Chapter 201-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation

Shu Wan was tending to the moss and weeds on the training grounds. Her ability could easily control plants—a light press of her foot, and the weeds withered instantly.

After Ye Fanjing was imprisoned, the Ye Family's influence plummeted. Though the family had put forward a new head, it no longer had anything to do with them. Ye Di had also been removed from the line of succession.

Ye Zheng had publicly severed ties with the Ye Family. Whether it was Ye Fanjing, Ye Di, or anyone else in the Ye Family, they all resented her bitterly, yet could do nothing about it—let alone now that Ye Zheng had become the Empire's Pope.

She hadn't told Ye Di where she usually stayed, only visiting him periodically at the Royal Academy.

Every time they met, Ye Di would cry terribly. Shu Wan occasionally felt a pang of sympathy, but on second thought, although Ye Di had lost his position as heir, he already had more than enough. Everyone knew that Pope Ye Zheng was his sister—at the very least, no one would dare bully him.

For Shu Wan, the most important matter recently was preparing Ye Zheng's coming-of-age ceremony. She was responsible for liaising with the Royal Family's people and assisting them in organizing the ceremony to be held at the Royal Palace.

At the same time, she was also monitoring their every move.

Ye Zheng hadn't told her the truth, but from Ye Zheng's unusual choices, she could tell that something big was bound to happen at the coming-of-age ceremony.

Shu Wan held a pair of scissors, trimming the shape of the shrubs, but her gaze wasn't on her hands—her face was full of worry.

She felt anxious, haunted by a lingering sense of guilt. She really was a useless mother, unable to help with anything...

"Mother?"

Shu Wan froze, turning to see Ye Zheng walking toward her.

"Zhengzheng, why are you here so early?"

After saying that, Shu Wan suddenly remembered something and smiled. "Actually, I suppose it's not that early—your friend arrived even earlier than you."

Ye Zheng raised an eyebrow. Bai Muqing had finished her task that quickly?

Ye Zheng still had things on her mind. After greeting her mother, she was about to go find Bai Muqing. She took two steps, then suddenly turned back, catching a fleeting, troubled expression on Shu Wan's face.

"By the way, Mother, how are the preparations for the coming-of-age ceremony going? Any difficulties?"

Shu Wan waved her hand. "Not at all... Oh, I noticed the Ye Family is on the guest list. I was just about to cross them off—I know you don't like them."

Ye Zheng blinked thoughtfully and said, "It's fine, Mother. Since they're on the list, let them come. The more the merrier—how has Ye Di been lately?"

"He's been living at school. He hasn't been willing to see me recently, but I don't think we need to worry about him."

Ye Zheng nodded, then went over to help Shu Wan trim the shrubs for a while, chatting about everyday things, before waving goodbye and leaving.

Having reached middle age only for her life to be turned upside down, Shu Wan still couldn't fully adjust to her new life free from the identity of "Madam Ye." She instinctively clung to the role of "mother" to keep going.

But Ye Zheng hoped her mother could find a new social identity—this was also an important reason she had placed her at the Holy Journey Knights Order's base.

The Holy Journey Knights Order had been recruiting again recently. Every woman who came here hoped to gain a brand-new identity.

Along the way, Ye Zheng encountered many Knights who had risen early for morning training. Many of them were new faces she hadn't seen before. Quite a few, upon seeing her, were so astonished that they stumbled over their greetings, as if witnessing the descent of the God of Hope in person—too shocked to speak, unable to believe their own eyes.

Ye Zheng smiled and responded to each of them. Though she was somewhat puzzled by their excessive reactions, she didn't find it unpleasant—only endearing.

She walked to the door of the reception room, pushed it open, and found Bai Muqing sitting quietly on the sofa, drinking tea.

"Good morning, Muqing. Have you had breakfast?"

Ye Zheng closed the door behind her, sat down beside Bai Muqing, and leisurely picked up the other cup of tea on the table.

