Chapter 240-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Upon receiving the news, Ye Zheng rose at once.
The moment she pushed open the door, several high-ranking clergymen were waiting outside. She swept a glance over them and did not slow her stride for an instant.
"Your Holiness, regarding the campaign against the heretics, we believe…"
Their voices were urgent as they tried to approach, but knights in cold armor blocked them expressionlessly. All they could do was watch the Pope walk away.
Ye Zheng strode forward briskly. A nun hurried alongside her, briefing her on the situation.
"According to people inside the palace, a large quantity of explosive materials was discovered hidden within the walls of the Emperor's chambers. Duchess Qin Lu is the prime suspect."
The Imperial Palace wasn't even fully restored yet, but the Emperor had moved back in yesterday, unable to wait any longer.
"Was there an explosion? How is the Emperor?"
"There was no explosion. Someone discovered it beforehand."
"Someone?"
"Yes, Your Holiness. I'm told it was Princess Heath who noticed something was wrong."
Ye Zheng's pace slowed, and a contemplative expression crossed her face.
A knight jogged over and reported, "Your Holiness, the convoy to the Imperial Palace is ready."
"Thank you for the effort, but I won't be going for now."
Under the astonished gazes of those around her, Ye Zheng turned back the way she had come, her expression inscrutable as she receded into the shadows.
She had been aware of Qin Lu's intentions for some time. Qin Lu harbored deep hatred for that man and would never pass up this opportunity—which was exactly why she had asked Heath to remind Qin Lu not to act rashly.
But she hadn't expected things to unfold this way.
Heath knew Qin Lu just as well. She couldn't possibly be unaware that the suspicious items in the Emperor's residence were most likely Qin Lu's doing—yet Heath had exposed the whole thing.
Regardless of what Heath and Qin Lu were each thinking, Ye Zheng knew this was a matter she, as Pope, could not reasonably intervene in. The Emperor held absolute authority over this judgment.
The bishops and priests lingering outside the Pope's office looked startled to see Ye Zheng return. They immediately swarmed around her again, trying to change her mind.
"Your Holiness, we consider The Disciples to be heretics as well as criminals who pose a grave danger to the Empire. Sierra in particular is also wanted by the Royal Family. With only the Sei Curia taking point, we fear…"
"The Public Security Bureau will be sending personnel to participate in this operation. I have also authorized the Royal Knight Order's involvement—any further questions?"
Under Ye Zheng's cold, smiling gaze, the group stammered into silence, bowed, and withdrew.
The Emperor didn't trust her—of course he would dispatch his own forces to monitor the operation.
Ye Zheng had graciously agreed. Keeping the Emperor's people in plain sight made it easier to flush out the disloyal elements within the Sei Curia.
Under her arrangement, the squad leader dispatched by the Public Security Bureau was Wu Shu. The people who had just come to lobby her would not be returning alive.
As for whom the Emperor would send, Ye Zheng already had a guess.
A few days later, the force assembled to apprehend The Disciples was ready to depart—and the verdict on Qin Lu had also been handed down.
Qin Lu had admitted to the charges outright, leaving no room for appeal. She was sentenced to death. The news sent shockwaves across the Empire, instantly becoming the most talked-about story in the nation.
By Imperial tradition, a priest was to counsel the condemned and cleanse their soul before execution.
Ye Zheng used this as grounds to intervene, delaying the execution and dispatching people to protect Qin Lu in prison, lest she meet with an "accident."
The weather was fine today. Row upon row of silver light armor glinted in the sun—Sei Curia troops alongside knights dispatched by the Royal Family.
Ye Zheng stood on the elevated platform and immediately spotted Percy.
Percy seemed to sense something too. Even across the sea of people, his entire body tensed.
But Ye Zheng appeared to give him no more than a careless glance before launching into a brief rallying address, paying no mind to an ordinary soldier.
Percy exhaled slightly—yet other emotions clogged his chest.
