When Sylvia finally left the room, seemingly satisfied, and closed the door, Roman let out a breath of relief.
He had to admit, Sylvia’s ability to speak and lead was truly formidable—she was quite skilled at using ambiguous words to conceal her true desires, making all her actions seem to be ‘for your own good.’
But now, thinking about it more carefully, was three years really as simple as she made it sound?
That was enough time to change everything.
But then again, what choice did he have besides compromise?
Roman unconsciously sat down at the edge of the bed, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Gradually, he began to see things more clearly.
After arriving in this world, aside from being auctioned as an item at the very start, he had mostly been protected well by the Lily Territory Protected Area.
The incident with Tania seemed dangerous, but if he hadn’t been foolish himself, even Elise wouldn’t have needed to step in to protect him.
Later on, it went without saying—amidst various forms of care and warmth, he had already begun to regress without realizing it.
Not a regression in actions, but in temperament—he was slowly turning from a wild cat into a tame housecat that only knew how to act cute and obedient.
Losing his wildness also meant losing many abilities, like independent thinking and the skill to survive using his own strengths.
So, what exactly was he pitying himself for now?
Compared to ‘Lin Xuan’, the cards in his hand now were far more numerous.
The Source Saint Mark – Life, the magic level of a mid-tier Transcendent, and his status as Holy Child—even if it came with suspicions, its inherent value was still supreme.
He had a vast space to maneuver now.
Tapping his fingers on his thigh, Roman thought once again of Rosetta.
Though he felt some guilt, Roman still decided to use her to learn about certain knowledge of the Holy See.
He needed to be careful here, knowing what could and couldn’t be asked—a scale had already been set up in his mind.
Saint Key Knight Order…
Roman’s thoughts gradually became clear.
It was a great entry point.
He needed to have his own people here, people he could trust.
Although it was only a vague idea now, at least Roman had found a direction with potential.
‘Unite all the forces that can be united.’
This principle was always practical.
In this vast Holy City, there must be many people he could connect with.
Not to do anything earth-shattering, but just to have enough say, so he wouldn’t be a puppet swayed by others’ moods.
He might not use this power, but he absolutely couldn’t be without it.
Maybe… even Princess Milis could be included.
Roman always felt that Milis seemed extreme and sharp-tongued, but she wasn’t truly malicious.
After learning about Milis’s past, this belief grew even stronger.
Their experiences were strikingly similar—in a loveless environment, Roman became quiet and reserved, while she became unpredictable.
At the very least, he thought, Sylvia would never trust someone like her to be the next Pope, nor would Lady Catherine treat her like her own and teach her everything.
Of course, maybe he was just imagining things—perhaps Sylvia just saw her talent, and Lady Catherine simply liked children.
Roman put her into the backup plan for now, deciding not to overthink it.
“Mm?”
Hearing a knock on the door, Roman got up and opened it.
“How long do you plan to stay in my room?”
Leaning against the door, Milis tilted her head and asked.
***
“Senior, can you really get me into the Papal Palace without being discovered?”
Holding the silver sword respectfully, Luo Xiya asked uneasily.
“Of course.”
Ophelia answered without hesitation.
“The so-called aura concealment is essentially a high-dimensional spirit suppressing a lower-dimensional one. Your current use of spiritual power is still too rough, so I’ll help you achieve true aura concealment.”
Suddenly, Luo Xiya had an idea and took out the Transcendent Item ‘Shadow Veil’ that Veronica had given her before leaving.
“Senior, can this fool the Holy Throne?”
“Heh… So you had this thing too…”
Ophelia chuckled softly.
“I was eighty percent confident before, but now I’m fully confident you can move unhindered in the Papal Palace.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you!”
Ten minutes later.
Standing before the grand gates of the Papal Palace, flanked by two fully armored Saint Key Knights, Luo Xiya faced the magnificent Holy Gate.
Such strong presences…
Luo Xiya watched them warily.
“Both are high-tier Transcendents with over 900,000 magic power. Ignore them and go straight in.”
Ophelia said.
With her senior’s permission, Luo Xiya didn’t hesitate. In a flash, she slipped between them and entered the Papal Palace.
After stopping, she looked back—neither had noticed her at all.
“Your current state is like Soul Detachment on the material plane—even Saint Domain Transcendents can’t detect you.”
Luo Xiya was ecstatic, and without another word, unleashed her Sacred Seal at full strength, dashing through several buildings in the Papal Palace at her top speed to reach the core area where the flow of people thinned.
Roman must be inside.
Just as Luo Xiya prepared to enter, Ophelia suddenly called out.
“I haven’t told you why I brought you in yet—why are you so excited?”
Ophelia asked in confusion.
“Ah… I just wanted to see him…”
Luo Xiya explained.
Ophelia was silent for a moment, then spoke flatly.
“Fara once told me: If two people truly care for each other, why be obsessed with being together every moment?”
“Are you saying…?”
“Clear the junk from your mind. I called you here for business.”
Ophelia said.
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Don’t you think something is off? Or do you always wear your sword without a sheath?”
Only then did Luo Xiya look at her waist—the silver sword, possessed by Ophelia, was hanging bare without a sheath.
“Go back and get my scabbard.”
Ophelia said decisively.
Understanding the priority, Luo Xiya reluctantly glanced back before turning to leave.
Then Ophelia’s next words nearly made her slip and fall.
“What can you do in broad daylight? When night comes, I’ll take you for a night raid—won’t that be better?”
Luo Xiya couldn’t help but admire her senior’s sense of time management.