Chapter 7: The Archbishop and the Betrayer

If I get caught secretly reading naughty books, I’d probably be expelled on the spot, right?

So……………… Tina decided to deceive everyone.

“Your Highness, actually, this is something friends do for each other.”

“Friends?”

“That’s right. Since you’ve been in the palace for so long, you might not know, but nowadays it’s common to comfort your same-sex friends in this way.

If she’s feeling down, she can do this, and once it’s done, she’ll feel better.”

“Really?” Princess Lia still looked half-doubtful.

Although she didn’t understand much about same-sex matters, this just seemed strange no matter how she looked at it.

“It’s true. If you don’t believe me, ask Phyllis.” Tina said with a serious face.

So, holding the little booklet, Lia asked the red-haired girl and got a “Yeah, this kind of thing is really fun” in response. That made Lia choose to accept this fact.

“Miss Tina, if you’re ever unhappy, you can come to me too, if this really makes you happy.”

“Pfft.” Hearing that she had successfully fooled Lia, Tina couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness.

This is way too innocent. It makes me feel like some villain deceiving a straight girl into becoming a lesbian.”

“By the way, Miss Tina, if you don’t mind, I’d like to recommend a few books to you.”

“Oh? Books recommended by Your Highness? Then I have to take a look.”

***

Tina took a few books from her hands, and at the moment she saw the titles, she suddenly found herself speechless.

One was titled 《How to Be a Loyal Woman》, and the other was 《The Fate of the Unfaithful》.

“Your Highness, is there some special meaning behind these recommendations?” Tina felt a chill run down her spine.

“No, nothing. I just thought the author wrote them well.”

So that was it. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think she was borrowing books as a warning to herself.

She must be overthinking it.

After all, Lia didn’t look like the kind who would catch you cheating outside the palace and drag you to the dungeon to punish you until you completely turned into her image—the scheming yandere type.

“Ladies, pack up and let’s get going. The longer we stay here, the more dangerous it becomes.”

Led by Tyr, the four of them moved nearly unimpeded all the way to the Boundary Between Districts, surprisingly smooth to the point of disbelief.

Not far ahead was the pipe entrance leading to the Inner City, where two squads of guards dressed in exquisite armor were inspecting travelers.

But just as they were about to approach, Tyr suddenly stopped and held everyone back.

“What’s wrong?” Tina asked.

“Something’s off. These guards carry the aura of the Moonmist Sect.”

“No way, the Moonmist Sect? Has the infiltration here gotten this serious already?”

After a careful inspection, Tyr came to a conclusion.

“Don’t panic yet. These guards are only being controlled. I have a way to get past them. Just remember to stick close to me.”

He still walked at the front. Before the dull-eyed guards could inspect them, he pinched a Golden Gem in his right hand.

“You, show what’s in your bags.” A lifeless voice, as if from a walking corpse, ordered.

“Okay.”

At the instant the backpacks opened, the gem in Tyr’s hand emitted a glow, instantly dispelling the magic on the guards.

“Is my thing okay?”

“All good. Let’s go.”

The guards saw The Scroll but showed no reaction, proving the gem’s range Suppressive Magic was effective.

But Tyr knew this wasn’t enough to fully dispel high-level Control Magic; it just prevented immediate detection.

Since he could get through, the other three would naturally pass without issue. None of them carried forbidden items.

“Let’s move quickly. The magic won’t last long. They’ll be controlled again soon.”

***

After leaving the local Underground District, the group walked and ran intermittently, taking about half a day to reach the border between two districts.

This place was the farthest from the city and also the most dangerous, as no one managed it.

Countless tents lined both sides of the large pipes. Many people chose to camp here—some out of necessity, some deliberately for business.

Merchants usually had well-trained bodyguards who not only protected themselves but also travelers passing by.

Of course, the premise was payment—a protection fee.

Otherwise, expect to be robbed by bullies.

“Do you want to rest?”

Tyr had been running for years. Even after this half day of walking and running, he wasn’t too tired.

But the delicate young ladies couldn’t keep up.

He looked back—

Princess Lia had been in exile for two years and was used to this kind of life, currently still able to walk.

Phyllis had been underground for a long time; her physical condition wasn’t bad either, and she could still walk.

“Wait, why am I the one holding everyone back?” Tina was about to break down.

She was still the same old hardcore shut-in, both in her past life and this one.

Even though she knew a little witchcraft, her physical stamina just couldn’t keep up. Besides, she couldn’t fly in front of others.

That would be exposing herself.

“Sigh, you guys go ahead. I’ll catch up on my own.”

“That won’t do.” Lia said, thinking Tina was about to give up. “It’s dangerous to stay alone here. If you want to rest, we’ll stay with you.”

“Exactly, Tina dear, we’re a group and won’t abandon you.” Phyllis added.

“You’re really… I’m so touched………………” Tina felt both amused and helpless.

At this moment, it really was best for the other three to go ahead while she used her witch skills to fly over.

“Clap—clap—clap—” Just as they were still hesitating, a series of untimely claps came from behind.

“What a display of mutual help and loyalty.” Turning around, it was a Scarred White-Haired Man. “Since that’s the case, then all of you stay here.”

“Who are you?” everyone grew alert.

“Hey, hey, you took our stuff and think you can just run away? Care to guess why I only came out to catch you now?”

The answer was obvious: this place was the easiest to strike.

“Boss, there’s one here with special magic.” The one who spoke was the Axe-Wielding Strongman.

“Oh? Special magic? Interesting.” The white-haired man paused, eyes scanning the four. “I want to see what magic makes my general go ‘tsk tsk’ with amazement.”

“Is it you?”

No sooner had he spoken than a sharp bone dart shot out, flying straight toward Phyllis’s face.

“Watch out!” Tyr shielded the girl, but the bone dart grazed his cheek, leaving a thin scar.

“Well, well, didn’t expect to see an old acquaintance. Betrayed the organization, yet you’re still alive.”

“Long time no see, Archbishop. Your face hasn’t aged a bit. How many people have you killed these years?”

“Hahaha, Tyr, well said.” The man snapped his fingers, “Let me count—one thousand, two thousand? Ah, I’ve lost count. Do you remember how many loaves of bread you’ve eaten?”

“That’s really ruthless.”

Tyr stood his ground while signaling the girls to leave first.

“But…” Lia clenched her fists.

She knew encountering trouble of this magnitude meant barely any chance of escape.

“I’ll stay too.” Tina tossed her bag to Phyllis.

“What? Tina dear, are you serious?”

“I can’t walk any further anyway. Rather than being a burden, I’d rather help.

In fact, this might be the only way to win.”

“You two go. We’ll hold them off as long as we can.” Tyr was ready to face death.

He was up against the Archbishop of the Moonmist Sect, a terrifying monster specialized in Blood and Bone Magic, capable of breaking a city alone.

While Lia was still hesitating, Tyr had already prepared the array.

A flash of white light, and the two were randomly teleported to some unknown nearby area.

“Why didn’t you teleport us all away since you can use the Teleportation Array?” Tina asked in confusion.

“Sorry, my ability is limited. I can only send two at a time.” Tyr smiled wryly. “Sorry for dragging you into this.”

“Don’t worry! None of us will die.”