Chapter 11: What If Lin Wei Gets Snatched Away By Some Wicked Woman While Hes Out Working?!
Chapter 11: What If Lin Wei Gets Snatched Away By Some Wicked Woman While He’s Out Working?!
“Oh... You’re back, my dear Miss Veya.”
Lin Wei sat quietly, sipping his black tea as he gazed absentmindedly out the window at the passing scenery.
Unlike his previous life, time was now something he had in abundance—enough to waste at his leisure.
He didn’t mind these idle, seemingly pointless moments: just resting, drinking tea, letting the hours slip by.
But when he saw his wife standing there, her face blank and lost in thought, he couldn’t help but wave a hand in front of her eyes and ask again—
“What’s wrong?”
“Eh!”
Veya hadn’t even realized she was already back at the café.
Catching sight of Lin Wei’s worried expression, she snapped out of her daze, quickly cleared her throat, and answered at once. “Ahem... It’s nothing. I just got an update from the Holy Church about last night’s incident, so I was a little surprised, that’s all.”
“What exactly happened?”
Lin Wei leaned in, curiosity lighting up his eyes. He was eager to know whether the little trap he’d set for the Pope had worked.
“It’s a bit complicated.”
Normally, she wouldn’t mind sharing a little about Holy Church business with Lin Wei, but an enemy who could switch between holy power and the energy of an evil god at will... That was another matter entirely.
Glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention, Veya thought for a moment, then decided to leave out some details—she didn’t want to frighten Lin Wei. Lowering her voice, she slowly explained:
“Last night, there was indeed an operation against the Cult of the evil gods in the Lotai district.”
“But before the Judgement Knights arrived, the Evil God had already been resurrected—and then, unexpectedly, someone managed to seal it away.”
“Oh? Who pulled that off?”
Lin Wei played along, putting on a face of surprise.
“We’re not sure yet... But it was probably members of another Cult of the evil gods, or maybe even the Demon Lord himself got involved.”
If you’re going to start suspecting me just because I happened to be there, that’s a bit of a stretch, isn’t it?
Lin Wei’s lips twitched, but he managed to keep his composure as he pressed further.
“How do you figure?”
“When the Holy Church arrived on the scene last night, the battle was already over. But the Evil God had just been killed, so there were still plenty of traces left behind.”
“According to the Judgement Knights’ report, whatever killed the Evil God wasn’t holy power—or any kind of conventional battle magic. It was a force identical to what the evil god cultists use, something only they’re capable of wielding!”
“That really is pretty terrifying.”
Hearing Veya’s furtive explanation, Lin Wei matched her tone, his own awe just as secretive.
After a moment, he asked again, a hint of confusion in his voice.
“Uh... So then what?”
“What do you mean, ‘so then what’? That’s it. A powerful cultist from the evil god’s church took out their god and got away clean.”
“That’s why the Holy Church now suspects the Demon Lord might be involved. After all, Evil Gods are their specialty—they can summon them, and they’re perfectly capable of using evil god energy... Either way, Lotai and the surrounding areas aren’t exactly safe right now.”
Wait, so there’s no word about the Pope at all?
As Veya finished her explanation and took her seat, Lin Wei was left scratching his head.
That’s odd... I’m sure I left a little trap for the Pope before I made my escape last night.
Why did it seem like it had absolutely no effect? It’s not as if the Holy Church trusts the Pope implicitly, right?
Lin Wei genuinely couldn’t figure out how his plan had failed.
He’d done everything by the book: first, he’d used holy energy, then deliberately switched to the evil god’s power. On top of that, he’d made sure those incriminating, conspiratorial words were overheard—by any measure, the Pope should be under suspicion by now.
But judging from Veya’s complete lack of news, it just didn’t add up. Lin Wei couldn’t make sense of it.
“Maybe Veya’s rank is too low, so she isn’t cleared for that kind of intel?”
After all, anything involving the Pope wouldn’t be broadcast outside so casually.
“Hm?”
While Lin Wei was lost in speculation, he suddenly noticed Veya was staring at him intently. His heart gave a sudden jolt, but he forced himself to stay calm and met her gaze.
“What’s up?”
“It’s nothing... I was just thinking that Lotai seems pretty dangerous right now.”
“I’m often away on business trips, and if someone were to hurt you while I’m gone... I really don’t want to become a widow.”
Veya’s voice was muffled with worry, and she pressed her fingers to her temples, clearly troubled.
After all, Lin Wei was just a level 50 -something adventurer.
That level, to be fair, was already quite high by most standards. But if he ever had to face the evil god’s cultists, his best bet would honestly be to run.
Especially given the latest intel from the scene: rumor had it the Evil God last night was killed in an especially brutal fashion, which raised serious doubts about just how powerful their enemy truly was.
If that person struck again in Lotai—or if there were some sinister plan brewing—
Could Lin Wei really stay safe?
If she couldn’t protect him herself, and something really did happen, there’d be no bringing him back—no matter what she did.
“I’m just staying here in Aurens Town. It’s not like I’m going to go wandering off and get myself killed,” Lin Wei said, chuckling as he saw the worry creasing Veya’s brow. He reached out and ruffled her hair, trying to lighten the mood.
“But you do take on adventuring quests now and then, don’t you?” Veya shot back, her face full of concern.
“Oh, come on! You’re not going to ban me from taking quests now, are you?” Lin Wei looked genuinely alarmed, suddenly realizing he might have dug his own grave. “Living in Aurens Town, those quests are the only thing keeping me from dying of boredom.”
“Well...” Veya hesitated, thinking it over. He did have a point.
The thought of keeping Lin Wei cooped up at home, doing nothing all day, made her uneasy. She was away so often herself—was it really fair to lock him away out of worry?
After all, Lin Wei was her husband, not a pet whose only job was to stay alive.
Even as the Pope, Veya had never disrespected him—not when it came to their contract marriage, nor when she’d needed his help to get through the hardest days of her life.
What mattered most to her was that Lin Wei could live his life happily.
But now... she couldn’t return to Aurens Town as often as she wanted, Lotai’s surroundings were growing more and more dangerous, and she couldn’t in good conscience forbid him from ever leaving the house.
With all these constraints piling up, Veya couldn’t help but feel torn about what to do.
Then suddenly, as she looked at Lin Wei sitting across from her, an idea struck.
“Why don’t you try working somewhere else for a while?”
“Huh?” Lin Wei blinked in surprise. He honestly hadn’t expected to hear that from her.
“I mean... maybe you could find a job in another town for the time being,” Veya explained, her tone earnest. “Once things are truly safe around Lotai, you could just quit and come back to Aurens Town.”
Taking a deep breath, Veya finally voiced the decision she’d been wrestling with.
Given how limited their options were, there really wasn’t any better solution.
“Didn’t you say you’ve been wanting to get out and work for a change of pace anyway?”
“I’m going to be really busy lately, and I can’t keep coming back to Aurens Town all the time. So why not head to the Imperial Capital and find a job there?”
She looked up at him, eyes clear and serious as she made her suggestion.
“For the next while, I’ll have to report in at the Holy City often, submitting regular progress updates.”
“So, while I’m away for work, you could stay in the Imperial Capital, keep busy with a job, and stay safe at the same time.”
“When I finish my duties and go back to the Holy City, I’ll swing by the capital to see you, and then we can head home together... That way, every problem gets solved. What do you think?”