Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 907: It Remained Untouched

Chapter 907: Chapter 907: It Remained Untouched

Arabella had never heard of anyone getting imprisoned in the past.

’Alwin has no one to imprison in a place like this. There’s no royalty that he would like to imprison here. Wait...’

Arabella gulped when she realized this could have been intended for her as a prison in case she went back to her villainous ways.

’No, it can’t possibly be. Haha. I’m sure this is just for security reasons and his curiosity.’

"Is this room also made by your mage?" the Pope asked Ferdinand.

"Yes."

"How talented! Now, I want him to join us in the temple even more," the Pope reminded them of the invitation he had extended to Alwin and Riley.

The two have not responded about it yet since they got so busy after the Yearly Assembly in Medeus.

"Why is he not around?" the Pope asked, and Ferdinand glared at him.

"He’s still unconscious thanks to someone poisoning him," Ferdinand implied it was the Pope’s doing.

Or rather, the way he said it and the look in his eyes clearly said he believes it was the Pope’s fault, regardless of whether he did it or not.

[Why are they immediately concluding it’s His Holiness?!]

Cassandra and the paladins frowned and looked like they wanted to speak and defend the Pope, but the latter gestured for them to stay silent.

[I knew he would say this. But I thought they would have at least some built resistance by now or created an antidote.]

"I understand why you suspect me, but I have no benefit to gain from doing such a thing," the Pope said calmly.

His eyes were clear and without guilt. His thoughts as well.

"Who will believe you when you don’t have proof?

You are the only one who has the poison.

We retrieved all other possible sources after the Great War.

Only the vial entrusted to you is left."

Ferdinand pointed out why the Pope was their first suspect.

"Even if you say it was stolen by someone else who used it as they pleased, then you’re still to blame for not keeping it safe as you should."

"I have proof. The vial is still safe and untouched. I always had it with me, so it was never stolen either," the Pope replied, and pulled out a necklace he was wearing under his clothes.

A small transparent vial containing a black liquid was attached to it like a decorative centerpiece.

"Check for yourselves. All the spells and seals from over 6000 years ago are still intact. I merely change the size for convenience. I’m sure you could tell even in your current form," the Pope added and placed it on the table.

It looked like a normal necklace at first, but when the Pope touched it, the vial grew to the size of a jar.

The black liquid inside it looked rather sinister.

Ferdinand, Raymond, and Riley’s eyes all glowed with magic as they checked it.

"The spells and seals are indeed intact... Then where did they get the poison?" Ferdinand frowned.

"I am also puzzled about that. I never left this anywhere else. It had always been with me since it was entrusted to me. I never opened it either," the Pope explained.

"Are you sure you did not hide more somewhere else?" Ferdinand narrowed his eyes.

"No. I swore an oath to the gods. I would have died the instant I broke it," the Pope declared.

Ferdinand’s brows further knitted.

[Then, where else did the poison come from? I thought for sure that it was stolen from him and used. Since it’s here and untouched, it means the poison came from somewhere else. But where? We searched all possible sources here and retrieved all of it.]

"Couldn’t it be someone from your side who wanted to take revenge for the past?

I heard the long-lived races grieve and regret much longer.

What if it was someone from your side who could not get over their grief?" the Pope said, and received another glare from Ferdinand.

The Pope meant that someone among the long-lived races may be framing him and the Great Temple to cause a conflict between them, so they could take their revenge through another war.

"No. It’s not possible to bring the poison out of Estrella. It was part of the safety procedures put in place. No one will be able to bring it out here, no matter what they try."

Ferdinand’s explanation made them even more puzzled. If it was none of them, then where did the poison come from?

It remained a puzzle to all of them since both sides were sure none of them was the source of the poison.

Since they could not figure out where the poison came from, they moved to the next topic.

"The poison may not have come from you or the temple, but what about the anti-magic weapons?

All mines that produce those ores for it were under your jurisdiction.

You are the only ones allowed to mine and process it.

And the former queen of Crux and the head of the Ruela Household admitted they purchased it from Medeus.

We checked the underground shop, but it was already empty.

However, we learned that it was once owned by someone from the temple and closed recently."

Ferdinand explained their findings.

"As I have said, we have nothing to gain from initiating conflict with the long-lived races.

One of my tasks is to prevent another Great War from happening again.

And this is exactly why I’m here.

I would not initiate a meeting like this if we were up to something.

Further, anti-magic weapons and the ores themselves are very valuable.

We keep them in secure storage for use in case they are ever needed again.

We would never have it sold anywhere.

However, if what you claim is true, then I will have the same shop investigated as well.

We have a profile of everyone who joined the temple or worked there, so we can check if you know the face or name, or any description that could point them out.

And I’ll have the storage rooms checked in case any are missing."

The Pope was willing to cooperate to prove their innocence.