Chapter 432: A Traitor Among Us

Ariel followed the woman into the orphanage.

The night wind passed under the eaves and set the crooked-necked tree in the yard creaking. The whole orphanage was lonely and desolate, with no sign of life; only the swing beneath the branches swayed by itself.

Ariel kept her face unreadable, but her gaze swept the surroundings quickly.

A three-story old-style building, still saturated with the Life Church’s aesthetic—something you saw everywhere in the Holy City. In the very center of the yard stood a person-tall statue of the Goddess, which looked to have been here a long time.

Everything was unremarkable.

No wonder the patrol knights hadn’t noticed anything. In truth, even when Ariel approached, she hadn’t sensed anything wrong with this ordinary orphanage.

Not until that woman appeared...

And now, upon truly stepping inside, she discovered the entire orphanage was shrouded in a faint, eerie magic.

Beneath her feet lay a massive array.

“A very clever cloaking array.”

Even Ariel’s teacher couldn’t help but praise it:

“It has multiple effects—presence-masking, repelling, mental interference. If a Crown-Bearer–level powerhouse doesn’t personally draw near, it’s hard to detect anything unusual... You can tell it’s been in preparation for a long time, and the setter has some skill.”

“How much ‘some skill’ are we talking about.”

Ariel forced herself to keep a straight face as she asked. She knew no one could see her expression right now, but she felt maintaining a certain level of vigilance was still necessary.

Only by truly making yourself aloof will others think you’re aloof.

This was a lesson learned from Ariel’s long career of black eating black.

“Relax.”

Her teacher reassured her:

“Since a Crown-Bearer could discover it, that means the skill falls short of Crown-Bearer level—far inferior to the compass in your hand.”

“I see.”

Ariel let out a small breath.

As long as it wasn’t Crown-Bearer, it was within her tolerance. Even if she couldn’t win, at least she could run.

“Creak...”

The white-clad woman pushed open an old wooden door. Stale air from the sealed space rushed out to meet them, and dim candlelight lit faces that looked faintly frightening.

It was a room like a conference chamber. The windows were sealed with heavy curtains, as if some clandestine underground deal was underway, and only a few candles provided light.

Around the broad long table sat a dozen figures. When the door opened, their gazes fell in unison on the entering Ariel—or rather, on “Ghostshadow.”

...Crap.

Spoke too soon.

Within the black mist, Ariel stiffly turned her head and, relying on her teacher’s heightened perception, silently swept over each person.

Counting the white-clad woman who had led her in, there were two Fifth-Rank warriors, one Radiant-Rank mage, and the remaining dozen-some... all were at least Fourth Rank and up.

Each aura was frighteningly strong, the dense reek of blood almost enough to make one swoon—these were definitely not pill-bolstered jars; every one of them was a hardened killer with rich combat experience.

And Ariel, the “boss,” was—at early Fourth Rank—happily awarded the title of the weakest present.

She felt like a little lamb deep in a wolves’ den...

Ariel hunched her neck and, under all those stares, forced herself to walk into the room.

“My lord Ghostshadow.”

Led by a middle-aged man in gold-rimmed glasses whose bearing looked refined and scholarly, everyone rose and bowed respectfully to Ariel.

“You have returned.”

“...”

Ariel gave a slight nod—though to others, it was only the black mist faintly rippling a few times.

“Weren’t you going to seek a new operation site? Why did you return early? Did something happen?”

“...”

“Those Holy City knights outside seem to have increased their patrol numbers again. My lord, have you received any news?”

“...”

“And... huh? Why do you not speak?”

Seeing Ariel maintain her aloof silence, the middle-aged man pushed up his glasses. Light flashed across the lenses as he asked, puzzled:

“You seem particularly taciturn tonight, my lord.”

“...”

Ariel’s heart gave a cold thump. As expected, playing the aloof mute wasn’t that easy—staying silent too long would also arouse suspicion.

She pondered briefly, recalled that Crown-Bearer who had face-planted to death at lightspeed before her not long ago, then, after a moment’s thought, imitated his tone and said:

“Failed.”

“What?”

“I said... I failed.”

Ariel picked up the thread of the middle-aged man’s earlier question:

“Seeking a new operation site... failed.”

“Failed... you?”

As Ariel delivered the news in a casual tone, nearly everyone present—including the white-clad woman with the expressionless face—showed varying degrees of shock.

It seemed that “my lord Ghostshadow” failing was, in their eyes, something hard to believe.

“Why... It shouldn’t be. Even if the Holy City is under martial law, with your abilities as the Fourth Seat...”

“An archbishop.”

Ariel was brief and decisive—and this time she had the confidence to say it.

Judging from how quickly that suspected archbishop had arrived earlier, that disgrace of a lightspeed face-plant Crown-Bearer had eight or nine chances in ten of being killed by an archbishop.

