Lanqi began stroking Boss Cat once more.
He felt Boss Cat was in dire need of comfort right now.
"If I accept it, what else do I get?"
Lanqi looked at the Pink Sacred rank Domination Holy Sigil. After a moment, he neither accepted nor refused, simply asking.
Aside from having the same basic attributes as the [Proof of Resurrection - Destruction] he had obtained earlier, the Pink Sacred rank [Proof of Saint] also granted the authority to imprint Proofs of Resurrection up to blue quality. Being able to unilaterally induct people he favored into the Domination Branch was already considerable power in itself.
However, Pink Sacred magic cards were difficult to unbind.
If there had still been any possibility of resigning before, the Bishop of Domination certainly would not allow him to resign now.
The baseline perks and treatment far exceeded anything a high priest or direct retainer could receive.
Depending on each bishop's attitude toward their successor, the care and support provided differed.
Even someone like Bishop of Destruction Ivanos handed out Pink Sacred magic cards to the Saintess of Destruction as if they cost nothing.
Lanqi wanted to know how much power Sigrid was willing to give him.
After all, when a bishop chose a Holy Son or Saintess, it was equivalent to selecting a successor or confidant. In return, the bishop would pour resources into cultivating them until they were one day capable of challenging other bishops—or even becoming another Cardinal with an independent title of their own.
Within the Resurrection Church, which had been rife with infighting since ancient times, factions and checks and balances among Cardinals had always existed.
If enough bishops stood together, they could even use the voting authority of the [Proof of Bishop] to depose the Pope and elect a new Pope from among the bishops.
Meanwhile, the [Pope's Authority] possessed an inherent specialized advantage against all holders of a [Proof of Resurrection] and [Proof of Bishop].
Since a [Proof of Bishop] was Epic rank, it could not be unbound.
Given roughly equal base strength, once any Cardinal's [Proof of Bishop] evolved into [Pope's Authority], none of the other Cardinals would stand a chance against them, and the new Pope would exert total dominion over the Resurrection Church.
The rise of every new Pope was accompanied by a bloodbath, thoroughly purging rival and insubordinate bishops and their branches.
Sigrid clearly harbored the ambition to advance toward that papal throne.
"Whatever I have, you have. From this day forward, you are my confidant and deputy. But in return..."
She did not continue, for she had already stated it once before.
Hearing this, Lanqi hesitated slightly.
He hadn't imagined Sigrid would be willing to hand over all her power.
Yet if he ever betrayed this trust, the consequences would be just as severe.
"As long as I haven't betrayed you, you must protect me, and you cannot force me to do anything. Deal?"
Lanqi gave it some thought. The Bishop of Domination was, for now, far easier to communicate with than expected; cooperating with her wasn't a bad proposition.
"Naturally."
Following Sigrid's affirmative reply, Lanqi took the [Proof of Saint] from her hand and bound it to himself.
Witnessing Lanqi officially become her Holy Son, Sigrid smiled with satisfaction.
"Very well. From today onward, you are my Holy Son. Order my followers around however you like, and come to me if there is anything you need my help with."
"..."
Boss Cat had gone completely dumb.
It couldn't accept this.
Before setting out, this kid was just a first-year student at Ikerite Academy—how had he suddenly turned into the Holy Son of Domination?!
It didn't want to be a cat from the Resurrection Church on a wanted poster!
"The Forerunner's image can actually be allowed to brew a bit longer in the Southwestern Province. It needs a sense of mystery—as though the Forerunner influenced the members of the Domination Branch, improving their image, rather than openly revealing from the start that the Forerunner was a member of the Domination Branch all along..."
Lanqi had already slipped into his role, laying out his work plan and arrangements for the Bishop of Domination.
"Very well. Then go about your business at the Protos Royal Magic Academy and come back in five days."
After all, the identity of the Forerunner was tied to Luoqi. Sigrid knew that maintaining Luoqi's good standing with Viscount Francis and the young lady was great, and for high-ranking members of the Resurrection Church, having a respectable and legitimate social identity was equally crucial.
With that, Sigrid produced a secret key carved from magic crystal and handed it to Lanqi.
"What's this?"
"The key to this place. Most of the time, you can find me here. But you must knock before entering—no walking straight in."
That was the troublesome part about having a Holy Son; had it been a Saintess, she wouldn't have cared as much.
"Understood."
Lanqi nodded after taking the secret key.
"Then I'll continue undercover in the Extinction Branch. If I report in now, I should still make it in time."
He glanced at the clock hanging above the staggered rows of paintings on the wall and prepared to leave.
Since the Bishop of Domination had granted him so much authority, she had no reason to curb his freedom to do what he wanted.
"I told you, it's dangerous."
Sigrid's brow furrowed slightly.
"Then come with me. As long as you turn back into Side right now and we hurry to the Temple of the Knights of Extinction together, we can still make it."
Lanqi said matter-of-factly. At most, they would be slightly late, and if they were late together, nobody was likely to reprimand them much.
"There is no precedent for a Cardinal going undercover in another branch,"
Sigrid replied coldly.
It was one thing for a Holy Son or Saintess to do something like this.
If she, the great Bishop of Domination, sneaked into the Extinction Branch as an undercover agent and got caught, she would end up the laughingstock of the bishops for the rest of her days.
"You wouldn't be going undercover; you'd just be worried about me. You protect my safety, and I'll provide great cover to guarantee you won't be exposed."
Lanqi, holding the cat, spoke in an unhurried manner.
Boss Cat sensed that familiar flavor returning.
It suspected this kid had never given up on infiltrating the Extinction Branch in the first place, and now he was actually trying to trick the Bishop of Domination into going undercover with him!
*If she doesn't go with you, that means she doesn't care about you, huh? Kid, can you even pull your manipulative act on a Cardinal?!*
"..."
Sigrid fell silent.
She had intended to refuse, but she was indeed a bit worried this kid might get cut down before his prime.
After all, he had now accepted the Proof of Saint. If he stirred up trouble in Extinction's stronghold and got caught, the fallout would be countless times worse than before.
"Wouldn't it be nice just to treat it as having a bit of fun? When you reach the heights, you find yourself ever alone, with no one to speak to; the biting winter of solitude makes you tremble. What, then, do you seek at the summit?"
Lanqi looked around the gallery. It was evident that Sigrid rarely invited anyone here.
While she wasn't a shut-in NEET like Talia,
after finishing her busy affairs, she too could only admire her collection in solitude. Whatever achievements she reached, there was no one to share that joy with.
"..."
Sigrid found Lanqi's words quite amusing. Folding her arms across her chest and tapping her fingers, she studied him.
"You understand that feeling?"
"Naturally."
Lanqi recalled the days when he wielded thunder and lightning back at Purgatory Corridor Academy, a trace of melancholy tingeing his smile.
Yet his eyes seemed to tell the Bishop of Domination that he could help dispel her boredom—or rather, that being with him would never be dull.
A brief silence settled over the spacious gallery.
The Bishop of Domination shifted back into Side. She no longer seemed so domineering, yet remained dashing and exquisitely striking, with a touch of liveliness softening her aloof bearing.
"Let's go. But let's get one thing straight: from this moment on, I am merely a Tier 4 knight—neither strong nor weak, just your partner. Unless your life is in danger, I won't use my true strength. However, if you need me to save your life, it means you've failed at your job, and you'll have to be punished."
"What kind of punishment?"
Lanqi hadn't expected Side to be even more eager than him, going so far as to lay down rules on her own.
"I'm not telling you yet."
Side smiled, clearly keen to go have some fun at the Extinction Branch now.
Chapter 275