Chapter 436 - 205: "Two

This is a mandatory lesson for the nobility.

Especially when meeting with people.

Proper makeup shows the other person your outlook on life and that you take them seriously.

Elise sniffed. "What stuffy etiquette. I’d say you just love looking good."

Then, turning to Sean, she added, "Wait for me, hubby. I’m going to do my makeup too."

Sean: "..."

...

Half an hour later.

The three finally left the hotel, arriving at the church entrance twenty minutes later.

Sean hadn’t been mistaken the previous night. This church was indeed the largest building in all of Gothra Town. Its exterior was grand and solemn, with relief carvings on the walls. The colorful patterns painted on the windows were artistic marvels—both simple and luxurious. It stood in stark contrast to the low-slung bungalows surrounding it, looking as if it belonged to a different era entirely.

The church’s name was also Elderidge.

"Are you here to pray to the Master?"

An elderly man dressed as a Priest saw Sean and his companions enter the church and walked over, asking with a smile.

Sean smiled and nodded. "Yes. My wife and I just got married, and we want to have a boy."

The old Priest’s smile deepened, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkling with kindness. He loved these kinds of prayers most. Whether it was for a boy or a girl didn’t matter; what was important was that a new life was about to be born, ready to experience the hardships and joys of the world.

"One of these two ladies must be your wife, I presume?" the old Priest asked with a smile. "She’s very beautiful."

But Sean shook his head. "No."

The old Priest was taken aback. ’Neither of them?’

"In that case, I suggest you give your wife a call and ask her to come over."

He said earnestly, "The child will be born of your wife. As the one directly involved, she must come and pray in person to show her sincerity. Only then will the Master hear your voices."

"Priest, you’ve misunderstood." Sean’s voice was gentle. He gave Elise a doting look, then turned to Anna before continuing, "I didn’t mean one of them is my wife. I meant they *both* are."

Priest: "?"

Anna: "?"

Elise: "?"

’Both???’

’Didn’t we agree before we came in that one of us would play the wife and the other the sister?’

’Why isn’t this guy sticking to the script?’

Seeing the thunderous looks on the two women’s faces, Sean was inwardly delighted.

’They’re always taking advantage of me. Now it’s my turn to get them back.’

’Didn’t they call me a scumbag?’

’Fine, I’ll show these two just what a scumbag I can be!’

Anna truly wanted to settle accounts with this man right now. Hundreds of years had passed, and he was still so greedy.

But in the end, she held it in.

No need to air the family’s "dirty laundry" in public.

Elise, it seemed, still didn’t know Sean was Carl Black. If she threw a tantrum, it could interfere with Sean’s plan. Anna decided she would just have to find an opportunity to ’discipline’ him later. So, she gave Sean a deep look, then quickly averted her gaze and offered the Priest an elegant smile. With a slight nod, she confirmed that what Sean had said was correct—she was his wife... one of them.

Elise, of course, wasn’t going to object either.

’One of his wives, so be it. I’ll just pretend Anna is Elvire.’

The old Priest’s eye twitched.

’This young punk is quite blessed,’ he thought. ’To have two such beautiful wives, and what’s more, they both seem to get along, acknowledging each other’s status. What was an old man who’d been a bachelor his whole life supposed to make of this??’

...Ah, forget it.

No point thinking about it.

Every gift from fate has a price secretly marked on it. He wasn’t envious.

’The day those two ladies start fighting, this kid will learn his lesson.’

"Come with me," the old Priest said, composing himself.

The church was fairly quiet in the morning, and with little else to do, he personally led the trio to the prayer room.

As they walked through the corridor, Sean once again noticed the framed portraits hanging on the walls.

They were portraits of the Master—a middle-aged man—and they were identical to the portraits in the church in the Farm World.

"This is the place. Please, go in."

Arriving at the prayer room door, the old Priest opened it for them. "The Master will hear your plea," he said.

