In the name of the true god

Allen, who was about to draw his gun and fire, hung his right hand at his waist and asked in astonishment, "What did you say?"

Not only was Jude shocked to learn that Allen was actually a "heretic," but when Allen learned that Jude was one of them, he couldn't help but instinctively wonder if there was something wrong with his ears.

Are you kidding me?

Jude's brother is the chief warden of the Heretic Ward in the Royal Capital's Heavy Prison!

With such a close connection to the Holy Church, how could they be one of our own?!

"If you need to be more direct—" Jude didn't intend to reveal his dual abilities rashly. Considering that he had consulted Vincent Monroe about the application of the Law of Similarity, he knew that this matter would eventually be revealed to Allen. Therefore, he chose to contact him as a Resonance Mage. "I am a Resonance Mage."

"How can you prove it?" Fat Allen subconsciously suspected that Jude was lying.

"My application of the law of similarity is still at a very superficial stage, so I'm afraid I can't gain your trust by demonstrating my abilities," Jude said unhurriedly. "However, you can ask me how I knew your true identity."

"How did you know?" Fatty Allen was just about to ask that.

Jude replied, "It was Vincent Monroe, a third-order resonance sorcerer, who told me. Every day, I went to the north cell to distribute food and empty the sewage bins in order to create opportunities for secret communication with Vincent Monroe, so as to further learn how to apply the law of similarity."

No wonder he always insisted on going to the north cell, forcing the usually cautious me to find another opportunity.

The fat man, Allen, felt some of his doubts lifted, but he remained wary: "Why would Vincent Monroe tell you my secrets?"

This is too dangerous.

What if Jude deliberately used the pretext of consulting the law of similarity to mislead Vincent Monroe into believing he was a sorcerer of resonance, and then naively revealed all of his three years of painstakingly planned rescue operation? Then everything would be ruined...

But Vincent Munro, after all, was a veteran who had fought alongside the legendary leader Edmund against the four Holy Churches, and should not have made such a basic mistake...

Therefore, Jude must have some strong evidence to prove that he is a "heretic".

Jude had anticipated that Allen would ask him about this; after all, how could someone as cautious as him overlook such a crucial point?

Unfortunately, the truth must not be revealed casually, and other reasons must be made up to cover it up. Once Allen finds a flaw, the level of trust between the two parties will quickly drop to freezing point.

Therefore, to avoid making a fool of himself and causing new trouble, Jude calmly chose not to answer: "Everyone has their own secrets, and I cannot say about this."

Allen sneered, "Can't tell? Are you kidding me? And what makes you think I should believe you?"

"I know your identity, and I also know your rescue plan." Jude used the simplest and most understandable pros and cons to prove himself. "If I were in league with the Holy Church, with sufficient intelligence, I could easily wipe you all out in one fell swoop. There would be no need to alert you beforehand, would there?"

"Who knows if you have some bigger scheme in mind?" Allen questioned, while secretly rejoicing.

He had sensed that Jude's invitation to drink was suspicious and knew that there might be danger on this trip, so he came on his own without any other companions.

This way, even if something goes wrong, the losses can be minimized.

"How do you prove your identities to each other in private? By demonstrating your abilities? What else?" Jude asked, feeling a bit of a headache.

Allen chuckled, "Even if we reveal our abilities and confirm that you are a Resonance Mage, we still can't verify whether you're on our side or the Holy Church's. Not to mention, you can't even demonstrate your abilities."

have to.

Even demonstrating your abilities might not earn you their trust, so planning a rescue operation with this group is really not easy.

But the more this happened, the more at ease Jude felt.

This precisely demonstrates that Allen and his group are reliable and will not overlook any oversight that could lead to disastrous consequences.

Only with such meticulous planning could the already difficult prison break plan have any hope of progressing, and even if someone from Allen's gang were arrested later, he wouldn't have to worry too much about being implicated.

"Then we can only build trust slowly." Jude, with his limited strength, certainly didn't want to rush into a prison break. "Can I ask you a question?"

"explain."

"Was the person who secretly followed me on my way home from get off work and even murdered Priest Rodney one of yours?"

"So what if it is?"

Jude looked puzzled: "Why are you following me?"

"Don't you know that yourself?" Allen said sarcastically.

"I really didn't know. I thought it was the prison's first or second-level guards who were afraid of being replaced by me and wanted to teach me a lesson, so they told my brother about it. That's why he specifically asked his colleague Rodney to protect me secretly." Jude spread his hands, looking completely innocent. "If I had guessed it was someone of the same kind beforehand, why would I have bothered to ask a priest to intervene?"

Allen remembered that when he was patrolling the exercise yard with Jude, Jude seemed preoccupied and asked him about the backgrounds of the first and second-class guards.

It doesn't look fake.

