Ruth's unexpected words took Maxi by surprise, but Riftan seemed to understand why the sorcerer had made such a request.
Lost in thought, Riftan glanced briefly at Ruth before calmly responding, "Although I hold the prestigious title of Wigrew Reincarnation, I am still just a simple vassal knight.
A public audience, yes, but a private one might be difficult.
Furthermore, the Pope is eager to assert his authority at the moment.
He will not agree easily unless we have something interesting to offer."
"In that case," said Ruth sarcastically, "tell him that I possess knowledge about the object they have been relentlessly hunting for the past few years.
Make it clear that it would be prudent for him to acquiesce to my wishes if he is to avoid a major problem."
Riftan raised an eyebrow.
“Do you want me to threaten God’s representative?”
“Isn’t that your specialty?” Ruth replied firmly.
"There is no time to waste.
I would like to speak to the pope today, if possible.
If he refuses, out of pride or anything else, inform him that I will appeal to High Priest Garis.
That should persuade him."
Maxi's jaw dropped.
Was Ruth really asking Riftan to threaten the most influential leader of the Seven Kingdoms?
Shocked, she hurriedly interrupted, "Enough beating around the bush and tell us what you discovered!
If we antagonize the Pope over something trivial“"
“Very well,” Riftan interjected, cutting her off.
“I will request an audience with him immediately.”
It was only when Maxi heard the faint, echoing footsteps in the hallway that she realized someone had been listening to her conversation.
Her face lost color, and Ruth let out a small sigh.
“I will explain everything after I see the pope,” he said.
It was only then that Maxi understood the reason behind Ruth's excessive caution.
The Great Basilica of Osiriya was currently a battleground for various factions.
The tensions between the Orthodox and Reformed Church, the subtle power struggles between monarchs, nobles vying for favor and servants acting as spies for a few coins...
Maxi contained his curiosity and nodded.
"I understood."
With his consent, Riftan unfolded his arms and headed for the door.
"I'm going to see Father Lugias.
I want you both to wait here."
As the pope's right hand, High Priest Lugias was responsible for entertaining the nobles on the pope's behalf.
After Riftan left the room, Maxi and Ruth settled by the fireplace to wait in anxious silence.
Maxi's mind was in turmoil.
Ruth had mentioned that the church was looking for something, and her cryptic tone indicated that it wasn't just about dark wizards.
If that were the case, what exactly were they looking for?
Questions led to more questions, tangling like threads in his mind.
Impatient, Maxi felt relieved when Riftan entered the room.
“The Holy Father agreed to see you immediately,” he said, his dark eyes fixed on Ruth.
A crooked smile twisted his lips.
"But I must warn you that he seemed very irritated by your words.
Don't expect him to tolerate your insolence like I do.
You could end up facing the gallows for blasphemy."
“I appreciate the warning,” Ruth muttered through clenched teeth as she stood up.
As they left the room, Maxi noticed a Temple Knight and a black-robed cleric waiting outside.
They must have been there to escort Ruth to the Pope, she deduced.
His stomach twisted into knots.
By the looks of their faces, the Pope had considered Ruth's information extremely dangerous.
“Please… take Riftan’s warning seriously,” Maxi begged Ruth anxiously.
“Be careful not to offend the pope.”
“Do you see me as a foolish child?” he said, giving Maxi an incredulous look.
He shook his head.
"The hearing shouldn't take long.
I'll be back before you know it, so there's no need to worry."
With that, he followed the cleric down the dark hallway.
Maxi watched him leave, concern written all over his face.
“S-Should we, shouldn’t we go with him?”
"He'll be fine on his own.
There's no need to worry," Riftan replied coolly, guiding her back to the fireplace.
Maxi looked at him, her eyes full of questions.
“You know what Ruth discovered, don’t you?”
“Anyone would realize that the Reformed faction is hiding something,” was his evasive reply.Frowning, Maxi glared at him as he threw a log into the fireplace.
Sensing that she expected a more detailed explanation, Riftan let out a small sigh.
"These past few years, the Temple Knights have been scouring the Seven Kingdoms in search of something.
At first, we thought they were hunting the remnants of the monster army, but further investigation made us question that.
Now it is clear that they are searching for an object."
“W-What kind of object?”
After staring at the roaring fire in silence for a while, Riftan raised his head to meet Maxi's gaze.
She could see his hesitation, torn between his desire to protect her from danger and his obligation to inform her.