As for other possibilities... she’d pin this pot on him first. If they had the guts, they could go find an archbishop to verify it.

She sure wasn’t stopping them.

“Hiss...”

At the words an archbishop, a thin wave of sharp intakes of breath swept the room.

“So an archbishop made a direct move?”

The middle-aged man pushed his glasses again, frowned, walked to the window, lifted a slit in the curtain, and peered warily at the still-lit night of the Holy City.

“It shouldn’t be... Even in a special period, with just that little incident in the daytime, how could an archbishop be alarmed? Unless some archbishop was bored out of his mind and decided to meddle.”

“I told you those hired dogs were unreliable!”

A burly hulk in the corner slammed a fist on the table and snorted angrily:

“If they hadn’t been grabbed by the Holy City’s knights as soon as they entered, drawing attention, how would it have gotten this troublesome? Disguised as a caravan? Pah! Do they not know caravans are always key targets at checkpoints everywhere?”

A caravan?

Ariel, silently listening to their talk, felt her mind stir.

Could it be...

“Calm down.”

The white-clad woman set her oil lamp on the long table, finally making the room a little brighter.

“Those people were precisely bait we threw out to draw attention. Even if they’re all gone, it’s no loss. The problem now is: with an archbishop personally taking the field, can our plan still succeed?”

The atmosphere grew heavier. The mere words an archbishop pressed on these people like a mountain.

“The plan must proceed. The arrow is nocked and has to be loosed. Assassinate the Church’s Saintess and expose the truth of the Goddess—this is the first step of our Salvation Society in revealing truth to the world!”

The glasses-wearing man swept the room solemnly; he seemed to be the highest in rank here besides “my lord Ghostshadow.”

“Granted, the situation is severe—but there is some good news...”

He pushed up his glasses and smiled slightly, looking toward Ariel:

“To have escaped intact from an archbishop—my lord Ghostshadow, it seems your strength has improved again.”

“Mm, really?”

“That is truly great news.”

“Congratulations, my lord, haha...”

“...”

Facing the hopeful eyes of a pack of knife-licking killers, Ariel could only bite the bullet and nod again:

“Indeed... I have improved slightly of late.”

Yeah right.

The guy had clearly flopped in seconds.

She didn’t know the many details of his fight with the archbishop, but from the fact that two high-realm powerhouses had fought in the Holy City without causing much commotion...

Even if it wasn’t instant, he’d gone down fast.

“Since my lord Ghostshadow failed to find a new operation site, we can only rely on the original site and carry out the previously finalized plan.”

The news of “my lord Ghostshadow’s” improved strength did add a fair bit of confidence to those in the room, and they began a detailed review around a Saint City map densely marked on the inner wall.

As for Ariel, seated in the chair set aside specifically for him—er, her—as the “boss,” she naturally didn’t need to join in personally; she only had to nod now and then to show presence.

As the discussion progressed, Ariel began to grasp these people’s origins, goals... and the details of their plan.

Then... she almost couldn’t stop herself from drawing the Heavenfire Greatsword and chopping off every one of their mutt heads!

These people actually wanted to assassinate the Church’s Saintess—and at the Saintess’s enthronement ceremony, right in front of several million believers.

Are you insane?

If you want to die, isn’t it simpler and more straightforward to stab your own neck with a knife? Green, healthy, no pollution, won’t trouble others—why assassinate a Saintess?!

...No, from their chatter, this “Salvation Society,” whose creed was to overthrow the Church and show the world the “truth” of the Goddess, was probably just another heretical cult from who-knows-where. A lineup of lunatics was normal.

But that wasn’t the only reason Ariel wanted to chop their heads. After analyzing cause and effect, she suddenly realized...

Her falling into her current plight... was probably because she had entered the city with that caravan in the daytime—and had been mistaken for an accomplice of these people!

Damn it—so what did her ending up here mean?

Round and round, she had not only cemented her identity as their accomplice, she’d even become their boss, the “chief culprit” of assassinating the Saintess?

If she got caught, a hundred heads wouldn’t be enough.

Thinking of that archbishop likely still circling in the sky and the tightening net of this whole district, a cold sweat slid down Ariel’s back. Thankfully, the black mist hid it and no one noticed anything amiss.

“No—calm down...”

It wasn’t to the point of becoming a criminal for no reason. Her being the boss was fake; she could get out any time.

Ariel gripped the compass in her hand. In the Salvation Society’s plan, this “my lord Ghostshadow,” whose strength had supposedly improved, had the task of temporarily going alone to delay the Church’s powerhouses—she didn’t need to “personally” assassinate the Saintess.

When that time came, her chance to slip away would be...

Huh? Wait.

A spark flashed in Ariel’s eyes.

Thinking carefully, these guys wanted to go assassinate the Saintess—whether it succeeded or not, they would definitely draw all the Church’s attention.

