Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 465 Seeds of Doubt
Carlo and many other sect leaders stayed in the church all night, unable to sleep. When the sun rose and the priests returned to the church, many of the exhausted sect leaders finally closed their eyes and dozed off on the church benches.

Fortunately, no further murders occurred that night.

Veronica also stayed up all night, wandering alone through the church late at night, but no matter how much she checked the files or asked other bishops and high priests about Sevier, she found nothing.

But at the same time, her premonition was confirmed.

The young man was not a heartless madman. The deaths of Darrant and Aurora each had their own significance. If Aurora's tragic death in the church garden was to intimidate the Pope and the leaders of various sects, so that they would not dare to leave the Cathedral of the Dawn Crown without permission, then what about Darrant?

The greatest mind-binder in the world was murdered in his own room, never expecting death even before he was severed. Therefore, if the murderer wanted, he could easily have disposed of the guards in front of the attic when he left, leaving them with no clues.

According to the guards downstairs, the murderer swaggered down from the second floor after killing Darrant, even nodding to them before leaving, which is why they didn't discover his body until evening.

Carlo insisted that the murderer's actions were a provocation against the Papacy and the entire far west, attempting to stir up the emotions of other sect leaders with a highly inflammatory speech. However, Veronica felt that this was not the case; she vaguely believed that the murderer wanted the surviving guards to convey a message to them.

Just like the fake priest's behavior in the confessional and the "murder notice" left by the murderer on the parchment before leaving, all signs indicate that the other party is an "upright and honest" person.

Veronica twirled her quill pen, staring blankly at the "murder warning" on the table.

After that insult directed at Carlo, she wrote down three names.

The ascetic Solaris, the mind-binder Darant, and the forest whisperer Aurora are the three who have been killed so far.

Her brow furrowed deeper and deeper, but she couldn't help but circle Solaris's name in the end.

Solaris was murdered in a border city. She was not present at the scene. According to border officials, Solaris was killed on her way home in the evening. The cause of death was a penetrating wound to the heart, also a single fatal blow. They found the Margaret family crest at the scene.

Judging solely from the modus operandi and the degree of "openness and honesty," it does indeed seem to be the work of the same murderer. However, when Carlo, facing a group of sect leaders, insisted that this must be an assassin sent by the Empire, Veronica felt that something was amiss.

If we assume that Bishop Solaris's death was the work of a murderer, then his motive is rather strange.

Let's see what the Margaret family crest discovered at the scene brought us.
This became the trigger for Carlo to launch a war against the Empire, and also brought great public pressure to the Empire. In Veronica's memory, Ivy Margaret was a person who attached great importance to public opinion. The call for "peaceful development" was put forward by her after she became the prime minister of the new cabinet. This proposal was supported by the Western Continent Deep Sea Council and has now developed into the most mainstream development direction of various countries.

This emblem immediately made her and the Empire the target of public criticism. Recently, newspapers have been publishing reports of Ivy attending various public meetings, insisting that the Empire has never intended to launch a war against any country or power.

Even if the empire ultimately wins the war, the public opinion environment they have been trying to build will inevitably be destroyed.

If, as the Pope is convinced, the murderer was indeed sent by the Margaret family, he would have no reason to leave evidence at the scene that points directly to the Empire.

Veronica tries to put herself in the shoes of the assassin.

Imagine if the Pope sent her to a small border town of the empire to kill a nobleman, and she, through "negligence" or "deliberate" act, left evidence at the scene that pointed directly to the Church of Life. When she returned, the Pope would surely want to smash her head in.

Gradually, Veronica's thoughts became clearer and clearer, and she soon had a bold idea.

in case……

Was Solaris's murder not committed by the same killer as the latter two?

When she crossed out Solaris's name, the awkward logic vanished instantly, and a bold idea sprouted in Veronica's mind.

Who is the murderer of Solaris?

It depends on who benefits most from Solaris's murder; this is basic common sense reasoning.

