As a villain, he could do whatever he wanted.

Page 129

"It's just to worship the God we believe in, and we don't have any other thoughts. Even I can't do whatever I want in the church. I hope Bishop Notica won't misunderstand the atmosphere of our church, and won't feel superior because of it."

"I have no intention of mocking this. I simply want to express my sincere gratitude to Pope Rosalind. After all, the formation of such a cohesive force is a remarkable achievement for you, especially this cooperation. It is thanks to your efforts in overcoming objections that we are able to stand on the same side for the time being. For this, despite our differences in faith, I need to thank you again."

As she spoke, Nottica gently bent down, appearing as a ghost with wisps of blue light. The white-robed woman beside her glanced at Nottica's respectful and submissive demeanor. Rosalind, however, did not react. She simply continued to scrutinize the veiled beauty with her scrutinizing gaze, then shook her head and turned to walk towards the side of the road.

"I have no desire to accept your thanks. As for this cooperation, it was only because of Ms. Roy's persuasion and the assistance of Her Majesty the Queen, represented by Prince Lius, that I agreed to this plan. If you want to thank someone, go thank them. As for me... I don't want to accept thanks from heretics."

"Then I will pass on this gratitude to Ms. Loy and Young Master Lius. I will definitely find an opportunity to repay this kindness when I get back. Is that alright, Ms. Loy?"

Looking at Roy again, Nottica asked with a smile, and Roy smiled in surprise, then nodded and said amidst the laughter:

“Oh dear… Bishop Notica, your words make me a little embarrassed, haha… It’s alright, it’s nothing, it’s just a small matter. I don’t need any thanks from you, Bishop Notica, there’s no need for such trouble.”

"Really, you don't need any reward at all? Even if it's a reward related to Prince Lius, are you not interested, Ms. Loy?" Nottica continued to ask with a smile.

"Ah, upon hearing this, Luo Yi, who had initially intended to exchange a few polite words, narrowed her eyes slightly, paused for a few seconds, and then slowly said, "In that case, then again, it doesn't seem like it's impossible."

Chapter 264 Two Female Leaders (Part 6)

Oh? So, Ms. Luo Yi, you agree with me? Want to know more about Prince Lius?

With a meaningful look in her eyes, Notica smiled and asked Roy this question. Roy suddenly realized that he had been a little too excited, so he immediately adopted a serious demeanor, coughed lightly a few times, and continued to speak to the veiled woman in front of him:

"Well... cough, to be honest, I'm actually quite curious about the magic Prince Leus has learned, and I'm also somewhat interested in magic arrays, but not for any other reason." Oh? Just that? Ha... really?"

"Really, absolutely true... cough, anyway, if Bishop Notica would be willing to teach me some knowledge about magic circles or have some magical discussions with me after this is over, that would be wonderful."

Looking at Nottica, Roy blushed slightly as she spoke, and Nottica responded with a smile and a gentle nod. "Of course," Roy said, "once things are over, if you have time, Ms. Roy, I can explain some of the magic array techniques circulating within our church to you. We can also invite Prince Lius to come along; the three of us discussing magic together will surely yield many valuable results."

"Can I join Prince Lius? That would be wonderful! Thank you so much, Archbishop Anodica. You have no idea how interested I was in magic arrays before. It is an honor to receive your guidance today. Thank you so much."

With a serious yet excited look in his eyes, Roy shook Nautica's shoulders repeatedly, telling her about his inner turmoil.

Nautica, too, became dizzy from the shaking, just like when Rosalind had shaken her earlier. In this hazy state, she responded with a somewhat dazed and helpless laugh:

Haha... Ms. Roy, whatever makes you happy. But it seems... my time in this reality is almost up. Now... cough cough. It seems I must disappear from here for now. I won't keep you company any longer. "Hmm? Bishop Notica, are you going back?"

Upon hearing Nottica's words, Roy narrowed his eyes slightly. He then felt a warmth gradually emanating from the shoulder in front of him. This was the body's own body temperature. The pale blue light that had been gathered in front of him, symbolizing the soul, gradually faded, and a tender, white skin emerged from the light.

"Hmm...it seems my time is up for now. I'll rest a bit and then come back to talk with you both. For now...farewell." Is that so? Well then, Bishop Notica, take care. Remember our promise. I'll be looking forward to the discussions with Prince Lius and you in the future.

With a slight wave, carrying a vitality and energy beyond her years, Roy smiled and waved goodbye to the veiled beauty who embodied agility.

“Bishop Nottica.”

Meanwhile, Rosalind, watching the slowly dissipating soul of the young woman, slowly walked up to her.

With a complex gaze, the white-robed pope stared at her face, still shrouded in mist, watching the veil sway gently as she spoke softly:

"I'll try to find out about your past." Hmm? Your Highness...you want to help me?