He seemed to make a decision and continued calmly: "Before leaving for the campaign, I instructed Ursuline to investigate the past activities of the Temple Knights.
Both Princess Agnes and Sejuleu Aren collaborated with the investigation.
Thanks to that, we were able to discover important information."
Maxi narrowed her eyes, remembering the countless private conversations she had witnessed between Riftan and the princess.
Suddenly she felt a pang of frustration at being kept in the dark about everything.
Pushing aside her small emotions, she asked, “What… did you find out?”
"Three years ago, the Great Basilica of Osiriya replaced its treasurer for no apparent reason.
A highly unusual move considering that positions in the church are usually for life unless there is a valid reason for dismissal or the person is too old or unable to continue.
Furthermore, only a high priest trusted by the pope is assigned to that specific position.
But the dismissed treasurer did not voice any complaints despite being expelled for no reason.
So the Temple Knights formed a tracking group and began to search the Western Continent.”
Maxi quickly understood the implication of his words.
“Do you believe… that something was stolen from the basilica?”
Riftan nodded, his expression serious.
"That's the only logical conclusion.
The bastards who are raising undead across the continent probably stole something from the basilica during the chaos of war, and the previous pope kept it secret to avoid criticism for failing to protect the church's assets.
He then ordered the Knights of the Temple, who swore loyalty to him, to find and recover it."
Maxi swallowed nervously.
Although Ruth had promised to explain everything upon her return, she couldn't help but ask: "What do you think...
that it was stolen?"
Although he asked the question in a whisper, it still sounded too loud in the silent room.
After watching her silently, Riftan shrugged.
"Something dangerous.
Its loss would certainly lead to severe condemnation."
Maxi bit her lip as she tried to remember all the sacred reliquaries belonging to the church.
She doubted the monsters would be interested in the sacred remains of Darian the Monarch and his twelve knights.
And other than the broken fragment of Ascalon, Wigrew's holy sword, the equipment of the twelve knights were currently entrusted to active knights.
There were certainly rumors that the church possessed powerful magical devices and books on magic written by the elves during the height of the Roem Empire, but if these were the items the monsters sought, they would have attacked the Wizards' Tower.
Maxi was chewing his lip when he felt cold fingers touch his face.
Startled, she looked up and found Riftan's black eyes fixed on her.
He gently touched her chapped lip with his finger.
"Don't worry so much.
No matter what happens, I will protect you."
A happy smile lit up Maxi's face.
With just a few words from him, she felt instantly comforted.
He took her hand and intertwined their fingers.
“I will also protect you.”
An enigmatic expression, between a smile and a grimace, appeared on Riftan's face.
Although she felt he was amused by her words, she chose not to be angry.
He had a tendency to underestimate your affection for him.
This time, she was determined to show him the full extent of her love, no matter how long it took.
Rising from the chair, she sat on his lap.
She felt him startle when she wrapped her arms around his warm neck and rested her head on his sturdy shoulder, but he soon returned the hug.Seeking solace in its warmth, Maxi lost track of time when he heard the sound of tired footsteps.
She jumped to her feet and ran to the door.
Opening it, he found Ruth making her way down the hallway, looking exhausted.
She inspected him with worried eyes.
"A-Are you okay?
They mistreated you somehow“"
"Well, I can't say I got a warm welcome.
But it wasn't as bad as I expected," Ruth replied, rubbing the back of her head.
He addressed the fireplace, his voice deep as he added, "There will be an emergency council soon.
A coalition will be formed within a few days, so we better prepare for an imminent campaign."
Maxi felt the blood leave his face.
Although he had anticipated this, his heart sank nonetheless.
Riftan grabbed Ruth's shoulder, turning him around rather sharply.
“Can we have an explanation now?” he growled menacingly.
“Don’t you already have an idea?” Ruth replied darkly, removing Riftan’s hand from her shoulder.
"No one knows how, but the army of monsters infiltrated the basilica and stole Sektor's magic stone.
That stone is how they managed to cause so much damage."
Maxi stared at his face in amazement as the revelation took hold.
Meanwhile, Riftan spoke pointedly, "Sektor exhausted his mana during the last battle.
The stone was empty."
“I assume they are able to recharge it,” replied Ruth darkly, her gaze shifting to the churning snowstorm outside the window.
"It is highly likely that they are also responsible for the consistently cold weather in recent years and the current erratic conditions.
The monsters of the Pamela Plateau seek to resurrect the Demon King of the Lexos Mountains."