My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 281 The Legendary Creditor, the Papacy's Envoy

After Russell calmed down a bit, the three of them boarded a carriage handcrafted by Kalia and set off through the snowstorm.

The carriage itself was made from leftover building materials, and the horse was naturally created by Kalia using shadows.

Not only are they fast and strong, but they also don't need to be fed and don't get tired.

They were truly beasts of burden.

It only consumes one small biscuit per 100 kilometers.

And it wasn't even for feeding horses.

"Click"

While munching on a biscuit, Kalia took a sip of the hot water that Roland had just heated with a fireball spell, and looked at Russell with a curious gaze: "Master, Master, who exactly did you owe money to back then that forced you to flee the country to escape your debts?"

"Hey! How can you call this hiding from debts! This is called a strategic retreat!" Russell seriously corrected Kalia's wording, coughed twice, and then, under Roland's equally curious gaze, explained, "It really isn't hiding from debts!"

Roland sighed softly and said, "Teacher, it's not that I'm criticizing you."

"You're making me pay back the money, but you won't tell me who the creditor is. It's going to be very difficult for me to pay back the debt."

"Besides, as an alchemy master who can fight hand-to-hand with the ruler of the royal court, you would be a hot commodity in any country."

"Even if you owe money, if I were the king or a high-ranking nobleman, I would definitely take the initiative to pay off your debts."

"Then I'll use that favor to get you to do me a job. It's a sure-fire way to make money."

"In the end, which country doesn't have a shortage of alchemists these days? Although you majored in bio-alchemy, your skills in material alchemy are also quite good."

Why were they forced to flee and hide in the deep mountains to escape their debts?

Russell sighed with some sadness and melancholy: "Sigh, no wonder he's my precious student, his perspective is just different."

"If only those creditors back then had such a broad perspective."

"Damn it! I've already agreed to work to pay off my debts, but they're still pressuring me relentlessly, insisting that I pay them back... Ugh!!!"

Seeing Russell's expression of overwhelming sorrow, Kalia unconsciously slowed down her shadow horse slightly: "Master... so who exactly is the creditor?"

Roland nodded: "That's right, that's right. Who exactly is the creditor? How much money do you owe?"

"It's not about money anymore... Roland, your words really carry weight in the Empire, don't they?"

Roland shrugged: "Grand Duke of Riskan of the Empire, the kind with fiefdoms, do you think his words carry any weight?"

"If all else fails, I'll just throw you into the territory. His Majesty said that I'm in charge within the territory."

Russell's eyes, which had been as dull as a dead fish, suddenly came to life. He grabbed Roland's hands and said earnestly, "I knew long ago that you were no ordinary person."

"Your Excellency, whether I can live a life of luxury from now on depends entirely on you."

"As for creditors, I believe they are nothing to His Excellency the Grand Duke."

"Just a saint of the Holy See."

"Damn it, all I did was borrow the Vatican's equipment for experiments, and then the experiments were ruined by something I ate wrong? Is it really that serious? I clearly promised to pay off the debt with my labor."

Roland: "..."

Kalia: “…”

Roland and Kalia exchanged a glance, then Roland looked at Russell and asked, "Could you please explain in detail what that thing is?"

“It looks like a sacred object.” Russell said, then waved his hand. “Hey, don’t worry about it. The Vatican agreed to lend it to me for experiments, so it probably isn’t anything important.”

"As long as Your Excellency gives the word, organize a dinner party and invite the people who have influence in the Holy See, preferably the creditors."

"I will apologize sincerely and earnestly at that time, and I will definitely have the manpower to make up for the losses! Of course, as for monetary compensation, I will leave that to you."

After Russell finished speaking, he smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "You should be able to grant your teacher this small request, right?"

Roland covered his face upon hearing this: "If only it were just a debt in monetary terms."

As Roland said this, he leaned back in his seat in the carriage, somewhat devastated.

He would rather Russell had only owed an astronomical sum of money.

As long as it's a matter of money, that's not a problem.

It's a pity that God did not fulfill his wish.

The debt owed by one's own teacher is clearly not something that can be measured in money.

That's a sacred relic of the Holy See!
As Russell said, the sacred object that could be lent to her for experiments was probably not anything too precious.

But the sacred object itself cannot be measured by money or value.

This involves the rules of the Vatican itself, and the identification of sacred objects is very complicated.

Without exception, any relic that has been formally consecrated will receive some degree of divine power and blessing, regardless of its original value or purpose.

It can be said that each sacred object has its own special purpose and blessing.

It's hard to imagine how Russell managed to borrow the relics back then, and what was wrong with the Vatican that made them actually hand them over like that.

