When Gray arrived, there were already a dozen or so Silver Moon Knights standing guard outside the mansion.

A Knights of the Silver Moon helped Gray push the door open.

Heading up to the second floor, Gray came to Shelley's room.

There were six other Knights of the Silver Moon standing in the room, as did Count Grugru and his guards.

Shelley had woken up, sat on the couch, looked at Gray, cried "wow", and threw herself into Gray's arms.

"It's okay, I'm here. Gray hugged Shelley, comforting.

"They, they don't know what they gave me to drink. Shelley was crying so hard that she couldn't breathe.

"I don't know what I drank?"

"This. Count Gruglu, who was standing nearby, handed over an empty bottle.

Gray held it in his hand and looked closely, but he couldn't see why.

"Is there anything wrong with you?" asked Gray.

Shelley shook his head with teary eyes and said, "It's not uncomfortable, it's just ...... It's hard to drink. It tastes so weird. ”

"I don't know what it is, but I only pay attention to the unpleasant drink?" said the black cat speechlessly.

"Can you spit it out?" asked Gray.

"I've induced vomiting, but I can't vomit. Shelley said with a wink.

"Catherine, do you know what this thing is? Lichs don't usually study potions, after all, lichs don't drink anything. Gray asked Catherine.

"How is it possible to know what a potion is at a glance?" replied Catherine.

"Can you check it out for me? I'm afraid something will happen to Shelley. ”

"Okay, you bring the bottle back, I'll check it for you. ”

"Why don't you let me check it out, our demonic potion is much more powerful than heaven's. Vivien muttered.

"No, I'm more relieved to have Catherine help. ”

"Oh, really?"

"Lord Paladin, the other party is a blood elf mage. We couldn't stop him and let him run. A knight of the Silver Moon walked up behind Gray and whispered, "My helmet has fallen off, I'm sure he's ...... Saw my face. But he was the only one who saw it. ”

"It's over!" exclaimed the black cat.

Catherine was silent.

"That's really bad news. Do you need me to help you deal with him? This is something that angels don't want to do, and as a succubus, I'm glad to do it. Of course, you're definitely going to have to pay a little bit for it. You know what I mean. Vivien seemed to get excited again.

There was silence for a while, but Gray only replied softly, "I see." ”

......

The outskirts of the dark Lion King's capital.

Andrew panted to a manor. Walking to a small house, he reached out and knocked on the door.

"Open the door, it's me. ”

The door slowly opened a crack, and the people inside carefully observed Andrew through the crack until they confirmed that it was him, and then pushed the door open completely.

In the wooden house of dozens of square meters, there were more than a dozen fierce mercenaries. Standing in the center was Benedict II, who looked embarrassed. He looked at Andrew with a pair of bloodshot eyes.

One by one, the mercenaries put away their weapons and saluted Andrew respectfully.

"Archmage, is there any good news?" asked Benedict II.

"The great news is that you may soon be able to regain control of the Lion King. Andrew walked straight into the house, and several mercenaries immediately stepped forward to help him take off his hat and untie his cloak.

"Regain control of the Lion King...... But I don't even have an army. Benedict II himself could not believe it.

"I said yes, I don't need the military. Andrew said with a smile.

Turning around, he walked to the desk, dipped a little ink with a quill pen, quickly wrote a letter on a blank piece of paper, put it in an envelope, handed it to the mercenary on the side, and explained: "Send this letter to Pierce Cathedral, to the paladin." Then don't come back, wherever you go. They should be tracking you. ”

"Yes!" the mercenary turned and left the cabin with the letter in hand.

Andrew smiled and said to Benedict II, "I have discovered a great secret of the Paladin, a secret that can ruin his reputation. ”

......

In the starry sky, Catherine spread her wings and flew rapidly, clutching the empty bottle that Gray had entrusted to her.

......

Torches were lit in front of the doors of Pierce Cathedral to illuminate everything.

Countless residents have gathered, craning their necks and waiting. The author of "The Knight's Guide to Becoming a Talent" is also among them.

Inside the church, however, there is an ongoing debate.

"Are you going to terminate the decree?do you know what the consequences will be?" Count Grugru was rarely angry, and rebuked Gray in a stern tone that he had never done before, "You will make us lose all the achievements we have made so far, and you will lose the reign of the Lion King, and even the whole of Isaac! They will drive us out of the Lion King! Now that the people still love you, you don't need to let yourself fall into one ...... A situation worse than your submission to the Holy See!"

Gray didn't say a word, and stood quietly, looking at Count Grugru.

Standing or sitting, several people scattered around the hall also looked at Count Grugru. Including Bob, who actually doesn't understand well.

Looking around at the crowd, Count Grugru said sharply: "Did I say something wrong? This is the worst decision! We still have the bargaining chips to negotiate with the Holy See, and no matter how bad it is, we will not have to give up everything! After all, we still have the support of the people. The Holy See must take care of this! We can even gradually abolish it little by little, instead of stopping all decrees immediately! We should first contact the countries to find their support, and if they are unwilling to support our food, with the support of the people, we can also start a war to force them to accept our demands! And once we directly announce the cessation of the decree, then we will have nothing! Am I not right?"

The whole hall was silent, except for the roaring voice of Count Grugru.

At the end, he turned his face to look at Gray and said breathlessly, "I hope you will consider my suggestion carefully." ”

"However, if the decree is not lifted immediately, the problem is likely to continue to expand. In this way, we will need more food, and in the end, we will not be able to fill it even if the countries are willing to help. Gray whispered.

