Chapter 15 – Kill the Current Pope! Once the Saintess Ascends, I’ll Be Truly Invincible!

Revealing my identity upfront really does save a lot of trouble.

As Yalis announced herself, Lin Wei leaned in, feigning curiosity. Truthfully, he found himself quite intrigued by this candidate Saintess of the Holy Church.

Not for any improper reason—she was still underage, and that would be unthinkable. What truly piqued his interest was what had happened that night.

To mislead the Holy Church and give that useless Pope a proper headache, he’d gone out of his way to stir up trouble, even coming close to strangling her then and there. Yet, despite all that, the Holy Church hadn’t managed to glean a shred of useful information, and this young Saintess had bounced back as if nothing had happened—charging off to explore the labyrinth with renewed enthusiasm.

It was as if the sunrise had erased every trace of the previous day—a truly bewildering act.

Did I choke her so hard she lost her memory or something?

This Saintess was utterly unfathomable!

“Y-Yes... I’m a candidate Saintess of the Holy Church,” Yalis stammered, twisting her fingers in embarrassment.

Suppressing her discomfort, Yalis nodded, already racking her brain for a proper way to thank him.

She wasn’t the sort to leave a debt unpaid.

But what should she say now? Why did this feel so awkward?

“Since you’re a Saintess, what are you doing wandering the labyrinth alone?”

Thankfully, Lin Wei broke the tension before it had a chance to settle in.

Feigning idle curiosity to gather information, Lin Wei’s mind was already racing with possibilities.

This girl before him might appear clueless—and her strength was laughably meager—but as the Saintess of the Holy Church, her status was beyond question. She stood at the very heart of power, even higher than his own Veya, and was essentially the next Pope in waiting.

If he could win her friendship, the benefits would be almost too great to imagine.

With her trust, prying out the Church’s deepest secrets or hiding his own identity would be child’s play.

And if he dared to go one step further...

If he could become her confidant—have this naïve girl call him “Brother Lin Wei”—then someday slip into the Holy Church, take out the Pope, and gently guide her to the throne as her warm, reliable big brother...

Now that was a plan so brilliant it made his heart race!

Every obstacle swept aside. If he could pull this off, he’d be invincible on the spot!

No one would ever suspect that the Pope’s beloved “big brother” had any connection to the demons.

And with Yalis as Pope, he could easily use her influence to push Veya into the Holy Church’s inner circle.

In the not-so-distant future...

Lord Lin Wei.

Would the Holy Church soon be within your grasp?

This was definitely worth a try!

“I—I have some business in the capital tomorrow and will be returning to accept punishment,” Yalis answered meekly, snapping Lin Wei out of his daydream. “But I’d heard the labyrinth near Lotai was quite famous, so I thought I’d train in one of the side dungeons before heading back.”

Her timid reply pulled Lin Wei back to reality. Naturally, he picked up the thread and continued the conversation.

“Punishment? Did you do something bad?” Lin Wei asked, his tone light and teasing.

Anyone else would have kept their troubles to themselves, no matter the circumstances.

But... faced with the adventurer who had saved her, Yalis hesitated. She clenched her small fists, wavered for a moment, then finally answered.

“Not exactly bad, but definitely not good either... Did you hear about the battle near Lotai last night?”

How could I not? I was the one who took out that Evil God.

Of course, now wasn’t the time to let that slip. To win her trust and draw her closer, Lin Wei played along, feigning curiosity and coaxing her as if she were a child.

“Of course I heard! A evil god cult’s stronghold was wiped out, right? What, were you involved somehow? Did you let a few cultists slip away?”

“Something like that... Actually, I snuck into the evil god cult to act as an undercover agent,” Yalis admitted, her voice dropping as she bowed her head in shame.

“In the end, I didn’t help the Holy Church at all. I just messed up their big operation and almost got myself killed... I’m about to head back and accept punishment for acting without orders.”

Finishing her story, Yalis looked utterly dejected.

Even as a Saintess, she knew how to keep a secret. Not even the adventurer who’d saved her life could be told the whole truth about that night.

The Holy Church had a major operation planned!?

Lin Wei’s eyes glinted at the revelation.

Just as he suspected—befriending the Saintess would grant him access to all kinds of high-level intel even Veya couldn’t obtain.

Even a few careless words were enough. After all, as the Demon Lord, he was more than capable of piecing things together.

He instantly zeroed in on the most crucial detail:

A “big operation.”

What was it? What were the Holy Church’s true goals? What exactly were they planning?

Whatever it was, it involved the evil god cult. The plan nearly failed because she’d gone undercover in their ranks. Did that mean the Holy Church’s knights hadn’t actually intended to wipe out the cult’s stronghold last night? Perhaps they had something else in mind, but because he’d so thoroughly sealed away the Evil God, their entire scheme had unraveled?

Even with all his cunning as the Demon Lord, it was difficult to paint a full picture from a single phrase like “big operation.” Still, one thing was certain: the Holy Church was secretly plotting something.

Surely, they aren’t still suspicious that I’m lurking somewhere near Lotai... right?

“So hard to figure out,” Lin Wei muttered, tapping the edge of the bed as his mind spun, only to come up empty.

“What’s wrong, Mr. Lin Wei?” Yalis’s voice broke his train of thought.

He glanced over to see her tilting her head, her eyes filled with innocent confusion.

Lin Wei quickly composed himself. After a moment’s thought, he blurted out, deliberately unreasonable, “I doubt the blame for all this really lies with you, you know.”

Yalis froze, caught off guard by his unexpected words, her small face a picture of uncertainty.

“Eh? H-how could this not be my fault?” she stammered, flustered.

“Going undercover in the evil god cult took real courage,” Lin Wei said, meeting her gaze. “You didn’t just stand by when you saw people being corrupted—you risked everything to infiltrate their stronghold.”

“That’s proof of your bravery. It shows you have a heart full of light, someone who truly wants to save others.”

Comforting a girl—especially one like her—was the fastest way to win her friendship.

Lin Wei’s expression grew ever more sincere as he unleashed his secret technique: Supreme Skill—Talking Nonsense Jutsu.

In moments like this, facts no longer mattered.

“Maybe things didn’t go perfectly, and maybe it disrupted some plan, but your intentions were good from the start.”

“If the Pope wants to punish you for that, then honestly, it’s the Pope who’s making a huge mistake. She’d have to be blind not to see the difference between right and wrong.”