Chapter 186: “Isn’t it you who keeps me here?”
The forest was full of green, with the treetops flowing like waves of green. Yu Mo leaned against a protruding tree trunk, his head tilted back slightly, breathing rapidly as he exchanged breaths with Peruth, who was leaning over him.
Their interactions shifted from tentative to intense, then from intense to gentle. The dappled sunlight above flickered sharply, and the soft intimacy made him feel drowsy.
That afternoon, Yu Mo indeed took a nap resting on His Excellency the Cardinal’s lap, while the sounds of birds and the wind in the forest filled his ears. It was quite comfortable, with only one minor inconvenience: in his dreams, he often felt a faint itch on his hair and cheeks.
The cardinal claimed that it was small forest bugs crawling on him, and that he had only accidentally touched him while trying to shoo them away.
Yu Mo didn’t take issue with him, and together they returned to the city under the setting sun.
At Peruth’s request, Yu Mo stayed in the temple for a few days. This special treatment naturally sparked a round of speculation among the northern nobility. That night, an invitation to a ball was sent, but Yu Mo declined.
The temple, built with funds from the devout nobles of the north, had become the most magnificent and eye-catching structure in Tusihe. At night, it shone brightly.
Currently, the only people staying there were a few dozen priests and three bishops brought by Peruth from the temple in the royal city, along with a newly inducted group of godsons.
The royal city’s Holy Temple had strict requirements for selecting godsons, but Peruth relaxed the standards here.
He took in many homeless ordinary children, turning this new temple into a sort of “orphanage.”
This decision was inspired by what he had seen in Borotosh.
Some of the godsons were also noble-born children. When the nobles learned they could send their children to the temple to study magic, none hesitated. In a single day, carriages brought over a hundred children.
It was an honor for nobles to send their children to the temple as godsons, to be taught for several years. Even in the capital, not every noble had the privilege to send their children to the temple.
Peruth’s tactic of winning favor was highly effective, drawing in almost all the northern nobles. As a result, the temple was now filled mostly with children aged five to twelve.
These children, dressed in short white robes, ran around wildly in the courtyard, only to be called back by a few priests, like a lively flock of lambs.
In the evening, prayers were held in the temple, led by Peruth. After the prayers, he would also teach the children.
Yu Mo walked from his room to the hall where the lesson was taking place and stood at the door to watch.
The magical lights made the room bright, and the high ceiling carried the teacher’s voice clearly and resonantly.
The same children who had been running and shouting in the courtyard that afternoon were now sitting obediently, showing their best behavior as they listened to the lesson.
Yu Mo recalled the temple in the capital, where he sometimes saw the godsons when he went to find Peruth; they also seemed to really like him.
He hadn’t expected His Excellency the Cardinal to teach children. His popularity hadn’t changed here in the north, and Yu Mo guessed that soon enough, the temple would be filled with ladies needing guidance.
Peruth was teaching basic magic knowledge, occasionally expanding on it with little stories and making it entertaining.
As Yu Mo leaned against the door listening, he remembered the early days of their acquaintance, when Peruth taught him magic. Back then, his attitude had been serious and not as entertaining, with concise statements and an aura of mystery.
He would occasionally pause, as if deep in thought.
Yu Mo also noticed that Peruth wasn’t only teaching light magic; he included a bit of knowledge about dark magic as well. Yet, the other priests standing in the hall showed no unusual reaction.
He was an excellent spy. All these years in the temple, not only had he gone undetected, but he had also won over so many of the temple’s priests.
When the class ended, the children filed out under the priests’ guidance, returning to their rooms to rest, leaving only Peruth in the hall, tidying up his books.
Yu Mo walked in and casually picked up a booklet, skimming through a couple of pages.
Peruth, standing at the podium, looked at him and said, “So, Eloren was standing outside the door listening to my lesson just now? How did you find my teaching?”
Knowing Eloren, he figured he’d say, “Not bad,” which, coming from him, would count as high praise.
Peruth had only wanted to hear a casual compliment, but instead, Yu Mo said, “That’s not how you taught me back then.”
Peruth: “…”
After a surprised pause, he replied, “This is just basic magic knowledge. At the time, you understood it after reading it once, so I didn’t get much chance to explain.”
Yu Mo put down the booklet. “When you taught me magic back then, you acted all mysterious—don’t you remember?”
For no apparent reason, he would often stare at Yu Mo with a deep, meaningful gaze. At the time, Yu Mo thought he might be scheming something.
Peruth fell silent for a much longer moment, then shuffled the booklets in his hands before finally responding, “If I told you the truth, it would ruin my image in your eyes.”
“Because, honestly, I’d often forget what I was teaching whenever I looked at you, especially when we’d suddenly make eye contact. So I’d have to pause and try hard to remember.”
“Forgive me; I was just a bit nervous, so my lessons weren’t entertaining at all.”
Yu Mo: “…”
That was a reason he’d never considered.
Had he been trying to guess Peruth’s profound intentions all the while, when Peruth had merely been gazing at him in a daze, mind completely blank?
Peruth couldn’t help but chuckle softly at Yu Mo’s speechless expression. “Are you really not aware at all of how attractive you are to me?”
“I made my feelings clear the very first time I saw you,” he added.
“You keep surprising me.” Yu Mo gathered the remaining booklets and placed them next to Peruth.
Peruth’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Eloren, if you’re not satisfied, do you need me to explain it all to you again?”
“Sure.” Yu Mo leaned closer, looking into his eyes, and softly said, “Go ahead.”
