My older sister is a villainous rich girl

“No rush, no rush, we still have time.” Ignoring Harold’s changing expression, Smith seemed unsurprised by Wayne’s decision, simply nodding slightly and calling out to the group behind him, “Camille.”

At the end of the line, a girl wearing a white robe, with a clear lens on one eye, and carrying a stack of documents stepped forward.

Smith gave a brief introduction before telling Harold, "Our team won't be staying in the academy dormitories. Bishop Willard has reserved a place for us at the Royal Cathedral. She will be in charge of receiving any further notifications from Qingxi Academy."

Harold glanced at the girl and gave a dismissive "hmm".

He was still consumed by his discontent with the Vatican. While this did indeed circumvent the rule prohibiting Vatican guards from entering the campus, but…

They come and go as they please, what do they take our Seiki Academy, ranked number one in St. Loons, for?!

Wayne smiled apologetically at Bishop Smith and the girl in front of him, then dragged Harold away.

Chapter 650 Divine Favor

"What are you doing!" The two reached an inconspicuous corner and were out of sight from the banquet hall. Harold was still acting awkwardly and hesitantly.

"..."

Wayne was speechless. Did the chairman really expect him to say something nice to appease him? He was dreaming.

Releasing his arm that had been holding him all along, Wayne said very seriously, "Chairman! Do you know what the real purpose of this exchange group's trip is?!"

Stunned by his sudden aura, Harold was momentarily unable to comprehend what he meant.

"Do you think the Vatican would let a light mage wander outside?" Wayne lowered his voice.

Before Tasia, there had never been a light mage who didn't join the Church.

He hadn't forgotten that when he met the messenger, Homa, that day, he almost took it for granted that Tasia would be on the list of those sent by Qingxi Academy to the Vatican for exchanges, and he even deliberately mentioned that Tasia was called "the Vatican's rising star."

His reminder made Harold's expression turn serious.

"You mean, they want to take Tasia away ahead of schedule?"

If it weren't for Bishop Willard's mediation, the Vatican would indeed not have agreed to let a light mage stay at Qingxi Academy. But Harold thought that since the terms had already been agreed upon, there shouldn't be any changes in the next four years.

Wayne shook his head. "This matter definitely depends on Tasia's wishes."

At this point, he patted Harold on the shoulder, adopting a superior air. "Little Harold, whether you can keep Tasia's heart at Clearstream Academy depends on how well you do your job."

"Hey you little brat!" Harold was so angry at his disrespectful and arrogant words that he glared at him.

Ignoring his reaction, Wayne turned and walked away nonchalantly.

……

"Tasia!" Wayne handed her the results of the last mock test, and casually inquired about her recent activities.

"I heard that the exchange delegation sent by the Vatican is currently staying at the Royal Cathedral. You have a good relationship with Bishop Willard. Have you met with the people from the Vatican?"

When he asked the question, Wayne carefully observed Tasia's reaction.

She was taken aback at first, and looked slightly confused, as if she didn't quite understand why he would ask such a question.

But she clearly didn't think too much about it and shook her head.

“I heard about this from Chris, but Bishop Willard didn’t say much to me or let me meet with the Vatican.”

Upon hearing this, Wayne glanced around and, seeing that there were only a few people scattered around the classroom and no one seemed to be paying attention to him, pulled over an empty chair next to him and leaned back against Tasia's desk. He lowered his voice and asked cautiously, like a thief, "If, I mean if, the people from the Holy See invited you to go for an exchange program, would you go?"

Regardless of what the Papacy, the Academy, or the Royal Family think, or what calculations and deals they secretly make, the most crucial element is always Tasia herself.

If he used to think that "the protagonist must be a chosen one who can accomplish anything he wants," he has now realized the trap hidden beneath his fixed mindset.

As long as one is willing to take action, destiny is not immutable. Countless cases have been altered by one's own intervention over the long term. Given these undeniable facts, the so-called "protagonist halo" may just be a psychological comfort to oneself.

Believing that something will definitely succeed always gives people more confidence when they take action, doesn't it?

Tasia was silent for a moment before saying, "Actually, Bishop Willard invited me a long time ago."

"Huh?" Only this word could express Wayne's surprise at this moment.

Seeing Wayne staring at her somewhat blankly, she sighed slightly and put the distributed test results and the notes spread out on the table back into her backpack. When Tasia hung her backpack back on the side of her chair, there was now a neatly packaged box of cookies on the table.

