novelraw Chapter 91: Don’t Panic—Let Me Help Your Useless Pope Save Face!
Chapter 91: Don’t Panic—Let Me Help Your Useless Pope Save Face!
Chapter 91: Don’t Panic—Let Me Help Your Useless Pope Save Face!
👹
The battle that erupted last night had been brief.
By the time Lin Wei returned home, the distant flares of energy lighting up the sky had already faded, the chaos settling into silence.
Technically, he could have reached out with his magic to sense the aftermath of the distant battlefield. But the risk of exposing himself was too great—a temptation he quickly suppressed.
As a result, his sleep that night was anything but restful.
“Haah… Still a bit tired.”
Rubbing the corners of his eyes, Lin Wei shuffled into the bathroom to wash up.
Outside, the sky was just beginning to pale, the first hints of dawn creeping over the horizon.
Normally, he would have slept in, lazing about until nine before dragging himself out of bed. But after what happened last night, he couldn’t afford such a luxury. No matter what, he had to get up early and head out—to see what rumors were swirling through the city.“Nobles, the Holy See, and the Cult of the Evil God… all three locked in a brawl.”
“If I didn’t have to worry about getting caught in the crossfire, I’d have jumped at the chance for a sneak attack. No matter who died out there, it would’ve been a win for me… What a shame I missed it.”
He couldn’t help but regret missing such a thrilling opportunity.
Especially that so-called Duke Ous—wasn’t he the one who made his Veya cry at the scene last time?
If he ever got the chance, he’d make sure to give that guy a proper beating—left and right, no holding back.
But there was no use lamenting what couldn’t be changed.
Knock, knock, knock.
Just then—
A sudden knock echoed at the front door.
“Huh?”
Honestly, ever since moving to the imperial capital, unexpected visitors had become a lot more common. But who would show up at this hour? Could it be Veya, worried about him and coming by to check in?
“Coming!”
With that hopeful thought, Lin Wei hurried over to open the door.
Unfortunately, as soon as he caught sight of his visitor, his expectations deflated almost visibly.
“Oh, it’s the secretary.”
“Good morning.”
It was the same secretary he’d met just the day before.
But unlike her cold, businesslike demeanor from yesterday, today she seemed to be in unusually high spirits. Despite the lingering fatigue on her face, there was a hint of smugness in her expression. Even her tone carried an edge of barely suppressed pride.
Wait—are you secretly a member of the Cult of the Evil God or something?
Lin Wei couldn’t help but grumble inwardly.
The imperial capital had just come under attack, so why did she look so pleased with herself?
“Good morning, Mr. Lin Wei.”
After realizing her own importance—and the fact that she’d caught the Pope’s personal attention—the secretary no longer cared about this mere adventurer, who was only being used out of necessity.
The man who’d made her so angry yesterday no longer seemed to matter. Today, the secretary had abandoned the Holy See’s usual dignified reserve; her tone held a distinct note of cheerfulness.
She handed Lin Wei a stack of documents and a sealed letter, making sure to explain the details of his assignment.
“These are the latest market reports you requested, along with a reply from Miss Veya.”
“I’ll be returning to the Holy See in ten minutes. If you have anything you’d like me to pass along, just write a note and give it to me.”
“I’ll deliver it to Miss Veya myself.”
She was definitely chattier than yesterday.
Lin Wei, however, hardly noticed. The moment he heard there was a letter from his wife, the fatigue in his eyes vanished, replaced by a spark of energy.
“Thank you, Miss Secretary.”
“I’ll read her letter now. Give me just a moment and I’ll write a reply.”
The letter’s contents were simple.
First, the battle last night hadn’t affected her—she was still working safely at the Holy See.
Everything was fine. He didn’t need to worry, as long as he kept up with his own work.
Second, there was a message from the so-called “useless Pope,” asking her to pass something along.
Every request Lin Wei had made in his previous letter had been approved and would soon be put into action.
Whether it was having the Pope contact Grand Commander Meilin, or launching a discreet investigation into the missing supplies once Lin Wei finished his market research…
Or even tightening border controls in the imperial capital and investigating whether a large sum of gold had been funneled in through special channels.
Of course, that last one had just been a spur-of-the-moment suggestion—what really mattered was having the Pope convince Grand Commander Meilin to help investigate the Northern Countries. That way, Lin Wei could save himself the trouble of cashing in a favor with her later.
“Oh, right, Miss Rennie, did something actually happen in the capital last night?”
He flipped open the market report, turning straight to the section on potion sales. Zeroing in on the locations where supplies had gone missing, Lin Wei began to cross-reference the seemingly ordinary market data with what he remembered.
At the same time, he couldn’t resist using the opportunity to satisfy his curiosity.
“Mm.”
The Pope had already told the secretary that if Lin Wei asked about last night, she could answer him directly. So, without hesitation, she relayed what she knew.
“Last night, a high priest from the Cult of the Evil God attacked the noble district.”
“There weren’t many casualties, but a significant number of buildings—including Duke Ous’s estate—were damaged.”
“As for Grand Commander Alfron, who happened to be on the scene, he left the capital to pursue the cultist. His current status is unknown… Her Holiness is waiting for Grand Commander Meilin, who’s investigating the scene, to send back her report.”
The lack of serious casualties didn’t surprise Lin Wei.
But Grand Commander Alfron leaving the capital to chase a cultist? That bit of intel sounded a little off.
“Is Duke Ous still alive?” Lin Wei asked after a moment’s thought.
His eyes scanned the page, instantly picking out several suspicious data points.
He circled them with his pen, his mind slipping effortlessly into a dual-track mode—analyzing the numbers while keeping up the conversation.
“His Grace the Duke is unharmed… In fact, he’s already rallied a few nobles and plans to use today’s incident to hold the Pope accountable before the Holy See.”
The secretary let out a regretful sigh.
The ones who deserved it most always survived. Instead, a few of the righteous Judgement Knights had reportedly been injured in the chaos.
No matter how you looked at it, that was a disappointing outcome.
“Well, that really is a shame,” Lin Wei replied, his tone half-mocking.
“So, that means only Grand Commander Meilin and the Pope are at the Holy See today?”
He closed the market report, looking up suddenly.
In just a few minutes, he’d already identified every anomaly buried in the piles of data. But right now, what really caught his attention wasn’t the theft—it was the nobles, gearing up to storm the Holy See for another round of finger-pointing.
“I heard that the last time the nobles came to demand answers, the Pope was left… scrambling like a—like a stray… cat?”
“Anyway, her performance was apparently so bad that, if Grand Commander Meilin hadn’t stepped in, it would’ve been a complete disaster, right?”
He’d originally meant to warn her to watch her words, but faced with Lin Wei’s odd analogy, Rennie’s lips twitched. In the end, she just nodded, tacitly agreeing.
“So, what’s the plan for today’s inquisition?” Lin Wei pressed. “Has your Pope come up with any tactics? Is she ready to fight back this time?”
“Or is it going to be just like last time—head down, taking the scolding, looking totally useless by the end of it?”