Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"I'm not short of money."

"ten times!"

"I've already said that I'm not short of money."

"Twenty times! And I can even recommend you for further studies in Vienna!"

"Music is just a hobby; I don't want to turn it into a profession yet."

Samael spread his hands, looking quite helpless.

Mario, who had repeatedly failed to persuade his target, was also having a headache over this difficult person to convince.

Tomorrow's Mass might be the most solemn ceremony he has ever held in his life. In such a rush, not to mention the Goda Church, even the entire Misaki City couldn't find many decent performers.

To bump into this guy by chance while having a cup of coffee is quite a rare treat.

Mario, who strives for perfection, naturally wants to acquire this nimble finger to add luster to tomorrow's Mass.

Thinking of this, the blond boy's tone softened even more.

"Tell me, what do you want?"

"I don't care about anything, I'm not interested in boys!"

Samael looked at him with disdain and answered half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Upon hearing this, Mario did not back down; instead, he seemed to be deep in thought.

The little boy pulled Samael to a corner, pointed furtively to a spot, and whispered something in a low voice.

"Hey, see that woman drinking over there? Silver hair, purple eyes..."

Samael subconsciously turned his head and saw a dashing woman with silver hair in a single ponytail, wearing a black trench coat and carrying a black cello case on her back.

"how is she?"

"good……"

Having a natural affinity for mature women and white-haired girls, Gu She looked at them with appreciative eyes for a moment, nodded, and gave a fair answer.

"If you want to date her, I can introduce you to someone."

Unexpectedly, the cute little boy next to him turned into a pimp, earnestly preparing to sell one of his unsuspecting subordinates to the performer across the street.

"puff!"

Samael almost spat out the strong flavor he had just tasted, his face turning black.

Do I look that lecherous?

Furthermore, you've even gone so far as to pimp out your own master, do you realize that?! Can't you at least show some respect for the faith?!

Chapter 103 The Opportunity to Cling to a Powerful Backer Has Been Lost (4.2k)

"A clover motif? Catholic?"

Samael pointed to the cross with a piece of cured meat hanging on it on the silver-haired woman's cello case, as well as the distinctive trefoil-shaped symbols at the four corners of the cross, which were symbols of the Catholic cross.

"I remember that Catholic clergy have sworn an oath to serve God and cannot marry, right?"

Then, the snake rolled its eyes in annoyance and looked disdainfully at Mario, who was probably just fooling him.

The blond boy remained unfazed, placing one hand on his chest as he responded confidently.

"The soul belongs to God, but the body should be driven by oneself."

"Hey, what are you saying? I can hear you!"

However, just as Mario was whispering with Samael, the silver-haired female knight sitting at the counter drinking put down her glass, turned her head and looked at a certain blond boy with ill intentions, frowning and snorting coldly.

“Mario Jallo Bestino, I will report your every word and action to your adoptive father.”

"Whatever. Anyway, the old man isn't here. You're all under my control until we go back to Italy."

Mario waved his hand dismissively, clearly unfazed by the threat of the report.

Even the blond boy's deep green eyes held a hint of mischievous mockery.

Honestly, how could Bishop Laurentis have chosen such a little brat to examine the Eucharist and preside over the Mass?

The dashing silver-haired woman named "Lizby Phil Stolin Dobali" rubbed her temples, secretly complaining and deeply regretting taking on this pointless mission, seeing that the brat who had been gossiping about her behind her back showed no remorse whatsoever.

In reality, this silver-haired, purple-eyed woman is the Grand Master of the Inquisition of Heretics of the Holy Church, a true Holy Knight.

Because Liz Byfie always appeared detached from worldly affairs and showed no signs of confusion, she was highly respected by others.

With her extraordinary strength and defensive armor, she enjoyed a high reputation in the Church and was known as the "Saintess of the Fortress," the "Knight of the Holy Shield," and the "Mediator of Music and Law," and was a believer among believers.

Generally speaking, combat personnel of her rank rarely go on field missions unless there are special circumstances.

