At the same time Rody left, in a private room on the second floor of the Pig's Head Bar that was less than ten meters away, the five Viper Cross believers who were dressed as adventurers were revising their plan on the parchment.
"The first batch of people will attack here. If that old thing Rubens has enough men, they will definitely appear here …"
"… We've included the additional manpower from the monastery. This way, we'll need to participate in the second attack after the enemy shows their trump card."
The man in the robe was the leader of the team. His tone carried a hint of reverence as he whispered, "Lord Gallup seems to have a grudge against Priest Akasha."
"Anyone can see that they don't see eye to eye."
The two-meter-tall bald man replied in a low, muffled voice as he used a whetstone to carefully sharpen the tips of short spears.
His words caused the atmosphere in the team to become a little silent. The Viper Cross Sect had as many internal conflicts as the Rose Cross Sect. Conflicts of interest between different bishops and families could be found everywhere. It was not uncommon for high-ranking bishops to be "pushed to the bottom" because of a certain mission. So, the five of them were feeling a lot of pressure. If they messed up the mission, they would not be able to escape.
"The escape route from the square to the west gate of the city has been prepared. If the west gate is blocked, we still have two other routes to leave. The tunnel at the edge of Cambay has been dug for half a year. It can be used anytime now."
"Lord Gallup has been planning for so long. We'll definitely complete the mission!"
"Don't be too optimistic." The man in the robe leaned back on the wooden chair and narrowed his eyes as he pointed at the city square on the map. "The Rose Cross Sect is not to be trifled with. Once everything starts …"
"Then there's really no room for maneuver."
***
17th of September.
An unprecedented storm was brewing in Hollier City. The strange thing was that no one tried to stop the storm. They all thought that they had the absolute advantage and were thinking about how to gain more benefits from the storm …
But this was a small microcosm of the entire era.
In the evening, Francis, who was in Moria's manor, had finished reading the parchment in his hand. At this time, his state had recovered from the previous depression. His tense nerves had relaxed a lot, and his heart was filled with faint anticipation and excitement.
The fireplace reflected the warm light of the fire, dispelling the chill of the villa outside the city. The maidservant walked in with her head lowered and served the young count an exquisite tea. The latter threw the parchment into the fireplace and looked at the burning paper in a daze. He took a sip of the tea and waved his hand. Willy, who was at the door, walked in.
"Those heathens still have no intention of cooperating with us?"
"Master, they don't seem to trust us, but we found some interesting news outside the city …"
Willy reported in a low voice. Francis smiled and said, "If that's the case, what's the harm in helping those heretics once?"
Willy nodded, and then Francis asked softly, "What about the monastery?"
"Miss Sally, she … she has two mercenary groups in the city. Although they hid very well, we still found traces of them. If you need, we can take them tonight …"
Willy made a gesture of cutting his neck. Francis narrowed his eyes and snorted coldly, "She finally knows to be ruthless? Heh, we don't need to do anything today. Just keep an eye on her for a few days and wait until the night after tomorrow. She won't have time to make other preparations … Before that, just give her the illusion that victory is in her grasp. When the celebration is held, I will 'celebrate' her becoming a priest. "
Francis clenched his fist confidently, then looked at Willy and said, "Is there any other news?"
"There's one – Titus and Knight Wellington have arrived in Hollier City."
After saying this, Francis's originally relaxed expression became a little unnatural, "So fast?"
Although he had advanced to become an "Elementalist" and had become a mage that ordinary people could not defeat, Francis knew that even if he practiced for another ten years, he might not be able to walk back and forth in front of these two knights. These two knights had truly followed his father through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Their strength was absolutely terrifying …
But they were in such a hurry to come here now … A certain speculation flashed through Francis's mind, and he hurriedly asked, "Did they go to the Ducal Palace?"
"I visited as usual, but I just went to check today. Everything is the same as before. Lord Duke's condition has not improved," Willy thought for a moment and added, "Butler Alpha seems to be sick. When I went to the Ducal Palace, I did not see him."
"It doesn't matter if Alpha is sick or not, the main thing is …" Francis seemed to feel that there was something wrong, but he could not figure it out no matter how hard he tried. In the end, he waved his hand and said, "Forget it, I still feel that something is not right. Go and arrange more people to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Keep an eye on Titus and Wellington. Of course, don't get too close, or they will definitely find out."
Francis's originally relaxed mood became a little uneasy because of this inexplicable message. He paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, but in the end, he did not make any changes to his plan.
"There are only a few days left, no more accidents …"
*****
The 18th of September.
