Chapter 248 — his maniacal laughter echoed in the small church
Oitin Empire, Borderlands. Church of Light.
The churches in these border towns often do not meet the specifications of the Church of Light, for example, the steps in front of the door are less than required, the cross is a bit rusty, the statues are dusty, the carved glass is broken in some places.
This is inevitable. After all, if people can’t even fill their stomachs, they often forget what their beliefs are. For the average person, physical torture is more frightening than mental torture.
The Pope of Light stood under the cross of the church, which had a special meaning for him, from which he was baptized and became a priest. He was not a nostalgic person, but he suddenly recalled this place the day before yesterday, so he thought of going back here to have a look. His whereabouts were known only to a few people.
When he returned, he learned that the priest who had baptized him had died, not of old age, but of blasphemy against the Pope, and had been sunk at the bottom of the river. After careful inquiries, he learned that the priest had claimed that the contemporary pope had been baptized by him, a treacherous statement that constituted a grave sin, and had been sunk in the river according to the canon. He did not float up from the river, signifying that the God of Light had abandoned him, so he was lying.
The pope stood under the cross and recalled the priest’s kind smile. He thought he had never been a lover of the past, and then realized that he had not forgotten it.
Then the pope frowned slightly.
The lights in the hall were dim and sparse, they weren’t noticed when they walked in. They were dressed in black as if they had blended into the darkness. The one in the lead chose a chair in the corner, and casually stretched his hands out flat, and the man behind him immediately took off his black coat. Then he took off his black hat and put it on the table, and by the time he sat down, the man behind him had poured him a full glass of wine that smelled of blood.
“I hope you’ll forgive my rudeness, Your Holiness,” Hill said.
“You didn’t come here in person, so I can’t do anything even if I don’t forgive,” Pope of Light said with his back to him.
Hill smiled slightly: “Using soul magic to control human puppets and make them disposable. I’m afraid you will be very disgusted by such a method.”
“Since you are a demon, I won’t be surprised by any evil means you use,” the Pope turned around and said.
Hill—or rather, the puppet controlled by Hill took a sip of the wine with a strong bloody smell, and in this state, Hill could only feel a vague taste: “But your evil methods as a human can often surprise me.”
“An accusation from a demon?” said the Pope. “Interesting.”
“A defense from the Pope?” Hill said. “Boring.”
The Pope was not provoked, he looked down at the wavering light at his feet: “So, what is the reason for your presence here? Just to tell me that I have your spies by my side, so that you can know my movements instantly?”
“That’s one thing.” Hill shook his finger, “You did have my spy with you, a very close and intimate kind, so I was able to stay one step ahead of you and was able to defuse all your moves with ease.”
This is a dangerous but vicious game now.
It was as if Hill was pointing directly at Teresa in general, and the Pope’s first thought in this situation must have been Teresa.
So is Teresa safe? – Of course, he is safe.
Because Hill had previously ordered Teresa not to have any contact with his side, and let Teresa do things for the Pope in good faith. And today, that command comes in handy. The Pope went back and tried to investigate the people around him. No matter how much he investigated Teresa, he was innocent.
Those games at that time were all resolved by Hill. To deal with the Pope’s moves, there is no need for a traitor.
There were some lichens growing on the ground of the church, and cobwebs could be faintly seen in the corners. The dust hanging on it looked shaky by the wind, but in fact, it was firmly stuck by cobwebs.
“Secondly, I want to confirm one thing with you,” Hill said.
“Please,” said the Pope.
“Will you stop me from meeting King Oitin alone?” Hill asked with a strong smile on his face.
The Pope thought for a second and replied, “No.”
“Why?”
The Pope had an unpredictable smile on his face: “Because how do you know that your private meeting was not arranged by me?”
Hill burst into a burst of laughter when he heard it. Not bad, not bad, it’s really fun to play against smart people. He stood up directly and poured the wine in the cup onto the candlestick over there, and the flame of the candlestick sprang up abruptly, causing Hill’s face to light up instantly, and it was as hideous as a ghost:
“And lastly, your daughter Alice is now in my hands.”
The Pope’s face changed for the first time.
Hill burst into laughter again, his maniacal laughter echoed in the small church. His body continued to emerge black mist, then turned into a human corpse, and then fell to the ground. The attendants behind him turned into human corpses as well.
The church was filled with a demonic aura, while the Pope’s face was ashen.
——
All the evidence seemed to point directly to Teresa Shelley, but the Pope of Light knew it wasn’t him who betrayed him. He had been suspicious of Teresa before, so he had been under intense surveillance since last year, unknown to him.
What’s more, these evidences themselves were given to him by the abominable Demon King, which is even less credible.
After thinking over and over again, the Pope of Light came to a conclusion: The Demon King is afraid of Teresa, and he wants to get rid of him through the hands of the Pope.
But the Pope also understands that someone around him has indeed betrayed his news. Putting his daughter’s affairs aside first, the fact that the Demon King can find him directly in this church this time means that someone has leaked his whereabouts.
So, who is this person?
Not many people knew what he was doing this time. In addition to a few loyal subordinates around him, there is King Oitin.
The Pope of Light narrowed his eyes sharply.
Theoretically, he was even less convinced that King Oitin would betray him compared to Teresa.
From the moment King Oitin was born, he began to nurture him, in addition to all kinds of brainwashing, manipulation, and torture.
Because he believed that King Oitin, who was disciplined in this way, would not make trouble – he pretended to give him a chance, and then cruelly crushed his hopes and destroyed what he cared about one by one. After a few more times, King Eutin became obedient – so in the past two years, the Pope of Light did not pay much attention to him.