As they dissipated, upon hearing Rosalind's sudden words, not only was Nottica surprised, but even Loy beside her turned around quickly, seemingly taken aback by the sudden display of goodwill from the Pope.

"Your Holiness, do you really want to help Bishop Nottica... find out about her past?"

"Please don't misunderstand. I don't want to help her or her heretical church. I'm just very curious about her past. It might be related to our church, so we have to find out. Don't think this is me showing goodwill, and I don't care to accept your gratitude."

Maintaining her indifferent demeanor, Rosalind slowly explained her purpose and offered an explanation to the two people in front of her.

Meanwhile, upon hearing Rosalind's words, Nottica was not deterred by their coldness. She continued to look intently at the young woman in white and nodded slightly to her.

"In any case, if Your Highness Rosalind truly wants to find out my past, then whatever your past may be, I want to express my gratitude to you. Thank you for your help, Your Highness."

With a soft hum, Rosalind's eyes revealed a mixture of indifference and helplessness as she listened quietly to Nottica's words. She then stepped aside and followed the nun to carry out her assigned task.

"Has she accepted your gratitude, Bishop Nordaca?"

Watching Rosalind's retreating figure, Roy frowned and asked.

"Probably not. After all, our two sects are still enemies. Even if I'm willing to extend a friendly gesture, she might not accept it."

As she spoke slowly, Nottica gazed at the white-robed woman who was gradually disappearing into the distance. Her originally calm eyes began to ripple with emotion, as if she were pondering something.

"Regarding her... I feel there are many things she's hiding from us, especially from me. I can sense that Pope Rosalind is very hostile towards me. She knows some things about me, but she's unwilling to reveal them to us."

“I feel the same way. What do you think, Bishop Notica? Do you also want to investigate Her Majesty the Pope in the future? To find out what secrets she is hiding?”

Upon hearing Bishop Notica's words, Roy asked this question, and the veiled beauty shook her head slightly.

"No... The most important thing in cooperation is trust. Before the crisis is completely resolved, we should not do anything that would affect cooperation between churches. As for Her Majesty the Pope... perhaps we can try to open her heart. Maybe then she will reveal the relevant information on her own."

"How do I open your heart?" Roy continued to ask. "Well..." Faced with Roy's question, Notica revealed a meaningful smile. As her body was about to completely dissipate, her lips slowly parted, and she uttered her final words:

"Then... let Prince Leus come and get to know her well. I believe that Rosalind will soon be able to open her heart to him." Prince Leus?

Upon hearing Nautica's words, Roy's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of surprise.

Chapter 265: Clash of Armies (Part 1)

“Bishop Notica, what do you mean by Prince Lius’s intentions?”

Hearing Nottica's sudden words, Loi was surprised and was about to ask further questions when the veiled beauty slowly disappeared, leaving only the other beautiful young woman in the original body behind. "Hoo," the young woman slowly exhaled, stood up gently, looked at Loi in front of her, and with a serious expression, introduced herself softly:

"Hello, Ms. Loy, I am Nordlin, the Archdeacon of the Church. I have been sent by the Archdeacon to meet you here as her intermediary in reality, and I will assist you in the following actions. Please take good care of me."

"Oh, the archdeacon? Hello, hello."

Looking at the dark-haired beauty, Roy nodded slightly, shook hands with her, and then asked her to lead the other believers in preparations for the next step of the operation. He stood there thoughtfully, recalling the words he had just heard from Bishop Nottica.

"Should we send Prince Lius to spend time with Pope Rosalind and win her heart? Hmm, it seems the Pope is quite averse to Prince Lius. Is that really a good idea...?" Lost in thought, Roy couldn't make up his mind. He decided to put it aside for now, gripped his staff tightly, looked towards a sunlit stone mountain in the distance, exhaled, and headed in that direction.

"The first key point of the formation is right there. I'll go and investigate it first."

With this thought in mind, Nottica gently waved her wand, and her body, like a feather being blown by a breeze, slowly rose from the ground, climbing upwards in a bird-like manner, accompanied by gusts of wind, heading towards the distant cliffs.

What she didn't notice was that at the very moment she set off, a faint light flashed on the distant cliff. Although it was inconspicuous, it symbolized the implementation of magic. And on another plain in the desert with strange rocks and pythons, a group of people hidden under the rock walls noticed the flying female mage.

"Those are... people from the kingdom! They've discovered us!"

Hidden in the shadows beneath the stone wall, the group of girls dressed in black robes each displayed a serious expression as they pressed themselves against Roy, maintaining an orderly formation and pressing their bodies tightly against the rock wall to minimize the possibility of premature exposure.

