Chapter 437

Chapter 60 Hesitation

The night was serene.

In the northern part of Order Imperial City, near the lower reaches of the Saber River, shops lined the streets. Goods transported by water were bustling in and out of the docks. The riverbank was brightly lit, with ships unloading heavy wooden crates one after another. Workers and managers were busy coming and going, creating a lively yet hectic scene.

On the stone steps a few dozen meters away from the riverbank, a young girl sat cross-legged, holding an umbrella in her arms. She rested her chin on her hand, with half a plate of sliced honeydew melon beside her. She took a bite of the melon with her right hand, chewing thoughtfully while watching the people bustling about. Her eyes seemed somewhat lazy, as if she were sleepy or just waking up, but in reality, she was deep in thought. After a moment, she pouted her lips and spat out several melon seeds with a “pfft pfft pfft.”

The melon seeds flew three to four meters ahead, landing in the crevices of the stone beach. The girl noticed this and frowned, seemingly dissatisfied. She took another large bite of the melon, puffing out her cheeks as she chewed quickly, her eyes fixed on the stone beach. She swallowed the melon flesh and juice with a “gulping” sound, then took a deep breath, tilting her head back—

Pfft!

A few melon seeds flew out of her mouth, landing two to three meters farther than before, outside the perimeter of the stone beach, almost disappearing into the night.

She was finally satisfied.

But before the sweet smile could fully spread across her face, she remembered something that worried her. Her expression tightened immediately, her brows furrowing as she bit into the melon again, sinking back into her thoughts.

Today, when I saw Angel, he told me some not-so-good news.

“The situation in Silgayea… might not be as smooth as we imagined.”

When he saw me, he seemed distracted, though he still had that relaxed demeanor. Unlike before, he didn’t start with the usual irritating nonsense; he got straight to the point.

“A group of rather abnormal troublemakers came. The leader among them made me a bit uneasy… I never expected it to be him, the madman who caused chaos across Eastland twenty years ago and has been missing for so long. He’s the most troublesome figure at the Door of Truth. I remember shortly after the Archdemon died, that madman was severely injured in a battle with Mr. Ryan. Since then, he hasn’t appeared again. We all thought he was dead…”

“The news just reached me. If what they say is true, things will get complicated. That madman acts without restraint, and his destructive power even surpasses the Abyss… I’m worried that the people we’ve sent there won’t be enough to handle the situation. But now, the Church has many issues to address: the stability of the Imperial City, the stability of Valen Empire, the internal consumption after Nero’s death will continue for a long time, and a new cardinal hasn’t been chosen yet. Many tasks have been put on hold, and there was a plague outbreak in the southwest recently… There are too many troubles, and I can’t spare more people. So, I plan to go myself, departing in two days.”

“As for you… My advice is to stay quietly in the Imperial City. To be honest, I’m not afraid of you getting angry, but after your battle with Nero, you consumed the Sinfire. You now possess new powers beyond the Abyss, bestowed by the Goddess of Sin… No, they should be called divine powers, the source of divine strength. Such divine powers don’t come from rituals of grace, where we seek miracles through faith, nor do they require the sacrifice of life like the Door of Truth does, burning blood to gain power not originally yours.”

“Little Black Charcoal, you used the characteristics of the Abyss, or perhaps surpassed them, directly drawing on the ‘medium’ within divine relics. This is unprecedented. In a sense, your existence itself is a miracle… I know this sounds confusing, and it’s hard to understand, but that’s the truth. None of us understand how it happened. You just ate the relic and turned yourself into one… Uh, I’m not insulting you.”

“What I mean is, you are now a thinking, moving divine relic. Your body has become an excellent carrier, possibly even better than the ‘dragon bone,’ and you possess divine power, though it’s insignificant compared to the great beings.”

“But this is the direction the Door of Truth has always sought.”

“No one can say for sure what problems this direction might bring… because everything is unknown. You understand that, right? The heretics haven’t succeeded, and even if they did, the Church knows nothing about it. Although I haven’t mentioned it, I’ve been observing you and learning about your situation in the academy. I know you seem fine, everything normal, yes, that’s how it appears.”

“Maybe you think everything is okay, but as the Pope, I have to consider more carefully. You’re not yet ‘safe’… This word might make you uncomfortable, but I’m telling you the truth, Little Black Charcoal. This is why I haven’t left the Imperial City.”

“I worry you might run into trouble, and if you do, there are very few people in the Church who can handle it without truly harming you unless absolutely necessary… bluntly speaking, only I can. Margaret might want to help, but she’s not good at dealing with these matters and can’t withstand your full power.”

