When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 709: Chapter 96 The Death of Lantana Chapter 709: Chapter 96 The Death of Lantana The atmosphere between Loki and Pure White visibly tensed up.

No one else dared to speak, and the only person who could interject at this time was Aiwass.

“In fact, Cardinal Loki,”

Aiwass touched his chest lightly with his right hand three times and began, “I am myself implicated in this matter—because the bishop named Mercedes, she died inside a cabinet in my room.

“And if Her Highness the Holy Maiden had not had other urgent matters at the time, she would have been the first to see her friend’s corpse.

I would have been a witness, seeing all of this.”

“So what?”

Loki asked in return.

He appeared calm and collected, as if he had no knowledge whatsoever of the Pure White Amberficate.

Aiwass’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

—Could this be Loki’s act?

Was he pretending to be ignorant of this matter, thereby absolving himself of suspicion?

But just then, Pure White suddenly spoke up, uttering words that surprised Aiwass, “Cardinal Loki, Aiwass knows about that matter.”

…Hm?

Aiwass looked at Pure White with some surprise.

What did she mean by that?

Loki’s expression also showed a slight change.

His brow furrowed slightly as he looked into the eyes of Pure White, with a stern tone, “You should know, such things cannot be told to outsiders.

Especially not to the Short-Lived Species.”

“I did not tell him everything, just as I have not told him those secrets about you.”

Pure White looked at Cardinal Loki with equal seriousness, “This matter only concerns me.”

“Not so.

Our affair is related to the Holy Nation itself, connected to you, to me, to all of us.”

“But after all, this matter is ultimately my own.”

The two high-ranking officials of the Holy Nation became enigmatic figures, arguing in a language incomprehensible to outsiders.

—Yet Aiwass was precisely able to understand.

And because of this, he could easily discern information that others could not detect.

…So it seems, Cardinal Loki already knew about the Pure White Amberficate?

No, according to their words, it would seem the entire Cardinal Archbishop circle was aware of it.@@novelbin@@

That would make sense, given Pure White’s honest and trouble-averse nature, she probably isn’t the type to deliberately hide such a matter…If someone still managed to use it against her, it means that the secret, in a way, is no longer secret.

Instead, it’s Loki who doesn’t want more people to know about it…What’s going on?

And then, there’s what Pure White mentioned about Loki’s secrets…

…Could it be that Cardinal Loki also has a secret, one that can be mentioned in the same breath as the Pure White Amberficate?

Is this matter related to the Controlled Flame?

Is it related to his sudden death?

As Aiwass pondered this in his mind, Cardinal Loki looked towards him once again.

“I am not one to repeatedly bring up matters, so I will say this only once more here.

If you do not wish to hear it, then I will not speak of it to you again.”

Cardinal Loki said seriously, “The Holy Nation is about to descend into chaos—your timing in coming here is not good.

If I were you, I would leave the Holy Nation now, and not return until the end of the year.”

Pure White only interjected, “I will protect him.”

However, Aiwass noticed that she did not deny that the Holy Nation would fall into chaos.

Cardinal Loki shook his head, “You can’t protect him.

“—You couldn’t even protect Bishop Mercedes, so how can you protect Aiwass?

The trouble entangling him is much greater than that of Bishop Mercedes.”

Upon hearing the first half, Pure White frowned slightly—considering her usually calm demeanor, this could be regarded as anger.

But upon hearing the second half, she paused.

Setting aside the anger over her friend’s demise for a moment, Pure White frowned seriously and posed the question to Cardinal Loki, “What do you know about Aiwass?”

“My past is chasing me.”

Cardinal Loki replied, “I shall be compelled.”

Pure White furrowed her brow slightly, “When?”

“Yesterday.”

“Did you pray to the Candle Master?”

“I prayed to Him three times last night.”

Cardinal Loki’s lips curled up slightly, fearless, “It seems now is the time for my soul to return to the heavens.”

Pure White narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at him, “Then won’t you come with me?

I can protect both the witness and the sinner.”

“I said it has nothing to do with me.”

Loki shook his head slightly and turned back to answer.

“Was it done by a person with the Controlled Flame?”

“Correct.”

Unexpectedly, Loki replied.

“Who?” Pure White pressed.

Upon hearing this, Loki turned his head to look at her and uttered a name.

“Gloria Lantana.”

The always serene and expressionless face of Pure White was suddenly visibly shaken.

Hearing this, the ever-quiet Aiwass suddenly raised an eyebrow.

For he had heard this name too.

