Dekan Starts Playing the Long Game (4,000 Words)

In the mansion in the heart of the Royal Capital city of the Randir Kingdom.

After sending the bank account information of the black card he bought on the black market that afternoon to the Bishop of Falsehood, Dekan began to wait.

Based on all his previous conversations with the Bishop of Falsehood, Dekan has now figured out the current situation.

He had initially thought it was more likely that the Resurrection Church had gathered a number of bishops in preparation for a strong attack on Landil.

In the end, the Resurrection Church never expected to gather so many Cardinal in the Randir Kingdom, which alarmed the Kingdom Association.

These guys are more inclined to play dirty tricks than open schemes.

That would make things easier if we used underhanded tactics.

Dekan's favorite pastime is to annoy and antagonize his enemies.

In addition, Dekan heard a key word during the conversation— Fahim.

Fahim is the name of Bishop of Corruption.

This guy's reputation is just as bad as Evans's; he's obsessed with human experimentation, and his results are mostly forbidden spells that Human Body Destruction.

They were constantly hunted down by the Sun God Church, but also killed many of the Sun God Church's priests and paladins.

One can imagine why Judith mistook Dekan for a follower of the Bishop of Corruption's faction and acted so irrationally.

"If it's Fahim who's coming, it'll be a tough fight."

Dekan murmured.

Fahim's class is classified as a mage, and his system is similar to Dekan's [Blood Purification], but the restrictions are different.

The destructive power of the two is also completely different.

However, Dekan never considered confronting any bishop directly.

No bishop was one that Dekan had a chance to defeat head-on.

We must use strategy to succeed.

But for Dekan, bad guys are easy to deal with.

Their desires are exceptionally obvious, as easy to understand as demons.

Dekan has a way of leading anyone with desires to destruction.

I waited a while longer.

Finally, the Bishop of Falsehood sent a message:

[5000 Gold Coin have been transferred.]

"Nice!"

The most exciting thing tonight was undoubtedly successfully swindling 5,000 Gold Coin from the Bishop of Falsehood using a black card bought from the black market!

If I have the chance in the future, Dekan must send a banner to the Bishop of Falsehood.

Dekan felt he could take advantage of the situation, so he entered the following into the Bishop's Token:

"Could you transfer another 5,000 Gold Coin? If you don't, I won't listen to you, and I won't return the 5,000."

After typing it, Dekan thought for a moment and was a little worried that if he sent it, the Bishop of Falsehood might change the action plan to kill Clay first.

That means we can no longer use Clay's account to extract information from the Bishop of Falsehood.

So Dekan deleted the message he had just entered but not sent.

I sent the message: [Okay!]

Then they waited for the Bishop of Falsehood's reply.

Dekan couldn't yet determine whether Clay would continue his arrogant behavior or become more polite after receiving the money.

Therefore, it's best to speak as little as possible.

The Bishop of Falsehood quickly sent out instructions for action--

[Fahim is expected to return to the Royal Capital tomorrow. Find a safe base so Fahim can prepare without worry. I'll have him contact you; you two should meet up then. Please follow his orders completely. Is that alright?]

Dekan felt that the Bishop of Falsehood's writing appeared eerily calm.

[No problem.]

Adhering to the principle that too much talk leads to mistakes, Dekan replied to the Bishop of Falsehood.

After that, I received no further messages.

Dekan turned off the light and put away his Bishop's Token.

In the moonlight, only the blue pupils of the dark figure and his white teeth when he smiled stood out in the dim room.

"Oh right, I almost forgot about the daily quests."

So Dekan took out the [Dekan Gospel] and cursed Laxas VI fiercely, then lay peacefully in bed and fell asleep.

The next day.

The streets of the entire Royal Capital were filled with a sense of desolation.

Most shops have closed, with only a few large shops remaining open under the protection of the security forces.

Apart from patrol troops, almost no civilians were out on the streets.

The city has now been declared on high alert.

Over the next three days, the Royal Capital will face constant attacks from the bishops of the Resurrection Church.

Although most civilians have never seen the Resurrection Cultist in person, they are well aware of how terrifying they are.

And the bishops of the Resurrection Church were a nightmare to behold.

