Chapter 125 – Are You Suspecting Miss Secretary Might Be the Traitor?

Translation by: Weebsread👹

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An hour later.

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“Tsk… Is that all you’ve got, Veya?”

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Lin Wei’s voice held a smug undertone as he looked down at the figure draped across the bed—beautiful, motionless, completely and utterly defeated.

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A low, triumphant hum slipped from his lips. For Lin Wei, this victory had been all too easy.

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Veya’s pale, flawless back was flushed a deep red, a testament to their recent contest—her skin still bearing marks from the sheets pressed hard against her.

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She didn’t even bother to move in response to his gloating. Her limbs had gone slack; her mind was lost in a dreamy haze, unable to conjure up a proper retort. All she could manage was a feeble protest, voice muffled and trembling:

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“Get… off me…”

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Eyes squeezed shut, she tried to steady herself, but even speaking felt like an effort. Her words quivered with reluctant resignation.

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This was nothing like before.

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The last few times she’d gotten the better of Lin Wei, her emotions had been taut as wire—driven by adrenaline and tangled motives. That edge had fueled their clashes, pushing both of them to the brink. Back then, she’d proven Lin Wei’s stamina could last five, maybe even six hours.

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But now? Everything was different. Her mood was calm, almost tranquil, and even her work—the crush of endless duties—felt lighter since he’d stepped in.

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It was like the difference between a Transcendent inheritor going through the motions and one truly pushed to their limits.

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Two hours.

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That was all it had taken for her to be left sprawled out, teetering on the verge of unconsciousness.

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Was today really such a disaster? Had she fallen that far below her usual form?

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“So, are you going to tell me why you had to sneak out and come here wearing a mask?”

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Lin Wei rolled over and, almost absentmindedly, pulled his wife into his arms. She was warm, soft, and seemed to melt against him. Strangely, despite the redness on her back, she wasn’t sweating in the least. Instead, her usual cool and—almost holy—fragrance now carried a deeper, subtler note that lingered in the air and set his heart racing.

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“I get the feeling it wasn’t just a whim. Don’t tell me that useless Pope refused your leave again, and you had to run off in secret just to see me?” he teased, giving her a gentle squeeze.

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Veya blinked her eyes open, the dizziness slowly ebbing as composure returned. She let him hold her, offering a half-hearted explanation as she nestled closer, her voice quiet, her nose a little stuffy:

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“It’s just… with everything that’s happened recently, I worry about being targeted by the nobles.”

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The words were thrown out more to pacify Lin Wei than to express any real concern, but she was all too aware of the burdens he’d borne alone.

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“And you? What was so urgent you had to call me back like this?” she murmured, her face buried in his chest. “Was it really just work? Did you wear yourself out so much you needed me… for this?”

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Veya knew full well how hard Lin Wei had been working. Not only had he carried out every decree from the Holy See, he’d even confronted the assassin sent after him—Fred, of all people. The intelligence he’d pried from that deadly encounter had finally unmasked Duke Ous, revealing the depths of the man’s depravity.

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Honestly, if Lin Wei simply needed a half day away from her duties for company, she couldn’t refuse. Not because she, as Pope, was desperate to cling to him, but because he needed her. Yes, that was it exactly!

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Lin Wei gave her a gentle smile, brushing her hair from her face. “Of course I didn’t call you here just for that.”

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“Oh? And you’re talking about needing company? Didn’t you just spend the last hour begging for mercy, telling me not to stop?”

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He couldn’t help himself—the retort slipped out before he caught it.

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But then he felt her fingers pinch his side, nails pressing in just enough to make her point. A quick cough, and she tugged the conversation into safer territory.

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“Actually, I wanted to talk about the traitor within the Holy See.”

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“The Pope—has the supply route for the Judgement Knights been compromised?”

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“Hmm?”

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So this meeting wasn’t just for idle chatter.

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At those words, Veya snapped to attention. Eyes once half-closed and drowsy turned sharp and clear as she twisted to face him—a sudden rush of energy flooding her entire being.

