Chapter 162: Western Fantasy 26: A Little Bit of Like
"I'm sure you're familiar with this handy goodie."
The atmosphere visibly froze for a moment.
Seeing the photo stone, the Knight Commander's expression suddenly became serious, fear appeared in his eyes, and his thin lips were pursed into a straight line.
As someone who had helped solve countless obstacles for the Vatican, he was very familiar with some common tools. He always handled things properly; otherwise, without a noble background, he wouldn't have been able to rise to such a respected position. If they were to bring him to justice, it would be because he had hidden evidence against Lu Huai.
But he clearly went back and checked it again carefully afterwards, so how could there still be mistakes?
The truth is about to come out.
It seemed that before, His Holiness the Pope had already seen through many things without him having to intervene. He just felt that personally getting involved would dirty his clothes, so he pretended to be incorruptible.
Biles used to think that this man had become increasingly lenient with matters below him over the past century. He might be just like the old dean of Belward College, who, after reaching the realm of Grand Mage, wanted to cultivate his character.
He had never imagined that he was the only one to let his guard down. It was ridiculous that he, who worked every day, was the one to be pecked in the eye by a wild goose.
Amodia is worthy of being the Pope, he has quite the ability to manipulate people's hearts.
As soon as those words were spoken, not only did Byers, who was facing him, begin to think rapidly, checking for any omissions, but Lu Huai, who was shrouded in invisibility, was also extremely nervous. He frowned, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. If he were to become visible, he thought everyone would be able to see his nervous wrinkles.
Although as an outsider he didn't know what was going on, Jon noticed that something was wrong with him and guessed that Amordia's question was related to the recent unusual closeness between Lu Huai and Byers.
The bottle of vinegar had been spilled for who knows how long, so even though he vaguely felt a green light flashing above his head, he still held the person in his arms comfortingly and silently gave him strength.
She said softly and gently, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
0359 whispered, "Qiong En is quite capable. He's showing off his boyfriend power right now. Huai Huai, is a boy's embrace warm?"
Lu Huai's face was full of black lines.
0359 was horrified to discover that its host, unwilling to be outdone, was also doing something sneaky. At the same time, it still poked its belly fiercely in its sea of consciousness: "Stop being so rude, or you won't have any roast chicken to eat."
Lu Huai saw Byers kneel down on one knee without hesitation, but his eyes were always level with Amordia's, without any reflexive fear of his boss discovering his work problems.
"I am indeed familiar with the Recording Stone."
"Did you place something like this in the forbidden area in advance? As expected of the Pope, you are very foresighted and considerate."
"You're over-praised. I simply keep my god's teachings in mind to avoid putting myself in a passive position."
Amodia lowered his gaze slightly and knocked on the table. The stone placed in front of him was very small, and it almost danced a waltz on the spot with the movement.
It was a little funny, but no one present was in the mood to appreciate the humorous moment.
"Then you should know what is recorded here, Byers."
The Knight Commander clearly understood and admitted, "I did find a piece of physical evidence."
"I'm still conducting a secret investigation recently, and I'm afraid of alerting the enemy, so I'm investigating first. It's my negligence that I didn't report it to you in time."
"No problem, there's no need to pursue what happened before. Now, please give me the thing."
Amodia's gaze finally became sharp, a look that the people of the Vatican had not seen for a long time. Similarly, Lu Huai and Jon also encountered it for the first time.
Lu Huai's fingers that were not used to support the cloak unconsciously rubbed the corners of his clothes, and his heart tightened.
His eyes reflected the Knight Commander's slow advance: a familiar red rope was taken out of his pocket, with a Vatican-specific evidence bag on it.
Amodia asked him for it and examined it carefully.
As Lu Huai's heartbeat quickened due to his uneasiness, his face grew paler with every second of staring.
Amodia seemed to be certain of its authenticity. He raised his hand slightly, and the evidence disappeared into thin air in his palm.
His gaze returned to the Knight Commander, his tone of concern intact. "You've fought for years, and you've been working tirelessly for the affairs of the Holy See. You've always been diligent, toiling day and night. Byers, I think you might need some rest. Since things are looking good lately, I'll give you a short vacation."
"Thank you for your understanding. I understand your intentions, but I'm not sure who you'd like to delegate to handle matters during this period."
Biles shot back meaningfully.
He knew he was a serious person, so he couldn't be treated leniently for something whose severity had yet to be determined. Just as Amodia should have been very dissatisfied with him, yet he still treated him warmly and politely, like a fake person.
But Amodia didn't fall into his trap. Instead, she smiled even brighter: "Sorry, that won't bother you."
"Well, good luck to you," Byers said.
Lu Huai watched Byers frown as he hurriedly left Amodia's palace, clearly furious. Amodia, on the other hand, remained seated, upright, fiddling with the stone, seemingly lost in thought.
He originally planned to stay here for a while and see how Amodia would deal with this matter.
Unexpectedly, his five senses were extremely sharp and he seemed to have discovered an uninvited presence here. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle, and he stood up and cast a spell to explore everywhere.
Lu Huai hurriedly ran out of the hall with Qiao En, his fingertips tightly clasping the corners of his cloak, his heart beating so fast that it almost jumped out of his chest.
This life-and-death race tension only subsided after the two returned to Lu Huai's space.
Jon's body temperature still clearly surrounded him, and Lu Huai knew that this was his way of expressing support.
The blond elf will definitely stay by his side no matter what... I heard that he has been highly valued recently, so I guess his progress is also progressing by leaps and bounds.