"Why...why are so many people from the main country suddenly gathering in this area? Could it be...that the core of the formation here has been discovered?" The black-robed girls guarding this place whispered among themselves, each maintaining a tense posture, staring at the group of cultists who had begun to take action in the distance. Some of them had even prepared to attack, gripping their staffs tightly in their hands, ready to unleash magic at any moment.

"Captain, there's another group of people coming from the north... it looks like our team."

Just then, another voice was heard, causing the black-robed girl at the head to turn around abruptly. She then saw a group of people using the sandstorm for cover and continuing to move towards the strange rocks.

The group was dressed in black robes, looking no different from the others, clearly indicating they were members of the church. "These people... these people seem to be one of the group that was sent out earlier. I remember they were ordered by His Holiness the bishop to carry out some missions in secret," a sharp-eyed girl remarked to her captain beside her, recognizing the faces of the leaders.

"Were they sent out by the authorities...? But... I heard that their route doesn't pass through here. They usually gather at the border and are supposed to be well hidden. Why are they exposed here now, in such an obvious location?"

Faced with the group of girls who kept coming, the squad leader was surprised. He then quickly released a magic circle to temporarily hide the scene. During this short time, he led the wandering group to the base of the strange rock and told them to hide along with the others.

"Hurry up and be careful. There are people from the kingdom nearby. They're looking for us. Be careful not to expose ourselves." "What? The main kingdom's forces are gathered here too?"

Upon hearing the squad leader's words, the leader of the black-robed girl squad exclaimed in surprise, jumped and looked in the direction the finger was pointing, and saw the Kingdom cultists marching towards the location of the array's core. She then gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

"Damn it... these people from the kingdom are really impatient. We've already encountered several patrol teams, completely blocking our original route. They've even sent so many men to intercept us, forcing us all the way here. Ugh... and now there are still so many of them. They're really troublesome." Hmm? You were forced all the way here? Faced with the black-robed girl's words, the squad leader showed a surprised look. Then he looked at his companions behind her and noticed that these girls all had some wounds on them, and they were all panting heavily, looking very tired.

"You... can't teleport back?"

After hesitating for a moment, the squad leader asked the group this question, while the black-robed girl at the head of the group shook her head slightly and slowly exhaled:

"We tried to teleport back earlier, but their offensive was too relentless. They launched a continuous barrage of attacks, constantly harassing us with magic bullets, which prevented us from using teleportation spells. We could only retreat passively until we arrived in this desert, where we were finally able to rest for a while."

"How much divine power do you have left? Is it enough to support everyone's return?"

"It's possible, but you just said... people from the kingdom attacked this place, so they also discovered the magic array's core here... If that's the case, with your strength alone, you wouldn't be able to defend this place, would you?"

"So, you want to provide support for this."

Listening to the words of the people in front of him, the squad leader lowered his eyes and couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion. He was about to express his gratitude to his comrades when a soft voice broke the harmonious atmosphere.

"So, you are the enemies we've prepared here?"

With a tremor in their foreheads, the people were stunned for a moment before quickly raising their heads, their eyes wide, and looking towards the direction from which the sound was coming from the sky.

"What you see is a female mage in a deep purple robe floating quietly in the sunlight, looking down at the crowd beside the stone wall. Her staff is also pointed at them, and a contemptuous hostility appears in her eyes."

"You are... Roy!"

At this moment, the black-robed girls looked at the female mage floating in mid-air with surprise and shock, feeling a sense of awe at this sudden enemy.

"Why...why are you here? Didn't you just go to the location of the array's core? This place should have been hidden by magic, so why did you find us?"

Concealment? Ha, those mere ordinary magic spells can't have any effect on me. Your little tricks are completely useless against me.

"This...this magic was created using divine power; it will absolutely not be detected." Divine power? Ha.

Faced with the crowd's exclamations, Luo Yi snorted lightly, looking quite disdainful. She casually released a bit of magic with her finger, touching the magic barrier that concealed the black-robed girls.

The next moment, the barrier shattered like broken glass, with a loud cracking sound, and scattered across the desert ground.

"These barriers are nothing. Even if you use the special power you speak of, their internal structure is still the same. Ordinary people may not be able to easily break them, but I am not an ordinary person. As the most outstanding mage in the kingdom, I only need a little bit of power to touch the support point in the barrier to completely dismantle its internal structure. This sense of incongruity in the space cannot get past me."

"You," now you have nowhere to escape, so what? Do you want to confront me head-on and feel my power? Or are you planning to flee from here? I've heard of your teleportation magic before. Although it's troublesome, it's not impossible to break. As long as I launch continuous attacks on you, you won't have time to cast any more spells.

As he spoke, Roy hovered quietly above the group, his previous lazy expression gone. He looked down at the enemies with a cold gaze, and the staff in his hand flashed with hostility, gathering beams of blue light that he aimed at the group below.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Quick, defend!

