The Archbishop’s Suspicions and a Shared Front

“Rising Star… Archbishop, even you’re saying it…”

Yelica’s face flushed crimson in an instant.

The epithet, “The Hymn Church’s Rising Star,” was how some newspapers referred to Yelica.

Since Yodel Finn seemingly shunned fame, all the credit for rescuing the women and children from Mad Horse, foiling the assassination plot, and eliminating Baldy the cultist, among other accomplishments, had been attributed entirely to Yelica.

Certain sensationalist media outlets, eager to generate buzz, deliberately over-sensationalized Yelica’s deeds. Coupled with her own striking appearance, the title quickly gained widespread currency.

Even being called “The Rising Star” by ordinary people on the street filled Yelica with immense embarrassment; she never imagined the Archbishop would also use it to tease her.

“Hahahaha, my apologies, my apologies. It’s been nearly three years, hasn’t it, since I last saw you blush like this? You’ve truly grown up; you’re no longer that little girl who used to run through the church begging for sweets.”

“Why bring up something like that so suddenly…” This time, Yelica wasn’t particularly embarrassed. The entire church knew about her sweet tooth, and she had become desensitized to the countless jokes made about it over the years.

“But to return to the matter at hand, what is the purpose of this outing you’re leading?”

Archbishop Sasha retained his smile, though his tone had grown slightly more serious.

As the conversation shifted to official business, Yelica straightened her posture, adopting a formal demeanor.

“Archbishop, I received an informant’s report indicating that a Fuli Aiwen (TL Note: The name was originally ‘Fuli Aike’ in the source text, but has been changed to ‘Fuli Aiwen’ to maintain consistency with the provided glossary.) may have connections with cultists. I have therefore assembled clerics to investigate.”

“An informant? Could it be Yodel Finn?” the Archbishop mused, making a guess.

“You are correct; he provided the intelligence.”

With Yodel’s express permission, Yelica had shared some details about him with the Archbishop, but the information was strictly limited to their weekly transactions. Matters concerning the Divine Chosen, Thanatos, or curses were entirely omitted.

Thus, in the Archbishop’s eyes, Yodel was merely an extraordinary individual possessing unique abilities, and one who appeared to be somewhat avaricious.

“Hmm…” The Archbishop stroked his chin, then posed a question. “Ten gold pounds a week, in exchange for so much high-value intelligence? Your arrangement is clearly imbalanced… No, I’m not implying any suspicion towards Mr. Finn; it simply strikes me as illogical.”

As the matter concerned Yodel, Yelica dared not speak carelessly and could only try to prevaricate.

“Perhaps he’s just an overly kind person, using the guise of a transaction to provide us with intelligence?”

“That’s precisely the issue. Ten gold pounds a week (approximately 8,000 yuan) is negligible for the Church, but for most secular families, it’s no small sum.

“If, as you suggest, he’s merely using the transaction as a pretext, he wouldn’t demand such a high amount… This suggests he actually has a need for this money.”

“Then… he’s a money-grubber, looking to exchange information for cash?”

“That makes even less sense. The value of his intelligence far exceeds ten gold pounds a week; he could easily demand much higher compensation, yet he hasn’t…

“Do you understand now, Yelica? Ten gold pounds – that amount is very peculiar.”

Yelica was speechless. Her meager rhetoric was utterly incapable of fooling the well-informed and seasoned Archbishop, let alone subtly misleading him.

It was then that the Archbishop waved a hand, dismissing the attending clerics and leaving Yelica alone in the room.

“You still can’t hide what’s in your heart, Yelica,” he said earnestly. “As an Inquisitor, you mustn’t wear your thoughts so openly on your face.”

“Huh? Archbishop, I…” Yelica instantly panicked. Had Archbishop Sasha perceived something?

Yet, the elderly man before her showed no reaction. Instead, he gently patted Yelica’s shoulder, offering reassurance.

“Yelica, I’ve watched you grow up in the Church since childhood. I understand your character, and I know you possess the courage to sacrifice yourself for the sake of the Church and our faith.”

