novelraw Chapter 98: This Memory Stone Was Left at the Scene—Handing It Over to Her Holiness the Pope
Chapter 98: This Memory Stone Was Left at the Scene—Handing It Over to Her Holiness the Pope
Chapter 98: This Memory Stone Was Left at the Scene—Handing It Over to Her Holiness the Pope
👹
“What?”
Could it be… Selena has been replaced by a cultist of the Evil God?
The moment Meilin heard those words, that was her first, chilling thought.
Had they not grown up together—so closely intertwined since childhood—she might have already drawn her Holy Lance and demanded answers on the spot.
Even so, she couldn’t help but regard Selena with suspicion. The woman before her seemed nothing like the Selena she remembered.
“I expelled every noble who dared offend the Holy See,” Selena replied calmly. “And I demanded five million gold coins as compensation.”
“Commander Meilin, do you… perhaps have a different idea about how to handle this sort of thing?”
She caught the look of utter shock on Meilin’s face.For once, Her Holiness—who could never win an argument with Meilin—felt a surge of satisfaction!
Ever since she’d ascended to the papal throne, Meilin had never truly acknowledged her, never once meeting Selena’s gaze directly.
But now, at long last, the tables had turned. Was it finally her turn to be assertive?
“No, actually, I think that was the perfect response. But you—”
“If you agree, then that’s settled,” Selena cut her off briskly, not even letting her finish.
“After that, I have a very important task for you.”
“What is it?” Meilin asked, surprised by Selena’s rare display of confidence.
Meilin forced herself to sit quietly across from Selena, determined to at least hear out whatever scheme the woman had in mind.
“It’s about the supplies looted by the demons on the front lines.”
But as soon as Selena spoke, she dropped a bombshell loaded with implications.
Veya spoke slowly, unfolding the letter before her once more. She cross-referenced the details of the operation, reading through every line with meticulous care.
“In fact, based on the reliable intelligence I’ve gathered, it’s highly likely that this so-called raid was orchestrated by the nobles themselves. There may even be traitors within the Holy See, colluding with outsiders.”
“And the latest intelligence confirms it. Here—look at these market statistics for potions in the Northern Countries.”
“Do you notice anything unusual?”
To be honest, Meilin didn’t fully understand all these numbers.
But with Lin Wei’s letter as a guide, the meaning behind the data soon became clear.
“First, Commander Meilin, you need to understand: in the absence of any anomalies, the flow of goods in a region’s market should remain stable—especially for consumables like logistics potions. If there’s a sudden fluctuation, there must be a reason.”
“Look at these numbers—using the central fortress on the map as a reference, nearly every city within its reach has seen a sharp drop in potion sales and prices.”
“Do you know what that means?”
While Meilin listened intently, Veya continued her analysis, glancing between the letter and the data.
“It means these markets… are completely saturated.”
“There haven’t been any new labyrinths discovered, nor any major expeditions into ruins. The Northern Countries have been suffering from a potion shortage ever since the war began.”
“So how could their markets suddenly be saturated at a time like this? There’s only one explanation—someone has been dumping vast quantities of potions into these regions!”
With things laid out so clearly, Meilin—who was used to running all over the place—immediately grasped what Selena was getting at.
She looked up, her eyes wide with surprise. She’d never expected Selena to have this kind of insight.
To deduce so much from just a set of market trends in the Northern Countries—Selena’s talent was nothing short of astonishing.
“You’re saying the nobles stole the supplies and then resold them on the market?”
“That’s right. The only people who knew the transport route were myself and the Retribution Knights assigned to the task.”
Selena nodded gravely, exuding an air of authority.
“I don’t know how the route was leaked, and I can’t bring myself to believe that the Retribution Knights—especially Commander Alfron—would ever betray the Holy See.”
“Still, from both a security and secrecy standpoint, the Judgement Knights—who already deal with cultists of the Evil God—are far better suited to this kind of investigation.”
“I want you to go undercover in the region and look into the market. Find out where these supplies are really coming from.”
If she remembered correctly, Lin Wei had once mentioned he had a way to trace the source of the potions.
But that detail wasn’t in the letter, and Meilin, who’d grown used to relying on him, decided not to speculate further.
For now, it was enough to follow Lin Wei’s suggestions and carry out the mission as planned.
“I understand,” she replied.
This was not a task she could refuse.
Meilin put down the documents, finally grasping the full extent of Selena’s strategy.
Ever since Commander Alfron’s proposal to have the “Imperial Army escort” the supplies had been rejected, Selena had personally determined all the transport routes for logistics.
Even though Meilin trusted the veteran Grand Commander, she knew: if she were in Selena’s place, there was no way she would keep sending the Retribution Knights out on such missions either.
