Volume 1 Chapter 596
by post_apiChapter 596: A Trick on Janine Irene
After being lectured by Lolth, the Lady of Light was not angry; instead, she seriously reflected on herself.
"I see…"
She nodded, looking as if she had learned something.
In the Lady of Light’s heart, since she regarded Lolth as a senior, she naturally felt a deep respect for what Lolth said.
So even if Lolth pointed something out, she could never feel any dissatisfaction toward her.
After all…
What’s wrong with being taught by a senior?
In the Lady of Light’s view, this person truly managed The Church of Light, the Papal State, and even the Holy Empire very well!
Even Hillenbrand Town, inspired by herself, was just a piece of land she created on a whim.
Naturally, she had the right to teach herself!
Moreover… what the other person said was indeed sensible!
She really was a bit immature; following through on those suggestions and ideas might not be a good thing.
"I will think about it some more!"
The Lady of Light replied this way, and Lolth felt very pleased.
Disciples who can think independently are all good disciples!
Not to mention, these two new students from The Church of Light, although they didn’t have extraordinary talent like Kanor…
But whether it was Coristo or the Lady of Light, their ability to think independently was indeed quite good.
They also knew how to communicate with her!
In a way, although the education system of The Church of Light could not reach the people, the "elites" they produced were certainly not ordinary.
"Think slowly, there is no need to rush… After all, you still have time."
Lolth thought this and comforted the Lady of Light.
The Lady of Light was slightly surprised to hear Lolth’s words.
Soon, she finally realized something.
It seemed… that the senior was not there just to chat with her?
But was intentionally cultivating her?
"Senior, forgive my curiosity, but why are you asking me these things?"
She asked so carefully that Lolth also started to smile.
Lolth never intended to hide anything from the Lady of Light.
But since the other person never asked, she did not find the right moment to tell her.
Now, it was a good time.
Lolth looked at her, and her smile slowly faded away.
She took out a book called "The Supreme Scripture" from her sleeve.
"Lily Mirado…"
"Do you want to be the Pope?"
Lolth’s hand rested on "The Supreme Scripture," and she softly asked the Lady of Light.
The Lady of Light, who had her name revealed, was slightly stunned.
Then…
She was shocked.
"You… How do you know my name?"
Of course, it came from the foolish mouth of the Director of the Heretic Tribunal, since he had revealed his own name truthfully—Lolth would never say that.
She smiled gently, using her effective method.
She showcased the unmistakable, high concentration of Holy Light energy she had saved while being in contact with the Pope, observing his magical technique.
Anyway, she really had been in contact with the Pope…
And the Pope indeed knew the name of the Lady of Light before she became the Holy Maiden.
After all, both the Holy Maiden and Janine Irene were discovered and adopted by the Pope from a secluded monastery before being brought to the Holy Capital.
Seeing this aura, Lily Mirado, also known as the Lady of Light, suddenly shed tears.
She suddenly understood!
"Could it be that all of this is the arrangement of fate and my Lord?!"
She always had some doubts in her heart about whether all of this was just too coincidental.
Why did she happen to meet a fallen Holy Maiden at the right moment, and why did the Rod of Eden reappear in the mainland plane at this time…
Why was she captured by the demon race, and yet the Church showed no signs of action?
Even if His Holiness the Pope was nearing the end of his life, the Great Prophecy should have foreseen all of this.
How could the merciful God of Light allow His own blessed ones to fall into the hands of the demon race!
So… all of this was planned!
This was all a test and challenge for herself.
The Lady of Light had long known that His Holiness the Pope, her guardian, and her half-teacher, really hoped she would succeed him as Pope and change the current state of the church.
However, she had always lacked confidence in whether she could do it.
After all, her previous attempts to reform the church had not gone very smoothly, and the results were not very significant.
The Lady of Light was very confident in her faith and in her control over extraordinary powers and the power of Holy Light.
Because of this confidence, she even secretly learned magic—because she believed that power is power… using other powers could not be seen as disloyalty to Holy Light.
However, governing the church was truly too difficult for her.
When she previously conspired about the Rod of Eden with Maria Diana from the Golden Peacock Kingdom and Great Sage Patricia Glansem Flavetrica from the Wizard Association…
She later realized that she had been used as a pawn by the Golden Peacock.
Because of this, she would later go to Vera Plain herself.
But now it seemed…
All of this was expected by His Holiness the Pope and the Lord.
Wanting to inherit The Church of Light and change it was a trial she had to go through.
"Some people are born wise, but no one is born great."
These were words mentioned in the teachings of The Church of Light.
All greatness had to be forged through trials.
It didn’t mean that greatness had to show through "overcoming suffering"; rather, this quality was born from these setbacks and struggles.
The Lady of Light had recently come to a realization about this.
Her growth in Hillenbrand Town was far beyond what she could compare to at The Church of Light.
She had previously been shackled and unable to use the power of Holy Light.
Yet, she had seen a much broader world.
Although what she had just said was dismissed by her senior…
It was already much stronger than when she could not think of these methods at all at The Church of Light.
And now, watching her senior reveal their aura,
The Lady of Light finally realized…
Whether this senior had "fallen" in spirit or not, whether they were a succubus or a human…
She had always been dedicated to The Church of Light!
At the same time, the Lady of Light became curious…
Such an elder, willingly joining the Abyssal Demon and becoming a member of the Demon Army…
Yet willing to help her become a qualified pope and the successor of The Church of Light!
After all, this was a plan that had lasted for ten thousand years…
Or was it that this elder had always been worried about the church?
But no matter which it was, she was even more admirable.
Thinking of this, the Lady of Light felt more respectful.
"I will not let you down."
At that moment, in her heart…
Lolth’s status was now equal to that of the Pope!
