Chapter 72: So, This Genius Sniper Plan Is Settled!
Chapter 72: So, This Genius Sniper Plan Is Settled!
"That's impossible!"
Veya was utterly blindsided by Lin Wei’s deduction. Instinctively, she recoiled, waving her hands in emphatic denial.
"The clergy of the Holy Church are devout—personally tested by Alicia herself. Their souls are the purest. How could they possibly collude with nobles for material gain?"
"I never said the traitor in the Holy Church was after supplies," Lin Wei replied, his tone calm but razor-sharp. "Isn't it possible they're simply fed up with the useless Pope and want to replace her?"
Veya was left speechless, caught completely off guard by Lin Wei’s words.
As much as she loathed to admit it, she understood all too well how little control she truly wielded over the Holy Church. Deep down, she couldn’t deny it.
At the very least, none of the three Grand Commanders truly obeyed her, and she commanded little real respect.
"So, here’s how I see it," Lin Wei continued. "Best-case scenario for the so-called 'useless Pope' is that the Demons seized the supplies, managed to sway certain clergy, and learned the transport routes from them.
"Second possibility: the Imperial nobles are secretly working with the Demons. After gathering intelligence, they leaked the convoy’s route, all to gain leverage over logistics. "And the worst outcome... is that all three factions—the Holy Church, the nobles, and the Demons—are each pursuing their own interests. In that case, the Pope truly becomes obsolete."
Lin Wei laid out his conclusions with chilling clarity, and to him, the last scenario seemed by far the most likely.
"This..."
For a moment, even Veya fell silent.
Could members of the Holy Church really be conspiring with the Empire’s nobles? The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed... especially if the goal was to force her abdication, not just to embezzle supplies.
After all, the Retribution Knights were under the jurisdiction of Grand Commander Alfron. If he wanted to use this opportunity to force her down, it wasn’t out of the question.
But... do they really despise me that much?
A wave of crushing disappointment welled up in Veya’s heart. She had truly done her best to learn how to be a proper Pope—so why did everyone seem so eager to see her gone?
Was she really... just that hopeless?
"Could you... help me?"
She had no one left to turn to. There wasn’t a single person she could truly trust to talk this through with. Even within the Holy Church, her allies were few and far between.
Matters involving the upper echelons were far too dangerous to involve ordinary clergy like Rennie and the others. She simply didn’t have the strength to solve this on her own.
"Let me... think about it."
Faced with Veya’s downcast voice, Lin Wei hesitated, torn about whether he should get involved.
Last time, he’d helped her analyze the situation—“it’s not enough to do the work, you also have to put on a show”—mainly because he didn’t want the Pope ousted too soon. He’d thrown her a lifeline, just to preserve her dignity and stabilize her position.
But if he stepped in and solved this crisis as well, her standing in the Holy Church would soar. That... hardly fit his plans.
Still, when he saw Veya’s crestfallen expression, Lin Wei couldn’t help but scratch his head in frustration.
After a long silence, he finally let out a resigned sigh. "I suppose... it’s not like there’s nothing I can do."
Fine!
Right now, it seemed the so-called ‘useless Pope’ actually trusted Veya quite a bit. After all, she was just a lowly cleric tasked with cleaning up messes, yet she’d been given the chance to stand up to the Imperial nobles.
From that perspective, the Pope really didn’t have anyone else she could trust. Maybe this was the perfect chance to push Veya into the Holy Church’s inner circle—not a bad outcome at all.
And, most importantly... if he didn’t step in today, the Pope really might be forced to abdicate.
If that happened, his grand plan to put Yalis on the throne and seize the Holy Church would be doomed. For now, getting Veya promoted was fine—he could always pull her down later.
After all, the one with real power would be him, not that hopeless Pope. Have a little faith in yourself, Lin Wei!
"First off, even though I wasn’t at the meeting, I’d bet anything those nobles didn’t back down easily. They must have forced the Pope to make some sort of promise before they left, right?"
"Mm... The Pope pledged there wouldn’t be any problems with the supplies this time. If anything goes wrong, she’ll take full responsibility," Veya replied with a nod.
"That idiot, handing her enemies the blade herself!"
Even though he’d expected as much, Lin Wei couldn’t help but grumble. Wasn’t this just giving her opponents ammunition?
