“God Bless Lande! Her Highness the Princess Appears at the Right Moment, Thwarting a Malicious Assassination and Dispelling the Shadows of War.”
“Classified! Her Highness the Princess Meets Her Exclusive Knight Late at Night, Uncovering a Shocking Conspiracy.”
“Her Highness the Princess’s Secret Rendezvous Partner—A Certain Exclusive Knight Who Wishes to Remain Anonymous—Has This to Say!”
“The Evil Organization 'Shadow Alliance' Surfaced: Major Churches Publicly Condemn Its Malicious Scheme of Impersonating the Princess to Assassinate the Friedman Prince to Incite War.”
“Shocking: The Plague Was Man-Made! Saint Nightingale Accuses the Shadow Alliance of Crimes Against Humanity, Urging People Worldwide to Unite, Declare War on the Plague, and Say No to the Shadow Alliance.”
“Churches of the Twelve Major Gods Declare the Shadow Alliance a Blasphemous Organization, Jointly Denouncing Its Evil Acts.”
“Sir Lynch Levive from King District Hosts Press Conference; Shadow Alliance Officially Designated a Terrorist Organization.”
“Professor Olei, President of the Archaeological Association, Personally Speaks Out, Announcing the Association Will Never Cooperate with Such a Malicious Organization as the Shadow Alliance in the Future.”
“Mr. Gulman, President of the Arcane Research Society, Bitterly Denounces the Shadow Alliance's Crimes Against Innocents.”
“Lady Lilla, Spokesperson for the Women’s Folklore Club and Principal of Lilla Women’s Academy, Publicly Announces That Students from Her School Are Strictly Forbidden from Any Contact with Such an Anti-Human Organization.”
“The Commercial Alliance Releases an Overnight Statement Vowing to Update Its Charter as Quickly as Possible to Draw a Clear Line Between Itself and Evil Organizations Like the Shadow Alliance.”
Early on the morning of July 11, countless barefoot newsboys charged out like ants swarming from a nest, sprinting down the streets and alleys of Rhine City. Their shouts, accompanied by stack after stack of newspapers, flew into every household in the city.
The press conference was a resounding success. None of the issues people had worried about beforehand came to pass, a fact witnessed by all the major factions.
Though they didn't explicitly state their stances, they seemed quite intrigued. Perhaps a decision made on the fly would act like a butterfly flapping its wings, eventually setting off a massive storm across various fields in the future.
Meanwhile, the name of Sir Lynch Levive once again dominated the dining tables and living room sofas of Rhine City, becoming everyone's favorite topic of conversation. Naturally, his past was dug up as well: failing exams, blocking his professor's door while crying and clinging to the man's leg, trying to give a classmate flowers but accidentally picking a potted plant that same classmate had grown, nearly being tossed into the street for failing to pay rent... All in all, a remarkably inspiring story.
As for the common folk of King District, they already viewed Sir Levive as the pride of King District. The vendors in Charles Square, in particular, hadn't stopped blabbering all day. Mrs. Sterling, the bread seller, went around telling anyone who would listen how Sir Levive had rescued her little granddaughter—her account delivered with rich emotion and tear-jerking detail.
Right beside the bustling square, two blonde beauties—one older, one younger—cuddled close together, listening intently to the crowd's stories. Over and over, never growing tired of hearing them, no matter how many times they were retold.
However, as the protagonist of all this gossip, the good knight temporarily had nothing to do with these matters. After the press conference, the highly anticipated Lynch slipped away unnoticed and quietly stepped into the Church of the Black Night's carriage.
Traveling with him was President Olei. As for Miss Natalie and Miss Diana, they were temporarily left at the hotel to handle the follow-up chores and would meet up at the Church of the Black Night after everything wrapped up.
This casual arrangement brought a satisfied smile to Her Highness the Princess as she watched him leave, while the eyes of the two ladies were considerably less natural.
Wait, you've misunderstood! Don't overthink this! Hear me out—I'm not trying to play both sides here! I'm really just coming at this from a practical standpoint! Besides, I might be paying my respects to a major deity later, and since you aren't her believers, it wouldn't be convenient for you to follow along. I'm doing all this for your own good! You have to believe me!
