A Scientific Urban Detective.

Chapter 996 The Capital of Temptation

"Even if you wanted to seduce someone, you wouldn't have the means, would you?"

Although these words were just a casual remark from Misaka Mikoto, they clearly struck a nerve with her. The Electromaster immediately jumped up, her face flushed, and stepped forward to argue with her.

Misaki Shokuhou chuckled lightly, saying nothing more, but deliberately puffed out her chest.

……

"Huh? You want me to seduce Lin Wuming? That little boy?" The girl stared wide-eyed and looked up, making no attempt to hide her surprise.

"It wasn't seduction... Well, if you want to think that way, that's fine too." The man sighed softly, took off his sunglasses, and revealed his true face.

As you can see, under the long overcoat is a priest's robe, which is worn by clergy, and the man does not hide the cross hanging around his neck.

If his intention was to conceal his identity, the measures he took were rather perfunctory.

However, we shouldn't be too harsh on him. After all, this is Rome, Italy, and the Papal States, a state within a state, are located here. High-ranking clergy are not uncommon here—even bishops occasionally appear in roadside cafes.

The reason Bishop Piagogi still made minimal disguise was mainly because he was concerned about the special person he was going to meet today.

Oriana Thomson, a well-known mercenary in the magical world, nicknamed "The Deliveryman".

Bishop Piagogi didn't want anyone to see him meeting this woman.

It's not that Oriana has any problems—although she's a magician, Oriana has a close relationship with the Church of Christ, or more specifically, the Roman Catholic Church. They've had frequent "business dealings" over the past two years, and she also quite agrees with the ideas and beliefs of the Church of Christ, so she could almost be considered a novice believer.

As a bishop, it is not unreasonable for Piagogi to meet with such a believer.

The reason he is trying to conceal it now is mainly to avoid embarrassment.

Because he wanted to hire Oriana to do things for him.

Bishop Piagogi already knew that Oriana had accepted another commission long before this.

The person who commissioned Oriana was Sister Lidovia Lorenzetti, known as "Tuesday of Admonition," and the commission was related to Academy City.

Bishop Piagogi also knew that the real person who gave the commission was actually the Pope—without his tacit approval, even Lidovia could not have taken that spiritual garment out of the treasury.

The situation within the Roman Catholic Church is somewhat delicate... or rather, the position and circumstances of Bishop Piagogi are somewhat delicate. Due to his radical tendencies, he is in fact in a state of some kind of opposition and conflict with His Holiness the Pope.

Bishop Piagogi advocated for the direct destruction of Academy City to solve the problem once and for all.

His Holiness the Pope, on the other hand, was clearly more conciliatory. He still harbored unrealistic fantasies and tried to resolve the problem with minimal damage and sacrifice.

Therefore, in that meeting not long ago, under the witness of the Right Seat of God, the two sides reached an agreement.

The Pope agreed to unbind the "Queen of the Adriatic" and authorized Bishop Piagogi to use this large-scale spiritual weapon to launch a devastating attack on Academy City.

However, during the period of the "Queen of the Adriatic's" unsealing and preparation, other plans will be launched to resolve the issue of Academy City in a more moderate way. If these "moderate methods" are successful, then there will be no need for the "Queen of the Adriatic" to be deployed again.

Lidovia, the "Confession Tuesday," and Oriana, the "delivery girl," were the main people in charge of one of the projects.

In other words, the girl in front of him is, in a sense, Bishop Piagogi's "rival".

—If the "other side" finds out that he met with this woman, it will definitely cause quite a stir, right?

Bishop Piagogi scoffed inwardly, thinking that he should keep a low profile until he could climb to a higher position.

After sitting down opposite Oriana, Bishop Piagogi finally spoke, "You already know the details of my request. It shouldn't be difficult for you, right? And it won't interfere with your original mission. So, do you agree to accept it?"

“I did receive the request, but…” Oriana frowned, “it’s really suspicious. This kind of inexplicable request; considering the conflict between your position and my employer’s, it’s hard not to suspect that you’re trying to cause trouble on purpose.”

“No, you can rest assured, my request is serious,” Bishop Piagogi said solemnly. “I have no interest in joking, and I have no time to waste with you here.”

“But seduction and such… are definitely beyond my scope of business.” Oriana spread her hands and shrugged.

With her movements, the girl's front swayed noticeably, and her preference for revealing clothing made her particularly eye-catching at that moment.

Bishop Piagogi made no attempt to conceal his gaze upon her: "I reiterate, it's not about seduction, but you certainly have the looks to back it up."

This is why Bishop Piagogi approached her, because it would be very difficult to find a more suitable candidate in a short period of time.

Although they were hired by a "competitor," they were both working for the Roman Catholic Church, so sharing resources a little was not a problem.

Furthermore, the task that Bishop Piaget wanted Oriana to do was actually a "side quest" given to him by Right Flame, and it wasn't directly related to the main quest of "destroying Academy City." Therefore, it wouldn't be a big deal to have someone from the rival's side do it on a small part.

After the meeting that day, Right Fire specifically sought out Bishop Piagogi and asked him to "test Kamijou Touma's true strength."

To achieve this goal, the primary prerequisite is to eliminate Lin Wuming's interference.

And this Miss Oriana in front of him was the means he planned to use to eliminate Lin Wuming's interference.

Fair skin, sapphire-like eyes, and long, golden curly hair—she was exactly the type Lin Wuming liked.

Judging from the two girls beside him—Shokuhou Misaki and Tohmi Tohmi—one can guess that Lin Wuming probably has some kind of preference for "blonde beauties".

This is the conclusion reached by Bishop Piagogi's staff when analyzing intelligence. Although it may not be entirely reliable, it is at least a direction for reference.

Furthermore, even if the inference that "Lin Wuming likes blonde beauties" is wrong, the fact that Oriana is an extremely charming beauty is undeniable.

Although she is not yet eighteen, she is already a mature beauty with an alluring charm—that's enough for her.

(End of this chapter)