Volume 3, Chapter 30 – Hypocrisy

At noon, inside an important pass outside the Sky Dome, the capital of the Snownight Empire.

“Boom~”

A sudden roar caused everyone inside the checkpoint to look up at the sky in curiosity.

At that moment, a dazzling white meteor suddenly streaked across the sky, striking into the pass at an inconceivable speed. In the next instant, as the meteor landed, clouds of dust billowed upward, followed by a terrifying pressure of holy aura that made everyone unconsciously hold their breath and tremble.

The eyes of the crowd filled with a touch of terror as they looked toward the white light.

Fortunately, the violent surge of aura soon ended.

With a wave of a slender hand from within the white light, the dense light-attribute holy magic and the horrifying pressure it brought vanished without a trace. When the intense white light dissipated, two slender girls appeared before everyone. At this moment, almost everyone’s gaze was fixed on these two girls.

After all, they were simply too beautiful.

This was especially true for the silver-haired girl, whose beauty was like that of a goddess who had fallen into the mortal world. The moment they saw her, even the rare scenery outside the pass seemed dull and tasteless. Many people felt the urge to go over and strike up a conversation. However, after feeling the cold gaze from the white-haired female knight standing beside her, they instinctively abandoned that thought.

Although they wanted to get to know the beauty, they weren’t willing to throw away their lives for it. They could only admire the girl’s face from a distance with some reluctance.

Feeling the gazes filled with various desires coming from all directions, a hint of disdain appeared in Bai Yanluo’s azure eyes.

‘Boring fools…’

After giving these people another warning look, Bai Yanluo slowly turned her head to look at the expressionless Mengxi behind her. Upon seeing the girl’s exquisite face, even Bai Yanluo couldn’t help but show a look of envy, though it was tinged with helplessness.

“Mengxi, I think you should wear a mask next time.”

“I used to do that.”

Mengxi let out a rather helpless sigh.

“Sigh, I’ll go get a new mask later.”

“Mhm, so how are you feeling now? I saw that you didn’t get much rest last night.”

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“It’s fine.”

Mengxi waved her hand slowly to indicate that the other shouldn’t worry.

“I rested for quite a while with my eyes closed. I feel pretty good right now.”

Mengxi sighed several times in her heart. After leaving Sister Yumo, she had to overcome this abnormal condition of her body, as she didn’t want Sister Yumo to think of her as a strange child later on. But speaking of which, was Sister Yumo doing well now?

With Sister Yumo’s personality, could she hide her identity as an Abyssal Demon well? Wouldn’t it be very dangerous if she were discovered…

‘If I were by her side, I could help conceal it if necessary.’

‘But now…’

No.

If she is following the Blackrose Family right now, she should be fine…

While rubbing her head, Mengxi pondered over some unsettling thoughts.

Just as Mengxi was lost in her troubled reflections, a slightly raspy, weathered, yet magnetic voice suddenly reached her ears, causing her delicate body to tremble slightly.

“Ah! Mengxi, my dear child, you’ve finally returned!”

Hmm?

This voice is?

Following the sound and looking ahead, Mengxi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

In front of her, escorted by dozens of ‘Sunlight’ knights, a white-haired old man dressed in white-gold robes with the aura of ‘Gandalf’ was walking quickly toward Mengxi with a smile, looking very excited. In the next moment, under the slightly shocked gazes of the crowd, the nearly 1.9-meter-tall old man pulled Mengxi directly into his arms.

He patted Mengxi’s back with great ‘excitement’.

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“Ah, my child, it’s good that you’re alright. Do you know how worried I was when I learned you were attacked by the Divine Punishment Holy Church? It’s wonderful to see you safe and sound now!”

‘Worried about me?’

‘You’re worried that if something happens to me, your status in the church will plummet, right? Worried that you’ll lose your eligibility to run for Pope?’

Faced with the man’s expression of emotion, Mengxi muttered disdainfully in her heart.

Despite her internal disdain, Mengxi still maintained a sweet smile full of touched sentiment on the surface. The disgust she felt for being hugged by the old man was deeply hidden in the depths of her heart.

“I’m sorry, Archbishop Nick, for making you worry.”

“No need to apologize, no need to apologize. It’s our responsibility that you encountered danger.”

