Chapter 193: Time Is Running Out
The Pope: “…”
She felt a throbbing in her head, a desire to smash it against the wall.
The feeling of being at someone else’s mercy was unbearable. Her rage had nowhere to go.
She hated Kailun with a passion and wanted to slap him to death, but reason forced her to restrain herself.
Because even if she didn’t restrain herself, it wouldn’t work. A slap from her in her current state wouldn’t kill Kailun, and might even injure herself.
Well, not necessarily.
Kailun currently seemed to only be at the first rank, even weaker than her. A slap might be enough to knock him unconscious.
“Your Holiness’s gaze seems a bit dangerous. Do you not want to return to Alaye?”
Kailun took a step back, ensuring that the Pope couldn’t reach him. “I received some intelligence about the Temple of the Celestial God today. I heard that your headquarters has been surrounded by people sent by the Empress. What are your thoughts on this, Your Holiness? Not only that, but I also heard that the Temple of the Celestial God has suffered heavy losses on the main battlefield. Are you aware of this?”
These two questions in succession crushed the Pope’s spirit. A deep sorrow filled her heart.
To change her current situation, she had to swallow the bait Kailun had thrown her. Unless she was willing to be imprisoned forever.
“What will you gain from this war?” The Pope looked at Kailun.
“Probably the initiative.”
Kailun paced leisurely outside the cell. “Your Holiness’s Temple of the Celestial God has been putting pressure on me for almost two months. I want to fight back occasionally, don’t I?”
“Shouldn’t it be you putting pressure on the Temple of the Celestial God? If it weren’t for the concern about the world’s destruction, I would have sent ninth-rank mages to the Xiya Kingdom long ago. How could you have had the time to grow stronger?”
The Pope snorted coldly. At this point, she didn’t mind revealing this information to Kailun.
Occasionally disclosing some insignificant information could increase her bargaining chips.
“The world’s destruction? Does Your Holiness know something?”
Mentioning the world’s destruction, Kailun immediately thought of Carol and Bella. They were the two most closely connected to this phrase.
Carol was the final boss who would destroy the world, and Bella was the dragon who would die before the world’s end.
Pope: “Release me, and I’ll tell you everything I know.”
“Sure, sign a contract with me, and I’ll release you.” Kailun nodded, not refusing her offer.
A captive Pope was of limited use. Only by releasing her back to the Temple of the Celestial God could he complete his subsequent plan.
“Another contract? Can’t you try something else? After betraying our cooperation, how can you expect me to trust your contract?”
The Pope gritted her teeth at the mention of a contract. It was because she had trusted his contract that the main battlefield had suffered such heavy losses.
At this point, she would rather smash her head against the wall than sign another contract with Kailun.
“Your Holiness, you misunderstand. This isn’t about whether you’re willing to sign a contract or not. It’s about whether you have any other choice besides signing a contract. You can only choose to cooperate with me if you want to regain what belongs to you. We can work together to eliminate the Empress and reclaim your Temple of the Celestial God. Of course, the consequences of refusing me might be quite severe. At today’s wedding, I will make you a stepping stone, literally. You’ll be the one kneeling beside the carriage, welcoming the bride.”
Kailun’s smile became even more innocent. “Not only that, but I’ll also tell all the guests that this servant’s name is… well, I don’t know her name, but she’s the Pope of the Temple of the Celestial God.”
“Demon! You will die a miserable death!” The Pope’s veins bulged on her forehead.
She couldn’t take it anymore. How could such a cruel person exist in this world? Wasn’t he afraid of retribution?
She tugged at the slave collar around her neck. If she could break free from these restraints, she would definitely drag Kailun down with her, even if it meant her death.
“I don’t have much time. I have important matters to attend to. I’ll give you two hours to think about it. If you have no objections, sign the contract. Trust me, if the esteemed Pope loses her noble halo, your fate won’t be pleasant.”
Kailun glanced at his pocket watch. He had to go back and get ready for the wedding.
He took out the prepared contract scroll, tossed it to the Pope, and left.
He couldn’t push someone like the Pope too hard. The best way to handle her was to let her think alone under pressure.
This way, she would realize that thinking… was completely useless.
“That bastard!”
