Maggie looked up into Harlan's bright blue eyes, trying to find something fishy, but all she saw was sincerity.
Sure enough, trying to glean anything from the face of even the most pretentious god is unrealistic.
She rubbed her temples and succinctly recounted the events to Harlan, omitting what had happened in the Kingdom of Saint Na and only recounting what had occurred in the arena that day.
"Your Highness, you are truly audacious."
Harlan seemed to understand Maggie's plan, and after saying that, he pulled Maggie into the house.
Maggie was caught off guard and was pulled inside without warning. By the time she realized what was happening, she was already in Harlan's room.
"!"
The environment was so clean and tidy that it didn't look like anyone had lived there. It was bright and spacious, and a fresh scent lingered in the air. Turning her head, she saw Harlan with a faint smile in his eyes, leaning against the door and looking at her.
"what you do!"
Being in a man's private space with him, Maggie's nerves instinctively tightened, her eyes filled with wariness.
Even if she was certain that Harlan wouldn't do anything to her, it didn't mean she would let her guard down.
"Your Highness, be careful, walls have ears."
Harlan took two quick steps to Maggie's vicinity, stopping at a spot that wouldn't offend anyone, his tone tinged with helplessness.
"Now you can tell me, Your Highness, what you plan to do."
Harlan crossed his arms, adopting a listening posture, his blond hair falling across his forehead, sunlight streaming through the window and illuminating his profile, making him appear like a god for a moment.
Maggie's eyes glazed over for a moment, and for some reason, she saw Harlen and Nofel in front of her.
The next second, Maggie jolted awake and quickly banished the strange thought.
Before regaining her divine status, no god could possibly recover her memories; she was delusional and that's why she was having these wild thoughts.
"Although I don't know why you didn't choose to side with the Pope, the Pope will return later in the Magic Tournament. Now, Ivy has openly killed someone on the field to provoke me. Even if the temple is just trying to save face, it will launch an investigation."
“But Ivy is definitely not an easy opponent. Once the higher-ups confirm that it is him, they will most likely not go all out to kill him, as that would be too much of a loss. So I plan to have Ivy and the Pope clash head-on in the Magic Tournament.”
"That way, the Pope will have no choice but to use all his power to kill him because of his reputation."
As Maggie spoke, she keenly noticed Harlan's strange micro-expression, paused, and then added.
"Ivy and I made a deal because of a little accident. I'll find a way to get him hooked. All you have to do is get the Pope to attend the Magic Tournament at the same time, by any means necessary."
After saying that, Maggie took a deep breath and looked at Harlan with a questioning expression.
In theory, the Pope doesn't concern himself with these matters. His main responsibility is to monitor the appearance of demon believers in various regions, and he will personally deal with high-level demons when they appear.
Because the gods are asleep, the overall strength of Hell is actually many times greater than that of the human world. Apart from the Temple of Light curbing the spread of demon believers, other forces are also purging believers every year.
However... the Pope has been going a bit too far lately.
Thinking of the orders Safa had given her, Maggie was overwhelmed with sorrow.
"Your Highness, you are truly audacious."
Harlan seemed both troubled and amazed, his eyes narrowing slightly, a half-smile playing on his handsome face.
"So-so, compared to you."
Maggie remained noncommittal, but if anyone had to say who was crazier, Harlan was no different; they were evenly matched, and neither of them needed to laugh at the other.
“Your Highness’s plan is quite good, but I have something better. Would you like to hear it?”
Harlan's smile widened, his voice still slightly hoarse and languid, probably because he had just woken up.
"Hmm? Speak."
Maggie tilted her head, indicating that there was nothing she couldn't listen to, after all, Harlan was quite smart.
“Deep within the temple is a secret chamber specifically for punishing the dead, usually used by priests for interrogation. It’s clear that Her Highness is really angry; perhaps the puppeteer would be more welcome there.”
"The temple's barrier is designed for the undead. Anyone who enters the temple will be trapped by illusions. I can help Your Highness lead the puppeteer into the torture chamber."
"Your Highness, you just need to lure him in."
Harlan's eyes were slightly upturned as he coaxed out his thoughts, his gaze bright and gentle, as if he were whispering sweet nothings. Yet, his words sent a chill down one's spine.
Clearly, Maggie's plan was more about completely eliminating Ivy, while Harlan's plan was to torture him.
The existence of the torture chamber is a nightmare for all the dead.
All the dead are born from obsession, and theoretically their conviction is terrifyingly strong. Any place that they can't bear can be called a living hell.
"You... never mind."
Maggie's expression was complicated. Looking at the man in front of her, who was as upright and dignified as a god, she felt very complicated. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but after thinking about it, she decided it was better not to say anything.
She clearly knew all along, so what was she so surprised about?
"Does Your Highness think I'm cruel?"
Harlan, being such a shrewd fellow, could not possibly fail to read Maggie's mind, and as he spoke, he once again revealed a wounded expression.
"No, it suits me perfectly."
Maggie turned her head and said in a somewhat stiff tone.
This is indeed satisfying to deal with Ivy; after all, she's an undead, not a human. Maggie isn't so saintly that she cares about the dead.
"So Your Highness has accepted my proposal?"
Harlan smiled again, as if her sadness just now was an illusion.
"..."
Maggie is numb. This guy is so unpredictable. She was a little carried away just now, but now she's starting to regret coming to him.
There's always this feeling of making a deal with the abyss.
"Then let's leave it at that."
After Maggie finished speaking, she lifted her leg to leave the place, but was blocked at the door by Harlen's long arm.
"...Is there anything else?"
She paused, then asked, feigning composure.
"Your Highness said you would give me a reward."
Harlan's tone was light and casual, yet inexplicably cheerful.
What do you want?
Maggie's mind went blank for a moment, and after a two-second silence, she asked.
They were chatting so naturally that she forgot about it.
"If Your Highness is still at the temple during your holiday next month, how about spending a day with me?"
Harun's voice is languid, like the afternoon sunlight filtering through the trees, dappled and warm.
"?"
Maggie's lips twitched, and she looked up at the man's face again, wanting to confirm if he was serious. But all she saw was his sincere expression.
"...Okay, but I don't think it's necessary."
All she could think of was that Harun had something he wanted to say to her, but it wasn't convenient to do so in the temple.
There is no other reason to be alone.
Moreover, she is a saintess, and if she wants to leave the temple alone for a day to rest, it would require a lot of troublesome applications, which would not be worth the effort.
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