Corrupting Athena

This is Qin Chu's specialty.

Athena learned to use it to threaten Aili and Eileen, and Eileen then learned to use it to threaten Rosweisse, Sylph, and Athena. Now, even Rosweisse has learned this trick from Eileen.

It must be said that this tactic is quite effective for threatening people.

When these words were spoken, Archbishop Cain's expression changed instantly, his eyes flickering and shifting, as if he were pondering what leverage Rosweisse had against him.

However, Cain was clearly a seasoned veteran; his shock only lasted a moment before he quickly recovered, even managing a smile, "Your Highness Rosweisse, what do you mean by that? I don't understand."

Rosweisse chuckled softly, her smile as radiant as a flower.

But at this moment, that beautiful smile only sent chills down Cain's Cain.

"Archbishop, do you really want me to spell things out so clearly?"

Seeing that Cain remained silent, Rosweisse continued, "Carl, Cronin, Kelrych, Albert Pine..."

One name after another came from Rosweisse's mouth, and each name made Cain's face darken a little, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"If I remember correctly, these sixty-odd boys were all adopted by the Holy Church Orphanage, right?"

"What does the archbishop intend to do by keeping these boys by his side?"

Cain's apple bobbed slightly, his eyelids drooped, but his expression remained unchanged. "Those children are so pitiful, and besides, I see great talent in them. With proper nurturing, they could become invaluable assets to our Holy Church. So I'm keeping them by my side to personally care for them..."

"I believe this is merely in accordance with the merciful will of the Goddess of Holy Light, and does not violate Holy See regulations."

Rosweisse nodded slightly. "If it's just adopting orphans, it doesn't violate the rules, but... Douglas."

No sooner had Rosweisse's voice fallen than Cardinal Douglas suddenly stepped forward, appearing in front of Cain stepped back slightly.

He could sense a deep sense of oppression emanating from Douglas. This man was taciturn, eerie, and sinister. Cain couldn't even understand how such a person had managed to infiltrate the Holy Church.

However, perhaps it is precisely this kind of person who can take charge of Heresy Inquisition, a place filled with wailing and lamentation.

Several magical images appeared in Douglas's hand. Cain glanced at them briefly, and the images revealed an unspeakable scene of himself, Carl, Cronin, and the others. His pupils dilated suddenly, and he even staggered back several steps. His expression changed rapidly, shifting between light and dark.

He believed that since he had not embezzled the Holy See's property, nor had he maintained an improper relationship with the nuns, and had been careful in his dealings, he should not have been caught red-handed.

But what about these magical images?

Where did Rosweisse get it from?

Despite being a woman of unparalleled beauty, in Cain's eyes now, Rosweisse was as terrifying as a demon.

Beads of cold sweat were beginning to appear on his forehead. Cain knew better than anyone how much these things would affect him if they were exposed.

Although the Holy Church is rife with corruption, and almost none of its priests and bishops are clean, the Holy Church cherishes its reputation above all else, striving to cultivate an image of benevolence, kindness, holiness, and light in the eyes of the public and believers.

What I did was absolutely not allowed.

That was even more serious than the situation of the previous deputy regimental commander.

Generally speaking, when the dirty deeds of the high-ranking members of the Holy Church are discovered, the most common method they use is to silence them. As long as all those who know the truth are eliminated, they can remain clean and continue to appear in front of the public with a holy image.

But the person opposite is a saint, a cardinal of the Heresy Inquisition —murder to silence her?

Who killed whom?

"Lord Cain ..." Rosweisse stood up, her graceful figure appearing before Cain as a fragrant breeze wafted by, her small hand resting on Cain's shoulder. "As everyone knows, magical images cannot be faked."

"You don't want this scene to be known by everyone, do you?"

"You can think about it for yourself. If the thousands of believers in the Holy Church knew that a high-ranking archbishop was doing such dirty and despicable things within the Church, how would they feel?"

"What will the nuns and priests within the Holy See think?"

Seeing Cain's shifty eyes, Rosweisse's smile deepened. Threatening someone with such methods was shameless, but effective.

As the Cardinal Secretary of the Heresy Inquisition, Douglas could be said to have inside information about many people in the Holy Church.

However, Rosweisse and Douglas didn't initially take these scandals too seriously. After all, they weren't insignificant, especially for someone as powerful as Cain, who could easily handle them.

Ever since Ekaterina some time ago, Ekaterina's words had been echoing in Rosweisse's ears.

