As a villain, he could do whatever he wanted.

Page 133

Upon hearing Anne's words, Lius gradually fell silent, gazing thoughtfully at the stone table before him. Together with Anne, who sat opposite him with a furrowed brow, they made the surrounding atmosphere increasingly oppressive.

"At that time... the carriage passed by very fast, like a breeze that swept past us and disappeared in the blink of an eye. But I could clearly see the scene inside the carriage. Through the window, I could see my senior inside the carriage, and her eyes, which had become almost completely empty, like a beast about to be slaughtered, desperate and powerless to resist. I will never forget such a scene."

“Despair?” Leus repeated Anne’s words again, nodding thoughtfully. Then, as if he had thought of something, he moved closer to Anne and continued to ask her:

"Judging from what you just said, Aunt Anne, becoming a candidate for sainthood is probably not a good thing. Although I don't know what the rules are, in a sense, it should be considered a rather cruel one for these candidates."

"Cruel... Ha, that's a good adjective. It is indeed cruel, without a doubt."

Upon hearing this, Anne seemed to remember something in an instant, causing her eyes, which had been filled with sadness, to be instantly filled with anger, like a cup of hot oil poured into a raging fire, plunging her into a state of rage from which she could not extricate herself...

Chapter 275: Confession (Part 5)

In her anger and frustration, Annie clenched her fists tightly, trying to control her emotions that were about to erupt.

Lius's words echoed in her chest, making the dark-haired young woman's breathing quicken. Her clasped hands trembled as she gripped each other tightly, her nails digging into her fair skin, leaving bright red marks.

“Aunt Anne. What’s wrong with you? Seeing Anne’s sudden excitement, Leus asked her again, his eyes narrowing. Anne shook her head slightly, took a few deep breaths, suppressed her emotions, and with a flushed face, turned her gaze back towards Leus.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoli. Auntie got a little too excited and lost her temper just now, which made you worry."

"It's nothing. I'm just curious, Aunt Annie, what could possibly make you so angry? Are the rules in the church monastery very strict? If that's all, it shouldn't make you so upset. Could it be that there's some deeper secret hidden in the monastery?"

Levi asked Anne in an inquiring tone, while Anne, facing Levi's question, slowly exhaled, regained control of her emotions, and closed her eyes to rest.

When Annie opened her eyes again, she had completely returned to her usual self. She nodded slightly to the blond boy in front of her, picked up her teacup and drank it all in one gulp. Then, she slowly opened her lips. "If the church... isn't as pure as you imagine, Xiao Li, then what extent can you imagine the shady, sordid things that happen within the church? As for the sins within our church…"

"Oh? My thoughts?"

After being asked this question by Annie, Leus pondered for a moment before finally speaking to her:

"If you ask me, when it comes to the sins within the church, it's of course the exchange of power and money... using the name of God to seek personal gain, or using the church's slogan to persecute those who oppose them. I've encountered all of these kinds of behaviors, so would that be a qualified answer?"

“These things are indeed sins within the church, but compared to what I’m about to say, they are so mundane that they are not worth mentioning at all.”

"Oh? So there are even deeper sins hidden within the church?"

Lius glanced at her and then questioned the black-haired woman in front of him, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

As for Anne, facing Lius's question, she nodded slightly and, under his probing gaze, shared her thoughts:

"Regarding the Church, even with the blessing of the saint, its external situation has become increasingly difficult. In particular, the reforms of recent empresses have continuously shrunk the Church's power. Over time, this has led to a significant decline in the Church's influence, especially in terms of power, which is no longer comparable to the imperial power it once was."

"I am aware of this matter as well, so the church now basically obeys the Queen's orders. Because of the church reforms of that time, the Queen has firmly controlled the church's power within a safe range, which has prevented too much turmoil within the kingdom due to the conflict between the two."

As Lius recounted this, he recalled his earlier conversation with Rosalind and added a sentence to Anne:

"However... judging from the recent actions of Her Majesty the Pope and the Church, they probably don't want to stay in their current positions at all, but want more power. Perhaps this extermination of cultists is an opportunity for them to elevate their status, so they have put a lot of thought into this."

“No matter when, the struggle for power and profit is an unchangeable human nature, it has been so from the very beginning.” With this sigh, Anne continued with a serious look in her eyes, and continued to talk to Lius, “So, since we’re talking about the struggle for power and profit in the church, are you aware of what methods the church uses to fight for that power and position that has already been dissolved?”

"Methods?" Lius pondered for a moment, and finally said slowly to Annie:

"If you want to improve your status, the best way is to show your importance. For example, be a hero who saves people from suffering and makes outstanding achievements in war, or a savior who finds solutions to disasters and saves the world. In short, heroes are born in disasters. If the church wants to improve its status, the best way is to become a hero of the world."

