Unlimited Ambition

"Damn it! I shouldn't have taken this mission," the gothic woman cursed angrily, seemingly resigned to her fate.

Chapter Sixteen: A Crime of Passion? A Revenge Murder? Or Both?

At that moment, I was unaware that a man with pent-up rage was about to come seeking revenge. Otherwise… perhaps I would have waited a little while and witnessed the fighting prowess of this lolicon from another dimension.

However, since I didn't know, that's fine. Holding Index's hand, we walked forward, almost reaching the edge of Academy City. A little further on, and we'd meet the Dark Knights who were there to meet us. Then, I'd take Index and fly away... ahem.

Just then, the two delinquents, who had rushed and exhausted themselves to finally catch up, wiped their sweat and stood in front of me.

The sun was setting, and the match was two against two, both men and women paired up. Hmm, the atmosphere of a duel was really intense. I chuckled softly and shielded Index behind me.

"If I remember correctly, Stiyl, Stiyl Magnus. That's the name, isn't it?"

"Your Highness is insightful; I admire you." Although he was seething with hatred inside, Stiyl still maintained a nonchalant demeanor, even though this expression was completely at odds with his attire.

In contrast, the gothic woman beside him looked tense, constantly glancing around as if searching for an escape route. Every time her eyes caught my eye, she flinched, like a mouse before a cat.

"I do remember it a little better, you flatter me," I said with a relaxed smile.

“In addition, Your Highness, I must also thank you for helping the Anglican Church retrieve the Index of Magical Books. Such a favor is truly beyond my means to repay.” Stiyl emphasized the words “Anglican Church” in his words, seemingly as a warning.

Clearly, I wasn't buying it. My eyes instantly turned icy, but the smile on my lips remained unchanged: "You think I'm afraid of a small sect with only forty million followers? What a joke!"

Stiyl felt an immense pressure as I swept him with my icy gaze, his breath caught in his throat, and he immediately changed his tune, saying, "Your Highness, I had no intention of threatening you! It's just that the A Certain Magical Index is of great importance to our church, and I spoke hastily in a moment of panic, with no other intention whatsoever."

"Hmph... I knew you wouldn't dare." I snorted lightly, my behavior slightly less aggressive. Only then did Stiyl feel a sense of relief. It had only been a fleeting moment. He felt as if he'd just walked through the gates of hell, his entire body drenched in cold sweat. He was utterly disheveled.

Before the two even exchanged blows, the balance of power was already clear. The gothic woman didn't directly confront my imposing presence. However, just a slight sense of unease, coupled with a glance at her partner's miserable state, told her that she would gain no advantage in this confrontation. Even if she and Stiyl fought together, it would surely be a crushing defeat!

At this moment, the gothic woman was already considering backing down. She subtly took a step back, coughed lightly in Stiyl's ear as a form of advice, and then lowered her head, appearing completely indifferent.

Seeing how sensible she was, a smile suddenly appeared in my eyes, and I took the initiative to make a gesture like one used at a court ball to invite a woman to dance: "What, this beautiful lady, won't you tell me your name?"

“Foreign Minister Shirley Cromwell.” The gothic woman didn’t dare breathe. She was as obedient as could be, inwardly cursing the wicked priest: He was ungrateful, insisting on going against this monster, and now he’s dragged me down with him…

“She’s better than you, Father—at least when it comes to assessing the situation.” I chuckled, realizing a fight wasn’t going to happen today. I pulled Index out from behind me again: “I’ll explain the details to Bishop Laura. You can go now.”

The gothic woman who called herself Shirley breathed a sigh of relief. She secretly congratulated herself on her good fortune, having escaped with her life. Just as she was about to say goodbye and leave, she heard her idiotic partner speak again: "No!"

Stiyl watched as his former lover, so close yet nestled in someone else's arms. He was first stunned, then a pang of sadness, followed by a surge of rage that coursed through him, his bloodshot eyes widening like a bull's. Truly, he was a figure of furious rage—a fury for a beauty.

Index was so frightened that she shrank back behind me.

"Oh? Why not? I'd like to hear your opinion." Seeing Stiyl's demeanor, a flash of murderous intent crossed my eyes. My smile widened again. I gently tightened my grip on Index's right hand, signaling her not to worry.

"I—" Stiyl finally realized what was happening. What else could he say? That he saw his brainwashed ex-girlfriend nestled in his arms like a little bird? "I got angry in a moment of rage, my hair stood on end, and I was driven to despair by a woman's beauty?" How could he possibly say that?

