Chapter 512: Compulsion
In the luxurious suite of the White Dove Hotel in Kankdar, Vania stood there in shock, her eyes filled with surprise as she gazed at the translucent nun slowly floating in the room. The nun’s appearance was unlike any ordinary person, and this puzzled Vania deeply.
‘When did this nun appear? How did she suddenly show up in my room… Her appearance seems like that of a ghost, but it’s not quite right… What exactly is going on…’
Vania looked bewildered at the translucent nun who wore attire similar to hers. This nun, named Evi, was focusing her gaze on Judge Clifton, looking straight into his eyes with a cold demeanor.
“Reverend Evi, by obstructing me, can I consider you as hindering the work of the Tribunal Bureau?”
“If your work violates regulations seriously… then…” Evi continued her calm response to Clifton, while Clifton responded sternly.
“I don’t remember the Salvation Court having the authority to supervise judges.”
“I naturally do not have the authority to supervise judges; what I am exercising is the power as the head of the Salvation Court to prevent and save large-scale humanitarian disasters that threaten the Holy Church. The assassination case in Kankdar is related to the situation in Adus; a single misstep could lead to an unnecessary large-scale war, not only affecting the spread of the Holy Church in Adus but also causing many innocent believers to d*e. In my view, this is a potential disaster, and to avoid this disaster, I have the authority to oversee the investigation process of this case.”
Facing Clifton’s words, Reverend Evi did not back down, answering firmly. Hearing Evi’s words, Clifton’s expression became even more severe as he continued seriously:
“Reverend Evi, I need to remind you that Shadi Adus is a heretical nation; initiating a holy war against it cannot be considered a disaster for the faithful!”
“The status of Shadi’s regime in Adus as a heretical nation has yet to be defined by the College of Cardinals. I do not know where Judge Lord gets the power to directly label a nation with a population of twenty million as heretical. The results of this case will significantly impact the decisions of the College of Cardinals. Therefore, I will truthfully record your investigative process here, and after this, the record will be presented to the College of Cardinals, providing other perspectives for the cardinals.”
Evi continued silently, staring at Clifton. Seeing Evi’s unyielding stance, Clifton spoke coldly next.
“Hmph, it seems that the scope of the Salvation Court’s jurisdiction is getting larger and larger, even reaching our heads.”
“It goes both ways, Judge Clifton. You cannot use unfounded charges to punish a devout nun without evidence…”
Evi slightly narrowed her eyes, directly pointing out Clifton’s intention to take Vania back to his ship. Clifton rebutted directly.
“As long as the suspicion is significant enough, we have the right to interrogate even without evidence!”
“So… you mean that the suspicion of Reverend Vania is very high?”
“That’s certainly true. After the assassination attempt, we immediately informed the Tivyan Church to remove the divination protection for Reverend Vania, then used divination methods to confirm whether she had any connections with heretics. It turned out that after losing the divine church’s divination protection, Vania still had an unknown source of divination protection covering her, leading to our divination failure.
“This kind of situation occurred not only with Reverend Vania but also with other members of the Adus envoy group and the crew of the Desert Arrow. Being protected by an unknown anti-divination system outside the Holy Church, how can this not be suspicious?”
Facing Evi, Clifton directly stated some of their preliminary investigative results, and Evi responded calmly.
“Being protected by an unknown anti-divination system does not mean much. This is likely a tactic to frame someone. It’s not difficult to include someone in an anti-divination method; just obtain simple information and subtle traces. It’s very possible that the real heretic murderer deliberately included Reverend Vania in their anti-divination to frame her.”
“That’s just your speculation!”
“Even if we don’t talk about speculation and only talk about facts, you can’t arrest Reverend Vania? During the assassination attempt, Reverend Vania not only did not hurt anyone but also subdued an assassin and saved two victims. Everything she did was aimed at preventing the assassination. No matter how you look at it, she should not be a priority suspect. Judge Clifton, upon arriving in Kankdar, instead of questioning other more suspicious individuals, you directly came here to arrest the hero who saved innocent lives during the assassination. This doesn’t make sense.”
