In a tavern at the pier on Grand Ducal Island.

Joe fidgeted with the wine glass in his hand, looking at the entrance from time to time.

He had never felt that time was so hard.

Regret, fear, heartache, and confusion took turns in his heart, but he could do nothing but wait.

It wasn't until a hooded man walked into the tavern and sat down beside Joe that he breathed a sigh of relief, but was followed by greater apprehension and unease.

She ...... What's going on now?"

Joe stared at the other's lips for fear of seeing the worst answer—

"Alive. ”

The other party's answer relieved him in an instant.

"But Mistress Falina is not doing well," said the visitor, taking off his hood and looking worried, "the Bishop seems to want something from her, and people torture her every day—sometimes she can be heard screaming in the hall, and if this continues, she will not be able to bear it sooner or later." ”

This was to be expected, and Jo repeatedly told himself that since their failed attack on the castle, all who were still alive would inevitably suffer brutal revenge, and Farina, as the leader, would not be an exception. What's more, the traitor still hopes to get the whereabouts of the holy scriptures from her, so he will naturally use all means to force her to speak.

Just stay alive.

Despite what he said in his heart, his fingers dug deep into his palm. He didn't even dare to think about what would happen if he couldn't save Farina, maybe it would be a luxury to die then......

Why did he promise her, Jo thought with remorse, what would attract the attention of the enemy, so that the Divine Punishment Army could break through from the side, and if the battle fell into disadvantage, he could retreat first, he might as well join everyone and die directly in the castle, so that at least he could be by the side of His Crown at the last moment of his life.

"Your Excellen......cy," the man hesitated for a moment, "do you know what the Bishop wants, and if you have one, you might as well give it to him." At least then, Mistress Falina won't—"

He's not a bishop, he's a traitor!" Jo gritted his teeth, "what he covets is not in my hands, it has long since fallen with Hermes Cathedral." ”

At the mention of Hermes, there was a clear sadness on the other party's face. "May the gods bless us......" he muttered in a low voice.

What an irony, Qiao thought, when the old and new holy cities were still there, he was already the best of the younger generation of the Judgment Army, and the people who came and went were all outstanding people in the army, and he would not take ordinary believers in his eyes at all. As a result, at this point today, the bishop has rebelled and the priests have defected, and the only thing he can rely on is such an ordinary believer. Moreover, the other party's feelings for the church are even deeper than those of many high-level officials, if it weren't for this, he would not have taken the initiative to find him when he was on the verge of collapse.

Dissatisfied with Lorenzo's abandonment of bishop status and self-proclaimed Count of Grand Ducal Island, but he did not dare to resist because of his humble position, he happened to catch a glimpse of the attacker on the night of the battle, and then wandered around the castle with a little more thought—this is the whole story of the two encounters.

Joe didn't even have to worry that this was a ploy set up by Lorenzo, he had nothing left now, and it was not worth the effort to deal with it. If this person had been sent by a traitor, after a few contacts, he would have seen that he was worthless and chose to get rid of him.

It's a pity that this man used to be an ordinary believer, and now he is only a low-level servant, and he can't do anything other than give him extremely limited information.

"I have to go back," said the man, after a long silence, putting on his hood, "and if you leave the castle too long, the steward will be suspicious." The next chance to come out is in three days, shall we still see you here?"

"Ah......" Joe came back to his senses from a trance, "here it is, if things change, I'll have someone send you a message." ”

"I see," he paused slightly, "take your heart—if anyone can save Mistress Farina, it's you." ”

Do I? no...... I can't do anything.

There is darkness in my mind, and there is no turning point or hope in sight. No matter how much I prayed to the gods, I didn't get a single answer.

Joe nodded numbly.

"By the way," said the other man, turning around after taking two steps, "there has been an incident in the castle recently, and one of the Bishop's cronies, Priest Hagrid, has gone southwest with a pair of centaurs, and I have heard from the grooms that they seem to want to cross the border of Cage Mountain. I think this news may be ...... Helpful to you. ”

Probably because the comfort of these words was too obvious, even his voice was lowered later.

Indeed, it is normal for a lord to send people to other territories, even if the location of Kage Mountain is a little special, it has nothing to do with Dagong Island. As long as Lorenzo didn't take the Divine Punishment Samurai, breaking into the dungeon to rescue Falina would be tantamount to a fool's dream.

"Well, thanks. ”

"Well, my lord," he said, ...... he stroked his chest and bowed slightly, "that's all I can do for you." ”

Cage Mountain...... I've heard a lot of this word lately, and Joe poured the ale from the cup into his mouth, filling his mouth with bitterness, but the next moment, he froze in place.

Wait – Cage Mountain?

Like a bolt of lightning piercing the darkness, an idea popped into Joe's head.

A turnaround that may exist!

......

Back in his out-of-town cottage, Joe set his sights on a black book on his desk.

That was the "testament" left by the last acting pope, Tucker Tol, before he jumped off the wall.

It is not a sacred text that records the Church's inheritance, the method of making the Divine Punishment Army, but the entrustment of a dying senior. In the book, he tells the story of humans and demons, as well as the origin of the battle between the divine will. This shocking secret stunned everyone, and it was immediately clear why Tucker had decided to evacuate Hermes.

It's all over.

Let go of your burdens and live the rest of your life in peace.

It was probably because of this self-sacrifice that Falina was reluctant to sit idly by and watch the church dissipate - Jo knew in her heart that in addition to her feelings for Hermes, she also had a lingering long-cherished thought: to watch Roland Wimbledon and his kingdom of Grey Keep fall into hell before the church.

But now, his turnaround has come to the king who destroyed the church.

Joe didn't expect Greycastle to lend a hand.

It is almost impossible to get those people to take the initiative to save the remnants of the church.

He can only survive by directing the spearhead to the traitors on Grand Duke Island.

The news of the sudden appearance of the Grey Castle in the Cage Mountain area did not attract his attention, there was too much noise in the tavern, and the church would no longer have anything to do with the Grey Castle, until the words of the believer suddenly inspired him - Lorenzo was once responsible for collecting the looted materials from all over the Wolfheart, and the legendary Cage Mountain treasure was not a secret, and it was reported as a special seizure at that time. Joe didn't know if it had been shipped to Hermes, but it didn't matter at all, it didn't matter if the King of the Grey Keep was looking for the same thing.

The wolf-hearted nobles will be timid, but Roland will not.

No one could resist the onslaught of that terrible army.

As long as he can borrow the other party's hand to get rid of the traitor, he will have a chance to save Falina in the melee.

Even if it doesn't work, it is better for Falina to be caught by them than to be tortured endlessly.

Joe took a deep breath.

If the end is really reversed, he will no longer hide in the shadows.

At least at the last moment of her life, she can be by her side.

Because...... He's always been in love with her......

From the day he joined the Inquisition Army and met Farina.

This time, he didn't want to regret it anymore.