In the name of the true god

The heavy prison of the capital, on the watchtower of the "inner ring".

Jude stood in the cold wind, clutching his bolt-action rifle, lost in thought, while the "poet" Anders lost all interest in reading his poetry collection.

"Jude, Jude, Jude." Anders looked around the now quiet prison, a lingering unease in his heart. "You, you, you said recently... recently, why, why are there always people escaping from prison?"

"I don't know." Jude shook his head and continued to silently sort out his thoughts.

The fact that the two priests, Connor and Cole Sanders, stood by and watched indifferently from a distance shows that this prison break was a deliberate act by the Church faction, and everything was under their control.

Why did they do that?

Jude, who had just formed an alliance with Melanie, naturally thought of the previous prison break incident. It was not hard to guess that the church faction was most likely trying to put pressure on the royal faction again, forcing them to agree to transfer the "heresy".

What a coincidence!

Since I arrived at the Royal Capital Heavy Prison, the Church faction has been making a series of underhanded moves.

It doesn't seem like a coincidence...

Jude reflected on the cause and effect.

If he hadn't been followed, Priest Rodney wouldn't have been killed by Frost, the president of the Séance of the Gods, while escorting him.

If Priest Rodney had not died, the Church faction would not have believed that a powerful "heretic force" was lurking near the capital's heavy prison.

If the church faction hadn't been aware of the "heretic forces" near the prison, they wouldn't have secretly helped an ordinary prisoner escape, using the opportunity to attack the monarchists.

If this tactic hadn't succeeded, they wouldn't have used the "lure plan," which successfully ambushed and arrested another group of their own.

If another group of their kind hadn't been arrested, none of this would have happened...

Ultimately.

All the unexpected events that have occurred in the Wangdu Heavy Prison over the past month are related to me.

That's secondary.

The key question is whether the royalists will compromise this time?

If they compromise, given the Church's style of operation, the forty-two implicated wizards and resonance sorcerers imprisoned there will likely be transferred to the Church Temple in just two or three days.

Two or three days!

There was simply no time to react!

What to do?!

Edmund's "distant water to quench immediate fire" approach will likely not yield any results for at least seven or eight days.

The Divine Descent Society has been planning for three years, but a foolproof rescue plan is still nowhere in sight.

Finally, Connor's image resurfaced in Jude's mind once again.

It has now been confirmed that Connor's entry into the Royal Capital Heavy Prison and his voluntary appointment as a priest of the Holy Church were all for the purpose of secretly aiding the "heretics"!

Therefore.

He doubted his own identity, but instead of revealing it to the church, he indirectly provided himself with important intelligence.

If we can coordinate with Connor, a forced prison break might not be without a chance of success!

only……

If we do this, Connor's stance will inevitably be exposed!

As a priest, Connor is constantly under the supervision of the gods, and it goes without saying what the consequences would be if his stance were exposed.

No...

We can't drag Connor into this...

Despite Jude's dual identity as a trance wizard and a resonance sorcerer, and his fate being inextricably linked with the "heretics," the dozens of his fellow imprisoned were far less important to him than Connor.

Is there any other way...?

Should we stall for time a little longer?

Taking advantage of the church's reduced vigilance after eradicating a "heretic force," ambushing them on their way to relocate their kind?

None of them are reliable enough!

I still need to get in touch with Connor!

Connor is currently misunderstanding me, and I must clear up that misunderstanding first. Otherwise, even if I don't intend to drag him into this, he is very likely to take risks and do something on his own.

November 3, 448 (Saturday), 7:30 a.m.

After finishing his night's shift, Jude first found Allen and asked him to contact Chairman Frost and wait for him at his house.

"Isn't your brother suspicious of you? Wouldn't it be too dangerous to run into him at this critical moment?" Allen hesitated as he took the keys from Jude's hand.

"Don't worry, my brother won't be watching me." Jude's situation with Connor was too complicated to explain to Allen in a short time, so he could only offer a simple reassurance.

"...Okay." Allen hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "So, what do you want?"

"I'm going to see my brother and gather more information."

"Or maybe you should just give up, you're just asking for trouble..."

"Believe me," Jude said solemnly, "if we want to break the deadlock, I have to see him again."

Allen stared blankly at Jude: "...Then the chairman and I will wait for you at your house."

After saying goodbye to Allen, Jude hurried to the special prison building and asked the guard on duty at the main gate to pass on a message to Connor.

Upon learning that Connor was not in the heresy ward, he fought off his sleepiness and rushed to the administration building.

However, before he could even reach the top floor, he ran into the aggressive Melanie.

"Jude?" Melanie blocked Jude's path in the stairwell. "Have you told Connor about the matter I asked you to do?"

"I was just about to go over and talk to her." Jude decided to ask Melanie about the situation first, "About last night, was it—"

"Of course it was the church's doing!" Melanie's eyes were filled with hatred and loathing. "To divert attention from heresy, they don't even care about the lives of prison guards, a bunch of scum..."

"Will the heretics be transferred?" Jude asked nervously, seeking an answer he had already anticipated.

Melanie snorted coldly: "Warden Adel went to the palace half an hour ago. Whether the heretic stays or goes will only be known after he has his audience with His Majesty."

Jude's heart sank.

The fact that the warden reported this matter to the palace indicates that the church faction has at least persuaded the royal faction, and now only His Majesty Leonard needs to make the final decision.

Will His Majesty Leonard agree?

No one knows.

In short, time is running out.

"We need to hurry." Melanie turned to the side. "Come on, let's go see Connor."

"Are you going too?"

In Jude's view

If the forty-two imprisoned sorcerers and resonance magicians are indeed to be transferred to the church temple, then the seven priests stationed in the prison will also be transferred.

The priests have all left.

What's the point of Melanie's counterattack?

"Of course!" Melanie said matter-of-factly. "Trying to shift the blame onto me, causing the deaths of so many prison guards, and then just walking away?! Not so easy!"

Ok……

Given her personality, this matter is indeed quite meaningful...

Jude pondered for a moment, thinking that with Melanie as cover, they might be able to stir things up even more. Even if it wasn't cover, but Melanie directly opposing the priests, it would still tie down some of the church faction's energy, creating an opportunity for their rescue. So he readily agreed: "Alright, let's go!"