novelraw Chapter 113: Hiding My True Strength? Even in My Limit Form, My Deathsworn Will Kill for You to See!
Chapter 113: Hiding My True Strength? Even in My Limit Form, My Deathsworn Will Kill for You to See!
Chapter 113: Hiding My True Strength? Even in My Limit Form, My Deathsworn Will Kill for You to See!
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A Traitor Among Us!
The sudden voice of the Vice Commander sliced cleanly through the tense silence.
Rennie’s gaze snapped toward him, her vigilance instantly raised to the utmost.
“Uh… me?”
Standing before her was a burly man in his thirties, clad head-to-toe in the heavy armor of a Retribution Knight, a long spear gripped firmly in his hand. By appearance alone, he seemed the very embodiment of a steadfast pillar of the Order.
Ever since the outbreak of the Evil God’s invasion, Commander Alfron had left the Holy See, pursuing cultists beyond the imperial capital on his own. In his absence, command of the Retribution Knights stationed within the Holy See had fallen to the two Vice Commanders.
The man before her was one of them—a top-tier Transcendent, having reached the pinnacle of Level 70 and awakened the [Legacy] of Goddess Alicia.
Yet, confronted by such a question, he looked completely bewildered, as if the meaning hadn’t even registered.“I don’t have any questions to ask.”
“But you spoke up just now. Wasn’t that because you needed clarification on some detail of the mission?”
The Secretary’s gaze was sharp, never wavering. At a time like this, anyone who spoke out of turn immediately became suspicious—if not a traitor, then at least someone probing for weaknesses.
“No… I just wanted them to keep quiet,” Vice Commander Guga replied, his tone earnest as he realized the misunderstanding. “Since this mission is under strict secrecy, if there’s anything we need to know, I trust you, Secretary, will inform us.”
“As Vice Commander of the Retribution Knights, my duty is simply to carry out Her Holiness’s orders. There’s no need for me to ask unnecessary questions.”
His answer rang with conviction—without a hint of deceit.
He was simply maintaining order, not fishing for information.
Rennie withdrew her gaze. Loyalty to Her Holiness was reassuring, but it was far from enough to clear him of suspicion. At this moment, the entire Holy See could be riddled with traitors.
Let alone Vice Commander Guga—right now, Rennie didn’t even fully trust herself!
“Does anyone else have any questions?”
She swept her eyes across the room.
A heavy, suffocating silence descended. With Guga setting the tone, even if the Retribution Knights were curious, their questions died in their throats.
No one dared speak out of turn.
“Hm…”
The absence of questions was, in fact, not a good sign for Rennie. Today’s main objective was to flush out the traitor. But now, with no one probing for information, it was as if the mole had vanished without a trace.
“If there are no questions, then form up. We move out.”
There was no time to waste. With the knights assembled, Rennie made her decision and issued the order to depart.
Just keep a close watch on them en route. As long as no one slips away to leak information, we’ll be fine.
At the same time, she reminded herself: Guga must be told—during the watch, no Retribution Knight is to leave the group without permission. If anything happens, it must be reported immediately.
If there’s no information leak, all the better. But if there is, and none of the knights left the scene, then it’ll be time to thoroughly investigate Vice Commander Guga!
A flawless plan, if I do say so myself.
This is Secretary Rennie’s way of rooting out traitors.
“Vice Commander Guga, I’m putting you in charge of this escort mission.”
“Understood! Move out!”
Completely unaware of any suspicion, Guga nodded vigorously. With his resolute command, the Retribution Knights quickly formed up and slipped away on their secret assignment.
Yet what Rennie did not realize was—
Somewhere in the depths of the Holy See, in a shadowed corner—
A young woman, her face unfamiliar and clearly a recent addition to the Holy See, watched the departing Retribution Knights and Secretary Rennie from afar. She couldn’t help but mutter under her breath.
“Both the Retribution Knights and the Secretary are mobilizing?”
She was too far away to catch the specifics of their conversation, but for both groups to move at once—it had to be something major.
“So that means, on Her Holiness’s side…”
She cast a furtive glance toward the quarters of Her Holiness. A glint of cunning flashed in her eyes.
What was happening within the Holy See was, of course, beyond Rennie’s knowledge.