Otherwise, it would mean that Jude already knew his true identity back then.

In such a long period of time, the Holy Church should have had countless opportunities to secretly follow him, find out who he had been in contact with, and finally eliminate him and his companions.

They didn't need to drag it out until now, letting Jude come forward and alarm them, ruining their foolproof trap.

Could it be...?

Is Jude really one of us?

Allen also asked the question that had been puzzling him: "Your brother is a priest, and also the chief warden of the capital's heavy prison. Your... uh... your—"

Jude guessed that Allen meant Steele Fernando, but most likely didn't know how to express his relationship with her, so he 'helpfully' gave the standard address: "Brother and sister-in-law."

Brother and sister-in-law?

Alan's lips twitched.

These people appear to be very proper on the surface, but they actually address each other like this in private?

The openness of high society circles is truly unimaginable...

"Uh, right... your brother and sister-in-law are the deputy warden of the Royal Capital Heavy Prison." Allen forced aside the jumbled thoughts in his mind and asked, "With their support, you clearly had countless better options, so why did you choose to become a regular prison guard? And why were you assigned to my squad?"

"They definitely want to get me a better job or send me to a top university," Jude frankly explained. "But you can think about it again: if I want to learn how to apply the law of similarity relatively safely, what should I choose?"

"Working in a prison?"

"That's right." Jude nodded. "Only in the capital's heavy prison can one have the opportunity to come into contact with resonance sorcerers under a legitimate name, and thus learn about the laws of similarity, secretly improving one's own strength."

"So you insisted on being a regular prison guard."

“Yes,” Jude continued, “If I really became some kind of first or second-class warden, spending all day in the office, I wouldn’t be able to get in touch with them.”

Logically, it doesn't seem to have any flaws.

Jude really just wanted to be an ordinary prison guard, and his purpose in coming to the Royal Capital Heavy Prison was quite clear.

"Is it really such a coincidence? Your priest brother just happened to transfer you to my squad." Allen asked about the coincidence that terrified him the most.

"It was purely a coincidence. My brother thought Captain Foster was a good person. Although he has a bad temper and doesn't talk much, he's very attentive to his subordinates. In a place like the Royal Capital Heavy Prison, where you have to deal with prisoners every day, having a meticulous and responsible captain is absolutely crucial, which is why he put me under his command." At this point, Jude suddenly understood why Allen and his group were following him. "You guys don't think my brother deliberately planted me by your side, do you?"

That makes sense too...

If Connor truly knew or suspected that he was a "heretic," then there was no need to send his clueless brother to alert him...

This is really not something a smart person would do...

Allen gradually lowered his guard around Jude, and recounted his feelings at the time with lingering fear: "To be honest, when I learned that the younger brother of Warden Connor Viera had suddenly become my colleague, my first thought was that I must have been exposed... or at least, that I had alerted the Holy Church. In order not to be completely put on the defensive, I secretly followed you off on your first day off, to see if you had any close contact with the Holy Church."

Jude understood why the stalker was hostile but hadn't attacked him: "And the next day?"

Allen didn't hide anything: "On the first day, I noticed you were being followed. I was worried you'd recognize me, so I passed the message to our chairman that very night. He took it very seriously and personally monitored your every move the next day. Then, the chairman told me that he killed a priest while monitoring you, and that I should leave the prison and abandon my undercover work if necessary."

The president personally followed up.

Vincent Monroe once said that the most powerful member of Allen's group was a fourth-tier resonance mage.

This must be the chairman, right?

Killing Priest Rodney without leaving a trace shouldn't be too difficult.

Jude noticed that Allen addressed the man as "Chairman," and curiously asked, "What's your organization called?"

"The Descent of Gods".

"A descent of the gods?"

"You must have heard of the legendary prophecy of the wizard Edmund Ravenscrow before his death, right?" Allen asked and answered himself. "Edmund said that the year 450 of the Divine Calendar is the year of the Descent of God. At that time, the true and one true God will descend to earth and destroy the four false gods worshipped by the Holy Church. The reason we are called the Descent of God Society is to gather our fellow believers, who are fighting separately, into a united force before the true God descends to earth."

Vincent Monroe believed Edmund's words and willingly spent twenty years in the capital's heavy prison.

Now another Séance of God has emerged, deeply believing in Edmund's prophecy and willing to risk their lives for it.

Jude couldn't help but secretly admire Edmund's prestige among the involved wizards and resonance sorcerers: "Why do you all believe Edmund's prophecy so much? What's the basis for it?"

Allen suddenly gave a bitter, helpless smile: "The Holy Church is pressing us relentlessly, and the wizards and resonance sorcerers were scattered after Edmund's death. Rather than believing, it's more accurate to say we have no other choice. Jude... the Year of the Descent of God is our only hope."