I, the wizard, the foolish Buddha.

Among the 'luggage' in Roland's hands was a gift, a stepping stone, or perhaps a deposit.

If Roland personally hands over the deposit and then talks to them, everyone will know Roland's attitude towards them and that he is willing to protect their interests.

And they will fight tooth and nail to support Roland's rise to power.

Once Roland has used a portion of his wealth to win over these people, he will be able to use them as a bridge to win over even more people within the Papacy.

It seems the wizards will have to pay a hefty price later, but they don't care at all.

Because the things being sent out now are only temporarily stored in the hands of these greedy maggots.

When the world was finally freed from the gods' grasp, Roland and the wizards launched a thorough purge against those damned creatures, reclaiming everything with interest.

Roland thought to himself, 'All the church envoys on this train, or rather all those who participated in the peace talks, are my natural allies.'

Because they were all involved in the peace talks, nominally speaking, my baptism at the Holy See was facilitated by this team.

Everyone knows very well that their interests are closely linked to mine.

If I like them, they can have everything and become my supporters.

If I despise them, they will lose everything and become my opponents.
Problems that can be solved with money are minor problems.

It seems I'll be visiting quite a few people in the coming days.

Some important leaders, such as Richard, required Roland's personal visits. The rest could be visited by some of Roland's trusted confidants.

Of course, once the church's network of relationships is established, Richard and his associates will also become Roland's confidants.

Thinking of this, Roland's gaze involuntarily fell on the attendants who were packing his luggage.

Upon closer inspection, Roland discovered that many of the people among them were acquaintances he had met in Vermik.

There were twelve attendants in total. None of them were particularly strong, but each one of them was very capable.

Six of them came from 'Virmick'. To be precise, they were old members of the 'Virmick Dawn New Society Inquisition'.

Back when the Vermic Tribunal was still a mysterious place, Catherine, under the identity of Isabella, brought over a group of new generation elite wizards (first tier).

They were among the first cultivators of the 'Black Saint Blood Shepherdess'.

When Roland settled in the Summer Palace and went to the restaurant for the first time, he saw the 'Isabella sisters (Catherine and Anna)' leading a group of 'monks' to freeload at the buffet—and these six shameless guys were one of them.

When Catherine was causing trouble for Roland in the restaurant, everyone knew that 'Lorenz' was Roland, so they all kept their eyes down and ate their food in silence.

Later, when Roland worked at the Holy Spirit Hospital, some of his people even followed him, the chief prosecutor, around causing trouble, posing as 'prosecutors'.

While Roland was flirting with Jeanne (Anna) in the courtyard of the Vermec Abbey, several of his old buddies were peeping through the windows with a few unsuspecting members of the Inquisition.

Although Roland later met with them less often due to his busy schedule, they always stayed by the side of 'Diana' and the Six Holy Servants—which was equivalent to working for Roland.

—For Roland, their contact ended there.

But for them, during their time living in Wilmick, they were always taken care of by their boss.

It's good to rest under a big tree. In daily life, many things are big troubles for them, but no matter how big the trouble is, the six servants can solve it by informing the big bosses of the Abyss, such as 'Old Johnson'.

During their cultivation, Diana and the others provided a great deal of guidance on the 'Black Saint Blood Shepherdess' technique.

Therefore, in Roland's eyes, these people were his former subordinates, but in their own eyes and in the eyes of others, they were disciples of Roland's disciples.

Therefore, they all bear Roland's deep imprint and are all staunch Alaye supporters with impeccable revolutionary credentials—Catherine is well aware of this, which is why she specifically chose these people to help Roland.

Seeing Roland's gaze fall upon them, everyone knew their boss recognized them. He felt a surge of joy and worked even more efficiently.

Roland had worked with them before and knew they were all reliable.

These people are both wizards and prosecutors who have served in the Inquisition. They possess wizarding skills and are very knowledgeable about the Church's dealings. They would be excellent and helpful assistants.

The only thing that gave Roland a bit of a headache was that he couldn't quite remember the names of these people.

However, this is not a big deal. If Roland wants to, he can just take a closer look at this person and he will know his name.

But this incident reminded Roland of his snake ring.

Roland thought to himself, 'I wonder if Joan has gotten my snake ring back. Theresa seems to have compiled a list of wizards and their networks for me before.'

Furthermore, many of my belongings are stored in the Serpent Ring. Without it, even setting up a quiz machine for divination has become a problem.

