Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

Before being promoted to archbishop, Archbishop Conrad was the regional bishop of Torch City. The Merlo family had always been followers of the God of Night and Fate, so they had dealt with this bishop many times and were quite familiar with each other. As the other party said, "I touched your head not long after you were born."

Now that the Merlo family has been framed, their territory has been stripped, the baron has been brutally murdered, and their child is wanted across the continent with a huge bounty, most people would choose to stay as far away from them as possible. Some are even trying to find out their whereabouts in order to collect a large reward. Few people would comfort Vivian with such kindness as this archbishop.

"Don't worry," the archbishop said, looking at the young girl in front of him. "No one will make things difficult for you."

"Archbishop..." Vivi paused for a moment. She wasn't sure if she should address him as "Your Majesty," but he was clearly now a high-ranking member of the Church of Night and Destiny.

Seeing the other party's hesitant attitude, Bishop Conrad slowly waved his hand, "There's no need for that. If you want, you can still call me Grandpa Conrad, just like when you were a child."

"Archbishop," Vivian lowered her head, recalling how her father had addressed him when they went to church as a child, "I'll continue to address you that way."

"Alright," Archbishop Conrad nodded slightly. "Your father has been buried well. If you intend to move him to the family cemetery, I can help, but you need to be careful. You know those bounty hunters have a nose that's sharper than a dog's."

Vivian pursed her lips, her mood improving slightly, and she also lowered her guard a little. "Thank you."

"It's what the church should do," the archbishop said kindly, then he looked at the girl in front of him. "Did you come alone this time? I thought you came with your brother."

"Uh," Vivian hesitated again, "Brother, he has something to do and can't leave, so I have to come to pay my respects to Father by myself."

"It's alright," Archbishop Conrad said softly. "If you want to come here again, you can look for me, and I'll make the arrangements for you. The cemetery will be safe then, and those annoying guys won't be around."

"Yes, thank you." Vivian frowned almost imperceptibly. She knew her current situation; if she went to see the archbishop like this, she would definitely attract attention. She decided to stick to her own plan from now on.

"You've grown so tall over the years," Archbishop Conrad said, looking at the young girl with her head bowed. "If your brother stood next to you, what an outstanding brother and sister you would be."

He sighed, turned around and waved his hand, "Go on, remember to be careful and don't let anyone see you."

Vivian responded, pulled her hat brim down again, and then quickly left. Behind her came the archbishop's instructions, "Remember, if your brother comes next time, tell him to come directly to me. I will arrange everything."

Upon hearing what the other person said, Vivian nodded heavily, then walked away without turning her head.

From a nearby corner, a church member emerged. "Archbishop, should we send someone to accompany them?"

Archbishop Conrad shook his head, hands behind his back. "Not yet. The siblings are being very cautious right now. We can only wait." (The following is promotional material: "The Forest Doesn't Support Idle Goblins," a heartfelt work by Kapibala the Bathing, is currently trending online.)

“But they’ve been missing for a long time,” the church official said immediately, standing behind the archbishop. “We must find Charles Mello as soon as possible, otherwise…”

“I know,” Conrad nodded, interrupting the person behind him, “but they are very sensitive right now, and we can’t rush things. Even if the cardinal has said so, we can’t be so hasty.”

"I know Ciel is important," he slowly turned around, "It was I who suggested that he become the chosen one of the gods of night and fate."

"But now..."

"Even if the battle of the Four Gods is about to begin, we can't rush things now. Moreover," Conrad gazed at the vast cemetery before him, "when they have nowhere else to go on the continent, it will be easier for us to persuade Charles if we step in then."

"That child is very intelligent and capable. Although he only knows a little noble swordsmanship and has no magical abilities, as long as he agrees and swears an oath to the god of fate, he will naturally gain powerful abilities."

"You mean, observe them secretly?" The church member raised an eyebrow. "But we haven't found any trace of Charles Mello yet."

"Weren't you sent to contact those arcane mages?" Conrad frowned. "Didn't you go?"

"Archbishop, as you know, those arcane mages simply don't want to deal with the church. Every time we go, they ignore us completely and kick us out before we can even finish our business." The church member shrugged. "And those ordinary arcane mages are completely unreliable; their abilities are insufficient to ascertain Charles Mello's specific situation."

"If all else fails, we can send some believers who are close to the church to inquire, even if it costs more money," Conrad said with his eyes closed, somewhat helplessly. He knew that those high-ranking mages were not willing to deal with the church, and that they would rather communicate with those sorcerers than talk to the church's higher-ups. When they formed the Spell Union, they did not tell the four major churches.

"I will speak to the Cardinal. You can use this method to find him now," he waved his hand, signaling the people around him to do so immediately. "However, once you find him, do not make contact with him too early. Just observe him secretly."

"What if, I mean, what if Charles Mello is in danger?"

Archbishop Conrad glanced at the church staff beside him. "Of course, we should rescue him immediately. One of the reasons the church chose him as God's chosen one was because of his handsome appearance. If just anyone could be God's chosen one, why didn't they just find a goblin?"

"In the future, he will become God's chosen one and will frequently appear before believers. If he is not good-looking, he will be disliked and despised by ordinary people. You must remember this," Archbishop Conrad said solemnly.

"Yes, Archbishop." The church official quickly nodded and bowed to indicate that he understood. Then he immediately apologized and turned to run to the nearby church to prepare to carry out the Archbishop's instructions.

Watching him run off into the distance, Archbishop Conrad looked up at the gray sky and thought, "This continent will never be at peace again."

After saying this, he tossed his black robe, turned and slowly walked toward the church. Behind him, the vast cemetery remained as quiet as ever, except for the crows that were still cawing noisily, as if they were mocking something.