"Mm, I ate at your cafeteria. I'm quite full." Bai Muqing nodded earnestly.

Ye Zheng looked at her with mild surprise. Bai Muqing was rather particular about food, clothing, and daily necessities. This pickiness wasn't by her own choice, but rather the high standards cultivated by the environment she'd grown up in.

The base cafeteria had a limited budget. The meals could only be described as filling at best—the head cooks clearly had no aspirations when it came to flavor.

Back when Bai Muqing was still a nun, they would occasionally gather at Sei Curia events. If Bai Muqing tasted even one bite of something not fresh, she would purse her lips and coldly set down her utensils, making the nun in charge of meals quite embarrassed. It was always Ye Zheng who smoothed things over.

Bai Muqing was not good at lying or pretending. When she set down her utensils, it was simply because she had lost her appetite—it wasn't directed at anyone. By the same logic, when she said "I'm quite full," she must have eaten a good amount. It wasn't a polite pleasantry.

Ye Zheng smiled with interest and asked her, "How does it compare to the Royal Knight Order's food?"

Bai Muqing pursed her lips. "I don't like being around them. I had a meal with Bai Mulin once and never went back."

"In that case, why not join my Knights Order?"

Ye Zheng was only teasing, but Bai Muqing's expression grew even more taut, as if she had fallen into some kind of inner struggle. Her grip on the teacup tightened abruptly.

"Ah, I almost forgot something important. Muqing, did you notice anything when you escorted Sykes to the shelter?"

Ye Zheng quickly changed the subject.

There was no way Bai Muqing could openly join her faction. She was a member of the Bai family, and the Bai family stood on the same side as the Royal Family. She shouldn't have thrown that kind of joke at someone as earnest as Bai Muqing.

The cool-tempered young girl sat upright, not responding for a moment. Just as the atmosphere sank into a subtle silence, the door was suddenly pushed open.

A young woman in a black uniform strode in, pulled up a chair across from the two of them, and sat down. She took off the hat that symbolized her role as magistrate and tossed it onto the table. Her short, deep-purple hair fanned out with the motion.

Ye Zheng looked at her. It had been a while since they'd last met, and the air about her could no longer be described as that of a girl—she was now a mature and commanding woman.

"You look like you're well-suited to this new job, Captain Wu Shu."

"You are as radiant as ever, Your Holiness. Might I be permitted to kiss your hand as a gesture of respect?"

Wu Shu leaned forward slightly.

Ye Zheng graciously extended her hand. Wu Shu took it, but instead of kissing the back of her hand, she simply gave it a deep, firm squeeze. The two exchanged a smile.

"I just remembered."

Bai Muqing's cool voice spoke up. "One of the guards at the shelter was likely someone Sykes had planted. I sensed him secretly passing something to Sykes at the time."

Ye Zheng paused for a second, realizing that Bai Muqing was responding to her earlier question.

Wu Shu naturally joined the conversation. "The Crown Prince? His hunting grounds caused public outrage—was he finally driven out today?"

Wu Shu then looked at Ye Zheng. "Your Holiness, you said there was something you needed to discuss with me. Could it be related to the Crown Prince?"

Ye Zheng nodded at this.

Having received her answer, Wu Shu furrowed her brow in thought. She had come here today for several reasons. First, she owed Ye Zheng a great deal.

Without Ye Zheng, she could never have reached her current position. Though this position was precarious, and she had shouldered a heavy burden of criticism for choosing it, she had at least entered a new phase of her life, gaining access to power she had never dared imagine before.

Second, following Ye Zheng... didn't seem like a bad thing. It was usually a profitable endeavor.

As for the third reason—through their several collaborations, she and Ye Zheng had developed something that could loosely be called "friendship." For the sake of that bond, she shouldn't refuse either.

