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  The day after the confidential report was delivered to the Vatican, Pope Nicholas III summoned Aphthene Vina, who had been under house arrest on Mount Gambia, to his private study. Aphthene had been waiting for the pope's summons, feeling responsible for the deaths of Krigel and others, as she had also been present at the time but failed to fulfill her duties, especially when Meiyo Ishi refused her request for a duel, which was simply humiliating. But the root of this humiliation came from Fēng Jūnzǐ!

  The location of the summons left Aphthita perplexed, as it was in the Pope's study, more like a private conversation than an official meeting. The priest who led her through the colonnaded corridors and vaulted halls stopped at the door to the Pope's usual resting place, the library, and let Aphthita wait for a moment. The priest stood before the door and loudly announced: "Your Majesty, the guest you summoned has arrived!"

  "Let her in quickly!" came the solemn and benevolent voice of Homoro III. The priest pushed open half the door, making a welcoming gesture. Aphthene took a few steps forward, first standing at the threshold to perform a standard knight's courtesy before stepping into the room.

  This is an extremely spacious study, which can even be said to be a small library. On the three sides of the room, including the two sides of the door and the opposite side, are all lined with bookshelves that stretch up as high as a normal three-story building. In the center of the high ceiling is a colorful embossed mural of a group of little angels surrounding the Virgin Mary, while the surrounding roof is adorned with murals depicting various religious stories. The bookshelves display precious original theological works and manuscripts from past dynasties, as well as many rare historical documents that can only be seen here, including a large collection of advanced magical tomes. On the left side of the entrance is a window, outside which lies the open inner courtyard garden of the Temple of Ganesha.

  Near the window stood a very wide and large desk, on which only a few scrolls were placed. Pope Hormisdas III sat behind the desk, wearing a white long gown, with the ring of papal authority on his hand, and his silver hair was not crowned. He is already eighty-three years old this year, his face looks a bit old but in good spirits, especially a pair of gray-blue eyes are exceptionally clear like a young man's eyes.

  The Pope saw Aphtha walk in the door and immediately stood up, extending one arm: "Dear Miss Vienna, please sit! I'm so sorry it took so long to see you."

  The Pope's attitude was affable and gentle, his words were also very polite, but Aphthita heard it and secretly took a shock. As a Temple Knight and a noble family guarding the Vatican, she understood and paid attention to etiquette in various situations, so she felt that the Pope's attitude today was not right. First of all, the Pope did not call her "Knight of Vienna" but called her "Miss Vienna", which meant that today was a private conversation. Moreover, His Holiness didn't wait for her to greet him before offering her a seat, which was obviously too polite!

  Although she was puzzled in her heart, Aphrodite still politely asked nothing and stood in front of the desk to bow again: "Thank you, Your Majesty!" Then sat down properly on a chair in front of the desk.

  The Pope sat down too, still smiling and asked: "Do you know why I called you today?"

  "Aphtharte: 'Is it about the matter of Krieger, the Red Archbishop, or that of Lachesis? Please enlighten me, Your Majesty!' Aphtharte had already said these words many times to different people, and the Pope should also be clear about them. Now she was only waiting for a conclusion, or an order."

  The Pope shook his head, leaning back in his chair and gazing out the window: "I watched your father grow up, he was sent to the Knights of Gambia training camp by the Vina family, later became a loyal and excellent Temple Knight, and finally dedicated himself to God's cause. His successor is also your brother Adilo. Vina also stood out among the young generation of Vatican guardians, becoming a new generation of Temple Knights, carrying on the glorious tradition of the Vina family."

  "Adilo is indeed excellent and hardworking." Mentioning her own younger brother, Aphthene's face also flowed with a warm smile.

  "Pope: 'More impressive is you, I recall that at the age of thirteen, you were able to defeat a dark undead with magic and aura, and at eighteen, you successfully summoned an angel's wing, becoming the youngest and only female Temple Knight in the Vatican at that time. Later, your younger brother also obtained this honor, and it was the first time in nearly a hundred years that two Temple Knights appeared in the same family.'"

  "Aphthita: 'All glory to the Lord, this is the sacred mission of the Vina family!' She said these words without thinking, immediately coming out of her mouth, having said them countless times from childhood to adulthood."

  The Pope: "The glory of the Lord also shines brightly on the Vinea family, and all people, including your father in heaven and I who am about to go to heaven, had high hopes for you. Many elders in the Vatican believed that you were likely to receive God's call and become another saint of the Vatican in two hundred years, so they sent you to lead the Gospel Corps to establish merits on the uncivilized continent of Zixu." He stopped here and did not continue to mention past events, but sighed and said: "You could have achieved more."

  Aphthenta's face turned red and she lowered her head, saying: "I have disgraced the mission of the Holy See."