But the world isn't as crisis-ridden as we imagine, nor is there any crisis that the church needs to save itself from. For the people, the kingdom and even Her Majesty the Queen are what they've always respected. The church is more of a source of psychological comfort than something they rely on. Xiaoli, you understand that, right?

After listening to Anne's words, Lius nodded thoughtfully, then seemed to think of something, glanced at her, and looked up at Anne.

"Wait a minute, Aunt Anne, do you mean... that the church is not satisfied with this peaceful world, and therefore wants to secretly break this peace and create a crisis that only the church can solve, so as to restore the church's power to its former dominant position?"

“Xiaoli, you are very smart. You quickly understood what I wanted to say. That’s right. What the church really wants is its own supreme power. And for this power, they need a crisis that can affect the entire kingdom, and a savior who can resolve this crisis.”

"Then, Auntie, do you mean...?" Looking at Annie's face, Leus's astonishment remained undiminished, and Annie nodded slightly, giving him the answer Leus had guessed:

“Some people within the Kingdom Church, at the highest levels, contacted us and assisted us, whom they called cultists, by setting up the key points of the formation, concealing our whereabouts, and carrying out our plan to resurrect the Supreme God.”

"What! The Kingdom Church...is in contact with you and is assisting you..." Faced with Anne's words, Leus's brows furrowed, as if he were struggling to process everything he had just heard. Anne, on the other hand, maintained a serious expression, nodding slightly to the blond boy before her.

"There are traitors within the church, and these traitors are high-ranking members of the church. Perhaps the lower-ranking members did not realize that the enemy they have been fighting against is actually related to the bishops and even the pope they respect the most. Isn't that ironic?"

All of this... started a long time ago? No wonder there was so much incongruity along the way. It turns out that from the very beginning, this situation was caused by multiple parties. Only now have I finally understood everything... "Actually, Xiao Li, you have completely grasped the situation. It's just that this information has been kept secret by us. Apart from a few people, everyone else knows nothing. It's normal that they don't know, because everyone is pursuing their own goals. Our goal is to resurrect the Supreme God and let her cleanse this world again. And the ultimate goal of the Church of the Main Kingdom is..." Letting out a breath, Annie looked at Lius and slowly revealed her conclusion:

"Their ultimate goal is to resolve this enormous crisis, to completely dismantle this crisis that only the church can resolve, in the name of the church, and to destroy us, this group of cultists who threaten the kingdom and the people, so as to create new heroes who belong to the church and are recognized by the world."

Chapter 276: Confession (Part 6)

To become the new...hero?

Hearing the words of the dark-haired young woman in front of him, Lius bit his lip, forcing himself to recover from his previous frown. He then tugged at his shawl to ward off the howling wind, and continued speaking to Annie amidst the chill:

"Aunt Anne, were these matters agreements reached between you and the Church of the Lord? Are only you and those higher-ups aware of them?"

“That’s right. Within our church, only I know about this. The other girls know nothing about it, not even my most beloved student.”

"Is the student who most frequently borrows money... already retired?"

Recalling the black-robed girl's self-introduction, Leus confirmed Anne's identity in this way.

“That’s right, Xiaoli, you’re quite familiar with her too, aren’t you? She’s also one of my students, just like Lia. She’s an outstanding young lady, not only similar in ability and mindset, but also in the type of person she likes—both of them like older brothers they can rely on.”

Seemingly to ease the overly oppressive atmosphere, Annie suddenly smiled and teased Lius, who, somewhat embarrassed, coughed lightly a few times to change the subject:

"Ahem... We'll talk about Ershu later. In any case, I still have many questions for you, Aunt Anne, regarding your cooperation with the Kingdom Church. What exactly is your attitude towards it?"

Oh? Attitude?

“That’s right. From what you just said, you are well aware of their purpose. This cooperation has been devoid of sincerity from the very beginning. Once the Kingdom Church feels the time is right, they will launch a crackdown on you cultists, just like now. If that’s the case, then why do you continue with this plan? Is their help really that important?” Faced with Lius’s question, Anne, unusually thoughtful, seemed to be considering how to answer the blond boy in front of her. After a few seconds of silence, she finally slowly opened her lips and said:

"We don't care." "Huh?"

"I don't care what the Church of the Lord does to us. As long as we know that they will work hard to help us achieve the chaotic situation they want to pursue, and that our power can penetrate deep into the kingdom, that's enough. That's all that's helpful to our actions. There's no need to consider anything else. Even if we know that they will become our enemies when the time is right, we don't care."

"Is it because you believe the potential gains far outweigh the risks you'll take that you're doing this?" Leus frowned and continued to ask.

