As Expected of the Bishop!

While Greg was lost in thought, the maid leading the way stopped in front of a door. She knocked softly twice, pushed it open, and stepped aside to let them pass.

As Greg passed by her, he noticed that her posture and gestures were textbook-perfect. Her back was straight, her hands were neatly clasped in front of her, and her head was bowed at just the right angle—expressing respect without losing her dignity.

He couldn't help but marvel in his heart: A professional maid really is on another level.

Her movements were clean, her bearing elegant, and even her breathing rhythm seemed to have been meticulously regulated.

In contrast, though the one beside him was also a maid in name, her daily routine consisted of either drawing her sword to threaten him or greeting him with sharp, sadistic sarcasm.

They were practically different species.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Allie, who was walking half a pace ahead, suddenly turned her head. Her beautiful eyes shot him a freezing glare.

“Tch. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking.”

Greg's back instantly tensed up.

Although the maids in this manor didn't know his identity yet, he was still the Bishop of the order in name. He absolutely could not let his former personal maid beat him up in front of others.

He quickly composed himself and walked into the room, looking straight ahead.

“Thank you for your hard work. You may return to your post.”

Allie spoke to the maid, then stepped into the room as well and closed the door.

Left outside, the maid stood in place, staring at the closed door, and muttered to herself in a low voice:

“This is the first time I've seen Lady Allie walk so close to a man without him missing limbs or being covered in blood... Who on earth is he?”

Ultimately, she shook her head and turned to leave, her mind filled with curiosity.

...

Inside the room, before Greg could even take in the office's layout, a figure had already dropped to one knee before him.

“Welcome, Cult Leader.”

Wendy kept her head lowered, her voice respectful and steady, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

Greg was taken aback by this sudden grand gesture, and he waved his hand somewhat helplessly. “Don't do that. We don't do formalities here.”

He stepped forward and reached out to help Wendy up.

To be honest, he was actually feeling quite anxious. After all, he would have to ask Wendy for a personal favor in a moment, so he couldn't afford to put on any airs right now.

Greg quickly helped Wendy to her feet.

“Thank you, Bishop!”

Although Wendy hadn't expected Greg to pay a sudden visit at this time, she immediately realized the reason for his arrival.

He must have come because of the order's recent rapid expansion.

After all, the Dark Night Order had recruited a large number of new believers during this period, and its influence had rapidly expanded throughout the city.

She had originally been hesitating over whether she should write to Greg specifically to report this news.

She knew that Greg had delegated his authority to her and Vice Bishop Allie, which indicated that he must have more important matters to attend to, and that he probably didn't want to expose his identity for the time being.

That was why she had been holding back this report, intending to submit it when a more appropriate opportunity arose.

But to her surprise, before she could even send the news, the Bishop had already found out ahead of time and come in person.

This showed that the Bishop had always been keeping a close eye on the order's movements, never truly letting go.

This sense of responsibility and insight filled her with deep admiration.

Wendy quickly organized her thoughts.

She believed that Greg's special visit this time was likely to remind her not to rest on laurels, but to seize the opportunity to expand even faster, and probably to assign a new task.

To save Greg the trouble of explaining, she decided to take the initiative and steer the conversation onto the right track.

“Bishop.”

Wendy looked up:

“Just as you know, the Dark Night Order's expansion in this city has nearly reached a saturation point. May I ask what your instructions are for our next step?”

Greg was stunned for a moment.

He had only come here today to ask Wendy to accompany Allie to the Imperial Capital, so that the idiot maid wouldn't get lost along the way.

Yet the moment he stepped through the door, Wendy looked at him with an expression that practically screamed “as expected of you,” leaving him completely bewildered.

Fortunately, Greg was quick-witted.

He quickly caught the key piece of information in Wendy's words—she said their expansion in this city had saturated...

Didn't that mean they could move to another city to continue their expansion?

If he used the order's expansion as an excuse to have Wendy accompany Allie to the Imperial Capital, neither of them would have any reason to refuse.