The first female pope of the Holy Church.

This title was incredibly tempting for Rosweisse.

Becoming the Pope would give him control of one of the most powerful forces on the entire Skyvault Continent, allowing him to stand on equal footing with Saint Monica and Wadsworth. This would also make the path to resurrecting Jello Geralt much easier.

Of course, that's assuming we can bring down that bastard Augustus.

Rosweisse believes that one day she can reach Augustus's level of strength, but that won't be something she can do in a short time. However, if she can surround herself with enough experts, she might be able to achieve the same result.

Therefore, Rosweisse prepared to strengthen the forces around her and seize power.

She first approached a deputy commander, not the Ekaterina had suggested. However, to her surprise, the deputy commander refused outright in the face of her subtle threat, turned and left without even attempting to negotiate with Rosweisse.

As expected, it was too much of a stretch to think she could manipulate those powerful figures with just these scandals. She knew that, but the deputy commander's attitude made Rosweisse very unhappy.

So, he leaked all the dirt on them, which immediately caused a huge uproar.

The sheer scale of the public outcry sent chills down Rosweisse's spine. It included people the deputy commander had offended, people who wanted to oust him and take his place, and people who resented the deputy commander appointing his brother-in-law to the position of battalion commander, fearing it would prevent them from climbing the ranks...

Without even Rosweisse personally manipulating or guiding the situation, these people had already proactively created a chaotic mess in the public opinion sphere.

Although the deputy leader's personal safety was not threatened in any way, and although the vast majority of believers were just ordinary people with no power, when these words came together, even the deputy leader could not withstand them.

Various fabricated and unsubstantiated accusations are flying around everywhere.

The vice-commander's reputation plummeted in a short period of time, transforming him from a revered high-ranking clergyman into a universally despised scum.

Does such a scoundrel truly deserve to remain in a high position within the Holy See?

The Inquisition, under the pretext of quelling unrest within the Holy See and among believers, arrested the vice-commander. Surprisingly, there were few dissenting voices within the organization; anyone who opposed him was considered an accomplice.

As for Inquisition, once you're inside, it's very difficult to get out, no matter who you are.

For the first time, Rosweisse truly felt the power of public opinion. Public opinion alone is not scary; what is scary is that there is a powerful force supporting it.

If used properly, public opinion can be a more terrifying killing weapon than swords, magic, or martial arts.

The fate of this deputy commander served as a warning to others; any high-ranking officials he came into contact with afterward, once exposed, immediately chose to obey.

Rosweisse believed that Cain, standing before her, would be no exception.

"Archbishop Cain, do you know what happened to Vice-Commander Kant?"

"You don't want to end up like that, do you? Your crimes are even more serious than those of Vice-Commander Kant. Do you think you can maintain your current status and position once these magical images are exposed? Can you still be the Archbishop?"

"Inside the Inquisition, some instruments of torture have already been prepared for you."

Glug...

Cain's throat bobbed as he swallowed.

Hearing this, it's clear that the affair involving Deputy Commander Kant was definitely orchestrated by Rosweisse.

Douglas's presence here clearly indicates that he is not giving me a chance to deny it. Even if Douglas arrests me here and throws me into the Heresy Inquisition, no one within the Holy Church can say anything if he has the evidence.

That's definitely a smart person.

A smile immediately appeared on Cain's face, "Your Highness Saintess Rosweisse is too kind. I have always admired Your Highness. If Your Highness has any requests, please feel free to speak them, and Cain will certainly not refuse."

Cain was racing through his mind, trying to figure out what Douglas and the Saintess were up to.

If eliminating me brings them absolutely no benefit, then the sole purpose is to make me their vassal?

But what's the point? Douglas is already a Cardinal, and Rosweisse is a saint. Even if they have another vassal like me... wait... their goal isn't the papacy, is it?

Cain's eyes narrowed to slits as he suddenly realized this. Judging from the relationship between Rosweisse and Douglas, Rosweisse was clearly being pushed forward. Could it be that they wanted to make Rosweisse the first female pope of the Holy Church?

Even with Cain's resolute will, he was still shocked by the ambition of Rosweisse and the Cardinal at this moment.

However, he had absolutely no loyalty to Augustus. Augustus's rise from Son of God to Pope was unprecedented in the Holy Church, since the Pope had always been selected from among the archbishops. Who could have imagined that Augustus would suddenly appear out of nowhere that year?

