Endless Silver Machine

Lilith sat up from the bed wrapped in what looked like the windbreaker that Brad had worn before.

The redness and swelling on the side of her face had subsided, but new blood stains were still stuck to it.

That's all the blood splattered from Lars' body. Now the lean man with sinister features had turned into a corpse, lying under the bed.

Brad's knife directly cut off his carotid artery. From the large blood spatter on the wall, you can understand why Brad told her not to open her eyes.

Just the smell of blood made Lilith so sick that she wanted to vomit. If she directly saw the viscous liquid spraying in the air, she would definitely scream even more uncontrollably than when she was pushed.

"If you really don't plan to rely on anyone, let alone helping the Qianze family, they will still be busy trying to save you."

"sorry……"

Lilith decided to tell Brad about today's plan at the last moment last night.

The dark fog of the magic weapon "Dark Moon" originally only absorbed the magic power of the opponent within the range until death.

Brad's ability to superimpose light magic on magic equipment also eliminates his own magical aura.

He sent people to follow Lilith from the beginning, but tracking did not apply to intelligence agent Lars.

So after Lars took Lilith out of the tavern, he began to track Lilith's PDA signal after he cracked it.

Lilith herself didn't know that her PDA had been cracked at some point. This was the espionage technology of the "Luo Xi" family.

"What are you looking for? Hurry up and do it."

"The key to the Imperial Intelligence Agency is a string of numbers or characters. This person should have left a backup somewhere..."

"There's no way that kind of thing should be placed outside the body, right?"

"I thought so too, but he didn't have it on him..."

"...You go to other rooms first to see if there is water to wash your face with. I'll turn his body down."

Brad tore off the sheets and pulled them over his hands to make crude makeshift gloves.

Lilith was still wrapped in her windbreaker and sat on the bed without moving.

"I'm going to take off all his clothes next. Do you want to stay here until the end?"

"...Then I'll search in this room first. I won't look over there at you."

Is this woman afraid of walking out of this room alone...

"up to you."

Brad felt troublesome and scratched his hair, then squatted down next to Lars' body.

After Brad began to concentrate on examining the body, Lilith pursed her lips and turned away, taking off her tattered clothes and stockings under the windbreaker and throwing them aside.

After buttoning the windbreaker, the hem of the windbreaker extended all the way to Lilith's feet, so that it was impossible to tell that she was wearing nothing but underwear.

Now she was not as scared as before, and the aftertaste of fear was getting weaker and weaker with time, but Lilith's tears still flowed out unsatisfactorily.

Brad glanced at Lilith, who had just said he was going to search other places, but was still sitting on the bed with her back to him. He hesitated for a moment, but finally said nothing.

He took off all the clothes on Lars's body and found no special marks on his skin.

It is unlikely that it is hidden on the surface of the scalp where the hair is attached, and there are no traces of possible nail polish treatment. And then...

"Inside the mouth..."

Lars was not dead long before Brad pried open his mouth with a small wooden stick he picked up from the floor.

Evidence tracking is not a course at Frost Moon Academy. Brad's specialty is the Pharmacy Department, which studies human physiology and pathology.

This knowledge is the product of the elite education given to Brad by the "Roxi" family since childhood, just like the social etiquette that Lilith has memorized by heart.

"found it……"

Among the two rows of yellowed teeth, only one canine has a less obvious color difference, making it look more like a denture.

Brad concentrated his magic power on his fingertips and used the enhanced power to pull out the denture.

The root of the denture is a golden metal rod, and the denture has a small mechanism to remove the metal rod.

"Is this the key you're talking about?"

"Let me take a look."

Lilith took the small golden metal rod from Brad's hand. There seemed to be something engraved on the metal rod, but she couldn't see clearly.

"Look for other rooms as well. The 'Luo Xi' family will dispose of the body together with this house soon."

"But does it really matter if the 'Luo Xi' family helps me do this kind of thing?"

"It's nothing. This is investigating you in my own name. In the end, just treat it as if there are no results. As for here, it is common for intelligence agents to die in hiding places, and Roosevelt Del will not care about missing one or two people. ."

It is indeed a very convenient excuse to investigate in one's own name. This kind of entrustment is generally not reported to the family's upper echelons.

Lilith also used this method to investigate the information in the Imperial Intelligence Agency without the upper management of the family knowing.