This way, he wouldn't have to humbly beg them, and he could naturally solve Allie's transportation issue.

It was killing two birds with one stone.

Thus, Greg followed her lead, adopting a profound and mysterious air as he spoke:

“It seems you already know the purpose of my visit, Wendy. In that case, I will give you your next set of instructions.”

Wendy looked up, her gaze focused intently on him as she awaited her next orders.

Meanwhile, Allie leaned against the wall, crossing her arms and letting out a disdainful click of her tongue:

“And you claimed you came to see me. Indeed, a liar like you, Young Master, should be tied to a stake and burned.”

Greg continued in his calm, steady tone:

“I want you to accompany Allie to the Imperial Capital, Wendy, and establish another stronghold for the order there.”

“The Imperial Capital?!”

A trace of panic flickered in Wendy's eyes, but she quickly calmed herself down. Taking a deep breath, she asked:

“May I ask, Bishop, why we are choosing the Imperial Capital as our next target? That is the primary sphere of influence for the Church of Light. They have operated there for centuries, with deep roots and countless eyes and ears. Any heretical sect trying to take root there faces the risk of being completely eradicated. Shouldn't we avoid it and choose a region that is easier to expand in?”

Greg, of course, knew the situation in the Empire. He had already prepared the answer to this question when he came up with the plan.

He lowered his eyes slightly, making his expression look even more profound and reserved:

“Because I have sensed that a great disturbance will break out there before long. We can seize this opportunity to expand rapidly.”

He was telling the truth.

In the original game's Act Three, although the plot mainly revolved around the Hundred Academy Exchange, other troubles would also arise during this period—such as the Demon King Cult.

During the exchange, the activities of the Demon King Cult's followers within the Empire would become more frequent and rampant. They would plot a series of destructive operations in the Imperial Capital, likely aimed at dampening the morale of the major magic academies.

In the midst of this chaos, as long as the Dark Night Order played its cards right, they would definitely have an opportunity to quietly take root right under the nose of the Church of Light.

“!”

The shock on Wendy's face was now completely impossible to hide.

Her eyes widened as she stared at Greg, a tempest raging in her heart.

Wendy shook her head slightly, the last trace of hesitation in her heart dissipating.

She lowered her head and spoke in a steady, firm voice:

“Since these are your instructions... I understand. I will accompany Lady Allie.”

Watching the two of them somehow reach a consensus while completely ignoring her presence, Allie couldn't help but chime in:

“What about my opinion?”

Without turning back, Greg waved his hand dismissively:

“When the adults are speaking, children shouldn't interrupt.”

Allie: “I'll kill you~”

...

After being escorted out of the manor by a young maid, Greg found that the sky outside had turned completely dark.

Countless stars dotted the night sky, and a crescent moon hung on the treetops, casting a faint silver glow.

Standing at the manor's entrance, Greg flexed his arm, which was currently brimming with power from his active Divine Protection.

He looked up, gazing at the distant silhouette of the city shrouded in the night, and murmured, “The Demon King Cult...”

He didn't quite understand why the members of the Demon King Cult had acted the way they did today.

Committing arson in a busy district, taking hostages, and publicly declaring that it was all for the Demon King.

What was the point of such behavior, other than inciting public panic and anger?

It would only strengthen people's resolve to resist the Demon King. In terms of the Demons' interests, it was completely illogical.

“Could this also be Melina's plotting?” Greg muttered her name.

Melina, the Primary Heroine, was already highly mysterious in the original game.

Ever since Greg learned that both Silvia's kidnapping in Act One and the Return of the Dead incident in Act Two were orchestrated by her, he had felt that this woman was becoming increasingly dangerous.

Every move she made seemed casual, yet she always managed to precisely touch upon the core nodes of the plot.

If an attack like today's was also part of her plan, what on earth was her goal?

Greg fell silent for a moment, then let out a soft sigh.

“It seems that during the tournament, she is the person I need to be most wary of.”