  "The Pope said, 'You can't blame yourself for what happened back then. You were still young and not strong enough at the time, and your opponent was one of the top masters among the Kunlun cultivators. These are things that only became clear later.' His tone turned serious as he continued, 'But in recent years, you haven't made much progress compared to before you encountered setbacks.'"

  Aphthita: "For over twenty years I have been diligently cultivating myself, my magical powers are now far superior to what they were in the beginning, that's why I volunteered to be sent to the Zixu continent."

  Pope: "Your idea is good, but what actually happened? On that island, after Kreigen sacrificed himself, you didn't even have the courage to fight against Kunlun's Master Mei Yeishi."

  Aphthita lifted her head: "No, God is with me, my courage has never disappeared. ... But he refused my request for a duel, as a knight cannot force him to duel."

  "Pope: 'So you thought this was a private duel between individuals, rather than a fight for the glory of the Church!'"

  Aphthenta: "Perhaps I was wrong, and I shouldn't have come back alive, but if I hadn't returned, no one would ever know what happened at the time. I endured the shame of that moment in order to convey information to Your Majesty and the entire court."

  Pope: "Alright, thank you for bringing this information!... I believe your courage hasn't been lost, but you have lost confidence. When Mr. Mei mentioned that matter from back then, the person from back then, you lost the will to fight."

  Athena lowered her head once again: "I have lost the pride that a Temple Knight should have, I will definitely get it back!"

  "Pope: 'Do not blame yourself, I believe you will surely regain your pride. These are gifts given to you by me and the elderly in the Vatican who have a deep affection for the Verna family. You must accept them. Remember, I am not bestowing these upon you as the Pope, but merely as a private gift.'"

  Homer III pushed all the scrolls on the table in front of Aphthea, who glanced at the top few scrolls. They were extremely precious and had been written with a lot of time and effort by many powerful mages, infusing them with massive magical energy. The magic contained within was incredibly powerful and destructive, capable of annihilating entire cities. If all the scrolls in this bundle were of similar quality, Aphthea could single-handedly take down the entire Dark Castle with them.

  Aphrodite asked in surprise: "Why give these to me? Is Your Majesty going to assign me a difficult task to test my courage and help me regain my confidence?"

  The Pope shook his head: "No, there are no more tasks assigned to you. You have paid a lot for the cause of the Holy See, and your family has made great contributions to the Holy See over the years. From a personal perspective, I and the elders should give you these gifts, don't refuse them. I don't know how you will use these precious scrolls, but they must be useful, and will protect you from overcoming darkness and fear."

  Aphrodite: "The Lord's radiance shines in my heart, I am never afraid of darkness nor do I know fear."

  The Pope did not continue on this topic but instead asked: "Is the priest Heinrich of the Utrecht diocese a relative of the Veen family?"

  Aphthene: "Yes, I've known him for a long time. His highest wish is to become a Temple Knight. Although his magical aura cultivation still has some distance to reach the level of a Temple Knight, he has been practicing diligently." Haent, the priest, married Aphthene's distant cousin from the Vina family, which was an alliance between families. At that time, the Vina family gave Haent a high-grade cross sword as a dowry, which was only possessed by Temple Knights who had established merits. Haent always carried it with him and vowed to become a Temple Knight as well. Aphthene was aware of all these circumstances.

  The Pope, however, said something that shocked her: "Recently, High Priest Heinrich lost his cross-shaped long sword. Not the one issued by the Vatican to knights, but the one he got from the Weena family."

  Aphthita: "What's going on? What else happened when I wasn't at Uyou's place?"

  The Pope pulled out a scroll-like thing from his sleeve and threw it on the table in front of Aphthene, saying in a tone close to commanding: "This is a secret report recently sent by Lord Lingdun from the Uyou Church District of Zhixu Country. Take a good look!"

  Aphthita picked up the letter, but after reading it for a moment, her face changed, and she muttered: "Feng Junzi, how is it him again? He killed Laxus? Why did he take away Hynt's cross sword? ... Your Majesty! When did Lingdun Marquis become a knight of the Uyu Temple?"

  The Pope: "It's just been appointed, the Vatican recently lost three Temple Knights and needs to replenish new candidates. Of course, I couldn't force someone of such high status as Marquis Lington, these are all his own requests, including going to the Uye diocese."

  Aphthene: "And what about me? I am a Temple Knight dispatched to the UwU district... No, you just said that the Temple recently lost three Temple Knights, but only two were sacrificed on the island. Did something happen somewhere else? Are you going to send me there with these scrolls?"

  Pope: "No! I've already said there won't be any more missions assigned to you, the third Temple Knight lost by the Vatican is Miss Vina, you!"

  Aphthita sprang up from her chair, stepped to the table and pressed her hands on it, trembling with rage: "What! You have deprived me of the honor of being a Temple Knight? Is this my punishment?"

  The Pope waved his hand: "Don't be agitated, this is not a punishment. The Vatican will not punish someone who has made great contributions to God along with their entire family. This is just a decision."