Unfortunately, as the carriage slowly rolled away, it cut off Lynch's inner, tear-soaked wails. Lynch felt he was now one step closer to sinking that beautiful little boat.
Truly a cause for celebration.
“Ah, it's good to be young.”
“Indeed. It almost makes me miss my twenties.”
Two old men whose combined ages approached a hundred and sixty sighed with half-smiling expressions, snapping Lynch out of his lamentation.
Under the mischievous gazes of the two elderly gentlemen, he actually felt his face grow a bit warm.
“Ahem, business, let's talk business.” Clearing his throat with a few dry coughs, Lynch rubbed his face to smooth away the awkwardness before speaking slowly. “I came here to give you a gift this time, Your Grace.”
“Save the nonsense, child.” Archbishop Trinlais pointed to the worn medicine box. “Ever since you showed up today, I knew something was off. Your posture betrayed your attitude—this thing is extraordinarily important to you. And Lady Nightingale's reaction wasn't right either. Whatever can make her lose her composure is certainly no simple matter. By 'giving a gift,' you don't mean you want me to keep this safe for you, do you? What on earth is this thing?”
This old fox still has sharp eyes.
Lynch sighed inwardly, but instead of answering, he merely offered a meaningful smile.
Trinlais frowned and held out his hand. “Let me see it first.”
Lynch handed it over without hesitation, but then suddenly pulled it back, asking with a frown, “I remember you saying you were an ordinary person. Wouldn't touching something like this be dangerous for you?”
The archbishop paused, then burst out laughing. “Thank you for your concern, child, but you underestimate the servants of the Lord. As Her attendants, our resistance to mystery far exceeds that of ordinary people. Besides, Soul Severers aren't the only ones in this world with power to counter the mystery.”
“Arcana?”
Realization dawned on Lynch. He finally understood why this old man had been able to effortlessly grab him and swing him onto a streetlamp when they first met. Regardless, this put his mind at ease considerably.
When he had originally planned to drag the Church of the Black Night into this mess, he had been somewhat worried about whether this 'ordinary' old man might be harmed, feeling a momentary pang of guilt over it for a few seconds. Now, completely reassured, Lynch placed the Torch of Light into Trinlais's hands without a second thought.
Watching the old man turn the medicine box over and inspect it from every angle, Lynch settled his mind. He had already drafted his speech on how to drag the Church of the Black Night into the fray.
Given the old fox's wealth of experience, making excuses or using tricks would be completely pointless. In fact, given their relationship, such ploys would only backfire. The most effective method was, paradoxically...
Telling the plain truth. After all, it wasn't his first time doing so. Lynch said candidly, “The Shadow Alliance is bound to make a move on it. I certainly can't keep it safe on my own, which is why I invited President Olei, but that still isn't enough. To be frank, I don't want to drag the ladies of the Church of Suffering into this—they've already endured too much pressure. So I can only turn to you. I trust that Lady Nyx, the Lord of the Black Night, hasn't colluded with the Shadow Alliance, but I can't be so sure about the other Supremes.”
Trinlais closed his eyes, softly stroking the Torch of Light, remaining silent without committing either way.
“With the president holding the fort as top-tier firepower, backed by the high- and mid-tier powerhouses of the Church of the Black Night, the defensive measures of the Black Night Cathedral, and the protection of the Goddess herself, I don't think anything can go wrong. Besides, we won't need to maintain this high alert for long—I'm confident this will all be over in just a few days. Plus, you saw what happened today. I successfully pushed the Shadow Alliance onto the opposite side of everyone. That wasn't just to deal a blow to my rival.”
“Hmm?”
Lynch smiled and said softly, “Looks like you've realized it too. This way, any public action against them becomes righteous, and with proper publicity, it will win the gratitude of the entire world. Lady Fiona's achievements in fighting the plague are unshakeable, of course, but if the deeds of Lady Nyx's servants standing against evil are spread worldwide, guess whether the faith of the Black Night will receive a massive boost?”
The archbishop raised his hand and tossed the medicine box right back into Lynch's hands. “Today is a fine day to pray to the Goddess.”
Bullseye. Ten out of ten.
Rate on N.U.
