Chapter 289: It’s About Time to Deal with Athena
Saint Monique’s gaze was unreadable.
Bathed in moonlight, her figure seemed even more elegant and noble.
She stood against the wind, her flowing robes billowing around her, an aura of authority surrounding her.
Only her eyes, usually gentle, now held a chilling intensity. No one could guess her thoughts.
With the previous Earth Mother’s retirement, the Saintess’s resignation, and the Saint Son’s death, Saint Monique had consolidated her power, eliminating Florence’s remaining influence. Those loyal to Florence had either been purged or forced to submit.
Now, her control over the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess was absolute.
“Your Holiness, it’s late. You should rest,” a nun said softly, appearing behind her.
“The city is in chaos, but it’s being handled. You needn’t worry.”
Saint Monique lowered her gaze, not answering. After a moment of silence, she returned to her chambers.
The events outside didn’t concern her, as long as she remained unaffected.
—
Elsewhere, at the Holy See.
Augustus also gazed into the distance.
He hadn’t gone to the site, but he had sensed the powerful energies.
His old face was creased with worry, his thoughts hidden.
…
It was a sleepless night.
Rioters rampaged through the Imperial City.
Like madmen, they ignored pleas for mercy, their blades taking countless lives.
They focused on the noble district, knowing that attacks there would draw the attention of the Empire and the Church. No one cared about the commoners.
Blood flowed through the streets, corpses littered the ground.
Nobles, stripped of their dignity, fled in terror, fearing for their lives.
But despite their ferocity, the rioters were outnumbered.
The Imperial Guard, the Holy Knights, and the Earth Knights were more than a match for them.
By late night, the rioters in the noble district had been dealt with.
However, some remained unaffected by the chaos.
Like… Loseweisse.
Loseweisse considered herself the core of the former Hero Squad.
While she didn’t participate in the fighting, she couldn’t remain idle. She needed to produce results to maintain her authority.
Two problems occupied her mind.
One was the conflict between Sylph and the Twin Thieves.
Only she could mediate, but it wouldn’t be easy. She needed to give Sylph time to process her emotions. Attempting to intervene now would only alienate her.
The second was the mysterious Horus, who had repeatedly leaked information about the Hero Squad.
Capturing him could turn the tide in their favor.
Loseweisse had mobilized all her resources, even spending countless hours in the library, searching for information about Horus.
But despite her efforts, she found nothing, leaving her discouraged.
If only Sylph had mentioned his name, she might have suspected deception, but the Twin Thieves had confirmed it. They wouldn’t lie.
Who was this damned Horus?
Loseweisse ran a hand through her hair, her usually impeccable appearance now disheveled, her face showing signs of fatigue.
She knew searching the library was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Horus was likely a false name, a convenient alias used for dealing with Lomond. No one would be foolish enough to reveal their true identity while consorting with Demon Beasts.
Finding someone with a fake name was nearly impossible.
But she had no other leads.
“Saintess…”
A nun hurried over, a hint of excitement on her tired face. She held a thick book: “Is this what you’re looking for?”
It was a book of myths and epics.
Loseweisse’s eyes lit up as she saw the contents.
She snatched the book, her hopes rekindled, and began reading.
The poem told the story of a prince named Horus, betrayed and killed in a power struggle, his soul returning from the underworld to exact revenge.
After succeeding, he became known as the God of Vengeance.
Loseweisse’s excitement waned.
It was just a poem, not a historical account.
Perhaps the person dealing with Lomond had merely adopted the name Horus, the God of Vengeance, to symbolize his hatred for the Hero Squad.
It was because of this supposed hatred that Ronald had been tortured so brutally. Loseweisse knew that much.
She had tried to analyze individuals who held grudges against the Hero Squad and Jie Luo, but she had found nothing.
The Hero Squad’s methods were swift and decisive, leaving no survivors. Those who held grudges were already dead, along with most of their families.
She flipped through the thick book, the rustling pages accompanying her thoughts. She considered herself intelligent, but this was proving to be a difficult puzzle.
Horus.
The God of Vengeance…
The Hero Squad.
The names swirled in her mind.
She reached the last page.
A small note was tucked inside, a list of names of those who had borrowed the book…
One name caught her eye.
Augustus!
Her pupils contracted.
Augustus had read this book?
He knew the name Horus, and its association with vengeance.
He had also snuck into her room, stealing her valuables, seven scrolls, and her diary.
He had placed an Eye of True Sight in her room, monitoring her every move. He knew the Hero Squad’s whereabouts.
Then there was the matter of hatred.
Augustus was the Pope of the Holy See, while Jie Luo was the Hero. As Jie Luo’s fame and power grew, so did the influence of the Hero Squad, challenging the authority of the Holy See, the Empire, the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, and even Sage Mountain.
Augustus, accustomed to being at the pinnacle of human power, wouldn’t tolerate this. It was natural for him to resent Jie Luo and the Hero Squad.
Moreover, aside from herself, the Saintess, the other members of the Hero Squad had a rather antagonistic relationship with the Holy See.
Karsus had even been hunted by them.
Jie Luo’s choice of Karsus as a Squad member had been a slap in Augustus’s face, a humiliation. It was understandable for him to hold a grudge.
And she herself had allied with Cardinal Douglas, plotting to overthrow Augustus and become the first female Pope. It was unlikely Augustus was unaware of this. She was also his enemy.
Ekaterina and Muse had openly mocked him.
Ronald had even publicly declared Augustus impotent.
Suddenly, it all clicked. The pieces of the puzzle fell into place.
She concluded that Augustus was Horus.
Of course, she knew the evidence was circumstantial, but did it matter?
Was it truly important whether Augustus was Horus?
No. The mere possibility was enough.
After all, Augustus was someone she wanted to eliminate. With him gone, she would control the Holy See.
And blaming him would also conceal her own incompetence in finding the real Horus.
Therefore, until she found the true identity of Horus, Augustus would have to be Horus.
At the Holy See, Augustus, about to retire for the night, sneezed. Perhaps the night air was too chilly. He pulled his robe tighter.
Perhaps it was the stress of recent events.
He felt his back ache.
The poor Pope didn’t know that his aching back wasn’t from stress, but from the weight of the metaphorical pot he was carrying.
Bigger than even Shirou Emiya’s…
…
Meanwhile, Qin Chu, Heloise, Iyeta, and Sylph returned to the Hero’s Residence.
Seeing him return safely, Anastasia breathed a sigh of relief, but a hint of sadness touched her face. She knew Mavis was dead.
It was an unavoidable outcome.
Qin Chu gazed into the distance.
This matter was settled. Athena should have reached the Snow Chain Mountains by now. It was time to deal with her.
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