After all, the Saintess being attacked was no small matter; even that archbishop, who for some reason had taken the field earlier, would definitely be alarmed.

And her biggest headache now was the Holy City’s gradual lockdown of this area, leaving her with nowhere to hide. Otherwise she wouldn’t have been forced to follow the compass into this wolves’ den.

When the time came, as long as the Church’s attention was drawn away—and adding the Salvation Society’s painstakingly arranged separate-action window—wouldn’t she be able to leave however she pleased?

Whether going to the embassy to clear the misunderstanding and report these lunatics on the way, or going to find Liya—she’d have plenty of options.

As for Her Highness the Saintess being assassinated... Ariel didn’t even know her; why should she care?

And Ariel didn’t think the plan would succeed. If “my lord Ghostshadow” were still really Ghostshadow, given the plan’s rigor, there might be a teeny chance.

But now, the boss who could briefly pin down the high-end guards beside the Saintess had flopped early. Though these people were strong to her, before the Church as a whole, they didn’t amount ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) to much.

“This approach... works.”

While thinking, Ariel kept her eyes on the complicated Saint City map. The parade route for tomorrow’s enthronement was clearly marked.

As were arrangements, security, and the powerhouses likely to guard the Saintess.

Granted, anything even the Salvation Society could ferret out would only be what was on the surface. But the Church also had to maintain order for several million fevered believers tomorrow.

With manpower pulled from all sides, and given the Salvation Society had more than this one cell—four other teams were attacking from different directions—then even the Holy City would be stretched thin. They couldn’t possibly cover everything.

At that moment... would come the opening!

...

...

After the meeting, the temporarily idle Ariel walked into the corridor, hands clasped behind her back, watching the dawn slowly rise in the distance.

It was nearly light. She could feel the city fully waking. The previous night’s incidents hadn’t affected in the slightest the fervor that hung over the Holy City.

But none of that concerned Ariel. She didn’t worship the Goddess, had no interest in the new Saintess, and couldn’t even be bothered to learn her name.

In contrast, once the subsequent plan was set, she felt much more relaxed.

It wasn’t even a plan—more like going with the flow. And precisely because of that, in Ariel’s view, there was basically no way it could fail.

Unless...

“My lord Ghostshadow.”

A cool voice suddenly sounded, making the corner of Ariel’s mouth twitch despite herself.

No way... was the “unless” really coming?

Ariel turned her head silently and met the gaze hidden behind the middle-aged man’s lenses. After a beat, she still asked in a toneless voice:

“What is it.”

“There’s something that, in front of everyone just now, I wasn’t in a position to say.”

The man habitually pushed his glasses. Morning light left a keen gleam across his lenses. He looked at Ariel, hesitated, then spoke in a weighty tone:

“I suspect... we have a traitor among us!”

“...” Ariel’s heart tightened.

“Yes—a traitor. And from my observation, I think that traitor is very likely...”

He slowly drew closer to Ariel, as if to pierce the black mist around her and see her clearly.

The black fog swayed. Ariel’s face was impassive, but her palm had already gripped the sword hilt she’d inched from her spatial magitech device, and her mind spun, calculating exits.

“...Pangeni! She’s the one who’s been handling the knights’ searches. If anyone were colluding with the Church, she’d be the most convenient conduit! I suspect it’s very likely her!” the man declared sternly.

“...”

Veins bulged on the back of Ariel’s hand. It took everything she had to shove the almost-drawn sword back in, and after a stunned moment she asked slowly:

“Do you have proof?”

“Proof... not yet. But if there weren’t a traitor, how else did you run straight into an archbishop this time?”

He pushed his glasses again and sighed:

“A pity there isn’t time, or I would definitely dig up the evidence!”

“I find that unlikely.”

Ariel thought for a moment, then suddenly imitated “Ghostshadow’s” tone.

“Why?”

“Because if she were the traitor—and capable of summoning an archbishop—do you think you’d still be alive?”

“Th... that makes sense.”

The man wasn’t stupid; he quickly followed the logic.

Pangeni was the white-clad woman. With her position, if she had betrayed them and thrown in with the Holy City, an archbishop would have descended from the sky to pancake them one by one. How would they still be here plotting all night?

“So...”

Ariel’s tone suddenly turned playful:

“Rather than suspect her, you’d be better off suspecting the one who had contact with an archbishop—and still managed to return...”

“Subordinate does not dare!”

The man’s face went white. Realizing his suspicion might have angered “my lord Ghostshadow,” he dropped to his knees in a panic:

“My lord is the Fourth Seat under the Holy Throne—how could I dare...”

“Hmph. You wouldn’t have the guts.”

She snorted coldly for show. Within the black mist, looking at the man’s post–brush-with-death face, Ariel’s lips slowly curled.

So she had been overthinking.