"Thank you, classmate Brad."

"I said it was a cooperative relationship, so there is no need to say this to me again."

As a result, the house was turned upside down and nothing like the key was found.

Lilith took Russ's PDA and the metal rod that Brad found, and contacted Serit to drive to pick him up at the agreed upon location.

Brad dropped Lilith off on the side of the road and didn't leave until Serit picked her up in the car.

Tonight, a fire broke out in an abandoned house on the outskirts of Eastern District, killing one person unexpectedly.

…………

Back to this morning, Pope Sethis met with Aika and others in the sanctuary.

The young supreme leader of the Curia had just concluded the Council of Augustus late yesterday.

"This is not the first time we have met, so I will jump right into the topic." Sethis's single-sided glasses revealed an intellectual light, "The Holy See can assist you to save the third princess within its capabilities."

Sethis expressed his willingness to cooperate on behalf of the Holy See, which was equivalent to giving Aika the backing to not lose to the power of the empire.

The Bis Empire has always been jointly managed by Augustus and the Holy See. Augustus is composed of the royal family and the Senate, while the Holy See is centered on the Pope, and the two powers are competing against each other.

"Although it is not visible on the surface, the impact of the third princess's treason on the people is unpredictable. She is an iconic figure in the royal family. Now the royal family has lost its credibility, the radicals in the Senate are raising armaments, and the empire is already on the verge of disintegration. On the edge.”

"Are you willing to assist us for the future of the empire?"

"Whether the third princess premeditated the assassination of the emperor cannot be explained to the public without conclusive evidence. If the 'Qianze' family and the 'Heinz' family use their own judgment to unveil the flag for the third princess, I believe it will be at least better than the elders. The hospital’s approach is more appropriate.”

"Your Holiness, are you saying that we must act in the name of the family before you can help?"

"Yes, Ling Heinz. I think this suggestion will also help your righteousness, right?"

"I do not agree with the contemporary pope's rhetoric."

"Inili?"

Aika didn't summon Inili, she ran out on her own initiative.

Sethis did not show any surprise at Inili's appearance, but his vision under his single-sided glasses became sharper.

"Why do you think this is 'analyzing sophistry'?"

"Because your proposal is not for the faith that the Holy See has always flaunted and the development of the Bis Empire. It is just for the rights in the empire."

Inili flicked her sleeves, unabashedly placing an undisguised purpose on Thetis's head.

There was no dissatisfaction or anger on her expression, as if she was just talking about something that had nothing to do with her.

"I'm sorry, dad...this person is..."

"You don't need to speak, Wei Xi."

Thetis raised his hand to Wei Xi and turned to Inili.

Inili stood proudly between Aika and Sethis. Although it was just a virtual image of projection magic, she exuded a strong sense of presence.

Faint light particles floated in the room.

Luo Luo carefully reached out and touched the golden particles, and then they disappeared from Luo Luo's fingertips.

"What's this……"

"This is the 'Saint's Protection'..." Wei Xi explained to everyone, "A favor that only knights of the Holy See who have been baptized by the Holy See can accept..."

Seeing the sudden change in the magic power of the sanctuary, Sethis suddenly realized.

"That's it, it turns out you are..."

He stood up from his seat, came to Inili, and leaned down to salute her.

"The fifth generation Pope of the Holy Realm, Sethis, has an audience with the Holy Lady."

"Saintess... Is Miss Inili a saintly lady?"

The words Weixi said to Sethis, she was once a knight of the Holy See, she should have saluted like the Pope, but for her, Inili was just someone she had met not long ago.

"The saint is the one who led humanity to victory during the cross-border war and founded this country, right?"

Lolo learned all this knowledge from the history class taught by Retika's tutor.

In the cross-border war a hundred years ago, the human hero was hailed as the "Saint" by later generations, and she is also the bloodline of the current royal family "Iela".

"Exactly, my name is Enili Yiela, and she is the source of the establishment of the Holy See's faith."

The long hair that poured down like a violet waterfall extended to the twelve pieces of clothing, and Inili spoke her name solemnly.

Women who should not have existed in the world fifty or sixty years ago are now standing in front of everyone through projection magic.

Wei Xi had not officially left the Holy See and was still accepting the "Saint's Protection" at this moment, so she was restless and hesitant about whether to salute this legendary figure like the Pope.

