adbindia Chapter 111: If Word Gets Out, Either You or the Pope Is a Traitor!
Chapter 111: If Word Gets Out, Either You or the Pope Is a Traitor!
Chapter 111: If Word Gets Out, Either You or the Pope Is a Traitor!
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“Huh?”
Miss Secretary was momentarily stunned.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t grasp what Lin Wei was saying. She understood every word—recognized every sentence. But hearing them strung together at a time like this left her with a curious, indescribable feeling.
“You’re saying the Holy See’s entire stockpile of amplification potions is already finished?”
Was this some kind of joke?
Just this morning, she’d received intelligence that the nobles’ academy was making trouble, trying to muddy the waters. And now, by the end of the day, all the war supplies had been handled?
How could that be possible? She might not know much about alchemy, but even she knew this was absurd.
“Mm… Including the urgent requests from the Alchemy Department, we have exactly twenty-three thousand bottles in total.”“As for the earlier batch, Nerinette already arranged for them to be delivered to the Holy See. The remaining eight thousand amplification potions, along with the two hundred ‘Supreme Grade’ bottles reserved for the elites, are all here. Miss Rennie, would you like to see for yourself?”
As Lin Wei spoke, he stepped aside, revealing the scene behind him.
It matched her intelligence reports perfectly: eight thousand amplification potions, each bottle a different hue, neatly arranged on the shelves.
The sacred radiance sealed within shimmered faintly—a holy aura that, as a servant of the Holy See, she could sense at once.
He wasn’t joking.
He had truly managed the entire war supply of potions.
“How did you manage this?”
For a moment, Miss Rennie—who had secretly envied him—was left completely shaken.
In that instant, even her usual composure as the secretary deserted her.
“Don’t ask too much about the production process. I have my own little secrets.”
“In any case, everything’s ready. Please have the Holy See send a few knights to keep watch. And don’t forget to notify the Pope.”
“Oh, right—by the way, last time I asked you to help gather some market data, did anyone notice you? Or did you encounter anyone suspicious?”
Lin Wei’s tone grew thoughtful. This was something that had been nagging at him.
Back when he’d handed her the task, she’d promised with absolute confidence that there would be no problem. Yet, barely a day later, she’d been caught red-handed by Duke Ous’s people. The turnaround was almost too fast to believe.
“Suspicious people? I don’t think so.”
“My excuse was that the Holy See planned to purchase supplies throughout the Empire in case of shortages, so I just collected market intelligence.”
Still reeling from shock, Miss Secretary answered on reflex.
“As for the data from the northern countries, I didn’t take any of it with me. I just looked it over on site, memorized what I needed, and then wrote up my own copy at home… Wait—did something leak?”
The moment the words left her mouth, Rennie realized what was happening.
He wouldn’t have brought this up for no reason.
If he was asking about it now, something must have happened!
“Yes, someone knows you were looking into the market numbers.”
Lin Wei nodded, confirming her suspicion.
“I’m not sure who exactly, but I have a strong feeling the leak came from within your Holy See.”
“So when you go back, Miss Rennie, I’ll need you to summon the knights as usual, but at the same time, discreetly leak this information to the suspects.”
“Let them know the amplification potions are ready, except for a handful of ‘Special Grade’ ones still unfinished. The alchemist aiding the Holy See will finish them first thing tomorrow morning.”
“After that, keep a close eye on them. Watch for any suspicious activity.”
With that, Lin Wei scribbled an address on a slip of paper and handed it to her.
“This is the alchemist’s residence. You can ‘accidentally’ let that detail slip as well.”
“But remember—don’t breathe a word of this to anyone else. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to suspect you, Miss Rennie, as the mole!”
“How could I possibly be a traitor?!”
The accusation made the secretary bristle, outrage flaring in her eyes.
For her, who served the goddess Alicia with unwavering devotion and revered the Pope above all, being called a traitor was the gravest insult imaginable.
It was as preposterous as claiming, “The Pope doesn’t trust his own secretary”—an offense of the highest order.
If this man weren’t currently working under Her Holiness, she would have mobilized every connection she had—
And started by sentencing him to death!
That’s my declaration as Secretary Rennie!
“I was only making a point. No need to get so worked up, Miss Rennie.”
“Still… come to think of it, this place doesn’t look like your home, does it?”
Rennie glanced at the address on the slip, suddenly catching on to something odd.
“And isn’t this trap of yours a little too obvious?”
“Do you really think they’ll take the bait?”
It almost seemed as if he was treating the mole like a fool.
“Do you remember how many slices of bread you’ve eaten in your life?”
“Huh?”
Rennie blinked at the strange question, but quickly shook her head.
“Who could possibly remember something like that?”
“Exactly. So why would a mole care about a trap like this? It’s not as if they’re taking the risk themselves—they’ll just send someone else.”
“And as for those who dare meddle with front-line supplies, do you think they care how many disposable pawns they lose?”
He didn’t name the nobles directly, but both of them knew exactly whom he meant.
Miss Rennie nodded, agreeing. Nobles were exactly the type to stoop to anything.
“Of course they don’t care about the lives of a few pawns.”
“Even if they suspect it’s a trap, they’ll still send someone in, just in case there’s a reward.”
“But with the Imperial Academy guarded by knights, a handful of people won’t get anywhere… So this time, their real target is you?”
Realization dawned in Miss Rennie’s eyes, her expression shifting to alarm.
“You’re planning to use yourself as bait?”
“In the Imperial Capital, even the best adventurers are only middling at best. Or do you expect me to send knights to wait in ambush?”
“No need… I can handle this myself.”
If they’re sending deathsworn, conventional interrogation will be useless. And if Holy See knights are present, not only would they be no help—they might even interfere with my questioning.
“Come to think of it, you don’t really know what I’m capable of, do you?”
“Wait… The Pope never told you?”
Rennie, who had just been worried for his safety, now glared at him in exasperation.
There he goes again, using that same tone to provoke me!
“Trivial details like that aren’t worth Her Holiness’s time!”
“And you, adventurer—don’t get cocky just because the Pope trusts you.”
“Just making conversation, that’s all. Anyway, when you return to the Holy See, be sure to tell the Pope about the plan as well. And let me repeat—don’t share this information with anyone besides the Pope and yourself. Understood?”
Lin Wei waved his hand, his expression growing serious as he reminded her again.
“This is truly our best chance to flush out the mole.”
“If even this fails… then the only explanation is that either you or the Pope is the traitor.”
“And if it comes to that, don’t blame me for making it public. That’s all, Miss Secretary!”