The goddesses attempted to gain my salvation.

Ryan deliberately emphasized the words "Elders' Council" in his tone.

The middle-aged priest visibly wavered upon hearing this.

"Master Priest."

“I think you should know about the Council of Elders. In fact, given your status, once your term of office is up and you step down from your position, you will most likely enter the Council of Elders.”

"If you get too involved in this, it could very well end up threatening your life."

"Even the least serious offenses will result in being disqualified from entering the Council of Elders."

"So, Your Excellency, what is your decision?"

The middle-aged priest fell into deep thought.

Not far away, Veronica chatted with Nancy while intentionally or unintentionally keeping an eye on Ryan.

a long time.

The priest in the middle sighed, but his eyes hardened.

“Director Ryan… Mr.

“I see. Although you were expelled from the Papacy, you are still essentially a member of the Papacy, and even more so, a member of Olina’s faction. I think you must have your own plans.”

"In that case, I feel much more at ease. I can now explain many things to you in detail."

The middle-aged priest straightened up: "My name is Helena."

"I am a priest of Lavala. However, although I am called a priest, I don't have much time left to serve, as I am getting old and the Holy See has begun to look for someone to replace me."

"If nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to step down next year and let someone new take over."

After a few brief complaints, Helena got down to business.

"However, because I have been in the Vatican for a relatively long time, I know more about some things than others."

"In fact, the Vatican of Bysma is much more complicated than outsiders imagine."

"The so-called High Priest is actually... just the nominal supreme authority. The one who truly decides the future development of the Bysma Church, as well as its decisions and plans, is the Elder Council, which you just mentioned."

"In name, the Council of Elders does not participate in the management of the Holy See, but this is actually just a smokescreen for the four countries."

"Whether it's the Trial Council or the High Priest, they are essentially puppets controlled by the Elder Council to facilitate their rule... the people on the surface."

At this point, Helena sighed.

"In the beginning, the Vatican truly aimed to benefit the world. It spread its teachings, imparted knowledge, and promoted magic... However, at some point, the Vatican became a place where a small group of people sought to profit from it."

“Starting from the Elder Council, then to the Church of Bysma, and then to the Magic Academy.”

"The Vatican of today is no longer the Vatican of the past."

Helena gazed into the distance, lost in thought.

Ryan suddenly remembered what Olina had said to him a long time ago.

Even the High Priest isn't entirely free or able to do whatever he pleases.

At the time, Ryan thought Orina was referring to the High Priest's responsibilities. Little did he know that what she really meant was the Elder Council, which was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

It turns out that from the very beginning, she had been dealing with the people in the Elders' Council and secretly consolidating her power.

Why didn't you tell yourself about something so important?

Are they afraid of being dragged into a quagmire and unable to protect themselves?

Really...

"Priestess Helena".

"You've said so much, but you haven't given a clear answer."

"I'd like to hear your opinion."

After listening, Helena fell into deep thought.

She remembered young Olina, and the tranquility of the An'i Church, before finally focusing on the dead children.

"Mr. Ryan."

"I will definitely get to the bottom of this matter."

"And Orina won't be defeated by rumors."

"Within the Holy See, there are many people who support Lady Orina. Naturally, I am one of them."

After receiving an affirmative answer, Ryan lowered his guard.

"In that case, let's summon Lord Nancy and exchange some information."

------

After the scene was cleaned up, the group arrived at the city lord's mansion at Moon Bay Port, escorted by papal guards and city lord's guards.

After a few cups of tea, Ryan, Helena, and Nancy began exchanging information and discussing solutions.

Through Helena's account, Ryan learned that it was Trish Fa who had been brought to the forefront to represent the Elder Council in attacking Orina.

Ryan then recounted to Helena all the details he knew about the dual-attribute magic remaining at the An'i Church.

It possesses extremely high corrosive and decaying properties, which is the hallmark of that magic, so we must be very careful.

Meanwhile, Ryan also informed Helena and Nancy that Trishfa's men had appeared in Lavala City, and that the two of them had to raise their alert level.

Especially Helena.

She is the most important witness in the entire incident.

The other party is very likely to attack her.

Helena thanked Ryan and took his advice.

After exchanging intelligence, the next step was to discuss specific countermeasures.

Ryan decided to first find a way to heal Freya.

After all, once Freya is healed, not only will we have an extra fighter, but we will also have one less person to protect her.

Inside and out, two more combatants were added.

If, after repeated attempts, a cure is not found, they should immediately set off to return to the Papacy.

Helena was tasked with secretly tracking down the perpetrators of the massacre at An'i Church. She also made an agreement with Ryan that once his situation was resolved, Helena would travel with Ryan directly to the Vatican.

As for Nancy, she is the lord of Lavala City, and due to the contract, there are very few things she can do.

Moreover, she also has her own things to do.

For example, the deal with Alvin, the construction of Moon Bay Port, and so on.

Therefore, Nancy could only provide the two with some administrative conveniences.

But that's enough.

Originally, Ryan and Helena hadn't planned for her to do anything.

The internal affairs of the Vatican should be handled by the Vatican itself.

Of course, Ryan did not tell Helena that he actually had Orina's information.

Be extra careful in everything you do.

Chapter 192 Mutual Help

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Chapter 193 A Whole Day of Bitter Fighting

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Chapter 194 The Prison Is Nearly Full

After a full day of intense fighting, Ryan looked completely exhausted the next day.

Ryan couldn't remember the last time he had ever pushed himself to such a physical level.

It seems... it was during the time when he and Orina indulged in debauchery day and night.

Seeing this, Daphne reluctantly handed her treasured candy to Ryan.

"...It's delicious."

"...can restore your energy."

Looking at the adorable Daphne, Ryan couldn't help but pat her little head.

What a lovely guy who can heal hearts.

Ryan didn't want Daphne, who was so cute and innocent, to see anything she shouldn't.

Today is another day of fierce battle.

However, one should still be careful when facing Freya.

After exchanging a few brief words with Veranica, he pulled Freya along to continue their decadent day.

------

Unlike the leisurely and indulgent lifestyle on Ryan's side.

At this moment, Moon Bay Harbor was shrouded in a thick layer of dark clouds.

"Lord Nancy."

“Recently, there have been many violent incidents at Moon Bay Harbor. And these incidents all have one thing in common: the perpetrators bite and tear at each other like wild animals.”

"However, during the investigation, we did not find any obvious hate relationship between the victim and the perpetrator."

"The specific details are still under investigation."

The guards reported on recent events from one side, and this was the most important of them all.