My older sister is a villainous rich girl

"Your Excellency Aikos!" he called out loudly, striding over.

Tasia was slightly surprised to see Bulwer instead of the Dark Mage she had come to hunt down, and she turned to look at Wayne as well.

Chapter 545 As expected of my most important teacher

Wayne frowned deeply.

He was about to say that he was tracking down the wanted criminal Norman Laird, lest Bulwer say something inappropriate in front of Tasia.

But Bulwer was so excited, as if he couldn't contain himself, that he rushed into the courtyard and shouted, "Lady Aikos, I love you!"

I like you—

what--

Wayne: He cracked on the spot.jpg.

Tasia, standing behind him, couldn't help but burst out laughing, covering her mouth with a "pfft".

Ahhhhh~ My lifelong reputation!

Enraged, Wayne slapped him across the face, knocking him unconscious.

"This isn't how we usually interact; he's probably suddenly struck by a serious illness," Wayne said casually, wiping his hands.

Damn it! If Tasia hears this, she might think I'm fencing with the city guards every day!

“Ignore him, let’s continue the pursuit,” Wayne said coldly.

Although Tasia hesitated about whether she should really just leave Bulwer on the ground, she ultimately followed closely behind Wayne.

Perhaps sensing that Wayne was in a very bad mood, Tasia suddenly spoke up to comfort him: "Teacher, don't be angry~ I know that officer was just joking."

Ha~ He wasn't joking, he clearly came prepared!

Wayne was almost certain that Bulwer had been instigated by Norman Laird.

I never expected that even when he was about to die, he would still try to trick me. Considering how dedicated he was to playing the villain, I have to give him a dignified death.

"Strange...it seems the aura of dark magic disappears here..." Tasia muttered to herself in confusion.

“Underground.” Wayne directly mobilized his magic power and forcibly blasted a large hole in the middle of the courtyard.

As sand and dust rolled down, the dark passage was revealed in the moonlight.

“This…” Tasia glanced at Bulwer, who was still unconscious, in astonishment.

Although the city guard captain's identity is very important and his security should naturally be extremely careful, the fact that such a huge tunnel was dug out quietly seems a bit suspicious.

"Come this way." Wayne jumped into the tunnel first.

Tasia raised her hand and conjured a magical ball filled with light, following closely behind his steps.

The tunnel was barely wide enough for one person to pass through, but fortunately, the height was sufficient for an adult male. While exploring the tunnel, Wayne used the surrounding buildings to determine his location.

After traveling in silence for a while, the two soon arrived at the exit of the tunnel, located in an inconspicuous house in the south of the city.

If one did not know beforehand that such a tunnel existed, even if one had passed by the gate hundreds of times, one would not have realized that it led directly to the residence of the city guard commander.

He's definitely a seasoned pro at doing shady things.

Tasia remained in a state of extreme shock throughout, staring at the ordinary house without saying a word for a long time.

“Is that incredible?” Wayne asked.

She would be even more surprised if she saw the underground space of Earl Chapman's manor.

"I was just wondering... is this kind of thing commonplace for nobles?" she asked blankly.

“No,” Wayne explained, “People rarely choose to dig tunnels; they only do it to facilitate the transport of ordinary people.”

Although the presence of earth-elemental mages made digging tunnels less difficult than imagined, once someone caught them doing something wrong, the purpose would be very hard to explain.

The secret passages are interconnected; who knows if they were prepared for a future rebellion?

Following the signs, Wayne walked east along the street.

Before long, a tall church came into view.

Both of them were a little surprised.

"...Is that person inside?" Tasia asked another question.

Since entering the tunnel, the residual dark magic in the air has become increasingly thin, until she can no longer sense it at all.

"It should be."

Wayne has never been to the church as Echo.

To be precise, he has never really liked such places, so he always unconsciously avoids dealing with them, since it doesn't fit his self-perception as a materialist fighter.

If it weren't for the fact that he had already transmigrated in a very unscientific way, he probably wouldn't have been willing to attend even a charity gala hosted by the church.

—It's not like the church is the only way to help the poor.

What's unpleasant is that the Wincher family, as a prominent noble family in the kingdom, is frequently invited to these kinds of events, so Wayne often has no choice but to accompany them.

For years, the church has claimed that dark magic originated from the hands of a devil who plotted to destroy the world. They even offered a high reward for information about dark magic, vowing to judge and eradicate all evil and heresy in the world. It was indeed a bit of a surprise to Wayne that Norman would flee to such a place.

However, he would be sorely mistaken if he thought he was safe hiding in the church.

"I'll hide you in a bit. Don't make a sound or show your face," Wayne instructed.

Tasia seems to have deep ties with the church, and showing herself like this might cause her some trouble.

"Teacher, could you... try to avoid conflict with Archbishop Willard?" Tasia asked, somewhat hesitantly.

She was worried that Aikos would do what she did to Bulwer just now, and start a fight with someone over a disagreement.

“Bishop Willard is a very kind elder. He not only generously funded my studies but also helped me solve many problems.” She seemed to realize that praising another person too much wasn't appropriate, and quickly added, “Of course, you are also very…important…”

After all that talk, they still hadn't gotten to the next part.

Wayne looked somewhat helpless.

“I’ll be careful—as long as he doesn’t deliberately provoke me.”

Upon hearing this, Tasia finally felt relieved. Her mind cleared up, and the words she had been struggling to organize for a while suddenly came out: "You truly are my most important teacher!"

Huh... what kind of strange description is this?

