"I need to get what I want from the royal family of the Kingdom of Saint-Nar: a key to open the ruins, a chance to return to the Kingdom of Saint-Nar, and... to trick Ford."
Maggie knew that if she didn't tell, the little ghost would be extremely curious, so she sighed and gave a brief explanation.
"What does this have to do with that princess?"
The little ghost was completely confused.
"She is my bargaining chip."
Maggie tilted her head, her expression serious.
Suddenly, a noisy commotion came from outside, just like the one last night. She turned to look at the door, closed the magic book with one hand, and left only one sentence.
You'll find out soon enough.
...
As soon as Maggie entered the cathedral, she saw Princess Eve being held down by a paladin, her hands tied behind her back, her eyes glazed over as she stared ahead and muttered to herself.
"Impossible! How could the God not want to see me? I love you so much, how could this be... how could this be..."
Ford stood on the prayer platform, his face ashen, his expression extremely grim.
Maggie's smile deepened.
Ford is the Pope's man, and now that the Pope is not in the temple, the temple has been plagued with problems under his management, which can be considered a failure in his duties.
Father Bert Barton, whose rank is second only to the Pope, is about to return. The priest's priesthood is one level higher than his, and when the priest returns, even if Ford is to be punished, Ford will have no grounds for complaint.
The prestige he had painstakingly built up was completely destroyed, and even with Ford's excellent self-control, he could not suppress his anger at this moment.
Maggie slowly approached, and Ford's gaze immediately locked onto her.
"Your Highness, what's going on!"
This was the first time Ford had spoken to her in such a tone; his usual kindness and affection were gone, replaced by suppressed anger.
"Your Excellency, what has happened? I don't understand."
When Maggie was called by her name in that tone, she couldn't help but show a look of panic, but she quickly remembered that as a saintess she should maintain a dignified demeanor, and forcibly concealed her panic.
"Hmph, I ordered you to send Princess Eve away! Why did she sneak into the room where the sacred relics are kept! Explain yourself!"
Ford rejected Maggie's explanation, his face turning ashen.
"I...but I told Princess Eve to leave quickly..."
Maggie clutched her clothes frantically, trying to sound calm, but many people in the church could tell that she was very flustered.
Finally, seeing Maggie being interrogated and reprimanded, the nun who had been arrogantly ordered around by Eve at the temple gates couldn't help but speak up for Maggie.
"Her Highness did say that, and many nuns heard it when they passed by in the fourteenth prayer room."
When one person speaks out, many others are willing to testify, and within moments, several nuns passing by in the church began to defend Maggie.
"Yes, I heard it too, and this Princess Eve is really arrogant. Her Highness was scolded very badly."
"She even called Her Highness trash and useless, showing no respect whatsoever to Her Highness."
"Her Highness did say it, but Princess Eve refused to listen to her."
As the testimonies rose and fell, Ford's expression grew increasingly grim, a sight that Maggie found quite fascinating, like a colorful palette.
"Your Majesty Bishop..."
Maggie cautiously looked up at him, her face clearly showing her fear of being punished.
Ford's chest heaved violently. He closed his eyes to try and calm himself down. He didn't know how much time had passed before he seemed to remember something and opened his eyes again. However, he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single syllable for a long time.
Maggie just watched him quietly. She could guess that Ford definitely wanted to ask how Princess Eve knew the location of the sacred object, and whether she had told anyone.
But she was just a newcomer to the Holy Maiden, how could she possibly know where the sacred object was?
If Ford had asked, he would have been a laughingstock.
"It seems I was just angry and wronged Her Highness the Holy Maiden."
The air was almost still when Ford, once again revealing his cunning and hypocritical nature, whispered words of comfort to Maggie.
"No need. His Excellency is very busy. It's normal for him to be anxious when such a serious problem arises."
Maggie, of course, had to accept his apology.
“However, Your Highness is not entirely without responsibility. If the sacred object is stolen, even I will be punished. This time, you will be punished by being confined to a dark room for three days to reflect on this negligence.”
At that moment, Ford abruptly changed the subject, his voice sounding old and kind, yet disgusting, as if he were spitting out a snake's tongue.
The dark room was one of his methods of torturing people. No one who came out of there was not so terrified that they begged for mercy, completely lost their composure, and some even urinated and defecated.
If she does this, when she comes out of the dark room, she will definitely ruin the reputation and goodwill she has worked so hard to build up in the temple.
That's a truly vicious trick.
"...Yes, Your Excellency."
Maggie lowered her eyes, behaving utterly obediently. Her eyes swept over the figure outside the stained glass window, and she began to silently count 3, 2, 1.
The next second, a figure radiating an aura of inclusiveness and holiness appeared at the church entrance.
"The saintess has done nothing wrong, there is no need for her to reflect on her actions."
The priest's deep, powerful voice echoed throughout the church, drawing all eyes to him, including Ford's.
Ford suddenly gripped his cane tightly, his expression changing drastically, though he still managed a forced smile.
"It is truly impolite to greet a priest returning from his mission with this kind of scene."
Father Barton ignored Ford and strode toward the prayer table, standing beside Maggie.
"The archbishop did not first question the person who made the mistake, but instead punished the innocent saint, which seriously violated the will of God."
With each word he uttered, Ford's facade crumbled further until he could no longer maintain his composure.
“Father.…”
Ford wanted to say something more, but Patton didn't give him the chance. Instead, Patton turned and walked toward Princess Eve, who was still muttering to herself.
"How did you find out the location of the sacred object, and how did you get in?"
The priest used magic before even asking questions, directly casting a truth spell on Princess Eve.
Princess Eve looked up blankly, her gaze unconsciously falling on Ford.
“I heard him say that I used the magic scroll that my father gave me to break the magic circle at the location where the sacred object was stored.”
Upon hearing this, the entire church fell into an eerie silence. Every nun, priest, and pastor fell silent, but their eyes all turned to Ford.
Maggie glanced at Ford in disbelief, her eyes filled with sadness and shock, but she quickly looked away, lowered her head, and said nothing more.
Seeing Maggie's reaction, many of the nuns felt sympathy for her.
"Fine, very well, is this why you want to punish the Holy Maiden?"
Father Barton snorted and turned to look at Ford.
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