If she’d meant to use this loophole to set a trap, that would be one thing. But if she’d made that promise out of some naïve sense of duty—“I’ll shoulder all the Church’s burdens,” “I’ll take responsibility for everything”—then she was no better than a fool!
Fortunately, he was here. What would normally be a blunder had, by some twist of fate, become a potential turning point.
"It’s simple, really. The Imperial nobles have their sights set on these supplies—no matter what. If anything goes wrong again, the Pope will almost certainly be forced to step down.
"So, to prevent her from staging some dramatic gesture—like personally escorting the shipment—they’ll find ways to keep her tied up and in place.
"That means our next move is obvious: keep an eye on the shipment, trace it to the source... I have a genius plan to take them all down in one fell swoop!"
A golden gleam flickered in Lin Wei’s eyes, excitement lighting up his face.
"What are you planning?"
"I think I’ve already figured out how those bastards learned the convoy’s route, and I can trace the trail to the final drop-off for the potions. Leave that part to me. All you need to do is make sure the knights are ready to move when I give the signal. Honestly, I doubt the Retribution Knight are involved—the loophole’s too obvious, and they’re not fools."
Lin Wei paused, carefully weighing his strategy.
"In short, go talk to the Pope. If she’s on board, have her give you some kind of token so you’ll have proof when it’s time to send the signal.
"Oh, and remember—this victory is yours alone. Don’t go mentioning my name to the Pope, got it?"
Worried that once Veya got close to the inner circle she might get carried away—or worse, the Pope might take an interest and invite him to the Holy Cruch City, risking exposure—Lin Wei decided to add a reminder.
"Don’t forget, I only got my Imperial residency thanks to you pulling some strings. If the Pope ever finds out, that could be trouble."
"If you pull off something this big, even if you’re found out, it’ll be fine. The Pope’s not going to blame me over something like that," Veya replied, a flicker of guilt in her eyes as she looked away. Who could have predicted that, back then, she’d insisted on getting Lin Wei only a probationary residency instead of a full one?
"Sigh... It’s not like a regular guy like me could do much with all that credit anyway. Just get your promotion, change your post, and come back to visit me more often—that’s all I ask."
"By the way, which noble got you so worked up today? I’m curious—if someone managed to rattle my Veya this much, they must be formidable indeed."
Lin Wei smiled, making it sound like a casual question.
Unfortunately, Veya saw right through him. She instantly guessed he was up to something.
"It’s none of your business. You just stay home and focus on your work, alright?"
She shot him a wary look. Her husband had always been gentle and unambitious, never one to seek trouble.
But... but when he’d seen her crying before, he had definitely been angry.
If he ever lost his temper and confronted Duke Ous, he’d end up hurt—and that would be a disaster!
Even here in the Imperial Capital, she had to make sure Lin Wei stayed safe!
"I’m just curious, that’s all."
"Curiosity isn’t a good enough reason!"
After a moment’s hesitation, Veya finally relented. She bit her lip, then leaned in close to whisper in his ear.
"And... since you’re insisting on giving me all the credit, I suppose I’ll have to reward you on behalf of the Pope—properly and thoroughly."
"Reward!? After six hours today, I don’t think I can handle any more rewards!"
Normally, Lin Wei would have been all too eager at the prospect, but this time her words made him nearly jump out of his skin. Suddenly, he understood why so many middle-aged men found any excuse to work late rather than go home!
"Oh, really?"
Before he could make his escape, Veya—her cheeks flushed—leaned in and whispered softly in his ear.
A gentle, radiant light enveloped them, pure and holy, casting an ethereal glow around her. The air filled with a sacred aura, transforming her into a vision of the divine. Even her long, silvery hair shimmered in the glow, making her seem almost otherworldly—saintly, yet heartbreakingly beautiful.
Lin Wei froze mid-step, his resolve to flee vanishing in an instant.
Faced with Veya, haloed in holy radiance, looking both sacred and impossibly alluring, he hesitated for a long moment. But in the end, he could only sigh and sink back into bed.
"Well... if that’s the reward, then I suppose I’ll just have to accept."
After all, how often does a man get to experience holy light in the bedroom?
Bathed in that divine glow, she was like a completely different person.
There was no way he could run now—not even if he passed out cold!