infodatos Chapter 397: Testing Each Other
Chapter 397: Testing Each Other
Chapter 397: Testing Each Other"My magicians were busy providing support then. If it was them, they would have reported to me already. It was someone else and I believe I know who it is," the Pope smiled and glanced in Alwin’s direction.
Alwin pretended to look behind him so that everyone’s eyes would be redirected to whoever was there. He hinted to the Pope that he didn’t want the others to know it was him.
But there were no magicians behind them.
"It was Emperor Valeria’s magician who killed the monsters. I surmise he sensed the presence of the intruders too and followed them. And he even came to check on the temple too. Or was I wrong?" the Pope ever so slightly tilted his head to the side.
[That bastard. What is he playing at? He could have just said it was someone from the temple and they would have gained more support. And did he need to phrase it like that? He looks so cunning.]
Alwin could be easily mistaken as the culprit of the attack if he acted or responded wrong. If he earned that kind of doubt, Valeria would be suspicious too.
[Tsk. I would never even dare to waste my mana creating such things.]
Alwin glanced at Ferdinand for what to do.
{You can say part of the truth, so they won’t be suspicious of us.} Ferdinand coached. He learned well from Raymond.
Alwin then replied, "Yes. I followed them when I sensed their presence since they seemed dangerous and were likely the ones who summoned the monsters."
The other rulers were relieved that Valeria was already doing part of its duties as a member of the Council by being this thoughtful and acting immediately.
However, they realized it also meant Alwin was able to enter the dungeons easily when the way in and out of it was hard to memorize and only knights of the highest caliber were assigned there.
They wondered if it was truly Alwin’s first time to attend the Assembly or just like he did this time, did he disguise himself before and attended with Raymond.
They were once again reminded that Valeria was indeed a terrifying enemy, so it was good that for now, they were allies.
Thankfully, they did not doubt Alwin’s words.
It was true that Valeria may have provoked the attackers by letting Lindon’s presence be sensed by them. Thus, it could be said they had a fault in this attack. But they did not expect the other side to go this far. They thought they would simply secretly search the city for Lindon.
Attacking like this was akin to a declaration of war. They were saying they were fine with letting their presence be known.
Or was it a warning to everyone?
Since Alwin’s barrier around Ferdinand and Arabella was attacked by the new kind of monster, it was concluded that Valeria was the target.
"It was likely a provocation for the Empire. Or they were simply trying to get rid of their enemies early on. Or perhaps, it was a warning to the Council for welcoming Valeria," Ferdinand hinted that it was an outside force’s doing. Those who did not want them to join hands.
Everyone thought about it and seconded.
It could only be Fynnia or Griffith for them to stage a bold attack like this without a care in the world of its repercussions. The two had been preparing for war after all.
But they were puzzled as to why would they check the Grand Palace’s underground dungeons and the Great Temple’s Halls of Reflection.
They figured it could simply be to create more chaos. But the knight clearly said they checked every cell, so they were searching for someone.
They voted on having the records of the prisoners to be checked and see if there were prisoners from outside Eliora.
Arabella and everyone from Valeria pretended to be innocent about who the intruders were searching for.
. . .
Rendell earned a lot of praise from everyone after they witnessed how strong he was. The Pope himself personally praised him too and said that he was envious once again.
The Pope said he wished he had people like Rendell on his side too since it would make hunting monsters much easier.
He was clearly hinting that he wanted Rendell to join the temple’s fighters but Rendell merely ignored his hints and simply bowed in thanks for everyone’s praises.
Everyone further discussed what to do and they decided to continue ending the Assembly. Extending it may pose more risks to them since another attack may be staged while all of them were gathered.
It would be a heavy blow to Eliora if most of them get hurt or killed.
The temple volunteered to send some of its magicians to join the escort of the rulers until they successfully reached their home kingdoms.
However, everyone decided to buy teleportation scrolls from the temple instead since it was too dangerous to travel by land for several weeks. Spending a hefty amount of money was better than getting killed, after all.
Valeria’s side pretended to buy teleportation scrolls too since they were quite a good distance away from Medeus.
The Pope could tell though that Alwin could teleport even at such a distance. And that Alwin only wanted to study his scrolls to see what he could do.
{Could you please stay? I would like to speak with you about matters I cannot say with everyone around.}
The Pope surprisingly telepathically contacted Ferdinand when the discussions were over and everyone was going to the other hall to check on the others.
Ferdinand eyed the Pope darkly and the Pope simply smiled as usual.
{Should I discuss it right here, then?}
Due to the Pope’s provocation, Ferdinand agreed. He got curious about what it was about.
"They want us to have a conversation," Ferdinand informed them. They were then led to the Pope’s office.
Arabella, Alwin, Riley, Rendell, and the Grand Knight Commander then silently followed the Pope inside.
"I am not a very patient person. Cut to the chase. What did you want to talk about?" Ferdinand said directly once they were seated.
The Pope still maintained a smile despite Ferdinand releasing a scary aura.
"I simply wanted to ask, perhaps, you knew what they were after. After all, you were way too calm earlier. I was watching from when the monsters came and there was no sign of surprise on your faces. You expected it."