The Pope looked at Kailun’s departing figure, wanting to tear the scroll in her hand to pieces. But she eventually calmed down.
She sat down on the dirty stool and opened the scroll. Numerous clauses were written on it.
She quickly scanned it. The contract required her to grant Kailun the authority of the Pope for one month, allowing him to command the others.
Furthermore, Kailun also demanded that she set up a magic circle connecting Alaye and the Royal City after returning to the Temple. As a reward, Kailun would help her break the Empress’s siege.
But she had never heard of any teleportation magic that could cover such a vast distance in her twenty-plus years of life. Was it really possible?
In the contract, Kailun promised to return everything that belonged to her after one month and help her conceal everything that had happened during this period.
As an additional clause, Kailun was willing to help her against the Empress and gain control of the entire Temple of the Celestial God. However, this required signing a separate contract.
Kailun assured her in the contract that he wouldn’t harm her core interests. This was clearly stated in the corresponding clauses, along with the severe consequences of violating them. Everything was linked to her soul.
The Pope found it unbelievable. She carefully examined the contract again. Although Kailun’s terms were somewhat excessive, they weren’t as bad as she had expected.
On the contrary, she even felt that this contract was too “normal.”
To summarize, Kailun not only had to act as the acting Pope and help her deal with the Empress’s siege, but he also couldn’t harm her core interests.
And all she had to pay, besides one month of papal authority, was the cost of building the magic circle.
Although the control of this teleportation magic circle would be in Kailun’s hands, she could set up many offensive spells around it. This way, even if Kailun wanted to use the magic circle for something, he would have to think twice.
“What is that demon planning?”
The Pope couldn’t understand it at all. Because of her low expectations, she felt that she had no reason to refuse these terms.
Should she agree and gamble on a chance of survival? If she was deceived, she would drag Kailun down with her.
The Pope’s eyes flickered as she frantically considered all the possibilities.
……
“Splash!”
Kailun lay in the bathtub, with Afra and Anna washing and scrubbing his back.
“I just saw Carol. The little girl seems very happy. She has a huge smile on her face.”
Afra carefully wiped Kailun’s body with a towel. She would also be the one to help him change into his wedding attire later.
“I saw her too. I’m so envious.”
Anna secretly glanced at Kailun. It was impossible not to be envious.
Kailun chuckled with his eyes closed, not answering.
He leaned back in the bathtub, resting his head on Afra’s lap, his hand swirling the hot water.
He wasn’t truly relaxed yet. Only after resolving all the troublesome matters could he focus on these complicated relationship issues.
He roughly calculated that if everything went smoothly, it would only take one or two months to deal with the Temple of the Celestial God.
But would it really be that smooth?
A big question mark appeared in Kailun’s mind. He hadn’t forgotten the various details hidden within these events.
Fox’s change in talent, Bella’s connection to the world’s destruction, the fate woven by Isabella, the ancient entity hiding in Kuye Town, the one who was observing his fate…
Too many questions troubled him, and none of them had been answered yet.
Based on his probing, the Pope had limited knowledge. So he shifted his attention to the mysterious Empress.
If it weren’t for his interference, both the Abyss and the Pope would have been devoured by the Empress.
On the surface, the internal strife had weakened the Temple of the Celestial God, but in reality, a united Temple of the Celestial God could easily conquer the world. The existence of the Pope and the Empress was, in a way, a restriction, a restriction on the Temple’s power.
Without the Abyss to balance them out, the disorganized White Jade Alliance wouldn’t be able to help Kailun. So he couldn’t let the Empress unify the Temple.
But if he could infiltrate the Temple of the Celestial God through the Pope, then he would have a chance to completely tear it apart, splitting it into the Celestial Empire and the Holy Temple.
After his trip to Kuye Town, Kailun realized that the entity proficient in Time Magic was recovering, posing no threat for now. However, he wasn’t sure about the situation with fate, so he chose a more cautious approach.
Fifteen minutes later, Kailun, with the help of Afra and Anna, changed into a white suit.
“You look good. No wonder you attract so many girls.” Afra praised, looking at Kailun in his wedding attire with satisfaction.
“He tricked them. No one really likes him.”
Anna, squatting on the ground, adjusting Kailun’s trousers, dared to joke with him now.
