He Never Expected to Be Exposed in Front of Everyone Here! (Please Subscribe and Vote with Monthly Tickets)

"Obviously!"

Li Chen rolled his eyes at him irritably, picked up his teacup, and took another sip.

"I can't even be bothered with that pile of state affairs back home. You think I'd be interested in coming here to work as a free hired fist for your Holy See?"

He set down his teacup with a crisp clink, his tone shifting into a faintly amused appraisal.

"Oh, right. I went to see that Amethyst Barrier of your Holy See's, too. It was fairly interesting, I'll give it that, but nowhere near as miraculous as they made it out to be."

Charles gave a wry smile and shook his head. "You're probably the only person under heaven who would dare say something like that straight to the Pope's face."

Li Chen chuckled, a teasing edge in his voice. "Sounds like that Pope gives you plenty of grief. Being squeezed dry must be rough, huh?"

Those words seemed to strike Charles right where it hurt. A shadow flickered through his eyes, and he lowered his voice, his tone turning deadly serious, with even a trace of barely perceptible urgency. "Since you see things so clearly, why not give me a hand? Against the Pope?"

Rather than answer directly, Li Chen gave him a meaningful look, a calculating smile playing at his lips. "Haven't I already been helping you?"

Charles froze. "Oh?"

Li Chen laid it out unhurriedly. "Think about it. My reputation within your Holy See is riding high right now. 'The hero who wiped out the Blood Demon Society'-that's a pretty impressive title, isn't it? All I need to do is maintain that image. Or even do nothing at all, so long as I'm here, and..."

He paused deliberately, his gaze sweeping over the study occupied by just the two of