NOVPUBChapter 731: Chapter 117 The Only Lie Left Chapter 731 -117 The Only Lie Left “…I understand,”
Aiwass had a sudden epiphany, “You stole the Tears of Time to harm the Pure White Saintess—your goal was to destroy both Freya and Grey at the same time!
“You didn’t want the research on Amberficate to continue, nor did you want the legacy of the Eternal Saintess to be passed down.
So, you planned to use the potion being synthesized by Freya to murder the Pure White, thereby framing Freya!”
“Hmph.”
Loki smiled, neither confirming nor denying it.
In that case, this part adds up.
Why only a third?
Because there was originally only one person to be murdered, and even considering performance degradation, this amount was enough.
If Bishop Mercedes had not died, if Gloria had not had an accident, Aiwass wouldn’t have connected the stolen potion to Loki and the Pure White.
...
They would have only gone to the Eleventh Ring to ask Cardinal Loki who the perpetrator was, even seeing Cardinal Loki as an ally NPC.
“…So.”
Aiwass pressed on, “Why did you want to kill Bishop Mercedes and Gloria Lantana?”
“I’ve told you before, they weren’t killed by me.”
Loki sighed helplessly, “I’m past the age where I need to lie in every sentence.
Only if every other sentence is true will the remaining lie be believed.
“Think back carefully, Aiwass.
What exactly did I say at that time?”
—The death of Bishop Mercedes?
That has nothing to do with me.
I knew about it because I saw it.
—You couldn’t even protect Bishop Mercedes, how do you plan to protect Aiwass?
—To my knowledge, Bishop Mercedes didn’t resist when she died.
He saw Gloria murder Mercedes.
And Mercedes died from a womb wound, an injury that was not at all fatal, and throughout the process, she didn’t resist at all.
Loki had told the Pure White that Aiwass’s troubles were even more significant than those of Mercedes, and that they were also related to the past that was chasing him; he also said that it had nothing to do with himself but was related to the people of the Controlled Flame.
Among these events, Loki clarified only one—the suicide of Gloria.
…But if, let’s say,
The plot of Gloria killing Mercedes was not primarily pushed by Loki, but by Professor Moriarty?
—That would make at least eighty percent of it all make sense!
Because of this incident, even if Aiwass instinctively felt Loki was not a problem, he would still be guarded.
Moreover, the person who died was Bishop Mercedes, who the Pure White cared about; and since the Pure White and Loki were already on bad terms, she would certainly confront him.
Because of Gloria’s suicide, the moment the Tears of Time were stolen, everyone who knew of Gloria’s death instinctively suspected Loki.
And if Loki’s real target was the Pure White Saintess and he wanted to set up Freya…
Then he should have taken as little action as possible, to reduce his presence.
The Pure White had already begun Amberficate.
How much impact could the death of Bishop Mercedes have on her?
Loki indeed had the Tears of Time.
Did he really need something like this to force her into Amberficate?
Loki was Moriarty’s mentor and the predecessor of the “Controlled Flame,” revered by all elves.
He did not seem to be a fool.
If Loki was the Wildfire Giant…
From his reaction now, he had already mastered control over the fury in his bloodline.
Trolls are imitations of Giants, and among the few trolls Aiwass had seen, although some were simple-minded, two were clever.
Giants, as the prototypes for trolls, certainly couldn’t be lacking in wisdom.
Just like the Northern Giants, they cooled their brains with extreme cold.
Once they could control the primal rage deep in their bloodlines, they’d be enlightened on the Path of Wisdom.
Loki couldn’t be a fool.
Judging by Bram’s behavior, he was probably completely played by Loki—he was one protected by the Candle Master and wasn’t even afraid of threats from the Bear Celestial Marshal.
Yet he was particularly wary of his former student, Professor Moriarty.
And then there was this style, which Aiwass found somewhat familiar, where “all clues and evidence point to the same person.”
Although Aiwass initially could ignore misdirection to some extent due to prior information, as evidence kept emerging, he still couldn’t help but waver.
The saying goes, three men make a tiger…
Aiwass was not out of the ordinary.
Loki was indeed guilty.
Stealing experimental supplies, with the intention of harming the Saintess and framing Aiwass’s sister Freya.
But Gloria killing Mercedes had nothing to do with him!
It’s true that the Tears of Time could make someone Amberficate rapidly…
but even if the untested substance could depress someone, it couldn’t make Mercedes willingly die.
This kind of heart manipulation was more in Moriarty’s style.
And with that, Aiwass understood—
“I see, the order was reversed!”
Aiwass’s eyes lit up, and he blurted out, “It’s not that Gloria became depressed and collapsed after being tainted by the Tears of Time and went to kill Mercedes, but rather, because she realized she had killed Mercedes, she then collapsed…”
The person truly controlled by Professor Moriarty, I’m afraid, is Bishop Mercedes.
