novelraw Chapter 94: Has the Useless Pope Suddenly Become a Different Person?
Chapter 94: Has the Useless Pope Suddenly Become a Different Person?
Chapter 94: Has the Useless Pope Suddenly Become a Different Person?
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“Secretary?”
No one had expected her to appear at the assembly at such a critical moment.
For Veya, who had been under suffocating pressure, the sight of the secretary brought an immediate wave of relief. Seizing this unexpected reprieve, she scrambled to compose herself and search for a countermeasure.
“What is it?”
“I’ve brought the adventurer’s reply.”
Rennie handed the letter Lin Wei had written to the Pope.
Her voice was soft, but her eyes brimmed with shock.
She had overheard every accusation the nobles had hurled at the Pope outside the hall—and astonishingly, it was exactly as that adventurer, Lin Wei, had predicted.The nobles’ questions matched his warnings to the letter: they were using this opportunity to demand investigative authority over the Evil God Cultists.
Amid her shock, Rennie also felt a surge of hope.
If he could foresee all this, perhaps Lin Wei truly had a way to resolve the crisis.
With even Commander Meilin absent, there was nothing left but to trust him.
Recalling Lin Wei’s instructions, Rennie took a deep breath and continued in a low voice:
“The adventurer foresaw that Your Holiness would be questioned by the nobles. He instructed me to deliver this letter directly to Miss Veya and have her read it at once. He’s written a detailed strategy inside.”
With her message delivered, Rennie stepped back, her gaze sweeping coldly over the assembly.
Her expression was as icy as frost. No matter the pressure from the nobles, she would defend the Pope’s dignity to the end.
A counterstrategy!?
Lin Wei actually prepared something like this for me!
Veya, who had just been driven to the brink of despair, felt her heart leap at those words.
The anger and anxiety that had been festering within her finally began to ebb the moment she heard Lin Wei’s name.
She hurriedly tore open the letter and began to read. As promised, its contents matched Secretary Rennie’s words, line for line.
To: My dearest Veya
By the time you read this letter, that useless Pope is probably already being interrogated by the nobles.
If that’s the case, there’s no need to overthink things. Just hand this letter to her and have her respond according to its contents. If it’s reached the point where the nobles are demanding equal authority with the Judgement Knights—
No matter what’s being discussed at the moment, have her publicly request a little time to think things over... Then follow the instructions in my reply, step by step!
Lin Wei had actually foreseen everything that would happen today?
Back at the inn, she had sensed that Lin Wei understood a thing or two about political intrigue, but she never imagined he could predict the situation with such precision.
Veya’s mind swirled with uncertainty, but there was no time left for hesitation.
She would trust her husband—and place her future in his hands.
“These matters... I need two minutes to think.”
“Think? After all that’s happened, what is there for Pope Selena to hesitate about?”
Duke Ous, having finally seized the initiative, was clearly unwilling to let her delay.
Faced with the Pope’s obvious attempt to stall and search for an excuse, Duke Ous cut her off without hesitation.
“The attack on the imperial capital by the Cult of the Evil God is an undeniable fact. Since Your Holiness just declared your willingness to take full responsibility, what possible objection could you have to the Empire forming its own teams for protection?”
He fixed her with a sharp, threatening glare, pressing his accusation further.
“Or is the Holy See simply paying lip service to the nobles, with no real intention of shouldering any responsibility?”
“If that’s the case, perhaps the entire citizenry of the capital ought to hear what’s happened and judge for themselves whether the Holy See has acted properly!”
By all expectations, this was the moment when that useless Pope should have faltered—hesitant, flustered, and conflicted.
After all, she would never allow the Holy See’s dignity to be trampled—no matter the cost.
And yet, what happened next left the previously confident Duke Ous utterly stunned.
“So eager for an answer from the Holy See, Duke Ous—could it be that you’re feeling guilty about something?”
“Or perhaps... did you have a hand in yesterday’s attack on the capital?”
What!?
