After an unknown amount of time had passed, Mortis's eyelashes trembled as she slowly opened her drowsy eyes.
At first, she still felt a little dazed, but then she suddenly realized where she was resting—she was leaning on Lucian's shoulder!
As if an electric shock had passed through her body, she gasped sharply and immediately sprang away, sitting up straight.
Her cheeks flushed as if ignited, the heat quickly spreading to her ears.
She hastily raised her hand to fix the stray red hair at her temples, trying to divert attention and make herself look less flustered.
"Sorry..."
Mortis apologized in a low, soft voice.
Lucian, who was awake the entire time, turned his head, his gaze falling on her crimson cheeks.
"It's fine."
Lucian replied softly, the corners of his mouth seeming to lift slightly into a smile.
In fact, he was quite curious.
Logically, considering Mortis's child was already eight years old, she shouldn't have such a flustered reaction like a young girl who had never been in a relationship. She had the face of a beautiful married woman, yet she gave off the feeling of a teenage girl in front of her crush.
He truly couldn't figure it out.
Meanwhile, upon hearing Lucian's reply, Mortis's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"I... I didn't do anything rude in my sleep, did I?"
Mortis asked in a low voice, her fingertips unconsciously twirling the ends of her long hair.
"No..." Lucian replied, a barely noticeable hint of amusement in his voice. "Your hair just tickled me a bit."
Hearing this, Mortis couldn't help but quietly raise her eyelashes and happened to meet Lucian's gentle, smiling eyes—the gaze as clear as a mountain stream, reflecting her inescapable shyness at this moment, yet gently melting all her embarrassment.
"So... do you have any plans for Janusopolis?"
Mortis quickly calmed herself, returning to her dignified and elegant demeanor.
"My reason for coming here is only for you and her—nothing more."
Lucian spoke solemnly, pointing at Tribios, who was still sound asleep nearby.
"If you run into trouble you can't handle, I will step in."
"As for the governance and diplomacy of Janusopolis, you're the high priest and holy maiden, so you make the arrangements. I'm fine with just holding the status of divine envoy."
Just like Belobog, even though he was the Supreme Guardian, the governance had been handed over to Cocolia and Natasha to manage.
Honestly, he really didn't have the time or interest to work himself to the bone, dealing with affairs every day, facing politicians' false smiles.
He had had enough of it in his original world.
Wasn't it much better to bask in the sun, stroll the streets, spend time with gorgeous ladies and kids, and simply enjoy life?
"I'll be honest, the current holy maiden of Janusopolis is already a hollow title..."
Mortis showed a look of distress.
"Now, the pro-holy maiden faction has already been scattered, and I only have the title of holy maiden, with no real power."
"My only friend has also been killed... In this vast Janusopolis, maybe the only person I can rely on is you..."
Lucian knew some of the background facts of Janusopolis.
Just as Mortis had said, the holy maiden of Janusopolis had already been sidelined for generations and was just a puppet.
She had become nothing but a tool for those in power to deliver fake prophecies.
She could only listen to the prophecies of the Titans and then relay them to the government officials, who would alter the prophecies for their own interests before explaining them to the masses.
Mortis believed this was wrong and tried to resist, which was why she was targeted by Dannalio and her people.
Of course, the high-ranking officials from other factions were the same—they also wanted to monopolize the authority to convey prophecies.
Because the prophecies of the three Titans of Fate were true predictions, all the people of Amphoreus believed in them. Hence, even if the prophecies were mixed with personal interests, every one of those clueless people would still believe them.
In other words, the one who delivered the prophecies could influence thousands of city-states with a single word and reap enormous wealth!
Because of that, all the high-ranking officials of Janusopolis wanted to be the one favored by the gods, making killing or imprisoning the holy maiden a necessity.
In a theocratic system, the high priest and the holy maiden were supposed to be the supreme authorities, yet Mortis had been stripped of her power, which showed just how rebellious those in power had become.
"In that case, today's plan is decided."
Lucian stood up, straightened his clothes, and reached out his hand to the red-haired beauty, inviting her.
"Decided? Where are we going?"
Mortis asked with a puzzled look.
"I'm taking you to clean up some trash."
Lucian curled his lips and answered in a calm tone.
===
It was known that the officials and priests of Janusopolis all worked in the Temple of the Three Fates.
Mortis was extremely familiar with the interior, so it was easy to find them.
"Vinculum, high priest in charge of funerals. He's most deeply colluding with Dannalio, and he also took part in the assassination."
Mortis's voice beside him was truly magnetic, making Lucian find her voice very pleasing to the ear.
He turned his head slightly and saw that Mortis was holding a small notebook that seemed to be filled with names.
As expected, beautiful women truly hold grudges.
"You don't need to tell me their crimes. Just give me a name, and I'll kill one. It's that simple."
Hearing Lucian's domineering words, Mortis not only felt no fear, but her heart beat even faster.
All women admired strength, and she was no exception.
Having such a strong man by her side, radiating masculinity, it was impossible not to feel her heart race.
Especially Lucian's trust in her—it truly made Mortis feel overwhelmed.
"Halt! No one is allowed to enter without Lord Vinculum's authorization!"
When Lucian and Mortis reached their destination, two guards blocked their way at the door.
Even though it was the holy maiden and the divine envoy themselves standing before them, these two guards still refused to give way, which only proved that Mortis truly had no power at all.
"Tsk."
Lucian clicked his tongue in annoyance and waved his hand impatiently.
Two branches suddenly appeared out of thin air, binding the guards and dragging them underground, turning them into nutrients.
Just like that, the two guards never even had time to shout before they died.
Lucian continued forward, leading Mortis into a large room.
At the far end sat a middle-aged man, who seemed to be writing a letter and paid no attention to the newcomers.
"Is that guy Vinculum?"
Lucian asked calmly, confirming with Mortis.
"Yes, that's him."
Mortis nodded, gazing sharply at the middle-aged man.
Vinculum finally noticed the commotion, raised his head, and frowned when he saw Lucian and Mortis.
"Holy Maiden? Divine Envoy? You—"
*Pu-chi!*
Before Vinculum could finish his words, two golden branches suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pierced through his chest, lifting him into the air.
In no time, bright red blood flowed down the branches to the floor.
Vinculum, his eyes bulging wide, could not utter a single word and died just like that.
Even in his last moments, he never imagined he would die so abruptly—he didn't even get to keep his own wallet, as it was taken away by Lucian!
"Let's go, next one."