[Vol. 8] Chapter 92: Tulip Bar
After thinking for a moment, Edwina nodded slightly and explained carefully:
“Miss Violet, do you remember during the Goddess’s Descent Ceremony, you turned the power of faith into blessings and gave it back to the believers?”
“At that time, the power that came from the believers' faith was shared with everyone in the Angel City. It should have been a great thing. But it also made it very clear who among the church members lacked true faith, or even had no faith at all. Some of them were even high-ranking members of the church.”
“Our religion doesn't force anyone to believe in the Goddess. But if someone joins the church and receives its benefits, they should give back the same level of faith. This is especially true for senior priests who hold power. If they only pretend to be faithful on the outside but don’t truly believe, they are like poison within the church. We must remove such people and take back everything they gained through their false devotion.”
“At that time, over a hundred high-ranking false believers were exposed. Some were from the local churches in the Angel City, and others were from temples in different parts of the world. A few of their identities even shocked me, let alone the regular followers.”
She shook her head with a helpless sigh and continued.
“Later, I secretly ordered my people to gather their names and prepare to act against them. But I didn’t make it public, because right now the most important thing is the trial to choose the Goddess’s Chosen Hero. And many of those fake believers hold high positions, even some within the Holy Order. If we moved against them too suddenly, it could cause a huge shake-up across the country.”
“My original plan was to wait until we picked the Goddess’s chosen hero. Once we had all the evidence, we could give the task of cleansing the heretics to the chosen one. It would make sense and also help build up their reputation. But before I even had a chance to move... these poisonous people started acting on their own.”
The priestess thought deeply for a moment.
“You mean... the people behind the chaos are the same ones who were exposed during the ceremony?”
“Yes... there’s no doubt about it. No outsiders could have started so many riots in different places across the Angel City at the same time, and also managed to move the nearby guards away. These old snakes... they'll do anything to survive and keep their power. They’re even willing to cut off their own tail to escape. Truly ruthless.”
Grinding her teeth in anger, Edwina cursed in a low voice. Then, a little embarrassed, she lowered her head and apologized to the other two women:
“I’m really sorry. I made a mistake in my judgment as the Pope. But this situation needs to be handled quickly. If not, the results could be very serious. Please stay here and rest for a bit. I will—”
“Eh, but that sounds boring... Ahem, I mean, since this trouble is somewhat related to us, it’s not right to just sit back and let those people mess up the trial. This time, let’s help out a little~”
Violet casually put the files and list from the table into her backpack and stood up with a smile.
“We’ll go with you.”
……………………………………
Angel City – Angel City, West Side: Tulip Bar
Just across a narrow alley, chaos filled the street. Violent rioters, no one knew where they came from, were destroying everything they could see, turning building after building into blazing fire. Though the Holy Knights had rushed to the scene, their numbers were strangely small. They could barely hold their ground and were slowly retreating, mixed with cries and screams of unknown origin. The whole area was in complete disorder.
Yet this small bar, located very close to the center of the chaos, was strangely quiet and peaceful. A few scattered guests sat in different corners, either silently drinking or quietly talking. No matter how loud the noise outside grew, the young and pretty bartender calmly stood behind the counter, wiping a spotless glass with a clean white cloth.
It was as if the small bar’s door had split the world in two, chaos outside, peace inside.
“Ding-ling~”
The wind chime above the door gently swayed as a few new people pushed open the wooden door and walked into the room. Bright sunlight from outside streamed in like a glowing background, shining directly on the bartender’s face. She frowned slightly at the glare, and the eyes of all the customers and staff in the bar quietly turned toward the newcomers.
But the young girl with black hair at the front of the group, though now the center of everyone’s attention, didn’t look shy at all. After quickly glancing around the bar, she smiled and spoke to the female bartender standing behind the counter.
“Got any seats left?”
The bartender’s clear black-and-white eyes looked the three visitors up and down, then she lazily waved her hand.
“Sorry, we're closed for today.”
“Hm~?”
The black-haired girl looked again at the scattered customers sitting around.
“But there are still people here, right? Why don’t you want to let us in?”
The bartender frowned again.
She knew better than anyone what was happening outside. At a time like this, most normal people would be running for their lives, who would come hang around and drink near the center of a riot?
Her thoughts moved quickly. She slowly reached under the counter and grabbed something hidden there. She also signaled a nearby coworker, who became alert as well. On the outside, however, she just shook her head like she was giving in.
“All right then. So, what would you three like to order?”
The black-haired girl smiled, closed the door behind her, blocking the light from outside again. Resting her chin in her hand, she thought for a moment.
“Let’s see… How about three glasses of [Phantom of the Night] drink?”
“...?”
The bartender’s face changed slightly, as if she had just heard a very strange word. But she quickly went back to looking annoyed and said with forced anger.
“Miss, please don’t make up drinks that don’t exist, okay? If you just want a quiet drink, even though we’re technically closed, we can still serve you. But if you’re here to cause trouble, let me remind you, Tulip Bar’s security isn’t here just for show!”
As she spoke, several large men in black clothes suddenly appeared from all sides, surrounding the three girls. They gave off a strong and unfriendly energy. But the black-haired girl in white still had a big smile on her face.
“Oh, don’t be so mad! I know that drink isn’t easy to make, so of course I’ll give you a reward you’ll be happy with. Um… what was the next line again? Ah, forget it!”
With that, she suddenly lifted her hand. A small square-shaped metal object flew out from her sleeve like an arrow and shot straight at the bartender!
“!?”
The bartender clearly didn’t expect such a move. Shocked, she reacted instantly, far faster than any normal bartender, pulling out a short sword from under the counter and striking at the flying object!
But what shocked her even more was that the fast-flying object suddenly slowed down just before it hit her blade, as if pulled by invisible strings. Her sword sliced through the air and hit nothing!
Thunk…
The object simply dropped lightly onto the counter. It was as if it had been meant to land there from the start, completely harmless. Startled, the bartender instinctively picked it up and examined it in her palm… then her eyes widened in shock!
“Stop!”