The beams of light shot down with incredible speed, like a torrential downpour, bombarding the mage. The intense light flashed across the earth, almost blinding everyone. Meanwhile, the black-robed girls below, facing this fierce onslaught, were unable to make any move for the time being, and could only concentrate all their power above their heads to defend against the surging attacks.

However, even with everyone working together, they could only barely withstand this attack. Some of them even began to tremble, and their hands supporting the staffs were about to give way.

"Hold on... Her magic can't last long either. As long as we find an opening, we can attack her..." The squad leader frowned, his neck trembling as he spoke.

However, looking up again at Roy's composed expression, it was hard to imagine whether things were really as the black-robed girls hoped, that she could hold out until Roy's strength was exhausted. No one knew whether she was really able to give others an opportunity to attack and cause them harm, as people thought.

Looking further back into the distance, one can see waves of cultists rushing towards this place.

After destroying the magic barrier, everyone was completely exposed in the desert. Under Roy's guidance, countless cultists picked up their staffs and gathered their power as they moved, preparing to launch a new attack on the black-robed girls beside the stone wall when they reached a suitable distance.

"Do you think you'll have any chance to escape once my companions arrive? Don't even think about it. Accept your fate. Surrender now and you might still live, but when the main force arrives... well, who knows?" Under the blazing sun, sweat dripped from the foreheads of the black-robed girls as they faced this situation, feeling fear and despair.

Meanwhile, on a distant cliff, atop a dilapidated watchtower, a man and a woman gaze at the intensely flashing light in the distant desert, each displaying different reactions and postures.

"Is this... Lady Roy's power? It's so immense, you could even say it surpasses our own divine power."

Gazing at the flashes of light in the distance, Ershu showed a look of astonishment and exclaimed in amazement, while Lius nodded with a smile.

"Although Ms. Roy is often a bit eccentric in normal times, at such crucial moments, especially when using magic, she displays a level of authority that is rarely seen in ordinary times. Even I dare not provoke her in any way related to magic, otherwise I would get a good scolding from her."

Lius nodded slightly and handed the telescope in his hand to the girl in black robes beside him. Ershu hesitated for a moment before accepting the gift from Lius, holding the telescope in front of her and gazing intently at the distant scenery.

"Everyone is trapped by this attack, unable to resist or escape. If this continues... they will be in danger. Leader, are you really not going to let me go and participate?"

"Don't worry, they'll be fine. I've already made arrangements. If I'm not mistaken, with the help of reinforcements, they'll be able to escape from here soon and proceed according to the planned itinerary."

"Upon hearing Lius's words, Ershu looked puzzled, as if he hadn't quite grasped the meaning yet."

The next moment, through the binoculars, she narrowed her eyes and saw a group of black-robed cultists emerging from the desert, marching under the sunlight, rushing towards their besieged companions in the distance…

Chapter 266: Clash of Armies (Part Two)

Damn it, such a powerful offensive. If this continues, we can't hold out for long... How can we escape this? Returning to the battlefield, feeling the continuous beams of magic overhead, the black-robed girls within the barrier gritted their teeth, trying their best to withstand the tidal wave of attacks.

However, under the intense energy fluctuations, everyone's efforts were almost completely futile.

No matter how much power they unleashed, they still couldn't withstand the overwhelming onslaught from Roy alone. Her other teammates also surged up the stone mountain one after another, constantly approaching the black-robed girl's location, determined to wipe out this group of stubborn cultists in one fell swoop.

"Hold on a little longer, we absolutely cannot give up."

This thought solidified in the squad leader's mind, causing her to struggle to support her hands, which she could no longer control, and to concentrate her last bit of strength on the barrier.

Although she knew this was her last strength, and once it was used up, she would be unable to put up any resistance and would be at the mercy of others, like a fish on a knife's edge.

However, for the honor of the Order and for her most sublime and reverent faith in the Supreme God, the black-robed girl still did this with all her might, taking a desperate gamble.

"This is the end. I can't go on anymore." The squad leader gasped for breath, his body gradually weakening under the intense dizziness. His arms, which he had been struggling to raise, now completely relaxed and slowly fell to his sides. His legs went limp, and his upper body leaned back, looking like he was about to faint at any moment.

"Captain! Hold on, reinforcements are here! They're coming this way to help us!" "Hmm?"

Just then, these intense words reached the squad leader's ears, forcing him to open his eyes again. Following the direction pointed by the black-robed girl beside him, he turned his gaze to a sand dune protruding in the distance. There, he saw a group of black-robed girls running quickly toward him, who were their companions in the church.

"It's true. Reinforcements have arrived. Witnessing all this, the squad leader's eyes widened slightly. After a brief moment of surprise, his body seemed to regain a surge of strength, allowing him to grit his teeth and stand up again. He gripped his staff tightly, stood shakily in place, and shouted into the distance."