“So according to this data, the center of the potion dumping operation… is the City-State of Brook?”
Huh?
The City-State of Brook!
To be honest, Veya herself hadn’t had time to thoroughly review all the intel yet.
But as soon as Meilin said it, she glanced at the map—and sure enough, the City-State of Brook sat right at the heart of it all.
“That’s… where the last Holy See subjugation squad went missing, isn’t it?”
Technically, the official investigation had concluded that the team—led by the renowned adventurer Weiss—had disappeared somewhere else.
But with so many of their belongings ending up at Brook, and now this connection to the missing supplies, the coincidence was simply too much to ignore.
“In that case… I’ll leave this to you, Commander Meilin.”
No matter what, Meilin was working for the Holy See.
Veya hesitated for a moment, then couldn’t help but add a word of caution.
“The City-State of Brook gives off a strange feeling. Something’s off about that place.”
“Please, above all else, be careful. If the situation turns truly dire, don’t hesitate to abandon the investigation. Just make sure you come back safe.”
“Heh… My safety isn’t something Her Holiness Selena needs to worry about.”
Meilin tucked the reports away, her mind already working through the steps she’d need to take for this mission.
She stood up without another word and headed for the door—but then paused, turning back to add something extra.
“The investigation into last night’s battlefield is finished. There are clear signs someone tried to cover up what happened, so we can’t determine the truth.”
“But from the fragment of shoulder armor wedged in the cracks… it looks like Commander Alfron was ambushed from behind, though not fatally. According to the Retribution Knights present, Duke Ous was speaking with him alone at the time.”
“In short, while I’m away from the Holy See, you’d better stay put and hold down the fort, Selena. Try to actually look the part of a Pope for once—don’t go wandering off. I’m leaving.”
With that, Meilin strode out, not looking back.
Tch… Like I need to be told to stay in the Holy See? What a pointless warning.
Unless Lin Wei himself were attacked—enough to trigger even the holy light stored in his ring—there’s no way I’d leave the Holy See… or even take a single step outside the Imperial Capital.
Besides, it’s not far. Even if something happened, I could rush back in time.
Of course, I shouldn’t push it—maybe just visit home once a week to spend time with Lin Wei.
Otherwise, if I never see him, I’d probably crack under the pressure.
But… but he’s accomplished so much this time. Once things settle down, I have to go home and give him a proper reward.
And to think—he’s been hiding so many talents from me, acting all secretive?
What exactly did Lin Wei do before? When he was an adventurer in the Northern Countries, was he also working in a royal court or something?
How else could he be this skilled?
Honestly, he’s probably more suited to being Pope than I am.
“I’ll have to interrogate him thoroughly when I get home!”
“And if possible… I’ll find a way to get him involved in more of my work, so he can help out. That way, maybe the pressure I face here in the Holy See won’t be so overwhelming.”
Sure, maybe dumping all this work on Lin Wei is a little much.
But… he is my husband!
Isn’t it perfectly normal for a husband to help his wife shoulder some of the burden?
It’s not like I don’t give him all those ridiculous rewards he wants, either.
We’ve only been married a year, and already this guy’s managed to try just about every idea he can think of.
No, no, I can’t get distracted by these strange thoughts—I need to focus on work!
Taking a deep breath, Veya forced herself back into work mode.
All right, let’s get organized from the top. According to Meilin, Commander Alfron was ambushed. As for Duke Ous, there’s no way he’d tell the truth, so that’ll have to be investigated in secret—or else wait until Commander Alfron himself returns.
But what about the incident report from the Imperial Capital’s Academy of Magic? Still not here?
“E-excuse me, Your Holiness. Sorry to disturb you…”
Just then—
A timid voice sounded from outside the door.
Veya looked up. It was a junior cleric—one of the new faces in the Holy See.
He wore black-rimmed glasses and looked quite young, clearly not long out of training.
“Yes? What is it?”
For ordinary clergy like this, she made sure to respond gently.
Veya softened her tone a little, careful not to intimidate the young cleric with too much authority.
“Um… The colleague who went to investigate at the Imperial Capital’s Academy of Magic has delivered the report, along with a Memory Stone from the scene. Apparently, the Head of the Alchemy Department, Nerinette, managed to activate it just before she lost consciousness.”
“But I couldn’t find Miss Secretary anywhere, no matter how hard I looked.”
“So I had no choice but to disturb Your Holiness directly. Please forgive me.”
Oh?
A Memory Stone!
The moment she heard those words, Veya’s eyes lit up.
This was a rare find—a device that could instantly record both the sights and sounds of a scene.
But because they were so valuable, and the magic within was notoriously volatile, any recording would only last for a day at most. Worse, after playing it back more than twice, the Memory Stone would become completely inert. That’s why only news agencies could afford to buy and use them.
