The Bishop Invited You for Tea

When the people from the Church came, Benjamin was asleep.

He'd originally wanted to take out Introduction to Magic and the Water Element Crystal and study them carefully. But remembering that the Church's people could show up at any moment, he decided to keep them hidden and leave them alone for now.

Good thing he hadn't taken them out.

It was around one or two in the morning when the Church's people arrived. A middle-aged man dressed as a priest came to the door. He seemed very polite. He knocked first, and only entered after Benjamin had sleepily woken up and said, "Come in."

Aside from disturbing his dreams in the middle of the night, he really was quite a "polite" person.

Whenever their mortal enemies—the mages—were involved, the Church's people always acted with such overbearing politeness.

"Lord Riser, His Excellency the Bishop was deeply moved when he heard about your battle against the Fallen in the outer district. We'd like to invite you to the Grand Cathedral to discuss the matter with you. Would that be convenient?"

The priest walked to Benjamin's bedside and spoke in a warm, steady voice.

As soon as he heard that voice, Benjamin couldn't help thinking that the man was perfectly suited to be a priest. Even if he said, "I'm going to kill you," he could make it sound as if he were saying it for your own good.

Benjamin suddenly felt a little sick, like he'd had too much cheap sweetener and was starting to feel nauseated.

"All right. Wait a moment; I'll get up now. I was just thinking of speaking to the Bishop about this." He rubbed his bleary eyes and sat up in bed.

What else could he say? The other man's words were a velvet-wrapped blade, leaving him no room to refuse.

Besides, he'd expected this.

"Is the fake memory you'll give the Church ready?" Benjamin asked the system in his mind as he got out of bed.

"Memory file created. All memories have been entered. Magic-related memories have been replaced. Real-time updates are ongoing. The memory from one second ago has been entered. The memory for this second is being entered."

The system sounded more reliable than ever, and for some reason, Benjamin felt a little moved.

"...Thanks," he said in his mind.

If he hadn't had something like this in his head to keep him company, chat with him, and help him lose his mind—and then step up when it mattered—Benjamin might have already broken down.

The system didn't reply. It kept repeating things like, "The memory from one second ago has been entered. The memory for this second is being entered."

Benjamin suddenly realized that fabricating memories must be taking up most of the system's CPU. It had no spare memory to act up, which was why it seemed so reliable.

Well, there went his heartfelt gratitude.

Benjamin got dressed and followed the priest through the Riser Family's corridors in the middle of the night. Everyone in the family was fast asleep. Without anyone noticing, they left the house.

A knight was waiting silently outside the Riser residence.

Benjamin took one look and felt a little disappointed. It wasn't either of the two knights he'd recently met.

How were they doing?

Escorted by the unfamiliar knight and led by the priest, Benjamin once again arrived at St. Peter's Cathedral. He'd been to the Grand Cathedral late at night before, but every time he came, he felt an involuntary pang of unease.

Did the priests and knights—or the Bishop and the Pope—feel the same way when they were here?

"This is it, Lord Riser. His Excellency the Bishop is waiting for you inside."

At last, they stopped in front of a door.

Benjamin couldn't help feeling nervous. His previous meetings with the Bishop had been in the confessional, and they'd never spoken face-to-face. This time, however, they'd chosen the Meditation Room, where priests practiced their faith. The Church was serious this time.

It seemed the power of that senior mage had caught the Church's attention.

Benjamin kept his expression neutral, smiled faintly at the knight and priest behind him, pushed open the door, and went inside.

Compared to the magnificent Grand Cathedral, the Meditation Room was simply furnished. Apart from a statue of God and a mural depicting Abel, the room contained only a table and a few books on it. There wasn't even a chair.

The Bishop stood with his back to the door, apparently looking at the mural. Only after Benjamin entered did he finally turn around and smile at him.

"Lord Riser, you've finally arrived."

Before opening the door, Benjamin's heart had been pounding furiously. But once he entered the room and walked toward the Bishop step by step, he somehow grew calmer and calmer.

Perhaps the system's endless repetitions had made him want to laugh, dispelling his nerves.

There was nothing left to fear.

"Your Excellency, the outer district was terrifying. That Fallen waved his hand, and a huge wave appeared. If not for the cross you gave me, I would've died there!" He put on a frightened expression as he spoke.

After practicing so many times, he'd become increasingly skilled at acting.

"Lord Riser, we don't have much time, so I'll be frank." The Bishop smiled, but Benjamin couldn't read any emotion on his face. "You encountered another Fallen in the outer district, and this one was exceptionally powerful. To carry out God's mission, we'd like to read your memories and search for useful clues. Lord Riser, are you willing to make this sacrifice for God?"

Just as he'd expected.

Benjamin felt only relief. Thank goodness he'd prepared in advance, or he'd have been done for.

Still, even though he'd seen this coming, he put on a frightened expression and said, "R-read my memories? Could that affect me in any way?"

The Bishop smiled like an emotionless puppet and reassured him, "Don't worry. Reading your memories won't harm you. Just close your eyes, and it'll be over in a moment. You won't feel a thing."

Benjamin looked confused, as though he didn't quite understand what the Bishop meant. Still, he nodded and said, "I just have to close my eyes? Th-then, all right."

As he spoke, he obediently closed his eyes.

But in his mind, he thought, Here comes the crucial moment.

Two seconds after he closed his eyes, he felt a brief pain in his head. It wasn't very severe, but the system's constant voice stopped at that very moment.

After a brief silence,

"Success! As soon as that probing force entered, I submitted the fabricated memories. The probing force has disappeared now," the system said in his mind.

Hearing that, Benjamin finally let out the breath he'd been holding.

He simply opened his eyes. The Bishop standing opposite him now had his eyes closed, his smile gone, and his brow furrowed. He seemed to be going through the memories the system had fabricated.

Seeing that, Benjamin began to feel uneasy again. He asked the system in his mind, "There's nothing wrong with those memories, right? Could he notice something's off?"

The system answered with absolute confidence, "A mere mortal thinks he can find a bug in my story? What are you worried about? Anyone who could see through me hasn't been born yet!"

"..."

Benjamin suddenly had a bad feeling.

What kind of memories had the system made up for him?

Thanks to Venerable Red and Zhang Yuanyang for the tips~