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

Chapter 298 Holy Light! Do you see that enemy?!
"Phew, it seems I've successfully glossed over the past this time."

"We don't need to compensate for the sacred artifact, and we've also found a way to resolve the feud with the Demon King."

"However... I don't have much experience in making prosthetic bodies."

Inside the newly set-up laboratory, Russell stared at the stacks of documents spread out on the table, lost in thought.

She's quite adept at creating a new physical body, but she struggles with creating a prosthetic body that can house a soul and move like a normal person.

It's not that I don't know how, it's just that I have no experience.

Especially since the client requested customization this time... it's going to be a hassle no matter how you look at it.

But since my good students have helped me so much, I can't let them down, can I?

"Fortunately, I moved the entire research lab here."

"The documents and rare materials are all well preserved..."

"Tsk tsk, this time I will certainly not disappoint you, Roland!"

Without further ado, Russell planned to first draw up a blueprint based on the data and drawings, and then make an adjustable initial skeleton.

If the Demon King has any specific requirements at that time, we can just modify it accordingly; it's not completely unusable.

While drawing diagrams based on the records in the literature and his own experience, Russell heard a knock on the door outside the laboratory.

"Dong dong dong."

"Ok?"

Russell became alert.

Although knocking on a door is a very ordinary thing, it is no small matter in the context of the laboratory at this moment.

Following Roland's instructions, Elson found an open space in the legion's base to house Russell's laboratory.

If Roland and Kalia come to find her, they usually won't knock, but will open the door and walk in directly through the preset magical information.

Having spent time with her, the two of them have developed the good habit of not greeting each other when they enter the house.

As for the others in the camp, Roland and Elson were ordered to stay away from Russell's laboratory and not to approach or disturb it.

If something really happened, Russell, an old monster who could barely hold his own against the Lord of the Royal Court, would definitely be able to detect it faster than those ordinary soldiers. Furthermore, the laboratory was surrounded and equipped with various defensive measures and automated combat dolls.

Therefore, there are no security personnel.

So who's knocking on the door? And in the middle of the night?

Russell stopped what he was doing, saved the partially completed drawings, and then put on his boxing gloves and approached the door.

Through the spy camera installed inside the laboratory, Russell could clearly see what was happening outside the door.

At that moment, a hunched old man shrouded in a white cloak stood outside the door.

Seemingly sensing the prying gaze, the old man turned his attention to the camera hidden in the shadows.

"Russell, I never expected you to dare return to the Empire... How do you plan to explain the damage you caused to the sacred artifact?"

"Tsk."

Russell felt something was off when he looked at the old man outside the door.

Although the other party was her creditor, after Roland talked with the cardinal who came to the meeting, she suddenly realized something.

That's why, even though a sacred relic has been lost for so long, the Vatican has only had this old man and a few scattered subordinates coming to him to demand an explanation.

Moreover, their attitude has always been seemingly tough, but they haven't dared to completely break off relations.

Although it remains to be seen whether the Vatican has actually lost any relics, Russell has lived for hundreds of years. Even though the great sage who learned the technique used bio-alchemy, Russell could tell that the other party's soul was still very young.

Since no one had reminded him and he felt guilty, and because he had lived for so long that he had developed a lack of sensitivity to time scales, similar to the elves, Russell never suspected the other party's identity.

but now……

Russell's lips curled into a slight smile. It had been so many years since she had experienced the feeling of being able to bully others.

It seems that it hasn't existed since the collapse of the old empire.

After stretching his muscles, Russell first sent a message to Roland, and then sent a message to that damned elf, Flam.

Afterward, she took off her boxing gloves, and then, with a face-changing technique that took her six hundred years of experience, she pretended to be guilty and walked out of the laboratory.

Sure enough, this old man named Clive was alone this time.

Ha, just as I guessed, this guy is nothing more than a rat that can only hide in the shadows.

Although his strength was quite good, reaching the level of a ninth-ring legend, otherwise he would never have believed the other party's identity as a cardinal.

But the more Russell thought back to what happened back then, the more something felt off.

While I am indeed interested in the relics, I was not so foolish as to directly ask the Vatican for a loan.

The cooperation back then was actually more of an initiative from the Vatican.

It was this guy named Clive who approached him, asking for a collaboration.

Moreover, that golden object, known as the Holy Grail, is essentially just a simple container of magic, only the magic it contains is imbued with a rich divine quality.

If it can be safely inputted into an ordinary person, it could even allow him to reach the ninth-ring legendary rank without any rituals!
However, this is a false proposition. Such a vast amount of magical power is even enough to supply a city filled with magical technology devices for several months.

If an ordinary person were to come into contact with this level of magical power, they would be instantly torn apart and assimilated into magical energy.

Russell was at the time researching how to use alchemy to separate the magic and divinity in the cup.

The experiment was eventually considered a success, albeit barely.

She did indeed complete the purification process with her unprecedented technical skills, separating divinity from magic.

But at the very moment of separation, the Holy Grail shattered, its magic surging forth and its divinity dissipating in an instant.

