Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Luo Mi paused for a moment, then asked as if to confirm, “So Bishop Thomas is your maternal uncle?”
Anos nodded: “Yes.”
Since Anos said so, it meant that Bishop Thomas was not lying.
Luo Mi recalled Caroline II’s life and came to a guess: Bishop Thomas might be the previous heir of the Alpha Empire! The crown prince who died in internal strife when Caroline II was fourteen!
It was because of the death of the Crown Prince that Caroline II was forced to ascend the throne, sacrificing her marriage to win over the military, but in doing so, she became an empress.
If Bishop Thomas was indeed the Crown Prince, it meant he was seriously injured during the civil war and had to rely on the Papacy for treatment. The Papacy controlled the Crown Prince of the Empire, and given the current Pope’s style, it was likely that they intended to use him to control the Empire. Therefore, they lured or forced Bishop Thomas to join the Papacy, but they did not expect that Caroline II would be so outstanding.
Since the Pope could see into the entire Light Domain, Anos’s background must not be a secret. If the Pope allowed Anos to sit in the position of Holy Son, was it also because he wanted to use Anos’s identity to control Caroline II?
Bishop Thomas seemed to have a good relationship with Queen Caroline II, so he was the only one in the current College of Cardinals who was completely biased towards Anos…
All sorts of thoughts rose and burst in Luo Mi’s mind like bubbles, and finally slowly settled down.
He thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, “Didn’t Bishop Thomas tell you about your mother’s current identity?”
Anos shook his head: “He said it’s not convenient for him to tell me right now.”
Luo Mi remained silent. It seemed that Bishop Thomas and Queen Caroline II were not yet ready to break the ice.
He suddenly realized that Bishop Thomas’s move had drawn all the suspicion onto him, and that Anos’s respect for him would prevent him from pursuing the matter further, leading Anos to discover that his background seemed to have hit a dead end.
After thinking carefully for a moment, Luo Mi asked, “Does Bishop Thomas have any opinion on alchemists?”
Anos shook his head: “I asked my father— well, I still prefer to call him that— and he said that under His Holiness the Pope’s relentless crackdown over the years, alchemists have basically disappeared. Even those who remain have lost most of their technology and knowledge, making them no longer a force to be reckoned with.”
It’s no different from saying nothing at all… As a demon who had repeatedly used similar rhetoric to deceive Anos, Luo Mi immediately guessed that Bishop Thomas must know something.
Where did Bishop Thomas go?
“My father came to see me under the pretext of conveying His Majesty’s decree to Queen Caroline II, and he is now on his way to visit her.”
Luo Mi’s eyes lit up, and she immediately suggested, “How about we eavesdrop?”
Anos was taken aback: “Why?”
Then I’ll have to come up with some reason… Luo Mi’s mind raced quickly: “The royal family and alchemists have a relationship, so it’s impossible for Caroline II not to know. Bishop Thomas and Caroline II are old acquaintances, so maybe Caroline II will test the bishop’s words to see if the Papacy knows and how much it knows.”
Anos thought for a moment and agreed, “That makes sense— Lian, how do you know that Father and Her Majesty the Queen are old acquaintances?”
Luo Mi chuckled dryly: “Intuitive reasoning.”
Because of Luo Mi’s previous correct “reasoning,” Anos nodded trustingly: “The feather bracelet I made for you isn’t finished yet. Hold on to me and don’t let go. It will be a little troublesome to hide in the palace.”
He then reached out his hand to Luo Mi.
Luo Mi placed his right hand in Anos’s palm, and then it was gripped tightly.
Anos made a cross on his chest, and the two figures vanished instantly.
In the blink of an eye, the two figures reappeared in the same spot, but they simply sat on the sofa, quietly flipping through books, as silent as the sea.
Reinhardt stood in the doorway, glanced inside, and raised an eyebrow slightly.
….
Queen Caroline II, her hair loosely tied up, sat on the soft sofa, slowly sipping a cup of fragrant tea, and said with a smile, “I prefer tea to alcohol. It’s mellow and light, and it doesn’t numb my mind.”
Bishop Thomas sat opposite her and glanced at Caroline II: “At your age, you should drink more milk so that your legs won’t have problems later on.”
Queen Caroline II’s smile faded slightly: “If I remember correctly, the bishop is older than me?”
Bishop Thomas made the sign of the Papacy on his chest: “I drink milk every day now.”
“…” Queen Caroline II gave up arguing with him and instead asked, “So, does His Holiness the Pope have any divine pronouncements that the bishop needs to deliver to me?”
Bishop Thomas lowered his hand: “His Majesty has not shown up much these days, so I used this as an excuse to come and see His Highness the Holy Son.”
Queen Caroline II’s delicate eyebrows twitched slightly: “What’s wrong, Your Highness?”
Bishop Thomas was blunt: “He discovered Florian’s relationship with him.”
Queen Caroline II remained silent for a moment, then laughed: “It was bound to happen sooner or later. Fortunately, we made plans in advance.”
Bishop Thomas still looked worried: “What if he investigates further?”
Queen Caroline II picked up her white porcelain teacup again: “I will discuss this with him tonight.”
Bishop Thomas frowned. “I don’t think your decision to contact the other Anos was a good one.”
“Would it be better to just cover up the problem like the Vatican does and pretend it doesn’t exist?” Queen Caroline II picked up a delicately baked cookie and said casually, “Whether we reintegrate them or separate them completely, it requires their own cooperation.”
“But the other side is, after all, evil…” Bishop Thomas shook his head.
Queen Caroline II laughed: “Thomas, have you really become a devout believer in God?”
Bishop Thomas paused for a moment before saying, “In any case, the power of God does exist, and it is as vast as the sea.”
