The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 143

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

143.

The Pope’s eyes widened.

As if wondering why Wesley’s name was coming up here.

Wesley Morel spoke to the Pope with a purely kind smile, unlike the Pope.

“You wouldn’t brand me as a heretic again just for revealing the truth in this place, would you, Your Holiness?”

“What do you… You speak as if I’m the one who told lies.”

“Yes, because you are telling lies.”

Wesley looked at his opponent with an expression like an adult soothing a child, as if that wouldn’t do.

“To think the shrine has become so secularized. And that someone I’ve believed in and followed since childhood would act this way, intoxicated by power—it saddens me.”

“…What do you mean by that, Your Eminence the Saint?”

The Pope spoke with an aggrieved expression.

“I hope you won’t sin against God any further, Your Holiness.”

The battle of truth between the Fourth Consort, the Pope, and the Emperor eventually passed to the Saint and the Pope.

In the continuing power struggle of biting and being bitten, those who had been wagging their tongues thinking everything was concluded fell silent again.

It seemed they had finally grasped the situation.

However, regrettably, Francis Ashwood, deeply stained by the Winter Palace, had recorded all their names even faster than I had.

Even operating recording devices in this situation crawling with clerics.

How wonderfully reliable they all were becoming—it was a good phenomenon.

The Pope, who had been staring intently at Wesley, let out a deep sigh.

“I return those words to Your Eminence exactly as they are. No matter how much you cherish the Clupea Margrave, you must not sin against the gods like that.”

“You seem to be mistaken about something, Your Holiness.”

“Pardon?”

Wesley sighed deeply, mimicking the Pope.

“By saying that, you’re thinking this is a problem that can only be resolved through conversation in this place, aren’t you?”

“Then what else should resolve it in this place besides conversation? Are you going to barbarically use force?”

“Of course not. I just thought Your Holiness assumed I was the same, since paternity testing takes you nearly a week.”

“…Pardon?”

The Pope blinked like someone who had learned an unexpected fact.

Wesley Morel remembered very well the story I had told him in childhood.

‘If you do too well alone, they’ll dump all the work on you, so you have to pretend to be moderately incompetent. Especially when the higher-ups are strange.’

Naturally, he hadn’t forgotten my advice, which was thoroughly soaked with my experience.

Though I myself hadn’t been able to live that way, Wesley was much better at it than me.

So Wesley had controlled his power to only process things moderately faster than other clerics.

Of course, in necessary situations like dragon subjugation, he would display tremendous holy power.

Since most of the clerics who followed couldn’t accurately gauge Wesley’s power, they probably only knew him as moderately exceptional.

The paternity testing tool I had requested before was also intentionally made by Wesley with an extended timeframe, so there would have been no way to measure his abilities.

Even that was single-use, so they must have been confident it couldn’t be used in this place.

However, at the unexpected fact that burst from Wesley’s mouth, both the Pope and the Fourth Consort, who had been as composed as if wearing masks, began to waver.

They must have thought that Wesley, being young and having weak support within the temple, would naturally be pushed back in a war of words.

But if Wesley performed paternity testing in this place, the ‘truth’ that the Fourth Consort had carefully timed to explode would all become meaningless.

Moreover, hadn’t the Emperor not immediately denied the Fourth Consort’s words?

“…So in the end, is Prince Casian a legitimate child or not?”

One of the nobles opened his mouth as if frustrated, then closed it again after receiving glares from others for being tactless.

And Wesley provided the answer to that.

“Prince Casian is undoubtedly the legitimate child of His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Your Eminence!”

The Pope shouted as if horrified.

“You mustn’t speak words you cannot take responsibility for like that. Every single action Your Eminence takes becomes the temple’s responsibility.”

At these intimidating words, Wesley headed toward the center of the audience chamber with a relaxed attitude.

“—Your Majesty the Emperor, I only speak words I can take responsibility for. Since someone taught me that way in childhood, I wouldn’t dream of making rash lies.”

The Emperor, who had been troubled, straightened his posture and looked back and forth between me and Wesley as if finally feeling some relief.

“So the Saint is saying he will personally perform paternity testing and resolve many people’s frustrations in this place?”

“Yes, I already presented evidence of paternity testing to Your Majesty two days ago, but even if I present that, you’ll just shout that it was fabricated, won’t you?”

It was a statement that hit the mark.

The Emperor chuckled and rose from his throne.