"Then eat less?" said Count Gruglu, "then eat less, and three meals a day will become two meals, and then one meal." As long as you don't starve to death, won't you?"

Gray looked at him silently, not speaking.

Count Grugrew had no choice but to change his words and say, "Well, maybe someone will starve to death, but maybe not many, right? We don't even need to convince them at all. We can directly declare war on the Kingdom of Allen, on the grounds that they have invaded me before. Bring all their food, and then we will have enough time to resolve it, and we don't need to stop the decree directly. ”

The people around them stood quietly, looking at Gray quietly, and did not speak.

Gray's gaze circled and finally fell on Shelley.

Shelley quietly raised his hand and said, "I support any decision you make." ”

Looking at Count Grugru again, Gray whispered, "By doing that, I would be violating chivalry. ”

"Is chivalry more important than reputation? Isn't it just for the sake of honor?"

"I'm not. Gray replied bluntly.

Count Grugrew was stunned and didn't know what to say.

......

A mercenary rode to the back door of Pierce Cathedral and threw the stone with the letter tied into the church with his hand, smashing a piece of glass by the way.

He turned his horse and wanted to run, but the three Knights of the Silver Moon were already standing behind him on horseback.

......

A knight of the Silver Moon hurriedly walked in through the door and said a few words beside Gray, who nodded silently to everyone present and turned to leave.

......

In the small room, the mercenaries who came to deliver the letter had been tied to their chairs and gagged.

Gray hurriedly walked in, took the crumpled letter from Karl's hand, opened the envelope, and looked down.

Black Cat and Vivien were also watching.

"Dear Necromancer Paladin,

Hello.

I'm the Blood Elf who infiltrated your fiancée's room, and I'm sure you're looking for me by now.

I'm sorry to find your little secret. Being a paladin and wielding the power of the undead is not a glorious thing. Now, I give you a chance to reconcile. I heard that you are about to issue a new decree, and I personally recommend that you announce that you will admit your mistake to the Holy See, welcome back Benedict II, and withdraw from the Lion King Capital. Well, I'll keep it a secret for you. Remember, only temporarily. Whether the follow-up is completely confidential depends on your performance.

Also, please don't leave anything to chance, otherwise, it will bring unpredictable consequences.

Archmage Andrew respectfully. ”

After reading this letter, the black cat actually felt a sense of relief: "He thought you were ...... Necromancer?"

"Well, the young man's imagination is still not rich enough. Vivien muttered quietly, "Still, it's understandable, who would have thought that a paladin recognized by the Holy See and Heaven would be a lich? ”

Gray held the letter in his hand, looked at it quietly, and thought.

The black cat whispered, "Gray, I think you really should consider Count Grugru's opinion, really. Now the situation is very complicated, in fact, I can't tell. But I think you should really take into account the opinion of Count Grugru. If you surrender, no one will say anything about you, after all, the Holy See is also supported by the Holy Spirit. Is surrendering to the Holy Spirit a renunciation of the faith? No one will say that you have betrayed your faith. The worst part is that they have now become suspicious of your identity, in case ...... I guess you remember your covenant with the Holy Spirit, right?"

For a moment, Gray's mind flashed Bob's immature face. He held the letter in his hand and asked softly, "Black cat, ...... Irene"

"Irene?"

"Yes, Irene. Catherine told me that Ireen had known that Benedict II had killed six of her brothers. He also knew that Bob was in the stables of the royal palace and that his life would be in danger at any time. But she didn't say anything, and she didn't do anything. I didn't believe it at first, but later I realized that Catherine was telling the truth. ”

"So, what do you want to say?" the black cat froze.

Gray continued: "This incident has made me understand that my faith is really my own faith. It is not the faith of the Holy Spirit, nor the faith of the Holy See, it is the faith of me alone. I didn't say it in front of others, I didn't say it, it's not that I didn't find out, it's not that I don't understand, it's just that I think ...... Too cruel. But I already knew. ”

Black Cat and Vivien fell silent.

"You're right, my surrender is not a betrayal of the Divine Faith. It has even fulfilled the sacred beliefs in the minds of some people. But you and I both know that that divine faith is not the sacred faith in my heart. The one in my heart, the only one I'm still holding onto, if I give up, it will cease to exist. Even I have given up, and in the future, who will stand up and cry out for the weak? I hope that more people will stick to it with me, rather than giving it up even with me. In fact, the matter is not complicated at all, it is nothing more than choosing between the lives of the residents of the Lion King Capital, my own reputation, and justice. At the bottom of the list is undoubtedly my reputation. I swore before the Holy Spirit that if the price had to be mine, I would have no regrets. It's a vow, and it's a promise I make to myself. I can't think about the wrong path because of my own safety. Otherwise, why don't I honestly be a lich again? I don't hold on to my faith, not so that others think I'm sticking to my faith, but I believe that faith exists. Whatever the problem, I should face it, not run away from it. Otherwise, I would be admitting that my faith is worthless. It is also tantamount to letting go of the annihilation of one's faith and giving up the meaning of being a paladin. ”

Listen, the black cats are in a bit of a trance.

Vivien sighed, "If every believer of the Divine Faith were like you...... We demons don't have much to do. Should I rejoice?"

Gray put the letter away, turned and left the room, returning to the hall.

Everyone was watching him.

Straightening up, Gray looked at the huge, floor-to-ceiling glass window of the balcony and whispered, "Let's get started." ”