you?” Rose asked coldly from the city wall.
The current Rose Kingdom didn’t have the strength to fight an eighth-rank mage. Even her capital could only hold out for a day or two with the help of defensive magic circles.
To solve this problem, she needed external help. However, she had been banished by Kailun and couldn’t rely on his power.
Gritting her teeth, she couldn’t believe that she had been rejected as an escort even with her beauty.
“It’s not the lord beside me.”
The knight beside Bruce pointed at him. “This lord is the vice-captain of our thief group. Our captain is someone else. That lord is a radiant being. It’s your honor to submit to him. So, Queen Rose, have you made your decision?”
Rose: “…”
This scene felt familiar.
She remembered!
Last time, her grandfather Bruce had also tricked her like this, saying that there was a lord who could save her from her predicament. But in the end, she discovered that the one who saved her and the one who harmed her were the same person.
Now, hearing the title “lord” again, she had a bad feeling.
“Lord Kailun of the Xiya Kingdom is backing me. If you don’t want to be targeted by him, retreat now. I can pretend that this never happened.”
Rose tried to intimidate them with Kailun’s name, which already carried a strong deterrent effect.
However, the other party remained unmoved. The knight chuckled. “Queen Rose, you probably think we didn’t do our research before coming here. Unfortunately, we did. We not only know that you schemed against and killed a duke from your own kingdom in the Xiya Kingdom, but we also know that you were abandoned by Lord Kailun. So, having lost the support of the people and your backing, do you still intend to resist?”
Rose tried to explain, “I…”
But Bruce calmly waved his hand.
“Boom!”
A loud explosion came from the capital’s magic circle. A huge fireball rose into the air.
Although it was blocked, Rose felt that the magic circle above her head wouldn’t last long.
Cries and wails filled the city, as if the sky was falling. The deterrent power of an eighth-rank mage successfully intimidated the commoners.
Bruce didn’t want to talk anymore. He just needed to exert enough pressure, as Kailun had instructed.
“Stop! Let’s talk things over…”
As soon as she spoke, Rose saw countless cold eyes staring at her.
Both the knights below and the vice-captain at the front looked at her with pity.
Although there were still dozens of magic cannons on the city wall, Rose felt no sense of security.
Should she fight back?
She glanced at the trembling soldiers and hesitated.
At this moment, Kailun’s smiling face flashed through her mind once again.
……
“Not bad. I managed to finish a scroll in one night. I’m truly a genius.”
At 10:00 AM, Kailun put down the scroll in his hand and stretched.
Carol had woken up earlier and had been massaging his shoulders for several hours.
“The elf sisters finished assembling the new bed and delivered it to your room two hours ago. Also, there are rumors in the city that you killed the eighth-rank mage from the Temple of the Celestial God and kept the one million gold coins for yourself. The Chamber of Commerce’s reputation has been slightly affected.”
Seeing Kailun relax, Carol reported some of the day’s events.
“Don’t worry about such a minor impact. Have the Loya Ball handle it.”
Mentioning the Loya Ball, Kailun thought of Isabella. He had already obtained Edlin’s magic and was curious about what Isabella would look like after being “enlarged.”
“I asked Isabella. She’s already on her way back and should arrive at the Royal City in two days. However, it’s worth noting that the attitude of the Loya Ball’s leadership is ambiguous. They joined the White Jade Alliance a few days ago.”
Carol rested her chin on Kailun’s head.
“I know. As for the Loya Ball’s leadership, don’t worry too much about them. Even combined, they’re not as important as Isabella. Besides, it’s a good thing that they joined the White Jade Alliance. I might be able to infiltrate the alliance through them.”
Kailun leaned back, resting his head on Carol’s soft chest.
He had already found the location of the White Jade Alliance’s headquarters through Henry. He could go there anytime.
Although they were powerful as a group, they weren’t united and posed no real threat.
He believed that the Pope had sent Charles to the White Jade Alliance to infiltrate it. If Paul could cooperate with Charles, they might have a chance.
But unfortunately, with Paul’s personality, it was unlikely that he would cooperate.
With the addition of Koya, a ninth-rank mage, the Temple of the Celestial God’s forces within the White Jade Alliance were already quite strong.
