Chapter 162 (1): Angel Trap
Mona took the jewelry box but didn’t immediately open it. She was an intelligent woman as long as there was no hand on her behind. She could tell that Archibald was insinuating something, only she needed more time to read between the lines to figure out the hidden message.
Protecting her master was her inherent duty as a contracted servant. She would do her best even without the Pope’s order. The fact that the Pope had instructed his envoy to emphasize the point and even given her a personal reward...
“Mona, open it.” Wayne leaned toward her. “What treasure have you been given?”
Mona opened the box to reveal the cross pendant inside. It looked no different from the necklace many clergy members possessed, and she had one as well. It granted the holder the ability to transform and put on the uniform for the tactical team.
The present from the Pope couldn’t be this simple. Wayne glanced at Mona, telling her to take it so that they could check the gift once they returned.
Smiling, Archibald waited for their silent conversation to conclude before he said, “Mr. Wayne, now that His Holiness’s gift is received, it’s time for my gift.”
“You’re giving something, too?”
“Of course.” Archibald smiled warmly. “You are a reincarnated angel after all. Given your supreme status, any envoy from the Papal State would try to leave you with a good impression, me included.”
Listen to him. He made flattery sound so classy. With that face and that silver tongue, no wonder he had become the Pope’s confidant at a young age.
Wayne nodded, flattery well received. He arched an eyebrow. “Archibald, I’ll accept your gift, but again, I have to emphasize that I’m not an angel. It’s all a misunderstanding. When the truth comes out in the future, don’t blame me for not making it clear.”
“I understand.”
...No, you don’t!
Wayne sighed. Again, it was proven that while faith made one unwavering, religion made one foolish. This handsome man could rival him in every aspect, but he just had to put his blind trust in the Sacred Tome of Golden Law. Experience could lead to the wrong conclusion!
Nevertheless, Wayne knew that if a clergy member couldn’t even trust the Sacred Tome of Golden Law, there would be nothing in the world they could trust. Thus, there was no explaining that he was a fake angel. Only after all seven reincarnated angels emerged would he be able to clear his name and prove that he was human.
He supposed he would just wait. Time was the only solution.
“Mr. Wayne, I heard that your mundane identity is a businessman?”
“Part-time businessman. My main job is a detective. It’s a small business I started out of personal interest to give back to the community.”
Mona nodded. Being a detective was the best cover for going after crimes and demons under the guise of conducting an investigation. That was what she had done.
“And I heard you participated in the tender organized by Alberd Steel...” Archibald paused, explaining himself without being prompted. “Please don’t take it the wrong way. I didn’t investigate you on purpose. I was merely looking for ways to get on your good side. To my knowledge, your negotiation didn’t go that smoothly. Alberd Steel isn’t inclined to work with you.”
“That’s right. I’m ready to give up.”
“You’re too merciful,” Archibald marveled. “Given your status, you could’ve forced Alberd Steel to write up a contract for the bidder of your choice, but you didn’t do that. Instead, you chose to treat everyone fairly.”
Mona nodded. She swore she was being objective when she said that her master was too kind. That wouldn’t do. He would get exploited.
“Mr. Wayne, allow me to offer my help.” Archibald smiled genuinely. “I’ll arrange for the church to contact Grand Duchess Charlotte and the prime minister. As long as they give the go-ahead, Alberd Steel will certainly choose you as their new partner.”
Luzerbourg was a constitutional monarchy. Grand Duchess Charlotte was the head of the nation and the commander-in-chief of the military, holding the legislative and executive power. And she had the right to call for the dissolution of parliament. Compared to other constitutional monarchies where the monarch was nothing but a figurehead, she had much greater power, allowing her to dictate the direction the nation would go in.
Wayne frowned. “To be honest, I don’t care if we can form a partnership with Luzerbourg. Success will be nice, but failure won’t matter. There’s no need to suppress a small nation that is already in a difficult place with the power of the church.”
It wasn’t a lie. Since the leaders of the four nations had already held their meeting in September, he could foresee what would happen in the next couple of years without even using his brain.
A world war!
Once the war broke out, Luzerbourg would surrender at once, and Prussia would be holding a military parade right in front of the duchess’s estate. What if he won the bid now? The business would only be taken over by Prussia, and he might not even earn enough to break even.
Moreover, he was vehemently against introducing the extraordinary aspects of the world to the ordinary side of reality. If possible, he hoped that the two sides would never overlap.
Windsor had been doing well in that regard, at least on the surface.
“You misunderstood, Mr. Wayne. The church will never oppress any country. Times are different. We can’t do that even if we want to.” Archibald smiled. “It’s just a coincidence that Luzerbourg is a nation of devouts. Around ninety-nine percent of the population follows the Heavenly Father.”
(一`´一)
How conservative of you not to say a hundred percent! Just call Luzerbourg the back garden of the church!
And nice posturing without being heavy-handed. Please never flaunt your power at me again.
Knowing that Archibald could take care of everything, Wayne stopped turning him down, but on one condition: “Don’t link me to the church for this matter. I’m an archdeacon of the Church of Nature at the moment. It’ll be troublesome if I suddenly gain influence in the Church of Heavenly Father.”
“I understand.” Archibald stopped smiling and nodded. Just like that, the contract that the mundane people had worked themselves to death to win was decided in a few words.
Afterwards, they returned to the topic of the Pope’s preferences for more than an hour. Although Wayne had never met the Pope in person, he had gained a concrete understanding of the man through the conversation. Whenever a clergywoman in uniform walked past the Pope’s palace, he would always look at her judgmentally until she disappeared.
Simply put, he was an old pervert.
At ten o’clock at night, Wayne reluctantly ended their chat. He grabbed the sacred lance pendant hovering in the air and said, “Archibald, I look forward to our next meeting—if we ever meet again.”
“The feeling is mutual, Mr. Wayne.”
They bade each other farewell. Wayne put an arm around Mona’s waist, hand sliding down to cup her behind in an attempt to prove something, but it ended up being counterproductive.
“Now my hands are itching.” Archibald waved at Titus. “Come here, Titus. Look how she plays her role as a servant. Why are you so passive in comparison?”
Titus coyly went up to stand beside Archibald, her face flushing as a hand found her bottom. “Master, please. This is the Holy Mother Cathedral... Let’s pray together.”
“What does that have to do with me? She’s not my holy mother.” Archibald looked at her with a smile and blew air at her ear. “Titus, you like it when I do this, don’t you?”
“No, why would I? Impossible.” Titus shook her head, her face fully red now. She tried to change the subject. “Master, why did you accept the mission? And I thought you would tell Wayne your true identity.”
“It’s not necessary. He doesn’t have his memory, and neither do I. Why should two strangers pretend to know each other?”
Thinking of something, Archibald laughed. “The Pope gave Mona a mission. He’s up to something. Let me guess. He gave you a mission as well, didn’t he?”
Titus’s ears had turned a deep red. She shook her head at first, but then nodded in admission. “He... he might have.”
“Tell me in great detail what mission it is. How do I work with you? Is there any teaching material?”
Titus didn’t say anything. She was so red that it looked like steam would come out of her ears.