Chapter 250: Trapped Like a Turtle in a Jar
“Since the Pope has sent out expendable cannon fodder, let’s not hold back. Let those little bishops who joined us lead the charge, Charles.”
As the leader of the rebel army, Paul was stationed in a small building opposite the Papal Palace with a group of high-ranking officials.
They sipped tea and observed the situation, their leisurely attitude not befitting an impending decisive battle.
Even now, Paul hoped to return home after this was over.
The position of Holy Son was tempting, but the longer he held it, the more uneasy he felt, as if he had overlooked something important.
A voice whispered in his heart, telling him that he was being watched.
“As you command.” Charles didn’t refute Paul’s words in front of everyone. After all, Paul was the leader of the rebel army.
Charles felt there was no need to argue with a dying man.
He and Huallomen had received a magic letter from the Pope. Once the battle between the two leaders began, they would “switch sides” and help the Pope capture Paul.
Paul would then face the judgment of the entire Temple and be purged as the mastermind behind the rebellion.
‘Tsk, how tragic.’
Charles sighed silently and left the building.
“Why is there pity in his eyes?” Paul felt even more uneasy after exchanging glances with Charles.
After much thought, he decided to contact Harry via magic letter and inquire about the situation with the Pope.
However, he sent three consecutive letters but received no reply.
“Excuse me, everyone. I have some personal matters to attend to. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
Paul, unable to figure it out, had the urge to flee. He stood up and walked towards the door.
Cardinal Huallomen, also a ninth-rank mage, blocked his way. “Paul, you’re the leader. Don’t run away now. Everyone has placed their hopes on you. We don’t want any accidents.”
Paul quickly explained, “I’m not running away. I just have some personal matters to deal with. You saw it just now. I can’t contact Harry, so I need to take care of it.”
Another Cardinal spoke up, “Don’t worry, Leader Paul. I have an inside man in the Papal Palace. I’ll help you find out what’s going on.”
Paul shook his head. “No, I just…”
“You just what?” Cardinal Huallomen asked.
Paul: “…”
He felt trapped, unable to speak. If it weren’t for the contract restrictions, he would have already broken free and escaped this place.
The contract, Harry, Charles and the others… Kailun had set too many traps for him. No matter what he chose, it wouldn’t end well.
Huallomen pointed to the battle in front of the Papal Palace and said in a voice only Paul could hear, “Look, those Cardinals are already fighting each other. It won’t be long before we make our entrance. Just pretend to be defeated and lose to the Pope. That will complete your mission. As for clearing your name afterward, we have professionals to handle that.”
“That’s not what I meant. Forget it, I won’t leave.” Paul replied with a troubled expression. “But waiting any longer is too agonizing. I’ll challenge the Pope now. But I’ll only act for ten minutes. Leave the rest to you.”
Huallomen thought for a moment. “Alright, but we’ll have to go with you.”
He winked at the other Cardinal, signaling him to follow them and keep an eye on Paul.
Currently, Paul’s strength far surpassed that of an average ninth-rank mage. Huallomen alone couldn’t restrict his actions.
“Hmph!”
Paul snorted and pushed Huallomen aside, walking out. This time, he wasn’t running away but going out to issue a challenge.
He wanted to end this as soon as possible.
As he took a step forward, Huallomen and the other Cardinal followed closely behind.
Initially, Paul thought it was just the Pope’s distrust of him.
But when he summoned the Pope with his challenge, Huallomen and the others were still right behind him.
“Holy Son Paul, if you bind your own hands and kneel before the gates of the Papal Palace, I will be merciful and leave your corpse intact. Your actions have crossed the Temple’s bottom line: betraying the Temple, slaughtering your comrades, deliberately dividing the Temple, and raising the banner of rebellion… Your crimes are countless. Your very existence is a mistake.”
The Pope stood in mid-air, looking down at Paul with a stern and solemn voice, like a cold judgment.
The white light surrounding her gave her a holy aura, making people subconsciously believe her words.
If it were an uninformed bystander, they might be swayed by her words.
The more Paul listened, the more he felt something was wrong. He had indeed committed some of the crimes, but others were completely fabricated.
“Don’t panic, it’s all an act. Just issue your challenge boldly, Leader Paul. We’ll handle the ‘whitewashing’ afterward.”
Huallomen patted Paul’s shoulder encouragingly.
“No, this is slander!” Paul retorted.
“It’s okay, I’ll explain it for you.”
Huallomen smiled at Paul and then shouted at Pope Meggie Liran, “You say Leader Paul has committed so many crimes, then where’s the evidence? Show us the evidence, don’t hide it!”
“!!!” Paul’s eyes widened. “Hey, Huallomen, what are you doing?!”
Hearing his question, Meggie Liran immediately replied, “You want evidence? I’ll give you evidence. Everyone, watch carefully. Today, I’ll show you the true face of this traitor, Paul!”
She gestured for Helena to bring a recording stone and then used magic to create a giant screen in the sky.
On the giant screen, Paul, as the leader of the rebel army, was absorbing the mana of his comrades.
The person on the screen was the ninth-rank Cardinal who had been killed recently. Everything Paul had done was exposed to the world.
Paul shivered and stumbled backward. “!!!”
It was over, truly over.
The Pope had betrayed him, betrayed him without any warning.
He realized that she wanted him dead!
This kind of scheming reminded him of someone he knew, no, a demon.
“Slander! This is all slander! This is all a setup by the Pope! She’s the one who led those people to me and made me kill them! It’s all her plan! You can investigate. I’m innocent! I was forced! By the way, there’s a secret you might not know. The Pope you all worship is actually a woman!”
Paul threw out a bombshell, hoping to distract Huallomen and the others. He planned to use this opportunity to escape.
He could rescue Harry later. If he was captured here, it would be truly over.
“You’re courting death.” Pope Meggie Liran responded coldly.
The loyal Charles shouted, “I didn’t expect Leader Paul to be this kind of person! You’re not worthy of being the leader of the rebel army! Disgusting!”
Charles, Huallomen, and the others blocked Paul’s escape route. The magic to restrict teleportation and short-range teleportation was already in place.
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