She hadn’t expected to find one left behind at the Academy of Magic’s crime scene.
“Has anyone watched it yet?” Veya asked, thinking this might be the breakthrough clue they needed about the attack.
For the first time in a while, she felt a genuine spark of interest.
“I’m sorry, Your Holiness. Because the Memory Stone is so fragile, we didn’t dare waste any of its playbacks.”
“But the technical team checked and confirmed the device is intact. As long as it’s played in an open space, it should show everything that happened at the scene.”
The junior cleric set the Memory Stone and the documents on the desk, answering in a nervous voice.
Even though the Pope seemed far gentler than he’d imagined, standing this close to such an important figure was still nerve-wracking.
"I see..."
It made sense they hadn’t dared to view it—the limited number of playbacks was too precious to risk.
Veya nodded. Since that was the case, it was only fitting that she, as Pope, should review it personally.
"The secretary is on leave, so she won’t be in during the day."
"In any case, you’ve done well. Thank you for your hard work. You can go."
"This is my duty, Your Holiness. I’ll take my leave now."
To think the Pope herself had just praised him!
Come to think of it, the Pope seemed especially impressive today.
Eyes shining with excitement, the young cleric turned and quietly closed the door behind him, unable to stop thinking about the way she’d handled things in the main hall.
From what his colleagues had said, Pope Selena had always been diligent but unassertive in public. But now, it was clear—that was far from the truth!
"With a Pope like this leading us..."
"The Holy See might just return to its former glory!"
He clenched his fists, his mind already racing ahead, imagining how they’d someday outshine the rival churches beyond the Empire.
◇
"What should we do, Lin Wei?!"
"Ahhh! Our logistics supplies are doomed this time!"
Seeing Nerinette throw herself down before him in utter despair, Lin Wei instinctively took a nervous half-step back. But after a moment’s hesitation, he reached out and patted the older woman on the head, trying to comfort her.
“Easy, easy, Director Nerinette. We’ll get more potions somehow. What matters is that you’re unharmed, and everyone in the Alchemy Department made it through alive.”
“But they’ve all been tainted by the Evil God’s power! None of them can come in to brew potions for the time being. We’re still short so many supplies—we’re going to ruin the department’s reputation for good this time!”
His words, unfortunately, did little to comfort her.
After all, the powers wielded by the Dream-Mother were particularly insidious.
She rarely killed outright. Instead, she’d release a drowsy, enchanting mist, luring her victims into a deep dream. There, little by little, she would consume and devour everything they had, finally absorbing them as nourishment to grow stronger herself.
Even after the Holy See’s clerics arrived, rescued everyone, and performed a thorough purification, traces of the Evil God’s power still lingered. For at least the next few days, none of the affected staff would be fit for work.
“And yet I’m the only one who wasn’t corrupted by the Evil God’s power,” Nerinette muttered. “I fell unconscious with the others, so why wasn’t I contaminated?”
“Ugh… I can’t even use that as an excuse to slack off. Brewing all these potions by myself is going to kill me.”
Indeed.
Why had she collapsed like the others, but shown no signs of corruption? Lin Wei was still searching for an answer himself.
“At this point, there’s no time to dwell on it,” he said. “Just do as much as you can. If it’s not enough, we’ll find outside alchemists or allied groups to help.”
"Getting attacked like that was just a freak accident. You can’t blame the Academy of Magic for what happened," Lin Wei said with a gentle smile, his own mood rather light.
After all, it was her responsibility, not his—so it was easy for him to stand on the sidelines and offer reassurance.
“I guess you’re right…” Nerinette sighed, utterly deflated.
That faint sense of impending doom she carried seemed to deepen even further.
“Oh, right. Given the current state of the Alchemy Department, it’s probably not the best place to store potions, is it?”
“How about this: I’ll keep everything I brew at home for now, and once I’ve finished a batch, I’ll bring it all to you at once. Would that work?”
Honestly, with how often he was running back and forth, Lin Wei found it a bit of a hassle, too. Delivering everything in one go would be so much more convenient.
“That would be great… Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Lin Wei.”
At least the potion production on his end was still moving forward.
Nerinette clenched her fists, determined. For the more basic potions, she could still try asking around outside for help. It might cost some extra gold, but in times like these, there wasn’t much choice.
“I suppose I’ll have to ask the Holy See if they’ll grant an extension, or maybe reimburse me for hiring outside help.”
“Ugh… what rotten luck. I thought with you helping, Lin Wei, we’d actually make the deadline this time.”
I didn’t expect things to go sideways like this, either.
“Just bad luck, I suppose.”
“Well, I’ll head out for now. Hang in there, Director!”
Lin Wei gave her a cheerful wave, then turned and headed out the door.