Demon Bible

Chapter 222: Governance

Isabella watched the contemplating Saint Child for a moment before turning on her heel and walking away.

Along the way, Isabella's brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

By the time she arrived at the Church, her frown had vanished, leaving nothing but absolute resolve on her face.

She had figured it all out.

If Nemus had merely been wearing a mask all this time, his true nature was entirely different from the facade he presented to the world.

In that case, the man she had fallen for was not the real Nemus, but merely a phantom of her own imagination.

The person she had chosen, the one she cherished, was someone who shared her ideals, held a genuine compassion for the common people, and possessed outstanding qualities.

Since Nemus was faking it, he was not the man she loved.

Stripped of those personal feelings of affection, she had to cast aside all her past emotions. Right now, she needed to treat Nemus as a prime suspect, rather than a man she had once shared an ambiguous romance with.

Once she established this mindset, Isabella began to seriously analyze every possibility.'First, regarding the matter with Nels, there is currently no concrete evidence for anything.'

Zoven's entire family was murdered by unknown assailants.

The Ope Merchant Guild had never acknowledged any ties with Nemus. Everything so far was purely rumor, and there was a real possibility that it was all false.

The incidents in Finback Village were merely her own speculations based on a few scattered clues, lacking any factual basis.

As for the situation with Cici Marie, even Bain was only a suspect, let alone Nemus.

Then there were the other various issues surrounding Nemus, which were basically just baseless gossip, equally devoid of substantive proof.

In other words, purely from an evidentiary standpoint, Nemus was clean.

Her previous obsession, stubbornly searching for flaws in Nemus's armor, had been heavily influenced by her personal feelings.

She had felt betrayed, yet a part of her secretly hoped she would find nothing wrong, proving that Nemus was innocent after all.

However, after detaching herself from those private emotions, Isabella realized that even though Nemus seemed flawless on the surface, she absolutely could not drop her suspicions.

Simply in terms of probability, Nemus's connection to all these events was far too strong.

The chances of him just happening to be involved in all of this while remaining completely innocent were abysmally low.

'There are two possibilities. One is that Nemus truly has no issues, and he only appears tied to everything because he is gathering the Historical Number.'

'The other possibility is that Nemus is the mastermind behind it all, but he pays extreme attention to detail when executing his schemes, wiping away every trace of evidence.'

Isabella pondered calmly. If it was the former, then great. Her even-handed investigation would actually end up helping Nemus. She could resume her personal affections once she confirmed his innocence.

If it was the latter, Isabella would lament falling for an illusion, but it would still be a good thing. She would have rooted out a massive parasite from the Church—a situation she was perfectly willing to accept.

With that, Isabella made her decision.

'Investigate. I will thoroughly investigate everything related to Nels!' With this thought in mind, Isabella stepped into the Church and headed straight for Nemus's office.

Seeing Nemus busy reviewing official documents, Isabella immediately reported the situation in the prison. Using that single matter as a springboard, she proposed a comprehensive investigation into the internal corruption within the Church and handed over a formal application.

Nemus scrutinized the application carefully before looking up at Isabella, who was standing opposite him.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling upon her fair complexion and making her golden hair shine with a brilliant luster.

Yet, at this moment, her face was devoid of any other emotion. Her composed expression formed a stark contrast with the warm evening sun, making the vibrant glow in her eyes all the more captivating.

Seeing Isabella like this, Nemus smiled.

That genuine, heartfelt joy caught Isabella slightly off guard. "Congratulations, Isabella," Nemus offered a baffling congratulation.

But Isabella knew exactly what he meant. He was congratulating her for breaking free from her emotional turmoil and recognizing her true inner desires.

To treat her private feelings seriously, yet no longer drown in them.

At this moment, even Isabella's Attribute Value experienced a slight increase.

Simultaneously, Nemus was acutely aware of one thing: although she claimed to be investigating the Church's internal corruption, her real target was him.

Given the Church's current situation, if Nemus had ulterior motives, it was impossible for him not to act.

As long as she investigated, a myriad of hidden issues would inevitably be dragged into the light.

Thus, Nemus dropped his smile and looked Isabella dead in the eye.

"However, I cannot approve your application."

"You have overstepped your bounds."

"Internal audits are the duty of the Judgment Hall. You cannot expand your authority across the entire Church simply because you reformed the Redemption Department."

"That is highly irresponsible toward the stability of the entire Church!"

His reasoning was perfectly sound, yet his entire aura felt completely different to Isabella now.

Previously, when Isabella wanted to reform the Redemption Department or undertake any other initiative, the feedback she received from Nemus had been drastically different.

From this subtle shift in his attitude toward her, it was basically confirmed: Nemus was actively opposing her.

She stared at Nemus, absorbing his explicit rejection and sensing the shift in his attitude.

Isabella understood in that instant: this was not a slip in Nemus's disguise.

Rather, after noticing her transformation, Nemus had chosen to stop pretending.

In that regard, Nemus truly understood her.

Since her mind was completely made up, no amount of disguise or misdirection from Nemus would be of any use.

Therefore, seeing him drop the act, Isabella could fundamentally confirm that Nemus was her enemy.

Isabella's gaze sharpened. She stared right at Nemus and declared with absolute certainty, "I will keep investigating. I will uncover every hidden problem."

"Get authorization first, then we'll talk." Nemus tossed the application back onto his desk, no longer bothering to look at Isabella.

Isabella picked up the application. She took one long, deep look at the man who had now shed most of his disguise, placed the document back down on the desk, and turned to leave.

Her visit today, and this very application, had essentially become a declaration of war.

This was now a battlefield. She would use everything in her power to dig up Nemus's secrets, purge his kind from the ranks of the Church, and deliver the justice he deserved.

No matter how difficult the path ahead, she would see it through. She needed to further enhance her own strength and seize even more authority.

Only with power could she support her grand vision for reforming the Church.

'And right now, what I need most are more supporters,' Isabella thought to herself.

At this moment, her choice of allies was already abundantly clear.

The Governance Faction!