Normally, only the husband and wife would enter, but since this husband had two wives, all three had to go in together.

"Thank you, Priest," Sean said with a smile.

"Think nothing of it."

The old Priest waited for the three to enter, pulled the door gently shut behind them, and returned to the main hall.

「Inside the prayer room.」

A large clock high on the wall ticked away.

Sunlight streamed in through the painted glass, and motes of dust danced silently in the beams.

Sean led the two women to a small wooden booth. He recalled his own time moonlighting as a Priest and, mimicking the proper etiquette, said, "Revered Priest."

"The Master is present. Speak."

The Priest inside the booth replied.

His voice, somewhat deep and low, came from behind the curtained window.

This gave Sean pause. ’How is this Priest’s voice not the least bit ’benevolent’?’

’A Priest, as the Master’s Spokesperson, is required to have a gentle voice, one that puts people at ease, like a spring breeze. When I myself was a Priest, I deliberately altered my voice to be as gentle as possible, treating everyone who came to pray or confess as if they were a lover. But this Priest clearly wasn’t treating me like a lover. It was more like I was an enemy.’

’It had a distinct "hurry up and get the hell out" vibe.’

Sean didn’t dwell on it, however.

’He never judged a book by its cover, and a voice was part of that "cover." Perhaps the man simply had a rough voice but a kind heart?’

So he continued, "There’s something I’m not sure about, and I was hoping to find an answer here, from you, Priest."

This was completely different from what he had told the old Priest outside.

He wasn’t praying for Elise and Anna to bear him a son.

But the Priest, unaware of this, asked, "What is it?"

Sean smiled. "I’d like to know if there are any Grand Mages in Gothra Town."

Priest: "?"

"Why do you ask?"

"There’s something I need a Grand Mage’s help with."

"Help?"

The Priest asked doubtfully, "What kind of help requires a Grand Mage?"

"I plan to destroy this church, and I’d like to ask him not to stop me," Sean replied.

He was laying his cards on the table, plain and simple.

The Priest’s tone turned cold and sharp. "You have some nerve."

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll call the authorities and have you arrested for saying that?"

"You won’t," Sean said, shaking his head with a smile. "A Priest keeps the secrets of every believer who confides in him."

It’s a matter of professional integrity.

The Priest sneered. "And what if I don’t?"

Golden characters began to float in Sean’s palm. "Then I’ll have to ask you to keep your mouth shut. Permanently."

—Up to this point, Sean was still following his plan: testing the Priest—or rather, testing the church.

There were many Wizards in the New World, but under the regulation of the Church Court, everyone followed the rules. No one used Magic Power casually, especially not in a solemn place like a church. That was tantamount to acting right under the Master’s nose. Causing trouble here was the greatest form of disrespect to the Master, and would get one immediately branded as Heresy.

Therefore, if there was a Grand Mage in this church, the moment Sean revealed his Magic Power, he would be discovered. At the same time, they would be able to sense the other’s presence. They could run if they had to. And even if they couldn’t get away, he hadn’t caused any actual damage. It wasn’t a serious offense. At worst, he’d be sent to the station for a few days and given a stern lecture.

Sean had considered every possibility before taking this step.

The only thing he hadn’t considered was this—

As he activated his Magic Power and extended his Mental Power into the booth, intending to lock onto the Priest and compel him to answer his questions, he discovered that, much like his "wife" situation, this small booth contained not one person, but two!

Besides the "Priest" he was speaking with, there was another person with a very faint presence, seemingly curled up on the floor.

Sean’s gaze instinctively shifted toward the location he had detected—the bottom of the booth.

Where the booth met the floor, a shocking, crimson trickle of blood was slowly seeping out.

Sean’s eyes narrowed instantly.

"You’re not the Priest!"

BOOM!

The booth exploded.

"Sean, look out!"

Elise cried out in alarm, quickly moving to shield Sean.

A black shadow flew out amidst the chaos, shattered the painted glass window, and fled straight out of the church.

...