With her hands crossed in front of her, Reverend Evi calmly addressed Clifton. Seeing this, Clifton’s eyes became increasingly dangerous, and he continued speaking.
“Reverend Vania’s actions to save people might be to better hide herself. Although she stopped one assassin, another still succeeded. Although she saved people, Prince Mazale still died. Although she seemed to be preventing the assassination, the ultimate goal of the assassination was still achieved. Therefore, Reverend Vania’s actions to prevent the assassination might be part of a play staged with her own people, to free herself from suspicion. Given her special status, being arrested directly would be too unfortunate for the heretics.
“Therefore, staging a play to achieve the main objective while ensuring Reverend Vania’s safety is quite worth it for the heretics. According to the detailed reports of the assassination, Reverend Vania stopped the first assassin, drawing everyone’s attention to her and the first assassin. At this moment, the second assassin suddenly acted, catching the guards off guard, resulting in massive casualties. It’s hard not to think that Reverend Vania’s action to stop the first assassin was premeditated, aiming to cover for the second assassin.”
Looking at the alarmed Vania beside him, Clifton made a direct conclusion. Evi smiled slightly and then spoke with a hint of sarcasm.
“A play? That’s a good idea, Judge Clifton. Your speculation just now is more intricate and daring than mine… So my guess is meaningless, and yours is meaningful?”
“You…”
Facing the translucent nun with a slight smile, Clifton’s anger spread from his eyes to his face, clearly showing his rising anger. He clenched the scripture at his waist and then spoke to Evi.
“Reverend Evi, it seems you’re determined to oppose me this time? Do you think you have the ability to oppose me?”
“Oppose? No, I’m merely fulfilling my duties, Judge Clifton. We are all loyal servants of the Three Saints, each performing our roles within the Holy Church. How can this be considered opposition? Let’s cooperate to handle this incident, shall we?”
Facing the angry Clifton, Evi remained unperturbed. Noticing Clifton’s clenched scripture and the dangerous aura around him, she narrowed her eyes and spoke in a threatening tone.
“Oh, if Judge Clifton feels that my projection here is insufficient to assist you, you don’t need to worry. Although I am a projection here, the relay device I’m using is just one.”
“Only one relay…”
Hearing Evi’s words, Clifton was stunned, then he looked at the translucent nun with widened eyes. The anger on his face disappeared instantly, replaced by a subtle shock. Once this shock subsided, his expression immediately turned serious, and he continued speaking.
“Reverend Evi, are you really in Kankdar?”
While saying this, Clifton glanced out the window at the empty sky, then returned his gaze. After hearing Clifton’s words, Evi continued calmly.
“I am currently cruising 114 nautical miles north of Kankdar. I expect to arrive at the Submerged Island Military Port in 42 minutes. From there, I can easily observe the situation inside Kankdar. If I want to truly come to Kankdar, I can get there quickly. Until this incident is resolved, I will stay there. So, please take care of each other in the coming days, Judge Clifton.”
Facing Clifton, Evi said slowly, her tone revealing a clear danger. Hearing Evi’s words, Clifton’s expression flickered with a hint of unease. After hesitating for a moment, he clenched his teeth and calmed down, then shifted his gaze to Vania and spoke.
“Hmph… It seems Lady Amanda truly values this Reverend Vania. Since Reverend Evi has arrived, we won’t disturb you further. Farewell…”
Clifton turned and left the hotel suite, walking out through the door. Hajeta, standing by, was stunned by the scene. She glanced at the room’s contents, including Vania and Evi, then immediately turned and walked out, leaving only the two nuns in the room.
Clifton’s departure marked the failure of his plan to forcibly arrest Vania under Evi’s pressure. Though he was reluctant, he had no choice but to leave.
