300 Dekan’s Final Plea
The originally stabilizing battlefield.
Once again, because of Krey’s presence, it descended into a state where no one could foresee the course of events.
“Leave me alone… Shien, you damn bastard… What kind of bumbling agent did you arrange…”
Dekan felt as if he was about to lose the strength to keep standing.
This is your ace?
You and your subordinates are just like two young prodigies.
It seems that what kind of officer you have determines what kind of spy you have.
They are full of divine and devilish duality.
This was Dekan’s most genuine thought at the moment.
In fact, Dekan had just been particularly eager to find out which Bishop would turn traitor and meet his secret signal.
If only, the End Bishop or the Illusory Bishop could suddenly reply with the word “Unicorn”!
Wow, instant explosion, the game would be over, and we could fast forward to the celebration banquet.
At the very least, if any of the other Bishops turned traitor, that would be pretty good.
Dekan would rather “Unicorn” was anyone else.
He didn’t want “Unicorn” to be the Frenzied Bishop at all!
The one man in this world that even Dekan couldn’t predict!
Dekan pinched the bridge of his nose.
For a moment, he felt a bit disoriented.
Even if all the clues pointed to one conclusion right now – Krey is the Kingdom Union’s top intelligence agent “Unicorn.”
Dekan still couldn’t figure out whether Krey was a bumbling spy or a real genius.
This person was too hard to read.
I imagine the Rebirth Church must feel the same way.
Even if the Pope suspects the Illusory Bishop, they wouldn’t suspect the Frenzied Bishop of being a mole.
“It must be my Karma for offering merits that I’m stuck with you two oddballs from the Kingdom Union.”
Dekan, listless, glanced at the city’s defense hub.
The prison wasn’t quiet either at the moment.
Taking advantage of the Rebirth Church’s attack on the Kingdom Union central hub,
the Catastrophe faction had begun assaulting the Filowen Prison.
Shien had long arranged for a seventh-tier warrior to defend the jail side.
Having no troops to redeploy, with his hands full, Dekan originally didn’t have any energy to deal with the prison situation.
But now the biggest problem came – the prison battle seemingly got extraordinarily fierce, and Dekan couldn’t contact the warden.
It appeared that place was about to fall.
This was a major hassle.
「Dekan, what exactly are you expecting?」
「You’re not actually counting on us having other moles besides Nightmare Bishop, right?」
「Haha, funny.」
「Nightmare Bishop is just a soon-to-be-exposed greedy devil, this kind of luck won’t come twice.」
「Thanks for initiating the mandatory meeting, giving us some entertainment while we get bored.」
Other Bishops’ taunting voices echoed in Dekan’s mind again.
Another minute passed.
Krey’s position still didn’t show up on the map.
Neither the situation involving the End Bishop nor that involving the Illusory Bishop seemed to improve, gradually nearing complete collapse.
In a situation of severe lack of manpower,
it was as if valuable eighth-tier combatants were being used as expendable resources.
If the allied eighth-tier fighters really got killed, it would become a total debacle!
Krey can’t be relied on.
Dekan clenched his teeth, seemingly making a decision.
Even though it was uncertain if it would help, now the only hope was her.
「Help me.」
After a brief pause, Dekan finally called her name.
「Mia!」
Two minutes later, Dekan’s thoughts sounded again in the Bishop Conference.
There was then a short silence.
Then, the Bishops’ voices of doubts and taunts followed.
「Who is Mia?」
「Seems familiar somehow.」
「Is Mia one of Dekan’s teammates?」
「Haha, funny.」
「Are you so desperate, Bishop of Pain?」
Dekan ignored these voices and continued in the meeting:
「The situation is almost out of control. This time I truly don’t have any other options left, otherwise I wouldn’t ask for your help.」
Dekan’s tone was filled with helplessness.
「Hahaha, what act are you putting on now?」
「Proceed, let us see the wretched sight of you.」
「Even if there really were a mole like you say, would they risk their own life to help you?」
The Bishops’ voices reverberated once again in Dekan’s mind.
Dekan closed his eyes without expression.
It seemed as if he had given himself up to fate.
Since arriving at the Kingdom of Filowen,
he had done his best already.
He did everything that he should, some things he shouldn’t, what he could do as himself and what was impossible for a fifth-tier fighter to accomplish, achieving the utmost extent.
