8. The Saintess’s Decision
The next day, as Reina had expected, Richard’s adoptive father, Cardinal Albert, convened an emergency meeting. Important Holy Knight leaders and captains, clerics of the Golden Priest rank and above, and the head nuns were all present, the church packed to the rafters.
The Holy Knights sat on the left side of the church, the priests on the right. The bishops were arranged in the front row, and the Saintess sat alone in an empty seat at the back.
Albert was a stern old man.
His two-meter height was particularly conspicuous among humans. With his white high hat on his bald head, he looked like a giant in the crowd. His white beard fluttered in the wind, and his thin body, draped in a loose robe, made him look much more serious and solemn.
He was the oldest Cardinal. He had personally cultivated Richard, the two as close as father and son, but his doting on Richard had turned the young man, in this dangerous world, into an uneducated street ruffian, even a scumbag who would beat his own sister in the street.
This was all because Richard and the Saintess had long been divided into two factions.
One side was the priests who supported the Saintess, and the other was the Cardinals and Holy Knights who supported the Son… Their leader was nominally Richard, but in reality, they just treated him as a puppet.
Even so, Albert still had some affection for Richard.
After all, Richard was his adopted son, and Richard greatly respected him as a Cardinal.
Whenever he thought of Richard’s untimely death, Albert’s white beard burned like a white flame, raging with anger.
At the meeting, he announced in a suppressed voice:
“Yesterday, the Son, Richard, died unexpectedly.”
“According to our investigation, he did not die from any drug.”
“He was murdered, and he died with a grievance!”
“This is a great loss for humanity.”
Suddenly, he looked at the Saintess sitting at the back and asked in a half-questioning, half-angry tone:
“Miss Saintess was also present at the scene. May I ask, Miss Saintess, what are your thoughts on this?”
“I heard Bishop Lei was also there,” a Holy Knight’s voice said.
“Why did the Son die in front of the Saintess? Is this reasonable?” This was another Holy Knight’s voice.
The questioning continued, as if they had rehearsed it beforehand.
Then, Albert’s entire body began to erupt with a powerful pressure.
His level 88 light attribute power was a rare elite in the human world. Highly respected in the theocratic nation, he had always been a role model for the Holy Knights.
Hearing the words “Bishop Lei,” the Holy Knights’ gazes all shifted to Reina.
—They all seemed to think that Reina was the murderer.
Reina, however, felt relaxed and at ease.
Ever since she was a trainee nun, many Holy Knights had caused her trouble.
And those poor fellows, without exception, were all burned to ashes, becoming the best nutrients and fertilizer for the grass.
Clearly, Albert had been inciting the Holy Knights for a long time, intending to teach Reina a lesson.
As long as the Saintess, under pressure, told the truth, they could arrest Reina on the spot, throw her in prison, and even burn her at the stake as a witch.
Therefore, this so-called meeting was just a “trap.”
Seeing that Agnes was still hesitating, Cardinal Albert continued:
“Miss Saintess, during this time, you have arbitrarily appointed a bishop. You have used the authority given to you by the Pope to act recklessly.”
“That battle was a success because of Bishop Lei. How can it be called an arbitrary appointment?” Agnes stood up, her eyes, which were once full of hope, now somewhat dimmed.
“Wasn’t that the Goddess of Light’s instruction?” The Cardinal suddenly slammed the table and said angrily, “You’re denying the contributions of all the other clergy who participated in the battle!”
“How can a battle be a one-person affair?”
“Didn’t the Pope teach you about military strategy? If it weren’t for the Son, Richard’s tactics and authority, how could we have achieved such a victory?”
“The farce should end, Miss Saintess.”
“Tell us, who killed Richard? Who killed our Son, the future Pope?”
The Saintess was speechless for a moment.
Because what Albert said was completely contrary to the actual situation.
That battle against the orcs wasn’t about any so-called “military strategy.”
On the surface, it was Reina leading the priests to fight with great prowess.
But the Saintess had seen with her own eyes that it was the priests who were fighting with great prowess—because they were very worried about Bishop Lei’s safety.
As for Bishop Lei, she was like walking through an empty field.
She had completely annihilated them.
But this fact was only known to those priests who had participated in the battle and herself. If she explained it on the table, it wouldn’t be believed.
Bishop Lei was just such a miraculous existence.
At the same time, Reina felt more gazes on her.
Those priests were originally on Reina’s side, but because they had agreed on something beforehand, they didn’t intend to clash with the Holy Knights here.
Reina’s expression remained unchanged, her gaze fixed forward.
She was waiting for the Saintess’s statement.
And when the Saintess spoke, everyone was shocked.
“I killed Richard.”
The Saintess’s words were completely unexpected to everyone, except for Reina, who smiled faintly.
“Are you still trying to protect Bishop Lei at this point?”
Albert’s beard danced like tentacles, representing his uncontrollable anger. The wrinkles on his aged face instantly bunched together, and his bloodshot eyes were determined to tear the Saintess to pieces.
—How long is she going to obstruct me?
But the Saintess said sternly:
“Richard was colluding with the demons to obtain the position of Pope. Because of his greed, he attacked Bishop Lei. To stop this traitor, I killed him myself.”
“The theocratic nation does not allow traitors. Betraying humanity is absolutely not allowed.”
“I have sufficient evidence to prove that the Son colluded with the demons.”
Saying that, the Saintess threw out a book with light magic. Whether it was fabricated or real, she had produced evidence that could convince everyone. These were the charges she had prepared overnight against Richard.
The Cardinal took the document and began to read it, his beard naturally drooping.
He was speechless.
Seeing Albert so serious, the Holy Knights also stopped their inflammatory remarks.
“Bishop Albert, this also concerns your unauthorized development of drugs and your willingness to let humans suffer from serious diseases for the sake of profit. Even the Goddess of Light cannot purify your filth.”
The Saintess shook her head and stood up, intending to leave the church.
And just then, Reina touched her ring finger, and all the priests, as if receiving a signal, stood up in unison and followed the Saintess out of the church—they were all Reina’s succubi.
The meeting ended abruptly. The Holy Knights looked at each other, angry but unable to speak.
