Chapter 218: Deeper, Deeper, Deeper (Part 2)

  "Does the Pope know of Mr. Sandro's existence? If so, then the significance of him sending Clovis back is very different," Commander Roland asked with a frown. His complexion had been quite poor these past few days. In fact, whoever discovered that their former disciple had returned as a Necromancer to stir up trouble, and that even their later disciple had become an accomplice, would not have a good-looking face.

  "He probably... does know," Sedros nodded slightly, a thought-provoking glint flashing in his narrowed eyes. "Although I don't know exactly how much he knows... I'm certain it's no less than what we do."

  "So you're saying he intentionally sent Clovis back to his death?"

  "Not necessarily. Since he could tell that Javi was from Diya Valley, he would know that Diya Valley was backing him. Perhaps his intention was to deliberately make Diya Valley and Mr. Sandro hostile. Isn't that just what happened with the Marquis who appeared later?"

  Roland asked: "But what exactly is Sandro's relationship with Diya Valley? It seems the Necromancers are very wary of him, and Inham Marquis's actions didn't seem to be in line with the wishes of the other Necromancers..."

  "It's a pity Mr. Sandro did not accept the invitation to come here. With him here, many things would be much clearer, and we wouldn't have to guess blindly like this," Sophia said with a blank expression.

  Ethan always felt a bit uncomfortable. He knew that a blank expression was, in fact, an expression, and a very intriguing one at that.

  Sedros shook his head slightly and said: "The principles of those Necromancers who have truly grasped Archibald's spirit are not something you can imagine. Don't try to evaluate them with your or anyone else's values. They are people who have truly detached from the mortal world. Even if they have to live in seclusion here, their spirits are forever beside the Black Heart on the summit of Diya Valley." He paused, then continued. "Actually, we don't need to speculate in such detail. We can guess the general idea. The Pope essentially just tossed the hot potato that was Javi into the royal capital. He himself didn't want those Necromancers, who are infatuated with power, to gain influence in Celeste. He let that ambitious kid stir up all the conflicts here, and then he watched the show from a thousand miles away in The Radiant Citadel. Whether Diya Valley or we suffered losses, I believe he would be very happy to see it."

  Sophia asked: "He doesn't even care if it leads to a complete break between the Empire and the Church?"

  "Ainfast was never under the Church's jurisdiction. He gains no benefit from it at all. I think he would rather take this gamble. If Javi had succeeded, that would be great. For him, even this failure is beneficial and harmless. At least it forced the Empire to clarify its stance, so he can deal with them together."

  "Deal with them together? Does Celeste have such great capability? Having just lost the war against Oufu, Erathia and the other nations have all suffered heavy losses. Are you saying he still wants to deal with Oufu and Ainfast together?"

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  Sedros smiled at Sophia and said: "Don't think that just because that fellow Magnus usually doesn't have any conspicuous moves, you can be careless. I assure you, what he has held in reserve runs very deep."

  Commander Roland said lightly: "I have already sent people to escort Javi back to Celeste. Along with him went a letter from the Magic Academy stating its intention to break away from Celeste's jurisdiction. We'll just have to see what kind of reaction this unfathomable His Majesty Magnus will have."

  Celeste, The Radiant Citadel.

  Bishop Javi, who had been dispatched to Ainfast, had finally returned a few days ago. Only, His Grace the Bishop, who had been full of vim and vigor when he left, was carried back. Bishop Javi was delirious, and the muscles and nerves throughout his body had been shattered by some unknown force, yet they were tenuously connected, allowing him to continue living. Moreover, a strange aura stubbornly remained in Bishop Javi's body, and even the white magic used by several Cardinals could not heal his injuries.

  The envoy from Ainfast just said this was due to a sudden, inexplicable illness that had befallen Bishop Javi, and then left behind a letter, supposedly from the Emperor of Ainfast to His Majesty the Pope, before turning tail and running away.

  The Emperor's letter was simple in its wording and clear in its meaning. It stated that the Magic Academy and the Empire were now in perfect harmony. The Empire would manage it from now on, and Celeste need not trouble itself with it anymore. Everything was already very clear. The result of Bishop Javi's mission to the Ainfast Empire was not very good. In fact, it could be said to be terrible.

  In the Pope's Hall, the Pope had just finished reading the letter sent from the Magic Academy. The process of Bishop Javi's sudden, inexplicable grave illness was only briefly glossed over. Besides this, the wording was also simple and clear, more like a note to someone of little importance than a letter to the Pope of the continent.

  His Majesty the Pope just frowned, but the face of Bishop Adela, standing behind him, was already as pale as paper, and even his hands were trembling slightly.

  "What's wrong? Are you very surprised?" His Majesty the Pope didn't turn his head, just asked this lightly.

  Adela barely managed to steady his voice. He replied: "Your Majesty, are you not surprised? How could Bishop Javi, perfectly fine, suddenly contract some grave illness and be on the verge of death?"

  His Majesty the Pope said lightly: "Living people will naturally get sick. There are many kinds of sickness, and of course, there are some that make perfectly healthy people suddenly die. For example, having too big an appetite, wanting to swallow in one bite something you couldn't originally swallow... A young man's appetite is always too big. I thought he would be more patient, first secure his footing, and then slowly eat it after he had gained some strength."

  "There must be a hidden story behind this. I hope Your Majesty will investigate it thoroughly and return justice to Bishop Javi." Adela tried his best to control his voice, his eyes already full of bloodshot veins. "And the attitude of this letter is a complete contempt for Your Majesty's status, a contempt for the majesty of Celeste."

  The Pope smiled slightly and said: "This is actually a predictable result. After all, Ainfast is not a place that can be conquered by a single person. I only sent Javi to test the waters, to flush out some of the old guard, and to make their stance clear." Hearing the first half, Bishop Adela was only surprised, but the Pope's second half made his expression instantly freeze: "And since Javi is Vedenina's student, Sandro wouldn't truly be too heavy-handed with him, at least he would leave him his life. So I'm not too worried."

  At this moment, the voice of a cleric reporting from outside the Pope's Hall could be heard: "Your Majesty, Inham·Erney Marquis of Ainfast requests an audience with Your Majesty."

  "Oh?" His Majesty the Pope raised an eyebrow. His normally calm and composed expression finally showed a hint of interest. "Bring him in quickly. He has finally come."

  "Inham... no... Erney Marquis... he is here... how could he be here..." Adela's voice and expression simultaneously lost control due to his astonishment.

  The Pope turned his head to glance at the pale-faced Adela, smiled, and said: "If he doesn't come here at a time like this, where else could he go? Can you really not guess that he would come?"

  The Pope's smile was natural, peaceful, and kind, as casual and common as an old man on a street corner teasing his grandchildren. But in the eyes of Adela, who had served him for over ten years, this old man, who had never seemed to show any surprise, was frightening for the first time.

  The old man continued to smile with that very peaceful posture, and continued to speak peacefully and calmly: "Don't look at me with those eyes. You should know that this world is not truly the world of you young people. We old fellows still have some weight and some means. Chasing the wind and riding the waves is indeed the forte of the young, but don't forget, the water beneath the waves runs very deep..."