While My Mage Wife Grinds, I Power Up Idly
Chapter 103: Why Is This Guy Such a Coward?

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Why Is This Guy Such a Coward?

Ten million Atras coins—two million for the life of each branch Bishop.

From a certain perspective, this compensation was sincere enough.

However, Ashu did not agree, nor did Danver or Geoffrey.

Ashu refused because he wanted to cause trouble on purpose.

Danver and Geoffrey refused because they saw no sincerity from the other side. These were five branch Bishops who had died, yet the other side didn’t even show a shred of genuine remorse.

"Bishop Manaro, our Holy Cultivator Guild has always been compassionate. But don’t forget—the Divine Mother Goddess’s Judgment Sword is capable of wiping everything away. If you think cold money can buy the lives of Divine Mother Goddess devotees, then you are provoking the Holy Cultivator Guild."

Upon hearing this,

Manaro hurriedly apologized, "Sorry, Bishop Danver. I think you must have misunderstood me. Our compensation is only part of the matter; another part is my mourning for the deceased—I was just about to begin..."

Faced with Manaro’s softening stance, Ashu feared this matter might actually settle peacefully.

So he immediately said, "Kneel."

"What?"

"I said, kneel. The deceased deserve respect. You should kneel at the place where they passed and mourn for them seven days," Ashu said.

As soon as he said this, even Geoffrey looked at him strangely. In Geoffrey’s eyes, there was no longer a desire for fairness, only admiration for Ashu’s boldness.

Bound by the rules, they were supposed to handle matters according to protocol, but within those limits, they could only vent their anger by getting compensation from the God of Deceit cult.

But Ashu broke the rules.

Danver glanced at Ashu but said nothing. His silence clearly meant consent.

As a "Luminous Saint" himself, Danver found whatever Ashu said to be reasonable—as long as it wasn’t blasphemous against the Divine Mother Goddess. Besides, Manaro’s behavior was clearly evasive.

The room grew very quiet.

To demand that a Cardinal of the God of Deceit cult kneel for the deaths of five branch Bishops—and for a crime they were falsely accused of—any God of Deceit devotee who heard this would think it was nonsense.

Manaro gave two forced chuckles and replied, "’Luminous Saint’ Your Excellency, I must refuse your request. The Kingdom of Ankgarde and our cult have already made the appropriate compensation."

"Refuse?"

"Yes, refuse. I will not kneel before the dead, especially since I did not kill them."

"So, you mean you’re not even willing to admit your guilt?"

"No. We simply reject the evidence, which we do not know the origin of. As I said, the cursed Cidi cult invaded our country from yours; they corrupted our parishioners. That so-called evidence very likely was left by degenerate traitors. They are cultists, not devotees of the God of Deceit," Manaro argued.

Ashu saw that the negotiation was being dragged back to square one and smiled with satisfaction.

They were about to finish negotiations—how could that be allowed?

"Bishop Danver," Ashu said with a look of pity and a long sigh, "in my opinion, the criminal shows no remorse. He scorns us and scorns the radiance of the Divine Mother Goddess. All we can do is wield the Divine Mother Goddess’s Judgment Sword and strike down the evildoers to seek justice for our fallen parishioners."

Geoffrey was also irritated by Manaro’s attitude. Though he was neutral within the Holy Cultivator Guild, when it came to outside cults, anyone who claimed neutrality was a traitor.

He feared that one day he might end up dead or missing, with the criminals refusing to confess.

"Bishop Danver, I think the ’Luminous Saint’ is right. The Divine Mother Goddess would not choose the wrong ’Luminous Saint.’ Perhaps this is the will of the Divine Mother Goddess. We must seek justice for our parishioners," Geoffrey said.

Faced with their statements, Cardinal Danver fixed a cold stare on Manaro.

He was applying pressure to Manaro.

As the chief negotiator for this meeting, he carried the expectations of headquarters. If he could secure even a little more benefit, naturally, he would.

As the atmosphere shifted, the Paladin group behind them tightened their formation. A deadly aura spread across the border.

Manaro dared not act rashly, but he truly did not want to kneel to the dead without clarity.

Their investigation was thorough, and they were one hundred percent certain this wasn’t their doing.

Yet they wanted him to kneel before the dead?

Who was he? He was no kitten or puppy, someone who could kneel to others casually.

Even if he personally wanted to, his position forbade it.

He was a Cardinal of the God of Deceit cult—one of the high ranks in the entire State Religion. If he knelt, he would not only disgrace the State Religion but also cause even more problems.

The men stared at each other. Danver maintained his pressure silently. The moment he spoke, they would have to respond. But by remaining silent and staring, he could keep pressing the other side, forcing them to yield first.