Fortunately, Stiyl was often away on business, and the Church of Necessary Evil wasn't exactly a charity. Quick-witted, the words slipped out before he could finish: "Index's situation is special, and I'm afraid Your Highness isn't aware of it. She—"

I was getting a little impatient: "What? She'll die if she has a memory lapse once a year? Only that idiot Laura could come up with such a stupid scam—and you believe her, you're even dumber! I get it now, the entire Anglican Church is just one idiot leading a bunch of super idiots. It's a miracle it hasn't gone bankrupt yet. Pshaw..."

I rolled my eyes and, without holding back, launched into a tirade against the entire Anglican Church. It wasn't until I felt a sharp pain in my finger and turned to see Index biting my hand that I remembered this little girl was also a member of the Anglican Church.

I chuckled and added, "But I do prefer women who are a bit absent-minded. An English Puritan nun would be just right."

After hearing this, Index released my hand and chuckled contentedly.

Seeing his ex-girlfriend and her current lover flirting and behaving as if no one else was around, the unruly priest flew into a rage again. Without further ado, he unleashed a flaming sword at me.

Pshaw, what a joke. My Mikoto's Railgun is way better than that.

I rolled my eyes, stretched out my hand, and a barrier of light neutralized the attack.

"With just this one attack, I could have killed you, and Bishop Laura probably wouldn't have blamed me." I sneered, my face showing disdain. "However, I'm in a good mood today. So I'll let you go for now—"

Stiyl noticed the way I was looking at him—the same way I'd looked at a stray dog. He couldn't take it anymore and blurted out, "Don't push your luck!" Then, with a flick of his wrist, handfuls of things inscribed with fire runes instantly covered the entire street.

He was also an arrogant man. He was able to create six new runes from the existing twenty-four, and even create a powerful spell like the Hunt for the Witch King. He had single-handedly defeated countless magical societies, and at only fifteen years old, his reputation as a genius spread throughout the Puritan Church.

Who would have thought that we would suffer such a humiliating disgrace today!

"Hunter the Witch King!!" With the runes already in place, Stiyl's face lit up with fanaticism. A colossal fire giant instantly materialized, its flames reaching three thousand degrees Celsius, melting the asphalt and turning the entire street into a fiery hell.

"Are you crazy?" Sherry yelled, and then a large amount of mud surged up from the ground beneath her feet, and a mud giant suddenly appeared under her feet.

Immediately afterward, Sherry rode off on her clay giant, shouting as she ran, "Damn it! I'm not going to get involved in this anymore! Prince Wright, take care! You can kill or torture that idiot all you want! It's none of my business!!"

With Sherry's departure, only two men, poised to attack, and a bewildered little girl remained on the street.

However, at this moment, the strange phenomenon before him utterly baffled Stiyl. The area where he stood was a scorching inferno, while the area three meters in front of him and behind him remained a scene of birdsong and fragrant flowers, a beautiful early spring landscape. It seemed as if they hadn't been affected in the slightest.

Stiyl looked again and saw what was going on. A faint, transparent barrier of light separated the street from its two ends, along with the scorching heat and flames, dividing the entire street into two distinct extremes.

Stiyl snorted coldly, thinking: What kind of defense can withstand my thunderous strike to hunt down the Queen of Witches?! Just as he was about to speak, he heard me speak first.

As soon as I opened my mouth, I pointed out the nature of the magic Stiyl used: "Norse school, runic magic... the fire giant Shulth? Although his appearance has changed quite a bit, that sense of irrational destruction is still there... Hmph, just heretical magic."

Stiyl was momentarily annoyed, but he hadn't expected me to expose the magic sequence he was using so easily. Just as he was about to retort, I spoke again.

"Pagan gods, heretical doctrines, and evil laws... I never imagined that the English Puritan Church was such a den of iniquity. But how can pagan gods and heretical doctrines stand against the radiant angels? How can heretical doctrines and evil laws compare to the wondrous exorcism methods transmitted from my Heaven?"

"You're skilled at manipulating fire? Well then, today I'll show you what real fire is!"

As soon as I finished speaking, the entire street—no! the entire world, the entire world trembled for no reason! Then, golden heavenly fire instantly spread across the entire street, burning silently yet with extraordinary intensity.

Amidst the raging flames of Heaven, all things in the mortal realm remained unharmed, except for the runes that Stiyl had just laid down, which burned fiercely—no! They were flames! The Heavenly Fire ignited the magical flames that Stiyl had summoned, using them as a medium to ignite the fire!

