"Chapter 561: Only One Lie Remained '...I understand.'"
Iver's thoughts suddenly cleared. "You stole the Tears of Time to murder the Pure White Saintess—your goal was to destroy both Freya and Grey at once! You didn't want research into treating Condensation Amber to continue, nor did you want the Eternal Saintess's legacy to be passed down. So you planned to use the potion Freya was synthesizing to murder the Pure White Saintess and frame Freya!"
"Hmph."
Loki smiled without confirming or denying it.
That explained this part.
Why had only one-third been needed? Because there had originally been only one murder victim. Even accounting for the decline in effectiveness, that amount had been enough.
If Bishop Mercedes hadn't died, if nothing had happened to Gloria, Iver would never have thought the stolen potion was connected to Loki and the Pure White Saintess. They would only have gone to the Eleventh Ring to ask Cardinal Loki who the culprit was, and might even have treated Cardinal Loki as a friendly NPC.
"...Then."
Iver pressed on. "Why did you murder Bishop Mercedes and Gloria Blue Rose?"
"I told you. I didn't kill them."
Cardinal Loki sighed helplessly. "I'm past the age where I have to lie in every sentence. Only when every sentence you usually speak is the truth can that one remaining lie be believed.
"Think back more carefully, Iver. What exactly did I say back then?"
—As for Bishop Mercedes's death? That has nothing to do with me. I know about it because I saw it.
—You couldn't even protect Bishop Mercedes. How do you expect to protect Iver?
—As far as I know, Bishop Mercedes didn't resist when she died.
He could see Gloria killing Mercedes. Mercedes had been stabbed in the womb and died from an injury that