The next moment, Veronica's pupils contracted, and the quill pen she was spinning in her hand stopped.

When she came to her senses, she found herself covered in cold sweat.

Because this reasoning is simply too "bold".

The ascetic faction represented by Solaris has always been a neutral faction within the Church of Life. Furthermore, due to Solaris's seniority within the Papacy and his strict adherence to every precept of the Papacy, he enjoys extremely high prestige among believers. More subtly, before his death, he had publicly opposed waging war against the Empire.

What is now confirmed is that, following his death, the ascetics, driven by their belief in avenging their spiritual leader, threw themselves into the war.

His death not only eliminated the last opposition faction of the Papacy for Carlo, but also provided an excellent reason to launch a holy war, while incidentally smearing Ivy Margaret and the Empire, putting them in a very passive position in terms of public opinion before the war even started.

This reminded Veronica of another strange thing.

Also opposing the war against the Empire was Yayuma, the leader of the psychic sect, known as "Spirit Mother." On the day Carlo publicly declared war, some members of the Vatican witnessed Yayuma leading her men to block Carlo at the entrance of the Cathedral of Dawn.

Everyone knows what happened next.

Carlo miraculously healed Yayuma's eyes, which had been blind for many years, and Yayuma changed her stance, becoming a supporter of the war.

But there are still some strange things.

When Yayuma left, her two subordinates did not follow, and many days have passed since then, and neither of them has reappeared.

Veronica rolled up the parchment, took off her boots, and lay down on the bed. She wanted to put those dangerous thoughts behind her and focus on the deaths of Darrant and Aurora. She closed her eyes, knowing she had to make good use of the daytime to recharge. She had a premonition that she would have to live a life with her days and nights reversed for many days to come.

The murderer used fear to turn the Cathedral of the Dawn into a "locked room." Even during the day, the sect leaders who witnessed Aurora's death dared not leave the cathedral. They even had to eat and use the toilet in groups.

Clearly, the murderer achieved his goal.

After a busy day and night, Veronica was exhausted and soon fell asleep.

She was woken up by the cold.

When she opened her eyes, she felt as if she were lying in an ice cellar. The chill not only affected her body, but also eroded her soul. Faint starlight shone into the room through the half-open window. Under the cover of the chill, she, as the arbitrator of the Church of Life, experienced the extremely rare negative emotion of fear.

Veronica had a sudden, inexplicable feeling that someone had entered the room while she was asleep, and that this person might be the murderer.

The thought of being watched by the killer without any warning intensified her fear, and at that moment, she could somewhat understand the feelings of the sect leaders.

She lay on the bed like a frozen wooden doll until hurried footsteps interrupted her thoughts.

"Ms. Veronica!"

Her subordinates' calls brought her back to control of her body. She rolled out of bed and belatedly realized that the clothes she wore under her mithril armor were already soaked with sweat.

"The Pope requests your immediate presence at the Church of Praise!" "Understood."

Veronica immediately understood the Pope's intention—to place people under the protection of the goddess's barrier, which was undoubtedly the most reassuring strategy at the moment.

The Chapel of Praise is not the main sanctuary of the cathedral, but is located deep within the complex, where a more ancient and secluded rotunda exists.

The Church of Praise is hailed as the original cornerstone of the Cathedral of the Dawn, where, according to legend, the goddess of life appeared and breathed life into a withered World Tree sapling.

The blessing of the goddess of life still lingers there, and it is seen by believers as an absolutely safe and warm haven.

At this moment, Ethan followed the group, groping his way to the outside of the domed building of the Temple of Praise. A soft yet solid emerald-colored light barrier blocked his path. He tried several times, but the light barrier remained as solid as a wall, preventing him from moving forward.

Fifteen minutes ago, Carlo led the leader of the Proactive Cult into the light screen.

"This is an extremely sophisticated ancient barrier magic that can identify the intruder's identity. Only high-ranking believers who have been approved by the Goddess of Life can bring people in."

