25. Extreme Coercion

After that, I pulled the saintess Ikusis along at a speed that felt like I could almost fly, taking advantage of Kefir’s identity to rush back to the summit venue.

This is not the time to dwell on that impostor’s identity or ponder how to deal with the unexpected twist in the Ioceus script – the part where Ioceus doubts Executors’ abilities and status. Despite having rescued Ioceus, the queen’s situation remains delicate, and the church’s antagonist, the yellow-haired cardinal, surely isn’t about to let this incident go unnoticed!

As we walked, Ioceus, forcibly dragged along, managed to catch up after a sprint. Looking at me with suspicion straight from the script, she asked, “What did you do…”

“You startled, Holy Lady. Was it that? True, I am a hidden powerhouse, and when you tried to flee, you even dared to kick me. But believe me; I have more than a hundred ways to torment you! Haha! “

Ioceus trembled, almost believing me, but quickly regained her composure and insisted, “You know what I meant, right?!”

Of course, I was aware of the secrets – her identity, my powers, even the trouble-maker fairy Alsaiss. Unfortunately, divulging any of those would be inappropriate. Given that Keffel kept an eye on me, I decided not to engage.

“Please, avoid adding to the chaos. You should be clear on what to do once we return to the summit,” I said, reminding her of her duties.

Ioceus had played dumb before! It was hard to fathom a naive holy maid surviving the circumstances, even if using her abilities. The script had made that much clear, though it hinted at some foolishness.

With the summit hall now within reach, tensions ran high for the Great Aing Empire and several other kingdoms supporting the “drop in Ioceus’ arrest warrant.” The absence of the goddess’s representative, the cardinal, who gloated about Ioceus being attacked and blamed Queen Luise IV of Aing, did little to ease the situation.

“That’s why, Queen of Aing! Ioceus was indeed assaulted by Executor Euclid, and she remains missing! Your subordinates are inept, at best, trying to cover up for them!”

“And you, the first to push for the warrant’s cancellation – our church doubts your intentions! You seem to have an ulterior motive, perhaps linked to the wanted criminal, and the rest of nations share doubts!”

Breathless and eager, the cardinal paused, acknowledging the truth of Ioceus’ disappearance despite their malicious intent. Luise IV faced a difficult

“Are you feeling a bit disappointed, Your Excellency the Archbishop~”

Of course, what I saw was a villainous face that shifted from surprise to terror, gradually contorting into a grotesque expression.

Accompanied by a script that made me want to laugh and cry at the same time.

【Louis IV favors O’Keefe.】

I know, I know, isn’t it enough, Your Majesty? Could you please not look over here? That sudden smile you just revealed is truly unsettling!

The surroundings erupted into chaos. After all, just moments ago, the Archbishop had vehemently declared that the Saintess, who had been attacked by the wanted criminal O’Keefe, had returned unscathed! And the one who brought her back was none other than someone from the “Great Empire that shelters O’Keefe,” as the Archbishop had put it. When you think about it, the implications of this situation suddenly became quite intriguing.

Isn’t it? The real show is just beginning.

My appearance was the signal. After the Archbishop had just sent me a chilling “mysterious smile,” the Queen reached out and tapped the table. I wasn’t careless, nor did I intend to give that Archbishop even a sliver of a chance to turn the tables or to argue his little schemes!

“Ladies and gentlemen, it seems you are quite concerned about this matter, so let me give you an answer: Everything the Archbishop just said is because the dear Archbishop wants to create trouble for the Saintess and take control of the Church for himself. So he used O’Keefe’s name to stage a play, eliminating the Saintess while simultaneously boosting his own reputation and disgusting the Great Empire.”

“Looking at it this way, O’Keefe is truly pitiful. Clearly, he did nothing, yet his reputation is being exploited by the Archbishop. Sigh~”

I turned to Icusis. I wasn’t afraid of this fool suddenly switching sides because in the script, she was merely playing dumb, and now, when it came to choosing “who to side with,” this fool was even clearer than I was .

“Your Highness the Saintess, you agree, don’t you?”