  Aphrodite: "What kind of decision is this? Why!"

  "Pope: 'Dear lady, please sit down, would you like to hear the decision of the consistory?'"

  Aphrodite stepped back and sat down in her chair, asking in a hoarse voice: "Your Majesty, what is the final decision?"

  The Pope looked at her with a stern yet gentle voice and said slowly: "The island incident has just passed, and the Uy River incident in England has occurred. The secret report of the Marquis of Lington was sent to the Vatican, and the meeting of the clergy debated for a long time. This is not my personal decision. Therefore, both the Cardinal and the Elder have consistently praised your loyalty to God and your contributions to the Vatican's cause over the years. However, the name Feng Junzi and his story with you have been circulating in the Vatican. His existence is a shame to the Vatican and the Viena family. If you are still a Knight of the Temple!"

  Aphthenta: "If so, why didn't Your Majesty send someone to eliminate him, but instead expelled me from the church?"

  Pope: "What you see is just an investigative report, we don't have direct evidence to prove that Feng Junzi is opposing the sacred mission of the Church... Moreover, you also accused Bishop Laxi, his death may be unavoidable, this is his personal grievance with the Qunlun cultivators. I have already issued a decree to the leader of the Qunlun Cultivators' Alliance, Mei Ye Shi, not wanting to continue provoking direct conflict, so it's also impossible for us to eliminate Feng Junzi in the name of the Church. We don't have the power to take away the life of a heretic on the Zhixu Continent, is that right?"

  Aphrodite: "But this decision is unfair, I have nothing to do with him!"

  "Pope: 'Don't be hasty, I haven't announced the formal decision of the Synod yet. Listen carefully, all the elders unanimously believe that... bringing up Feng Junzi will affect your honor as a Temple Knight. As long as he is still alive, you cannot continue to be a Temple Knight. This is for the consideration of the Holy See and the reputation of the Viena family.'"

  Aphrodite: "Your Majesty means for me to go and kill him?"

  The Pope shook his head repeatedly: "I didn't mean that. The Vatican won't order you to kill him, nor will it order you not to kill him. Your personal decision has nothing to do with the Vatican."

  Aphrodite's body swayed slightly, feeling a bit dizzy. She asked with her hand on the back of the chair: "Do I still have a chance to restore my glory?"

  The Pope smiled: "The attitude of the Holy See towards you is mild, not expulsion, and no one has ever thought that you have any signs of heresy. Please pay attention to this resolution, as long as Feng Xunzi is still in the world, you cannot serve as a Knight Templar, if he is not in the world, the Council of Bishops can discuss restoring your honor at any time."

  Aphrodite: "I understand." Her voice was laced with weakness and helplessness.

  "Pope: 'Don't worry, my child. Although you are no longer a Knight of the Temple, you are still a devout son of God and a loyal guardian of the Church. God has not abandoned you - my child! From a personal perspective, I am still your elder and friend. May I offer you some private advice?'"

  Aphrodite: "Please instruct me, Your Majesty."

  Pope: "As far as I know, you possess a sacred robe left by the Holy Maiden of the Vatican, which was given to you by your family's elder and belongs to you forever. You also own the Shining Armor bestowed upon you by the Vatican, now permanently granted to you and never to be taken back, along with these specially prepared scrolls. As long as you regain your confidence, you are still powerful! ... Many people care about you, your brother Adilo strongly requested to be sent to the Uyu diocese, and Lord Linton also asked to go, but in the end, the Vatican decided to send Lord Linton to Uyu."

  Aphthita: "Adilo is going to the Zhixu Continent? For my shame? He's too young and impulsive, he'll get into trouble, it's dangerous. Thank you, Your Majesty, for not letting him go."

  "Pope: 'I haven't finished speaking, as far as I know, the Marquis of Linton and you have a very deep private friendship, your family members are also very concerned about your situation, including many noble families who are willing to help you. They are willing to help you with what I do not oppose, those are your private matters and have nothing to do with the Vatican. I also want to tell you one thing, twenty-three years ago, the four knights and three mages who suffered with you under the Wind Emperor were also investigated, a special investigation team of the Vatican wrote a report about the Wind Emperor.'"

  Aphthita: "Him? The Holy See has investigated him?"

  Pope: "As far as I know, he was extremely powerful, nearly invincible on the Kunlun continent twenty years ago. This person has a characteristic, he doesn't seem to be afraid of pure energy-based magic attacks, but physical or direct attacks can still cause him harm. So you should understand how you failed twenty-three years ago, it was a misunderstanding, he wasn't as unbeatable as you imagined... Moreover, something strange happened to him later on, and his powers are now in a dormant state, making him weak like an ordinary person if not triggered... I won't say more, this report can be handed over to you, without any implication, just to dispel your doubts and restore your confidence."