Winter touched the light curtain surrounding the church and explained to the few people who were separated outside.

Xiao An followed suit, but her outstretched hand was bounced away the instant it touched the light screen. Her whole body instantly "stirred up," her two pigtails stood up in a way that defied the laws of physics, and she let out a brief "meow" of pain.

Winter's lips curled up slightly as she added, "It also seems to come with a defensive barrier, capable of launching a counterattack against any dark creature that tries to intrude."

Few people in this world understand barrier magic better than her.

To prevent her from sneaking into the forbidden area, the academy professors brought out all their most treasured ancient magic books.

Given the strength of this barrier magic, any weak dark creature would have been purified on the spot the moment it touched the barrier. No wonder Carlo took the initiative to summon the sect leaders to hide here. "Carlo could never set up a barrier of this strength and scale. This is most likely a barrier personally cast by the Goddess of Life."

"Go to hell! Eat my black hole, woohoo—"

Xiao An's chanting came to an abrupt halt. Before the black hole could form, Ethan picked her up from behind, his arms flailing wildly in the air.

"stop!"

If the barrier is broken by force, everyone will notice the anomaly, which is far from Ethan's plan.

The unexpected "absolutely safe place" gave him an even more brilliant idea.

He guessed that Carlo must be giving an inspiring speech to all the sect leaders right now, boasting to them just how indestructible this barrier, created by the goddess of life herself, truly is.

According to Winter, even within the Cult of Life, only a very small number of high-ranking believers have the authority to pass through barriers. After Julius's death, Carlo may well have become the only one with that authority.

Fortunately, he happened to know a friend.

With that in mind, he picked up the communication crystal and dialed Miss Chloe's "phone" at the Holy City Hotel.

"Hello? Is this Miss Chloe? Give the phone to Mary... Yes, it's me, Moriko. We're in your backyard, at a place called the Church of Praise. We've run into a bit of trouble. Hmm, great! Okay, we'll wait for you here."

..............................

"Please rest assured, there is no safer place in the world than here!"

Carlo stood before the statue of the goddess, delivering a speech to the sect leaders.

The restless and anxious emotions gradually subsided as the energy of the barrier filled the space. If there was any shortcoming, it was that the sanctuary had become somewhat desolate and dilapidated due to the long period of no one entering or leaving. Untrimmed vegetation covered the building, and the house was only equipped with the most basic furniture.

The church was last renovated 130 years ago, and that time they only trimmed the vegetation.

Because no one could have predicted that one day believers would be forced to hide in the Church of Praise, just as before Darrant and Aurora's murders, no one believed that any killer would be so brazen as to commit murder in the Cathedral of the Dawn's Crown.

Carlo then led Veronica into the barrier and brought her before all the sect leaders.

“Veronica is an adjudicator I personally promoted. I believe that she will soon uncover the truth and find the murderer. Until then, please stay here and wait for her good news!”

Veronica stole a glance at Carlo, her expression somewhat unnatural in his presence because of the "bold" speculations she had made during the day.

"Veronica."

Carlo looked at her with those righteous eyes, "Bring us some good news."

"Yes, regarding the murders of Mr. Darrant and Ms. Aurora..."

"And Bishop Solaris."

Carlo immediately interrupted her, adding, "Don't forget that our beloved ascetics were also brutally murdered by the killer."

“...Yes, and Solaris too.”

Veronica faced the quiet crowd, and all eyes were on her face.

The sect leader's gaze was earnest, but this earnestness lasted for less than a minute.

Afterwards, fear returned to their faces.

All eyes were fixed on Veronica in horror, or more precisely, on the area below her nose.

"Nosebleed! You're having a nosebleed!"

The speaker's voice was trembling.

This one sentence instantly plunged everyone present into fear once again.

They had seen the same thing the day before.

That was before Darrant died, and it happened to be the time when he was addressing the crowd.

(End of this chapter)