Two weeks later, as the midsummer month neared its end, Roland finally arrived at Hermes.

The Northern Lands Garrison and the witches greeted him at the gates of the Holy City. Besides them, he also saw a few nuns wearing the Church's standard black robes in the group.

Although Roland had learned from Lightning about the collective disappearance of the Church's high-ranking members, he still found it somewhat unbelievable when he personally entered this empty highland fortress. The anticipated fierce battle did not occur. Neither the God's Punishment Witches nor the new mortars were needed. While this outcome was certainly the best, it felt like punching cotton.

Deciding to bring Isabella along before the expedition was a very correct choice. According to the reports sent by Eagle Face and Agatha, it was this former Purifier who noticed the Church's abnormality and, after properly handling the orphanage, suggested to the Northern Lands Army that they investigate deep into Hermes Holy City.

The result was surprising. The massive city was already deserted, with only a few residents in the outer city who had not had time to evacuate maintaining the illusion that the Church still existed. In fact, they were unaware of what was happening in the inner city, only hearing that the Church was preparing for the final battle.

Afterward, the nuns united by Isabella quickly entered Hermes. Under the announcement of these people, the signs of escape gradually eased. At least, the large group of refugees heading towards Wolfheart and Everwinter basically disappeared. After all, abandoning the Holy City was too dramatic a change of events, and the blow to the Church's reputation was almost devastating. Compared to those who left without saying goodbye, the nuns who took the initiative to restore order seemed more like the Church's successors.

"How exactly did you do it?" Since letters couldn't be too detailed, the first thing Roland did after entering the Holy City was to ask about the whereabouts of the Church's remaining forces. "There are at least several thousand people in the inner city. Did they not need to pass through the outer city walls to leave the highlands?"

"There are many natural underground tunnels beneath Hermes, some of which can pass under the Holy City walls. If they evacuated in batches, it would indeed be possible for the residents of the outer city to remain unaware," Isabella explained. "They were designed to be used only once during construction, and only for exit, not entry. I checked several tunnel entrances and found that they had all been destroyed."

"Where do those tunnels lead?"

"Only those who have walked them know," she shook her head. "If this escape was planned in advance, it will be difficult to track their whereabouts after a month and a half."

So the Church intends to abandon the tail to save its life, in order to make a comeback? Roland couldn't help but frown. The problem is that abandoning the Holy City is equivalent to losing the base, which is not as simple as abandoning the tail, and the loss is even more serious than decapitation. Are they so confident that they can find a new base to confront Graycastle? Or do they plan to break up into smaller groups and harass his territory? The thought of having to guard against these fanatics for the next few years gave him a headache.

Perhaps sensing his thoughts, Isabella smiled slightly. "You don't need to worry about the Church anymore. They won't be back."

Roland was stunned. "Why do you say that?"

"They left a messenger," she replied.

...

In a small chapel in the northern district of the Holy City, Roland met the messenger Isabella spoke of.

It was an old man with white hair, wearing a brand-new red and gold-trimmed priest's robe, holding a thick book in his arms, and walking out under the escort of guards.

Although his steps were a little weak, he still raised his head as if he didn't want to lose in momentum to anyone. He first glanced coldly at Isabella, then looked at Roland. "You are the King of Graycastle, Roland Wimbledon?"

"I am."

"Gray hair and gray eyes, you do look a lot like your father," the old man said slowly. "My name is Jacob, the High Priest of the Holy City. If divided according to secular standards, I am roughly equivalent to a duke... Of course, I have neither the corresponding fief nor the need for so many servants."

"I heard that you insisted on waiting for me here?" Roland shrugged. "What, did those people forget to take you when they sneaked away?"

"I wanted to stay," he said solemnly, as if giving his last words. "I'm old and can't run anymore... Even if I could, I wouldn't have many years to live.

Instead of living a new life, I might as well be buried with this city."

"New life?" Roland quickly caught the key word in his words.

"That's right, a new life free from all responsibilities, just to live out the rest of my days," Jacob's voice was tinged with sarcasm. "You won, Your Majesty. If this is the result you wanted to see, the Church will no longer oppose you. This city will be handed over to you intact, and you will soon take over our nightmare."

"Oh?" Roland said noncommittally.

"Why do you think we guarded this highland with nothing?" He raised his voice a little. "Look at what you've done. Humanity will perish because of you!"

"Is that so? You're exaggerating too much. I won't take the blame for this." Hearing this, Roland probably understood the High Priest's intention. The Church really didn't want to let him take the Holy City comfortably. Even if it was powerless to stop him in substance, it still wanted to make a spiritual trip. Jie Luo had also played this trick before the final battle, but the original intention was completely different. If he was someone who knew nothing about the Battle of Divine Will, he would definitely be surprised when he learned that the demons were about to destroy humanity. If he added fuel to the fire and put the classic black pot of "the destruction of humanity is all your fault" on his head, its lethality would be no less than spiritual pollution.

"Pot? Heh... Nonsense, do you think I'm joking? Young King, it seems that the Purifier did not tell you the truth of the matter." Jacob glanced at Isabella meaningfully. "The Church bears an unimaginable responsibility, and only a few high-ranking members know about this. You have no idea what kind of enemy we have been preparing to face for hundreds of years. Now that you have destroyed all this, you must also bear the consequences, even if you don't want to. When fate befalls humanity, all you can do is helplessly accept it and then watch your kingdom turn into a sea of fire!"

It seems that this guy not only wants to launch a spiritual attack, but also takes the opportunity to stir up the relationship between him and Isabella, but unfortunately, he has seen the wrong person and expressed the wrong intention... Roland looked at the old priest who was speaking righteously, and a sentence could not help but appear in his mind - life is like a play, it all depends on acting.

"You may not believe me, but the facts are undeniable." After Jacob finished speaking, he let out a long breath and opened the book in his arms and handed it out. "This is the Church's *Scripture*. After you read it, you will understand what stupid things you have done! We... no, the real enemy of mankind is..."

"Demons, right?" Roland interrupted him casually. "The Church built the Holy City here not to resist the evil beasts, but for the Godstone vein in the mountains. There is a secret agency under the cathedral for mining Godstones and transforming God's Punishment Armies. This is the core of the Church. Of course, I don't know if you know this, because the transformation ritual can only be controlled by the Pope. After that, do you want to talk about the Battle of Divine Will or the Smile of the Gods? The war that takes place every four hundred years is not new news. Demons are not ghosts that come and go without a trace. In fact, I have dealt with them long ago. So... is there anything else you want to say?"

"You... I..." At this time, Jacob was dumbfounded. He opened his mouth and stammered for a long time without saying a word. He looked as if he would die at any moment. After a long while, he pointed tremblingly at Isabella, "It's you..."

The latter shook her head gently. "These were not told to him by me. From the beginning, what he knew was far more than we expected. You underestimated him too much... or rather, we all underestimated him."

"Since you have finished speaking, it's my turn," Roland said with a sneer.