Before Rosweisse could respond, the clever man immediately interjected, "Cain is willing to risk his life for Her Highness. Whatever Her Highness wishes to do, I will always be your staunchest supporter."

"Cain, you are very clever." Rosweisse was quite satisfied with Cain's answer, "Please come to this place in seven days for a small gathering. There will be many like-minded companions there."

Cain glanced at the address given by Rosweisse and memorized it.

The seven days were not only a preparation period for Rosweisse herself, but also a test for Cain and the others. During this time, the Heresy Inquisition's spies would closely monitor these people, and if they made any unusual moves, Rosweisse would spread the evidence she had in her hands.

Seven days is neither a long nor a short time.

Cain stayed quietly in his room the whole time and didn't go anywhere.

He considered seeking help from Augustus, but ultimately gave up. The maids inside, the nuns pacing outside, the priests in the Sanctum —who knew how many were spies for the Inquisition?

How many Eye of True Vision have been left around us?

If it were to be revealed that he Augustus, then the fate of Vice Commander Kant would be his own future.

Seven days later, Cain left the Holy Church for his destination, only to find the hotel room empty. There was only a note pointing to the next location. After several transfers, he arrived at the edge of the Imperial City.

This is the former site of the Earth Mother Church. The original church has been razed to the ground, and the Earth Mother Church has not sent anyone to rebuild it.

When Cain arrived, he was surprised to find that there were already quite a few people there. His eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned the surroundings; there were indeed some familiar faces.

Three of the nine archbishops of the Holy Church, including myself, came, along with two of the seven vice-principals of the Holy Knights Order.

Of the thirty-six bishops who remained in the Imperial City, seventeen arrived.

It seems these people were all threatened by Rosweisse using those despicable and vile methods. Who would have thought that the seemingly innocent and holy saintess would be so dark-skinned inside?

Cain's appearance did not cause much of a stir; some people pretended not to see him, while others looked slightly embarrassed.

After some time, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, Douglas and Rosweisse finally appeared.

Some people couldn't resist the urge to attack. If so many experts rushed at them, even if Douglas and Rosweisse were incredibly strong, they would be no match for them.

But they quickly restrained themselves.

Since these two dared to show up here, who knows how many backup plans they had prepared behind the scenes.

I fear that the moment I take action, my own scandals will spread throughout the Imperial City and become known to everyone.

Douglas completely ignored the hateful glances around him, walked straight to the center of the crowd, and scanned everyone with his eyes. "Ladies and gentlemen..."

Welcome to our first gathering!

"I'm sorry, I could only choose this desolate place, and I can't properly entertain you all." Douglas bowed, apologizing for the lack of hospitality. "But, there's no other way, I don't want Augustus to know about our gathering."

Glug...

He's definitely aiming for the papacy.

Although many people had already guessed it, their hearts still skipped a beat.

"Before the formal meeting begins, there is something I need to announce."

Douglas's face suddenly lit up with excitement, his eyes filled with intense madness. "Gentlemen, do you think Princess Rosweisse is merely a saintess of the Holy See?"

Nonsense, what else could she be but a saint?

No, you are wrong.

"Princess Rosweisse is not merely a saintess, she is a goddess."

Douglas spread his arms wide, his voice filled with madness:

"She is the daughter of God!"

There will be a fifth chapter today, around 9 PM. Everyone, please send your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets over! Thanks!

Chapter 315 Eroding Athena

(Requesting monthly votes and recommendation votes)

Douglas's face was contorted with madness, and his voice held an indescribable strangeness.

Douglas seemed to have kept this secret hidden for many years, and now that he finally had the chance to speak, his body was even trembling with excitement.

His appearance left the surrounding crowd exchanging bewildered glances.

Although they were all threatened into coming, they absolutely acknowledged Douglas's strength; his level of 88 was second only to Augustus in the entire Holy Church.

Moreover, Douglas is still very young, not even forty this year, so it's practically a certainty that he will break through the level 90 limit in the future.

In his daily life, he was in charge of the Inquisition, a man of few words and impartiality. Even high-ranking members of the Holy See would feel a sense of dread when they saw Douglas, even if they hadn't done anything wrong.

Who would have thought that this cardinal, whose will was as hard as steel, would actually show such a side? Even the fanatical believers of the Holy See were far inferior to him.

Just those few words were enough to contort Douglas's face and cause his chest to heave rapidly.