The colossal Queen of Hunting Witches screamed in agony, another layer of flames appearing on her body, which was composed of fire. It was as if she were being burned! The giant made of fire had actually been injured by the flames!

In a mere instant, the runes melted away, the flames extinguished, and the giant vanished with a mournful howl. Only the golden heavenly fire continued to burn silently yet with extraordinary intensity, harmless to everything in the mortal realm.

Seeing this, Stiyl, who had spent half his life playing with fire, was dumbfounded. His mind was severely shaken. He immediately knelt on the ground, his eyes wide open. Until the Heavenly Fire died down, until Index's hand passed by and she whispered beside him, "This is true fire." Until sunset, until the stars filled the sky…

Stiyl felt like he was going crazy.

Chapter Seventeen: The Strength of the State Church of Jerusalem

And so, after dealing with that ungrateful, unruly priest, I took Index's hand and we left Academy City. There were no further obstacles along the way. We finally made contact with the Dark Knight who was there to meet us.

After that, they flew to Tokyo International Airport in the latest military helicopter. From there, they transferred to a special plane and flew back to Jerusalem.

As I mentioned before, my adoptive father can't control me, so no one in Jerusalem can either. Recently, I've even gained some authority over the Dark Knights and the Royal Knights. This makes things much easier for me, and I've also gained a clearer understanding of just how powerful the Jerusalem State Church is.

How powerful is the Jerusalem church? Before this, I only knew that the Jerusalem church was very strong. But just how strong?

Pretty much, yeah, very strong.

It's not that I'm unaware of the situation, but rather that I don't know how to explain it. So, I'll use an inappropriate analogy: Using half the power of the church would easily destroy the entire earth. And using the full power of the church, inciting a rebellion against Heaven would also be possible—though the outcome would likely be disastrous.

Although not explicitly stated, the State Church, in my view, possesses a certain sense of a separation of powers. The King, who is also the Pope and Grand Master of the Royal Knights, is naturally the undisputed spiritual and de facto leader of the State Church. Under the King, the State Church is divided into three factions:

Ranked first, representing ultimate military power, and also the most well-known force to the outside world, is the Royal Knights. Its members are numerous, and its experts are countless. Moreover, every move they make is made public—the King himself also serves as the Knights' Commander.

Its members are collectively known as the Royal Knights. The Grand Master sits with two Vice-Grand Masters, sixteen District Commanders, and thirty-two Deputy Commanders. The remaining battalions, companies, and detachments are not mentioned. Even a top-tier Anglican enforcer like Steel, a double-crowned red-stick, was only at the level of a Deputy Commander.

The Royal Knights' practices have even created the misconception that the Jerusalem Church is the Royal Knights themselves—two names for one group. This is incorrect.

Because, besides the Royal Knights, the State Church also controls another armed force that is no less powerful than it: the Dark Knights.

Where there is light, there is the Royal Knights. Where the light doesn't reach, the Dark Knights take over. Unlike the Royal Knights, the Dark Knights are not ostentatious. They conceal their every move in the shadows, engaging in various shady activities.

Laura's earlier guess was correct. The Dark Knights were indeed conducting research into heretical magic. However, her guess wasn't entirely accurate—the Dark Knights weren't simply conducting research into heretical magic; rather, all of their members were heretical magicians!

After all, the work of the Dark Knights is clandestine (in every sense of the word): assassination, kidnapping, threats, extortion, theft. Although all is done in the name of heaven on earth. The sins of the Dark Knights are absolved by their deeds, and their souls ultimately ascend to heaven as well. But…

You can't use holy light for assassination, can you? Even if Jehovah is the most enlightened, such a sin is unforgivable.

Therefore, from its inception, all members of the Dark Knights underwent heretical magical training. To put it nicely, it was fighting poison with poison; to put it bluntly, it was complicity. However, among the true high-ranking members of the magical order in various countries, they were mostly more afraid of them than the Royal Knights.

Besides the two major orders of knighthood, Light and Darkness, the Jerusalem State Church also includes a large clergy force. This number is quite large and difficult to determine precisely, as the number of rank-and-file clergy is increasing every day—almost equal to the total population of Jerusalem!

As my ancestors from who-knows-when said: Jerusalem, from the oldest to the youngest, is inhabited by devout and wise clergy. This is no joke—don't forget that state church clergy can marry and have children.

