Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 462 The most dangerous place is the safest place

The next morning, the bounty posters for the imposter priest "Old Sen" were plastered all over the streets and alleys of the Holy City. Anyone who could provide information on "Old Sen's" exact whereabouts would receive up to 100 Salvation Contribution Points.

This once again demonstrates the Church's stinginess. Even for a heinous criminal like Ethan, who defied the Pope and the entire Vatican, they were unwilling to offer any real money as a reward for reporting him. However, on the other hand, the Vatican had mastered the art of getting something for nothing. The moment the bounty was posted, the residents of the Holy City flocked to the 100 Salvation Contribution Points.

This number is an astronomical figure for the residents living at the bottom of society. They don't know how many days they would have to work day and night in the mines, or how many Imperial soldiers they would have to kill on the battlefield to get the corresponding points reward.

The stated reason for the bounty is consistent with the Vatican's usual practice—engaging in terrorist activities.

In just a few words, "Old Sen" has become the most dangerous person in the far west recently.

Of course, they couldn't put the real reason on the arrest warrant.

Insulting the Pope?

Regardless of whether this charge warrants such a large-scale mobilization, if it were posted throughout the streets and alleys of the Holy City, it would inevitably make people feel that the Pope is not magnanimous enough.

Having anticipated this situation, Ethan did not return to the hotel after leaving the confessional. Instead, he took advantage of the fact that the enraged law enforcement team had gathered their forces in the Dawn Crown Cathedral and slipped into the cathedral through the side door along the courtyard.

"I never expected you to do this."

One person and two cats hid in one of the dressing rooms of the Dawn Crown Cathedral. Through the door, Winter listened to the clergy coming and going in the corridor, her tone unable to hide her excitement.

Leaving a message on parchment to angrily denounce the Pope was not in line with Ethan's usual style. In her understanding, Ethan was a typical defensive and counter-attacking type of person. Since they met, Ethan had almost never acted impulsively or done anything that was just for the sake of talking. Even when facing notorious people like Julius or Duke Freeman, he would make a decision only after a thorough understanding of their situation.

Winter felt that if Ethan had a "punishment-type personality," many things would be much simpler and more brutal.

Just like with the case of Pope Carlo, those who actually engage in terrorist activities wouldn't leave insulting messages on parchment, but would instead break into Carlo's room before dawn and use wind elementals to create a hole in his chest that's straight through to the other side.

"I have a reason for doing this."

Ethan whispered, "Haven't you heard the saying, 'The most dangerous place is the safest place'?"

Damn, he's so tactically brilliant!

He couldn't help but praise himself, "The key to this tactic wasn't to insult Pope Carlo, but to make the law enforcement team feel that they had been provoked and insulted, so that they would launch a full-scale manhunt for me. For a long time to come, they would conduct thorough searches of hotels and residences. They simply couldn't imagine that we would sneak into the Cathedral of the Dawn Crown."

This is the headquarters of the Church of Life. Pope Carlo, whom he insulted, is in the church right now. Moreover, all the sect leaders he invited are gathered here.

"What's next?"

Xiao An also got excited; she could smell the fun in the air.

If Ethan really intends to cause a fireplace explosion at the Dawn Crown Cathedral, she can be the one to keep watch outside.

Moreover, she had heard that Pope Carlo held absolute power and must have collected many treasures. If the Pope were to die in the explosion, it would be a great pity that these treasures would be without an owner!

She can temporarily keep these treasures for Carlo, and return them to him on the day he wins the revival match.

"Next, you will transform back into human form."

The initial infiltration operation has been successful, but if there are two cats, one black and one white, standing on his shoulders, anyone would know that something is wrong with him.

Although they didn't know what Ethan was up to, Winter and Dark did as they were told.

Ethan summoned Yellow Potato and had her use earth elemental magic to temporarily set up a men's and women's changing room in the dressing room. "You can change into your nun's clothes first."

After saying that, Ethan went to the other side of the cubicle. In the past few days, he had also gained some understanding of the Church of Life. He chose a gray-blue bishop's robe and had Little Yellow Potato temporarily make him a scepter to symbolize his identity.

A few minutes later, Winter and Dark pushed open the door to the cubicle and looked at Ethan, who was sitting in a chair, deep in thought.

Are you sure this will work?

Winter was the first to question Ethan's plan.

Judging from their current attire, Ethan's plan was most likely to let the three of them sneak into the Dawn Crown Cathedral openly as clergy. However, in his opinion, the three of them had nothing in common with clergy, neither in appearance nor in temperament.

First, there's the characteristic of white hair and red eyes. If such a nun really existed, she would definitely leave a deep impression on other people in the Vatican. If you suddenly encountered such a strange nun in the church, anyone would want to come up and ask her a few questions.

Xiao An's twin ponytails and yin-yang eyes are quite a sight to behold, and coupled with her petite stature of just over 1.5 meters, she attracts attention wherever she goes.

Ethan was the one among the three who at first glance seemed to have the most clergyman-like demeanor, but overall he was just so-so.

Winter could easily imagine the scene where the three of them hadn't gone far before they bumped into an important figure from the Papacy, or even Pope Carlo himself, at some corner, and were immediately interrogated as if they were spies from the Empire.

"This is when the power of teamwork comes into play."

Ethan was confident. "If the three of us walk separately in the church, our disguise will indeed be exposed in no time, but it's a different story when we act together!"

"Why is it different?"

"Look, it's like this."

Ethan suddenly stood up, walked to Winter's side, and before she could react, forcefully pulled her into his arms, even frivolously bringing his nose close to her neck and sniffing it carefully.

That's the sweet aroma of cherry blossoms.

Winter froze on the spot as if in shock, her face turning red to the roots of her neck in an instant.

