Chapter 230 (2): All Magic Leads to a Role in the Establishment

Half an hour later, Flora entered the conference room with her student, Ottilia. She waved her hand to open a black rift and placed a green magic stone the size of a head on the conference table.

Ottilia rolled her eyes at Wayne.

You bastard, you’re a candidate? You’ve hidden that well.

She hadn’t known who exactly Wayne was. She hadn’t even investigated. Learning the truth from Flora, she suspected that he had approached her for ulterior motives.

Look at the photos. Leno had to be in cahoots with Silvia.

Wayne returned the eyeroll. No wonder she dragged things out for half a year before agreeing to be his girlfriend. It turned out that she was entering the Holy Maiden selection. If she had said so earlier, he could’ve put in extra effort so that they would both be eliminated. Then the mess today wouldn’t have happened.

Now, the magical crystal ball was right before him, and Master and Veronica were watching. How was he going to prove his innocence?

You dare to look at her now?!

Veronica ground her teeth, glaring furiously at the cheater and the girl he was cheating with. In her mind, Ottilia had dethroned Vera and became her lifelong enemy. She vowed to knock the girl’s glasses off.

“Lia, inject your mana. The crystal ball will prove your innocence.” Flora summarized how to use the crystal ball. It was a treasure that specialized in determining whether a Holy Maiden was pure. When the pure injected their mana, the dark green color would fade to white, while the color would become deeper with an impure person’s mana.

The darker the color, the more impure the person. If it became fifty shades of black, there was no doubt that the person had to be a veteran with countless conquests.

It was a trusty single-function item.

“Yes, Master.”

“Wait, is the crystal ball working right?” Wayne raised his hand and questioned with a snort. “Could someone be secretly manipulating it? Will it be fine for everyone, but turns black as soon as I touch it?”

“Candidate Wayne, I won’t risk defiling the goddess’s name. You can have High Reverend and Knight Leno inspect it first.” Flora calmly reached out to the crystal ball. As her mana flowed in, the dark green in the crystal ball faded, becoming a pure, flawless white, indicating that her heart, thoughts, and character were innocent and untainted.

Leno was overjoyed. As expected of his dream woman. She was so pure!

When he touched the crystal ball and injected his mana, it turned into a clear, flawless white as well. He looked proudly at his dream woman, only to find her completely uninterested. His mood plummeted, feeling a little hurt.

When it was Silvia’s turn to inspect the crystal ball, she established a barrier with a wave to prevent Flora from manipulating it secretly. As her mana flowed in, the crystal ball’s color didn’t change.

It didn’t turn black, but it didn’t turn white, either. That was how it should react to a married woman!

(눈‸눈)

Silvia scowled. Although she was married and had a child, it didn’t mean that she wasn’t pure. The crystal ball was calibrated against her.

The two judges had tested the crystal ball without finding any issue. It was a pro at determining purity.

Ottilia hadn’t done anything wrong, so she readily put her delicate hand on the crystal ball and injected it with her mana. It turned blindingly white.

She was too pure.

Flora’s lips quirked up. Under her watchful eyes, her student had grown up barely speaking to any males. Wayne was the exception, and there wouldn’t be a next time.

It was the two candidates’ turn. Wayne maintained a poker face as Veronica cautiously stepped forward to inject her mana, slightly flustered. She felt like she was a tiny bit impure. She had shown her naked body to the scumbag—more than once. And hugs were the norm for them. Recently, she had even broken the taboo and got tricked into being held and kissed by the scumbag. She thought...

She just hoped that the crystal ball wouldn’t turn too black, or it would be embarrassing.

To Veronica’s surprise, the crystal ball became blindingly white. Although it wasn’t as dazzling as when Ottilia tried it, it was enough to prove her purity.

How?

X3

Silvia brooded. She had been happy for nothing before. Her daughter had not made any progress with Wayne after all.

Veronica tilted her head. So kissing didn’t count. She was still pure.

Wayne blinked. If she passed, maybe he...

Nah, I’m unlikely to pass.

He had gotten increasingly intimate with Mona, Kristen, and Filomina. Filomina, especially, had done all sorts of kinky things with him. Never had a day passed without them pushing boundaries significantly.

“Candidate Wayne, it’s your turn,” Flora prodded in a kind voice. “Why, are you not confident in yourself?”

Ottilia frowned slightly. Silvia cast him a concerned look.

Veronica looked on coldly. He had to be hesitating because Vera had gotten what she wanted. Veronica retracted her previous judgment and once again placed Vera at the top of her list of rivals.

Little wench, how dare you sleep with someone else’s fiancé? I’m gonna get you tonight!

“How could I lack confidence? I can’t be purer...”

