At this, Jierunifu, whose mind was already 'disrupted' by Ainz Ooal Gown, became even more 'confused', even forgetting his earlier intention to explain his innocence to the Theocracy's Holy Scripture Chief Priest.
"Oh? The meeting location was also designated by His Majesty himself, and our side was only notified a few hours ago…" The Holy Scripture Chief Priest's tone was extremely cold, no longer even using honorifics, which brought Jierunifu back to his senses a little.
No… it can't be, just now… the Holy Scripture Chief Priest hinted at something, didn't he!
This person is very likely a member of the Theocracy's ace unit, Black Scripture. The Theocracy shouldn't be so blind as to let that Female Devil infiltrate their ace unit!
Ah… no, Bajed said that no conclusions should be easily drawn about that Female Devil!
What if she really did infiltrate? What if this female 'divine' priestess standing before him really is that Female Devil?
That would be terrible!
The first objective of this meeting with the Theocracy was to discuss the Magic Kingdom problem.
The second objective was to warn the Theocracy that a Female Devil had infiltrated among them!
This… let's put this aside for now! The current problem is still Ainz Ooal Gown! Why would he appear in such a place? It's as strange as why his daughter is standing here. Only a very small number of people knew about the intelligence regarding this meeting, and they were all people he trusted.
"This… this might be information leaked due to magical control! This really has nothing to do with me, I'm also very surprised! If I really wanted to harm you, why would I be so panicked?" Jierunifu explained.
However, the Holy Scripture Chief Priest and the accompanying church Chief Priests completely disbelieved Jierunifu.
"Who would believe your one-sided story? I think you just wanted to drag us down and invited us here!" the Holy Scripture Chief Priest said.
It's natural for them not to believe him; if it were him, he wouldn't believe it either, Jierunifu thought.
Where exactly did the intelligence leak from? Could it have been leaked by the Female Devil?
No… that's not right, the timing doesn't match. The Theocracy was only notified of the meeting location a few hours ago, but the Arena's Martial King competition schedule was set days ago. This means Ainz Ooal Gown had already obtained this information days ago.
Thinking this way, this isn't an information leak… it's that he already knew! Was all of this already part of his plan!
Jierunifu felt a chill down his spine at this thought. How terrifying! Ainz Ooal Gown! Did you even calculate this step?
Was he being played from the very beginning? No! Now is not the time to be terrified of his wisdom! He needs to find a solution quickly!
"Things are bad! You all need to leave here quickly!" Jierunifu said in a panic. At least the Holy Scripture Chief Priest had to leave here. If he ran into Ainz Ooal Gown, that would truly be terrible! But! That Female Devil? Why is that Female Devil not reacting at all?
Unfortunately, as soon as Jierunifu finished speaking, Ainz Ooal Gown's voice came from outside the stands…
"Lord Cong, long time no see."
Jierunifu's heart skipped a beat. He desperately suppressed the fear in his heart, forced a smile, and turned his head to see Ainz Ooal Gown floating in the air of the Arena, at the same height as the VIP box stands.
"This… this, this… uh… I… didn't expect to see you in such a place, Lord Cong." Jierunifu didn't know how to talk to Ainz Ooal Gown; anything he said would be used against him.
"Heh heh… me too, this is quite a coincidence!" Ainz Ooal Gown let out a hearty laugh, making it obvious that he didn't consider this a coincidence at all.
It's confirmed! Everything, absolutely everything, was part of Ainz Ooal Gown's plan! From the moment he appointed his daughter as a diplomat! Everything was under his control!
He sent Elizabeth to the Empire, fully demonstrated the Magic Kingdom's power within the Empire, and then infiltrated the Theocracy.
The reason Elizabeth had directly rejected his earlier request for subjugation was that her father and she wanted to use the Empire to drag the Theocracy into trouble!
That damned father and daughter had long seen through his thoughts, believing that he would definitely seek help from the Theocracy after the battle on Katz Plains! So they made arrangements in advance. This not only directly dragged the Theocracy into trouble but also put pressure on the Empire! This guy! Not only in terms of strength… but also in terms of wisdom, he is an opponent that humans cannot defeat!
Jierunifu secretly wiped the sweat from his palms on his clothes, which were behind his back.
"So… are those few acquaintances of His Majesty?" Ainz Ooal Gown turned his gaze to the Chief Priests behind Jierunifu.
Aren't you asking the obvious! He clearly knows their identities! Why ask like this? You are truly malicious, Ainz Ooal Gown!
This clearly threw a binary choice at him, making him bear the burden. Should he lie to protect the Theocracy? Or stand with him and betray the Theocracy? Whichever he chose… the Empire would see no future!
"What's wrong? Lord Cong, your 'complexion' doesn't look too good? Are you feeling unwell?" Ainz Ooal Gown asked with a hint of concern in his tone, yet this was merely the victor's playful mockery.
"No, nothing… I'm fine, just a little dizzy from standing too long." Jierunifu replied blankly.
"Is that so? Health is wealth, you should pay more attention!" Ainz Ooal Gown didn't seem to care much about the binary choice he had just thrown out, but rather cooperated with his forced excuse, or perhaps he had even more malicious tricks up his sleeve?