Kailun looked at himself in the mirror and turned his head. “That’s prejudice. Look at Bella. I didn’t trick her. This is called charm. Is there a man in the Xiya Kingdom more outstanding than me?”
Kailun was confident in his strength, power, and even his appearance. But if there was a problem, it was probably his personality.
“You can only deceive innocent little girls like Bella. Look at how smug you are.”
Afra adjusted Kailun’s collar and patted his shoulder. “That’s enough. Let’s go to the square in the manor now. Everyone is waiting. There will be many familiar faces coming. They all want to see you. I bet they never imagined that the Duke’s son would grow to such a level. It seems my judgment has always been right.”
“Of course.”
Kailun reached out and pulled Anna, who was squatting on the ground, up. “I can’t believe it’s been almost two months. Time flies.”
Hearing Kailun mention two months, Afra tilted her head slightly. She felt like so much had happened, but it hadn’t even been two months.
Two months ago, she was a captain in the territory. Then Kailun had come to the Royal City with the Silver Moon Knights, and everything that followed had happened.
He had changed the Xiya Kingdom, changed the world, in less than two months. She even doubted if this Kailun, whom she had raised since childhood, was still human.
“It is fast. Two months ago, I was still studying at the Magic Academy, thinking that joining the royal mage corps would be a good enough achievement.”
Anna also reminisced.
Initially, she had hated Kailun. He had taken so much from her.
But as they interacted, until the day she got her revenge, she finally acknowledged him.
From hate to love after so many twists and turns, she felt deeply moved.
“Don’t frown. Today is a happy day.”
Kailun put his arms around Afra and Anna, leading them out of the room. “You just focus on enjoying every day. Leave all the problems to me. Give me two more months, and I’ll end all of this.”
“Hmm~”
Afra and Anna both hummed in agreement, feeling a sense of security in Kailun’s arms.
……
“Wow, I didn’t expect the Royal City to become like this. This kid Kailun has truly surprised me.”
Duke Kuhl, who had just arrived at the manor and stepped out of the carriage, still had a look of amazement on his face.
He hadn’t expected the once lifeless Royal City to be so vibrant and lively. The pedestrians on the street all wore smiles, and he hadn’t seen a single beggar along the way.
The streets were clean, the shops were filled with customers, and he even encountered a few high-rank mages and knights.
Listening closely, he could even hear them praising Kailun, recounting his legendary feats.
“I wonder how many secrets Kailun is hiding. This is truly unbelievable.” The Duchess sighed.
As soon as they stepped out of the carriage, they saw Phils and Winnie, who had been waiting for them. They were in charge of welcoming Kailun’s family and friends, along with the members of the Knight Corps.
Before they could exchange greetings, Duke Kuhl, with his sharp eyes, noticed a few carriages stopping at the manor’s entrance. Through the carriage windows, he saw the people inside. “Eh, isn’t that the newly promoted Marquis Laurist?”
Marquis Laurist, Winnie’s father, also saw Duke Kuhl. He quickly jumped out of his carriage and bowed to the Duke. “Greetings, Duke Kuhl. It’s been a month since we last met. My little girl has been under the care of Lord Kailun. Thanks to his guidance, Winnie is becoming more and more outstanding.”
Winnie covered her face: “…”
She suddenly felt ashamed of her father. Why did he always act like he was selling his daughter?
Phils, seeing this, wanted to tease them, but then she saw her parents arrive and try to curry favor with Duke Kuhl.
Phils: “…”
Why did this feel like an awkward family reunion?
Phils and Winnie exchanged glances and sighed helplessly. Forget it, their parents weren’t important. The important thing was to take good care of the Duke and Duchess.
So they both put on sincere smiles and went to greet them. It was time to show off their best behavior. If they could leave a good impression, maybe Kailun’s next bride would be one of them.
……
Carol played with her hair and asked absentmindedly, “How much time is left until the wedding?”
Fox pouted. “Half an hour.”
Carol nodded. “Oh…”
“How much time now?” Carol asked again after a while.
“Twenty-nine minutes.”
Bella counted the petals enviously. She shouldn’t have trusted Winnie’s words. They were all liars.
Carol: “It’s taking so long. I wish there was magic that could speed up time.”
“Hmph!”
Fox and Bella snorted coldly in unison.
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