Wayne huffed. There was no delaying the inevitable. Having mentally prepared a defense, he gripped the two waivers he had gotten from Auston, prepared to have Auston bear the ire of the two Dragonbloods. He pressed his hand on the crystal ball, injecting it with his pure mana.

In an instant, the crystal ball turned white—dazzlingly white, blindingly white, white enough to sting everyone’s eyes.

Silvia shed silent tears. She had misunderstood her student. She had a dirty mind and was guilty of making assumptions. At the same time, she felt sorry for her daughter. If they had even done anything, Wayne wouldn’t have gotten such a pure white. He was so pure that he might as well be born the Anointed One!

You bastard, you’re all talk. You’ve never had a girlfriend.

Ottilia shielded her face with her hand, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly. She had a pretty good eye for men, it turned out. If she failed to enter the Holy Maiden selection and became free of burden, she would consider giving Wayne a chance to pursue her.

So kissing really doesn’t count!

Veronica was beyond shocked. That white couldn’t be faked. Vera hadn’t... No, Vera had to have gotten a kiss at least. She would still get her punishment tonight!

Wayne, on the other hand, was taken aback.

No way, ball! Where’s your integrity? Is this how you test Holy Maidens?

He imagined Filomina as the Church of Nature’s Holy Maiden. She could be having a moment with her eyes rolling back into her skull the night before, and the next day she clocked in for work and touched the crystal ball, it would still show her as pure. She would be a stereotypical Holy Maiden with a scandalous private life.

Wayne was dumbfounded. He suddenly understood why the churches of the goddesses didn’t have Anointed Ones. They couldn’t test men because there was no such thing as a pure man.

Damn it, even the crystal ball discriminates against men. When are we going to gain a backbone?

Once the light faded, Wayne dusted nothing from his sleeves and looked at Flora with a faint smile. “Well then, Priestess Flora, it seems that I’m purer than you!”

He puffed out his chest. The truth spoke for itself. He was purer than everyone present, even more so than the previous Holy Maiden.

Flora’s eyes twitched. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing and blurted out, “Perhaps the crystal ball malfunctioned. That’s why...”

“I think so, too! It’s flawed and can’t be used as evidence!” Wayne loudly agreed, looking directly at Silvia. “I’ll say it again. I slept with Ottilia—many times. Neither she nor I is qualified to enter the selection.”

Nonsense, when did I ever sleep with you?!

Ottilia glared at Wayne viciously. Being falsely accused of bedding a bastard made her flush with anger.

Speechless, Flora clenched her fists tightly with her hands hidden in her sleeves. Regardless of whether the crystal ball had malfunctioned, Ottilia wouldn’t be able to obtain a spot from the Windsor district. Her effort had been for nothing. She had instead proven that the two candidates were irreplaceable.

She glared at Leno.

Look what you’ve done. Don’t contact me anymore.

Leno froze like he had been struck by lightning. Although he was still breathing, his heart was already dead.

“High Reverend, I wish to end this farce now. If there’s nothing else, please allow me to take my leave.” Flora bowed.

“Farce? Not necessarily,” Silvia said. “The photos are solid evidence that both our students are impure after sleeping together. I’ll report this matter to the church’s headquarters. I’m guilty of not supervising my student properly. For that, I’ll accept punishment from headquarters.”

With Wayne’s tireless attempt to get his point across with his eyes, she finally realized that she had leverage against her enemy.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

“You jest, High Reverend. The crystal ball doesn’t lie. Moreover, Knight Leno has explained that he took the photos with ulterior motives.” Flora scowled. “Even if you report to headquarters, I’ll make an appeal. Purity is objective. Headquarters will send someone else with another crystal ball to prove that Candidate Wayne is pure.”

With that, she left with her student.

When closing the door, Ottilia glared at Wayne. She wanted an explanation for the defamation attempt against her.

Lia, let’s sleep together in the same place another day

, Wayne winked.

Ottilia glared back.

Go sleep in hell and don’t ever contact me again! Master will misunderstand.

“Yes, it’s all my fault,” Leno explained sternly, shouldering the blame alone. “Lady Flora is right. I attempted to frame Candidate Wayne. If High Reverend insists on requesting an investigation, I’ll plead guilty to headquarters and admit my ill intentions and jealousy of Candidate Wayne’s talent. I’m not fit to be a knight.”

The simp left the room with unsteady steps, dejected. He found a hidden corner and crouched down, holding his head with both hands. He didn’t dare to chase after his dream woman and explain himself since he couldn’t bear to see her cold attitude.

He could no longer see a future. There was now a thick barrier between him and Flora, losing him the right to even gaze at her silently. His eyes quickly brimmed with tears.

Inside the meeting room, Wayne set the photos on fire, keeping a few with good angles to tease Ottilia another day. Then he stared at the dragon-blooded mother and daughter righteously.

Now, who was glaring at him earlier?

Neither was walking out of this room without clearing things up!