"So… these friends? I am Ainz Ooal Gown Magic-Caster King, may I make your acquaintance?" Ainz Ooal Gown directly skipped over Jierunifu and asked.
Normally, this would be extremely rude, but Ainz Ooal Gown didn't care about this at all, as if he didn't even put Jierunifu in his eyes.
Moreover… a monarch had already introduced himself, so the Theocracy's Chief Priests naturally couldn't just leave without a word. But didn't Ainz Ooal Gown already know their identities? Why would he ask like this?
Jierunifu was utterly confused by his actions…
"Hmm… one of them looks quite familiar?" Ainz Ooal Gown continued, clearly referring to his daughter! Elizabeth the Female Devil! Was this deliberate remark meant to hint at something?
"Apologies, we too should have introduced ourselves, however, we have other urgent matters and must depart quickly. Regarding our affairs, please inquire with His Majesty later. Excuse us… Your Majesty the Sorcerer King." The Holy Scripture Chief Priest said, standing up from his seat.
"Is that so? That's a pity, but no matter… there should be opportunities to meet again in the future. Then, please take care, everyone. I still have to go on stage, so I'll take my leave." Ainz Ooal Gown said indifferently, then floated down into the Arena.
"You schemed against me!" the Holy Scripture Chief Priest said, clearly displeased, after seeing Ainz Ooal Gown land in the center of the Arena.
"No! I didn't!!" Jierunifu replied in despair. He knew that nothing he said now would be of any use.
"Didn't? That guy clearly knows our identities. Everything he just said was mocking us for being played in his palm! How much about our Theocracy did you leak! Did you just sell out our Theocracy to protect your own country!" The Holy Scripture Chief Priest said sternly, full of dissatisfaction.
Jierunifu could only cast pleading glances at the two church Chief Priests. However, the emotions in the eyes of those two Chief Priests were hostility and disappointment.
Jierunifu understood; he was truly finished this time. Ainz Ooal Gown had truly delivered a fatal blow to the Empire at the most opportune moment!
When he had previously expressed his desire for subjugation to Elizabeth, Elizabeth had also said that her father would be displeased, and she herself would be displeased.
It was clear that Ainz Ooal Gown and Elizabeth both understood that if the Empire were subjugated without reason, other countries would certainly have opinions, and there would be various voices of opposition within the Empire itself. However, now, after the battle on Katz Plains, having fully demonstrated the Magic Kingdom's strength, who in the Empire would dare say anything if the Empire were subjugated?
And it could also drag the Theocracy into trouble… this move… was truly vicious! Now… now, the only path before him was to betray humanity.
"I know that nothing I say now is useful. The Magic Caster King's strength and wisdom far exceed my imagination. Even so, I still ask you… believe me, I did not betray you." Jierunifu said dejectedly.
"Even if I believe you, the Theocracy's intelligence has still been leaked. This will not change. I regret to say, Emperor Brother, I'm afraid we will not meet again." The Holy Scripture Chief Priest said, then prepared to leave.
Jierunifu understood that the Theocracy's attitude towards the Magic Kingdom had always been ambiguous. From the declaration regarding the ownership of Katz Plains, it was clearly a neutral stance, even leaning towards the Magic Kingdom's side.
This meeting now thoroughly exposed the Theocracy's intention to be an enemy of the Magic Kingdom. Although there had been infiltration by the Female Devil within the Theocracy, the Theocracy's actions were mostly covert.
Now, if the Theocracy dared to make any rash move against the Magic Kingdom, the Magic Kingdom could immediately use this meeting as an excuse to forcibly drag the Theocracy onto a hostile stage. In this way, the Magic Kingdom could justifiably act against the Theocracy. One must know… the Magic Caster King is a person who loves to "play"!
From the Black Worker invasion incident, it could be seen that Ainz Ooal Gown likes to position himself on the side of "justice," even if his various schemes behind the scenes are not just, or even malicious. But that doesn't matter… what matters is the superficial "justice."
"Can you wait a moment, Chief Priest-sama…?" As the others were about to exit the VIP box, the female 'divine' priestess, who had been standing there motionless, that is, the Female Devil, spoke. As soon as her familiar voice emerged, the faces of Bajed and Ningbul beside her instantly turned pale. Ningbul even instinctively moved his hand to the hilt of his sword, then was stopped by Bajed.
It was her after all. Although he had recognized her earlier, now hearing her familiar voice, and confirming that it really was the Female Devil, Jierunifu felt a strange sense of relief.
"What's wrong, Clementine?" The Holy Scripture Chief Priest stopped and asked.
Clementine? Jierunifu was a little curious about this name. Although he knew that it was normal to use an alias for infiltration, this name felt very familiar, as if he had seen it in some intelligence report a long time ago.
"Although it may be presumptuous, Chief Priest-sama, I believe Emperor Brother did not betray our Theocracy." the Female Devil said.
Eh? What the hell is this? Jierunifu was instantly dumbfounded. Why would this Female Devil help him?!
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