Time ticked by, second after second.

Until—

A figure wrapped entirely in a green robe suddenly rushed over from a distance and stood beside Manaro.

He whispered something into Manaro’s ear, and Manaro’s expression immediately turned awkward.

"What is it? Have you made a decision?" Ashu demanded.

Manaro’s face turned a bit pale. He couldn’t laugh anymore, and only replied, "Lead the way. I will go alone, willing to kneel and repent for the five who have passed."

Hmm?

Damn it!

Why is this guy such a coward?

Ashu couldn’t help but feel frustrated. He had already pushed so far, yet the other side still gave in?

No way! This absolutely cannot be allowed to end like this.

He immediately added, "That’s your superior’s order, isn’t it, Manaro? Anyone can see that your repentance is not sincere."

Manaro’s mouth twitched as he looked at Ashu. "’Luminous Saint’ Your Excellency, what more do you want?"

Geoffrey also looked at Ashu, unsure what he was expecting. After all, the other side was already willing to kneel, which was surprising enough.

Then Ashu said, "The forced kneeling ordered by your superiors is worthless. You must bring five branch Bishops with you to be buried alongside our five deceased Parishioners."

"Ah?!"

Geoffrey’s mind instantly exploded. This is just too bold!

He had never seen negotiations like this before. How was this any different from storming in and killing five people in revenge?

Can this even be called negotiation?

Even Danver was shocked. He could barely believe Ashu had said that. Making Manaro kneel was already a big success, but demanding five of their own to be buried alongside? That was just...

"God of Deceit above! This is madness!" Manaro began to lose control. Tilting his head, he looked at Danver. "Danver! What exactly do you mean? Speak up! If you’re trying to test my limits with the ’Luminous Saint’ act, let me tell you, you’ve crossed the line! We will absolutely not send our Parishioners to die without reason!"

"This..." Danver hesitated briefly, then glanced at Ashu before speaking. "The ’Luminous Saint’ represents the will of the Divine Mother Goddess, Manaro. Reflect on this: it is your own arrogance that has angered the Divine Mother Goddess. Had you shown sincere remorse from the beginning, would she have acted like this?"

"Hmph. Regardless, I will never send my Parishioners to be buried alongside the dead. You should also follow the rules of negotiation, Danver, or else this isn’t negotiation."

At that moment, the green-robed man beside Manaro leaned in and whispered something again.

Manaro’s expression changed once more. Somewhat defeated, he said, "We can hand over five Devotees and pray for them for seven days. At the same time, we offer fifty high-quality Magic Stones as compensation."

Magic Stones were a specialty of the Kingdom of Ankgarde, containing a power that could increase the maximum capacity of Magical Essence a person could hold.

These were items that usually only appeared at auctions, and whoever won them treasured them dearly.

Increasing the total Magical Essence capacity was equivalent to raising one’s personal limit.

This was a way to enhance oneself beyond the predetermined spiritual perception talent granted by fate.

Fifty high-quality Magic Stones — the total value of these likely exceeded one hundred million Atras coins!

Even Danver couldn’t help but be tempted by such a show of "sincerity."

Geoffrey’s heart was pounding wildly. He belonged to those whose spiritual perception talent was limited. If he could obtain a few high-quality Magic Stones, he could raise his personal limit and possibly break through to the next realm.

That way, his lifespan could be extended by several years.

However,

faced with such temptation, Ashu remained unmoved—he didn’t even know the true power of Magic Stones because Anna hadn’t explained it yet. After eighteen years as a farmer, his time to adapt was limited; like a nouveau riche, his knowledge hadn’t caught up.

So,

he immediately feigned anger and said, "You think you can fool the Holy Cultivator Guild with a bunch of worthless stones? Haven’t you realized your mistake yet? You caused the deaths of five branch Bishops who devoted their entire lives to the Divine Mother Goddess! This is blatant provocation, an attack on the dignity of the Divine Mother Goddess!"

Hearing this, Manaro’s hostility toward Ashu became very obvious. He was barely able to hold himself back, itching to strike down this ’Luminous Saint’ immediately.

But he had to restrain himself—not to mention that Danver would stop him. If he acted rashly, it would mean full-scale war between the two major sects.

"Danver," Manaro said, breathing heavily as he stared at Danver, "I think our sincerity has been enough. We absolutely have no intention of insulting the dignity of the Divine Mother Goddess."

Danver didn’t reply but looked at Ashu instead. He said, "Bishop Ashu, I have also seen the sincerity of Your Excellency Manaro. Please listen to the divine oracle of the Divine Mother Goddess and decide whether to permit this matter."