Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 469 Your Choice
Veronica cut open another tumor in the same way, her heart already numb as the other head rolled to her feet.

All the clues pointed to Carlo.

That was the person she trusted and relied on the most, from the very first day she entered the Papacy.

Carlo selected her from the vast sea of ​​people, trained her, entrusted her with important tasks, and even sent her to study at the Academy of Truth...

Her current thinking ability is all thanks to Carlo's training. However, at this moment, every reasoning skill Veronica has mastered makes it clear to her that Carlo killed Yayuma's servant. Once this news gets out, the sect alliance in the far west will collapse.

Unlike the complex and diverse operating system of the empire, the rule of the far west relies on a firm faith. Once a rift appears, let alone war with the empire, different sects will first fall into internal strife.

This place will be transported back to the day Julius's death was announced overnight.

Significant divisions have emerged among the sect leaders. Apart from the faction represented by Carlo who is determined to fight to the end, a considerable number of leaders of smaller sects believe that this is an opportunity for them to re-establish an alliance with the Empire, and that the series of religious reforms implemented by the Empire may be the future trend.

At first glance, the status of the Church of Life seemed to have plummeted in the Empire, but with the merger of the priests and the medical system, the faith was integrated into the daily lives of ordinary residents, freeing the clergy from being either extremely deified or extremely demonized.

After that, the number of young people in major cities of the empire who were committed to joining the Cult of Life actually increased.

Of course, these comments that were detrimental to Carlo's rule were erased.

Veronica knew that Carlo had established a new department within the Vatican specifically to manage and guide the direction of speech. In addition to prohibiting the spread of unfavorable speech in the far west, they were also responsible for liaising with the city halls of various cities to arrest those who spread inappropriate speech and then escort them back to the Holy Capital.

As for where those people went afterward, even Veronica had no idea.

As an adjudicator, she knew that people were being sent to this city in batches, only to disappear without a trace.

Veronica clenched her fists; in fact, she should have thought of this much earlier.

Now, only one question remains.

Should she expose Carlo?

Veronica stared blankly at the slime on the ground and the highly decomposed human remains within it.

The painful groans had stopped long ago, and her emotions, which had been stirred by the whispers, had returned to calm.

Only two people died here. Perhaps their deaths stemmed from some kind of agreement between Carlo and Yayuma, for some greater benefit...

If she wanted, Veronica could find many reasons to exonerate Carlo without even seeing him.

Such questions had come several times before, but when Carlo held her hands tightly, looked at her with sincere and profound eyes, and told her that sacrifice was inevitable on the road to redemption, Carlo also promised her that when the day of redemption came, he would make his mistakes public and accept the judgment with equanimity.

Therefore, Veronica chose to believe.

It's not just about believing in Carlo, but also about them being on the right path.

So, can she still continue to believe now?
We should just keep believing like this until the war with the empire is over.

If that's the case, she can help Carlo clean up the mess right now—only two people died here. She can light a fire, burn the remains to ashes, and then use a cleaning spell to clean the floor, making sure no one finds the two people. Anyway, the rumors about the church have been over for a while, and no one will keep an eye on the whereabouts of two other sect servants.

Once the rumors subsided, she could have that special department spread some gossip, claiming that someone had witnessed two attendants leaving the Holy City, perhaps already back in the mountains where the Psychic Cult was located.

As for this "laboratory" located beneath the Cathedral of the Crown of Dawn, she could burn it down or pin the blame on some unrelated "cultist." She had been sent to the Empire to study, and the lecturer Julius arranged for her personally demonstrated the complete process to her, including subsequent rhetoric.

Veronica, why do you continue this investigation?
A voice resonated deep within her, echoing endlessly in her mind:

Everyone knows you were promoted by Carlo. Do you think they'll let you off the hook just because you exposed Carlo?
Think about it carefully; Carlo's downfall will not do you any good.

You've clearly been to the Empire and seen what's happening there; there's no difference between here and there.

This world has always been like this; even if you expose Carlo, it won't bring about any change.

