The battle was over. Rachel and Marcus were busy conducting a head count and treating the wounded.
To uproot this poisonous fang at the doorstep of the rebel headquarters, the lives of over 200 precious members had been sacrificed.
The elite Death Squad led by Tyrone had only consisted of fifty men. Such a casualty ratio was, in fact, a victory for the Pope’s side.
“May the deceased rest in peace, and may your souls exist forever within the Light,” Marcus and Rachel said, pressing their hands together in grief as they held a memorial for the fallen rebel members.
The aura of necromancy near the Peak of Phantoms was far too thick. To prevent his beloved soldiers from turning into zombies, Marcus chose to cremate them on the spot. He and his subordinates gathered the ashes with heavy hearts, planning to deliver them to the families once this incident was resolved.
As for Tyrone and his men, they were simply tossed into the dungeon traps and buried under a massive amount of earth. Marcus took responsibility for both the killing and the burial!
Marcus had been hit by three arrows, but it was no longer a problem. Under the combined treatment of Rachel and his own healing, he was already fine.
However, he was still very curious about Tyrone’s weapon; its power was truly astonishing. He ordered the confiscation of the high-quality steel heavy crossbow, which had been crafted by dwarven smiths.
‘If I can mass-produce these, would it increase our combat power? I’ll ask Black about it later,’ Marcus thought.
The next day arrived, and Eiris finally met the legendary rebel leader who was usually as elusive as a dragon.
She was somewhat surprised, but it was within reason. After all, various previous signs had indicated that Marcus was still alive. Furthermore, the Parissio family crest was visible everywhere within the rebel army, a fact Eiris had already formed some suspicions about.
Eiris studied Marcus’s face closely. He was a middle-aged man in his early 40s. He had a high bridge to his nose, well-defined features, and a fair complexion. His sharp, golden short hair shimmered, showing no signs of aging whatsoever. Because of his self-discipline and frequent exercise, he gave off the impression of being only 25 years old.
Suddenly, her cheeks flushed bright red. Her eyes were glued to him, unable to look away, her sparkling pupils filled with admiration.
She didn’t know what was happening to her, so she lowered her head in shame, whispering under her breath, “He’s way too handsome…”
Eiris glanced toward Sophia, but Sophia had a look on her face that said she had seen right through her. This made Eiris shake her head like a rattle.
“Welcome, young ladies. I am Marcus Parissio. I was on an expedition to investigate the northern seas when my ship capsized years ago. Fortunately, I managed to survive. An elven bard saved my life,” Marcus explained to the two sisters.
“I apologize for earlier. I discovered the trail of Bishop Inias. After tracking him for a long time, he vanished before a teleportation circle. It was a temporary formation, so I have no way of knowing where he went.”
While sharing intelligence with everyone, Marcus also analyzed the current situation.
“Because tracking Bishop Inias took up so much of my time, and because I was deeply concerned about the lives of those thousands of miners, I arrived much later than intended to support the knight squires.”
“Everyone must also remain vigilant against another Captain of the Pope’s Death Squad, Altair. Although Tyrone has been brought to justice, we still have no idea where Altair is hiding.”
Eiris and Sophia looked at each other. After confirming they were on the same page, Sophia nodded, and Eiris stepped forward to ask a question. “Uncle Marcus, do you have any information on Pope Dusseldorf? We want to know why the Pope seems to have become a completely different person over the years.”
Marcus looked at Eiris kindly, his tone polite but serious as he explained, “He was once the most devout believer of Lady Felicitara. But after her fall, he became incredibly biased — bordering on insane.”
“He abandoned the Goddess Phibilia and the Goddess Althea to worship a Creator God we have never heard of, Adomili. He received an oracle from Adomili, and in his paranoia, he firmly believes that Adomili can use necromancy to resurrect Lady Felicitara.”
“I will never believe that necromancy can resurrect Mother. Never,” Eiris replied decisively upon hearing this.
“Exactly, Lady Saint. Everyone here, as well as the clergy from the temple, believes that the path spoken of by Lady Angelica is the only way to resurrect the Great High Priestess,” Marcus replied firmly.
At that moment, Rachel, who was standing to the side, also spoke up. “Mm… Dusseldorf’s faith in Lady Felicitara is now one of extreme, paranoid madness. In other words, it is a twisted kind of love.”
Heaven knows why Sophia’s gossip radar suddenly activated. “Then Eiris and I couldn’t possibly be Dusseldorf’s children, could we…?”
…
Perhaps everyone was stunned by Sophia’s nonsensical talk, as the room fell into a dead silence.
Eiris couldn’t help but shake her head. She really hadn’t expected Sophia’s train of thought to jump so far.
After a long silence, Rachel explained helplessly, “The mother of you two ladies gave birth to you after receiving a blessing from the Goddess. Simply put, Lady Felicitara is your only parent. There is no such thing as a father, and it has nothing to do with Dusseldorf…”
“Lady Sophia, please watch your words…”
‘So it turns out the Pope is just an obsessive incel who spends all day fantasizing about my mother!’ Eiris thought. ‘My mother always radiated a maternal glow, and those massive breasts of hers were so full of motherhood…’
‘A creep of a Pope like that definitely has no good intentions in wanting to capture us. It’s probably some perverted obsession. If we actually get caught, it’ll probably look like a defeat CG from some visual novel…’
‘Speaking of which, since Mom and I look so much alike, will I have a figure as statuesque as hers in a few years? Could my height go from 150 centimeters to 170 centimeters? Hell yeah!’
In a moment when no one was watching, Eiris began to weigh her own “little buns,” sinking into deep thought about her petite body.
‘Mm, it’s fine! I have huge potential for growth!’
Watching Eiris as she massaged her chest, Sophia suddenly leaned in and nipped Eiris’s shoulder, causing Eiris to jump in shock.
“Eee — yak!”
A clear mark was left on Eiris’s left shoulder, but Sophia didn’t think it was enough. She leaned in again and bit down on Eiris’s bright red earlobe.
“Ooh — !”
Immediately, Eiris’s face burned with shame and anger, but she held it in because Marcus and Rachel were nearby and didn’t know what had just happened.
‘Stinky green-eyes!! You’re going to get it later!’
‘Huh? You’re asking where Nino went? Poor Nino went out on a mission early this morning.’
The meeting concluded, and Eiris dragged Sophia back to her room.
“Ah — !” A voice filled with frustration escaped the white-haired girl’s fragrant lips.
“Stinky green-eyes, you… you’re too much! You actually bit me… you bit me there!”
Eiris was truly at her wit’s end. She couldn’t beat Sophia in a fight, so she could only resort to scolding.
“Stinky green-eyes! Shameless pervert! Big jerk! Annoying muscle-brain with no friends!”
She thought these words would surely break Sophia’s spirit. A pile of insults like that should have caused maximum damage. At least, that was what Eiris intended.
“Pfft — Eiris, when you scold people, it sounds like you’re flirting.”
Sophia said this with a look reserved for idiots, covering her mouth with her hand as she laughed uncontrollably.
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