"Profits and risks, huh. You might be mistaken about small profits."

Looking at Lius, Anne's eyes shone with a serious light. She lowered her voice and spoke to the blond boy in front of her in a strong yet calm tone, "The reason we are willing to reach this cooperation is because I don't care what they do. No matter what they do, whether it's hostility or conspiracy, it won't affect our plans in any way."

"Aunt Anne, are you really so sure? When they provide you with intelligence or support, they must have thoroughly investigated you and perhaps even found a way to counter you. Even so, Aunt Anne, are you still not worried?" Lius continued to ask.

“That’s right. Even now, with Xiaoli in control of the situation, I dare say that our plan has not been affected in any way and will continue smoothly as previously arranged.”

“What? Aunt Anne, look at the dark-haired young woman in front of you.” A look of surprise reappeared in Lius’s eyes, as if he had noticed the unwavering gaze in Anne’s eyes, which contained an absolute confidence that could not be refuted.

Lius knew that these emotions were genuine and heartfelt from Anne, and there was nothing fake about them.

In other words, everything Anne said was true, without any falsehood; she did indeed have a backup plan in this regard.

With that in mind, Lius continued to look at Anne, falling silent for a moment as he stared at the dark-haired woman opposite him, making the atmosphere around them somewhat awkward.

After a long silence, the tranquility was finally broken by a soft sigh from Leus, which, along with the sound of the wind that began to echo in his ears again, flowed into Anne's ears.

"The more I think about it, the more my head hurts. I came here today to ask Aunt Annie for some answers, but the more you talk, the more confused I become."

Chapter 276: Confession (Part 6)

"To become the new...hero?"

Hearing the words of the dark-haired young woman in front of him, Lius bit his lip, forcing himself to recover from his previous frown. He then tugged at his shawl to ward off the howling wind, and continued speaking to Annie amidst the chill:

"Aunt Anne, were these matters agreements reached between you and the Church of the Lord? Are only you and those higher-ups aware of them?"

“That’s right. Within our church, only I know about this. The other girls know nothing about it, not even my most beloved student.”

"The student I love to borrow the most... is it Erxiu?"

Recalling the black-robed girl's self-introduction, Leus confirmed Anne's identity in this way.

“That’s right, Xiaoli, you’re quite familiar with her too, aren’t you? She’s also one of my students, just like Lia. She’s an outstanding young lady. Not only are they similar in ability and mindset, but they also have similar tastes. They both like older brothers they can rely on.”

Seemingly to ease the overly oppressive atmosphere, Annie suddenly smiled and teased Lius, who, somewhat embarrassed, coughed lightly a few times to change the subject:

"Ahem... We'll talk about Ershu later. In any case, I still have many questions for you, Aunt Anne, about your attitude towards the cooperation between you and the Kingdom Church."

Oh? Attitude?

"That's right. Judging from what you just said, you are well aware of their purpose. This cooperation has never been sincere from the beginning. Once the Kingdom Church feels that the time is right, they will launch a siege against you cultists, just like now. In that case, why do you continue to carry out this plan? Is their help really that important?"

Faced with Lius's question, Anne, unusually thoughtful, seemed to be considering how to answer the blond boy before her. After a few seconds of silence, she finally slowly opened her lips and said:

"We don't care." "Huh?"

"I don't care what the Church of the Lord does to us. As long as we know that they will work hard to help us achieve the chaotic situation they want to pursue, and that our power can penetrate deep into the kingdom, that's enough. That's all that's helpful to our actions. There's no need to consider anything else. Even if we know that they will become our enemies when the time is right, we don't care."

"Is it because you believe the potential gains far outweigh the risks you'll take that you're doing this?" Leus frowned and continued to ask.

"Profits and risks, ah... You might be mistaken about small profits."

Looking at Lius, Anne's eyes gleamed with a serious light. She lowered her voice and spoke to the blond boy before her in a firm yet calm tone:

"The reason we are willing to reach this cooperation is that I don't care what they do, because no matter what they do, whether it's hostility or conspiracy, it won't affect our plans."

"Aunt Anne, are you really so sure? When they provide you with intelligence or support, they must have thoroughly investigated you and perhaps even found a way to counter you. Even so, Aunt Anne, are you still not worried?" Lius continued to ask.

“That’s right. Even now, with Xiaoli in control of the situation, I dare say that our plan has not been affected in any way and will continue smoothly as previously arranged.”

"What? Aunt Anne, you look at the dark-haired young woman in front of you." A look of surprise reappeared in Lius's eyes, as if he had noticed the unwavering gaze in Anne's eyes, which contained an absolute confidence that could not be refuted.

