“Enemies as far as the eye can see, Loki.”
Sailulu flipped through a book she had just taken from the shelf, gently swinging her feet as she glanced over at the young man slumped on the sofa like a rag.
Losern had left the room ten minutes ago.
Naturally, the Saintess hadn’t missed a single word of their conversation.
After all, the deputy captain had deliberately spoken with full force, clearly intending for Sailulu—the one ruling from behind the curtains—to be fully aware of Kaisania’s current state.
The City Council, responsible for keeping the city running smoothly, was leaning toward betraying the Empire.
The Holy Church, tasked with eradicating the Soul Sea’s corruption and the Desecrators’ threat, had an ambiguous, inscrutable relationship with the enemy.
The Knights, who maintained law and order and guarded the city, were internally divided, each leader with their own agenda.
Meanwhile, numerous Desecrator factions were operating within the city, gaining a foothold under the tacit approval of both the Church and the Knights.
While these groups clashed with one another, they also restrained Christine’s power.
The calm on the surface was only a facade; in reality, aside from the central district and its surroundings, Kaisania had long been boiling like a pot of boiling water.
Yet all the media remained silent, the newspaper pages filled with close-up portraits of noble councilors—someone unaware might think Kaisania was holding a beauty pageant.
Even if someone had realized the truth, their power was far too insignificant. Besides, Kaisania was currently under martial law—any unusual behavior was instantly labeled rebellion and treason.
The city’s defense forces and the Knights were not kindly uncles with gentle smiles but purely violent machines manipulated by humans.
…But even if these forces were all potential enemies of Loki, that didn’t mean they would coexist peacefully.
Treasure hunters were not a group of youthful comrades but a pack of greedy, mad wolves and tigers.
“Don’t you feel like you’re still serving the Hand of Truth?”
Sailulu asked with a mischievous smile.
She felt no anxiety about Kaisania’s situation.
A Saintess of the Church did not need a heart of mercy—perhaps some of her colleagues truly believed a Saintess was a “saint,” but Sailulu had no intention of becoming a kind-hearted young lady.
And she was the majority.
Morality was something you only needed enough of; too much would become a deadly burden at critical moments. The gentlemen and saints of this world shared only one thing in common—they were all dead.
If Kaisania was beyond saving, then destroy it, burn it, purge it, and rebuild a new city atop the ruins. For an Empire with vast magical and mechanical resources, this would take no time at all.
As for the population, it was even simpler—humans, demi-humans, Empire natives, foreigners… as many as you wanted. In less than a month, the streets and buildings could be filled again.
The city she had “saved” before was exactly like that.
And the fact that Loki and Christine had not turned Kaisania into ashes five years ago was nothing short of a man-made miracle.
“…There’s a difference between taking the initiative and being passive.”
Loki said lazily.
“Besides, I’m used to this kind of thing. Even if you suddenly said you wanted to cut off my head and present it to that god in the Holy Capital, I wouldn’t find it strange.”
“Ugh, I’ve worked so hard, and yet you still treat me like a ticking time bomb? That’s so heartbreaking.”
Watching Sailulu pout with a wronged expression, Loki suddenly felt he had spoken harshly earlier.
Recalling everything since their reunion, Loki actually wanted to ask one question.
…What exactly does she want?
The gap in their hearts made it impossible for Loki to think Sailulu’s intentions were simple. After all, the way the girl behaved was far from straightforward—how could she just want something as simple as “the body”?
Right, these were all tests, temptations meant to lull him into complacency before baring their fangs and launching real revenge.
…But what kind of revenge would it be?
With his current fifth-tier strength, even if the Soulless trait interfered with her spells, Sailulu could probably pin him down with sheer physical power.
“Besides, I’m not going to do something as wasteful as cutting off your head and offering it in sacrifice.”
Wait, you’re not even denying the first part?
I could swear I just heard water boiling…
“The question is, do you think he can be trusted?”
Sailulu raised a finger.
“As outsiders lacking any intelligence sources, we simply cannot verify if what he says is true or false, right?”
“But Christine said he can be trusted.”
Loki said.
That keyword instantly changed Sailulu’s expression.
Her eyebrows furrowed sharply, hands on her hips, as if about to throw the book at Loki’s face. She muttered just loud enough for Loki to hear.
“Hmph, Christine… always Christine… Is she your mother? You believe whatever she says… I’m asking for your thoughts, not Christine’s… Damn it, she really is the biggest obstacle…”
Loki pretended not to hear the Saintess’s resentful mumbling and continued.
“I suspect he might be a ‘Sharp-Eyed Hawk.’”
“…”
Sailulu shut the mouth that had been incessantly badmouthing the female knight.
“You’re saying he’s an Imperial intelligence agent? Now that you mention it, I do recall the letter reporting Bishop Palt’s corruption suspicion to the Holy Capital came from the Sharp-Eyed Hawk.”
“…Losern?”
“Maybe. Considering he’s the deputy captain of the Knights… If he’s been undercover in Kaisania using that as a cover, it would naturally allow him to interact with many key figures and be well-informed on various intel.”
Sailulu closed the book she barely glanced at.
“You have to understand, the Holy Capital has been closely watching Kaisania ever since the Hand of Truth incident, conducting routine contact every three days. So, after receiving the report this time, they immediately decided to send a Saintess here to check the situation. Of course, I volunteered because I wanted to see you.”
Loki pressed his lips together and asked again.
“In all that time, you never noticed any abnormalities within Kaisania’s Holy Church?”
“Do you think the Kaisania Inquisition branch exists for nothing?”
Sailulu crossed her legs.
“We just didn’t expect Palt to be so ruthless. If he was ambiguous with the Hand of Truth, then the Inquisition—as a possible channel for leaking information to the Holy Capital—would naturally become the first target to be eliminated… Thinking this way, it makes perfect sense that last night we saw a Desecrator dressed in an Inquisitor’s uniform.”
“Maybe the Inquisitors are corrupted too.”
“…Heh, indeed. After all, the communication between the Holy Capital and the Kaisania Inquisition branch has never been interrupted. Some of the inner workings are only understood by the Inquisitors themselves.”
Sailulu nodded, flashing a white smile as her gaze drifted toward the bright window.
“So, when do we leave?”
“Now.”