Chapter 446: What Do You Want Me To Do? (Request Subscription)

Forget it.

Has the Sun Emperor truly forgotten everything about the past, as he claimed?

“…”

Herbert glanced at where he was now.

A peaceful afternoon, sunlight just right, breeze gentle.

He looked around the terrace, observing every detail, remaining silent without saying a word.

Some things don’t need to be spelled out—that’s too boring.

Everyone has their softest place inside.

Maybe a memory, maybe a person, maybe an event, or perhaps a flawed corner in the left atrium… cough.

Don’t dig to the root.

Don’t harbor excessive curiosity about others’ secrets.

If someone wishes to confide in you, you’ll naturally know.

If they don’t wish to, any attempt to probe becomes an act of provocation.

When facing the strong, you must remain humble, cautious, and restrain your curiosity.

At first, Herbert only wanted to crack a joke, to break the Sun Emperor’s composure, to thaw the ice between them and keep the conversation going.

That was all—no deeper intent.

But as his talent for making things up grew stronger, the wild histories he casually spun began to sound almost plausible.

Later, his thoughts grew clearer—he began to think such a scenario might not be impossible.

Well, it was all just wild history anyway.

Who cares if it’s true or not? As long as it’s wild, that’s enough.

And the Sun Emperor clearly wasn’t truly angry—just utterly exasperated.

The Sun is utterly yang, and the world only sings of His fierce, violent deeds—there’s never been a trace of a “Sun Goddess.”

This nonsense, with near-zero credibility, likely wouldn’t be believed by anyone, so the Sun Emperor wasn’t worried Herbert would spread it.

Wild history isn’t the issue—the real issue is… what now?

Nenasha had vanished completely after entering Shengcheng; trying to break free from this space by her own power seemed even more impossible.

The only way was to make the Sun Emperor willingly let him go.

Only strategy, no brute force.

Herbert paused, then raised his head and asked the old man softly: “Then… are you just going to let this farce continue?”

He didn’t evade—he brought the topic back to the earlier question: Are you going to ignore their mistakes and watch them die?

In his life so far, Herbert had met two Saints: the Grand Archbishop and the Sun Emperor.

Though both had shown him kindness, Herbert could still sense the difference between them.

The Sun Emperor’s heart was clearly colder than the Grand Archbishop’s.

This seemingly kind Emperor was a ruler who played grand games.

He truly saw the deaths of that small group of believers as necessary sacrifices.

All glory belongs to the Sun.

Everything he did was to make the Church better, willing to pay acceptable costs to achieve it.

Herbert didn’t know if this approach was wrong, but he personally disliked it.

No one knows if they themselves might one day become the ones sacrificed by others.

He hated this feeling of constant dread.

Hated it.

But disliking it didn’t mean he had to question it.

Herbert lacked the status and authority to speak such words.

For a young man, the most essential quality is “self-awareness.”

Firmly recognize your position, understand where your abilities truly come from—don’t be blinded by fleeting glory, nor give up because of temporary hardship.

Ultimately, this was the Sun Church’s own internal matter—he was an outsider with no right to meddle.

Herbert’s question was merely a normal inquiry—if you intend to continue this way, what are your next steps?

Honestly, he didn’t care about others’ futures—he only wanted to know how he himself would be dealt with.

You can’t keep me locked up here forever, can you?

I’ve got a hungry dragon at home to feed!

Pope Ivansen smiled, asking with a sly tone: “Then what do you think I should do? Give them orders—tell them what to do, what not to do?”

“Hmm, if possible, I think you should still offer them some guidance,” Herbert nodded slightly.

Even setting aside any stance, Herbert still hoped this “war” would end soon, so he could return to the monastery.

You fight to the death—it’s fine—but don’t drag me into it!

Rather than wasting time here, nervously guarding against hidden watchers, he preferred returning to his happy little home to build up his own small territory.

Let me go!

I want to go home!

The Sun Emperor stared at Herbert for a while, then suddenly asked: “So, you want to end this war?”

Huh?

Though slightly puzzled by the Emperor’s phrasing, Herbert nodded gently.

“That’s precisely why I came.”

He paused, then looked into the old man’s eyes and said slowly: “And I think you’re deceiving me—you’re not truly indifferent to them, as you appear.”

From certain details, it was clear the Sun Emperor still held onto the past.

His heart was hard, but not that cold.

His inner self couldn’t possibly be utterly unmoved.

Even if the Sun Emperor accepted those sacrifices, he wouldn’t deliberately send them to die.

In the silent space, the old man lowered his gaze, looking at the boy who showed him little reverence.

“You’re saying I’m deceiving you?”

“Mm.”

Herbert nodded calmly, glancing sideways at the old man.

What?

Is there a problem?

Is it that you can’t lie? Or that I can’t be lied to?

“This…”

After receiving the unwavering affirmation, the old man froze for a moment, then burst into laughter, shaking his head with a sigh.

“…Ha ha.”

How many years had it been since someone dared question him like this?

A hundred years?

Or a thousand?

As time passed, old friends passed away, former companions gradually vanished, and his surroundings grew colder.

The Church’s believers saw him as a bridge to the divine, growing ever more reverent—some even treated him as a god walking among mortals.

Wherever he went, he no longer saw eyes level with his own—only countless figures kneeling before him.

The Sun Emperor silently accepted this change, yet felt utterly helpless.

The strong are lonely.

It is their inevitable fate.

And now, an anomaly had appeared.

A reckless boy who completely ignored the vast gulf of power between them.