“…” Peruth opened his mouth but found no words.
“Alright, I concede,” the cardinal finally managed to say, regaining his voice.
Yu Mo wasn’t surprised, wearing a faint smile as he remarked, “It seems you haven’t made much progress at all.”
Not only had he not improved, but he had also fumbled even more.
After Peruth finished tidying up, he walked beside Yu Mo as they headed back to rest.
As they walked through the long corridor lined with white roses, Peruth asked, “Are you coming to my room, Eloren? I have something I want to show you.”
As a cardinal, Peruth’s room was surprisingly simple, much like his bedroom in the royal city’s temple.
Connected to a larger study, the bedroom was simply furnished, giving off a sense of suffocating confinement and oppression.
It seemed to reflect his personal habits and preferences.
“Do you want to guess what I want to show you, Eloren?”
“Let’s talk about that later.” Yu Mo stood by the bed. “I’m leaving tomorrow; don’t you care?”
He placed his hand on his collar and unfastened the second button.
Peruth’s gaze darkened.
In the dimly lit room, surrounded by books, the passage of time felt imperceptible.
His white robe, draped over the edge of the bed, accidentally slipped to the floor as his feet fidgeted.
Peruth realized that all his experiences with Eloren led to a distorted perception of time.
Joy felt fleeting, while moments of control stretched on interminably.
He hesitated to label this experience as torment; the physical discomfort and the lingering cravings mixed together, providing him with a different experience each time.
He had gone from habitually suppressing himself to relinquishing that sense of “control” to Eloren.
The invisible restraints binding him were cruelly stripped away and discarded by Eloren, much like peeling away dried blood from a wound.
For this reason, whether expressing his love or making pleas, Eloren remained unmoved, like a true deity. He cast his gaze downward, revealing a hint of illusory tenderness meant to beguile Peruth, making him feel favored and on the verge of escaping all pain to enter paradise. In that moment, Peruth willingly offered everything, eagerly trading it for sweet liberation.
“Eloren, you need me.”
“Eloren, you love me.”
…
The thing Peruth prepared for Yu Mo was only delivered to him the following day at noon.
Today, Yu Mo’s normally pale lips appeared a bit more vivid, and his dark hair was tied with a dark green ribbon.
He took the scroll from the box, surprised as he unfolded it. “A teleportation scroll—you really made this?”
He was interested in magic, and having tried to replicate magical items like the teleportation scrolls recorded in magical texts, he understood just how complex they were.
Such magical items only existed in an age before the gods fell; only then was there enough magical energy to support the consumption of a teleportation scroll.
In addition to magical energy consumption, there were the incomplete magic circles. Depending on the distance of the teleportation, a scroll required at least nine or more magic circles to ensure safety.
Yu Mo had analyzed these teleportation magic circles but hadn’t had enough time to delve deeper into the study.
Holding the newly crafted teleportation scroll, he couldn’t even count how many magic circles were used just at a glance.
He once again realized that to become the youngest cardinal, possessing power that even the former pope feared, Peruth had not only a resilient will but also an incredibly strong magical talent.
Aside from alchemy, in every other aspect, Peruth was undoubtedly a genius.
Peruth wore his neatly arranged white robe, covering all traces on his body, as he smiled at Yu Mo, who was examining the teleportation scroll.
Occasionally, passing priests greeted him, and he responded warmly as usual, then turned to gaze with satisfaction at the surprise and admiration on Yu Mo’s face.
“Next time you want to see me, Eloren, just use this to come to my side. Then I’ll tell you how I restored these incomplete magic circles, alright?”
He thought to himself that if he didn’t dangle this teleportation scroll as bait, Yu Mo would probably take a few more months before he came to visit him again.
Without looking up, Yu Mo traced the hidden magical patterns on the scroll. “I’m not going back for now. I’ll stay here for a few more days.”
Peruth didn’t expect such a response; while he felt pleased, there was also a hint of something else…
“I’m a bit jealous that this teleportation scroll can keep you here,” Peruth admitted.
Yu Mo raised his head to look at him. “Isn’t it you who keeps me here?”
Peruth: 🙂
…
Yu Mo indeed stayed a few more days in Tusihe and personally witnessed the expanding influence of the temple here.
Every day, nobles and merchants arrived from the surrounding territories to make pilgrimages.
Just as he had anticipated, Cardinal Peruth easily won everyone’s affection, especially the young ladies.
“Cardinal Peruth! I heard that when you were in the royal city, you had a dedicated prayer room where you listened to the troubles of your followers, right? I wonder if you could also listen to our worries here?”
“Yes, yes! We wouldn’t dare ask for too much—just a few days a month, no, even just a few days a year would be great!”
In front of the lovely young ladies, Peruth wore an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry, but I need more time to deal with the grave illnesses further north.”
“I’ve arranged for suitable priests to listen to everyone’s concerns, and I believe they can also help you.”
Everyone felt disappointed, but no matter how much they pleaded, the seemingly gentle cardinal did not change his decision.
Yu Mo also witnessed the group of young girls leaving in disappointment.
After a moment’s thought, he guessed the reason behind Peruth’s refusal. “Is it because of me?”
“Didn’t Eloren say last time that he ‘minded’?” Peruth said as he sent the others away and approached Yu Mo. “I’m glad.”
“Close interaction with the nobles isn’t a necessity; I care more about Eloren’s ‘concerns.’”
“Eloren, I hope you ‘mind,’ but I don’t want you to be unhappy.”