Lius knew that these emotions were genuine and heartfelt from Anne, and there was nothing fake about them.

In other words, everything Anne said was true, without any falsehood; she did indeed have a backup plan in this regard.

With that in mind, Lius continued to look at Anne, falling silent for a moment as he stared at the dark-haired woman opposite him, making the atmosphere around them somewhat awkward.

After a long silence, the tranquility was finally broken by a soft sigh from Leus, which, along with the sound of the wind that began to echo in his ears again, flowed into Anne's ears.

"The more I think about it, the more my head hurts. I came here today to ask Aunt Annie for some answers, but the more you talk, the more questions I have, and I don't even know how to respond anymore."

"Do you need me to explain something?" Annie tilted her head and asked the boy in front of her.

"Oh, never mind, let's not worry about that for now. Let's not consider such things for the time being. Let Aunt Annie continue talking about the senior lady."

The conversation shifted back to Annie's past experiences. Leus straightened his expression and continued to ask her questions. Annie nodded slightly and continued to recount her past to the young man before her:

"Since you put it that way, Xiaoli, let's get back to the previous topic. As I just mentioned, you now clearly understand the sins within the church. In order to enhance the church's status, they are willing to cooperate with the cultists they deem evil, causing a crisis that could destabilize the country. This is their first hidden sin."

"First point... so it's not just this, there are other things I haven't mentioned?" Noticing Annie's choice of words, Lius asked.

“That’s right… Just as I said before, now that there is a crisis, there is one more thing to prepare, which is the key to the whole plan—a savior who belongs to the church, who can resolve the crisis and has great power.”

"Savior," indeed, a hero who resolves a crisis.

Anne placed her hands on her knees, silently closed her eyes, and, as if reflecting on something, continued to speak:

"Only if this savior appears at the crucial moment and single-handedly rescues the world from its perilous state can the Church's prestige reach its peak—that is, the 'hero' you speak of, Xiao Li, who must be created."

As she said this, Anne paused again, opened her eyes once more, and asked Lius in a questioning tone:

"Now, Xiaoli, please think about this again. For the Church, who is the person who best represents their identity? And what kind of savior would appear in this world and save it from crisis, so that people's faith in the Church would reach its highest point?"

"The person who can best represent the church... If I think about it, besides the Pope, it can only be the Holy Maiden. She can not only represent the church but also God. If the Holy Maiden is chosen as the savior to save the world, it will indeed bring the church's prestige to its peak in the kingdom."

Lius muttered to himself thoughtfully, while somewhat surprisingly, Annie shook her head slowly, seemingly denying the blond boy's words.

“Little Li, your reasoning is indeed very reasonable, but your imagination is still a bit too conservative.” “Too conservative?” Lius looked puzzled.

"That's right. Just having a saintess as the savior would indeed greatly enhance the status of the church, and might even make the church's status surpass that of the monarchy. But even with just this, the church is still not satisfied."

“Even this is not enough. What they want is the supreme power of the church. Is there any higher position than this?” Lius asked again.

"If they could reach the pinnacle of power, these church members would indeed be willing to give everything. But what they want is not just that. Imagine, once the crisis is over, they may temporarily become the highest-ranking people in the kingdom, but can this power be maintained indefinitely? What if a ruler like Her Majesty the Queen reappears and diminishes the church's power again after a hundred or a thousand years? Wouldn't all their efforts be in vain?"

“This is an inevitable law, and no organization or individual can stop it from happening,” Lius said, shaking his head.

"That's right, but these believers are unwilling to admit this fact, unwilling for the Church of the Lord to lose the power it once had. Such thoughts permeate the minds of the church's leaders, causing them to pursue a deeper power, namely, a faith that can forever permeate the depths of people's hearts and never change."

"A belief that will never change."

After muttering Annie's words again, Leus suddenly narrowed his eyes. In an instant, a shocking idea surged into his mind, causing the blond boy's brows to furrow even more, his lips slightly clenched and parted:

"Wait a minute... The most representative candidate for the Church, and the savior who can form eternal faith in the hearts of the people, could it be... No, but how could they do that... Unless they have these chaotic thoughts about the group of saintly candidates in their minds, when he cleared his mind, Lius glanced around, gradually came back to his senses, looked at the black-haired young woman in front of him, and slowly uttered his conclusion:

"The person who best represents the church is not the saintess, but the deity who chooses the saintess, attaches himself to her, and descends into this world. What the church of the main country wants to do is... create a deity and use this deity, which they control, to establish their own supreme position. This is the secret that the church has been hiding all along!"

"So, Xiaoli, you are the smartest person I've ever met... To be able to make such a deduction from just a few clues, I'm truly gratified..."