Seeing Clifton leave in a huff, Vania felt relieved. She then turned to the translucent nun and wanted to say something but was unsure how to start. After a brief moment of nervous hesitation, she finally spoke.
“Thank you just now, uh… Reverend Evi. If not for you, I might have been taken away by now…”
Hearing Vania’s grateful words, Evi floated around and said with a faint smile.
“It’s nothing. Under the light of the Lord, no innocent person should suffer injustice. This incident stems from greed and madness. If not properly resolved, it will have extremely bad effects on the future of the Holy Church. Therefore, I came here under Lady Amanda’s orders to ensure basic fairness in this incident.”
“Amanda… Could it be Saint Amanda, that saint… She actually cares about me?” Hearing Evi’s words, Vania exclaimed in surprise. She never imagined that the saint she had only heard of in stories and rumors, one of the high-ranking figures in the Radiant Church, would directly pay attention to her, a small nun.
“Certainly, Lady Amanda has been paying attention to you, Reverend Vania, for a long time. Your deeds and character have earned her recognition. You’ve been under her watchful eye for a long time.”
“I… have been under the watchful eye of Saint Amanda. Then… Reverend Evi, can Lady Amanda help me get out of this predicament?” Vania asked Evi. Hearing Vania’s words, Evi replied slowly.
“My purpose in coming here is precisely this, but the current situation is very complex and intertwined. To untangle this mess will take some time. We need to carefully plan.”
As she spoke, her gaze shifted to the door of the room. There, a cleric in a robe entered and approached Vania, presenting her with a box.
“Open it and take out what’s inside…”
Following Evi’s instructions, Vania opened the box, took out its contents, and examined it closely. She found it to be a small metal mechanism ball with tiny precision gears operating inside, emitting fine sounds. Surrounding the ball were crystals reflecting light. Seeing this mechanism ball, Vania couldn’t help but ask curiously.
“What is this…”
“This is a relay receiver. You don’t need to know the details of what it does or how it works. You just need to know that as long as you carry it, my projection can appear beside you anytime, and I can clearly perceive everything around you. As long as you keep it safe, no one will dare harm you with malicious intent…”
Facing Vania, the translucent Evi gave a simple explanation. Hearing Evi’s words, Vania was stunned. She suddenly realized that besides being a protective tool, this was also a surveillance tool. If the secrets of the Rosy Cross and Akka were discovered while she carried this…
Just as Vania felt a twinge of concern, a familiar voice echoed in her heart. Upon hearing this voice, Vania’s concerns vanished instantly. She let out a sigh of relief, put away the small mechanism ball, and thanked Evi.
“Thank you, Reverend Evi. I will keep this safe.”
“Mm…”
Looking at the obedient young nun, Evi nodded with a smile. A hint of something else lay hidden in her illusory gaze.
…
At dusk in the foreign residential area of Kankdar, in another hotel.
Dorothy sat on the balcony of the hotel, watching the sunset while contemplating the intelligence gathered by Vania’s senses. She was fully aware of everything that happened in Vania’s room.
“Heterodox Judge Clifton, Salvation Court nun Evi… I never expected that in one day, two waves of people came directly from Sacred Summit. This situation seems to be getting even more chaotic…”
Massaging her head, Dorothy muttered. It was within her expectations that people from Sacred Summit would come, but she hadn’t anticipated exactly who they would be. She didn’t expect the heterodox judge’s position to have such issues, nor did she anticipate that the church faction which originally saw Vania as a political tool would now choose to actively protect her.
‘Things are getting more complicated. I didn’t expect the internal conflicts within the church to escalate to this extent… But it’s fortunate that the escalation of conflict allows the church to find supporters for Vania… This Reverend Evi seems quite interesting…’
Rubbing her chin, Dorothy thought pensively. At this moment, she already had interest in the nature of the projection nun.
‘No matter what, this Reverend Evi and the church forces she represents are allies on my side. Since they are allies, we need to find a way to contact each other and share information.
But how should I approach that nun now?’