The other six attendants were all nuns dressed in the robes of the 'Dawn New Society. Holy Blood Heracles', or more precisely, 'Holy Blood Angels'.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the Holy Blood Angel robes they wore were actually elaborately crafted by wizards, suggesting that they held an extraordinary position within the Holy Blood Heraca lineage.

The clothing was made according to the specifications of a true Holy Blood Angel.

Upon closer inspection, these six people faintly exuded the aura of angels—they all seemed to be reincarnations of angels!
When did the Holy Blood Clan ever have such a group of witches?
Roland couldn't help but curiously examine the witches—until a few of the witches rolled their eyes at him, Roland suddenly slapped his forehead and recognized these guys who never took the master seriously.

These six attendants were none other than Theresa and the other six holy servants.

Roland thought in astonishment, 'What have they been through on the banks of the Angel River these past few months? They actually have physical bodies now, and angelic bodies at that! No wonder I didn't recognize them. Ugh, it's not because I'm face-blind.'

At this moment, Roland understood why his senior had picked out these twelve people for him.

First, they possess both wizarding skills and are considered members of the church. They are magical elites and well-connected with the church.

Secondly, they were originally members of a mystery-solving team; the group itself was mysterious, and they were professional mystery-solving experts. Moreover, the two sides were master and apprentice!
Ultimately, they were all brought up by Roland and Diana.

Or perhaps it was brought out by Roland and 'Lady Heraka'.

Rather than being a follower brought out by Queen Heracles, she was more like a 'caretaker' who followed her around!
Both Roland and Senior Sister Catherine were well aware that Roland's most important task on this journey was not dealing with the parasites in the church, or even dealing with the Kingdom of Heaven, but dealing with the great madwoman, Lady Heracles!
These twelve people had all spent a long time with Lady Heracles, serving as both her attendants and her guardians as a patient.

Some people knew more about her illness than Roland did!

These twelve men are more useful than twelve Earls Barr!
Originally, according to what Catherine and Roland said during their discussion on the way, she had arranged for Count Barr to be Roland's bodyguard.

But Roland refused, because it made no difference whether he brought bodyguards or not.

Because his greatest bodyguard is Lady Heracles—she's not only the Grim Reaper, but also a powerful figure among the gods of madness. With her around, even if the gods of heaven personally descended as assassins, they might not be able to touch Roland. And Roland's greatest threat is also Lady Heracles—she's not only the Grim Reaper, but also a powerful figure among the gods of madness. If she suddenly attacks Roland, even if the gods of heaven personally descend to his rescue, they might not be able to save him!

So, if we can win over Lady Heracles, the journey will be much smoother.

But if you can't handle it, well, that's just bad news.

These twelve people were clearly helpful. Therefore, although none of them had reached the second tier of strength, they were proper bodyguards.

By this time, the Templars, along with Theresa and the others, had almost finished checking the items according to the list.

Richard, the leader of the Crusaders, approached with his men, looking somewhat uneasy.

"Your Majesty, why are you carrying so much treasure?"

Richard was now deeply worried. As the leader of the Crusades—though he was practically a lone commander now—he and the mission's deputy were responsible for escorting Roland.

The banks of the Angel River had just experienced war, and the entire area was a mixed bag, with a large proportion of them being deserters from the Crusader army and mercenaries who had been defeated and were now wandering around.

These people are nominally Richard's men, but nobody knows if they're actually acting as robbers.

No one knows whether the extreme conservatives among this group might not want Prince Alaye to arrive at the Holy See smoothly.
As a member of the negotiating team, Richard's position dictated that he had to support Prince Alaye, at least to ensure his safe arrival at the Holy See.

He was already worried that someone might be audacious enough to attack the convoy on the road, and now that there was so much more treasure on the vehicle, it undoubtedly added even more instability.

In response to Richard's question, Roland offered this explanation: "Your Excellency Richard, these treasures were seized by my men from castles and churches throughout the riverbanks."

There has been ongoing debate within the Liming New Society regarding how to handle these assets.

Many people believe that all of these should be confiscated. Although the Light and Shadow 'Cult' is not a heretical cult, it has no right to manage land and wealth for the Alaye royal family, let alone grant land or appoint nobles.

Therefore, these riches were all illegally acquired; they rightfully belonged to the Saint-Tadar Empire and the Dawn Holy Court, and should naturally be confiscated.