When he walked to the front of the monastery, Roddy looked at the towering steeple of the church. He gently pinched the die that he once gave to Sally, straightened his loose robe, touched the mustache that he used to disguise himself, took a deep breath, and walked into the church.
Walking up the steps, the white stone floor was emitting a cold air. The stone pillar in the front hall still had the dents of crossbow bolts. Roddy remembered that Sally was hiding behind this stone pillar at that time. Now that he saw it, he could not help but sigh at the coincidence of fate.
The temple guards wearing metal armor stood on both sides of the church expressionlessly. The cross and rose pattern on their chests were gorgeous and holy. Faint whispers came from the front. Most of them were the believers praying in low voices, or the priests explaining the doctrine of the church. As he breathed, he could smell the fragrance of roses that always lingered in the main hall of the church.
At this time, Roddy had a big belly, two small mustaches on the side of his lips, and his eyes were shining brightly. Wearing a round hat, he looked like a merchant that could be seen everywhere in the city. Among the people who donated to the monastery, apart from the nobles, this kind of person was the one who donated the most. Therefore, he did not encounter any obstacles along the way.
Although it was not Sunday, more than half of the seats in the church were still occupied by all kinds of believers. After entering the main hall, Roddy drew a cross in front of the statue of the god, then found a seat in the corner and sat down. He pretended to be praying devoutly, while his eyes quietly glanced around.
The expected Sally did not appear.
Could it be that … she did not see the message he left?
Before this, Roddy had left a message in Martin's letter about the meeting today. In order to be safe, he had specifically confirmed that Martin had reported it to Sally. But now, she did not appear. Was there a problem?
However, the extraordinary hearing that came with the "Acute Environment" allowed him to detect some clues. He looked behind the statue and roughly confirmed some things. Then he continued to wait.
…
More than ten meters away, Sally was already standing there. She slightly pursed her lips and leaned against the cold wall, avoiding Roddy's occasional glances like a thief.
"This idiot …"
Although that was what she said, she did not hide the joy in her heart. It could even be said that there was an inexplicable sweetness in it. Back then, she had clenched her teeth to write that letter. Although the tone of her words was calm, her heart was filled with anxiety. That damned bastard left behind a harsh sentence and left. That feeling really made her feel so uncomfortable that she couldn't eat for a few days. Even that oval face of hers had become so thin that her chin was almost pointed.
You made me suffer so much, then I'll let you wait a little longer!
Peeking, Sally found that Roddy was still sitting upright. She could not help but snigger.
"Hee, he even stuck a moustache …"
The bell at the top of the church rang, which proved that Roddy had waited for half an hour. Sally felt that this guy had waited enough. Then she tried hard to keep a straight face and stepped out.
Don't look at him. Don't look at him. You must pretend to be careless …
Sally walked straight to the corner of the church with a straight face. She sat down beside Rody and silently began to pray. Although she looked like she was praying, her ears were almost pricked up to listen to the movements around her. Her heart was thumping violently.
But after a full minute, Roddy still could not speak!
"This wooden lump … bastard …"
Sally was a little impatient. I'm sitting next to you, at least make some movement!
And just when she wanted to say something, Roddy finally said, "That … Priest, I have something to confess to you …"
Before he finished his words, Sally, who had been keeping a straight face, burst into laughter. She pretended to turn her head and replied, "Only clergymen above priest can listen to the confession of believers. I'm just a nun, not a priest yet."
Under the ends of her golden hair, Sally looked at the guy who had always made her worried and wanted to beat him up. After a fleeting smile, her pretty face tightened again, "However, if you don't use the 'confession room', I'm willing to listen to your confession here, as long as you don't mind, devout believer."
"That couldn't be better." Roddy coughed twice and pretended to draw a cross again.
Although he had made a lot of anticipation before he spoke, the otaku Roddy was still a little nervous when he really expressed his feelings, such as apologizing. This was different from the game. It was one thing to be "skillful" in the game, but it was another thing to solemnly apologize to a friend … So he held it in for a long time and only came out with an inexplicable sentence,
"Thank you."
Sally raised her eyebrows, somewhat puzzled.
"I … did something I shouldn't have done and hurt someone I shouldn't have. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to … apologize." Roddy tried to put all the words he wanted to say into one sentence, "I said something I shouldn't have said to you and left. I only hope it's not too late for me to say this now, because I …"
Roddy swallowed. Those words that he had rehearsed many times before were finally deleted in his mind, and finally there was only one sentence left —
"Because I don't want to lose you — this friend."
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