While My Mage Wife Grinds, I Power Up Idly
Chapter 109: The Imperial Princess Will Surely Praise This Matter

Chapter 109: Chapter 109: The Imperial Princess Will Surely Praise This Matter

"Here’s the idea," Ashu said after careful thought.

"We first go to a town near the Imperial Capital and bring Shava in there.

Then we act as double agents—helping the local Cultivator Guild resist the Demons, and helping the Demons attack the local Cultivator Guild.

We’ll get involved in the middle.

I’ll use the power of the ’luminous saint’ to hold back the Demons’ assault, and we’ll use the power of the evil god to infiltrate the Demon forces and disrupt their attack speed.

This will buy us some time.

The next step will become clear once the Cultivator Guild summons the Demon Huntress Nuns."

As long as the war situation was manipulated by humans—giving the Demon army some rewards, but not letting them break through too quickly—they could keep them hooked.

Once the Demons got bloodthirsty and reckless, and still no door was opened for their return, they would get anxious and start figuring out their own ways.

"I want to go too."

Leia stepped forward and grabbed Ashu’s arm.

She seemed to realize the danger of this trip and looked at Anna, gesturing that if something went wrong, Anna could use the Forbidden Sacrifice on her.

Elvenkind lived long lives; sacrificing a hundred or eighty years wasn’t a big deal.

Moreover, after the sacrifice, the elf’s lifespan was deducted in real time, which accelerated their growth. As they grew, their racial powers would increase.

The next time they sacrificed, the starting baseline for the sacrifice would be higher.

In a way, this Forbidden Sacrifice was a perfect match for Leia—an explosive compatibility.

"We’ll go together this time."

Anna didn’t refuse.

Going to the Imperial Capital was extremely dangerous; one more person meant one more strength.

She held a trump card—enough to overturn everything—but she didn’t want to use it unless absolutely necessary.

Because once she used that trump card, it meant parting ways with Ashu, potentially for years, with no knowing when they’d meet again.

From beginner to quasi-Witch, she had practiced for over ten years. Starting over and attempting the Witch test again would likely take another decade.

"Once you’ve seen the vast ocean, other waters won’t satisfy you."

Time, mindset, age, and body had all changed over the years.

Once, she was just a little girl, with no great desires—just following teachers and peers, playing and learning, and the days flew by.

But now she was an adult, her body with instinctual cravings, and having already experienced love with Ashu, separation was unbearable.

Not just ten years—just being apart for a few days had her aching for Ashu desperately.

As long as Ashu’s plan succeeded, having one more person would be extra insurance to make things better—for everyone’s joy.

If Ashu’s plan failed, then she would use her trump card as a fallback. With the Witch’s Guild’s resources, no matter how many people needed saving, it was just a numbers game.

"Antikythera, I’m going on a long trip this time. You need to warn the sect..."

Ashu took Antikythera aside.

As the Bishop of the Cidi sect and concurrently the Bishop of the Riven branch, this business trip would last at least two and a half months.

There was nothing much to say about the Holy Cultivator Guild’s branch—its operations were already systematized, and other Bishops frequently went on business trips. Any major matters that couldn’t be decided on the spot were usually left waiting for the Bishop’s return.

But the Cidi sect wasn’t so easygoing.

The Cidi sect needed to develop, expand, and survive. One wrong step could mean eternal ruin, wasting years of effort.

So Ashu had to leave behind some ’rules’ for the Cidi sect: even if they didn’t expand during this time, they must not lose the scale they already had.

...

Five days later.

The group traveled inland through the Atras Empire, stopping only when they reached a town near the Imperial Capital.

This town was roughly the same size as the town of Riven, but the quality of the city’s architecture was on an entirely different level. Compared to this, Riven looked like a rural backwater lagging behind by decades.

Under the daylight, the gaps between the floor tiles in the town were so tightly aligned that from a distance, the wide streets looked like one continuous slab of stone.

The women in the town were also dressed flamboyantly, completely unlike those in the big city of Kakase—if anything, they were even more extravagant.

Standing on a high point within the town, one could directly see the Imperial Capital in the distance.

Unlike other large cities, the Imperial Capital was enormous, almost like a small country. From afar, the city’s undulating skyline resembled a distant mountain range.

"So big..."

Ashu was not just a country bumpkin; he was worse—he was a borderland bumpkin.

Life and culture were more restricted in the border regions, mainly due to the demands of frontier defense.

"When you become Pope, that city will bow to you," Anna said, standing a step lower, looking up at Ashu with a smile.

Sunlight shone on her face, smooth and pale like white jade.

"Let’s not talk about that yet. First, let’s check in at the town’s Church and get settled with food and lodging," Ashu said as he descended the stairs.