She had always been used to taking the initiative, and Ethan's sudden change broke out of her comfort zone. Feeling the warm breath on her neck, a thousand thoughts rushed through her mind.

This...this scoundrel!
Could it be that they're planning to start a game in the enemy's stronghold, the Dawn Crown Cathedral?
But then again... that seems pretty exciting too.

The only problem is that Xiao An is a bit of a third wheel. Can't she just stay somewhere else peacefully when she's not busy, like the other elemental spirits?
"That's my plan."

Ethan was giving his explanation.

As he said, he has recently come to a complete understanding of how the Church of Life operates today. A stiff-talking imposter bishop, along with two nuns with strange hair, would certainly be immediately exposed. But if he were to casually stroll around the church with a nun in broad daylight, the clergy would not even need to verify his face. They would know from a distance of more than ten meters that he was the real bishop. Moreover, they would pretend not to see him and keep their distance to create space for him.

Just then, a footstep stopped at the locker room door.

"what."

The moment the young priest pushed open the door, he witnessed a suggestive scene in the changing room: a man in a bishop's robes was tightly embracing a young, beautiful nun, burying his face in her neck. He didn't even have time to get a good look at Ethan's face before he immediately retreated, closing the door behind him, repeatedly saying, "I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything!"

"See? I told you so!"

Facts speak louder than words. As the young priest fled in disarray, Ethan also took the opportunity to leave Winter's body.

This is why it's important to integrate into the local culture.

"Your plan is indeed excellent..."

Winter gradually came to her senses, and before Ethan could distance himself from her, she suddenly grabbed Ethan's arm and pressed herself against him. "But your acting skills aren't up to par; there's a possibility that an experienced person might see through you."

"W-What are you saying?"

"Look, touch here, and here too."

Winter grasped Ethan's hand, giving him on-the-spot guidance, "This looks more like the real thing."

……

With Ethan's perfect plan, Winter's perfect execution, and Darkness completely standing by, the three of them made their way through the Cathedral of the Dawn's Crown without any hindrance. Everyone they encountered along the way turned away and muttered something before they even got close to them.

After several expansions, the area of ​​the Dawn Crown Cathedral was no less than that of the royal city of the capital. They circled the cathedral several times before arriving at a heavily guarded pavilion. The guards were not clergy from the Vatican, but several people wearing white robes, red headscarves, and with tanned skin.

This is the residence of Darant, the leader of the Holy Word Church, and the people downstairs dressed in different styles are all Darant's confidants.

The Heart-Binders—they have a notorious name on the continent.

Mind Binders exist to varying degrees in the political, business, and even within many superhuman organizations. They are skilled at bewitching people and manipulating thoughts, and Ethan's knowledge of these people dates back much further.

The Holy Word spell released on Ivy originated from the Holy Word Cult.

While Julius was alive, he had extremely close ties with the sect leader Darant. According to intelligence gathered by the military intelligence department, he was able to rise from an outsider to gain power in the capital step by step, making the court and the old aristocratic class obedient to him, thanks to the secret assistance of the Holy Word Sect.

The Heartbinders downstairs were taken aback when they saw Ethan arrive, and then stopped them at the door.

"I have some important matters I wish to discuss with His Excellency Darant."

"what's up?"

"The one who binds the heart asked."

If it were anyone else, they would have refused without hesitation. But seeing Ethan embracing a beautiful nun in broad daylight and swaggering through the church without any fear of being questioned by the enforcement team, this behavior of completely disregarding the Vatican's precepts proved that he must be a big shot in the Church of Life.

"Please tell him that this matter involves Ivy Margaret and Sevier."

Upon hearing the last name, the Heart-Binders' expressions changed, and one of them immediately went upstairs.

Less than two minutes later, he came running back, panting, and said, "The Soul Master requests your presence."

This was the specific name given to Darant by the followers of the Holy Word, and Ethan was used to it and didn't take their name to heart.

As Ethan climbed the stairs to the innermost room on the second floor, he saw the man with dreadlocks and dark skin.

“‘Heart’ represents will and soul, and ‘bind’ means to bind and control. By binding and manipulating the essence of living beings through spiritual threads, this is the essence of the Holy Word.”

The man sat upright in his chair with his back to Ethan, speaking without turning his head.

He also said this to someone else.

He said this to a pregnant woman who was only a few months pregnant, at a guild dinner in a border city of the empire.

In Gear City, he met a loving couple.

The woman's husband works as a clerk in the guild and lives an ordinary but warm life.

The woman's name was Sevier, the daughter of a merchant.

Although her family wasn't destitute, in the eyes of true nobles, she was a commoner who couldn't be brought into the limelight. The union of such a woman with the eldest son of the empire's most prominent noble family was destined to bring only tragedy.

Darrant opened his eyes, which were no longer able to see clearly, and recalled the scene when he met Sevier.

His visual impairment made his senses more acute, and made it easier for him to see into the hearts of others.

That's why he noticed Sevier's unease.

For that insecure woman, her current life was nothing more than a dream that could be shattered at any moment. They still lived within the empire, and the Margaret family could come knocking on their door whenever they wanted.

This created an opportunity for him.

All sermons from religious sects begin with negative emotions such as "anxiety".

At the request of a friend, he came to this prosperous border trading city and, at a suitable time and place, met the beautiful Ms. Sevier.

Next, he was going to instill an idea into the woman's mind.

The path to salvation lies in the West.

The desert there was enough to keep the Margaret family's clutches at bay.

Only there can the blood ties between the child and Margaret be completely severed, and the tragic fate destined to be broken.

He had painted a beautiful enough future for Sevier.

Then, Darrant changed the subject, "Everyone who knew about this except me is dead."

Even Pope Carlo was unaware of the details.

So where did this frivolous papal bishop hear of Sevier's name?
(End of this chapter)