Lichtenstein Castle, second floor, Room 203.

Lanci seemed to think that the environment in Room 202, which had turned into a torture chamber, wasn't very good, so he had Hyperion move the priestess, chair and all, to the brand-new Room 203 next door.

The lights in the room were bright and steady, casting a golden halo over every inch of space. The wooden floor was covered with a dark carpet, a haven from the autumn wind high on the cliff at this early morning hour.

Hyperion had removed the gag from the priestess's mouth and unlocked some of her chains, so she wouldn't be uncomfortable sitting in the chair. She also gave her a blanket.

In just a few minutes, the priestess had gone from hell to heaven, and her expression became a little dazed. Only the look of dependence in her eyes when she looked at Lanci intensified again.

And across from her sat Lanci and Hyperion.

"Let me start with a brief introduction. I've already turned off the Shadow World Recording Program, so the Rebirth Church won't know that I got any information from you. As for the fact that the Krete Empire will take you into custody after the Shadow World ends, I will also ask Her Highness Alexia to protect you as much as possible, so that you can avoid interrogation in prison and live a better life."

Lanci stared at the notebook in his hand, began to write on it, and said.

After the Shadow World ends, all challengers will return to the location of the Void Gate where they entered the Shadow World.

This time, the challengers entered the Shadow World through the large Void Gate controlled by the Southern Continent Shadow World Management Association, rather than the temporary "unstable Void Gate" that appears in the wild.

Therefore, the priestess, whose identity as a Rebirth Church member has been exposed, will be arrested on the spot by the Krete Empire's heavy troops as soon as she leaves the Shadow World.

The priestess nodded heavily when she heard this.

Since she no longer had to regard Lanci as an enemy, she felt that her heart was filled with a sense of security.

If she didn't openly betray the Rebirth Church, then she wouldn't have to live in fear in the Krete Empire's prison, because even in prison, the Rebirth Church would try everything possible to retaliate against traitors and impose extreme penalties.

Now, even if she knows she will go to prison, she has hope.

When Lanci, this terrifying man, mixes into the Rebirth Church.

When he arrives in the Krete Empire, he may already be in a high position in the church that she can't even imagine.

She believes that Lanci will definitely have the ability to rescue her and protect her from the threat of the Rebirth Church!

"My name is Sticera. I'm from the northern part of the Krete Empire. I grew up in an orphanage in a village on the outskirts of Grant Waverly, the main city of the northern border. After the village was massacred by Bishop Ivanov of Destruction, I was spared because I still had potential and was taken away. After five years of training by the Destruction Bishop branch of the Rebirth Church, I emerged from the pile of dead people and became a partner to assist the Destruction Saintess in infiltrating the upper echelons of the Krete Empire."

The priestess said quickly.

Lanci listened to the priestess's story without interrupting her to ask questions.

According to rumors, the Destruction Bishop is the most brutal of all the cardinal bishops when it comes to killing innocent people. To him, massacring a large number of civilians is like stepping on an ant nest.

Ivanov even often likes to do things that violate "logic" – without any reason, he will cruelly burn all the civilians who have been chatting happily with him. His fierce reputation is even higher than that of Bishop Ascesan of Annihilation in the Northern Continent.

"Is it difficult for us to mix in with Bishop Destruction's subordinates?"

Lanci pointed to himself and Hyperion and asked the priestess Sticera.

The ten branches of the Rebirth Church are subordinate to ten cardinal bishops. For example, Rilette, the wanted cultist encountered at the end of the Purgatory Corridor Academy last time, was a follower of the Decay Bishop, while the Destruction Saintess Adelis and the priestess Sticera encountered this time were both followers of the Destruction Bishop.

Although they are both members of the Rebirth Church, they serve different bishops, and their styles of doing things are also obviously different.

Sometimes, there may even be internal wars between the followers of bishops who don't have good relations.

After this Shadow World ends, Lanci's goal for the winter vacation after returning to the real world is to go to the Northern Continent to consult Bishop Ascesan of Annihilation, the holder of the Original Stone Tablet - Sealing, to complete the research report "Visiting the Stone Tablet Holders."

If he can get into the Destruction Bishop's branch first and then transfer to the Annihilation Bishop's branch in the Northern Continent, it will reduce a lot of steps and troubles!

"It's very difficult. The Rebirth Church will be especially wary of young people like you who are a little famous, so I suggest you catch a member of the Rebirth Church and replace their identity."

Sticera replied.

Hyperion is already a red-named figure on the Rebirth Church's hit list.

And after this battle, Lanci's achievement of harming the Destruction Saintess is enough to make him a red-named figure comparable to Hyperion.

"But you should know that it is difficult to find members of the Rebirth Church in the Hutton Kingdom... unless you can give me some key information here."

Lanci looked at Sticera with a calm expression as he listened to her answer.

First of all, the Hutton Kingdom was originally a major stronghold of the Church of the Goddess of Fate, and has launched many operations to cleanse cult members.

The Hutton Kingdom is also one of the countries in the Southern Continent that cracks down on cults the most severely.

Even the members of the Rebirth Church in the Hutton Kingdom today must be elite sleepers with seamless identities, like the Destruction Saintess Adelis or the priestess Sticera, making them very difficult to catch.

"There is a chance. A very dangerous guy from the Aloran Kingdom will arrive in Ikelite in the next two days. If he fails to encounter or kill Duchess Hyperion in this Shadow World, he will do whatever it takes to create an accident on campus to kill the duchess."

Sticera glanced at Hyperion, then said with a solemn expression.

"..."

Although Hyperion's expression didn't change when she heard this, her heartbeat couldn't help but accelerate.

She didn't expect the Rebirth Church to be so determined in its operation to hunt her down this time!

It seemed that someone had to make her die.

The fear and sadness that had gradually dissipated because of Lanci resurfaced in Hyperion's heart.

She also gradually realized that she might never have peace until she became stronger.

Every time before, if Lanci wasn't by her side, it would have been a dead end that even gods couldn't save.

Although it seemed that Lanci had resolved everything calmly, if the intensity continued to increase like this, even if Lanci was strong, he might be killed by her!

She gradually lowered her head with a dim look in her eyes.

Every time, she brought disaster and dragged Lanci in to carry it for her.

The more Lanci never blamed her and unconditionally protected her as a close friend, the more guilty she felt.

She was just a pure burden.

(End of this chapter)