If that's the case, why not choose a path that's much easier for you?
Don't forget, Carlo promised you that one day he would atone for his sins. Until that day of redemption arrives, you just need to wait.

……

Unbeknownst to Veronica, several other pairs of eyes were watching everything that was happening.

"I never expected you could even find Carlo's secret hideout."

Winter clicked her tongue in amazement, feeling that Ethan was becoming more and more omnipotent.

This is a very good trend, indicating that Ethan is getting closer and closer to the image he has in the eyes of the people of the Empire.

"This is all thanks to Little Potato."

Ethan said, "There's nothing in this world that earth elementals can't find."

"I think you need a potion."

Winter winked at Ethan, "If needed, I can play the Goddess of Life for you again."

In her view, Veronica's situation was similar to that of Solaris before her; their sense of justice was simply no match for their circumstances, so they resorted to an ostrich-like approach.

Now, thanks to the glimpse of the "goddess of life," Solaris has gained unprecedented faith.

Perhaps the same approach can help Veronica.

To drink the magic potion and sleep soundly, then enter the courtyard of the goddess of life in one's dreams—this is the lifelong pursuit of any believer.

Although it was related to her bet with Ethan, Winter thought that occasionally dressing Ethan in a maid uniform and white nylon stockings would be a nice change of pace in life.

She pointed to her face. "How about it? Give me a kiss, and I'll help you."

"No need."

Ethan shook his head. "I hope this is a fair bet."

At the same time, a sound from above interrupted Veronica's thoughts. There were intermittent footsteps outside the door. The footsteps stopped and started, lingering outside the door for a long time before finally grasping the doorknob.

Veronica gripped the magic scroll in her hand and cast a spell on her mace, preparing for battle.

It seems she needs to make a choice sooner.

Perhaps a member of that special department noticed something amiss, or perhaps some unfortunate clergyman discovered the entrance to the secret chamber at the most inopportune time.

Carlo and many sect leaders remain trapped in the Church of Praise. The moment she discovered the secret room, she became the one who orchestrated the course of this "murder."

As the door to the secret room was pushed open from the outside, Veronica's hammer, which she had been holding high, froze in mid-air once again.

She and the person who entered froze on the spot at the same time, and both exclaimed "Ah!" in surprise.

Even more subtly, Veronica noticed that the person who entered was also pale-faced, with one hand supporting his aching lower back.

“Bishop Solaris…”

Veronica blurted out, her mind completely thrown into chaos by the appearance of this ghost who should have been dead.

A third unexpected situation occurred.

Could it be... that she is actually dead?

She died the moment she fell into the pit, which was more than ten meters deep. Everything that happened afterward was just her imagination.
People say that the souls of believers go to the Garden of Life after death, but no one has ever proven this.

Perhaps the souls of believers in the Church of Life are no different from those of ordinary people; they can remain for a period of time after their physical bodies perish, and then gradually dissipate.

Otherwise, why would she be seeing a bishop who should have been dead? Veronica asked in a trembling voice, "Are you here to take me away?"

I still feel unsatisfied.

Nothing was discovered, nothing was changed, and even the inner turmoil and contradictions remained unresolved.

"Not really."

Solaris's voice sounded very weak, and his mental state was extremely deteriorating. The features of his old face were contorted with intense pain. "I noticed a little girl with blond hair in the church. I saw her go through a door and wanted to go up and find out what was going on, but as soon as I opened the door, I fell into the pit!"

Even the well-informed bishop couldn't help but grit his teeth when talking about that little yellow girl.

Whose unlucky child is this, daring to dig a hole in the sacred church!

He felt like he had lost half his life after that fall.

After complaining, the two fell silent.

Solaris observed Veronica's feet, where human remains, still partially digested and soaking in pus, lay scattered, with two heads particularly prominent. Veronica, in turn, observed Solaris. His chest was not pierced by the killer as rumored. Veronica quickly realized that the person standing before her was a living human being, not a ghost.

Either the officials in the border city made a mistake, or... the Bishop of Solaris had some extraordinary adventures after his murder.