With such a large population base (Jerusalem has the world's largest land area and the second largest population, second only to a certain Chinese nation), it's natural that talented people emerge in abundance. They've made significant contributions to all sorts of new inventions—both scientific and magical. If it weren't for the people of Jerusalem refusing the Nobel Prize… hehe.

Besides the large grassroots ranks, the priests' high-ranking members are also quite capable. However, the vast majority are theoretical experts with very little practical combat experience. Nevertheless, they are perfectly suited to serve as mentors to newly recruited knights.

However, this does not include the two cardinals (papal assistants) and the archbishops of the sixteen dioceses. They were all retired Royal Knights or Dark Knights who were over the age limit.

Although the bishops are no longer as physically strong as they used to be, their extensive combat experience means that even someone like Gerald or Leonard is no match for them.

I've given you a brief overview of the state religion's influence, so you probably understand why I'm not afraid of Stiyl's threat now.

I really don't need to be afraid. There are plenty of guys with Stiyl's strength in the State Church. It's nothing.

Laura's strength is indeed impressive, but whether she can defeat those two cardinals is still a question—even if Laura were truly superhuman and could take on two at once and beat them up, what about the other Puritan priests? My Knights of Light and Darkness, plus the high-ranking priests of the State Church, could gang up on you and crush you.

So I'm certain Laura's going to have to swallow her pride and bear it this time. She'll most likely have to accept that I kidnapped Index. Of course, there will definitely be some retaliation later. But that's a matter for the future—besides, even if she retaliates, can she really go so far as to murder her own husband?!

However, after returning to Jerusalem, I started to have another worry. The little nun's memories obviously didn't count. But the collar around her neck was the real problem. I suspected that this was Laura's ultimate means of controlling Index.

An automatic recording mode... I never imagined the English Puritans would possess something like this—no, it's more accurate to say it belongs to Laura herself rather than the English Puritans. According to her adoptive father, her strength is far too incompatible with the English Puritans' abilities. He even worries that she might become dissatisfied and start a war.

What's going on? That kind of stupid talk could be solved in a flash. Maybe if I, the Crown Prince, just patted her head, Laura would be as obedient as a cat.

However, the spell cast by this little kitten (tentative name) seems a bit difficult to break... My specialty is various combat spells. I have offensive and defensive techniques, as well as supportive offensive and defensive techniques. But as for pure support... well, I'm sorry.

Speaking of which, within the state church, the two cardinals, Urban and Clement, are probably the most skilled at this. If they were to take action, they could probably dispose of the collar in no time—of course, Index might also be dealt with in the process.

After all, it's an ancient relic from the last century... no, the century before that. Normally, we might let them turn a blind eye to the Dark Knights. But after seeing Index, this walking library of heresy, even a fool could guess what would happen.

Therefore, I chose the second option, the Dark Knights. After all, I came from the Royal Knights. The Royal Knights there probably don't understand support magic as well as I do.

So, after I got off the plane, I took Index and went straight to the National Security Bureau (which is also the location of the Dark Knights headquarters, truly two sets of names but the same group of people).

After spending a few days with Index, I think I understand how to raise this little girl. Plenty of food, whatever it is. She'll eat it all up if it's edible. Once her stomach is full, she won't bother you. In a sense, she's quite easy to raise (provided you have enough money).

So, as I instructed, they prepared meals for one hundred staff members. I then pulled the deputy commander, Roger, aside for a private chat—Commander Raymond had gone to the palace for a meeting. Apparently, it was to allocate next year's budget. He'd probably end up fighting with Gerald again.

When I explained my purpose, Roger's eyes lit up. They really do say money can be alluring, and wealth can be intoxicating. Roger is usually such a composed person (with such a neurotic boss, he can't be anything but composed). But upon hearing this, he was like a bull in heat.

"So, 103,000 A Certain Magical Index books... are in this girl's head?!" At this moment, Bull, his eyes red and breathing heavily, stared at Index as she ate. His gaze was as if he wanted to devour Index alive.

"Hey, let me make this clear beforehand. I'm planning to keep this girl and raise her. Don't even think about touching her." I rolled my eyes.

"Hahaha, I understand, I understand... Your Highness, you've reached that age too... Ah, youth is truly wonderful." Roger smiled knowingly, patting my shoulder forcefully as he laughed.

"If you keep laughing like that, I'll send you to Siberia to preach to the polar bears, showing no mercy." I scoffed. Roger immediately stopped laughing and put on a miserable face.

"So? Can you fulfill the conditions I mentioned?" I then asked.

"It's a bit difficult," Roger said with a worried look.

"What's the difficulty?!" I asked.