“Room for maneuver?”
Hearing Aide’s question, Cold Light raised her eyebrows slightly.
She turned her head toward Aide, her silver-white ponytail swaying gently with the motion.
“Are you pleading for Moya?”
After a moment of surprise, Cold Light did not find Aide’s proposal particularly strange.
After all, considering his feelings for Moya, it was only natural for him to defend her interests after a minor squabble.
“It’s not about pleading for leniency, but finding common ground for cooperation where both sides benefit.”
Aide took out the handkerchief he carried and gently wiped the cold sweat from Moya’s face as she lay slumped on the sofa, drenched in sweat.
Under Aide’s care, Moya, whose limbs had gone weak, finally felt much more relaxed.
She gazed at the man who had just tormented her mercilessly and was now personally tending to her with complicated feelings.
‘Damn it, isn’t this just pure PUA?’
‘Is he really that greedy for the two commissions I owe him?’
Whenever she recalled Aide’s gaze just moments ago, filled with hurt, deep dissatisfaction, and even resentment, Moya couldn’t help feeling conflicted.
There was also a sense of incongruity that clashed with her understanding of him.
‘…Could it be that he wants even more than this?’
Combining that thought with Aide’s proposal, Moya suddenly experienced a flash of incredible wisdom and felt she had discovered the blind spot.
‘Could Aide have taken a fancy to my combat strength and be planning to tie me down as his long-term enforcer?!’
‘Isn’t doing five backbreaking physical jobs for you enough? You bastard, Aide! You’ve had ulterior motives all along!’
At the thought of being a beast of burden, working herself to death by Aide’s side in the future, Moya felt that her prospects were utterly bleak.
‘When will I finally be able to latch onto a rich man’s coattails?’
‘It’s a pity the head of the Sierfu family isn’t in the Northern Region. Otherwise, if I were still in the Royal Capital, I’d find an opportunity to fleece him sooner or later.’
After briefly wiping away Moya’s cold sweat, Aide deliberately dampened the handkerchief with warm water and wiped her cheeks and neck again.
Feeling the warm, damp touch of the cloth, Moya’s heavy breathing gradually settled into a satisfied, comfortable rhythm.
‘Forget it, the future can wait. At least having Aide wipe me down feels really comfortable right now.’
“Tell me in detail.”
On the other side, Cold Light pondered Aide’s proposal for a moment before speaking.
“The purpose of punishment is to make Moya correct her mistakes. Her refusal to submit to supervision damaged the Church’s image and authority, so let’s look at this from another perspective. If Moya can make up for her mistakes through meritorious service and strengthen the Church’s image and authority, wouldn’t that work? These are two separate matters. Although Moya previously used a large amount of the Church’s holy light reserves without authorization, I believe her performance during the Dream Circus incident was enough to stabilize the Church’s reputation and authority.”
Cold Light nodded, silently agreeing with Aide’s argument.
Although Moya had not reported the Dream Circus incident to the Church, an event of such magnitude in the Royal Capital would certainly reach the Church’s ears.
Considering Moya’s initiative in applying for the relocation of a Qigai Nühai with absolutely no background to the Church, anyone who followed current affairs and understood Moya’s character could easily deduce that she was most likely responsible for what had happened in the Royal Capital.
In fact, from a personal standpoint, Cold Light believed Moya’s actions had done more good than harm.
Although recklessly wasting holy light to create a flood that washed over the entire spiritual world of the Royal Capital had indeed been excessively wasteful.
She knew the Pope probably thought the same way.
However, the Pope’s decision to hold Moya accountable most likely stemmed from other considerations of her own.
Although Moya had thoroughly enjoyed Aide’s ministrations, the moment she heard his proposal, she couldn’t help collapsing even more limply onto the ground.
‘As expected, just as I thought! Aide, you black-hearted capitalist, you’re planning to exploit me as a beast of burden for the long term!’
“For example?”
Cold Light already understood what Aide meant, but she continued prompting him to elaborate.
“I think the Church happens to need manpower here in the Northern Region, right? As a completely new national faith promoted through the Emperor’s personal baptism, the Northern Region’s Church branch should have an easier time establishing itself. However, the primitive and savage old faith remains deeply rooted here. There should be considerable friction between the two faiths. This is the perfect opportunity for Moya to make a name for herself.”
‘Wait, why has he already started assigning me work?’
Moya felt as though she were about to break down.
She had originally thought she could finally escape work.
Who could have imagined that the moment she turned around, work would appear like a masked man who constantly followed her around, tapping her on the head with a spoon and haunting her every waking moment?
“It seems you know quite a bit about the Northern Empire.”
Cold Light was genuinely surprised by Aide’s insight this time.
During their journey to hunt down Moya, she had only heard Aide introduce himself as a debt-collecting loan shark hero.
That title had actually been given to him by Moya herself.
It seemed this loan shark hero also knew quite a bit about current affairs.
“I’ve only heard a little.”
Under Cold Light’s surprised gaze, Aide neither confirmed nor denied anything.
As someone born and raised among the upper classes of the Northern Empire, how could he possibly know nothing about the turmoil that had plagued the empire for decades?
“All right, I think this proposal is reasonable.”
Cold Light nodded before turning her head and continuing.
“But I need to report this to Her Holiness the Pope first. After all, I’m only responsible for supervising Moya’s lifestyle and conduct, not for changing her punishment.”
“Why does it still need to be reported?”
Hearing those words, Moya’s previously limp body instantly tensed up.
Her feathered ears drooped weakly atop her head, resembling two frostbitten eggplants.
Although she was extremely reluctant to work, she would still rather work overtime than have her wages deducted.
After all, overtime only made those extra working hours miserable, whereas wage deductions made the entire month miserable!
“Sister Cold Light, can’t we be a little less formal about this? Just look at how miserable I am–“
“You’re miserable because you brought it upon yourself.”
Cold Light interrupted her expressionlessly.
She took a silver-white communication badge from her bosom and lightly tapped its surface several times with her fingertip.
Holy light slowly seeped out of the badge, condensing into lines of fine text.
This was a communication badge that allowed direct contact with the Pope.
By charging it with a large amount of holy light, its user could communicate over long distances regardless of the distance involved, making it a symbol of the Church’s supreme authority.
Moya had originally possessed one as well.
After the unrest in the Holy City two years ago, she and Cold Light had obtained their badges together.
However, Moya later lost hers by accident, and the Pope personally and sternly rejected her application for a replacement.
Since then, the Pope’s attitude toward her had grown considerably harsher.
Truly petty.
The communication badge soon received a reply.
Cold Light received the holy light divine art transmitted through the badge and decoded it into individual Angelic characters.
She nodded, then suddenly raised the badge and pointed it at Moya’s face.
“What are you doing?”
Moya immediately grew wary as a powerful sense of foreboding washed over her.
“Her Holiness the Pope wants to see you drooling from being tormented by tickling.”
“Holy shit, no!”
Moya instantly sprang back to life and lunged toward the badge in Cold Light’s hand, trying to snatch it away and stop the transmission!