During this period he'd had the fortune of receiving General Bai Yi's personal guidance. Bai Yi had even bent the rules to include him in this operation as a chance to gain real experience. If he distinguished himself, he could bypass next year's evaluation and enter the Royal Knight Order directly.
Ye Zheng already had her eye on him. He had to grow stronger—and more prominent—as quickly as possible.
Under the increasingly harsh sunlight, Ye Zheng narrowed her eyes slightly. The Emperor's side would push hard to make Percy shine during this operation—she had anticipated that and saw no need to interfere.
The point was simply to showcase Percy's reputation and let the real Divine Sword step into the spotlight. The more convincing Percy became, the more precarious her position as the Pope wielding a counterfeit Divine Sword.
In truth, Ye Zheng didn't want to underestimate any enemy. But calling Percy her adversary was a stretch.
[What a classic villain-underestimates-the-hero moment. He's still the protagonist of King of the Demonic Domain, you know.]
The System chimed in with a jab.
"Too bad—in my story, he doesn't even qualify as a villain."
A voice tinged with amusement echoed back at the System in her mind. Having delivered her final words of encouragement, Ye Zheng turned and departed under the solemn gazes of the crowd below.
The force set out for the West District. Ye Zheng changed into lighter casual clothes, boarded a carriage, and headed for the upper district's prison.
She wanted to see Qin Lu, and happened to run into the princess, who had just finished visiting.
Heath was no longer draped in the cumbersome court gown. Dressed in everyday clothes, she looked considerably lighter—yet the instant she saw Ye Zheng, her figure stiffened almost imperceptibly.
"Your Holiness, are you here to visit Duchess Qin Lu as well?"
In the narrow corridor, the two came face to face. The greeting broke the silence.
"Mm."
Ye Zheng lowered her lashes.
The somewhat cool response hung in the air. Heath's expression grew a touch rigid, but she didn't step aside. The two stood in a subtle standoff.
With no one else around, Heath spoke again, her voice low. "This was something Teacher Qin Lu and I decided together."
"He… can't be killed by ordinary means. By then the setup could no longer be dismantled. Rather than waiting for it to be discovered someday, it was better to…"
Better for her to be the one to "discover" it, report it to the Emperor, and earn his deeper trust.
Hearing this, Ye Zheng showed no surprise. Yet her lowered dark eyes betrayed a faint trace of wistfulness. Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. "Heath, you moved too fast."
Heath looked up. A flicker of agitation surfaced on a face accustomed to staying meek and downcast. Her lips parted and closed soundlessly several times, as though she wanted to say so much—to tell Ye Zheng that she had stumbled upon the Emperor's secret by accident, that she had no choice but to act quickly. In the end, she swallowed her justifications and regained her composure.
Ye Zheng knew, and Heath knew: there had been ways to silently bury Qin Lu's "evidence" without a trace.
This wasn't a decision reached jointly by Heath and Qin Lu. It was a decision Heath had persuaded Qin Lu to accept—staking her life as the price, betting everything on Heath.
"Ye Zheng, I… I'm sorry."
Ye Zheng gazed at Heath without blinking. After a moment, she said, "You don't owe anyone an apology."
In the long, silent corridor, Ye Zheng stepped forward, passing Heath as they brushed shoulders.
"Heath, you are remarkable. I wish you everything you're striving for."
Footsteps echoed through the quiet corridor. Heath couldn't help but look back. She watched Ye Zheng's figure gradually recede into the distance, that gentle, sincere blessing still lingering in her ears, making the tips of them tremble.
She stood there for a while, then turned without lingering and walked toward the exit.
*
The lower district, a grand cathedral somewhere in the West District.
A golden-haired youth lounged lazily atop the black wings of a Dragon-Bodied Human. Below, a Disciple reporting in craned her neck as far as it would go, practically shouting her update as though afraid the leader perched high above couldn't hear.
"Are you saying Ye Zheng has finally sent people to capture me?"