However, a few weeks ago, the higher-ups secretly received news of a miracle occurring in Misaki City. In order to verify its authenticity, they specially appointed a cardinal to take charge of the situation.

The person originally in charge should have been Lord Laurentis, who possessed both prestige and ability.

This cardinal of the Italian district has considerable authority, allowing him free access to the "Library of Angels" without permission, and is considered one of the strong contenders for the next French emperor.

However, compared to his outstanding authority and abilities, Laurentis's public reputation is not very good.

Legend has it that he adopted more than twenty sons.

It is common knowledge that cardinals cannot marry, and in principle, all their nominal offspring are adopted. Yet, Laurentius's adopted sons all bore a striking resemblance to him.

Therefore, many believers have the impression of him as a "vulgar man who covets beauty and power," and believe that most of his so-called twenty-odd adopted sons are his illegitimate children from his chaotic private life.

Originally, Liz Byfie believed in the principle that the innocent are innocent and the guilty are guilty, and thought that these rumors from the outside world were nothing more than slander.

However, she couldn't help but wonder if Lord Laurentis was truly senile.

Logically speaking, given Laurentis's own stature, he certainly had the right to have her, the Holy Shield Knight, as his bodyguard.

Unexpectedly, the cardinal himself did not show up when he set off, and he also jokingly appointed his grandson Mario Laurentis as a high priest to be in charge of mystical affairs throughout the entire Japanese diocese, including the verification of sacred objects in Misaki City.

Along the way, the twelve or thirteen-year-old high priest demonstrated some outstanding abilities, arranging the itinerary and tasks in an orderly manner.

However, once she arrived in Misaki City, the priestess became mysterious, and many of her orders left her bewildered, sometimes even seeming like childish pranks.

For example, this time at the coffee shop...

If I had known that coming to Misaki City would be such a troublesome affair, I should have found an excuse to cancel the mission back then.

A certain "efficient" and "steadfast" Holy Shield Knight of the Holy Church was slumped over the counter, brooding and complaining, revealing a deep-seated laziness and indolence that contradicted the outside world's perception of him.

You, the bishop, are certainly no respectable person.

At that moment, Samael glanced at a cunning young man who was teasing his subordinates, took a sip of his liquor, and gave a meaningful look.

Lord Laurentis...

Unlike Lizby, who was kept in the dark, Samael already knew the true identity of this blond boy.

On the surface, Mario is one of the many grandsons of Cardinal Lord Laurentius. Because of his outstanding abilities, he was adopted by the Cardinal and given the surname Bestino.

However, the truth is that this twelve or thirteen-year-old boy was Cardinal Laurentius himself!

As far as Samael knew, the Blood Ancestor Roya, reincarnated into the fourteenth generation, had undertaken a project aimed at achieving immortality by reversing the body's aging process, but this experiment ultimately failed.

However, not everyone can resist the temptation of eternal youth and immortality.

Cardinal Laurentius, who was already old at the time, in order to outlive the previous French emperor and successfully ascend to the throne, took advantage of his position to secretly obtain a lot of research materials on immortality from Rojas and used them on himself.

However, the magic base of reverse growth is a wrong research direction, and the specific content is only a half-finished product.

Therefore, after regaining his youth, Laurentis soon suffered a backlash. Instead of solidifying his peak condition, his body continued to grow in reverse, resulting in his current appearance.

Left with no other choice, he could only travel as one of Laurentius's adopted sons, hoping to obtain immortality through other means.

Mario was just one of the identities and aliases he used.

Although Roya was defeated by him, the "Holy Site" in Misaki City still attracted this restless cardinal.

At this moment, completely unaware that he had been exposed, Mario continued to play the young man with a wicked sense of humor, teasing his subordinates' sensitive nerves while enthusiastically continuing to recruit Samael.

"How's it going? If you agree, I can arrange a date for you two right now. Liz doesn't have anyone pursuing her yet."

"Sir, you've finished your coffee, haven't you? We should be going; you still have a lot of work to do!"