This unprecedented gathering of four has undoubtedly shocked all the kingdoms.

Inside a large government building in the Royal Capital, high-ranking officials of the Randir Kingdom were holding a meeting.

They were sharing existing intelligence, the Kingdom Association's war preparedness plans, and predicting the movements of the Resurrection Church, among other things.

Besides the local fighting force of the Royal Capital, those present also included envoys from the Kingdom Association and members who had originally come to participate in the seventh-tier team assessment.

"Alright, if any of you have any information, please let us know as soon as possible, and we will do our best to assist you."

Captain of the Knights, Gavin was presiding over the meeting, scanned everyone present.

The languages of the Central Nations are largely similar, with only minor differences in vocabulary and pronunciation. Therefore, even without spending a lot of time learning the language of the Randir Kingdom, Dekan and his companions can travel relatively easily within the Randir Kingdom.

A translation magic device was also activated in the conference room.

Even teams from the north and south could easily understand the languages spoken by the Central Nations.

Even the team that reluctantly agreed yesterday has now come to attend the meeting.

Their purpose was clear: to gather some known information in order to navigate the area safely.

Dekan and Croix from the Beautiful Soul Squad, however, did not come.

"Please share today's intelligence with Dekan and the others."

Gavin looked in the direction of the other members of the Beautiful Soul Squad and said.

"Okay, no problem."

Mie nodded in reply.

The meeting had just ended, and everyone gradually began to leave.

"Ha, those two cowardly and weaklings have probably already run away with their tails between their legs, haven't they?"

A disdainful voice rang out in the conference room.

It was as if he was deliberately speaking very loudly, wanting everyone to hear him.

A blond youth clad in silver-white armor stood with his feet propped up on the table, arms crossed, shaking his head with a cold laugh.

Everyone present knew that he was the leader of the teams from the Northern Nations who had come to participate in the assessment.

He is also Alik, a very famous seventh-tier powerhouse in the Northern Nations.

They are known for their arrogance, looking down on anyone weaker than themselves and unable to tolerate anyone more flamboyant than themselves.

"..."

Mie and Cornelia remained silent, their expressions filled with pity for Alik.

This morning, when Dekan was arranging the battle plan, he explained to them the situation they encountered yesterday.

And that hot-tempered old man— the Bishop of Frenzy Clay.

Mie and Cornelia sensed that Alik's aura overlapped somewhat with Clay's character.

However, Clay is indeed one of the world's top fighters, so he has the right to be arrogant.

Moreover, he doesn't look down on the weak; he prefers to provoke the stronger.

This guy named Alik only reigned supreme at the seventh rank; he hadn't even reached the threshold of the eighth rank.

Let's set aside the possibility of retaliation from Alik's provocation of Dekan.

If this guy accidentally provokes Clay, and then acts all high and mighty again...

They found it hard to imagine what would happen to Alik.

"Hehe, why aren't you saying anything? Does that mean you agree?"

Alik smiled with a mocking expression.

Please refrain from making subjective assumptions and slandering other teams.

Gavin frowned and interrupted Alik upon hearing this.

Based on their brief time together yesterday, he felt that Dekan shouldn't be that kind of person.

"Captain of the Knights, are you afraid of Dekan? A mere fourth-tier warrior makes you wary? No wonder the Resurrection Church dares to bully the Randir Kingdom."

Alik shook his head and chuckled, seemingly becoming increasingly unrestrained.

This caused Captain of the Knights 'Gavin expression to gradually darken.

"Alik, that's enough. There's no need for sarcasm now. In any case, Dekan and Croix are probably the only two people in the Royal Capital right now who have the experience of defeating a bishop of the Resurrection Church. And what achievements do you have?"

From the group of people from the Southern States, the woman at the head, dressed in a ceremonial robe, spoke coldly.

This remark seemed to leave Alik speechless.

For a moment, the veins on his forehead throbbed.

Just as he was about to explode in anger, he realized that everyone in the conference room was giving him unfriendly looks.

"Then let's wait and see what kind of trouble this guy, who only knows how to hide when it matters, can stir up."

Alik snorted coldly and led his team quickly out of the conference room.

