As Greg was lost in thought, the maid guiding them stopped in front of a door. She knocked twice softly, pushed it open, and stepped to the side to clear the way.
As Greg passed by her, he noticed that her posture and gestures were textbook perfect. Her back was straight, her hands were neatly folded in front of her, and the angle of her slight bow was just right—expressing deference without sacrificing dignity.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly: A professional maid truly is something else.
Her movements were crisp, her demeanor dignified, and even the rhythm of her breathing seemed meticulously regulated.
By contrast, although the woman beside him was also a maid in name, her daily routine consisted of either threatening him with a drawn sword or greeting him with a scheming, venomous tongue.
They practically belonged to completely different species.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Allie, who was half a step ahead, suddenly turned her head and shot him a chilling glare with her beautiful eyes.
"Tsk, don't think I don't know what you're thinking."
Greg's back instantly stiffened.
Although the maids in the manor didn't know his identity yet, he was still the nominal Bishop of the order. He absolutely could not get beaten up by his former personal maid right in front of other people.
He immediately composed himself and walked straight into the room without looking left or right.
"Thank you for your hard work. You may return to your post," Allie said to the maid, then stepped inside as well and closed the door behind them.
Standing outside, the maid stared at the now-closed door and muttered softly to herself:
"That's the first time I've ever seen Lady Allie walk so close to a man without him losing an arm or leg, or being covered in blood... Just who is he?"
Shaking her head, she turned and left, filled with confusion.
...
Inside the room, before Greg even had time to take in the office's decor, a figure dropped to one knee in front of him.
"Welcome, Cult Leader."
Wendy kept her head lowered, her voice respectful and steady, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
Stunned by this sudden grand gesture, Greg waved his hand in slight helplessness. "Cut it out, we don't do that kind of thing."
He walked forward and reached out to help Wendy to her feet.
Truth be told, he was feeling quite guilty inside. After all, he would soon have to ask Wendy for a personal favor, so he couldn't afford to put on any airs right now.
Greg quickly pulled Wendy up.
"Thank you, Lord Bishop!"
Although Wendy hadn't expected Greg to drop by so suddenly, she immediately came up with a reason for his visit.
He must have come regarding the recent rapid expansion of the order.
After all, the Dark Night Order had absorbed a large number of new believers lately, and its influence had been expanding rapidly across the city.
She had originally been hesitating over whether to bother writing a letter to Greg just to report this news.
Because she knew Greg had delegated all his authority to her and Vice Bishop Allie, which meant he must have more important matters to attend to, and likely didn't want to expose his identity for the time being.
That was why she had been holding back the report, planning to submit it when a more suitable opportunity arose.
Yet to her surprise, before she could even send out the news, the Lord Bishop had already found out in advance and even come in person.
This showed that the Lord Bishop had been keeping a close eye on the order's movements all along, never truly washing his hands of it.
Such a sense of responsibility and sharp insight filled her with deep admiration.
Since the Lord Bishop has come in person, it definitely won't be just for this matter.
Wendy quickly sorted out her thoughts.
She figured that Greg had made a special trip to remind her not to settle for the status quo, to take the opportunity to expand even faster, and probably to assign a new mission.
To save Greg the trouble of explaining, she decided to take the initiative and steer the conversation onto the right track.
"Lord Bishop."
Wendy looked up.
"Just as you know, the Dark Night Order's growth in this city has nearly reached saturation. May I ask what your instructions are regarding our next step?"
Greg froze for a moment.
What do I know?!
I didn't even know you guys were this ridiculously rich!
How on earth would I know what to do next?
He had only come here today to ask Wendy to take Allie along to the Imperial Capital so that idiot maid wouldn't get lost along the way.
Yet the moment he stepped through the door, Wendy looked at him with an "as expected of you" expression, leaving him completely baffled.
But fortunately, Greg's mind worked fast.
He quickly seized upon the key piece of information in Wendy's words—she said their development in this city was already saturated...
Didn't that mean they could head off to another city to continue expanding?
As long as he used the order's expansion as a pretext to have Wendy bring Allie to the Imperial Capital, neither of them would have a reason to refuse.