Now…
No, this could also be a ploy of the Demon King, need to wait a little longer.
—however, the seeds of doubt have been planted.
——read at awanderingpotato.com
Mulheim’s social month is coming, Hill selected some interesting things in the Demon Mall, and publicly initiated a visit request to the Oitin Empire in the name of communication. The other side quickly agreed – after all, the Pope of Light had said that he would not object to their private meeting – so Hill swaggered into the Holy City with a cartload of gifts.
King Oitin was a little unsure, and then heard Hill’s very malicious request: he wanted the private meeting to take place in the queen’s chambers.
It was not considered proper – but after all, the queen was dead, so to others it could only be called an odd request. King Oitin generally understood that the demon king was attempting to use his feelings for the queen as leverage to do something, and he felt he would not be swayed, so he agreed.
The wallpaper of the room was dark green and light green interwoven vine pattern, fresh and elegant. The mattress was a solid color, a dark shade of green, but did not rise to the level of dark green, the pillows were emerald green and pink, the left side of the bed hung these two wooden frame paintings, the misty forest, the other was the small town in the moonlight.
On the left side of the table was a light blue crystal lamp with a unique shape, and on the other side was a stack of books, which were outdated. Two crossed swords were hung above the mirror as decoration, and there was a window next to it. The curtains were tender green, which was consistent with the style of the whole room and looked pleasing to the eye.
Hill walked into the room and said with emotion: “Your queen has great taste.”
“Thank you,” said King Oitin.
“Oh don’t be offended, I like men,” Hill continued.
“Uh, okay.” King Oitin was trying to keep up with Hill’s thinking.
“But it seems like you’ll feel more insecure when I say that,” Hill continued.
“Uh…” King Oitin has seen many storms and waves, but he has never seen such a situation.
Then, Hill suddenly said something frightening: “Do you know, Your Majesty, the Pope of Light knows about me and you cooking noodles in private before.”
King Oitin hadn’t recovered from the topic just now, so he said “uh” again.
“First of all, do you know that he knows about our private meeting? Secondly, do you think I know that you know that he knows about our private meeting?” Hill said.
King Oitin had to say: “Wait, what you said is a bit convoluted…”
Hill laughed again, and if the Pope was there, he would find that Hill’s laughter was very similar to his laughter in that church: “You don’t have to think about it, let me say my thoughts first: the Pope arranged your meeting with me.”
King Oitin understood this sentence, and his voice was a little angry: “Are you doubting my sincerity to the queen?!”
Hill smiled and looked away. The mirror on the dressing table was large, with intricate and delicate carvings clinging to the edges. It was shiny and very ornate, and it didn’t match the furnishings of the room—it looked like it was a gift. This was also what King Oitin gave to his queen on her last birthday. Next to the mirror was a statue of an owl with its wings outstretched and majestic – the family crest of the queen’s family.
“Of course not,” Hill said. “I have no doubts about your sincerity for the Queen, but it doesn’t conflict with his arranging this meeting with a scheme.”
King Oitin frowned: “You think I am being used by the Pope?”
Hill smiled.
King Oitin took the initiative to say: “Actually, I have considered this possibility. After all, the situation of the Oitin Empire… you are also aware of it.”
“Yeah.” Hill nodded, “I know. To be honest, you are quite capable. If you were in a normal empire, you would be a qualified ruler, at least much better than King Magnolia. But he is now much more prosperous than you.”
King Oitin didn’t speak, and didn’t answer the question. After a few seconds, he continued: “The other party knows how much power I have, but I don’t know how much power he has. But after all, I am still the king of the Oitin Empire, and this is my greatest leverage against him.”
“Maybe he can abolish you at any time, anyway, I think so, no matter how powerful you are, you are still a puppet. He can easily pin you down as long as he declares that you have betrayed the church, or he can directly kill you and say that you died of depression because you miss the queen.” Hill said very unkindly: “I am very interested in cooperating inside and outside, but obviously you are too weak. Weak enough that I feel pity for you.”
King Oitin breathed for a few seconds and said, “That’s why…I need your help. With your help, I can develop some of my own forces, and then…” He said this very mechanically, as if he was reciting lines. Hill’s unkind words just now really touched his heart.
“Need my help, ah, I have some ideas about your situation,” Hill said.
“Ideas?”
“If I want to help you, I should give you money,” Hill said.
This confused King Oitin: “Give me money?”
“Yes, even though you are the king, you don’t have much money. I think most of them are controlled by the church,” Hill replied.
“…Um.”
“You use money to buy people, better to get some outlaws and you go give them promises. You should cultivate your power in places like the countryside, and it’s best to start with the commoners to confuse the concept of theocracy and kingship.”
Hill began to elaborate the plan and draw up the blueprint for King Oitin with great care. This is not just rambling, but after some research, combined with some past experience, a well-thought-out plan.
“You have to remember that you can’t do what everyone understands. You see, when I started the movies and the novels, you guys didn’t understand, right? You guys didn’t think it was threatening, did you? Now what? — Towards the end of the plan, the commoners will surround the cities and take power by arms. Perfect.”
Hill snapped his fingers, in high spirits.
After hearing this, King Oitin was really stunned, unable to speak for a while.
Hill saw more things from his expression. Sure enough, the matter itself was a conspiracy of the Pope. He ordered King Oitin to be the bait to lure him, for which he sacrificed the queen.
The king really loved the queen. And it was because there were too many real things that this plan was near perfect.
Too bad it was only ‘near’.
Hill walked to King Oitin, leaned down in his ear and said in a gentle, bewitching voice: “Which do you love more, your queen or your power? But with the Pope of Light there, you can’t keep either one.”