Queen Caroline II said calmly, “I believe in the power of God, but I do not believe in God’s mercy.”
Bishop Thomas looked up and stared at her as if she had made some shocking statement.
Queen Caroline II looked back calmly, their two almost identical blue eyes meeting in a serene gaze.
….
From the corner where their figures were hidden, another pair of azure eyes fell on the two of them, slightly surprised and lost in thought.
Anos was not stupid— on the contrary, he had excellent thinking ability; he was simply unable to make connections due to a lack of information.
Although the conversation between Caroline II and Bishop Thomas did not reveal any core information, it was enough for him to think about many things.
And……
Anos’s gaze lingered on the two faces, his pupils dilating and contracting slightly.
Blue eyes were not uncommon, but when Queen Caroline II and Bishop Thomas stood together, one could see just how similar their eyes were.
This had led to some chilling speculations.
Luo Mi glanced cautiously at Anos’s expression and sighed inwardly.
That was why he didn’t tell Anos about the relationship between Caroline II and Bishop Thomas but let Anos discover it himself— things one discovered oneself were easier to believe.
Luo Mi could feel Anos gripping his hand unconsciously, then slowly relaxing as if afraid of hurting him.
Seeing that Bishop Thomas had gotten up to take his leave, Anos silently led Luo Mi away as well.
They returned to their lodgings together, making their figures visible again.
Anos sat on the sofa, quietly watching the slowly descending dusk outside the window and the illusory face reflected in the glass, looking at those blue eyes that were tinged with orange-red by the dusk and filled with confusion.
Sometimes he would feel that his reflection moved, as if it were giving him a malicious and mocking smile; but he would immediately realize that it was just his own illusion.
After a long while, he let out a soft breath and gave a self-deprecating laugh.
Luo Mi pursed her lips and asked, “What do you plan to do?”
Anos lowered his eyes, made several crosses on his chest to calm himself down, and then said, “According to Her Majesty the Empress and my father, although I am unaware of it, I should have experienced a split, and there is another me, who is also a demon. Moreover, Caroline II has been communicating with this other me.”
Luo Mi was stunned, not expecting that Anos would be thinking about this.
Anos continued speaking to himself, “When I was in the Duchy of Perde, the Blackwing Lord showed his face, which looked exactly like mine, and he also said to me, ‘I am you’… Regardless of whether he used magic to deceive everyone, it can be guessed that the other me that Her Majesty the Queen was referring to was the Blackwing Lord.”
“Her Majesty the Queen does not intend to communicate with me but is willing to take the initiative to contact the Blackwing Lord, which means that she believes the Blackwing Lord is more trustworthy— perhaps because she is unsure whether my stance will lean towards the Papacy or the Empire if I communicate with her.”
“Based on this, if I were to directly inquire with Her Majesty the Queen, she would likely try to evade the question in various ways…”
At this point, Arno paused and looked at Luo Mi, “I plan to impersonate the Blackwing Lord.”
Luo Mi was stunned for a moment before managing to squeeze out a sentence: “…That’s a really good idea.”
Anos curled his lips without much of a smile: “I saw the true face of the Blackwing Lord in the Duchy of Perde. He can pass muster in terms of appearance, but I’m afraid I’ll need your help with his demeanor and tone.”
Luo Mi was startled, thinking that Anos had discovered his affair with the Blackwing Lord: “How can I help?”
“I need to borrow a little of your magic…” Anos thought for a moment, “Also, you’ve been in contact with Susan and the others, could you give me some pointers on the expressions and tone of voice of a demon?”
For a moment, Luo Mi really suspected that Anos was saying this on purpose, but seeing Anos’s trusting and sincere face, she slowly nodded: “Okay.”
….
Anos stood in front of the mirror, looking at himself in the mirror.
His pupils were as red as blood, exuding a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay; his skin was pale, and his height, shoulder width, and waist were all slightly less than normal. A cold smile played on his lips, and the shadow behind him condensed into the shape of wings.
Using some disguised divine magical artifacts and Luo Mi’s magic, Anos successfully transformed into the appearance of the Blackwing Lord.
He gave Luo Mi a cold look: “How about it?”
Luo Mi subconsciously took a step back, suppressing the fear that welled up inside her: “It’s…it looks quite similar.”
—It’s more than just similar! He even suspected that the Blackwing Lord had possessed him again!
—Are they ultimately the same person? The Blackwing Lord’s disguise as the pure Holy Son was flawless, and the Holy Son’s disguise as the ruthless demon was also almost impossible to detect.
When Anos saw Luo Mi retreat, his eyes softened instinctively, but he quickly realized he was pretending. He straightened his expression and nodded haughtily: “You did well.”
He turned to look at the sky outside.
Night had fallen, and lights were lit throughout the palace, replacing the bustling daytime with the tranquil night.
It was now late at night, and Queen Caroline II should have finished all her work for the day and be getting ready for bed.
This was the first time Anos had ever disguised himself like this, and his heart was filled with a strange feeling that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.
Perhaps this is deception… This thought flashed through Anos’s mind.
He then lowered his eyes slightly, feeling ironic that he had been so indifferent to the “deception”.
Regardless, let’s first see the truth of the matter… Anos mentally reviewed the conversation he was going to have with Caroline II, and stepped towards the door.
As he opened the door, Anos paused, turned to look at Luo Mi, his crimson eyes seeming to encompass Luo Mi entirely.
He then heard his little devil ask somewhat nervously, “What’s wrong?”
Anos was silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice, “Lian, you won’t lie to me, will you?”
Seeing Luo Mi slowly nod, Anos smiled and closed the door before leaving.
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