Chapter 82: So This Is the Man Who Caught the Pope’s Eye? He Doesn’t Seem That Impressive…
Chapter 82: So This Is the Man Who Caught the Pope’s Eye? He Doesn’t Seem That Impressive…
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“Who is it?”
The door swung open.
Standing on the threshold was a woman Lin Wei had never seen before.
He blinked, momentarily at a loss, rifling through his memories in search of a match.
The woman before him radiated precision and competence—sharp, professional, and undeniably attractive. Her hair was cut into a neat, shoulder-length bob. Though still quite young, she held herself with impeccable posture. Draped over her figure was the signature white coat of the Holy See, lending her an air of dignity. In her arms, she held a thick stack of documents—the very picture of a dedicated career woman.
Pale golden eyes, that uniform… She must be from the Holy See.
Lin Wei’s gaze sharpened, a hint of wariness flickering in his eyes. He was certain they had never met before.
“I am Rennie, Her Holiness the Pope’s personal secretary.” Her voice was cool and formal, her expression composed into the stern, dignified mask expected of the Holy See’s clergy.
Just ten minutes ago, the Pope herself had summoned Rennie, instructing her to deliver these documents and confidential information to this man in person.
She didn’t know the details, but being singled out by Her Holiness was remarkable in itself.
Especially since, until recently, this Lin Wei had been just another unremarkable adventurer… How had he managed to attract the Pope’s attention?
You’d have to pray fervently—truly, fervently—to the goddess Alicia to receive that kind of luck!
But honestly… aside from his appearance, this man didn’t seem particularly special. Why would Her Holiness care so much?
Yes, his resume was decent, and he was apparently quite skilled at brewing potions…
Rennie drew a quiet breath, putting aside her judgments as professionalism took over. She hadn’t come here to gawk at the man—her purpose was to deliver information, nothing more.
No matter what she thought, it would never interfere with her work.
“A member of the Holy See asked me to bring you these documents,” she said crisply, “and to inform you that your previous proposal has been approved. From here on, you have full discretion to proceed as you see fit.”
She still didn’t understand why Her Holiness insisted on phrasing things this way, but as the Pope’s secretary, her duty was to carry out orders, not to question them.
“If you require any further cooperation, please submit your requests in writing. I’ll be returning to the Holy See shortly and will ensure she receives them.”
“Oh… so it was Veya who sent you.”
Lin Wei’s eyes brightened at that.
He hadn’t expected that, in such a short time, even the Pope’s personal secretary would be acquainted with his beloved Veya.
My Veya’s social skills are even more formidable than I thought.
“Why didn’t she come herself? Is the Holy See swamped with work again?” Lin Wei asked with a cheerful grin, accepting the documents from Rennie.
After all, compared to staying elsewhere, Veya would surely rather be at home. It would be so much more comfortable—and, as her husband, he could help her unwind and relax. Why would she ever refuse?
“The Holy See is always busy. She’s been particularly occupied lately.”
Veya… Could he mean Her Holiness the Pope?
On the other side, Rennie’s face remained perfectly expressionless as she replied, betraying nothing.
Though Rennie had never heard the name “Veya” before, her professionalism as a secretary told her exactly how to respond.
“If you’re finished with the handover, please write your letter as soon as possible. I’m not permitted to be away from the office for long—ten minutes at most before I must return.”
So even the Pope’s secretary could only slip away for ten minutes?
And it hardly counted as slacking off—this was official business, after all.
“Don’t worry, I’m quick with paperwork. Give me a few minutes and I’ll have it done,” Lin Wei replied with a reassuring smile.
“Why not come in and have some tea while you wait, Secretary Rennie? Standing out here is a bit awkward, don’t you think?”
Since this was Holy See business, Lin Wei didn’t overthink it and extended a casual invitation. After all, it wouldn’t look good to have a member of the Holy See just loitering at his door.
Rennie hesitated for a moment, then nodded, still maintaining her cool composure. “Thank you for having me.”
“Don’t mention it, after all, you—eh?”
Lin Wei’s thoughts drifted for a moment to the Saintess—she should be home as well. He wondered if she and Secretary Rennie might know each other.
He’d just started to say something when his gaze swept across the living room—and froze.
The sofa, where the Saintess had been sitting only moments ago, was now empty.
Only the faint impression on the cushions remained, proof that someone had definitely been there.
…Where did she go?
Wait a second—Secretary Rennie?
Lin Wei suddenly remembered where he’d heard that name before.
That’s right—he recalled now. The first time he’d visited the Imperial Capital’s Magic Academy, the young Saintess had nearly been discovered by the Pope’s secretary.
So that was it. Back then, she’d been hiding from none other than Miss Rennie.
And now, the Saintess had snuck over to see him again—was she worried about being discovered by Rennie this time too?
“Please, have some tea and rest for a bit,” Lin Wei offered, glancing thoughtfully toward one of the nearby rooms. He set a cup of black tea in front of Rennie and quietly closed the door.
Then he sat across from her, opened the folder, and began to read through the documents as if nothing was amiss.
The Holy See’s report was remarkably thorough, detailing several recent attacks on supply convoys.
Each incident’s time, location, casualty count, and inventory were meticulously recorded.
There was a lot of information—enough to overwhelm most people. But for someone who’d once overseen entire operations, Lin Wei barely broke a sweat.
In just a few minutes, he’d finished reading and distilled the key points.
First: there had been five attacks by demonfolk on supply convoys over the past several years.
Each route, escort team, and shipment size had been different.
But the one thing they all had in common was that the attacks took place outside the Empire’s borders—in the northern territories that were gradually being reclaimed.
Of course, the demons preferred to call those lands the “Fallen Lands.”
Second: the Holy See’s Judgement Knights escorting the convoys had suffered some casualties, but none were severe, and the reasons for the attacks varied wildly each time.
Sometimes it was “rescuing local villagers under attack,” sometimes “saving a village from cultists of evil gods,” or “protecting civilians from rampaging monsters”… and sometimes, the attackers simply used the cover of night to sow chaos and steal what they could.
Finally, the stolen goods were almost always potions and other consumables that could be easily sold or used.
Strangely enough, things like grain, medicinal herbs, weapons, armor, and magical tools were rarely stolen.
From all this, Lin Wei was able to draw several quick, logical conclusions.
“They’re only targeting fast-moving consumables and never engaging in direct combat. That suggests the raiders operate in small groups—they can’t haul off heavy weaponry or equipment.”
“And with potions, once they’re made into liquid form, even if you seal them with magic, there’s still a shelf life.”
“In other words… whoever’s stealing these supplies has to use or sell them quickly. The most recent attack was just three days ago, wasn’t it?”
Thinking it over, Lin Wei couldn’t help but sigh at just how devout the Judgement Knights were to the goddess Alicia.
Their job was simply to escort the supplies, but every time they encountered civilians in trouble, they insisted on stepping in to help.
If he didn’t know better, he’d almost suspect the Judgement Knights’ commander was a traitor. Otherwise, how could they let their subordinates run wild like this?
“I’ll need to find a way to narrow down the raiders’ area of activity.”
“If I follow the trail… maybe I can arrange for the Holy See to set up an ambush the next time a convoy passes through.”
Lin Wei tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the sofa, then suddenly looked up.
“Miss Rennie, could you help me get market data from the Empire’s border regions?”
“Including the northern countries—I need information on the city-state markets near the recent attack sites.”