"Why can the saints in history still talk to us now? Will human lifespan be so long?"

Wei Xi and Luo Luo were hesitant to ask the question, but Ling asked it for them.

"The noble body of the Holy Lady is kept underground in the Imperial City Defense Bureau, and her consciousness has been turned into a data stream to serve as the nerve center of the Bis Empire."

"Professor Cocona, did you know this from the beginning?"

"Of course, I was shocked when I found out. I didn't expect the Imperial City Defense Bureau to still hide such a secret."

Professor Cocona, who did not know when she entered the meeting hall, naturally spread her hands.

"Oh, Cocona, you're here too, so I can save you the trouble of explaining."

"The Pope agreed to let me accept the commission from the Imperial City Defense Bureau at that time. He should have considered this development, right?"

Professor Cocona smiled evilly and looked at Sethis who was finishing the etiquette, leaving all the explanation tasks to him.

"Indeed. If it's Cocona, I think you would be interested in this kind of thing before agreeing to let you contact the Imperial City Defense Bureau."

"In the end, I actually did this. After I came out, I felt that I had been deceived by you. But I made an agreement with Inili and I can't go back on it."

"So you still have such troubles. It seems that my request is causing you trouble."

"No, no, without Inili, our troubles would be even greater."

The conversation between Professor Cocona and the Saint, who are both Holy See Knights, was not tense at all, like friends they had just met not long ago.

Perhaps this was also due to Cocona's cheerful personality. The Pope did not criticize her unrestrained attitude.

"As the source of the Holy See's beliefs, I have the responsibility to correct the meaning of the establishment of the Holy See; as the founder of the Bis Empire and a bloodline of the 'Iela' family, I also have the responsibility to monitor your actions."

Inili Yiela turned to Thetis. In her eyes, the youngest pope in history was just an immature child.

"Pope Sethis, are you really using these children for the Bis Empire?"

If you say "no" here, the only people who can be deceived are "those children" in Inili's eyes.

Therefore, Sethis could only acquiesce to Inili's accusation, which was just to explain one point.

"Considering the current situation, transferring the national faith from Augustus to the Holy See is the most direct way to save this country from chaos."

"Belief……"

"Xue Chao Xiji seems to have understood it, but others still seem confused. Can you explain?"

"No...actually, I'm not very clear either..."

"It's a simple truth. If the third princess is really rehabilitated, it will be the royal family and the Senate who have lost their faith. The people will not care about the conservatives and radicals. At that time, the Holy See will be the new one to replace them. A pillar.”

Cocona is a genius girl, and her head is still spinning rapidly in fields other than magic mechanics.

Pope Sethis never told anyone about his plan, but carried it out steadily behind the scenes, including contact with the "Heinz" family.

"My Lady Saint, please decide the fate of the Holy See and the Bis Empire."

"If you don't make a decision, the one who should make the decision is the son of the two major families that the Holy See relies on."

"I accept the assistance of the Holy See. Although I have not considered the national level, if you don't object, Inili, it means that there are only two outcomes, success and failure, right?"

"Looking at it now, apart from the fact that Pope Sethis' ambition is not worth promoting, there are other merits."

"Wherever my brother wants to go, I will go with him."

"I will also follow Brother Aika..."

"We have all come here, and it is unreasonable to say that we want to go back now," Lingcao expressed her attitude, "But Your Holiness the Pope, I still have questions to ask you..."

"The liberation of the 'Heinz' family? If you think now is the right time."

Sethis stretched out his hand to the hesitant Ling, indicating that she could make her own decision.

Ling crossed her fingers on her knees, the expression on her face changed many times, and finally sighed as if she was letting out the conflicts accumulated in her heart.

"Can you make sure they're all okay?"

"I can assure you of this."

"...Forget it then, wait until all the current troubles are dealt with before picking them up."

Aika listened to her words, and even he could feel the heavy emotions contained in them.

Ling is different from a year ago. She has learned to control her personal emotions and will no longer stubbornly change her surroundings to follow her ideals.

Aika could not guarantee whether the riot would last a month, half a year, or even a year.

Ling carried the cross in her heart and walked through the year that extended from the past.

Although Sethis's promise freed her heart, the fact that nothing had changed still could not be simply put behind her mind.

The four people, representing the two declining families known as the "Twin Towers of Bis", signed an underground contract with the Holy See in this solemn meeting hall.

…………