Wu Shu gazed leisurely at Ye Zheng across from her. Perhaps Ye Zheng needed her and Bai Muqing to monitor the movements of the Royal Family and Sykes? After all, with the Crown Prince having fallen from grace, the Empire's succession had become murky. It was perfectly normal for Ye Zheng, as Pope, to keep an eye on the Royal Family.

"Go ahead. What exactly do you need me to do?"

"I need you both to assist me."

Wu Shu made an "no problem" gesture and picked up her teacup, taking a sip—only to hear Ye Zheng's next words.

"Assist me—in killing Sykes."

A violent fit of coughing erupted. It took Wu Shu, who had choked on her tea, quite a while to recover. When she looked up, she met Ye Zheng's concerned gaze, but at that moment her mind held nothing but that one insane statement—she couldn't register any other emotion.

"What did you say?"

"Kill Sykes."

Ye Zheng put it even more succinctly.

Wu Shu lost all composure and hurriedly looked toward Bai Muqing. She was frowning with her snow-white brows, looking as though she too found Ye Zheng's words inconceivable. Wu Shu instantly felt the relief of finding a fellow sane person.

After a moment of silence, Bai Muqing spoke: "When?"

Wu Shu felt as if struck by lightning. When had the world gone this mad without her noticing?

Setting aside Sykes's status as the Empire's Crown Prince—making a move on him was a capital offense. Sykes was a 3S-rank ability user. Compared to being punished by the Empire, the odds of being killed by Sykes were far greater!

Why would they suddenly provoke something this enormous?

Ye Zheng was the Pope! If anyone discovered she had made a move against Sykes, it could very well ignite an armed conflict between the Royal Family and the Sei Curia. The entire Empire would be plunged into chaos!

"Ye Zheng, why do you want to kill him? The stakes are too high. I need a reason."

Wu Shu stared intently at Ye Zheng, desperately hoping she would give a flimsy answer—one that would give her grounds to talk her out of this.

This was no joke. It wasn't as simple as the last time they'd set up Percy. Even if they had actually killed Percy, Ye Zheng had plenty of ways to cover up his death. But this time, the person she wanted killed was the Empire's Crown Prince. Even as Pope, Ye Zheng couldn't possibly dispose of Sykes without a trace.

"A reason?"

Ye Zheng leaned forward, resting her chin on the hand she'd placed on the tea table, tilting her head up slightly. The dark eyes that looked at Wu Shu glinted with a cunning smile.

"Because he deserves to die."

Ye Zheng said softly. Without waiting for Wu Shu's response, she turned to Bai Muqing. "Muqing, do you think Sykes deserves to die?"

Bai Muqing sat upright, her white eyes staring straight ahead, exuding an aura of stern coldness. Hearing Ye Zheng's question, she turned her head slightly toward the two of them.

"Yes. He deserves to die."

She too had been shocked when she first heard Ye Zheng's target. But upon reflection, the last time she and Ye Zheng had discovered that Sykes possessed the ability to summon Demonic Domains—such an ability posed far too great a threat, and it had fallen into the hands of a madman like Sykes. Sooner or later, he would bring an irreversible catastrophe upon the Empire.

That must be why Ye Zheng had made the decisive choice to eliminate him. Bai Muqing now understood completely.

Wu Shu still couldn't understand. Two gazes from different directions fell upon her, the pressure so immense it nearly bent her spine.

Her eyes darted back and forth between the two across from her, desperately searching for even a trace of wavering. But she failed. Both of them looked at her with unwavering resolve and composure, like an immovable abyss.

And so, Wu Shu pulled the hat from the table and slapped it over her face, with an air of utter resignation.

"Fine. Tell me how we're doing it."

From the moment Ye Zheng had revealed her true objective, Wu Shu had already set foot on a path of no return.

She had no room to refuse. The Pope would never allow a dissenter who knew her secrets to walk away unscathed.

Seeing Wu Shu like this, Ye Zheng smiled faintly, tapped her fingers on the table, and truly began to explain her plan.

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