As a Bishop of the Holy Cultivator Guild branch, he was like a civil servant on a business trip; any expenses would be covered by the organization.

Every town’s Holy Cultivator Guild Church was quite prominent.

This town was called Rose Valley.

The climate here was pleasant, with hundreds of acres of flower fields nearby. A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of flowers into the town. Oak branches swayed lightly, casting scattered golden patches of sunlight.

The rose-covered walls of the pointed wooden houses were sun-kissed, and dewdrops on petals refracted colorful light. The Church in Rose Valley had warm white exterior walls. Stained glass windows cast colorful patterns on the stone paths, forming flowing rainbows.

The bell rang twelve sharp strokes on time, startling white pigeons perched on the eaves. They flapped their wings and soared across the bright blue sky.

This small town was very beautiful. If circumstances allowed, Ashu even considered honeymooning here with Anna.

"Oh! I could sense the radiant aura from ten miles away! It truly is the arrival of the ’luminous saint,’ Your Excellency!"

A Bishop dressed entirely in white robes quickly stepped out of the Church to greet them.

He continued, "Welcome, Bishop Ashu. I am Silco Tully, the branch Bishop here. I offer you my sincere greetings. Hearing of your visit, I have already prepared the Holy Communion."

Ashu studied the man before him.

According to the Holy Cultivator Guild’s dress code, all branch Bishops wore black robes—at least all the branch Bishops within the Kakase Parish wore the same black attire.

But this branch Bishop wore pure white robes, the complete opposite.

Seeing Ashu’s glance, Silco Tully immediately explained, "Apologies, I was just baptizing a child and haven’t had time to change."

"No problem," Ashu replied.

That meant that when he himself baptized the Imperial Princess, he would also have to wear white robes.

He still didn’t know what exactly the baptism ceremony entailed. The religious books left by Midaldas were so many that just looking at them made his head spin. All he wanted was to get a little action with Anna right there on the desk.

So, very little religious knowledge entered his brain, but a lot of genetic information entered Anna’s body.

"Please come in."

Silco Tully invited them inside the Church while asking, "Forgive me for being forward, Bishop Ashu. I’ve heard that the Imperial Princess requested you to preside over her coming-of-age baptism ceremony. This place isn’t very far from the Imperial Capital, so why did you stop here instead of heading straight to the Imperial Capital?"

Ashu smiled faintly and replied, "Someone told me to take the remaining time to study well. You know, I became a Bishop around the same time I joined the Cultivator Guild, so it’s all still very fresh. During this short period, I’ve gone through all sorts of troubles, with little chance to sit down and study properly. Have you heard about that incident recently?"

"Oh, you mean the murder attempt on the five Bishops at the border?"

"That’s right. Now, five towns at the border lack Bishops, so the burden falls on me and Bishop Geoffrey. Imagine, I have to learn how to flawlessly conduct the Imperial Princess’s baptism and also manage two and a half towns. What am I supposed to do?"

Silco Tully chuckled and said, "Well, there’s no way around it."

Ashu continued, "While helping to manage other towns, I noticed that customs differ even within ten miles. Not to mention the difference between the border and the Imperial Capital. If I, a country bumpkin from the border, accidentally violated royal taboos because I don’t understand the Imperial Capital’s customs, wouldn’t that be humiliating?"

"You’re worrying too much..."

"No, I’m not. Didn’t you ask why I stopped at Rose Valley? This is why. I want to calm down near the Imperial Capital and study baptism knowledge carefully. Once I’m confident in what I’ve learned, then I will enter the Imperial Capital and visit my client." Ashu said firmly.

His words painted his actions as perfectly justified, with no room for doubt.

After all, this beautiful little town was about to face the devastation of Demons.

It took five days to travel here. Within the next seven days, the great Demon Shava had to be ushered into the mortal world.

He couldn’t let outsiders think that this so-called "luminous saint" had only just arrived in Rose Valley and immediately attracted a Demon invasion, right?

"Rest assured, my Bishop Ashu, you will learn the most romantic ceremony here. After all, it’s the Imperial Princess’s baptism. If it were the prince’s baptism, it would have to be even more solemn," Silco Tully said. "Once you master it, I believe the Imperial Princess will praise the event endlessly and remember it for a lifetime."

"In that case, thank you in advance."

He wasn’t sure if seven days would be enough to learn the entire baptism ceremony, but after seven days, there probably wouldn’t be any time left to study.

The group entered the Church. The Church was standard in size, but its interior decoration was like a dazzling golden splendor.

Walking inside, it felt like strolling through a king’s palace.

Ashu couldn’t help but think how thrilling it would be to get intimate with Anna in such a magnificent Church.