Richard's expression changed slightly, and he asked somewhat nervously, "So, what do you think, sir?"

Roland smiled but didn't reply. Richard suddenly realized how silly his question was.

If the Alaye royal family believed that these treasures should be confiscated, they would not have taken them on the train.

"By the way, there are some supplies here that were seized from the Crusaders. To be honest, I'm also having a headache about whether these supplies should be confiscated."

Roland flipped through the booklet. He paused, then looked at Richard: "Richard, are the Crusaders rebels?"

Richard and the others' expressions changed drastically.

“Sir, of course we are not rebels, we are…” Richard’s expression changed slightly as he said this.

If they weren't rebels, why would they be enemies of the Alaya royal family?
Thinking of this, Richard couldn't help but curse the Vatican in his heart again.

Months ago, when the wizards raised the banner of Alaye, and the thirty-two kingdoms of the north successively defected and joined Alaye's ranks, the Kingdom of Heaven knew of the changing situation.

The wizards were waving the flag of the church and using the name of the Kingdom of Heaven. Their reason for declaring war was to eliminate the 'Orbis traitors (Protestant forces)'.

Three months ago, the Kingdom of Heaven issued a decree regarding this matter and sent Archangel Olivia to handle it personally.

Although the Kingdom of Heaven's attitude at the time was subtle, and it had not yet decided to let Alaye bask in the glory of the gods again, Olivia supported Alaye.

The fact that Heaven sent her here shows that it was interested in Alaye and her group of vibrant little insects, and that it hoped to deal with these adorable yet mischievous little bees in the garden in a gentler way.

However, the Orbis royal family and the Papacy kept the news secret. After receiving news of the wizards' peace talks, they did not stop the Holy Crusaders' offensive. Instead, they urged the Holy Crusaders to quickly wipe out the "rebel army" that was flying the banner of the "Goddess of Sincerity".

The Goddess of Sincerity clearly did not betray the Kingdom of Heaven, and the army formed by her followers was clearly not a rebel army.

So, who are the rebels?

The Orbis royal family and the Papacy are both culpable in this matter!
If I had known this earlier, I would definitely have chosen to remain inactive. Speaking of which, Prince Olivia's attitude is quite frustrating.

She did indeed tell the Crusaders not to rush into attacking Greyhawk City, but to wait until she had seen the people she wanted to see. However, she didn't explain what she intended to do.

Looking back now, she probably intended to meet with both O'Reilly and Prince Alaye to see if Alaye, whom O'Reilly supported, was suitable before making a decision.

But she remained secretive, seemingly unconcerned about the Crusaders and the riverbank affair. She left a single sentence and vanished without a trace.

After she left, the snow stopped a few times, but Richard was only met with anxious urging from the Vatican.

Furthermore, with the revolutionary army continuously conquering cities and seizing territory, and many strategic locations about to fall into enemy hands, a clash between the two armies was imminent. Richard had no choice but to launch the attack according to the original orders of the Papacy.

Not only did they suffer a defeat, but they have now been labeled as rebels and heretics who do not heed the divine pronouncements of the Kingdom of Heaven!
Richard suddenly realized that with the start of this negotiation, his gun had found itself in an extremely awkward position.

He was probably already a pawn of the Papacy.

If this negotiation ultimately ends smoothly, then everything will be fine. As the deputy head of the negotiating team, I can consider myself to have contributed something.

But if the negotiations don't go smoothly, or even if something happens to the prince on the way, then I'm completely finished.

"My lord, we are not the troops of the Orbis family. We are a knightly order sent by the Order of Light and Shadow to garrison Grey Falcon City."

Richard, sweating profusely, said, "We came to help Count Barr eradicate the cult. The clash with the followers of the Goddess of Sincerity was a complete accident."

Roland smiled and said, "Richard, there's no future in following the Order of Light and Shadow, and they might not even recognize your knightly order."

Richard's face turned very ugly; Roland's words were too blunt.

Roland then changed the subject, continuing, "But you are not rebels, because you came here with Princess Olivia."

Although she may not care what unit you belong to, as long as I care about you, that's enough.

Because as long as I care about you, Olivia will care about you. The gods of heaven will care about you too.

Richard, you came to me in the glory of heaven, guided by the goddess of fortune.

You are my subjects, sent by the gods; naturally, I will care for you.

Roland's words were a wake-up call, and Richard seemed to awaken from a dream. (End of Chapter)