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“The Pope already ordered Secretary Rennie to hand it over to Vice Commander Guga,” she answered crisply.

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“So, in the end, it was the Retribution Knights’ leak again?”

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“If you want to know who the mole is, I’ll see to it the Pope handles it personally.”

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A traitor in the Holy See. That was no casual accusation.

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After all, in the millennia-long history of the Holy See—

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It wasn’t unheard of for clergy to be expelled for faltering faith after joining. But anyone admitted to the knighthood—especially the knight orders—stood at least at the middle ranks of the clergy.

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For one of them to betray the Holy See, to become a noble’s agent?

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That was almost unprecedented—even the Pope would be forced to see to it personally.

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Whoever the traitor was… even Vice Commander Guga wouldn’t be spared if it came to that.

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With Commander Alfron away from the Holy See—

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—I’d had every opportunity to settle it then and there, and set an example for all to see.

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“This isn’t about the Knights. Let me ask you: Did Secretary Rennie deliver the logistics map to the Retribution Knights?”

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“Of course. Miss Rennie is the Pope’s right hand. Whether she delivers it or the Pope does, there’s really no difference.”

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At that, Veya suddenly realized what he was implying.

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She turned to Lin Wei in disbelief—even now, Pope or no, her emotions were hard to contain.

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“Wait, are you suspecting Secretary Rennie?”

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“Mm. Given all the circumstances, isn’t the suspicion falling awfully close to her?”

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The truth was, Lin Wei didn’t want to believe it himself.

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Yet, looking at the facts, aside from the fiercely loyal and seemingly incorruptible secretary, he couldn’t imagine another plausible culprit—at least, not without more evidence.

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“Don’t worry—just let me finish.”

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He gently pinched her cheek, as if to comfort her and buy another moment of patience. There was a trace of helplessness in his voice.

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“Let’s just look at the leaks—never mind the earlier incidents. Take only the most recent: every time I clashed with Duke Ous, whether it was when I asked Rennie to retrieve the merchant records and they caught wind of it, or how, even though no one knew I was keeping my true strength hidden, somehow Fred was sent straight for me…”

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“Don’t you think the most suspicious person here is Miss Secretary? Otherwise, how did Duke Ous get access to so much intel? Only three people ever knew I was concealing my true power.”

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The Pope. Veya. The Secretary.

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The first two? Both were me, in different guises.

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Which left Miss Secretary as the only candidate.

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“But that’s impossible,” Veya insisted, breaking from her doubts to shake her head firmly.

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Her golden eyes flashed with certainty, each word solemn and unyielding.

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“Her background is beyond reproach. Both her parents died fighting as nobles on the western front. She was orphaned and grew up in an orphanage.”

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“She despises the nobility from the bottom of her heart. That’s how she met the current Pope—back when she was Saintess. And naturally, that’s how she came to serve as Secretary.”

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“In this palace, almost anyone might have some connection to the nobility, but Miss Secretary? There’s simply no way she could do such a thing.”

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Anyone watching her would have thought Veya was the Pope herself, trusting Miss Secretary with her all.

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I almost commented, but knowing my wife as I do, this was no surprise.

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After all, facing the prospect of betrayal by someone you trust so implicitly—who could accept that easily?

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Still… the logic couldn’t be denied.

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“Subjectively, I agree—Miss Secretary would never consciously collude with the nobles,” I said gently.

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“But what if… she herself doesn’t even know?”

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Veya was struck speechless.

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She stared at me, eyes wide with disbelief, then shook her head in denial.

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“Are you saying… the Cult of the Evil God targeted her?”

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“Impossible. Miss Secretary is always at the Pope’s side. If she’d even brushed up against the Evil God’s aura, she’d have been found out immediately.”

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“Ordinary methods, yes—they’d be noticed at once. But maybe that’s exactly why they’d go for something more… insidious.” Lin Wei waved his hand, letting out a weary sigh.

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“For instance, isn’t there a traitor in the Holy See who can wield both holy and heretical power at the same time?”