"Yeah?"
Maggie frowned; it seemed her account was largely correct, except...
If it really is this level and number of demons, even if the entire Holy Knights and Holy Mages are mobilized, there will still be risks.
"Yes, what are you going to do?"
Xiu rarely addresses Maggie as 'Your Highness,' and his demeanor and tone of voice are quite casual, sounding like a long-time friend having a lighthearted conversation.
"It depends."
Maggie was silent for a moment, and this was the only reply she could give.
Because she hadn't thought of a more suitable solution yet. Although she didn't have much affection for the temple and wasn't particularly attached to it, the paladins and mages hadn't done anything wrong.
She cannot disregard casualties in order to achieve her goal.
If she becomes like that, what difference would there be between her and the Pope?
"good."
Xiu didn't ask any more questions. He vaguely knew a little about Maggie and the Zefneria family. All he wanted to do was help out and wouldn't concern himself with anything else.
"Go back and rest, everyone. It'll probably be very busy in a while."
Having obtained all the necessary information, Maggie decided there was no need to continue the meeting and sent everyone back.
Everyone looked at Maggie, nodded, and chose to leave.
Even Nesser, who is most likely to act coquettishly, knows that Maggie has been very busy lately and shouldn't bother him too much.
The crowd dispersed from the church until only Maggie remained, at which point she turned and walked into the temple.
On her way back, Maggie suddenly saw white doves flying over the top of the church.
She was taken aback and was about to quicken her pace when she heard Father Barton's dignified and aged voice.
"Your Highness, how have you been lately?"
Maggie withdrew her gaze from the sky and looked at the approaching priest. She hadn't seen Barton for some time; since the Pope's death, he seemed to have faded from the temple's power structure.
She only participated when Maggie first wanted to take action against the Zefneria family.
Or, to put it another way, it has happened.
He didn't offer any opinion, nor did he have any complaints about Maggie. He simply watched quietly as Maggie arranged the work, and after leaving that time, he never appeared in front of Maggie again.
Even today.
Strangely enough, people I used to see every day are now hard to meet unless I make a special appointment, even if they are all in the temple.
"Thank you for your concern, Father. I'm doing quite well lately."
Maggie composed herself and at least outwardly replied politely.
She didn't actually have any ill feelings towards the priest; he was just a very old-fashioned man with a certain desire for power. He wasn't a bad person, but he wasn't a particularly good one either.
He had selfish motives, but they were negligible compared to his loyalty to the temple.
Although he tried to gain control of the Holy Mage Order after the Pope's death, even though he failed, he didn't do anything to her or do anything behind her back. At least he was a decent person.
If Maggie were someone who strictly adhered to the temple's rules, she would definitely like the priest, but unfortunately, she isn't.
She and the priest were not on the same page.
"That's good."
The priest nodded slowly, his voice calm, looking like a serious and rigid headmaster from high school, the older type with completely white hair and beard.
With his white hair and priest's uniform, he still looked quite kind.
"Father, is there... something you need?"
Maggie didn't think the priest would stop her for no reason. In the past, she might have gone through some pretense before getting to the point, but now she didn't need to do that.
"Her Highness is much more straightforward than when she first entered the temple."
When Father Barton heard Maggie ask such a direct question, he was somewhat stunned. After a long while, he smiled helplessly, his words filled with indescribable emotion.
"Things are different now. The Pope is no longer here, so there's no need to hide anything anymore."
Although Maggie didn't speak very clearly, both of them were shrewd people, and the priest understood her meaning in an instant.
"Of course, Her Highness the Holy Maiden did indeed achieve that."
Father Barton looked as if he were reminiscing about something, and his gaze towards Maggie was also very complicated.
Because to him, if Maggie were a perfect saint without any flaws or blemishes, he would be completely in love with her now.
I will also support Maggie unconditionally.
Even if she wanted to be pope, he would absolutely support her.
But Maggie was different. She was a scheming, corrupt woman with a questionable background, and a ticking time bomb with significant hidden dangers. Yet, it was she who achieved the goal he had always wanted to reach.
Clean the temple and unite everyone in its ranks.
This would free the temple from the control of the Pope.
This put Father Barton in a very conflicted position, which is why he hadn't seen Maggie for a long time. He had also considered warning Maggie and getting her back on the right path.
But after just one attempt, he completely gave up on that possibility.
Because of Maggie's ambition and her temperament, which was completely different from that of a believer in God, there was no way to correct her; she had to be cultivated from scratch.
That's a level of difficulty that's practically unbelievable.
This was one of the reasons he wanted to compete with Maggie for power, and even intended to let her confront the Pope. If they could both be severely injured, everything would be perfect.
Unfortunately, that was just a dream.
But today, he still took the initiative to find Maggie.
It wasn't a chance encounter; she came to him of her own accord.
Barton closed his eyes and, looking into Maggie's pale gold eyes, uttered what he truly wanted to say.
“Your Highness, if you can truly believe in the Lord, the nuns and priests can all become your helpers, and there will be no one in this temple who can disobey your will.”
The priest looked solemn, and even his voice trembled slightly, as if he were expecting something, or as if he were afraid.
Maggie was also surprised that the priest would suddenly say such a thing. Judging from the seriousness of his expression, he didn't seem to be joking at all.
so.....
He means...
Should we submit to her?
Is the prerequisite faith in the God of Light?
After Maggie understood what he meant, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry; this was probably what it meant to be caught between laughter and tears.
Although she knew the priest doubted the extent of her faith in the God of Light, she never expected that he could guess that she was completely unbelieving.
“The priest’s words are offensive to the Lord…”
Maggie composed herself, intending to offer some excuses, but the priest interrupted her without hesitation.
"Your Highness, there's no need to say such things again."
Before she could finish speaking, Barton saw through Maggie's hypocrisy and lost patience to listen any further.
He was clearly an old man with gray hair, but at this moment his eyes were piercing, as if he could see into people's hearts.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com