Veronica had a vague premonition and asked, "What are your plans?"

She realized that this was not a miracle or a coincidence, but a carefully orchestrated meeting; they had all been lured here by that little yellow potato.

“Expose Carlo’s crimes, and then…stop this pointless war!”

Solaris said.

He admitted that he was depressed for a few hours after being rejected by Mary, but he quickly rallied.

He received the favor of the goddess of life, and whether or not Saint Mary was willing to walk with him, it could not change the fact that he was on the right path.

Even though the road ahead was fraught with danger, he did not hesitate for a moment.

“I was indeed assassinated in the border city, but the killer had nothing to do with the Margaret family.”

His tone was firm, and even when facing Veronica, the Vatican's adjudicator who had been promoted by Carlo, he did not back down in the slightest. "At the time of the assassination, I was at the Border Administration investigating the collusion between city officials and Carlo."

He wasn't assassinated on his way home.

The murderer was not sent by the Margaret family.

Along the way, Solaris gained a new understanding of that special department.

"However, they were indeed members of the chorus. Ivy Margaret did disband the organization after Julius's death, but some members who were on missions abroad did not return to the capital. Carlo recruited them... allowing them to continue to exist as executioners loyal to the Papacy."

As for Margaret's family crest, it was most likely brought back by those chorus members.

Ivy's father was a researcher on the chorus project and had close ties with Julius before the coup in the capital.

Or to be more precise, Julius always kept this family with its ancient bloodline firmly in his own hands.

"Veronica."

Now it was Solaris's turn to ask a question. He stared at the enchanted mace in the other's hand, "After hearing the truth, what do you plan to do?"

Veronica did not answer immediately; she knew Solaris was not lying.

This means Carlo has accumulated another blood debt, but what will this change?
She knew that Solaris was determined. Once he passed through the secret passage and entered the Temple of Praise to meet the sect leaders, everything Carlo had been trying to maintain would vanish.

It's time to make a choice, Veronica.

The familiar voice echoed in her mind once again:
Look, Solaris is very weak now; killing him will be a piece of cake.

Since everyone thinks he's dead anyway, this blood debt won't be recorded on your head.

Not only that, Carlo will appreciate you even more.

Did you hear that? You don't even need to lift a finger...

The next moment, Veronica's eyes narrowed, and she almost bit her lip until it bled. She threw the mace with all her might, and it hit Solaris straight down. Facing the oncoming blow, Solaris neither dodged nor flinched. He stood still, looking completely relieved.

The hurled mace missed him, striking the shadowy figure hurtling towards Solaris.

With a dull thud as the heavy object fell from mid-air, a young man crashed heavily to the ground.

A heavy blow to his face left him covered in blood, but his expression showed no sign of pain. Instead, he stared at Veronica with a puzzled look.

Because, in the "setting," Veronica is not their enemy.

Carlo believed that even in the face of unexpected circumstances, Veronica would make the most rational judgment that best served the interests of the Papacy.

That means she will become the chorus' most reliable ally.

But just now, Veronica's spiked hammer hit him.

Veronica's next words confirmed the young man's doubts once again.

"Solaris, if you don't want to die, come to me."

Without the slightest hesitation, Solaris headed straight for Veronica, and they stood side by side, ready to fight.

As the youth fell, more and more shadowy figures appeared.

They stood side by side, their arms forming blades, staring intently at Solaris.

Veronica angrily tore open the magic scroll in her hand.

That was a really stupid choice.

Whispers mocked her in her mind.

Veronica, it seems you haven't learned anything at the Truth Society.

Veronica thought the whisper might be right; she was well aware of the cost of that hammer blow and tearing open the magic scroll.

Her life will be changed because of this.

Her status and her future are slipping away from her.

"Stop dawdling here, run along the secret passage to the Church of Praise, and then gather everyone together."

Veronica said hastily that even she had never faced so many members of the chorus at once, though she had heard of their reputation when she went to the capital to study.

Every member of the chorus is a killing machine created by Julius.

"But you..."

"You go first, I'll follow you in a bit!"

(End of this chapter)