Even Veya herself was startled by the words that escaped her lips.
But seeing Duke Ous—who had been so arrogant a moment ago—suddenly freeze, she felt a rush of exhilaration, the pent-up frustration inside her giving way to satisfaction.
Without hesitation, she continued reading Lin Wei’s letter for the next step.
“Pope Selena, what are you saying?”
What’s going on with her? Since when did this Pope dare to openly challenge me?
This is nothing like the timid figure I remember!
Suddenly accused of colluding with the Cult of the Evil God, Duke Ous—the true mastermind behind the scenes—was momentarily thrown off balance.
Fortunately, his years of wielding power allowed him to recover quickly. He straightened, once again projecting an air of intimidation as he tried to reassert control.
“The nobles’ residential district was the target of the cult’s attack last night. I myself was caught in the chaos. My own estate was nearly destroyed! And now you dare suggest I had anything to do with the invasion? This is an outrageous insult to the dignity of a Duke of the Empire!”
“Oh? The destruction of your estate hardly proves anything... After all, while the Holy See’s clergy are responsible for external security checks, imperial nobles aren’t forbidden from bringing their own people into the capital.”
Yet all his bluster and threats were effortlessly swept aside by a single calm question.
“I heard the Imperial Capital’s Magic Academy was attacked by the cult last night as well. And among the attackers... wasn’t there a Viscount Montoya?”
Where did that information come from? Even I didn’t know about it!
Veya herself was stunned by the revelation, but there was no time to ponder it now.
She pressed on, reciting Lin Wei’s words in the Pope’s steady voice, almost word for word.
“By rights, wasn’t he supposed to have all four limbs broken and be dragged back for execution after what happened during the day—by order of Duke Ous, no less? So how did he end up at the Magic Academy, fighting alongside cultists last night?”
“Did he escape from prison? Did the cultists rescue him? Or had he already conspired with certain people and the cult, preparing for this attack in advance... and someone just happened to let him out at the perfect moment, giving him the chance to strike?”
“This is...”
The calm, unyielding words of Pope Selena forced Duke Ous—who had been so close to victory—to involuntarily take half a step back.
He stared into those serene golden eyes, his heart suddenly skipping a beat.
This... this presence was familiar.
Mature, composed, and utterly unshakable—someone who could dismantle every accusation without missing a beat.
With flawless logic, she strung together every clue before her, turning each question into a pointed accusation.
Now, it was the Pope exerting pressure on the imperial nobles—not the other way around. This was the authority of the papacy in full force, not some figurehead bowing to the Empire’s aristocrats.
This... this was exactly what it felt like to face the Former Pope.
But it had only been two minutes—how could everything have changed so dramatically?
“I... I don’t know what happened, either.”
Confronted by Pope Selena’s sudden, incisive questioning, even Duke Ous betrayed a flicker of nervousness. His tone no longer carried the same bluster as before.
“It’s true that I brought Viscount Montoya back to the palace with the intent to execute him as an example. But later that night, he escaped. Maybe he’d already conspired with the cultists and took advantage of the chaos to break out—who can say for sure?”
“Is that so... Then what about Commander Alfron last night?”
Veya’s gaze was icy as she fixed it upon him.
The abrupt shift in topic made Duke Ous—who had just managed to catch his breath—instantly break out in a cold sweat.
It was as if a soldier who had narrowly escaped the clutches of the demon race now found himself face-to-face with a snarling fiend, fangs bared.
The pressure he had so painstakingly built up crumbled in an instant, his noble status as an imperial duke losing its power to intimidate.
In that moment, the conversation was utterly under Pope Selena’s control. She pressed on, her tone perfectly calm, as she delivered the most crucial question yet.
“Last night, he was invited to bring the Retribution Knights to your estate as a guest.”
“And then, barely after arriving, the Cult of the Evil God launched their attack. Was this just a coincidence?”
“As someone directly involved in the battle, Duke Ous, shouldn’t you offer the Holy See an explanation?”