And when Lolth looked at the Lady of Light, who suddenly seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, she felt a bit helpless.
"Well, she’s probably just thinking of random stuff again…"
"But anyway, I have to teach her how to be a pope, so a misunderstanding is just a misunderstanding!"
Thinking of this, Lolth also reflected for a moment and then nodded.
"You should keep studying for the next few days; as for the Church of Light… I will start preparing."
"You don’t need to worry about things over there; everything is fine."
Saying this, Lolth thought for a moment and added, "Later, I will give you some ‘textbooks.’ With your understanding, self-learning should not be too hard."
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
Lolth thought this and made up her mind. The Lady of Light had done more ‘practice,’ so it was time to give her some improvement in theoretical knowledge!
However, the situation with the Church of Light was complicated, so we couldn’t just use the theories about managing power and handling faith that I had seen in my previous life.
After all… just as she had thought before, the biggest problem in this land was that there were truly strange and chaotic forces.
So we could not handle it with normal methods. Some adaptations must be made.
Janine Irene, who had been standing quietly to the side, finally couldn’t hold back after hearing Lolth’s words.
"What… you want to take us home?!"
"You’ve even met His Holiness… you want the Holy Maiden to be the Pope?!"
"Have you really been in the Holy Capital all this time?!"
She couldn’t help but speak up, her face full of shock.
As the guard knight of the Holy Maiden and the leader of the Grand Knights, Janine Irene had been professionally trained and usually wouldn’t interrupt unless it was something very big.
"Of course," Lolth said, wearing a look of confidence, "just look at your Holy Maiden; does she argue with me?"
She spread her hands.
Janine Irene was still confused.
Although she had spent some time in Hillenbrand Town, her feelings about Lolth had changed a bit.
However, she still worried about losing her "Holy Maiden."
Janine Irene had not fully accepted Lolth’s presence in her heart.
In her view, once someone had fallen, they were fallen; there was really nothing more to say!
With her straightforward nature, unlike the delicate Lady of Light, it was indeed hard for her to empathize with the "persona" Lolth had created.
But… likewise, Janine Irene held great respect for the Pope.
After all, he was the benefactor who had helped her and the Holy Maiden.
She had once been an orphan girl in a remote monastery, but now she was the leader of the Three Grand Knights and a prominent figure in the land.
She must thank the Pope for his guidance.
Moreover, she wondered if Her Holiness might be deceived by this former senior who had fallen into becoming a succubus.
But the Pope would definitely not be deceived!
Therefore, Janine Irene’s heart was in a tangle.
Could it be… that she was truly in the wrong?
She felt quite conflicted.
At the same time, Lolth looked at the young girl and fell into deep thought.
I almost forgot, I have a knight commander of prophecy right here.
This is also a character that needs to be dealt with—and during the papal election, this is also a trump card for the Lady of Light.
Thinking of this, Lolth also called out to Janine Irene.
"Miss Irene, you still seem to have many doubts."
"So, do you mind talking with me privately for a moment?"
As Lolth said this, she also looked at the Lady of Light.
Janine Irene cast a cautious glance at her, then turned to look at her own Holiness.
Feeling the two pairs of eyes, the Lady of Light gave a slight nod.
"Go ahead, Irene… if your elder wants to talk to you alone, it must be something important."
As she said this, Janine Irene agreed.
Lolth smiled and made a gesture inviting them to proceed.
"Let’s go outside and talk, Miss Irene."
Saying this, Lolth left with Janine Irene.
The Lady of Light watched the two of them walk away…
Although she had agreed earlier, she felt a strange emotion in her heart.
"What could it be that I am not allowed to know?"
On one side is her respected senior, who has just told her they would help her achieve her long-held dream of changing the church.
On the other side is her childhood friend, who has never betrayed her and is the person she trusts most.
Even though she knew that neither of them would harm her.
But the Lady of Light still felt a little uneasy.
It was like feeling jealous.
It’s just that…
She couldn’t quite tell… which side she was feeling jealous of?
And after Janine Irene followed Lolth outside, she watched Lolth warily.
She really did not trust Lolth completely like she did with her own Holy Maiden.
The previous doubts were just that—doubts.
"So… Lord Lolth, why did you want to see me alone?"
"Of course, it’s about how to make her the Pope," Lolth’s expression became serious, "In fact, the situation is not as optimistic as I mentioned; she might face some danger when she goes back."
She pretended to speak in a serious manner.
This was a method she had just thought of to communicate efficiently with Janine Irene.
Although Janine Irene was not foolish, once she got involved with the Lady of Light, just a little scare…
She definitely wouldn’t be able to handle it.
And when Janine Irene heard Lolth’s words, she indeed took the bait.
For a moment, she became a bit anxious.
"Danger?! How could that be… Her Holiness is loved by everyone in the church and the Holy Empire!"
Janine Irene said seriously and anxiously.
"Is the Director of the Heretic Tribunal here to save you?"
Lolth immediately asked back.
This sentence left Janine Irene speechless.
Lolth continued to ask questions.
"Do you think that if I let you go back… you will really receive ‘forgiveness’?"
"After being captured by the demon race, leaving here without a scratch and without any trouble… is it because the demon race here were once fallen members of The Church of Light — even if everyone believes this, does it not harm the reputation of the Lady of Light and you?"
"Oh, and one director from the Heretic Tribunal was also lost."
When Janine Irene heard what Lolth said, she felt that things were getting serious.
"Well… what should we do?"
After all, what Lolth said was not false.
Instead, it was the situation that might really happen if they went back like this.
Lolth nodded gently at Janine Irene’s questioning.
"At this point, we can only rely on you to ‘act’!"
"I have made some arrangements at The Church of Light too…"
"In fact, the people there already believe that the Director of the Heretic Tribunal has rescued Her Holiness!"