"Want to eat together? I just made it this morning."

"Uh, thanks." Wayne was a little hungry, so he didn't bother to refuse.

After getting to know Tasia, she would often bring some snacks from home to share with her friends, but Wayne rarely seemed to have the opportunity to spend time alone with Tasia.

Hmm... not counting Aikos's status as a cheap teacher.

Perhaps it was the sugar that made her feel relaxed, but after taking a bite of the biscuit, Tasia suddenly let out a long sigh as if deflated.

Wayne paused slightly as she was eating, realizing that she might also be looking for someone to confide in.

"I know that the Vatican may have high hopes for me."

Tasia gradually opened up and started talking.

“They all say… my light magic is proof that I am blessed by the gods.”

Indeed, for this world, Tasia's existence can undoubtedly be considered "divinely favored," and even Wayne had never doubted it before.

"However, I have always been confused as to why the gods would favor someone like me."

Hey, are you in Versailles?

He suddenly felt like he was choking after eating too many cookies.

"If, as Bishop Willard says, it is for a noble mission... then how can God know that others cannot fulfill the same mission better if He is unwilling to give them the same opportunities?"

She lowered her gaze, staring at her empty palm, and Wayne could not discern the emotions hidden in her eyes.

"Compared to those noble and great causes, perhaps what I want to grasp from beginning to end is only a small piece of satisfaction."

“So when Bishop Willard invited me on behalf of the Vatican, I felt more fear and unease than excitement or honor,” she said with a soft self-deprecating laugh. “It’s not like what you’d expect from Tasia, is it?”

Wayne finally found an opportunity to interject.

“There is no such thing as ought to be or shouldn’t be,” he said. “Whatever choices you make, whether others praise or criticize them, as long as it comes from your own will, that is your truest self.”

Perhaps realizing he had spoken too harshly, Wayne coughed twice and looked away.

"In short, just follow your heart, and Chris and I will support you."

The potted plants placed at the classroom door looked like they hadn't been watered in a long time; their leaves were wilted.

"So you refused?" he asked again.

“Although that’s what I thought at the time, Bishop Willard told me that I might as well wait until I graduated to consider it.” Tasia rested her chin on her hand. “So, I think Bishop Willard probably didn’t want me to go to the Vatican too early.”

Wayne pondered for a moment.

It is not impossible that the reason why Tasia did not immediately join the Holy See was because Willard handled Tasia's recommendation and admission procedures, which gave Qingxi Academy an advantage.

If it weren't for his decision at the time, Tasia would probably have been taken away by the Vatican by now.

Chapter 651 The Power of God, Human Selfishness

St. Lorne Cathedral.

Having endured years of wind and rain, the rusty metal decorations on the top of the church exuded a chill in the drizzle, while a few pigeons circled above them, reluctant to leave.

The arrival of the exchange delegation caused quite a stir in the church's personnel arrangements in the capital. To avoid any unforeseen complications, Willard even reassigned elite priests from the Lornes branch who were originally stationed in various provinces.

It wasn't until nightfall that he finally had time to say goodbye to those tedious tasks and return alone to the central auditorium for his daily prayers, as always.

At the head of the empty hall, a pure gold statue of the "Triple Ring of Light" sits on the central platform, symbolizing the supreme will of the gods and receiving the faith of everyone from royalty and nobility to commoners.

Three pure gold rings intertwine from the outside in, connected by a chain in the middle, forming a sphere.

Legend has it that this is the phantom cast by the former ruler of this world, the King of Kings, to save the mortal people; it is His "eye".

Ordinary people remember it, carve it, and worship it.

"Praise be to the Lord’s grace, praise be to the Lord’s glory..."

Bishop Willard prostrated himself on the ground in devotion, muttering incantations.

After repeating this three times, he slowly closed the parchment book that had been laid out on the ground, and then gently tapped his forehead and eyes three times with one hand to end the prayer.

When he turned around, he saw a man dressed in Papal knight armor sitting in the front row, watching him quietly.

“Long time no see, Leo.” Bishop Willard showed no surprise.

“Willard, you’re still the same as ever,” the man said in a low, ambiguous voice.

