Wizard Earl

"Alright, that's settled then! Margaret, from now on, you don't need to concern yourself with Connor Ferguson's affairs. He's already quite powerful, and with a pharmacist like Varga assisting him, even if the Church wants to take action against him, they'll have to think carefully about the consequences before they can act..." Elena said calmly.

Margaret didn't respond to Elena's suggestion, nor did she say anything. She was now a formal wizard and a significant figure in the wizarding world, no longer the obedient apprentice behind Elena. Margaret knew very well what she should and shouldn't do, and no longer needed Elena to make decisions for her.

Seeing that Margaret had already made up her mind and that she could no longer change her, Elena couldn't help but shake her head slightly and sigh in her heart.

After realizing they couldn't change each other's minds, the two intelligent women wisely refrained from continuing the topic of Connor Ferguson. After chatting about some unrelated matters, Margaret finally took her leave from Elena's cabin.

Watching Margaret's figure gradually disappear from sight, Elena couldn't help but sigh again. Having grown up in the cold, ruthless, and calculating Storm Church, she had never had many friends, and Margaret was the only one who had stayed by her side until now. She truly didn't want to lose Margaret as a friend because of Connor Ferguson…

After pondering for a while, Elena still couldn't come up with a good solution that would satisfy both sides. She could only put the matter aside for the time being and then sit back in the cabin to meditate. After these days of training, her injuries had recovered quite a bit, but it would still take some time before she could regain the ability to protect herself.

The following night, Elena, who had spent the entire day meditating, was about to rest when she suddenly sensed an uninvited guest approaching not far from her cabin.

Although Elena had known this day would come long ago, and even though it had arrived much later than she had anticipated, she could still feel an indescribable tension in her heart when it finally arrived.

Just as Elena was lost in thought, a man's voice suddenly came from outside the farmhouse.

"Elena, I really underestimated you. You're more daring than I imagined, hiding here at Mensaka Manor and playing dirty tricks on me..."

Having been discovered, Elena stopped trying to hide and make any pointless moves. She stood up and left the somewhat simple farmhouse. Not far from the farmhouse, a tall, resolute-looking middle-aged man in a white robe was waiting for her. This man was none other than her colleague in the Storm Church, Cardinal Hummels!

"I underestimated you. I never imagined you'd go so far as to collaborate with a dark wizard just to find me..." Elena said softly, gazing at Hummels.

Although Elena had exposed his secret, Hummels didn't seem surprised or bothered. He shook his head at Elena and said, "I really admire what Emperor Raul once said: 'In this world, there are never permanent enemies, nor permanent friends, only permanent interests!'"

"The Church is strong, but not strong enough to eliminate all dark wizards. Besides, the Church has other adversaries. So, since you can't eliminate the dark wizards, you should try to cooperate with them for mutual benefit!"

"Elena, you must remember one thing: the purpose and meaning of the Storm Church have never changed. That is to spread the glory and greatness of the Storm Goddess to every corner of this world. Our irreconcilable enmity with the Black Wizard is merely a means for us to achieve this goal. As the Cardinal of the Church, you must not put the cart before the horse."

At this moment, Hummels didn't seem to be in a hurry to get rid of Elena, his biggest rival. He patiently explained things to Elena.

Unfortunately, Hummels' patient explanation seemed to be in vain. Elena showed no interest in his advice. She gave Hummels a deep look and then said sincerely, "Hummels, I am willing to renounce my right to the papacy..."

Hearing Elena's words, Hummels' expression remained unchanged. He calmly said, "Elena, if you were in my shoes, do you think you would have let me go?"

Although Elena desperately wanted to tell Hummels she could do it, she knew perfectly well that even if she did, Hummels, who already intended to kill her, wouldn't believe her. So she didn't bother speaking, saving her energy for a proper fight with Hummels later…

Seeing that Elena remained silent, Hummels continued, "If Elena had been more aware of this sooner, and had been able to let go of what happened at Mensaka Manor, you could have left Frosinone and returned to the capital, Bernabéu. That would have made you completely safe. But you didn't do that. You chose to stay in Frosinone despite your serious injuries. Wasn't it because you were unwilling to accept defeat?"

"Elena, you're unwilling to be a loser, to forever lose the possibility of becoming the next pope. You still want to make one last effort. To be honest, I admire your courage, Elena. But from the moment you made this decision, only one of us is destined to live. I must become the next pope. Whoever stands in my way, I will kill!"

Hummels's icy voice echoed through the wilderness, and at the same time, his gaze toward Elena, which had been calm, turned murderous.

Realizing that her conflict with Hummels was unlikely to end well, Elena shook her head helplessly with a silent expression. Suddenly, a pair of lifelike, azure wings sprouted from her back. With a gentle flap, before Hummels could react, Elena was already a kilometer away, fleeing at incredible speed into the forest behind her…