So-Called Insanity
A knight came in with a letter: "Ah, Your Excellency, Mr. Lin. I am very sorry for disturbing you two.it is just that Her Majesty has an invitation I must immediately deliver to you."
The pope froze for a second then took the letter and examined it. It was in a very pretty envelope with refined skills. The envelope gave off the resplendent aura of a noble. Queen Sisi had her unique double "s" initials on the heat stamp.
While it looked as though it was a trap disguised as a celebration, the pope didn't comment. He opened the envelope and read the letter: "Her Majesty's invitation? Tonight? Understood. I will be there."
The pope looked at me with a strange look and smiled: "Mr. Lin, you are Her Majesty's esteemed guest. Did you receive an invitation?"
I froze for a moment. I suddenly realised I made a tragic mistake I.
I forgot to tell Queen Sisi to invite me. If the pope found out I didn't receive an invitation, he'd immediately realise planned to lure him away. I already came up with the best plan. Only to overlook the simplest part!!
"Oh, it appears that she has invited you."
Before I could come up with an appropriate response, the pope muttered a part on the letter. Curious, I took a look. He handed me the invitation with a smile. I was surprised to see the name written on the invitation; my name was also written on there.
"Beautiful, Your Majesty!!" I said to myself.
The Queen wasn't an idiot. She, in fact, was very astute. She had a complete grasp of my plan. She easily figured it out and covered my mistake. I like working with smart people. If Her Majesty and I joined hands, we could definitely resolve any problems.
Relieved, I quietly laughed: "Let's put aside our business for now, then. I'll see you at Her Majesty's place again tonight. I dare not be late. It is Her Majesty we're seeing, after all."
I assumed the pope didn't expect the invite. He nodded: "Indeed. I would not dare be late, either. See you then."
I played ignorant. I guess it was a fluke. Nevertheless, thanks to Queen Sisi being sharp, we avoided exposing the plan.
I felt somewhat confused when I stepped out of the chapel and looked up at the hot sun. I observed the people going back and forth on the street. I hadn't make the switch after coming out from the dark chapel to seeing the bright sun and happy crowds. I took a couple of steps with a hazy mind. When I reached the street I looked around to figure out where I was.
Fortunately, I figured out the pope's thinking. How shall I put it? He didn't appear to be a diabolic individual. He was a very earnest and loyal individual. As opposed to saying he was trying to pull a stunt, it'd be better to say smug Queen Sisi, who just ended the tumultuous war, planned to eliminate all those who could challenge her on a political level. The chapel hadn't done anything that crossed the line; they just need money. Meanwhile, the Queen latched onto the chapel's need for money to turn it into a reason for her to destroy them. That was the entire gist of their feud.
The Queen could, by all means, give the pope a sum of money for him to treat his daughter but she didn't. Instead, she decided to kick the downed man. Queen Sisi's approach was simple. She wanted one thing: she wanted the pope to die. Despite that, the pope didn't do anything that crossed the line. I believe what the pope said. He didn't plan to hurt the Queen. In fact, he was ready to die.
The one thing the pope couldn't abandon was his daughter. From his perspective, his death would inevitably lead to the death of his daughter. He wasn't trying to save himself; he merely tried to extend his daughter's life.
The reason the pope asked to meet me was probably purely to plead me to take care of his daughter if he fails. If their plan succeeded, his daughter would be safe. Put another way, the situation would demand Queen Sisi to spare them. If I succeeded, the chapel would become an execution ground.
The pope was the victim. As opposed to calling me a guard stopping an assassination that might cause a revolt, I was merely a tyrant's helper. I might not be able to protect his family, let alone him. If Queen Sisi wanted him dead, he was bound to die.
I couldn't oppose Queen Sisi. She wasn't wrong per se, but her actions were that of a tyrant'. I, however, was nobody. If I senselessly opposed her, she'd easily squash me. While she was a tyrant, the one positive aspect was that she was a rational tyrant. She didn't mindlessly kill people, but if she wanted to kill someone, there was no escaping death.
"Where am I right now?" I wondered. I turned around and peered in the direction I lodged before heading over.
There was nothing else to do for the meantime, so I needed to visit Ascilia. I planned to see her at noon. I planned to think of a way to take Ascilia away at night. I couldn't destroy the pope's entire family. It would be very meaningful if Ascilia lived.
I rubbed my sore calf while sitting in the carriage. I tried to connect the dots: "What do I need to ensure Ascilia lives? Additionally, what can I get from the chapel? I can protect Ascilia, but I'm not obligated to. She's my bargaining chip. What should I get from the chapel? What's in the chapel's literature room?
What exactly does the chapel want? If they don't intend to harm the Queen, they wouldn't possibly assassinate her. I knew the chapel wouldn't do something so foolish. What will they do, then? The chapel wants the chapel to recognise her mistake and serve her humble pie. They want to crush her arrogance. What would have to be done to humble her, then?"
I made sense of a lot of information, but the pieces didn't connect. "The chapel took in the adventurers who fought in the war against the demon race. The chapel might have weapons; the chapel won't kill the Queen, but will crush her pride. What exactly does the chapel want to do? What connects those four dots? What in the world is it?"
The carriage suddenly came to a halt. From the other side of the window, the elder coach remarked, "You did not bring your daughter with you today,"
I dawdled for a moment then responded, "Ah, yes. My wife has arrived. The two of them are going out to play today."
"I see. Thus is the fate of men. After all, we have to work to feed our families. Without the cute missy next to you, I cannot help but feel something missing."
The carriage began to move again, taking me closer to my goal. Apparently, the carriage almost hit someone passing by. I looked over and found myself surprised.
It was a succubus prostitute. She kept looking around, scanning every carriage, though I didn't know what for. It wasn't time for a succubus prostitute to be out.
I wondered, "What in the world is she doing? I have enough to think about already. It's none of my business. Wait… Did the coach just say that there's something missing without Leah by my side? Wait… Wait…"
My brain went into overdrive: "What's missing…? What's missing from the chapel's plan…?"
I froze stiff. A sickening cold sensation gripped my left foot. A chill ran up my spine.
My brain continued firing on all cylinders: "If I'm correct, if this crazy idea of mine is correct… then… then… I know what the chapel wants to do now!! Those bloody madmen!"
Its chances of success were next to zero, because they were missing the key to the entire plan!! I, however, brought the key to the imperial capital!
"Turn back!!! Hurry! Turn back!!" I went wild, hammering the carriage and shouting to the coach.
The coach froze for a moment. After the coach came to an abrupt halt, he began to turn it around. I poked my head out from the window and belted, "Hurry back!! Hurry back!! I need to go back to the inn I'm staying at!! Hurry!!"
"Ah, r-right away!!"