Seeing that Russell was still dodging the question, Roland became slightly serious: "Teacher, what I'm asking is, what exactly is that sacred relic? What is its use?"

"Please explain in detail, teacher, otherwise don't blame the student for being a bad person."

"No, no, no! I'll just tell you the truth, okay?!"

With a mournful face, Russell revealed the last things he had been hiding. Roland then understood why the Vatican had been willing to lend the relics to Russell for research.

It turns out this was actually an outsourcing project!

Since the Papacy itself did not understand the purpose of the consecrated relic, they wanted to ask Russell, who was then making small inventions on the western border of the empire, to study it.

Russell readily agreed, as it was a rare opportunity to study the realm of the gods!

As a result, the two sides quickly reached an agreement and formulated a relevant cooperation plan.

Then there is no more.

With a massive explosion, the relics, Russell's old laboratory, and a forest within a one-kilometer radius vanished.

In other words, Russell's physique was exceptional, allowing him to withstand the massive explosion.

Subsequently, Russell, as a competent collaborator, naturally informed the Vatican of the damage to the sacred relic immediately.

Then the Vatican demanded an explanation from Russell.

In short, this is Russell's side of the story.

Roland naturally wouldn't believe everything his mentor said.

This matter involves a powerful force like the Papacy. Even if Russell didn't deceive Roland on the general terms, he would inevitably have secretly altered some details to preserve his dignity as an alchemist.

Let Roland investigate this collaboration that took place eighty years ago after he returns to the Empire.

I also contacted some acquaintances at the Vatican to find out the details of what happened.

According to Russell's own account, she hid from the Vatican for thirty years, and only chose to go to Kairun when she had nowhere else to hide.

During the conversation, the already short journey ended with the help of the incredibly powerful Shadow Warhorse.

Looking at the familiar city walls and the Sky Ring Hub floating in the sky, Roland felt a sense of emotion.

Having received the news, Cellina, who was waiting at the city gate, and Nash, whom she was holding, waved to Roland and Kalia when they saw them return.

Kalia was the first to jump off the carriage, then leaped into Cellina's arms, and began to talk about her life over the past month.

Nash, who had dodged Kalia's pounce and transformed into a cat-eared loli dressed from head to toe, rolled his eyes and greeted Roland.

"Hey, long time no see. You finally decided to come back?"

Roland picked up the kitten girl and asked, "Where's Iluvia? Is she still dealing with official documents?"

"Hmph, after coming back, the first thing he did wasn't to check on Nina who came to greet him, but instead he immediately asked about his fiancée's situation. Ha, what a scumbag who took advantage of you and then ran away!"

Roland: “?”

He stuck out his thumb and dug hard into the cat-eared girl's temple to teach her a lesson for her mistake of not clearly defining her role as a pet.

Russell then stepped down from the carriage and laughed at the harmonious scene before him: "Oh! You two seem to be getting along very well, Roland. Aren't you going to introduce me?"

Roland turned his head and smiled: "I'll introduce you later. We can't just stand outside the city gates and chat, can we?"

Russell nodded, then noticed the look in the eyes of the cute white-haired girl Roland was holding.

There was a mixture of vigilance and curiosity, a mixture of curiosity and reflection, and a mixture of reflection and agreement.

Such a complicated look in your eyes.

And it even has a pair of cat ears!

If I'm not mistaken, this child transformed from a cat into a human, right?

That's interesting; it could be added to future research projects.

Besides, this guy looks like Roland's child, doesn't he?

They're already this big?
No, it's still too far-fetched for a teenager under twenty to have a child who looks eight or nine years old.

It must be the younger sister, right?

So, you're a junior too?
Russell nodded in satisfaction, then gave the cute little girl a kind smile.

Unfortunately, Nash didn't appreciate her kindness.

From Russell's perspective, this was just the shyness of a timid little girl.

But Nash, who was 2,033 years old at the time, knew that this guy was treating her like a child.

Oh, stupid humans.

After a dismissive taunt, Nash began to struggle against Roland's large hand, trying to protect his temple.

Amidst the playful banter, the group entered Isfar, which was still undergoing post-disaster reconstruction.

Russell was quite surprised when he saw the environment inside the city.

What exactly happened to this border fortress city of the empire?
Why is it all in ruins?
Led by Cellina, the group arrived at the newly built garrison headquarters in the city.

At that moment, Cellina looked at Roland and said, "Your timing is just right."

"The information you previously provided has been taken very seriously by the Holy See and the Society, and they have both sent envoys to come and hold talks."

"The messenger from the Academy was the great sage Erebus himself."

"The Papacy has acquaintances on our side; Suren will be leading a delegation. They've already arrived; shall we go and meet them?"

(End of this chapter)