It was not a good thing.

“…So, where is Gloria?”

Pure White took a deep breath.

Loki glanced at her, then turned to look at the mirrors.

He pointed to one particular mirror, and the image of a girl suddenly appeared in it.

Her flaxen hair was very short, even shorter than Aiwass’s.

The next moment, her image dramatically zoomed in.

It spread from one mirror to cover the entire wall, and the frame, which had only shown her face, now included her whole body.

Gloria was wearing a thin, breathable, white robe.

She was quite short, looking like a girl of about fourteen or fifteen.

Underneath her clothes, clear crystal-like scars could be seen, one after another.

Her palms, the backs of her hands, shoulder blades, collarbones, neck…

all were densely covered with crystalline scars.

She even moved stiffly.

But what was most striking was her right eye.

Her right eye had turned into a deep blue jewel as beautiful as the starry sky, filled with countless stars but lacking pupils and an iris.

In her hands, she held a thick stack of letters.

They were written in slightly twisted script, the “Confession.”

One could make out that the content written on them was the act of murdering Bishop Mercedes.

She walked to the edge of the earth, near the edge of one of the Rings.

Then, a golden radiance—or perhaps a particularly bright amber—ignited in her hands.

Under the catalysis of the light, the letters transformed into paper cranes, one by one, and flew off in all directions at the same moment.

As the paper cranes scattered, her entire body also leaned forward, arms spread, and she fell.

“…Gloria!”

Pure White exclaimed.

She instinctively stepped forward half a step, reaching out her right hand as if to grasp at nothing.

But just as she was about to reach out, she slowly lowered her hand.

“…When did this happen?”

“This morning,”

Cardinal Loki answered.

The next moment, he waved his hand.

The scene rapidly changed.

It was a leafless, decorative tree twisted with horticultural skill.

It was originally used as a seat, and now it was scattered with many gem fragments—blue, green, yellow, red…

The whole tree shone with the fragmented gems.

Only a face of gemstone with eyes tightly closed lay in front of the tree.

It too was shattered into two large pieces, with just the part above the chin still intact.

“Probationary Saintess Gloria.”

Cardinal Loki answered: “Her Amberficate disease had already reached a late stage, and it was only your heart-to-heart talks with her that kept her alive.

But she had grown weary of this state for too long…

Maintaining the status quo is also a twilight endeavor, ‘Stopping Amberficate itself does not stop Amberfication,’ it is a paradox peculiar to Elves.

“But evidently, compared to delaying Amberfication and ultimately having her soul frozen within those sculptures, she preferred a brief and splendid death.

“How can you define her actions against Mercedes as murder…

and not as a rescue?”

Loki turned back to look at Pure White: “As far as I know, Bishop Mercedes did not resist at the time of her death.

Are you so certain that she wanted to live, to be with you…

waiting for a future filled with Amberficate?”

But this time, Pure White unconsciously avoided his gaze.

“Your Highness, The Holy Maiden,”

Loki said softly: “Out of the scores of probationary saintesses, only one can become the finest Saintess.

They are all your stand-ins, ready to become The Holy Maiden should you encounter any misfortune.

“If you do not die, the rest can only ever be probationary saintesses in their lifetime.

They’d spend their lives practicing the arts of communion with the Nine Pillar Gods, living in the secluded Rings.

You know yourself how high the rate of Amberficate is among the probationary saintesses.

“You say that Elves who are less prone to Amberficate become professionals, and hence professionals are less prone to Amberficate.

Then I ask you, does the inheritance itself truly not affect the probability of Amberficate?

The high rate of Amberficate among probationary saintesses, the almost obligatory bond of life and death among each group of the Papal Guard, the death of one leading to Amberficate in the other…

and your former mentor, Bettina Dia Vanhua—the deaths of these people, do they really have nothing to do with the inheritance itself?

“—You are the successful one, the survivor, Your Highness.

Just like me.

We are the lucky ones.

But there are always the unlucky ones.

Some cannot become the Heir, and some Heirs die.

Among those who follow me, not all are professionals—there are also some Heirs facing the crisis of Amberficate, seeking change, treatment, and relief.

They, too, are Elves.

“Now I ask you, Your Highness—

“Is the Controlled Flame truly at fault?”

In the face of The Holy Maiden and the four Papal Guards, Cardinal Loki’s words did not waver in the least.

His gaze was as fervent as fire, the crimson glow burning in the depths of his eyes like the setting sun.

The setting sun is indeed the time of twilight.