But seeing how embarrassed Lentacia herself looked, Wayne just found it funny and didn't pursue the matter further.

The Cathedral of St. Loons covers a vast area; the front square alone occupies half a street, and this is the size it has reached after several expansions.

It is said that when it was first established, it was just an ordinary orphanage, founded by an ordinary missionary who was exiled here by the Vatican.

Yes, "exiled".

Although this is the first institution in the Kingdom of Lornes to be directly governed by the Papacy, it has a long history.

But for a long time, almost no missionaries were willing to travel to such remote areas as Lornes to preach.

Chapter 546 The Adventures of Norman Laird

At that time, magic was perceived by the world as a distant, misty, and insurmountable mountain range. Most people would never have the chance to see a real magician in their lifetime.

At that time, because Lornes was far from the cultural center where the Papacy was located, the ordinary people there were naturally considered to be ignorant by most church members.

Unless they suffered defeats in various struggles and had nowhere to stay within the Papacy, missionaries sent by the Papacy rarely appeared in Lornes, and at the same time, local clergy had almost no opportunity to go to the Papacy to engage in exchanges.

However, this situation gradually changed as the kingdom developed and grew stronger.

It wasn't until the Kingdom of Lornes won several famous battles in succession that the Papacy could no longer ignore such a powerful nation, and from then on, the number of priests sent to Lornes gradually increased.

Subsequently, driven by the alliance war decades earlier, the relationship between the Papacy and the Royal Family of Lornes finally reached an unprecedented level of intimacy and friendship. The rampant expansion of the Church's power received the strong support of His Majesty the King, and church institutions of all sizes were established throughout the kingdom at an extremely rapid pace.

The St. Lornes Cathedral, which stands before us, thus became the highest temple overseeing the kingdom's religious affairs.

The Cardinal Willard, who was appointed to oversee the situation here, is one of the core members of the Vatican's inner circle and is said to enjoy the deep trust of His Holiness the Pope and the Vatican's Cardinals.

A series of intelligence reports flashed through his mind, and Wayne swaggered in.

……

The nave of the Royal Cathedral of St. Loons.

Willard knelt alone on the prayer mat, praying devoutly.

The hazy moonlight shone through the skylight, refracting through the colorful glass to create a dreamlike effect, quietly bathing him and the spotless ground around him.

Now it is his free time, but even in his free time, he has become accustomed to serving God.

“Willard—after leaving the Vatican, you will definitely encounter many things that confuse you.”

Before he set off, His Holiness the Pope had a special meeting with him.

Willard still vividly remembers his words and actions from that time.

"Don't be afraid of those confusions; the answer lies within your own heart."

Willard never forgot His Holiness the Pope's teachings and constantly examined his own heart to see if he had strayed from the right path out of fear.

Suddenly, his expression shifted slightly, and he opened his eyes.

An invisible force surged, and he was suddenly transported to a small garden located behind the cathedral.

Here stand the tombstones of some people who made outstanding contributions in the past.

Several ordinary church deacons were preparing to place a wooden coffin into a newly dug pit in a corner of the garden. Some people were chanting scriptures, and others were sobbing softly.

"Why was the burial held at night?" Willard asked, voicing his doubts.

"Ah..." Several priests looked startled by the sudden appearance, but they relaxed when they saw that it was Bishop Willard.

"This friend who tragically passed away was our colleague... He lost his life saving a family from a fire and was recognized for his heroic act. Before he died, his last wish was to rest peacefully in a corner of a beautiful garden on a bright moonlit night..."

Hearing the deacons' explanations, Willard felt that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on where this strange feeling came from.

He glanced at the dark wooden coffin a few times, but ultimately did not request that the burial ceremony be stopped.

“A brave and fearless soul should return to heaven undisturbed.” He bowed solemnly.

Thus, the somewhat simple funeral proceeded to its final step: the black coffin was carefully placed at the bottom of the pit, and layers of loose soil slowly covered the body of the deceased.

In a somber and nostalgic atmosphere, the group lingered for a moment before reluctantly departing.

A bunch of slightly withered yellow flowers were placed in front of the new grave, as if they too had participated in the withering of life.

Not long after, another voice rang out beside the grave.

“Strange…the marker clearly indicates this direction.”

Wayne looked around and saw all sorts of different epitaphs. Then his gaze settled on a brand-new tombstone not far away.

This person died for others, but lived for himself.

Behind her, Tasia also saw the tombstone and fell silent.

“If I said I wanted to dig up this grave now, would you object, Tasia?” Wayne asked.

Tasia hesitated for a second, then shook her head vigorously: "I trust your judgment, teacher. Besides, even if we made a mistake, it wasn't your fault, but rather because the enemy was too despicable."

While it was gratifying to feel Tasia's absolute trust, Wayne really didn't want to dig up someone's grave.

The consequences will not only damage one's own image, but will also trigger the magical warning device in this area.

"Forget it. It seems we should head back first, otherwise it would be quite troublesome for me if the church people found out." Aikos said listlessly.

Tasia was a little surprised to hear this, but she did not object.

The two uninvited guests arrived abruptly and left just as abruptly. Soon, the garden cemetery returned to its tranquility.

"...Shh...shh..."

Outside the capital.

With an extremely faint rustling sound of dirt scraping against dirt, a pale hand emerged from an inconspicuous mound of earth.

Immediately afterwards, the opening next to the mound widened little by little, and a figure crawled out of the mound, collapsing to the ground and panting heavily.

It was Norman Laird.

His situation was far from optimistic, but he dared not linger and hurriedly restored the mound of earth to its original state.