“I tell you this and don’t restrict your actions because I hope we can remain in our current honeymoon phase… No matter what you think, I am

You considered me as one of your own. I don’t want there to be any grudges between us. To put it bluntly, I believe that managing our relationship with emotions is much more effective and reliable than relying on harsh measures, and in fact, the Church finds it difficult to take any harsh actions against you.”

“If we were to put this nicely, it’s because I don’t have the stubbornness or excessive caution of those old conservatives, nor their arrogance and pride. I think we could be friends, very good friends, even close enough to share a bed. It’s not out of the question.”

After he said that, I lunged across the table and beat him up.

“…Considering all these factors, according to reason, I should leave now and take you with me. But just like my concerns, you’ve already stepped onto the path of the Truth Gate, seeking but never quite grasping it. If they knew about this, and found out that you’ve consumed the power of a deity, then what might happen in the future… You can imagine, right? The heretics would stop at nothing, all their efforts directed straight at you, even towards your family and friends.”

“So my advice to you is to stay in the capital city… I know your worries, you’re concerned about the safety of that village, but I hope you can leave things to me. Stay quietly in the capital, go to school obediently, such an environment would be better for you, rather than rushing to Silgaya to fight to the death with a group of madmen. After I leave, if anything unexpected happens, go find Queen Elizabeth. I will instruct her, she knows what to do… Actually, she has asked me some questions after she woke up that day… about you.”

“She’s a smart woman; it’s hard to hide things from her, so I’ve revealed some… Don’t be afraid, don’t worry, she thinks you only gained the power of the Abyss in an accident, nothing more, I guarantee it.”

“Thinking back, that woman’s attitude toward you… was strange. I don’t know why, but I felt it, felt like she cared for you like a girl cherishing her beloved, which isn’t her style, yet it made me feel… Oh, saying too much.”

“In short, that’s how things stand. There hasn’t been any bad news from Silgaya for now, which is something to be glad about, but it’s only temporary. On the Mosley coast, there are two Papal Knights, one of whom is nearly at the top tier, not inferior to Carlos either, perhaps only slightly lacking in technique, but more ruthless, a hero who has come out of a pile of corpses. Although she lacks experience in fighting heretics, with her around, things shouldn’t be too bad.”

“There’s something very important. The blood bead you mentioned seems to have fallen into the hands of the Truth Gate. The Archbishop guarding the northeast coast couldn’t stop the enemy, which is what worries me most now, because it’s an unknown variable. What they plan to do with it, when they’ll act, and how much turmoil it will cause in West Continent, are all unpredictable. Therefore, I have to set off personally to take charge. In the worst-case scenario, we might engage in a fierce battle in Woodward Forest. If our speculation is correct, they will definitely bring the blood bead there, and no matter what those madmen intend to do, we must prevent them from succeeding, otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable.”

“But for Silgaya, that might be a disaster…”

…………

I sat by the riverside for almost three hours, repeating Angel’s words in my head.

He didn’t want me to go there, I understood and respected his thoughts.

As the Pope of the Holy Church, he didn’t want me to lose control due to uncertain and uncontrollable factors, he didn’t want me to take this risk, let alone let those heretics know about my existence, knowing that their inhumane experiments were actually effective.

And as his friend, Angel naturally didn’t want me to take risks to confront those fearless madmen. He hoped that I could remain in such a comfortable and peaceful environment, facing ordinary people every day, living with them, which would keep me calm, reducing the risk of losing control.

Because no one, including myself, knew exactly what my current situation was. Since we don’t know, the best way is to maintain the status quo.

Clearly, Angel thought the same way, worried that I would rush over upon hearing the news, so he chose to inform me in advance and expressed his thoughts, persuading me to stay here.

I hesitated.

Not about whether to go or not—I had to go.

To ensure the safety of Grandma and Barry, to face those inhumane heretics, let them taste the sweetness of Captain Gray, then ask if it’s good.

Then find an opportunity to capture a live prisoner, inquire about the woman known as Dr. Romanie, and clarify the experiments.

Angel understood my intentions.

So before leaving, he added some words to me.

“There are still two days left, think about it carefully. If you feel it’s necessary to go, come to the church the day after tomorrow in the morning, we’ll set off together… but you have to promise me.”

When he said this, his gaze was unusually serious.

“Whatever happens, you can’t leave my sight, and don’t use the power of the Truth Gate. Preferably, don’t even use the chaotic power. If you have to use it… then you know what to do.”

What I hesitated about was this.