Once the Retribution Knights had entered mission mode, Rennie herself quietly slipped away—unnoticed—ascending to the highest vantage nearby: the bell tower.
“Hmm… nothing seems out of the ordinary.”
Night gradually fell.
The Imperial Capital’s Magic Academy, usually considered a safe haven, had become a silent fortress. With the Retribution Knights secretly stationed throughout the area, the Church’s influence had quietly crept into every corner.
Everything appeared normal. The Retribution Knights showed no suspicious signs, no hint of ill intent. Hidden in the shadows, Rennie frowned as she watched.
In truth, there was little foot traffic near the Magic Academy. From the beginning, the area had been designed with security in mind: shops were forbidden, merchant caravans barred, and—except for the nobility—common carriages were not allowed near.
Now, those very restrictions made surveillance much easier.
But even as night deepened, Rennie found nothing amiss.
Could it be… the traitor isn’t among the Retribution Knights mobilized tonight?
There were simply too many clergy within the Holy See. Rooting out a traitor among them would not be easy.
Rennie kept her eyes fixed on her surroundings, but drowsiness crept in, no matter how she fought it.
These days, her duties as Secretary had been anything but easy. Supporting Her Holiness, especially with the investigation into the Holy See’s supply stores for Lin Wei, had drained her mentally and physically. Just compiling and tallying the data had probably cost her more brain cells than she could count.
If the Holy See hadn’t truly run out of other candidates, she sometimes thought she should suggest the Pope hire a part-time scribe. Then again, wasn’t the title of “Sole Secretary” much more prestigious?
“So tired… I really can’t keep my eyes open.”
“Maybe I should nap for a bit, then resume surveillance in a few hours?”
She could practically fall asleep crouched right here. Better to rest now and return around midnight. After all, even if someone wanted to sneak off and pass information, it was unlikely to happen this early in the night.
A glance at her pocket watch—barely ten o’clock.
Rennie rubbed her eyes and made up her mind.
“I’ll check in with Guga and have him keep an eye on the Retribution Knights.”
“Ugh… If only my level were higher. If I had the knights’ stamina, I could pull all-nighters without a problem.”
With that thought, Rennie slowly climbed down from the lonely bell tower and made her way toward Vice Commander Guga’s post.
◇
Late night.
The Duke Ous Estate.
“You’re telling me… all the amplification potions destined for the front lines have already been completed?”
Even Duke Ous could not conceal his shock as he received the latest intelligence. His eyes widened in disbelief.
Not long ago, he had personally written to Wilma, the head alchemist at the Royal Noble Magic Academy, demanding they reclaim the contract to defend noble honor. When he later heard their team had failed and even lost a wager, he hadn’t thought much of it.
After all, nearly every skilled alchemist near the Imperial Capital had already been recruited by the Royal Noble Magic Academy. Even if the Magic Academy managed to use their teleportation array to find help from across the country, recruiting talent in unfamiliar territory would cost time and effort.
And the cost would be immense. The issue wasn’t whether the contract would lose money—just operating the teleportation array would consume enough resources to warrant an official investigation into whether the Magic Academy was colluding with nobles for personal profit.
Yet the reality he now heard was utterly absurd.
“In just one day… no, barely half a day, all the amplification potions were prepared.”
“And not only that—the Retribution Knights have been secretly deployed. Judging by the level of secrecy, it’s clear Her Holiness suspects we have eyes among them… Is it that Lin Wei fellow again?”
A cold flicker of killing intent flashed in Duke Ous’s eyes.
From their very first meeting, and through every scheme that had been thwarted since, Lin Wei had become a persistent thorn in his side.
Even if Lin Wei was favored by Perseus and cherished by the daughter of the Griffin Duke, at this point, he had to be eliminated—no matter the cost.
“He’s living right on the border between Bellon Street and St. Bocarra Street.”
“And… he’s still hiding his true strength.”
The confirmation was delivered with a slow, deliberate nod from the informant.
Duke Ous let out a cold chuckle, gesturing for his butler to summon his men.
“Though we suffered heavy losses ambushing Commander Alfron, at this point, I have no choice but to play one of my three trump cards.”
“Send word to Fred—have him lead his team. Even now, the former Shadowstream Assassins can crush a newly-ascended Transcendent at the limit with ease.”
“I want to see just how much power that Lin Wei brat is still hiding!”