She entrusted Gloria to perform the ritual and save her soul; when Gloria came to her senses and realized what she had done, the originally not-too-bad mood completely collapsed.
That door, which only the Papal Guard and the Cardinals could open, Oswald could open as well.
He might not be the current serving Papal Guard, but what he held was the legacy of the Papal Guard.
Apart from the attire, their strength was exactly the same.
“…Then why didn’t you clarify this from the beginning?”
“Would that be useful?”
Cardinal Loki said sarcastically, “By the time you came looking for me, the purpose of my rebellious student was already achieved.
Whatever I said would merely be an excuse…
If I were to say more, it would be even easier to expose my real purpose.
“Rather than that, it’s better to use it to attack Pure White.
Looking at her foolish appearance…
she might even withdraw from the papal election without me lifting a finger.”
In that case, every word spoken by Loki was actually true:
——Rather than delaying Amberficate and eventually having her soul frozen inside those sculptures, she preferred a brief but brilliant death.
——How can you define her actions toward Mercedes as murder…
rather than salvation?
——Are you so certain that she wants to live, to be with you, and wait for the future Amberficate?
Lying with truths, so that people believe each word to be true…
Cardinal Loki’s use of lies ascended to a higher level—he used all truths to make people believe they were lies, achieving effects that can only occur when people thought he was lying.
“…Is it because of Sister Freya?”
Aiwass murmured, “Because she is the daughter of that Anna Kingsford…
so when your plan intended to frame her, father planned to teach you a lesson.
That’s why he used the lives of those two ‘certain to die’ to interfere with your plan, exposing the secrets you were hiding earlier.”
“James is not an ordinary person.
Perhaps in his youth, he might be blinded by love, but the him now can no longer be called human.”
Loki spoke slowly, and suddenly began walking forward: “I don’t know why he’s suddenly interfering with me…
but one thing I can be sure of.
“The ritual performed by Mercedes…
I kept it a secret from you because it also helps my plan.
“James is that kind of person.
He always proposes plans that everyone agrees on, but he is always the ultimate beneficiary.
Even though you know it’s a conspiracy, you can’t easily escape his trap because you can’t accurately judge whether he wants your silence or your rebellion.
And his insight into the human heart has surpassed my understanding of the stars.
“I believe you are missing the last clue.
With this clue, you can complete the whole truth.
“And I shall give you that opportunity.”
With every word Loki spoke, he took a step forward.
Aiwass, however, stood motionless in his original spot, his expression hardly changing.
As he moved closer, Vinesse flew down directly from Aiwass’s shoulder and stood between the two.
She suddenly felt a formidable threat — her crimson pupils dilated, making a harsh and loud crow cawing noise.
“Mercedes is pregnant with a child by someone.
The union between Mercedes and the other person is not entirely for love but also to stop the succession of The Holy Maiden — because the other person carries the blood of the Holy Child of the Moon.
She wants to create a Holy Child of the Moon who can reach the realm of the Perfect Human.
“The restless Mercedes is so averse to the succession of The Holy Maiden, but she strives so hard to maintain the status of an alternate saintess, just to prepare for this ritual.
But in the end, Mercedes is just an alternate saintess.
“So, James gave them a forbidden ritual.
A ritual where the mother voluntarily sacrifices her life to purify the power of Dedication.
“Ultimately, before the gestation was complete, at that sacrificial ritual above, his father entrusted Gloria to drill a hole from the outside and inject part of his soul into it.
Thus, this undying infant had the chance to feed on the true blood of The Holy Maiden.
All this, I see crystal clear.
“It’s just a pity that the person who returned home with you wasn’t Pure White…
so he could only escape earlier.
This is why the wound only started bleeding now…
because there was originally a little vampire hiding inside.”
“So, where is that vampire?”
Aiwass pressed.
Loki’s lips slightly curled up, but he did not respond.
At that moment, Aiwass’s mind suddenly flashed with the blood wine Bram had drunk.
In that goblet, there was a small red ball the size of a plum.
Resembling some kind of heart.
If you say…
…that it’s a Giant’s heart, wouldn’t it be a bit too small?
But why then, could Bram indeed transform into a Giant?
“What you want to ask is, why Bram could become a Giant, right.”
Loki’s lips curled up slightly: “Because in that ‘Holy Child Embryo,’ there truly flowed the blood of a Giant; because I can also transform into the Holy Child of the Moon, that’s why I could steal Tears of Time which are toxic to Elves—
“—Because the child inside her is my child.”
As the sense of crisis peaked, Vinesse transformed back into her true form without thinking!
But just at that moment, a silent crimson light streak, hiding in a mirror, was already silently slicing towards Aiwass!