Based on his understanding of Amordia, the Knight Commander, who was no longer as trustworthy as he once was, would likely be sidelined for a while, but he hadn't heard of any backup plans from him. If it was all about ability and the ability to convince the crowd, it seemed possible that Jon would be noticed.
only…
Her beautiful eyebrows were tightly knitted together, and Lu Huai felt his stomach churning and had an urge to vomit.
This disgust was not directed at the elf, but at himself.
He suddenly felt that he was just like what those people in the village said, that he was born to be a disaster. Not only did he bring misfortune to his parents, but anyone who had close contact with him could not escape his misfortune.
For example, this time, it was he who harmed Biles. He had complicated feelings about this person, so he didn't feel very guilty.
But next time, will he transfer his misfortune to such a good friend who cares about him so much?
Lu Huai didn't dare to speculate further.
So when Jon asked worriedly, "Lu, I didn't dare to ask you before, are you close to Commander Byers recently because of something that happened? What's your reason?"
"Can you please tell me? I'm afraid something might happen to you. I don't mean anything else, I just want to do my best to protect you."
Lu Huai laughed. Did this guy have this occupational disease after becoming a regular knight? He wasn't some delicate princess who needed his constant watch and care.
He had a bad feeling that Amodia was not someone who would let the clues be cut off halfway.
Although he found that Byers was well prepared and had secretly removed the wooden bead with his name engraved on it, they still didn't know how many unavoidable methods Amodia had.
After all, the things belonged to him, and they were also recorded by the photo stone. Restoring, reconstructing the physical evidence, or conducting a large-scale investigation all depended on that person's thoughts.
Lu Huai knew that unless Seno took a huge risk and came in person, he would not need the help of Lance. As long as the Pope or any powerful cardinal could make him unable to fight back.
So he can be said to be standing on a dangerous wall with no way to retreat. How can he drag Jon into the game for his own selfish desires?
"Thank you for today."
"Only, I'm sorry, Joe, I can tell you anything except this one thing."
Jon stammered and wanted to say something, but he held his shoulders, his figure reflected in his eyes as golden as the sun.
Lu Huai turned around, as if he didn't want to see him stay here any longer.
A hint of hurt appeared on the elf's face, but he would not go against Lu Huai's will.
At this moment, he seemed to have forgotten the fact that he was an outsider, and also forgot his original plan to test the bottom line of the rules and ask Lu Huai whether he was willing to return to his own world with him.
"Well... I still have a mission. I'll come to you next time after I finish my work."
He dragged his heavy feet out, but behind him came a call that was more beautiful than heavenly music, with a hesitant tone.
"Wait, this, I want to give it to you."
Lu Huai took out a small brocade box from the drawer and opened it in front of Qiao En.
He was pleasantly surprised to see an exquisite ring inside.
"Storage space?"
"Well, you go on missions all day, fighting monsters, and you're always getting hurt. I think these things are perfect for you."
"High-level healing potion, high-level charging potion, trapped beast scroll, energy-gathering long blade..."
There were a dazzling array of priceless goodies inside. Knights of their level would have to make considerable contributions to get one or two of them, but Lu Huai arranged them in an orderly manner and gave them all to himself.
The more Qiao En counted the money, the more frightened he became. He asked in a trembling voice, "Lu, you didn't leave any for yourself and put all the monthly payments in this, did you?"
"No, I've already taken out some, just enough for now. The rest isn't that important to me."
Jon was about to refuse.
Lu Huai put the ring on his finger without saying anything, and the magic circle took shape the moment it was stuck on the joint.
His slender white fingers held the glittering ring, and he suddenly felt like he was in a dream-like visual feast. And such treatment was given to him, a "disappointed man".
"You..." Once the ring connected with him, it cleverly hid its shape in plain sight, and as long as he thought about it, all the things could be taken out easily.
Jon hardly knew how to respond to such kindness. His eyes were red, and his impulsiveness and patience were fighting in his brain.
He didn't understand why Lu Huai was so nice to him, but was unwilling to trust him and share his difficulties.
Lu Huai knew what he was struggling with, but he was determined to keep it a secret from Qiao En for as long as possible, because he didn't want to lose him forever with a devastated look in his memory.
"Go ahead, don't delay your work." A gentle smile appeared on Lu Huai's face and he waved at him.
Jon took one step lightly and another shallowly. He realized belatedly that in his original world, rings worn on different fingers had different meanings. He didn't know if there was such a saying here, but...
He stared at his ring finger, which was slightly heavier than the other fingers, with deep eyes.
"Wife—"
In a fit of rage, Jon rehearsed it in a very low voice and quickly covered his mouth. Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with Lu Huai's expression, he just looked at him innocently.
"It's okay, it's okay..." He felt relieved, but when he looked at his beloved's clear, beautiful eyes full of spring water, his heart tightened again.
Lu Huai was completely unaware. In his eyes, Jon was like a ghost with a confused mind, about to float out of his room, and he was quite prepared to watch him go.
Unexpectedly, this man was full of bad intentions and turned back just when he was about to take a step forward.
"You've been so good to me, I want to repay you!"
"How to repay?" The curious baby fell into the trap.
"Hmm!" When their lips touched, Lu Huai was filled with shock.
“What are you doing!”
Jon seemed even more flustered than him, and disappeared in a flash until he turned a corner and saw the smooth and bright tiles reflecting the curve of his mouth that he couldn't lower.
Thinking that Lu Huai's cheeks might be puffed up with anger, not to mention how cute he would be, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
But neither of them expected that this unobstructed meeting would be their last.
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Author's Note: Meow meow meow! There are updates coming!
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