That way, he wouldn't have to beg them servilely, and he could naturally resolve Allie's transportation issue.
Killing two birds with one stone.
And so, Greg played along with the topic, adopting a profound facade as he spoke:
"It seems you already know my purpose in coming, Wendy. In that case, I shall give you your next instruction."
Wendy looked up, her gaze fixed intently on him as she waited for the next command.
Meanwhile, Allie leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, letting out a disdainful click of her tongue:
"And you claimed you came to see me. As expected, a liar like you, Young Master, should be tied to a post and burned at the stake."
Greg continued in that calm, steady tone:
"I want you to accompany Allie to the Imperial Capital, Wendy, and establish another stronghold for the order there."
"The Imperial Capital!?"
A hint of fluster flashed across Wendy's eyes, but she quickly composed herself, took a deep breath, and asked:
"May I ask, Lord Bishop, why choose the Imperial Capital as our next target? That's the primary sphere of influence of the Church of Light. They've operated there for centuries with deep roots and countless eyes and ears. Any heretical sect trying to take root there faces the risk of being eradicated. Shouldn't we avoid it and select a region easier to develop?"
Greg naturally knew the situation over in the Empire, so he had already prepared the answer to this question when he proposed the plan.
He slightly lowered his eyelids, making his expression look even deeper and more reserved:
"Because I have sensed that before long, turmoil will erupt there. And we can seize that opportunity to expand rapidly."
He was telling the truth.
In the original game's Act Three storyline, although events primarily revolved around the Hundred Academy Exchange, other troubles would brew during the tournament—such as the Demon King Cult.
During the exchange, the activities of Demon King Cultists within the Empire would become more frequent and rampant. They would scheme a series of sabotage operations in the Imperial Capital, likely aimed at undermining the morale of the major magic academies.
Amidst that chaos, so long as the Dark Night Order operated properly, they would certainly have a chance to quietly take root right under the nose of the Church of Light.
"!"
The shock on Wendy's face could no longer be contained.
Her eyes widened as she stared at Greg, stormy waves surging in her heart.
To think the Lord Bishop even knows about the anomalies within the royal family!
Doesn't that mean my true identity is also...
No wonder the Lord Bishop specifically named me to accompany Lady Allie to the Empire. Indeed, nothing can be hidden from him.
Since the Lord Bishop made such an arrangement, he must have a corresponding plan.
Wendy shook her head softly, the last trace of hesitation in her heart evaporating.
She lowered her head and spoke in a steady, resolute voice:
"Since those are your instructions... I understand. I will accompany Lady Allie."
Seeing the two of them inexplicably reach a consensus while completely ignoring her presence, Allie couldn't help but interject:
"What about my opinion?"
Greg waved a hand without turning around:
"The adults are talking, kids shouldn't interrupt."
Allie: "I'll kill you~"
...
By the time a maid escorted him out of the manor, the sky outside had darkened completely.
Stars dotted the night sky, and a crescent moon hung above the treetops, casting a soft silver glow.
Standing at the manor entrance, Greg clenched his fist, feeling his arm surging with strength from his activated Divine Protection.
Looking up toward the distant city skyline enveloped in darkness, he muttered under his breath, "The Demon King Cult, huh..."
He actually didn't quite understand why those Demon King Cult members acted the way they did today.
Setting fires in a busy downtown area, taking hostages, and publicly proclaiming it was all done for the Demon King...
Apart from stirring public panic and outrage, what purpose did such behavior serve?
It would only solidify people's resolve to resist the Demon King. From the perspective of the Demons' best interests, it was completely illogical.
"Could this also be Melina's scheme?" Greg softly uttered that name.
Melina, the Primary Heroine, was already exceptionally mysterious in the original game.
Ever since Greg found out that both Silvia's kidnapping in Act One and the Return of the Dead incident in Act Two were her schemes, he felt that this woman was becoming increasingly dangerous.
Every move she made seemed casual, yet always precisely hit key nodes of the plot.
If an attack like today's was also part of her plan, what on earth was her goal?
Greg fell silent for a moment, then exhaled softly.
"It seems during the exchange, she'll be the person I need to be most wary of."
Rate on N.U.