On the contrary, their headquarters in Alaye must be much weaker now.
It was a pity that Alaye was located within the Empire. Otherwise, he could find time to sneak in and have some fun.
He had already figured out the Pope’s trump cards, but the mysterious Empress had never shown her face.
She rarely made any moves, so rarely that Kailun had no impression of her from his previous life.
In the past month or so, he had stirred up a lot of trouble and had clashed with the Temple of the Celestial God at least three times, but the Empress had never intervened.
This wasn’t normal.
“Carol, is there anywhere you want to go?” Kailun looked up at her.
Carol nodded. “Yes.”
Kailun: “Where?”
“Here.”
Carol gently poked Kailun’s chest with her finger. “I just want to stay by your side, live in your heart.”
Kailun was stunned for a moment and then smiled. “I almost fell for your trick. I didn’t expect you to learn how to be so cunning. But it doesn’t sound bad. You can say more nice things like that.”
He didn’t doubt the sincerity of Carol’s words. Her goodwill was as high as 98, just a step away from breaking through 100.
Kailun had never deliberately tried to increase her goodwill. He treated her with sincerity. This was his affirmation of this “final boss.”
After flirting for about ten minutes, they left the library. On their way to the dining hall, they encountered Bella, her eyes slightly red.
“Kailun, those idiots in the Abyss have lost their minds and are planning to do something stupid.”
Bella cried as she threw herself into Kailun’s arms, her dragon horns poking his chest.
Kailun gasped and silently increased his constitution attribute. He gently stroked Bella’s head with his trembling hand. “Don’t worry, you can tell me anything. Let’s talk in the courtyard. It’s more private there.”
He supported Bella’s exposed shoulder and gently pushed her forward. She looked tearful, as if she had experienced a major upheaval.
“I’ll go prepare breakfast for Master. Please wait a moment.”
Carol took a step back and curtsied, her skirt swaying slightly as she retreated.
Kailun glanced at her. Hmm, her miniskirt had ridden up.
“Thank you.”
Kailun responded to Carol and then led Bella towards the courtyard, away from the dining hall.
After about two or three minutes, he arrived at the courtyard with Bella.
The courtyard was quiet. Only Illusion and Vivian, who looked exactly alike, were sitting at the stone table, studying the art of carving.
Phils, Anna, Ella, and Afra were all busy with work. It was thanks to their efforts that Kailun could focus on more important matters.
It was a joke that Eve, the young knight, had planned to find an opportunity to “play” with Kailun, but she had been dragged away for training by Afra.
Kailun sat down on the remaining empty seat with Bella. “Now you can tell me what happened. Take your time, don’t rush.”
Illusion and Vivian looked at Bella when they heard Kailun’s words. They also had a good impression of this beautiful dragon girl.
They were all on the same side, so Kailun didn’t need to avoid suspicion. He chose to talk in the courtyard because the environment was more pleasant.
“After some discussion, the Abyss’s high-ranking members decided to fight a decisive battle with the Temple of the Celestial God. They want to take back the lost mines. Grandpa objected, but he couldn’t stop them. In the end, he was forced to participate in the plan. Grandpa told me to stay by your side and not go back. He said the Abyss has changed.”
Bella sobbed as she buried her face in Kailun’s chest. “It’s not rational! It doesn’t make sense at all! They’re not usually this reckless! This is suicide for the entire Abyss!”
She knew the difference in strength between the two sides. The Abyss’s high-ranking members couldn’t possibly be unaware. Therefore, Bella couldn’t understand their decision.
This time, Kailun didn’t push Bella away. He pondered, “It is indeed irrational. This isn’t how the Abyss usually operates. Moreover, they didn’t inform me, completely ignoring me, their potential ally. It doesn’t make sense from any perspective. Currently, the forces deployed by the Temple of the Celestial God at the mines should be on par with the Abyss. They don’t have a guaranteed victory.”
Kailun made Bella look up at him. “So the more irrational something is, the easier it is to solve. Do you know who proposed this plan? How many of their clansmen are there in the Abyss? What is their relationship with others like? How high is their status?”
Bella wiped her eyes with Kailun’s sleeve and looked at him with affection. “The leader of this plan is the Werewolf Clan King…”
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