“Um, I have a question.”
Lin Ling raised her hand as she spoke.
Listening to their conversation, she felt like something wasn't quite right.
“Why does everyone seem to know this bishop?”
Lin Ling looked at Furni, who was sprawled across the table, then at Ivelia and the Four Heavenly Kings standing nearby.
Weren't the Holy See and the Demon King's Castle supposed to be on opposing sides?
Why did this bishop seem so familiar with everyone?
“Ah, we haven't told you yet, have we?”
Aliviel chuckled softly, seeing Lin Ling's puzzled expression.
“Actually, Furni used to stay at the Demon King's Castle for a period of time.”
“And even now, Furni helps the Demon King's Castle ease our food crisis.”
Lin Ling blinked in surprise.
“Eh? Her?”
She looked at the blue-haired dragon on the table, who had completely lost all semblance of dignity.
Furni struggled to raise a hand.
“Hey now, Lord Hero, that look of suspicion is really hurtful to a dragon.”
Lin Ling fell silent for a moment.
Then she said very seriously:
“But you just said you were going to destroy everyone's food source.”
Furni: “...”
She put her hand back down.
“That was just a joke.”
The pressure in the meeting room grew slightly heavier.
Furni immediately shut her mouth.
Aliviel continued:
“Otherwise, relying solely on my scouting, it would indeed be very difficult to infiltrate Camillaya's capital.”
“There are quite a few barriers and surveillance spells around the capital, so we still need Furni's help to smuggle some intelligence out.”
Lin Ling blinked.
“So she's an insider?”
Furni raised her head from the table.
“That sounds so awful.”
“I'm just a peace-loving, ordinary bishop who doesn't want things to get troublesome.”
Cecil glanced at her.
“Do ordinary bishops turn into dragons?”
Furni slumped back down.
“Occasionally.”
Phelan ignored her excuses. Looking at how Furni was pinned to the table by the pressure, he silently pulled out a top-grade recording crystal.
“However, Aliviel's information delivery was still a bit delayed this time.”
“Which led to our meeting with Archbishop Karl.”
As he spoke, he adjusted the position of the recording crystal.
He wanted to ensure he captured a complete recording of Furni sprawled on the table, her tail drooping limply.
Looking at the recording crystal, a hint of panic appeared in Furni's eyes for the first time.
“Hey, Phelan.”
“There's really no need to use a top-grade recording crystal for this, is there?”
“It is absolutely necessary.”
“Footage of Camillaya's guardian dragon being suppressed by pressure in the meeting room of the Demon King's Castle holds immense historical value.”
Phelan's expression was deadpan and serious.
“Don't record that kind of history!”
Furni turned her head in grief, looking toward Niya in the corner.
“And here I am, little Niya's teacher.”
“Yet little Niya doesn't care at all.”
“Your teacher is very sad right now.”
Niya was still feeding small fruits to Lin Ling.
“Miss Saintess, say ah~”
“Ah~”
Lin Ling obediently opened her mouth and ate the fruit.
Niya gently patted Lin Ling's head.
Perhaps because she had used too much magic earlier, Miss Saintess seemed exceptionally well-behaved right now.
She was so docile that Niya almost felt the illusion that she was taking care of some small animal.
Hearing Furni's words, Niya finally looked up.
“But if Teacher hadn't said those things, Miss Saintess wouldn't have reacted like that.”
She said very seriously:
“It's all Teacher's fault.”
Furni: “...”
Those words felt even heavier than the Demon King's pressure!
As her head was being patted, Lin Ling whispered:
“Yeah, yeah, bad dragon~”
Furni was quite speechless.
“Hey! Miss Hero, you almost blasted this bad dragon to death just now.”
“Because... a Hero fighting a dragon?”
Lin Ling stroked her chin, deep in thought.
“Whoa, the Hero is really holding a grudge now.”
“Right now, it's Miss Saintess holding a grudge.”
“Is there a difference?”
“The title is cuter.”
Furni: “...”
She suddenly felt she couldn't keep up with this Hero's train of thought at all.
Just then, Lin Ling seemed to recall something.
“But if that's the case, why is the First Prince still trying to attack the demons?”
She looked at Furni.
“You're a bishop too.”
“If you can help pass information to the Demon King's Castle, shouldn't you be able to stop the First Prince as well?”
Hearing this question, the smile on Furni's face faded slightly.
She lay on the table, her golden slit pupils narrowing slightly.
“Because I'm a dragon bound by a contract.”
“A contract?”
Lin Ling tilted her head.
Furni propped her face up with her hand, looking as though even mentioning this was a massive hassle.
“The first Emperor of Camillaya entrusted me to protect this country.”
“But the contract also restricts me.”
“I cannot directly interfere with the country's governance.”
At this point, Furni added:
“Come to think of it, the first Emperor of Camillaya was also a Hero.”
Lin Ling was taken aback.