Now, no matter the situation or Dekan’s own state, everything was nearing the breaking point.
The fatigue of continuous battles, the huge backlash of curses, the lack of mana, and the high mental pressure had already made Dekan’s vision flicker between light and dark, his head buzzing incessantly.
However.
Just as the Bishops mocked Dekan continuously,
a thought transmission came.
「Then we’re even from now on, right?」
With these words,
the Bishop’s Conference fell silent.
…
In the streets of the Filowen Capital, shadows and holy light interweaving and exploding constantly,
icicles and light and darkness colliding occasionally illuminated the pitch-black night sky.
The Shadow Bishop who was battling with Judith, the Ice Snow Princess, and Chloix suddenly stopped.
The shadow army that covered like the sky in this area, all of a sudden, as if receiving a ceasefire command.
Subsequently, the shadow army gradually faded away.
At the end of the street, in the distance, a figure appeared from the dispersing shadowy armor.
There was no doubt, it was the true body of the Shadow Bishop!
The previous battle was continuously held up because her true form couldn’t be found. Unexpectedly, at this moment she seemed willing to end the hostilities and even revealed her own form!
It was hard to tell what the Shadow Bishop was thinking.
Her behavior was too strange.
Although the earlier fierce battle appeared as if she was fighting seriously with Chloix and the others,
in reality, it was more like she was just entwining with Chloix and the others.
Their fight was too moderate; none managed to injure each other for a long time.
According to the Shadow Bishop’s flexible and versatile characteristics, there were several opportunities to escape from them, yet she seemed to be lingering and chose to keep fighting with them here, instead of rushing towards the arena to support the Pope.
But Judith had seized this chance and surged forward, the Ice Snow Princess was also ready to control the Shadow Bishop!
Nevertheless.
As the shadows dissipated,
the true form of the Shadow Bishop was revealed,
stopping the solid attacks of Judith and the Ice Snow Princess.
Because the Shadow Bishop’s true visage
was uncannily similar to Mia!
It looked like an older version of Mia.
In terms of demeanor and aura,
one would feel she was the same as Mia!
“You, you are?!?”
Judith widened her eyes.
She couldn’t accept it, nor did she dare believe the situation at hand.
This black-haired young girl, who had traveled with them all the way to Filowen Kingdom,
was the notorious most powerful Tarot Card user of the Rebirth Church, the Shadow Bishop!
The Shadow Bishop revealed a slight smile, yet tinged with bitterness.
“Two members of the idol group and Chloix, please stop.”
Even the tone of voice of the Shadow Bishop was enough to shake them even more.
It was exactly the same as when they were interacting with Mia on an everyday basis.
Yet, all three immediately became alert.
It could very well be the Shadow Bishop’s trick,
wanting them to lower their guard and then annihilate them in one fell swoop!
But, the term “Idol Group”.
Was a nickname that only members of the Beautiful Mind Group privately used.
How on earth could the Shadow Bishop know it?
“I will help Dekan to intercept the End Bishop, you three go deal with the Illusory Bishop.”
The Shadow Bishop softly said.
Before Chloix could ask any questions,
the Shadow Bishop had already turned around and left.
And when Judith was about to take this opportunity to rush forward and subdue the Shadow Bishop who seemed completely unarmed,
she was tightly held back by Chloix.
“Follow her first.”
Chloix gazed at the Shadow Bishop with a complex expression.
She not only matched Mia,
but also resembled dark traces of Miliya,
the Dark Saintess, in his memories.
…
「Who is that?」
「Minoa??!」
「Joking at this time is far from funny.」
「… You don’t … really mean to joke, right?」
Instantly the entire Bishop Conference’s thoughts were exploded, intertwined without end, causing Dekan nerve frequent pain.
「Minoa, do you know what you’re saying?」
Even the reticent End Bishop began to transmit his thoughts.
However, the Shadow Bishop did not answer them.
As if accepting their doubts silently, she just waited for Dekan’s response.
「You don’t owe me anything anyway.」
Dekan opened his eyes and whispered.
He had long guessed that Mia was Minoa.
But choose to know without exposing.
「Miliya, the Dark Saintess, owes you, which I have repaid.」
The Shadow Bishop replied, then added in a code-like manner,
「As for our previous hypnotizing Alice together, I hope both of us can take it to our graves.」
「Hmm.」
Dekan responded briefly.