Mie and the robed woman Aili then nodded to each other in a friendly gesture.

Cornelia looked at Aili, who had spoken up for them earlier, and felt that Ellie's appearance seemed somewhat familiar.

Cornelia quickly realized that the woman in the robes resembled Lilith, her friend whom she had met in the desolate, snowy mountains of the Shadow World.

"You're Cornelia you?"

Aili walked up to Cornelia and asked her in a friendly manner.

"Yes, are you Lilith's sister?"

"She's a relative of hers. I've heard about how you and Dekan helped her, even though you both used aliases back then."

The woman in the robes said with a smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry..."

Cornelia recalled their impromptu performance in Dekan, where one called himself Batchel and the other Olive.

But once they become famous, Lilith will likely find out their real names very soon.

"It's alright. We look forward to your visit after this disaster is over."

"It definitely will."

"By the way... what did Dekan go there for?"

Aili had heard about the eccentric and manipulative style of Dekan.

When it comes to crucial moments, if he's not causing trouble, he's definitely on his way to doing so.

"Ah! We need to get back to work. Enough said! Let's have the celebration party tonight!"

Mie and Cornelia checked the time and quickly ran out of the conference room together.

Only a bewildered Aili was left standing there.

"Tonight... a victory celebration...?"

On the other side, in the suburbs.

The soft sound of footsteps echoed through the stone-built underground waterways constructed by the ancient people.

The flowing sewage emitted a pungent odor, and only faint lights flickered in the pitch-black underground passage.

A middle-aged man dressed in a dark green suit, with his silver hair and beard neatly styled, carried a lantern and walked unhurriedly to his destination.

He looks harmless and might even lead people to suspect that he has never been in a fight.

He was like a refined and gentle scholar.

However, the fact that he could bypass the city gates and infiltrate underground during this time, and easily kill the soldiers guarding the underground passage, shows that he was no ordinary person.

Even the soldiers' corpses seemed to have evaporated into thin air, completely disappearing from the world.

Clearly, the pungent smell underground didn't bother him much.

Perhaps he had already grown accustomed to smells a hundred times more disgusting than this.

"Fahim, I've been waiting for you for so long."

An impatient voice suddenly appeared beside the middle-aged man.

He moved the lamp toward the direction of the sound and saw a solitary figure leaning against the wall.

His black, tousled hair was unruly, and his slightly raised chin, combined with his expression, made him appear extremely arrogant.

"Clay, you're a good-for-nothing who's more trouble than you're worth, how dare you even speak?"

The moment Fahim saw "Clay," he shook his head mockingly, his entire demeanor changing instantly.

Their voices all became somewhat shrill.

It was as if he was no longer hiding his true colors.

"Heh, if it weren't for the money I took from Carlos, I would have killed you right now."

Carlos is the name of the Bishop of Falsehood.

"Clay" made no attempt to conceal his killing intent, looking as if he was about to attack Fahim at any moment.

"I wouldn't mind taking care of you, you rude bastard, right here first."

Fahim said coldly.

However, both of them were aware of the current situation.

They cannot afford to fight amongst themselves at this time; even if there are conflicts, they can only endure them for now.

"According to your agreement with Carlos, you should be following my orders now, right?"

Fahim seemed to have thought of something and asked.

"No, my agreement with Carlos was that if he didn't give me 5,000 Gold Coin, I wouldn't obey his orders, but that agreement didn't include anything about obeying your orders."

"Clay" stated this logically and with evidence.

"Are you really not afraid of dying?"

Fahim was momentarily stunned by Clay's impeccable logic.

It even feels like Clay is acting like a dead pig that doesn't fear boiling water.

"Heh, you're going to get punished anyway. Don't even think about taking orders from me. But I've already found a temporary base Carlos wanted me to find. Come with me."

"Clay" said, turning around and walking forward.

"I will report your performance to Carlos in detail, so you can be smug for now."

Fahim wasn't helpless against Clay; he just needed to report it.

So Fahim followed "Clay," and the two walked one after the other in the tunnel.

Dekan, disguised as Clay, walked ahead, his left eye slightly narrowed and the corner of his mouth gently curled up.

Fahim, you've gotten on the wrong bus.