Fourth Prince's Debauchery

[You expect I cancel her position as Holy Daughter] The goddess narrowed her eyes and stared at me. [However, I don't think it's a good idea.]

I raised an eyebrow, but the goddess remained unaffected. [Although being the Holy Daughter has some restraints, it also comes with many benefices. As the Holy Daughter, Clara and her family had a certain level of protection. Even the emperor will think twice before attacking her.]

I stopped her curtly. "Do you still think she needs your protection after seeing my strength?"

[… You are strong, I admit it. But you can't protect her at every moment, can you? Do you know about her family being threatened?]

I fell silent and urged the Goddess to continue with my eyes.

[There is a limit to the protection you can offer. Even if you are very strong, you are just one person and you can't stay beside her forever. The church, on the other hand, has enough manpower to keep her protected regardless of the time or the situation.]

I nodded. "Perhaps you are right. But, that doesn't resolve the problem of the engagement."

[We can talk about it.] The goddess looked at me with a smile. [In fact, I don't mind having someone as strong as you supporting my church. And as the goddess, I only need to give a word to change the customs of the church. If I give an oracle saying that the Holy Daughter can marry, I'm sure nobody will disagree.]

I squinted and stared at the goddess for a few seconds.

Even I am slightly impressed by her cunning. As expected of someone that achieved godhood.

But–

"You know, I'm curious about something... Your saintess told me that every Holy Daughter is someone able to grow the church and spread its teachings across the world, making it even greater than before. That sounds nice, but… Why can't I see Clara as someone with such capability?"

[…]

"… Don't misunderstand me, I think that Clara is a talented and able girl. She is my fiancée after all. But, she doesn't look like the kind to lead a giant religious organization to dominate the world. Hell, she is not even a devout believer. So, I can't help but think that there is something fishy behind this entire Holy Daughter thingy. Tell me, miss goddess, why should I trust you?"

[Because I want the best for her and the best for the church. The holy daughter is someone born with an incredible affinity to Order and Lightning, making her very suitable for the teachings of the church. You can say that she is like my heir, my daughter. The amount of divine power of Order she can wield is much greater than other people, and the faith I'll receive from her is much greater too. Someone like that will have a much easier time growing church than any other person.]

"Is it so?" I chuckled softly. "Let's say that I believe you. What else then?"

The goddess continued. [Think about it, prince. With the support of the church, what is there you can't get in this empire? Even becoming the emperor is something attainable. It's a win-win relationship for both of us. I can get the support of a powerhouse like you, and you can get the support of the church.]

I narrowed my eyes. "And if I refuse?"

The goddess chuckled with an ice-cold look. [You are strong, prince, and you know some interesting tricks. But you are still a mortal after all. Do you truly think you can oppose a god? Even if I didn't go after you personally, the church has enough powerhouses to kill someone like you several times over, even if the cost will be something high.

[To be honest, the only reason I'm considering to cooperate with you is that there is a bothersome bug around waiting for an opportunity to attack me, so I can't show any way of weakness right now. Otherwise, just the disrespect you are showing me is enough for you to die.]

How arrogant. As expected of a goddess.

Does she truly think she can kill me as she wants?

I tapped the table twice and smiled. To be honest, the easiest way here is to kill the goddess directly and bring an end to this mess.

Unfortunately, that is not a good idea right now.

Not because the church and the goddess are strong. To be honest, if I want to destroy the church and kill the goddess, I can do it. Just that It will be a little troublesome.

The problem is, there is a hidden Immortal lying around in wait with unknown intentions.

I don't dare to underestimate such an enemy. Plus, I'm still injured. If the Immortal attacks now, I'm not sure of my chances of victory.

At that moment, having the help of one of the strongest gods of this world will be useful. Although it's not enough to guarantee my victory, it will increase my chances ever so slightly.

As for whatever the goddess is plotting, how can it escape my eyes?

In fact, I already have a rather good idea of her plan. Her flimsy tricks can't fool me.

Of course, she didn't need to know it.

Feigning that I'm considering her proposal, I look at Safelia. "What about her? I don't think she will be happy with this result."

The goddess snorted in disdain. [What about it? She is just one of my servants. She will not dare to defy my orders.]

I nodded. "Good. I hope we can have a happy partnership then."

[For a happy partnership, prince.] With these words, the Goddess smiled and got ready to leave.

Before she could leave, though, I stopped her.

"By the way, I'll go to the church soon for an explanation regarding the other people involved in my cousin's illness."

[What are you planning?] The Goddess asked with a frown.

I smiled softly. "Nothing, don't worry. Oh right, I don't know your name yet, miss goddess."

[… It has been a long time since the last time someone asked for my name.] The goddess hid her suspicion and chuckled amusedly. [Remember it, boy, my name is Terese Quintin. That was my name before I became the goddess of order.]

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