“If I were to rank the people I trust most, you would be among the top five… What I just said was not meant to imply suspicion, much less blame.”

“Archbishop…”

Hearing these words, Yelica’s face flushed once more, this time from shame. To still be concealing something from someone who trusted her so deeply felt truly unbearable.

The Archbishop continued to gaze at Yelica, and a full minute of silence passed before he spoke again.

“Yelica, can you still swear upon your faith?”

“Of course!” Hearing this, Yelica abruptly raised her head and swore, “My faith in the Goddess of Holy Light has never wavered!”

“Able to swear upon her faith… cognition normal… no traces of corruption…” The Archbishop murmured softly, circling Yelica as he observed her. Though his voice was low, it remained clear enough for her to distinctly hear.

“I understand. You merely have a reason you cannot speak of… Is it a contract? Or an oath?”

The possibility of a curse hadn’t crossed Sasha’s mind because he hadn’t sensed any aura of one.

If Yelica were afflicted by a curse powerful enough to elude Archbishop Sasha’s detection, it would likely require nothing less than divine-level power.

Therefore, he didn’t include a curse as a possible explanation.

“Beyond that unspeakable reason, are there any other anomalies concerning you?”

“No!” Yelica desperately shook her head.

“Phew, that’s good then.” The Archbishop let out an unabashed sigh of relief.

“Since you are unable to speak of it, then I shall.

“There isn’t merely a simple transaction between you and Yodel Finn, but a deeper level of cooperation. As for the specifics of that cooperation, I am unaware; only the two of you would know.

“However, I can confirm that he has gained more than just gold pounds from this collaboration. I’ve already stated my reasons, so he must have received something else from you… for instance, a request for you to target Fuli Aiwen.”

Yelica’s eyes widened in alarm. Seeing this, Archbishop Sasha sighed, realizing her inability to conceal anything had inadvertently helped him greatly, essentially confirming his suspicions.

“Alright, let’s put that aside for a moment. There’s something I need to confirm. Hmm… within the bounds of what you can disclose, describe Yodel Finn for me.”

“Well, he’s a good person.”

Sasha waited for several seconds before realizing Yelica had no intention of elaborating further.

“Is that all?”

“That’s it. The rest… I cannot speak carelessly about.”

“Very well. Though vague, it’s a significant assessment nonetheless,” Sasha said, shaking his head helplessly, but ultimately managed to force a smile. “Your well-being is what matters most.”

“Since you’ve said as much, I’ll provisionally categorize Yodel Finn as a potential collaborator. Now, tell me about the task Yodel assigned you this time; perhaps I can be of some assistance.”

Yelica’s face showed a difficult expression. Uncertain what she could disclose and what would constitute a breach of secrecy, she could only offer the vaguest and most concise description.

“He wants me to create trouble for Fuli Aiwen.”

“Fuli Aiwen? Do you have any intelligence on her?”

“She is a conservative noble who works on the review committee at Leicester University. According to Church investigators, she represents the old noble faction and opposes Principal Abbas Heliq’s reforms.”

The Archbishop paced back and forth with his head bowed, speaking as he thought. “I recall the Leicester University reforms; I even conversed with the old principal once. He is a respectable man, and those reform measures are very much in line with the Hymn doctrine.

“This task doesn’t violate the Church’s interests, and it provides an opportunity to curb the influence of the old nobility.”

Yelica listened in silence, clearly treating the Archbishop as an external brain, processing his insights.

After some time, Archbishop Sasha halted his pacing, seemingly having made up his mind.

“It appears that, at least on this matter, Yodel Finn and we can stand on the same front,” he concluded.

Then, he looked up at Yelica, and the words that followed nearly made her lose her footing in surprise.

“Therefore, for this mission to create trouble for Fuli Aiwen, I shall accompany you.”

The Archbishop’s eyes gleamed with a mischievous light as he smiled, watching the Inquisitor, who had now fallen into a complete daze.