The fact of scaring and then hypnotizing Alice was only known by Dekan and Mia.
The Shadow Bishop’s words thoroughly verified herself as Mia in front of Dekan.
「Dekan, when we meet again, we will truly be enemies.」
At the last line, Minoa’s gradually cold voice resembled farewell.
「… Understood.」
Dekan seemed to want to say something more, but eventually only responded with a simple thought, as if worn out, he let go of the hand holding the “Bishop’s Certificate of Pain.”
So, it’s like this…
Mia has indeed confirmed her relationship with Miliya.
Or.
Besides the Shadow World,
she might have also experienced the Dream of the Holy Country, before meeting Dekan at school,
Mia had already remembered something about Miliya.
But Dekan wasn’t sure why Mia claimed that “the Dark Saintess owed Dekan”.
Though Dekan had saved the Dark Saintess in the Shadow World.
But after all, that was the reenactment of historical projections, historically the one who saved the Dark Saintess was not Dekan.
Unless…
In the Holy Country at that time,
the true rescuer of the Dark Saintess…
was Delroyce!!
It all made sense now.
For a moment, various memories flashed through Dekan’s mind.
Why Mia was so friendly to him when she first met him.
She trusted him in a nearly ridiculous way and befriended him.
That overly similar treatment towards friends, it even made Dekan suspect whether this person might be his half-sister.
Turns out all of it.
Was a sentence that Delroyce taught Miliya –
“Even with the risk of being betrayed, if neither side changes, the relationship will never improve. Even at the risk of being betrayed, one must believe, over time, even demons can find true friends.”
And.
Later, the Shadow Bishop risked secretly infiltrating the Randir Kingdom, attempting to help Dekan deal with the threat of the Corrupt Bishop Fahim.
Perhaps that time, Mia was trying to repay the favor owed by Miliya to Delroyce.
Unfortunately, Krey took the lead, and Mia didn’t get much opportunity to help.
Thus, Mia’s payback was saved until this truly fatal crisis.
“Thump.”
Finally, Dekan, utterly exhausted, collapsed on the ground.
The moment he heard “true enemies,” Dekan realized –
Mia was from the Empire.
The Empire Sword Saint, Adair, had made his stance very clear.
After this desperate battle between the Kingdom Union and the Rebirth Church, whichever side wins or loses, the Salong Empire would seize this moment when the Kingdom Union is weak to start a war.
Just now, even though Dekan’s first thought was to say to Mia, “Can enemies not also be friends?”
But the sentence ready to be blurted out was jammed in his throat, refusing to come out.
Mia, who always spoke frivolously and liked to joke,
also used that cold tone towards him.
Just like the ten days in the Shadow World,
when the Dark Saintess had treated him as a mortal enemy.
Dekan knew, Mia was serious.
After today, they would become like demon and the Dark Saintess.
Kingdom folk and Empire folk, on the battlefield would only be mortal enemies.
“Attention all Kingdom personnel, the Shadow Bishop has defected, cease intercepting her.”
After issuing the order through the control hub to the entire city, Dekan finally finished his job.
Instantly, all over the capital, people from various kingdoms watching the battle erupted into deafening cheers once again.
“What’s happening? Did Dekan manage to persuade the Shadow Bishop to turn sides?”
“How exactly did he accomplish that?! Is this even possible?!”
“You can always count on Dekan!”
“After this campaign, unparalleled among the states!!”
Even though the cheers from all sides were loud enough for Dekan in the arena to hear.
Dekan still felt that he could not muster the spirit.
There was no longer any exhilaration that came every time before victory like before.
“What have I gained in this campaign…”
Dekan leaning back against a magical device, for the first time his normally determined gaze revealed doubt.
If asked what he valued most in this world,
Dekan can now answer without hesitation.
It was certainly not wealth or reputation, nor magical card games.
But rather the friends who have accompanied him all along.
If he could,
he wished Mia would always be his ally, everyone could always happily be together.
Even if there was a tacit agreement,
he would believe Mia was his friend.
But some lies, once exposed,
can never be reconciled.
Dekan didn’t want to imagine the day he had to face Mia, the real enemy.
No matter how sternly he dealt with his enemies.
When it came to Mia, he did not know how to react.