“The Saint speaks correctly. I was still wondering why the Clupea Margrave bothered me two days ago saying he needed to redo paternity testing with Casian, but now I understand.”

When the Emperor gestured, Casian also approached Wesley’s side.

And all of this situation was being watched with uncomprehending eyes only by the temple officials including the Pope, and the Fourth Consort.

“…Paternity testing takes several days even for clerics with exceptional holy power, no, even for the Saints of the past.”

Especially the clerics who knew this fact well looked puzzled as if they had heard that 1+1=3.

The Pope went without saying.

“Your Eminence, you’re trying to do this knowing that many people are gathered in this place and we cannot be tied up here alone, aren’t you?”

The Pope spoke in a tone that seemed genuinely concerned.

And Wesley Morel responded by instantly infusing holy power for paternity testing into Casian and the Emperor.

“…This is impossible.”

One of the clerics muttered unconsciously in shock.

The fluffy, warm white holy power quickly created the distinctive pattern signifying paternity testing, spinning rapidly, then enveloped both men.

Usually, it took clerics several hours just to infuse holy power to create that pattern.

But that wasn’t the end.

The infused holy power enveloped both their bodies and created a white spherical orb.

“Already, an orb is being formed…?”

“It should take a full day just to see that.”

Clerics who had witnessed paternity testing ceremonies several times couldn’t help but exclaim.

Because it was an unbelievable sight.

“But doesn’t it take several days for that orb’s color to change, and several more days until the proof stone appears?”

Nevertheless, someone spoke in a skeptical tone, saying this would be delayed.

But as if mocking him, the orb turned bright blue.

And normally, paternity testing was virtually finished at this stage.

If the orb’s color was blue, it meant legitimate child; if red, it meant not a legitimate child.

And for ordinary clerics’ paternity testing ceremonies, it took a week just for the orb’s color to change.

But less than ten seconds after the color changed, with a ‘thunk’ sound, a bright blue proof stone fell into Casian’s hand.

The Emperor, who had remained in place as if trusting Wesley’s abilities, chuckled and turned toward his throne.

“—Are you satisfied now, Your Holiness the Pope. And Your Highness the Fourth Consort.”

Casian spoke while showing the paternity proof stone with utmost politeness and courtesy.

It was perfect etiquette by anyone’s standards.

“This is impossible. How can this be…!”

“…”

Neither the Pope nor the Fourth Consort looked pleased at that courtesy; instead, they had dumbfounded expressions.

They were truly rude people.

*

“This, this, what on earth…”

The Pope floundered like someone who had lost his dignity.

And at that moment.

“Haha, hahahaha…!”

Scaletti, who had been in a daze, laughed loudly.

“How interesting, how interesting!”

“Fourth Consort!”

The Emperor called her sternly, as if scolding her rude behavior.

“His Holiness the Pope didn’t know, no, I didn’t know this fact either.”

However, the Fourth Consort paid no heed and exhaled briefly as if clearing her throat.

“The Saint Your Holiness, who should be the pride of the Temple—no, who should be the Temple’s pride—was a weapon carefully cultivated by the Clupea Margrave.”

“Fourth Consort Your Highness!”

This time, the priests from the Temple side looked at the Fourth Consort in shock and alarm.

“That won’t do, priests. You shouldn’t criticize me like that. I’m saying this out of consideration for all of you.”

I was truly puzzled.

Even in a situation like this, they’re still trying to fight?

Instead of accepting defeat?

“What do you mean by thinking of the Temple, Fourth Consort Your Highness?”

The Pope, barely regaining his composure, asked Scaletti.

“He was so cunning that he was a difficult opponent for priests who hold honesty and poverty as their beliefs.”

Honesty? Poverty?

Those words really don’t suit the priests at all.

The Fourth Consort looked straight at me, who was bewildered, and spoke.

“Isn’t it strange? That the Clupea Margrave has never been flustered no matter what hardships befell him until now?”

“Pardon…?”

This time, the people from the Winter Palace near me reacted as if they found it absurd.

“It sounds like you’re praising Rose right now.”

Even Casian sneered, wondering what her intention was.

“His Majesty is truly cruel. If he had denied Prince Casian as not being his real son like 20 years ago, at least his life could have been spared.”

The Fourth Consort’s lips stretched into a long smile.

“Remember this well, Prince Casian. Riedern was annihilated because of the Clupea Margrave.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————