Chapter 8: So, in the end, I really am just a stand-in, huh?

Chapter 8: So, in the end, I really am just a stand-in, huh?

“What was that just now?”

“No idea. Did something just explode somewhere?”

Aurens Town.

Even here, in this border town not far from the action, the shockwaves from the battle had reached them.

Lin Wei landed quietly in the courtyard, making sure no one had noticed his return. Only then did he feign nonchalance, pushing open the door and heading for the sofa as if he’d just gone out to watch the commotion.

“What’s wrong?”

Veya had just been roused by the sound of the door opening.

Seeing Lin Wei’s face, practically begging to share the news he’d witnessed, she felt a lingering drowsiness, her head throbbing faintly. Still, she rubbed her temples and asked gently, clearly puzzled as to why he was coming in from outside.

Lin Wei tried to sound casual as he sat down beside her, pouring a glass of water and handing it to the newly awakened Veya.

“Huh? An explosion?”

Veya blinked, slowly coming to her senses as the warmth of sleep faded. She stared at him, mind suddenly stalling.

She knew exactly what was supposed to happen in Lotai.

According to the plan, Meilin was to lead the Judgement Knights at dawn tomorrow to sweep the Cult of the Evil Gods’ stronghold. Tonight, The Holy Church should have been quietly evacuating civilians from the surrounding areas, coming up with a reason to lock down Lotai City—doing all they could to minimize the cult’s impact on the populace.

So why would there be an explosion now? Had the plan changed? Did the operation move up unexpectedly?

“I don’t know either. Maybe I should head over to Lotai and check things out… No, never mind, I’d better not go…”

Veya glanced at Lin Wei beside her. She’d just started to get up, but after a moment’s hesitation, she sat back down on the sofa.

With Meilin on the scene, there was little need to worry about the Cult of the Evil Gods’ stronghold being eradicated. The only reason she’d rushed back to Aurens Town in the first place was because it wasn’t one of the designated evacuation points—she was worried some cultists might slip through the net and come here to harm Lin Wei.

Besides, with an emergency communication artifact on hand, if anything truly unmanageable happened, someone would notify her at once.

It was safer to stay home and protect Lin Wei, just in case any stray cultists wandered over. Not that she’d ever admit it—no, her main concern was safeguarding Aurens Town… Yes, that was it!

“Huh? What are you doing?!”

Just as Veya was mentally reassuring herself, her world suddenly spun.

The next instant, Lin Wei swept her up into his arms. Her golden eyes widened in shock, staring at him in disbelief—then she heard his perfectly reasonable explanation:

“Well, since you’re not planning to go out, obviously it’s time for a bath and then bed. We can’t just go straight to sleep without washing up, right?”

“I haven’t bathed yet either. To save water, why not just do it together?”

“That’s not what you’re really thinking about at all!”

Seeing the anticipation in Lin Wei’s eyes, Veya immediately started kicking her legs, trying to break free. Of course she knew exactly what he was up to.

I’m staying here to protect you, and you want to pull something this shameless? Don’t you realize—I’m the Pope!

The Pope! How dare you sully something so sacred and holy so casually?

“Stop struggling, my dear Miss Veya.”

Unfortunately, her protests made no difference.

Cradling the thoroughly resistant Veya in his arms, Lin Wei strode into the bathroom. In moments, the house was filled only with the sound of her cool, aloof voice—now trembling with a hint of pleading.

“No… mmph—Lin Wei!!”

Morning.

Sunbeams squeezed through the window, bathing the room in gentle light.

Lin Wei looked down at his wife, clinging to him like an octopus, her limbs wrapped tightly around him.

Her soft body rose and fell with each steady breath, a faint flush of exhaustion still lingering on her cheeks.

He gently pinched her cheek, then carefully slipped out of bed and stepped outside.

By now, Aurens Town was abuzz with heated discussion.

Overnight, news of the evil god disaster that had erupted in Lotai City had spread far and wide.

The Adventurers’ Guild, always lively, was now packed to the brim.

“You’re saying last night, The Holy Church and the Cult of the Evil Gods clashed in a huge battle outside Lotai City?”

“That’s right! Over a thousand cultists tried to attack Lotai. When I passed by this morning, the bodies of Evil Gods followers were scattered everywhere. The fighting was so fierce that even the Grand Commander of the Judgement Knights, Meilin, was called in. Thankfully, with her in command, the disaster was finally brought under control!”

An adventurer just back from Lotai was describing the scene with animated gestures, basking in the attention of the crowd and embellishing his tale with every word.