In a hush-hush organization like this, even if someone suspected internal issues and started a self-audit, odds were they wouldn’t suspect their “boss.”

First, their hierarchy was very likely held together by strength. These “mere” Fifth-Ranks had no standing to suspect a “Crown-Bearer” like her.

Second, this Ghostshadow who hid his head even from his own people probably always acted inscrutable. A few changes in tone and temper weren’t enough to be grounds for suspicion.

That was why Ariel dared to impersonate “my lord Ghostshadow.” As long as the black mist created by the compass was the mark of “my lord Ghostshadow’s” identity, then in their eyes she was a 100% pure, additive-free Lord Blackshadow.

Even if inside she was a flawless, universally beloved perfect beauty who could have anyone, men or women!

Mm... it had to be said—her long experience in black eating black made her read these lunatics very accurately.

Hands on her hips, basking in her own cleverness for a moment, Ariel’s focus returned to the present.

In the distance, the morning sun slowly rose. The huge statue of the Goddess cast a gentle shadow under the warm light.

A new day had begun.

What hid in the shadows should start moving too.

There shouldn’t be anything left that could stop her from executing the “plan” now.

Borrow the commotion raised by the Salvation Society and the information they’d worked so hard to gather, and extracting herself from this giant whirlpool would be easy as pie.

She didn’t believe her luck would be that rotten again.

Heh-heh, Liya, I’m really coming this time!

“For the sake of the plan, I’ll forgive you this once.”

Ariel let out a proud, cold snort and, using the phrasing she’d picked up in the meeting, said coolly:

“Come. Offer everything of yourself to the great Truth.”

“Yes.”

The middle-aged man trembled as he stood and followed Ariel out.

In good spirits, Ariel’s steps were much more unhurried; she even had time to admire the towering city bathed in morning light.

“Hm?”

But as she walked, her steps suddenly halted.

Because, in the fresh morning air, she caught a different scent.

Blood.

Ariel looked down at her feet. Beneath the still-shrouding black mist, blackened blood was flowing.

From a nearby door crack... seeping to her feet.

“Ah... that.”

The man wore the panicked look of a janitor caught by the dean with a dirty hallway and explained hurriedly:

“That’s from those blind old fools from the orphanage. Sigh... We clearly said we were just borrowing the place, but they had to resist. We had no choice but to toss them here... Sorry to have dirtied your shoes, my lord. I’ll give those lazy wretches a good lesson later!”

“...Is that so?”

Ariel finally understood why the orphanage had been so deathly quiet last night.

But the blood had already gone black—that meant at least a night had passed.

It was all too late.

Sunlight slanted through the window. Upon the not-too-distant Cathedral of Aimier, Ariel could see a massive honor guard forming up in orderly ranks.

That should be the Saintess’s procession.

Reminding her to stay calm.

To not do anything meaningless—and stupid.

They had over a dozen powerhouses. She... was alone.

Ariel kept walking.

But she hadn’t gone far before she stopped again.

This time, she heard faint weeping.

Children... crying.

Right. This was an orphanage. But from beginning to end, she hadn’t seen a single child.

“What... is that?”

Ariel looked to the middle-aged man again and asked.

Within the black mist, her expression was utterly calm.

“What is it?”

The man stared blankly for a while before realizing she meant the barely-there sound of children sobbing. He chuckled:

“Those are the beastified. Have you forgotten, my lord? We need the beastified to create chaos... We just woke them from sedation. Before they start, they should fill their stomachs or... satisfy their desires.”

Not understanding why “my lord Ghostshadow” would ask such a baffling question, he pondered a bit, then tested:

“Could it be you enjoy that as well, my lord? We really have been remiss. If there’s still time, I’ll make arrangements for you...”

“No need.”

Ariel said:

“Time is tight. How could it be wasted on something like that.”

“True. You devote yourself to proclaiming Truth—how could you—”

“Truth can move back a step. There’s a reality I must tell you first.”

“Reality?” The man was at a loss.

“Yes.”

Ariel beckoned to him. “You. Come here.”

Though puzzled, he obediently approached the “my lord Ghostshadow” he saw.

When he drew near, Ariel leaned to his ear and whispered:

“By the way, remind me—what was the first thing you told me just now? Could you repeat it?”

“The first thing?”

He blinked, pushed his glasses, and ventured:

“I suspect... we have a traitor among us? Heh... My lord, I said that was just me being overly cautious—”

“Yes. We do have a traitor among us.”

Ariel cut him off, her voice glacial:

“And that traitor... is me.”

Pshht.

A gigantic blade burst from the back of the middle-aged man, whose face froze in disbelief. Blood sprayed, dyeing the morning sun red.

Screw your plan.

Screw your calm.

Screw your ‘strong as clouds.’

The black mist dissipated, revealing Ariel’s fair, indifferent face.

Scum dies first—for me.