In other words, Russell had prepared for the experiment's failure long ago, and several large energy storage devices absorbed one-third of the magic power.

The remaining part was destroyed in a massive explosion—her old laboratory was tragically destroyed. Of course, these were not the main reasons Russell became suspicious.

The key lies in what Kalia told her about the plague that almost happened in Rieskan.

The Chaos Brotherhood went to great lengths and schemes to lure Kalia out.

Although it turns out that the real target was Kalia in the end, the plague orchestrated by Rishkan was also part of the enemy's original plan.

It was only because Roland intervened in time, preventing the crucial divine power from being properly deployed, that the attempt failed.

So here's the question... why are these believers seeking to extract the divine power from the Holy Grail? What are they planning to do?
Forget it, I don't need to think about the rest myself.

Just play dumb as always.

"Oh my, isn't this Cardinal Clive! It's been a long time, you look much older!"

"It's normal to get older after decades... Don't interrupt. Although I've kept the destruction of the sacred relic a secret, as long as they don't investigate seriously, they won't find out that a trivial sacred relic is missing."

Clive recounted the story slowly and somewhat helplessly, then looked at Russell and said, "During the decades you were missing, I also wondered if I was being unreasonable."

"After all, the destruction of the sacred object is a foregone conclusion, and you cannot perfectly restore it."

"So, I'm starting to consider your initial compensation plan."

"Join the Vatican and work to pay off your debts. These days, true alchemy masters are hard to find."

"Although your area of ​​expertise is bio-alchemy, your skills in materials alchemy and magical technology are also quite good. The Holy See needs talents like you."

Russell's face showed no trace of acting; only the relief of surviving a close call.

"Hey, since you've put it that way, what's there to complain about?"

"Okay, then we'll do as you say and work to pay off the debt."

When do you start work?

Seeing Russell readily agree, Clive was visibly taken aback, clearly not expecting things to go so smoothly.

But soon, he also showed a helpless expression and waved his hand: "No rush, I will contact you later. I hope you haven't blocked my communication magic frequency."

"Alright, that's enough of our chat. It's getting late, and I need to go back and rest."

Just as Clive was about to turn around, a blazing sun rose over the edge of the camp.

No! wrong!

Russell, whose eyesight had been enhanced by alchemy, quickly recognized the newcomer!

They were ten burly men wielding swords, their bodies radiating golden light!
"You cunning villain! Don't run!"

"Holy Light! Do you see that enemy?!"

"You think you can just leave after offending the Vatican?! Not so easy!!!"

……

Ten burly men, each shouting strange slogans, pounced on Clive.

Clive's expression immediately darkened, and he turned sharply to look at Russell: "You!"

"What do you mean, 'you'? After impersonating a cardinal for so many years, shouldn't you be caught by now?"

Russell laughed. After seeing the attitude of the group of Papal Knights, her anxiety finally subsided.

Hahahaha!!! Don't worry about the debt anymore!

Debt-free and carefree!
"Hmph!" Russell put on his boxing gloves, looking displeased.

At that moment, ten paladins arrived.

As the true high-end combat force of the Holy See, although there were no nine-ring legendary paladins among those who came this time, ten high-ranking eight-ring peak paladins were enough to make most nine-ring legendary paladins suffer.

The only way to defeat these versatile warriors who can attack, heal, and tank is to unleash a move that can instantly kill them.

Unfortunately, the holy light and armor on their bodies, along with their well-trained physiques, meant that they wouldn't be instantly killed by most ninth-ring legends.

If you can't kill them instantly, don't even think about dealing with more than three high-level paladins.

However, it is clear that this Clive is no ordinary person.

He doesn't fall into the category of most legendary figures in the Nine Rings series.

He casually raised his hand and unleashed a torrent of magical energy, attacking the paladin who had already closed in on him.

The moment the torrent of magic was formed, the surrounding space began to distort!

"careful!"

Russell roared and kicked the paladin who couldn't dodge in time, sending him flying.

The next moment, the torrent swept through almost the entire camp until it was cut down by a golden sword light.

As the torrent of magic was severed, a golden rain of light fell from the sky.

Gone is the lazy man he once was; Kefas slowly approaches Russell's laboratory, sword in hand.

Meanwhile, Flam appeared in mid-air at some unknown time, with several terrifying spells of the Great Magic level already formed behind her, aimed at Clive below.

Behind the ten paladins, Cardinal Clark, who arrived "late," and the great sage Erebus also appeared at the camp wall where a breach had been blasted open by the torrent of magic.

"Old man, I didn't expect you to actually dare to come at this time."

"Aren't you very afraid of death, Clive? Or should I call you the Archbishop of Hellfire?"

Flam pointed her staff at Clive on the ground, or rather, the Hellfire Bishop of the Chaos Brotherhood.

On the other side, sensing that a great battle was about to begin, Russell hurriedly put his entire laboratory into his large storage cabinet, then carried it on his back, protecting the powerful figures in front of him.

(End of this chapter)