“A Hero?”
“Yes.”
Furni nodded.
“A troublesome fellow. Incredibly troublesome~”
Lin Ling: “...”
Furni sighed.
“In short, I can handle monster outbreaks, prevent Camillaya from being destroyed by foreign enemies, and lend a hand when the country is on the verge of collapse.”
“But I can't just go out and say, 'Hey, that prince is too stupid, strip him of his succession rights.'”
“The contract doesn't allow it.”
At this, a clear look of annoyance appeared in Furni's eyes.
“Now, that idiot of a First Prince is completely blinded by the throne.”
“His head is filled with nothing but using the demons' ores to arm his own troops.”
“The old Emperor sending him to the military camp back then was a huge mistake.”
Mentioning the First Prince, Furni's tone was visibly much colder than before.
As if remembering the reports she had processed, her gaze turned somewhat gloomy.
“The border villages are plundered.”
“The soldiers are treated as mere tools by him.”
“The common people are being crushed under his weight, barely able to breathe.”
“And yet he still invents all sorts of flowery excuses to point the finger at the demons.”
Furni sneered.
“If the country is truly handed over to someone like him, Camillaya will definitely meet its doom.”
The meeting room fell silent for a moment.
Lin Ling looked at Furni.
She had originally thought this blue-haired bishop was just a strange, punchable dragon.
But hearing her speak like this, she felt that the other party wasn't completely indifferent after all.
“But what does that have to do with you coming to the demons?”
Lin Ling was still somewhat puzzled.
“Since you can't interfere with the government, why do you keep running over to the Demon King's Castle?”
Hearing this question, the dragon seemed even more exhausted.
She sprawled on the table, drawing out her words.
“Because I'm a peace-loving dragon, you know.”
“When we can clearly coexist in peace, why must we resort to military force?”
“If things go south, I'm the one who has to clean up the mess in the end.”
“That kind of thing is such a hassle.”
The gaze she directed at Lin Ling was filled with immense resentment.
“Especially with an off-the-charts Hero like you around.”
“If you actually end up fighting Camillaya, it'll be even more troublesome for me.”
Lin Ling pointed at herself.
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
Furni looked at her.
“Since you were able to almost blast me to death just now...”
“If you ever get angry one day and throw a few magic spheres at the capital, the capital would probably be flattened into level ground.”
Lin Ling fell silent.
Then she guiltily averted her gaze.
“Miss Saintess wouldn't go around blasting the capital for no reason... probably?”
Phelan lowered his head to record.
“Addendum: Lin Ling denies that she would indiscriminately blast the capital, but her tone displays clear guilt.”
“Don't record that!”
Niya fed her another piece of fruit.
“Miss Saintess, say ah~”
“Ah~”
Lin Ling was immediately placated by the fruit.
Watching this, Furni's gaze grew even more resentful.
Wasn't this Hero a bit too easy to coax?
However, she quickly looked back at Ivelia.
“Besides, the demons themselves are suffering from the Demon God's curse.”
“Swinging a blade at the weaker party at a time like this is not what an outstanding nation should do.”
When Furni spoke of "nation," her tone carried clear disdain for the current Camillaya.
“If a country can only shift its own problems onto external enemies...”
“Then it isn't far from rotting away completely.”
For the guardian dragon of Camillaya to evaluate Camillaya in such a manner.
It sounded somewhat ironic.
Lin Ling whispered:
“Then you must have a really tough time being their guardian dragon.”
Hearing this, Furni slumped even lower.
“Yeah.”
“That's why I keep saying a dragon's life is miserable.”
“And on top of that, I was almost killed by the Hero today.”
“I'm the real victim dragon here.”
The pressure in the meeting room bore down slightly once more.
Furni immediately changed her tune.
“Of course, the primary responsibility lies with me.”
“I shouldn't have made that kind of joke. I am deeply sorry.”
The speed at which she admitted her mistake was completely unbefitting of a proud dragon.
Ivelia looked at her, then toward Lin Ling in the corner, whose head was still being patted by Niya.
Lin Ling was indeed much quieter than usual.
Although she could still complain, she looked as if a lot of her energy had been drained.
Ivelia fell silent for a moment.
Then she stood up.
“Very well.”
“Furni, you will stay here tonight.”
Furni raised her head.
“Eh?”
“Aren't you going to kick me out after the interrogation?”
Ivelia ignored her, simply walking over to the corner and pulling up Lin Ling, who was still being fed by Niya.
Lin Ling still held half a piece of fruit in her hand.
“Eh? Lord Demon King?”
“Go back and rest first,” Ivelia said.
“But the fruit...”
Niya immediately wrapped up the remaining fruit.
“Miss Saintess, I will bring them to your room in a bit.”
Only then did Lin Ling nod in relief.
“Okay then.”
Subsequently, Ivelia led Lin Ling out of the meeting room.
Rate on N.U.
