When Maggie entered, everyone's eyes were on her, some scrutinizing, some wary, and some probing, but Maggie didn't care about any of it.
She came here today with only one goal: to gain control of the Holy Mage Order.
Perhaps sensing something, when the red-haired woman and Maggie locked eyes, the woman gave Maggie a polite and appropriate smile.
Maggie returned the smile with the same courtesy before finding her seat.
Harlan, who followed Maggie into the meeting room, happened to sit next to her. Finally, everyone was present, and the meeting officially began.
"What are your thoughts on the matter of the Pope?"
One of the old antiques who had been resting with his eyes closed the whole time finally opened them. As a senior figure in the temple, he had once held a high-ranking position. However, due to his advanced age or in order to further improve his strength as a mage, he had not appeared in public for a long time.
In terms of strength, he is not much worse than the Pope; perhaps the only difference is in physical strength.
After all, they are old and frail, and not as energetic as young people.
"According to the oracle, the Pope is in league with the dead and deserves to die."
Another old-fashioned person spoke up, but his gaze was fixed on Maggie as he spoke, as if trying to glean something from Maggie's expression.
Unfortunately, none of the people present were easy to deal with, and Maggie naturally wouldn't easily reveal her emotions. Even in front of very powerful people, she was fearless.
Not to mention that she just killed a mere archmage, she has also encountered more powerful, real old monsters.
Maggie looked calm.
Finally, the old antique withdrew his gaze and slowly got to the main topic of the day.
"The matter concerning the Pope has not yet been fully investigated, and the truth will require some time to uncover."
He was referring to the real reason for the undead transformation, but Maggie planned to add something more important later.
"Now that the Pope is dead, the temple cannot be without a leader, but... the Pope's coronation ceremony cannot be too hasty and simple. In comparison, you are a bit inexperienced, so this matter can be postponed for a while."
What he said was already decided. The Pope's death was dishonorable, and there were still many things that had not been investigated. Hastily electing a next pope might lead to new problems.
No one had any objections to this decision.
Although Maggie's move was risky, its effect was obvious. As puppets controlled by the Pope, none of the previous saintesses were able to truly sit at the negotiating table.
Today, she arrived late, and no one dared to say anything.
The old man surveyed the entire round table, tapped the surface lightly with his knuckles, and continued speaking.
"If there are no objections, we can proceed to the next step."
As soon as he finished speaking, Maggie slowly stood up, her gaze fixed on Archbishop Ford with a half-smile. She deeply regretted not having the energy to kill Ford that day.
But this doesn't mean she's prepared to let Ford off the hook, especially since what she's about to mention will definitely be related to him.
"Wait, I have something to add."
Ford also received Maggie's seemingly kind but actually murderous gaze, and his eyes immediately narrowed.
"Please speak, Holy Maiden."
As elders, the old-timers have always tacitly approved of and refrained from interfering with the sectarian disputes within the temple. Competition and checks and balances are essential to prevent major chaos within the temple.
A single outstanding deity is actually worse for the temple.
They are like a fair jury; they will support anything that is reasonable. The only thing that can influence them is the supremely glorious God.
Now that Maggie is blessed by the divine oracle, they treat her relatively kindly, and no one gets angry even when she interrupts.
"The strange phenomena that occurred to the Pope that day were related to the saints who had died in previous years. I saw their vengeful spirits emerging from the Pope."
Maggie spoke slowly and deliberately, her emotions surging within her. To be able to openly and honestly find out the truth about their deaths in such a setting was the last thing she could do for them.
So even though it might make her seem a bit rude and overreacting, she accepted it.
The faint echoes of their farewells still lingered in her ears. Maggie didn't want the truth to remain unclear, nor did she want them to die in obscurity. If possible, if their remains were still there, Maggie wanted to use the power of the temple to find them and give them a proper burial.
Perhaps there wasn't such a strong attachment in the Middle Ages, but she was a stranger in a foreign land, and she wanted to follow the customs of her homeland to help them pass away peacefully.
Maggie's words were like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating barely perceptible ripples on the negotiating table. They might be small, but everyone would be affected.
As for who changed his expression the fastest, it was undoubtedly Ford, one of the participants at the center of the incident.
“Your Highness, in such a solemn occasion as today, these matters can be handled privately by the Holy Knights. There is no need to bring them up today.”
He gave a forced smile and reminded Maggie to sit properly and not lose face. According to etiquette, Maggie shouldn't keep pressing the issue and should let the meeting proceed normally.
Unfortunately, Maggie is not a rule-abiding person.
"No, this is important, it concerns my life."
Maggie spoke frankly and wasn't afraid of being accused of being a coward.
"..."
The round table fell silent. Looking at Maggie's determined expression, as if she was determined to get to the bottom of things, it was finally the last old-fashioned person who hadn't spoken yet who spoke up.
"Holy Maiden, please calm down. The temple will give you an explanation for this matter... and an explanation for those innocent Holy Maidens who died."
Perhaps sensing what Maggie was concerned about, he emphasized it again.
This promise means that the temple will do everything in its power to investigate thoroughly and uncover every detail, even if hundreds or thousands of years have passed.
If there are still no results, the old-timers will personally investigate.
Finally, Maggie got the result she wanted most. She raised an eyebrow slightly at Ford, whose face was extremely ugly. This not only meant that she had won, but also that her status and importance in the temple had far surpassed his.
Nobody was on his side.
"Alright, thank you, elders."
Maggie sat back down decisively, no longer pressing the issue; knowing when to stop is the wisdom of life.
As for the more suspicious aspects surrounding the Pope, there's no need to discuss them now.
Even the fact that the Pope frequently purges his followers of evil spirits seemed somewhat suspicious to Maggie.
It may seem that the Pope is doing a good thing, but if... his goal is immortality, then his reasons for doing so are quite intriguing.
For some reason, Maggie's first thought was of the Demon King's Scepter on her body.
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