Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer
Chapter 72: Proposal Of Loyalty

Chapter 72: Proposal Of Loyalty

Meanwhile, back in Nexaria...

The Church, together with the Raven’s guild, was holding a press conference to address the situation from last week where Zodiacs invaded Nexaria.

While the event was being marketed as that, the heroes knew it was more of an event to officially integrate the Ravens into the Church’s faction and make them even stronger.

As such, the Pope sat in the middle and to his side were the Guild master and the guild manager of the Raven’s guild. Everyone found it odd because Seraphina and a representative of the Heroes usually occupied those seats. But that wasn’t the case anymore.

While the Saintess was nowhere to be seen, the heroes had also taken a back seat as most prominent heroes except Sophia were missing from the event.

Like before, the Pope took charge and got up with his hands together, followed by the rest of the Church’s officials. The conference officially began after a quick prayer for Nexaria and their citizen’s safety.

"I’m sure the beloved citizens of goddess Aria’s domain want to know what happened at the delinquent Hero Adrian’s funeral," The Pope said with a smile.

Referring to their beloved hero as a delinquent took the crowd by surprise. All of them raised an eyebrow, but their reaction only made the Pope’s smile wider. The fish had taken the bait.

However, the crowd wasn’t the only one with such reactions. The heroes had similar expressions as they were told the conference would address the issue with the Zodiacs and also pay Adrian respect that they couldn’t because of the attack.

"A delinquent? Would his holiness expand on that?" one reporter asked.

"Well, maybe ’miscreant’ is a better word," The Pope sighed. "It’s hard for me to believe this, but the leader of the Ravens found undeniable proof that Hero Adrian was involved with not just the Netherites but also the Zodiac..."

Complete silence. Their beloved hero was working for the enemy... How could that be? However, the questions from the reporters continued.

"How could that be? We had seen him fight against the creature from Nether-"

"An act... It was all an act," the Pope shook his head. "They pretended to be on our side, but in truth, Hero Adrian and his teacher, Vesper Nightshade, were working with our enemies to ruin us from within."

He continued, "I was their target and had it not been for the watchful eye of the Ravens, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be here addressing you."

Hearing those words, Sophia’s eyes turned red. She was burning with rage on the inside, but no one could have guessed what was happening to her.

Seraphina was aware of the Pope’s scheme and cautioned Sophia against attending the meeting for that very reason.

She understood that Sophia wouldn’t be able to control her anger and might do something foolish, thus proving the Pope right in front of the general public.

The conference hall immediately burst into chaos. Cameras flashed everywhere; the reporters got up from their chairs and started spewing non-sensical things, questioning whether Adrian had made a deal with the Zodiacs and why they were attending his funeral.

But more importantly, everyone was curious about how Adrian managed to blindside everyone and whether other heroes had questionable agendas.

"You... mean hero Adrian tried to assassinate you?" another reporter inquired. "Also, if Adrian was working with the enemies, could the other Heroes be in on it too?"

"We have no proof regarding the activities of individuals other than the ones I mentioned previously," the Pope replied. "Thankfully, the Ravens are actively looking for clues regarding the matter."

While the Pope sounded miserable, Sophia saw a hint of a smile on his face. Yet, she couldn’t do anything as the crowd was already in the Pope’s favour.

If she even raised a finger towards him, the crowd would descend on her and the rest of the Heroes like a pack of wolves and tear them apart.

’If you think this is over... then you’re mistaken,’ Sophia thought.

While she looked normal, he knuckles had turned white as she curled her fingers into fists. The leader of the Ravens must have noticed it because he winked at her the next moment, adding fuel to the fire.

As the conference proceeded, the heroes’ reputation in the eyes of the public was slowly burned out of existence. Despite being in attendance, they were not given any opportunity to defend themselves or present their stance on the matter.

It didn’t take long for the heroes to realise it wasn’t a conference to discuss the Zodiacs. But a gathering to ruin them and give Ravens the place that the heroes had cultivated amongst the people.

Soon after that, the chants to banish the heroes began. The crowd got increasingly aggressive with each passing moment, and all Sophia could do was watch them.

However, the next moment, the Pope did something no one expected and defended the heroes.

"Please! Beloved children of Goddess Aria! Show compassion to heroes!" He yelled over the crowd. "I admit, there was a rotten fruit in the basket, but that doesn’t mean we should throw away everything!

While other traitors could be hiding amongst the crowd, it doesn’t mean that every hero is inherently evil!"

It might seem the Pope was trying to defend the heroes, but in reality, his words were only stroking the flames more. In the eyes of the people, Pope’s standing would increase while the heroes would be hated for trying to harm ’such a kind soul’.

"I’d still trust the heroes with my life," the Pope announced. "But I know you might not feel the same after learning about the recent events. Hence, I have a proposal."

Sophia turned towards the Pope with suspicion. If he could go so far as to slander Adrian, even in death, then there was no knowing what else he could plan to do with the rest of the heroes.

"The Heroes would have to prove their loyalty... by subjugating the tribes in the north!"

***

Author’s note:

Bonus Chapters for Powerstones will be uploaded on Sunday and Monday. Thanks for all the support!