However, before Samael could speak, a swift and decisive figure abruptly rose from his seat, stood silently behind Mario, his gaze icy, and pressed his slender, powerful fingers on Mario's shoulder blade, dragging the blond, blue-eyed boy toward the door.

“Young man, the choir doors will still be open for you. You can come to me anytime you change your mind.”

Mario, being dragged backward, didn't forget to remind Samael before leaving, throwing out something that looked like a business card, clearly showing his fondness for him.

However, the ancient serpent, which had innocently attracted the firepower, was glared at fiercely by the Templar Knight with an unfriendly expression as a warning.

I didn't say I wanted to date you...

Samael, caught in the crossfire, watched the two clowns walk away and shook his head helplessly. He then got up and sat down at the empty table number three to wait.

"Excuse me, is there anything you need?"

As the guests were seated, a figure hurriedly dressed in a waiter's uniform, carrying a notebook for taking orders, walked out of the changing room.

Samael glanced at the menu and answered casually.

"One tiramisu, please."

"Okay, please wait... It's you?!"

The waiter, who had been engrossed in writing and drawing, had just finished taking notes. The moment he looked up to reply to the customer, his face froze, his pupils contracted sharply, and he immediately turned and ran away without warning.

"Snapped!"

However, as soon as the waiter turned around, a fair hand landed on her shoulder and gently pressed her down.

Samael looked at the familiar face that appeared before him and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

"Why are you running?"

Yeah, why would I run?

Suddenly, the purple-haired, brown-eyed girl slapped her forehead, her expression suddenly realizing something. She then mustered her courage, glared fiercely at the man in front of her, and stretched out her right hand.

"Hey, pay me back!"

However, unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, she felt a light weight in her hand.

"Well, we're even."

Samael clapped his hands, feeling relieved.

"It seems there wasn't that much; I only paid 3600 yen..."

The sudden generosity and the unexpected return of the meal money left Ritsuka Zhou somewhat stunned, and he subconsciously muttered to himself.

"The extra amount will be calculated as interest and tip, and I'll make it up to you."

At this moment, the wealthy and powerful Samael waved his hand dismissively, indicating to the old acquaintance he had just run into that the money should accept it.

Faced with this blatant money offensive, Ritsuka Shuse hesitated for only a second before grinning and stuffing several large-denomination US dollars into his pocket.

"By the way, are you short of money? Why are you working everywhere...?"

With the debt settled, Samael calmed down and looked at the workaholic and professional spy of the Magic Church with a brooding gaze, and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Yes, of course we're short!"

Zhou Se Ritsuka nodded emphatically, his face immediately scrunched up when this was mentioned, looking extremely bitter and resentful.

"You don't know, I have a younger sister to support, and I have a lot of expenses. My salary is never enough!"

Samael suddenly remembered that Ritsuka Zhou Se seemed to have a younger sister named Yuika Zhou Se, who was currently working as a nun at the Goda Church and had no reliable source of income.

Moreover, if I remember correctly, the nun suffered from congenital amblyopia and is now basically blind, which is another considerable expense for maintenance and treatment.

Furthermore, despite being known as a magician and a spy for the Magic Association, Ritsuka Shuse's seemingly glamorous life is actually quite lucrative; he earns only hard-earned money with limited income.

After all, her magic tricks have almost no room to expand with the progress of the times, and she has even been jokingly asked to work in a circus.

Moreover, the profession of magician is also synonymous with burning money.

Take Kuonji Aratsumi for example. The Kuonji family is a true wealthy and powerful family with businesses all over Japan, far exceeding the Aozaki family. Even the dormitory at Misaki High School was built with money from the Kuonji family.

However, besides inheriting the Western-style mansion, Yuzhu had no other property and lived in poverty, with her monthly food expenses of 30,000 yen not even covering her income.

The real reason is that making magic props is extremely expensive. Let alone high-level fairy tale monsters, making a magic cat bell would cost the equivalent of two months' income for an average high school student working at a convenience store.