"So Ning, how do you know His Holiness? Are you a Paladin?" the Emperor asked.
"No, Your Majesty. I helped His Holiness and his people by catching a criminal while I was visiting Airan. I got to et His Holiness at that ti," Ning said. He noticed that the Emperor did not go for his handshake, making him wonder why that was. He moved his hand around as he spoke instead, hoping to touch the Emperor sohow, but it didn't look as though it was working.
"A criminal, huh? Must've been a rather terrible one to get an audience with his Holiness," the Emperor said.
"Young Ning is underselling himself. The criminal was a bad one, yes. But he also gave us a Zurin treasure that he captured from the criminal."
"You didn't value the treasure?" the Emperor asked.
"I valued my eting with His Holiness even more," Ning said.
"And of course. The young man that Ning goes around with, a young man by the na of Tim has the potential to beco the next pope after I abdicate the rank."
The Emperor was quite surprised this ti around, quite surprised at the fact that there was soone who could beco the next pope in his party.
"I wish to et this young man. Can you call him for ?" the Emperor asked.
Ning turned around and pointed to where Tim was. One of the n around the Emperor quickly rushed toward Tim and called him over. Tim rushed toward the Emperor, wide-eyed and confused. "Your Majesty, I am Timothy Orstar. It is my pleasure to have t you," Tim said quickly.
"Timothy. I hear you have what it takes to be the next pope," the Emperor said.
"Hmm? I an, yes, Your Majesty," Tim said quickly.
"No need to get flustered. I'm just a man," the Emperor said. "Tell , are you going to beco the next pope then?"
"I… haven't decided just yet. I'm taking my ti with the decision."
"Don't wait too long," the Emperor said. "Good things co for those who seek to get it. Not to ntion, being that close to God Zurinus himself is an opportunity that no mortal man could ever hope to have in his life."
"And you have that opportunity. Don't squander it."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Tim said quickly.
The Emperor nodded in response. "Look at His Holiness. He has managed to live as long as he has because he is a devout believer of Zurinus. I got a chance to reclaim my throne because I was a believer of Zurinus as well."
"Naman over there was an orphan too, who is devoted to Zurinus, although he does show it. Do you think he made his fortune on his own? No, it was Zurinus. Sa for Samsom, and many others."
"You should…"
The Emperor gave a not-so-short speech about how Zurinus was important and how one could succeed in life after following Zurinus.
As he continued speaking, a thought ca to Ning based on everything he was hearing at the mont.
He had read about Naman a long ti ago and had known a lot about his life, but most of them seed unimportant. However, there was one thing right now that stood out to him.
The sa thing that was a common thread between the Pope and the Emperor. It wasn't the fact that they all believed in Zurinus. No, that couldn't have possibly been any source for their fa and fortune.
No, Zurinus had given them that, but that was to further influence the world through their mouth. A very deceptive move where Zurinus was spreading his cause while not being there himself.
And the common thread between them was that they were all once orphans, living in the orphanage.
Ning reached out and touched the Emperor's arm, causing the Emperor to stop and jerk his hands back. At the sa ti, many of the n around him imdiately got ready to grab him, but Ning quickly let go.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I have sothing to do," Ning said and turned around.
The n looked toward the Emperor to check if he was okay, before deciding to follow Ning to capture him. They could not let go of him after he had touched the Emperor.
Ning was already halfway across the garden and arrived in front of soone.
The Emperor wasn't Zurnius. Ning had just confird that. It wasn't Zarius, Lucius, or Naman.
Jasmine had told him this a long ti ago. He should have rembered it. It was so obvious now in hindsight. There was a reason why she had run away from her orphanage. It was because they brainwashed people into becoming devout followers of Zurinus. Get them brainwashed into becoming a highly religious figure, and then make them famous, leading to them only talking about Zurnius again and again.
It was a very conniving plan, and it worked super well.
Ning stopped before the woman and reached out with his hands. "Miss Jenny, is it? I've been wanting to et you for a long ti."
The old woman in her 80s turned around. "Oh, how can I help you, son?" she asked as she reached for Ning's hands.
Ning grabbed it and smiled.
The woman's face imdiately paled. "Would you kindly die?"
Ning was suddenly grappled by half a dozen n, pinning him to the ground. But the job was done now. He had found the person he had been aning to find ever since he ca here.
All this ti, he expected Zurinus to be soone popular with a lot of fa. Instead, it turned out that he liked staying in the shadow, manipulating people into spreading his na even more.
Well, not anymore.
Ning had found him, and this would be the end of Zurinus.
"What…" the woman nad Jenny faltered back. "What did you do to ?"
"Happy death day, Zurinus."
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