“But I heard it was the Pope who showed up last night.”

A skeptical adventurer chimed in, having heard a different version.

“I heard that too! Supposedly, when the Evil God descended and the Demon Lord led their elites onto the battlefield, The Holy Church was already prepared. The Pope was there in person, and suddenly struck out, sending the Demon Lord running for his life. If not for that, The Holy Church’s knights would’ve been wiped out last night!”

“Nonsense! There was no Demon Lord. But it’s true—the demon army did show up to help the cult.”

“But the intel I heard—”

“Were you there, or was I there?!”

Yeah, yeah, I got thrashed last night by that useless Pope!

These adventurers can really spin a story.

Inside the Adventurers’ Guild, adventurers were practically shouting themselves hoarse, arguing over what really happened in last night’s battle.

Lin Wei, who had only come by to pick up a newspaper, couldn’t help feeling a surge of exasperation.

Counting the demons, there had only been two casualties in the whole battle last night—and their bodies were obliterated, not even a mist of blood left behind.

So how had these adventurers turned it into a blood-soaked massacre, corpses littering the ground?

And somehow, all the credit had ended up going to the Pope?!

The Evil God I defeated, and now it’s the Pope who supposedly took down both the Evil God and me? So I’m just the stand-in now, huh?

Shaking his head, Lin Wei grabbed a newspaper, glanced at the headlines, and headed back home.

In the bedroom.

After a full night’s sleep, Veya finally opened her eyes, blinking awake.

A dull ache throbbed in her head, a lingering discomfort not unlike a hangover.

The brilliant sunlight streaming in through the window made her instinctively raise a hand to shield her face.

“Good morning, my dear Miss Veya.”

Lin Wei, just returning, sat down naturally at her side, set the newspaper on the table, and, grinning from ear to ear, gently pinched her cheek as he greeted her.

“Did you sleep well?”

“More or less… mm, let go…”

Veya’s voice was soft and a little muffled, still lacking much energy.

But as she secretly inhaled Lin Wei’s scent, a bit of vitality seemed to return to her.

“You’re in such a good mood this morning, huh? Had your fun last night, did you?”

But the sight of Lin Wei’s beaming face made Veya instantly recall the events of yesterday. She glared at him, gritting her teeth as she shot back the question.

Sleep well? There was no rest at all last night!

Ever since she’d been scooped up and dragged into the bath, she hadn’t had a single moment’s peace!

She couldn’t even remember when she’d finally fallen asleep—honestly, it felt more like her strength had been completely drained until she simply passed out.

Meanwhile, this guy looked as energetic as ever.

Did he take advantage of me just because I’d just gotten back from The Holy Church and was still exhausted?

“But you didn’t seem to mind much last night… Hey, hey, wait—look at this!”

Veya’s face was rapidly turning crimson again!

Noticing her reaction, Lin Wei hurriedly shoved the newspaper into her hands, quickly pointing to the headline in an attempt to redirect her attention.

“Look, I just picked this up from the Adventurers’ Guild. According to the latest reports, the evil god disaster on the outskirts of Lotai has been resolved. The threat’s gone, and Lotai City is back to normal operations.”

“Oh?”

Veya glanced at the morning news, her rising blush cooling as her attention shifted.

Just as Lin Wei said, the headlines confirmed everything.

Under Grand Commander of the Judgement Knight Meilin’s command, all the evil god cultists at the scene were captured.

Even more astonishing—according to the report, The Holy Church suffered zero casualties this time, an almost unheard-of outcome that left Veya genuinely surprised.

“Did they… embellish the news a bit?”

“No idea. But if that’s the official report, does it mean The Holy Church’s big operation is over?”

Lin Wei looked at her with a hopeful glint in his eyes.

“So, does that mean we can finally go to Lotai like normal?”

“Uh… it should be fine now.”

At his words, Veya’s eyes lit up with excitement.

Sure, the casualty numbers might have been glossed over, but Meilin would never declare the threat eliminated unless she was absolutely certain.

Still, what exactly happened during last night’s battle?

Why was the operation suddenly moved up? And how could the casualty numbers be this ridiculously low?

Just what were Meilin and the rest of The Holy Church really up to?

“Guess we’ll just have to swing by and check it out for ourselves.”

I am definitely not going to Lotai just to accompany Lin Wei on a shopping trip.

No, I’m going to investigate what really happened last night! I have absolutely zero interest in wandering around shops!

Clenching her fists, Veya’s golden eyes flashed with determination.