As he spoke, Nick looked toward Bai Yanluo with a feigned ‘anger’. “Bai Xiaozou, have you found Arela, the Third Hero, yet?”

“My apologies, Archbishop. We haven’t found her yet.”

Bai Yanluo lowered her head and replied respectfully.

Although Nick’s strength wasn’t great, as one of the Three Great Bishops recognized by the Pope and also Bai Yanluo’s superior, she had to show him enough respect even if she didn’t like him.

“Once she is found, send her directly to the Judgment Hall! Such behavior of abandoning her post and putting the Chosen Maiden in crisis must be given the most serious punishment! Even if she is the Third Hero!”

Nick said righteously, his tone filled with anger.

However, Nick’s heart was filled with joy. The reason was simple: the Chosen Maiden under his management had returned unscathed, which made him incredibly happy. At the same time, the two Heroes who had abandoned their posts were not currently under his management, so he bore no responsibility. Instead, he could use this opportunity to weaken the influence of the other two Archbishops and gain a greater advantage in the future struggle for the Papacy.

‘Hehe, my lovely Mengxi, you really are my lucky star.’

Looking at the girl in his arms, Nick chuckled inwardly.

‘Later, as long as I find a way to bring this little girl and my stupid son together, I can bind her completely to our family.’

‘With the identity of the Chosen Maiden’s ‘father’, why would I worry about being unable to defeat the other two Archbishops?’

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‘Hehe…’

Nick’s heart became increasingly joyful.

…

Having noticed the smile in Nick’s eyes out of the corner of her eye, Mengxi had already guessed most of Nick’s thoughts. A flash of disgust unperceivably crossed her purple eyes. At the same time, feeling the aura within Nick’s embrace, Mengxi couldn’t help but clench her fists.

It was a disgusting feeling.

It was completely different from the comfort of being in Sister Yumo’s arms.

If she didn’t need the Ashurmos Church as protection, Mengxi really felt the urge to punch Nick away. But considering the big picture, she had to endure.

The helpless Mengxi could only give a slight smile. As if remembering something, she tilted her head and said curiously, “Um, Archbishop, isn’t it about time for us to enter the city?”

“Oh?”

Reminded by this, Nick finally let go of Mengxi and looked at the watch nearby.

“Mhm, yes, it’s about time to enter the city.”

After nodding, Nick met Mengxi’s lavender eyes again and gave a ‘kind’ smile.

“Hehe, then let’s talk more after we enter the city and settle into the guest house.”

Then Nick turned back to look at a man with short blond hair behind him, his son Felix.

“Felix, tell everyone to prepare to depart.”

“Yes, Archbishop.”

After replying respectfully, Felix immediately turned into a blue light and rushed toward the nearby Ashurmos Church team.

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Upon receiving Archbishop Nick’s instructions, the Ashurmos Church team of nearly a hundred people, led by Bai Yanluo and Felix, set off grandly toward the Snownight capital, Sky Dome.

Mengxi also mounted a white warhorse specially prepared for her and followed beside Archbishop Nick’s carriage.

Looking ahead at the vast and magnificent Sky Dome city that was close at hand, a thick sense of resistance overflowed from Mengxi’s lavender eyes.

…

…

Dozens of minutes later.

When all necessary registration and security checks were completed, the tall and majestic gates of Sky Dome finally opened slowly.

‘Can we get this over with quickly…’

Looking at the city gates, this was what Mengxi was thinking. She hoped this tedious entry ceremony would end quickly, as she never liked these cumbersome, ritualistic formalities. At the same time, she couldn’t help but pray in her heart.

‘I hope that guy doesn’t show up…’

However, it seemed that heaven did not respond to Mengxi’s prayer this time.

When the city gates were fully open, a massive welcoming party formed by the Royal Knights appeared in Mengxi’s sight. Upon seeing the blond man wearing a crown and a smile in the center of the knight group, Mengxi’s face immediately darkened.

‘Xue Tian’ao…’

Once the entire Ashurmos Church delegation had entered the city, the blond man slowly opened his arms and spoke in a magnetic voice.

“Welcome to Sky Dome, honored guests of the Ashurmos Church.”

Mengxi: …

‘F*ck…’