He dared to meet his gaze, to crack crude wild-history jokes with him, even to confront him face-to-face.

It had been… so many, many years since he’d met someone like this… heh.

Old friend, is this the successor you chose?

Too bad—he’s not a believer of Our Lord, not even a superficial verbal follower.

Otherwise, I’d have fought you hard for him.

“Perhaps, as you say, I did deceive you—I didn’t tell you the full truth.”

Pope Ivansen smiled, admitting his earlier guidance of Herbert, then quickly asked: “But, think again—have I truly done nothing?”

Do you really think I’m just watching them die?

“Did you?”

Herbert frowned slightly, then suddenly had an insight and probed: “Even this conversation with me… is part of your plan?”

“You could say that.”

The old man nodded cheerfully, pleased with the boy’s quick reaction.

“But what can I do for you?”

Herbert was confused, asking puzzled: “I don’t know what expectations you have of me, but I don’t believe I possess the ability to achieve what you hope for.”

What can I do?

Right now, aside from writing a bit of unofficial history, I don’t seem capable of doing anything real.

“As you can see, I’m merely a youngling who has just stepped into legend.”

He spread his hands, emphasizing his “weakness.”

“With the strength of the Sun Church, there must be many far more suited than I am.”

Herbert knew his own strength clearly.

With the help of Valentina and others, he could only stir up chaos between battlefields, acting as a happy shit-stirrer.

If he truly wanted to sway the tide of war, he was still far too low on the list.

“I think, perhaps, this is something better left to you, Elder. As for me, I’ll just pass, shall I?”

I’m too weak—I have no power—

“Hm? Wait a moment.”

The Sun Pope blinked, bewildered: “What are you talking about? I haven’t even said I want you to do anything yet.”

“Hm?”

Herbert blinked, puzzled: “Huh? Didn’t you mean for me to deal with the Avatar of Lust?”

To end the war, this is the only path.

Without thinking, the demonic gods never care for justice—they’ll surely descend personally in their avatars to wreak havoc.

Last time, to confront the Avatar of Lust, Herbert had secretly invoked the authority of the Sun God, triggering major ripples—some might even say he and Nienasha, that male-female duo of thieves, were the true instigators of this conflict.

It was their theft of the Sun God’s authority that caused all the subsequent turmoil.

And now, here in their very stronghold, facing the same demonic god again—wouldn’t stealing once more be just a bit too impolite?

You can’t keep shearing the same sheep!

That’s no good, no good!

“Hahaha!”

The Sun Pope blinked, then burst into laughter: “You think I want you to face the demonic god?”

He slapped his thigh, shaking his head uncontrollably, laughing heartily at the naive boy.

“Hahaha! Cough, cough—With us old folks here, how could we possibly let children like you take on such dangerous tasks?”

“Besides, hahaha…”

The old Pope just laughed, saying nothing—but his meaning was clear: Kill a demonic avatar?

Do you really think you can do it alone?

Herbert very much wanted to say he’d already done it before—but at this moment, he wisely stayed silent.

Don’t try to show off now.

The boy gave a simple, shy smile and scratched his head.

“Hehe…”

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You’re absolutely right!

I really can’t do it, hehe~

Yet now Herbert was confused.

If not that, then what exactly did he expect him to do?

After laughing for a long while, the Sun Pope finally calmed down, gazing at Herbert and speaking softly: “Still, you’ve given me an idea. Hmm… perhaps this isn’t so bad.”

“Child, do you know? I can sense the presence of our Lord upon you.”

“I don’t know why He favors a stranger like you—but since He chose you, I am willing to follow His will and offer you aid.”

With that, the Sun Pope raised his right hand slightly. Without any cooperation from Herbert, the angelic battle armor on his body trembled.

Click. Click. Click.

The armor quivered violently, as if it would tear free at any second.

This armor had previously acted aloof before others, but before Herbert it acted like a sycophant—excited, clingy, impossible to shoo away.

Yet now, faced with the Pope, it seemed to waver again.

Herbert didn’t care either way—he never valued things easily given to him.

After trembling for several seconds, the armor suddenly made up its mind—resisting the Pope’s call with all its might.

Better to die than obey!

Loyalty to Lord Herbert!

“Hm?”

The Pope blinked, surprised: “So you truly are favored by our Lord—even this armor refuses to leave you.”

He was a Saint. He was the Pope of the Sun Church.

From any perspective, this angelic armor had no reason to refuse him.

Yet its defiance could mean only one thing: its devotion to Herbert ran deeper than any loyalty could explain.

“Still, this is better—it means it will fight fiercely to protect you.”

Since the armor refused to comply, the Sun Pope made no further effort. He reached out, gently pressing his fingertip to the center of Herbert’s chest.

Nothing happened. He withdrew his finger, nodded in satisfaction, and smiled: “Hmm. That should be enough. I wonder how far you’ll go.”

Herbert blinked, raised a hand to touch his chest—felt no change at all.

“This…”

Though he didn’t know exactly what kind of aid the Sun Pope had granted, Herbert was certain: he had been strengthened.

And he was sure it was some astonishing time-limited buff.

Yet more shocking than the boost was the implication behind the Pope’s action.

“Hss!”

Wait—what exactly do you want me to do!?

You really want me to fight the Lust Cult!?

No way!

I’m just a temporary worker here to slack off!

Me? Me!?

You want me to do it!?

“...”

Herbert pursed his lips, forcing a stiff smile as he looked at the Sun Pope: “Er… could it be…”

“That you truly intend to make me… a banner?”

(End of Chapter)