“The only thing that can be changed by the outside world is his time, not his soul, who has given everything to the gods without reservation.” Perhaps the lighting provided by the traditional white candles in the hall was not ideal, as half of Willard’s face was hidden in shadow, and the deep wrinkles on his face were more obvious.

"As a member of the Inquisition, yet disguised as an ordinary Papal Knight and hidden within the escort, it seems you've come specifically for Tasia?"

Willard didn't want to waste words with him and asked directly.

The man named Leo smiled noncommittally, which was taken as tacit agreement with his statement.

“The Vatican is very concerned about the condition of this chosen one.” He stood up.

Only then could one clearly see that he was exceptionally tall, over two meters, a full head taller than Willard.

He strode forward, getting within a meter of Willard, until they could clearly see the finest hairs on each other's faces.

"You must understand, every day she wastes outside the Vatican is a sin of unforgivable laziness!" Leo suddenly spoke with a fierce tone, as if thunder had exploded in the night sky.

Even when the other person's spittle was sprayed on his face, Willard remained unmoved.

"The level of Seiki Academy isn't that bad."

Leo stared at him for a moment before lowering his voice and coldly saying, "Willard, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. If you want to get into the Cardinals, you'll have to see if there's a place for you in the Council."

“You’re overthinking it.” Willard’s eyes flashed with disdain. “Of course, people like you would think that a mere seat in the Cardinals is enough to make them lose their minds and act recklessly—”

He paused, then stopped speaking, suppressing his anger, and turned to leave the church.

Silence returned to the central auditorium, and after a long while, another person emerged from the shadows.

Bishop Smith was the main person in charge of this exchange group.

It seems he has been observing for quite some time.

“Since you already knew the outcome, why did you test him?” Smith sighed. “He has always done a good job on the tasks assigned to him by the Vatican.”

He glanced at the rather lavish interior of the Royal Cathedral. On the limestone vaults, skilled painters had depicted an imagined paradise in vibrant colors.

Leo stretched wearily, the metal plates on his armor clanging against each other. "Everyone changes. We haven't interacted for so many years, I should treat this as a chance to get to know each other again. Maybe I'll discover something new."

After saying that, he abruptly changed the subject: "Tonight I'm going to 'visit' that legendary genius."

Smith was taken aback. "Who is it?"

“Of course, it’s that one from the Duke of Winchester’s family.” Leo glanced at Bishop Smith. “You’ve met him, haven’t you? How was it?”

“Hmm, he does seem to be quite good-looking. For his age, he is one of the most outstanding students I have ever seen, and Harold, the chairman of the board of directors of Qingxi Academy, seems to have high hopes for him.” Smith told Leo his judgment, “I advise you not to act rashly.”

"That means you need to clean up the mess and not let your identity be discovered, right?"

Suffocated by his preemptive and unreasonable argument, Smith shook his head after a long while: "Whatever, I don't know anything anyway, and I didn't run into you today."

"Tsk, I understand you're too old to cause trouble." Leo casually tossed out a sarcastic remark and quickly left.

Bishop Smith, who had already withdrawn from the Vatican's inquisition, watched him walk out the door without uttering his final words of advice.

"People who love to cause trouble can't peacefully wait until the day they retire successfully."

……

The Vatican is a very special place.

Here, the most devout faith and the coldest ambition coexist.

For many, the Vatican is a place of salvation dedicated to saving all beings, following God's will. Faithful believers will spread God's will and salvation to every corner of the world, ultimately building a bright world where everyone is loving and free from poverty and suffering.

But Leo, who had been promoted to a member of the Vatican's inquisition as "the youngest bishop in the Vatican," never had such a naive idea.

The Papacy is no different from the power institutions of other kingdoms, and high-ranking clergy are no different from the nobles of the outside world; it's just that the rules of the game have been changed to disguise their true nature.

Since joining the Vatican, Leo has never relaxed his demands on himself for a single day. Becoming stronger, and constantly becoming stronger, is his sole goal and guiding principle in life.

In the human world, even the might of God has its limitations. Otherwise, there would be no distinction between high and low, noble and base, joy and sorrow, separation and reunion.

Having such thoughts may be blasphemous and rebellious, but thanks to his clear-headedness, he was able to realize early on that the high-ranking officials of the Vatican were a more real and credible entity than the gods who only existed in prayers and blessings.

The unseen and intangible God cannot provide for His next meal, but humans, who are close at hand and only have flesh and blood, can.