Sierra, who had been lounging comfortably, opened her red eyes and sat up.
The West District had few Demonic Domains and relatively simple, honest residents. Disputes were rare, and the vast territory meant the Sei Curia and local government had grown complacent—dealing with them required little effort.
Sierra and her people had swept from the westernmost edge of the West District all the way south, seizing territory as they went. She didn't care if the Sei Curia and government forces reclaimed her former holdings.
She had noticed that the Dragon-Bodied Humans seemed drawn by a powerful urge toward a certain direction. She guessed that was where Dragon Bone was buried.
Dragon Bone boosted her power enormously. Sierra wasn't about to pass that up. She even put Lucy on the back burner, charging ahead single-mindedly.
"Yes! The false earthly kings seek to annihilate us and bury the true faith of the God of Hope. They are destined to fail! We, The Disciples, are the true followers of the God of Hope—"
"When is Ye Zheng arriving?"
Sierra cut her off without mercy.
"Uh, you mean the impostor Pope? She probably won't come in person… Let me look into it further…"
"Scram."
Sierra's eyelids drooped. She flicked her wrist, and the girl below scurried away.
"Wait."
Sierra, who had been about to lie back down, seemed to think of something and sat up straight again.
The subordinate who had already reached the door came sprinting back.
"Is that Sykes coming?"
"Huh?"
"The Crown Prince—Sykes!"
Sierra glared impatiently at the girl gaping up at her with a clueless expression. It was definitely from spending too much time around that idiot Lucy—it had actually raised her tolerance for stupid people.
Sending a handful of foot soldiers and thinking that was enough to take her down? Ye Zheng was truly arrogant.
Even if that Sykes came back for a rematch, he'd only end up being toyed with again.
"Crown Prince Sykes? Haven't heard anything about him. He was supposedly punished by the Emperor and sent to the lower district for some offense a while back. Then after the palace incident, there's been no word of him at all…"
"Oh, but there is one rumor I heard."
Sierra's unruly tufts of hair twitched. "What rumor?"
"Originally they said his hunting grounds went out of control and monsters escaped and hurt people—that's why he was banished to the lower district. But some people are now saying it wasn't the hunting-ground monsters at all. He brought a Demonic Domain into the upper district."
"And on the day the palace was attacked, something resembling the demon dragon appeared. Some people are saying… the Crown Prince turned into it!"
The girl rubbed her arms, shuddering. "How could the heir to the Empire possibly be that kind of monster? That's terrifying—"
She caught the massive dragon enthroned in the center of the cathedral shifting with apparent displeasure and hurriedly changed the subject. "Anyway, everyone's on edge."
"But it's the upper district that's most worried. Some people suspect there might be a problem with the Dragon Bone buried under the upper district. If even the upper district isn't safe anymore…"
Sierra listened, pausing to recall the Empire's long-standing official narrative: Dragon Bone deterred and repelled Demonic Domains, and the upper district—where Dragon Bone was buried—was the safest place in the Empire, the most impregnable fortress in times of crisis.
The people of the lower district and the Middle District dreamed of having more Dragon Bone, of living free from the threat of Demonic Domains—never realizing they were the ones who had been living alongside Dragon Bone all along.
"Interesting… how very interesting…"
At the thought of the chaos and upheaval about to sweep across this nation, Sierra leaped down with excitement. Behind her, the Dragon-Bodied Human slowly rose to its full, massive height, its horns puncturing the cathedral's painted dome.
Sierra asked, "How long until they arrive?"
"Empire Central Station's trains were destroyed, so it'll take them about two days of travel."
"Too slow. Let's go meet them halfway."
Sierra hummed a little tune as she strolled out through the cathedral doors, the reporting girl trotting close behind.
They had barely taken a few steps when the Dragon-Bodied Human—so black it was nearly indistinguishable from the night—burst through the cathedral. The building collapsed in on itself, taking the divine statues inside with it.
*
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